‘If the generals are counting tunnels, it suggests things are not going well’

  The Times of Israel

Yehuda Kfir, an expert in underground warfare, says the IDF can’t keep bombing buildings and infrastructure to locate Hamas’s tunnels: ‘We need to dig from our side to theirs’

. . .How will the IDF keep uncovering tunnels, especially in the south?

"The IDF method is frustrating and we can’t keep using it, because it involves destroying infrastructure and buildings above ground in order to get to what’s underneath.

"In the first stage [of the ground offensive], the IDF had a broad mandate for widespread destruction [as it sought to dismantle Hamas]. Obviously, we can’t uncover tunnels in that way in Khan Younis and Rafah, so deciphering what’s going on underground will have to be done another way — to reveal what’s underground without destroying the buildings and infrastructure above.

"I believe the way to do it is by digging from our side toward them, while inserting smart tools — sensors, microphones and robots, anything that can penetrate the tunnels and bring us intelligence on where they’re located.

"I’m talking even about some sort of underground torpedo, launching an excavation machine with explosives capabilities, at the right time. We need to change the approach — to attacking the tunnels from within.

Translated and edited from the original article on ToI’s Hebrew sister site Zman Yisrael.

PM: Anyone who thinks we'll stop war is unmoored from reality; Hamas can surrender or die | The Times of Israel

MK Danon: Critics of war should remember Palestinian civilians joined in Hamas attack | The Times of Israel    "Criticism over the mounting death toll in Gaza should be tempered with the knowledge that Palestinian civilians joined in Hamas’s brutal attack on southern Israel on October 7, MK Danny Danon tells reporters in Kfar Aza, arguing for the creation of a three-kilometer-wide buffer zone in Gaza.

"Standing next to former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee within sight of the Strip, the Likud lawmaker states that while it was Hamas “who broke through the fence” within a short period “so-called ordinary Gazans,” including “women, children [and] families” were “coming into Israel, taking part in the crimes committed.”

"  'So when we attack now we are not targeting civilians but we have to remember that when we are being criticized [for] attacking people who are not involved, that thousands of people in Gaza celebrated what happened here,” he says, complaining that the Palestinian Authority “hasn’t condemned the attacks yet” and railing against what he describes as “a culture of hate.” . . .

Why Israel’s Allies Are Pretending To Be Impatient

 To be sure, this awkward dance can’t go on forever. But Israel doesn’t intend for it to. In the meantime, a sharp Western turn against Israel’s war on Hamas has yet to materialize.

When Tlaib opens her mouth to shout
her face disappears

Seth Mandel, Commentary Magazine   "Foreign policy is still subject to domestic politics, no matter how far away the theater of battle is.

"That is a pretty reliable rule, and it explains much of what people are finding inexplicable: the insistence that the Biden administration is giving Israel “tough love” in private conversations while publicly supporting the IDF’s mission in Gaza. “Netanyahu’s war bluster exposes growing rift with Biden,” reports The Hill, putting a slightly more dramatic gloss on a version of the same story you can read today in the New York Times, Washington Post, and elsewhere.

"Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s trip to Israel yesterday, reports the Times, “was part of a full-court press by the Biden administration to urge Israeli officials to wrap up the ‘high-intensity’ phase of the war and begin carrying out more targeted, intelligence-driven missions to find and kill Hamas leaders, destroy the tunnels used by the militant group and rescue the people taken hostage on Oct. 7.”

"Not to put too much into the metaphor here, but in my glory days of yeshiva league high-school basketball I never faced a full-court press with so much breathing room. The only evidence that there is pressure behind closed doors is the insistence by top officials that there is pressure behind closed doors.

"How much time will Austin give the Israelis to get this done?" . . .

Are Electric Vehicles the Wave of the Future?

  Jim Hollingsworth - American Thinker 

"In recent months it has become abundantly clear that electric vehicles are no more than rich men’s toys. Sometimes I think I must be having a dream, but I do not seem to be able to awaken from this nightmare.

"These vehicles are so expensive that only the very rich can afford them.  In fact, these are often secondary vehicles.

"As a vehicle to drive from home to office and back home again, they are reasonably practical.  However, nothing beats a vehicle with an internal combustion engine.  You do not have to plug it in; just get in and drive it.  Five minutes is enough time to fill the gas tank and check the water and oil.  With an electric vehicle, you may have to spend two hours every 200 miles charging the battery.

"Electric vehicles were tried in the early part of the twentieth century but were abandoned after gasoline-driven cars became available.  Here is the timeline of the development of electric vehicles.  Here is a picture of a woman charging her vehicle about 1912.

"One of the reasons these cars did not catch on at the time is that there were many places in America that still had no residential electricity.  Another is that these vehicles were fairly low-speed, with a maximum speed of only about 14 miles per hour.  Even a horse could beat that (almost).  Some of the cars that were actually built were luxury cars, with ornate  interiors and designs.

"Today, electric cars are being built and sold to fight carbon dioxide.  This basic goal is simply madness.  Carbon dioxide is plant food.

"One has to wonder if electric vehicles are actually reducing carbon dioxide.  In one demonstration, when a reporter asked about the power source, he was informed that they just plugged it into a socket on the side of the building.  At the same time, there was an official there from the utility company, and he pointed out that the local electricity was provided by a coal-fired power plant.  So you can see that absolutely nothing was accomplished, as the coal-fired power plant was still producing carbon dioxide.  (The above cartoon explains the truth of the matter.)" . . .

Over 170 of Jeffrey Epstein's high-profile associates will be NAMED in court documents set to be unsealed in the first days of 2024

 Daily Mail Online   "Dozens of Jeffrey Epstein's high profile associates are in for a New Year's surprise as they will be named in court documents set to be released in the first days of 2024.

"The pedophile's powerful friends are set to be exposed as part of a vast unsealing that a judge ordered on Monday will take place in 14 days.

"That will take the release day to January 1 – but as that is a holiday it is likely the files will be made public the following day.

"Some 177 people will be identified across hundreds of files which will shed new light on the late financier's sex trafficking operation and his network of influence." . . .

For all you useful idiots for Hamas protesting against the “Israeli occupation of Gaza…”

 Educate yourselves, before you go out in public and demonstrate your abject ignorance about Gaza to the world. (barenakedislam.com)

"The “progressive” supporters of #Hamas are not pro-Palestinian but rather the useful idiots for the global Jihadist movement that, if successful, would hang them from the rafters."

Entire nativity scene beheaded in Germany

Now who would ever consider beheading an infant? Our college generation would never stand for that!

  Olivia Murray - American Thinker   "An entire nativity scene was left beheaded and handless this past weekend in the German city of Rüsselsheim, and local police are looking into a “possible” religious motive behind the vandalism—I’m no detective, but after bringing in tens of thousands of 6th and 7th century barbarians who hate infidels (but especially Jews and Christians), I’d suspect so.

"According to a report out a Remix News yesterday:

The attack featured the figures, primarily made out of Styrofoam, having their hands severed and their heads removed; some of them were also knocked over. The figures, which were displayed in the town’s market square, were found by a passerby on Sunday morning.

All the figures lost their heads, including baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the three kings, and a donkey.

"(To be honest though, I’m surprised the donkey was simply killed instead of sexually assaulted.) 

"Below you can see an image of the scene:"

What common theme (and denominator) do you see?

"ReLiGiOn Of PeAcE" 🥴 pic.twitter.com/RZDMgiGYwy

— Olivia Murray (@americaliv1) December 20, 2023

. . ." (Just last week, I wrote a blog on another anti-Christmas incident in Germany, one in which a gang of self-identified Muslims attacked a man dressed as Santa Claus, declaring the country now belonged to them.)

"Is the decapitation of those worshiping Jesus Christ a prelude of what the cultural enrichers intend to do to those who “insult Islam”?"

 

Most feel Christmas, retirement Scrooged by Bidenomics

 

Most feel Christmas, retirement Scrooged by Bidenomics (msn.com)    "The financial hurt Americans feel from Bidenomics is starting to show in their approach to Christmas shopping and fear about running out of money in retirement.

"In a new test of the economy, a survey done for the 85 Fund said that most Americans feel they are “worse” off this Christmas than last.

"The survey from CRC Research for the fund that supports conservative action groups and shared with Secrets said that 49% feel they are in a “worse position” to buy presents and celebrate the holidays. Some 43% said that they are better off.

"And the poll of 1,600 voters said that they are also very concerned about retirement as the rate hikes by the Federal Reserve rake their savings.

"The survey said that a whopping 81% are worried that they won’t have enough to retire on, a troubling finding since the poll said that a majority -- 52% -- are thinking about retiring.

"The poll — shown below — also found that credit card balances are rising, an early warning sign of economic troubles in the future.

"The results are the latest to challenge the Biden administration’s claims that the economy is in a sweet spot of good employment and cheaper prices. Most Americans believe that prices are significantly higher than they were during former President Donald Trump’s administration.. . ."

WHITE HOUSE PROMOTES 'IMPACTFUL' BIDENOMICS IN END-OF-YEAR MEMO

Huge Majority Of Voters Say U.S. Has ‘Serious’ Antisemitism Problem

 I&I/TIPP Poll – Issues & Insights

I&I/TIPP asked a follow-on question: “Generally speaking, how serious is the problem of anti-Semitism, or prejudice against Jewish people, among the following groups, in the U.S. today?” The choices were liberals, conservatives, young adults and universities.

"While the big media might not be worried about the wave of antisemitism that emerged after Israel was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, average Americans are. A hefty majority now call antisemitism in the U.S. a “serious” problem, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows.

"Following the recent disturbing outbreak of antisemitism across the country, ranging from an upsurge of antisemitic demonstrations on college campuses to a spate of ugly harassment incidents against individual Jewish Americans, a majority of Americans agree there’s a big problem.

"In our latest national online poll, taken Nov. 29-Dec. 1 from among 1,464 registered voters, we asked the following question: “Generally speaking, how serious is the problem of anti-Semitism, or prejudice against Jewish people, in the U.S. today?”

"The overwhelming response was not comforting for those who might have hoped that antisemitism was a relic of the past. Some 76% of all Americans called the problem either “very serious” (43%) or “somewhat serious” (33%). A mere 14% said it was either “not very serious” (10%) or “not serious at all” (4%)." . . .

. . ."The Oct. 7 surprise terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel unexpectedly seem to have revived an ugly strain of antisemitism, both here and abroad, that once seemed on its way to extinction. It’s back, and it’s real, especially among youths and on college campuses.

"Stories of bigots tearing down posters of Israeli hostages, polls suggesting some Americans support the terrorist attacks, and throngs of young anti-Jewish, anti-Israel protestors equating Zionism with “terrorism” have brought back memories of the mid-20th century’s ugly outbreak of antisemitism, which culminated in the Nazi atrocities of the 1930s and World War II.

"As recent polls show, if there’s any regret over the attacks among the Palestinians themselves, it’s not evident. A Reuters Poll just last week found that 72% of Palestinians now support Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel.

"Biden’s response to the attacks has been deemed a failure, even by some in his own party. Foreign policy analysts on both sides say Biden’s decision to restore billions in aid to Iran and look the other way as it continues its nuclear weapons program has further destabilized the Mideast. There is no question of Iran’s involvement, both direct and indirect, in the Oct. 7 attacks.

"Worse, critics say, are his attempts to kill off former President Donald Trump’s highly successful Mideast peace initiative, which brought Israel together with several of its Arab nation neighbors for the first time ever." . . . 

We Can Either Go Medieval on Terrorists or Kiss Prosperity Goodbye

 Stephen Green – PJ Media    "Remember we have only to be lucky once, you will have to be lucky always," the IRA warned the world after an assassination bombing at Brighton's Grand Hotel barely missed killing British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984. The same story is being told today in the vital lanes of the Red Sea, where Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels are waging a missile war against the world's shipping — and major shippers are getting out before their luck runs out." . . .

. . ."One or two American guided missile destroyers — dispatched from a navy that is already stretched too thin — is not enough to shoot down every Houthi missile. Shipping firms understand this and are skedaddling accordingly. 

"For my isolationist-minded readers who are certain this is just "a quarrel in a faraway land between people of which we know nothing," nothing could be further from the truth. The Red Sea — and the Suez Canal that connects it to the Mediterranean — is one of the world's most vital sea lanes. 

"Oil prices are up — way up — on the news. That quarrel in a faraway land is about to make itself felt at your neighborhood gas pump, and that has nothing to do with a lack of production in this country. Oil is a global commodity, so a disruption anywhere leads to higher prices everywhere.

"About one in six container ships travels through the Suez Canal, carrying everything from crude oil to consumer goods. Supply chain expert Chris Rogers told CNN today, "Consumer goods will face the largest impact, though current disruptions are occurring during the off-peak shipping season."

"American prosperity has been built on international trade since before the Revolutionary War and it almost certainly always will be. The same goes for the rest of the West, including our non-Western (but friendly) commercial cousins in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Maybe even China has a role to play here. But the world's wealthy trading nations can either get as Medieval on terrorists and pirates as they are on us, or we can kiss our prosperity goodbye." . . . 

'Adults in Charge': Top Nine Degenerate Democrat Scandals Under Joe Biden

 Breitbart

"After Joe Biden was elected to the White House, Democrat pundits hailed the return of “adults in charge” in Washington.

"However, since his election, there has been no shortage of scandals exposing Democrat degeneracy and perversion — including in the halls of power in D.C. and in the White House.

"Here are the top most recent Democrat scandals under Joe Biden’s presidency:

1. Democrat Staffer Having Sex in the Senate

"A graphic video emerged on December 15 of a Democrat staffer for Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) having anal sex with someone in a United States Senate hearing room in the U.S. Capitol, which is government property and American taxpayer funded. The video showed the staffer naked and on all fours on a table where senators conduct their business. He has since been fired.". . .

. . ."5. Navy Enlists Drag Queen Influencer to Recruit More Sailors

In May, the Navy revealed that it recruited a “drag queen influencer” as part of a pilot program to help recruit more people. The influencer, who is an active duty sailor named Joshua Kelley, goes by the name “Harpy Daniels” and had performed for other service members during deployments on ships.

7. Non-Binary Biden Senior Official and BDSM-Practitioner Caught Stealing Luggage

In December 2022, top Biden Department of Energy official and dog-play fetishist Sam Brinton was caught stealing luggage at a Las Vegas airport. In April, the now-former Biden official agreed in a plea deal to pay the victim nearly $3,670 and received a suspended jail sentence of 180 days and probation.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), right, and Sam Brinton, speaking, are seen during a news conference outside the Capitol on Thursday, June 13, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

How Do You Spell ‘College Antisemitism’? D.E.I.

  Issues & Insights (issuesinsights.com)

Wait, you say. The “diversity, equity, and inclusion” staff is supposed to be making campuses more welcoming and tolerant.

"In a rare show of bipartisanship, 84 Democrats joined 219 Republicans on a resolution condemning antisemitism on college campuses and calling for the presidents of Harvard and MIT to resign after they refused to condemn student calls for genocide of Jews at a House hearing. The University of Pennsylvania’s president, who was also at that hearing, has already stepped down.

"But even if all three of them were gone, so what?

"The problem is far wider and much deeper than antisemitism at three elite schools. And if you want to stamp out intellectual and moral rot driving it, start by firing the army of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” staffers at colleges across the country.

"Two years ago, Jay Greene, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former head of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, did groundbreaking work on the DEI bloat at 65 universities that are members of the five “power” athletic conferences: the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 10, the Big 12, the PAC 12, and the Southeastern Conference.

"What he found was that these schools averaged 45 DEI staffers, which was 1.4 times larger than the number of history professors. More recently, he looked at three public colleges in Virginia and found they had 6.5 DEI staffers for every 100 faculty members, which is higher than any single public university outside Virginia.

Later, Greene studied their posts on Twitter (now called X), and found that the ranks of DEI staff were full of antisemites. He found that 96% of their tweets about Israel were critical of the Jewish state, while 62% of the tweets about communist China were favorable.

“'Frequently accusing Israel of engaging in genocide, apartheid, settler colonialism, ethnic cleansing, and other extreme crimes while rarely leveling similar criticisms toward China indicates an irrational hatred that is particularly directed toward Jews and not merely a concern for human rights,” he wrote.". . .

No, Pope Francis Did Not Approve Blessings For Same-Sex Unions

 The Federalist 

 "Corporate media outlets are running salacious headlines that Pope Francis is now allowing “priests to bless same-sex relationships.” The implication from the media is that the Catholic Church has made a “radical” reversal on its stance that marriage is between one man and one woman. This is factually untrue.

"On Monday, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a “Declaration ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings.” In the declaration, the Vatican first reaffirms that marriage is the “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to the generation of children.”

"The document also establishes that contrary to media reports, liturgical blessings related to formal Church sacraments can never endorse same-sex unions, which the Catholic Church does not recognize. “[T]he Church does not have the power to confer its liturgical blessing when that would somehow offer a form of moral legitimacy to a union that presumes to be a marriage or to an extra-marital sexual practice,” reads the declaration.

"The document does say that individuals, including “same-sex couples,” may receive “spontaneous,” “informal” blessings related to overcoming human sin. “[O]ne should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing,” states the document.

"This, of course, is not new information. Anyone — irrespective of the types of sin they happen to struggle with — has always been able to receive an informal blessing from a Catholic priest. In other words, the document is a pointless reiteration of already established Church teachings. Indeed, the declaration is being grotesquely misrepresented by the corporate media and leftist Catholics who wish the document had been a reversal of Church doctrine, which, again, it was not.

"While the document is theologically sound, many Catholics are calling it a “pastoral nightmare.” Ulrich L. Lehner, a Catholic historian who teaches in the University of Notre Dame theology department, warns that the document’s “imprecise language invites misunderstanding and will sow confusion.” . . .