60 Minutes

It’s amazing to think, Israel not only carried off a sabotage operation that would make James Bond balk, it even made money on it. 🤣 https://t.co/0qJvfOeh6c

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) December 23, 2024

The power behind the throne

They used to say about Cardinal Richelieu that he was the best king France never had. See, he was the real power behind the throne of a weak and incompetent king, Louis XIII

Alternatively, perhaps someday, people will say that Elon Musk, Trump's wrangler, was the worst President (dictator?) that America never had.

Musk lobbied against a bipartisan bill to keep the government funded, and all he got out of that was dooming medical research for pediatric cancer patients.

I guess the billionaire with twelve children doesn't give a poop about other people's kids.

Weaponized empathy

From The Times of Israel podcast, British military expert Andrew Fox discusses the war in Gaza, and the use Hamas has made of social media and the press to weaponize the empathy of the international community and distort the facts.

And here is another interview with Andrew Fox by Eylon Levy on the purported death toll in Gaza ...

More on Mount Hermon

Israel won’t let Syrian jihadists seize the high ground. Our lives are at stake. pic.twitter.com/66ADMFs3fD

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) December 18, 2024

Mount Hermon

Mount Hermon, where lies Israel's only ski resort, is in the news ...

Defence minister orders Israeli troops to prepare to spend winter on Mount Hermon

[...] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the troops would remain until there was an effective force in place to enforce the Separation of Forces Agreement signed following the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Israel has called the move a limited and temporary measure to ensure the security of its borders but it is unclear when it will judge the situation in Syria stable enough to pull its forces back ...

At the border between Lebanon and Syria, Mount Hermon has a few peaks, the highest of which is in Syria, and which is also in the area of the buffer zone between Israel and Syria. The soutern slope of Mount Hermon is in Israeli terriroty and that's where the ski resort is. Wikipedia has a page on it ...

Mount Hermon ski resort

The Mount Hermon ski resort ... is situated on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Hermon, a few kilometers off the Purple line, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israel. The site is surrounded by the Hermon nature reserve. While the nature reserve is open year-round, the ski resort is open only at the peak of winter (usually January–March), when enough snow is accumulated on its ground ...

I never think of a place like Israel having snow. Reminds me of Mauna Kea in Hawaii, which does get snow too and you can actually ski there ...

Drone mystery solved! Not.

Mystery Drones Saga: Federal Agencies Say Sightings Are Mix Of Legal Drones, Aircraft And Stars

A group of federal agencies on Monday night said the weeks-long citings of low-flying drone-like objects in the night skies of New Jersey and other nearby states are likely a mix of legally flown aircraft, drones and misidentified stars which they assess do not pose any risk to national security or public safety ...

Oh, well ok then. Why didn't you say so in the first place? Mystery solved. Thank God!

No, really? Come on! Surely our government can do better than this. No swamp gas, no weather balloons, no planet Venus?

Their lame explanation reminds me of an episode of the X-Files, Jose Chung's From Outer Space, in which someone sights a (real) UFO, and is thereafter visited by two Men in Black, played by Jesse Ventura and Alex Trebek ...

The drones

Here's a pretty comprehensive article about the mysterious drones ...

Mystery Drones Over New Jersey And Nearby States: Trump Claims The Military Knows What The Sightings Are (Updated)

What seems likely to me, given my limited information, is that the federal government knows something about the drones that it will not tell local officials or the public. I say this because they certainly have the ability, and you would think also the will, to find out what's going on, but they say they are clueless, while at the same time saying they know the drones aren't a threat.

This has The X-Files written all over it ;) ... a situation in which the government made a deal with invading aliens to keep the invasion a secret so that there would be no panic and top Earth officials would get special treatment after alien colonization.

But seriously, it makes me worried that everyone is being kept in the dark, and my first response ... maybe not the best one ... is that a drone should be captured/shot down for examination by local officials.

More: 2024 New Jersey drone sightings

Music

I'm finding the present political situation here so depressing, now that Trump has won. There's not much in the greater world to cheer me up either.

But then I listen to music and I can forget about things for a while. A decade I especially like is the 70s. Some bright spots, in no particular order ...

- Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, 1971



- Crazy on You by Heart, 1976



- Annie's Song by John Denver, 1974



- Layla by Eric Clapton, 1971



- Father and Son by Cat Stevens, 1970



- How Deep Is Your Love by the Bee Gees, 1977



- Hotel California, by the Eagles, 1977



- Your Song by Elton John, 1970



- Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, 1975



- Fire and Rain by James Taylor, 1970



- The Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie, 1970



- Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues, 1972 (Re-release)



- I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) by The Moody Blues, 1973

And so it begins

Kennedy’s Lawyer Has Asked the F.D.A. to Revoke Approval of the Polio Vaccine

The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death .... Mr. Siri has also filed a petition seeking to pause the distribution of 13 other vaccines ...

So, we want Israel to get the polio vaccine to kids in Gaza, but we want that vaccine taken away from American children? RFK Jr is a plague.

Stepford world

When I watched this, I thought ... thank God, it's not just me! As I see people who should know better sucking up to Trump, I've been astonished and horrified. Did everyone turn into a Stepford citizen after the election or did they never really believe what they professed before?

I get it - it's a version of battered woman syndrome. You are in the power of a scary bad person you can't beat and can't get away from, so you do wahtever you must to survive, and maybe even start to believe that you deserve this. Well, suck it up Democrats. I expect more from you.

Another choice Trump pick

I see Trump is appointing his son's ex-girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, as ambassador to Greece.

She will join his other appointees who are known for sexual misconduct. No, really ... Kimberly Guilfoyle: Latest Trump nominee accused of sexual misconduct

Let's take a look back at 2020 to see why she left her job at Fox ...

- The New Yorker: The Secret History of Kimberly Guilfoyle's Departure from Fox

[I]n November, 2018, a young woman who had been one of Guilfoyle’s assistants at Fox News sent company executives a confidential, forty-two-page draft complaint that accused Guilfoyle of repeated sexual harassment, and demanded monetary relief. The document, which resulted in a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement, raises serious questions about Guilfoyle’s fitness as a character witness for Trump, let alone as a top campaign official ....

At the time, she was a co-host of the political chat show “The Five.” Media reports suggested that she had been accused of workplace impropriety, including displaying lewd pictures of male genitalia to colleagues, but few additional details of misbehavior emerged. Guilfoyle publicly denied any wrongdoing, and last year a lawyer representing her told The New Yorker that “any suggestion” she had “engaged in misconduct at Fox is patently false.” But, as I reported at the time, shortly after Guilfoyle left her job, Fox secretly paid an undisclosed sum to the assistant, who no longer works at the company. Recently, two well-informed sources told me that Fox, in order to avoid going to trial, had agreed to pay the woman upward of four million dollars ....

Read the rest of the New Yorker article for the grotesque details of the sexual misconduct.

And ...

- Business Insider: Rupert Murdoch appears to confirm that Kimberly Guilfoyle left Fox News due to 'inappropriate' behavior, after reports claimed she faced a sexual harassment accusation

Fox News Chairman Rupert Murdoch appeared to confirm that Kimberly Guilfoyle was fired from Fox News because of "inappropriate behavior," adding weight to previous reports that she was ousted over sexual harassment allegations ....

More on airstrikes

In the news, Israel has conducted more aitstrikes on Syria's military assets. When I listened today to the State Dept's press briefing, some of the reporters thought this was a bad thing.

But really all we know so far about the guy in charge now in Syria, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is that he used to be an Al-Qaeda terrorist, and he actually still has a reward on his head from the US ...

The US State Department listed al-Julani as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" in May 2013, and four years later announced a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture. Al-Julani released an audio statement on 28 September 2014, in which he stated he would fight the "United States and its allies"...

He says he's changed, maybe he has, but it's not surprising Israel is worried about him being on their border, especially with ISIS still in Syria as well.

Here's what General Barry McCaffrey wrote today ...

Brilliant IDF immediate strikes. This will add to peace thru deterrence. USAF also conducted 75 strikes in Syria against ISIS concentrations. https://t.co/j4e3S81VZu

— Barry R McCaffrey (@mccaffreyr3) December 11, 2024

And this from Eylon Levy ...

Israel is stopping a navy, an air force, and WMDs from falling in the hands of jihadists.

Israel is keeping the whole world safe.

Thanks us later. https://t.co/ctaUtQL3k1

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) December 10, 2024

RFK abd Samoa

I assume we will soon be seeing RFK Jr walking through the halls of Congress, having interviews with Senators as now Pete Hegseth is doing. Rachel Maddow talks about the connection between RFK Jr and a past incident of deaths of unvaccinated children in Samoa from measles.

Speaking of RFK Jr, I recently read that he was a heroin addict for 14 years. I know ... nowadays drug use is considered more an affliction than a crime, but I still remember my high school days in the 60s, when smoking dope could land you in prison for years. How is it that heroin addiction is not at least seen as a character flaw?

Do we really want a former addict, an accused sexual abuser, a road-kill eater, and a host to a brain worm to be the head of HHS?

Here's a bit of The New York Times opinion piece on this ...

I’ll Never Forget What Kennedy Did During Samoa’s Measles Outbreak

In November 2019, when an epidemic of measles was killing children and babies in Samoa, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who in recent days became Donald Trump’s pick to lead the department of Health and Human Services — sent the prime minister of Samoa a four-page letter. In it, he suggested the measles vaccine itself may have caused the outbreak.

He claimed that the vaccine might have “failed to produce antibodies” in vaccinated mothers sufficient to provide infants with immunity, that it perhaps provoked “the evolution of more virulent measles strains” and that children who received the vaccine may have inadvertently spread the virus to other children. “Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance,” he added, writing in his role as the chairman of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group.

At the time of his letter, 16 people, many of them younger than 2, were already reported dead ...

Airstrikes in Syria

- F-15E Strike Eagle

In the news, stories about Israeli airstrikes in Syria against chemical weapons sites. But it isn't just them, the US, which has something like 1000 troops on the ground in Syria, has also been making airstrikes ...

B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s Conduct Massive Anti-ISIS Airstrikes in Syria After Fall of Assad

U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers, F-15E Strike Eagles, and A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft conducted dozens of airstrikes against Islamic State leaders, fighters, and camps in central Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced. The aircraft dropped about 140 munitions on more than 75 targets belonging to the militant group, a senior administration official told reporters.

The strikes came as the U.S. is trying to prevent ISIS militants from exploiting the chaotic situation in Syria after Assad fled the country and rebels led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham took over Damascus 13 years into the Syrian civil war ...

U.S. working to destroy Syria's remaining chemical weapons, official says

The U.S. is working with several other countries in the Middle East to prevent chemical weapons possessed by the Assad regime from falling into the wrong hands, a U.S. official told reporters.

The U.S. and its allies are concerned that the collapse of the Syrian army and other security forces — and the chaos engulfing the country — will allow terrorist groups to seize dangerous weapons held by the Assad regime ...

The Purple Line and the UNDOF Zone

Prime Minister Netanyahu comments on the fall of the Syrian government and the temporary movement of Israeli troops to to the buffer zone between Israel and Syria ... the Purple Line and the UNDOF Zone ...

Syria

It's just past midnight here and in the news, rebels have entered Damascus and Bashar al-Assad has fled the country for Russia. The prime minister is still there and he wants a peaceful reansition of power to the rebels. Worries about the rebels - some affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda?

CNN: Syria rebels declare Damascus ‘free,’ claim Assad has fled the capital

The Times of Israel: IDF deploys in Golan buffer zone with Syria, girding for post-Assad regime chaos

Wikipedia: Fall of the Assad dynasty

Aviva Siegel

On Meet the Press Now today, Aviva Siegel, who was a hostage held by Hamas but released, talks about her husband, Keith, who is still being kept prisoner by the terrorists in Gaza.

Cardinal Richelieu and preemptive pardons

This pre-emptive pardon seems weird, but I do remember the horrible things some Trump peeople said, like Steve Bannon wanting to have Dr. Fauci and Christopher Wray beheaded so he could display their heads on spikes outside the White House.

This pardon thing reminds me of the book The Three Musketeers in which Cardinal Richelieu had given the evil Milady de Winter a letter which was a pre-emptive pardon for all the murders she planned to commit ...

“By my order and for the good of the state, the bearer has done what has been done”

But the Musketeers took the letter from her and used it to pardon themselves for executing her.

Amnesty International

Amnesty accuses Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

Well, not exactly ...

Chair of Amnesty International’s Israel branch resigns over genocide report

The chair of Amnesty International’s Israeli branch and two board members have resigned over the human rights group’s report accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Daniil Brodsky and the board members stepped down on Thursday, after the group said in a statement the report had “not proved genocidal intent beyond a reasonable doubt” ...

The Wall Street Journal's editorial board has a piece about this ...

The Propaganda War on Israel Never Stops

[...] The case law at the International Court of Justice requires a finding that “intent to destroy the group, in whole or in part, must be the only reasonable inference which can be drawn from the pattern of conduct.” Amnesty says that’s too high a bar and looks at the “broader picture” and “context.” ....

Here’s the report’s opening line: “On 7 October 2023, Israel embarked on a military offensive on the occupied Gaza Strip (Gaza) of unprecedented magnitude, scale and duration.” Gaza wasn’t occupied, and Hamas, not Israel, embarked on a military offensive. But Amnesty says it will get to the Hamas mass murder later ....

While Amnesty uses the casualty figures of the “Gaza-based Ministry of Health,” aka Hamas, it never mentions that Israel says 17,000 dead Hamas fighters are among them. It omits the crucial civilian-to-combatant ratio, which would suggest Israel has done better than most in urban warfare ....

Amnesty even criticizes Israel for evacuating civilians from active war zones. This, too, becomes evidence of “genocidal intent” because it displaces the civilians. But Amnesty also criticizes Israel as genocidal in cases where it it didn’t evacuate civilians. The game is to twist international law until Israel—or the U.S.—has no way to fight against terrorists ....

Depressing that most of the press is just stating that Amnesry International says Israel is committing genocide, as if that makes it a fact. I used to like Amnesty International. Why do my people (the liberals) have to hate Israel? :(

Hell to pay

Trump Says There Will Be ‘Hell To Pay’ If Remaining Hostages Aren’t Released By His Inauguration

Not sure what that means, if anything ... I doubt Trump actually cares about the hostages ... but geez how long have we waited to hear the Biden administration threaten/promise Hamas that they will pay a terrible price unless they turn over the hostages now? I listen to the State Dept press briefings, and all I hear is concrn about the Palestinians, and vague hopes about the hostages someday being released if only we can offer Hamas the right incentives. Why haven't we done more?

Saw this at Eylon Levy's twitter ...

Keith Siegel is a hostage of Hamas.

His mother just died. She spent the last 14 months of her life in agony knowing her son was rotting in the Hamas Terror Dungeons.

His surviving family, including his wife, captivity survivor Aviva, want him free. https://t.co/rkAYGvx8U9

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) December 3, 2024

So who is Eylon Levy? You can read about him at Wikipedia, but there's this too ...

Honored to win the Bonei Zion Prize for Global Impact, but I couldn't do this without my amazing team

This #GivingTuesday, I'm donating the prize money to the non-profit I founded, @israelcitizenspox

💸 Please donate and help us speak up for Israel: https://t.co/NQ5ZevPeTy pic.twitter.com/QRMw3wjfG6

— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) December 3, 2024

More on the pardon

Rachel Maddow on Biden pardoning his son ...



I've been listening to the news - all the Democratic politicians who are criticizing Biden for pardoning his son. What comes through to me is that they want to position themselves for their future elections.

Biden changed his mind about the pardon due to the circumstances surrounding his son's case and also the threats posed by the upcoming Trump administration. I believe that is understandable, and it is not Biden's job to make sure Democratic politicians won't be embarrassed. Suck it up, jerks, it's not all about you.

No little girl ...

... dreams of growing up to become a prostitute.

Belgium becomes first country to give sex workers robust labor rights and protections

Belgium made history on Sunday as the first country in the world to allow sex workers to sign formal employment contracts — granting them access to sick days, maternity pay and pension. The new law also guarantees fundamental rights for sex workers, including the ability to refuse clients, set the conditions of an act, and stop an act at any moment ...

I have two thoughts about this ...

1) it's way past time that sex workers have all the protections any other worker has.

2) Prostitution should be illegal.

You may think those two things are antithetical, but I don't. Of course everyone deserves work protections and rights, but being a prostitute is still a crap job - there really just isn't any honest way to dress it up.

At the end of the day, the "job" only exists because some people (mostly men) have a deep-seated belief that they should be able to screw another person whenever they want to. They believe they deserve this for all kinds of reasons, including health.

The fact that prostitution exists is not an affirmation of that tortured belief in entitlement, it's an example of the failure of our society from the dawn of time to treat women like people equal to men.

Some will use this law in Belgium as an excuse for why prostitution is fine, and they will tell thesmselves and others that most women become prostitutes because they love having sex with strangers and, hey, it's an easy buck. I don't believe those tropes.

Here's a scene from an episode of The West Wing, The Women of Qumar - the first part of the scene lays it out ...