Genesis - Parashath Bereshith - Fourth aliyah to end.

FOURTH ALIYAH TO END: CAIN, ABEL, AND VIRTUE ENVY. FOURTH ALIYAH: THE HOUSE OF CAIN. We now come to the story of Cain and Abel [4:1 - 16]. Two things stand out for me about this episode: (1) Cain's murderous jealousy of Abel is not motivated by envy for some desirable worldly possession - wealth or fame or the love of a woman - but for the favor of G-d; and (2) Cain and Abel are not employed in the same enterprise (Cain is a farmer, Abel a herdsman) - they're not playing the same game - so it's not as if they were competing to see who could be the best farmer or the best shepherd. Humans are competitive, like all living things; unlike the other animals, we have the ability to follow a moral code, and we are competitive even in that. I'm going to use the term "virtue envy" to refer to the envy of another person's moral standing. Mundane envy - the desire for another's worldly attainments - is quite bad enough. It is among the most pernicious of emotions, and with good reason is it included in the Ten Commandments. And it's always easier to tear the other guy down than to build ourselves up: if Reuben is conspicuously wealthy, and Simon is struggling to get by, then Simon might be tempted to wish ill fortune upon Reuben. This is the basis for the idea of the "evil eye" [ עין הרע | ayin ha-ra] in Jewish tradition. If mundane envy is a destructive emotion, how much more so is virtue envy. When we encounter a person known to be of excellent moral character and reputation, we might feel uncomfortable about ourselves. And we should! But the correct response is to work on oneself to improve. So when Cain's offering is rejected and Cain is "grieved and downcast", the Creator takes notice, and even tries to rehabilitate him: [4:7] "If you improve, there is advancement; but if you do not improve, sin crouches at the gate. And its desire is towards you, but you shall rule over it." In that last phrase, the language unmistakably parallels 3:16, describing the woman's desire for the man; and in fact the Hebrew word used here for "desire" [ תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ| teshuqah] is very rare in the Bible, occurring only in these two verses and in Song of Songs 7:11. But Cain won't hear of it. He remains unredeemable. In 4:8, Cain kills his brother Abel. The Creator confronts Cain and sentences him to be "a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth" (4:10). Why did Cain kill Abel? Did he observe his younger brother's sacrifices [4:1 - 4] and think, "I, too, am a firstborn - perhaps he means to sacrifice me as he sacrificed those sheep"? And so, projecting his own violent impulses on his brother? Yoram Hazony makes the case that the story of Cain and Abel prefigures a recurring theme in the Hebrew Scriptures, where "the shepherd and the farmer are taken as representing contrasting ways of life, and two different ethics, which come into sharp conflict time and again." (Hazony, Philosophy of Hebrew Scripture, p. 104.) Here I'll just point out the irony of Cain's punishment: he is sentenced to be a perpetual wanderer, re-creating his murdered brother's nomadic lifestyle. He must literally walk a mile in his brother's shoes. Cain, still the victim in his own eyes, complains that [3:13 - 14] "my sin is too great to bear ... whoever finds me will kill me!" The Creator declares [4:15] "whoever kills Cain shall be avenged sevenfold" and sets a distinguishing mark on Cain's forehead "so that none who find him shall harm him". So Cain is protected from vigilante justice - but a fateful precedent is set. In 4:15, the key word [ שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם | shiv'atayim] may mean either "sevenfold" (and that's how I'm reading it here) or "seven generations". The descendents of the exiled Cain are named in short order in 4:17 - 18. We learn nothing about their lives until we get to Lemekh. FIFTH ALIYAH: LEMEKH'S WIVES. Lemekh's wives Adah and Zillah are the first women mentioned by name after Eve, and Zillah and her daughter Na'amah are the first mother/daughter pair identified in the Bible. And there is a Rabbinic tradition that Na'amah was the wife of Noah. SIXTH ALIYAH: LEMEKH'S BOAST. [4:23] "I have slain a man for wounding me, and a lad for bruising me. For sevenfold is Cain avenged, and Lemekh seventy-seven." The passage is cryptic and difficult to translate, and other interpretations exist. (Rashi offers a rather elaborate explanation involving a hunting accident.) But I think the most straightforward - and also the most disturbing - is simply that he is boasting about his willingness to kill. "Perhaps, then, what Lamech is saying (quite barbarically) is that not only has he killed a man for wounding him, he has not hesitated to kill a mere boy for hurting him." (Alter, p.21, note.) Dennis Prager agrees: "Lamech boasts that if any man touches him, he will kill seventy-seven of his opponent's men in retaliation. This type of unbalanced retribution was the norm in all societies." (Genesis: God, Creation, and Destruction, p. 74) Notice the connection with Cain: Lemekh invokes the precedent of Cain's mark to justify his own ability to kill with impunity. Man has taken God's mercy and perverted it into a literal license to kill. The result is society's descent into barbarism. Is it any wonder the Creator is angry? The line of Cain disappear from the text, seemingly without trace. We do not know whether they intermarried with the descendants of Seth (chapter 5). [4:25 - 26] Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and she named him Seth ... and a son was born to Seth, and he named him Enosh. Then it was begun [or: it became profaned] to call upon the name of the L-rd. We can only guess at Eve's anguished state of mind as we meet her again, for the last time in Genesis. There's an ambiguity in the last part of 4:26: the Hebrew word [huchal] can mean either "it was begun" or "it became profaned". The descendants of Seth are chronicled [4:6 - 31] in formulaic fashion. Each entry in the list is given with a lifespan in years, and all but one end with the words "... and he died". Of Enoch, we are told cryptically that "he walked with G-d, and was not, for G-d took him". (In the later list of Shem's descendants [11:9 - 26], the phrase "and he died" is omitted because there are no exceptions to the pattern.) The names of Seth's descendants appear to echo the names of the line of Cain. Zvi Grumet (Genesis: Creation to Covenant, pp. 72-74) offers an interesting interpretation of this, arguing that "the descendants of Seth are intentionally giving themselves names that mirror Cain and his line ... [the] two genealogies paint for us an image of six generations desperately trying to counteract a divine curse." (This refers to the "seven generations" reading of 4:15, see above.) SEVENTH ALIYAH: LEMEKH II, NOAH, AND THE DECREE AGAINST MAN. And here we see the appearance of the second Lemekh [5:25]. This Lemekh has a son whom he prophetically names Noah (pronounced "noach" with a guttural “ch” - it's not the same as the popular girls' name No'ah, which is spelled and pronounced differently in Hebrew). The text ties the name Noah - [noach] in Hebrew - to the verb [nachem], which incidentally has two meanings, both of which are in play here. Usually [nachem] means to comfort or to console, and that's how it is explained as relating to Noah's name [5:29]. But also, and much less commonly, it can mean "to regret", and it is also used in that sense here, when the Creator is described as having "regretted" making man [6:7]. Noah's three sons [5:32] are apparently the first multiple birth in the Bible. Shem, Ham, and Japheth were born in the same year to the same woman (Noah is not recorded as having a second wife or concubine) and so must have been triplets. It's also worth noting that Noah becomes a father late in life, relatively speaking, compared to his ancestors. At 500 years old, he is past middle age (500/950 = 10/19) when he begets his three sons. Chapter 6 opens with a description of the lawless violence that has engulfed the world. There's also a reference to the "Nephilim", whose exact identity remains a mystery. The Creator places a limit on man's lifespan - perhaps to force man to start thinking beyond his own immediate gratification, and about the future. I want to zoom in on [6:2]. "The sons of the mighty [ בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙| bnei ha-elohim] saw the daughters of man ..." Now this is tricky to translate, because "elohim" can mean either "God" or "mighty ones", but it's clearly used in the second sense here. Also notice that this verse very subtly echoes the refrain of 1:4, etc., "... and God [Elohim] saw that it was good," only here of course it's in a negative sense. And there's an irony in the juxtaposition of "bnei ha-elohim", as the bad guys, with "bnoth ha-adam" as the innocent party. Now the next part of the verse is often translated in English as "... [they] saw that the daughters of man were fair (or, "beautiful", etc.)", but the word that's actually used [ טֹבֹ֖ת|tovoth] simply means "good". (See Rashi on Numbers 24:5.) And in fact that's how the Artscroll edition renders it, and I think it's the most straightforward understanding of the verse - and here we see another instance of virtue envy. The daughters of man may have been beautiful or not, but they carried themselves with decency and dignity - they were morally good. And it was this goodness that the corrupt, powerful men saw in them - and they despised them for it. [1734]

Genesis - Parashath Bereshith - Third aliyah.

THIRD ALIYAH: THE SERPENT AND THE FALL. [2:20 - 3:21] When woman is created as a separate entity, man exclaims, [2:23] “This one shall be called woman, for from man she was taken.” Notice that he does not address her directly. Who’s he talking to? His words – the first recorded human speech in the Bible – are spoken in the third person, and there isn’t even a third person in the world yet! [2:24] “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife” – here is a moral imperative, a commandment, explicitly linked to the Garden of Eden. Up until now, the text has been declarative and expository: this happened, and then that happened. Here for the first time the text says: you shall do this. The message is that our instinct to seek union and wholeness cannot be fulfilled by staying in our parents’ home. The way home is forward. [3:1 - 5] The first recorded conversation in the Bible neither involves nor concerns a man, and therefore almost passes the Alison Bechdel test. Why did Eve speak to the serpent? Maybe because it spoke to her. Why does the serpent tempt Eve? Because it can. People sometimes ask why the serpent, specifically, had a motivation to cause man’s fall. But I think this is the wrong question. What the text actually tells us, the very first thing it tells us about the serpent, is this: [3:1] “The serpent was the most cunning of all the beasts of the field.” This answers the question, Why could the serpent, specifically, cause man’s fall? Nowhere does the text ask why the serpent wanted to, because we’ve already been told that – in 1:28, where man was given dominion over all the other creatures. What the text tells us is that the serpent was unique in its capabilities; it does not say that the serpent was unique in its motives. I think the serpent’s motive was shared among all the animals: resentment towards man for man’s having been given dominion over all other life forms. All the animals had the motive, but only the serpent had the method; all had the intent, but the serpent alone had the capability. This, then, is the first instance of envy and jealousy in the Bible, even before the well-known brothers whom we’ll meet in the next chapter. And it is also of the same theme: rather than wanting to better itself and improve its own standing, the serpent wants to bring the other guy down. This is the nature of envy and it’s an all too common human weakness. Venturing just a little bit into symbol, we might take the snake – and, in my reading, the putative rebelliousness of the animal kingdom generally – as a metaphor for how our lower nature, our animal instincts, will often use rationalization to get us to do things we know we shouldn’t do. [3:20] “He named her Life [חַוָּ֑ה |chava]” – as Steinsaltz drily observes, he could have called her a lot of things at that moment. But he didn’t. He named her Life. “- because she was the mother of all life.” I think the verb here [הָֽיְתָ֖ה |hayetah] really wants to be translated as “had become” – “she had become the mother of all life.” So, what is really going on here? I think she must have been already pregnant, and perhaps she told the man her wonderful secret right then and there. And now, suddenldy, the fruit, the fall, the curse – none of that matters now, because they are about to bring a new human life into the world. [597]

Genesis - Parashath Bereshith - Second aliyah.

SECOND ALIYAH: ADAM AND EVE.[2:4 - 2:19] [2:5] because there was no human to work the ground There was no irrigation, which required human labor. "There was no one to recognize the benefit of the rain." (Rashi) [2:7] He blew into his nostrils. "He made him both of earthly and heavenly matter – his body from earthly matter, and his soul from heavenly matter." (Rashi) "The soul of man is part of G-d Himself, as it were." (Steinsaltz, p. 16, note.) [2:9] and the tree of knowledge, good and evil: Robert Alter correctly translates this as “the tree of knowledge, good and evil” (and not “… knowledge of good and evil”). The definite article here is attached to [ הַדַּ֖עַת|ha-da’at], "knowledge", and by the rules of Hebrew grammar it cannot be “knowledge of” something else. “Good and evil” therefore describes the ambiguous and ambivalent nature of the tree and its fruit – both good and evil. Also, notice that the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of life are mentioned after, and apparently excluded from, the description of "every tree pleasing to the sight and good for food". So the appeal of the Tree of Knowledge perhaps lay elsewhere than in its outward appearance. "Evil involves distortion, and yet this distortion is not too far removed from the essence of human creativity, a capacity that stems from the ability to perceive reality beyond its obvious form." (Steinsaltz, p.16, note.) The appeal of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge lay not in its beauty but in its mysteriousness. It is human nature to be attracted to the unknown and the unexplored, even if (or perhaps because) this attraction carries with it an element of danger. [2:16 - 17] Of every tree you may surely eat, but of the Tree of Knowledge, good and evil, you shall not eat, lest you die. It is possible that eating of the Tree of Knowledge would have revealed the nature and location of the Tree of Life. [2:18] It is not good for man to be alone: Notice that the solution is not to create a second Adam from scratch; rather, the single, unitary man must give up his completeness – just as (so to speak) the Creator must self-limit and withdraw to make room for man and free will. [2:19] Every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens ... to see what the man would call them: The fish are excluded from this verse, and in fact Biblical Hebrew lacked names for any individual species of fish. "... the redaction gives us first a harmonious cosmic overview of creation and then a plunge into the technological nitty-gritty and moral ambiguities of human origins." (Robert Alter, p. 13 note.) Together with the separation of the original human into two beings, male and female, we also see the emergence of language. We depend on other people to keep ourselves sane; we learn how to think, speak, and act by interacting with the people around us. And the division of the original, unitary human into two individuals signals a shift in consciousness: the ability to observe another person from the outside, and to imagine ourselves as other people see us. [531]

Genesis - Parashath Bereshith - First aliyah.

In the beginning verses of the Bible, we see the Creator fashioning the world, and man in it, bringing forth first chaos, then order, then complexity. The order of Creation is logical, not chronological. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (The Steinsaltz Humash, p.10, note on v. 20) points out that the creatures created after the fourth day “would not grow and develop blindly, like vegetation, but would move and have some measure of will.” I’ll add that all of the creatures created after the fourth day (when the heavenly bodies were created as distinct light sources) have eyes – unlike plants, which can “see” only light and darkness. One thing that stands out about the creation narrative is the role of Divine speech in the act of creation. The Word of G-d is the instrument that fashions order out of primal chaos. Another thing I’d like to point out here is the role of number. Already, in just the fifth verse of the Bible, we’ve started counting: “… and it was evening, and it was morning, one day.” And each following day is numbered in succession. People sometimes say that “the Bible is not a book of science” – well, maybe not, but there sure are a lot of numbers in it. Here, in this very first occurrence of numbers in the Bible, what is being measured is time, and that with a specific purpose: to involve man in the process of the Creation. Although the commandment to observe the Sabbath is not made explicit until later, it is first mentioned at the end of the Creation story (at the beginning of Chapter 2). In fact, even before the Sabbath, we’re told that the luminaries were created “for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.” That is, man is expected to observe the regular processes of nature and study their patterns. He is to create a calendar. (And in fact, Jewish tradition understands this commandment to mean that the calendar must incorporate three elements: the solar cycle, the lunar cycle, and the week – that is, a purely numerical element which is not dependent on natural phenomena but is reckoned by the mind of man alone.) The Creation story of Genesis is profoundly spiritual, affirming our place in the order of Creation. It is deeply moral, calling on us to act in accord with the will of the Supreme Being. And, too, it is supremely scientific in its worldview, inviting us to engage cognitively with the processes of the world around us. Genesis comes to teach us, not a mere collection of disconnected “facts”, but rather how to think about the universe: as a theatre of unfolding, orderly events, proceeding from a single First Cause, that can be known and understood – at least in part – by the mind of man. [468]

Hassan Nasrallah gets his virgins.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/396856 'On Friday afternoon, shortly before Shabbat, the IDF conducted a precise strike, eliminating Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi confirmed. The strike, named "A New Order" by the IDF, took place in Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in the heart of Beirut, along with other senior officials in the terrorist organization.' Well, the Hezbollah guys must have been having a blue Monday this week. The first reports of the strike arrived late Friday afternoon where I am. This came just days after those semetex pagers and walkie-talkies wiped out most of the Hezbollah leadership. In shul Saturday morning, it was the main topic of conversation. The Rabbi quipped, "Imagine if you got recruited to Hezbollah a month ago. Last week you were the cleaning guy, now you're the Chief of Staff!" http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/396848 Oh, and Hamas - remember them? The IDF officially declared Hamas "militarily defeated" last week. That doesn't mean the IDF's work in Gaza is finished, of course - not with hostages still in captivity. But I think the announcement signals a decision by the military to turn its attention northward. [185]

Israel: Bodies of six hostages located at Rafah.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/395509

'On Saturday night, the IDF and ISA located and recovered the bodies of the hostages Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Master Sergeant Ori Danino, from an underground tunnel in the Rafah area in the Gaza Strip and returned them to Israeli territory. The six were abducted on October 7th, 2023, and were murdered in the past two days by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. They were found 20 meters underground without previous intelligence. The bodies were recovered a kilometer away from the tunnel where the hostage Farhan al-Qadi was located and rescued last week.'

That's in Rafah. You remember Rafah, the city that the Biden regime was so anxious to keep the Israelis out of? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/387366

'US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Monday in Washington with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement after the meeting that Blinken “reiterated the United States’ support for ensuring the defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah, while reiterating opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah that would further jeopardize the welfare of the more than 1.4 million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.” “The Secretary underscored that alternatives exist to a major ground invasion that would both better ensure Israel’s security and protect Palestinian civilians. Secretary Blinken also discussed the need to immediately surge and sustain additional humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians in Gaza,” the statement added.'

Morning Report: 2024-08-13

ISRAEL: TISHA B'AV - ARUTZ SHEVA. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/394512 'Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, is a day of mourning for the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE, both of which took place on this day. The destruction of the Holy Temple was accompanied by the destruction of the Jewish kingdoms that had existed in the Land of Israel at those times and the exiling of the majority of the Jewish population.' CANADA: ANTI-SEMITIC ARSONS IN TORONTO - THE REBEL. https://www.rebelnews.com/three_days_four_antisemitic_arsons_in_toronto A school bus, a Jewish school, and two synagogues burned in three days. Ezra Levant: 'I’m pretty sure we know who’s doing these antisemitic crimes. Because during the day, we see hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pro-Hamas, antisemitic extremists marching through the streets — not just in Toronto, but across the country.' UK: MIGRANT SENTENCED TO 3 MONTHS AFTER HATE CRIME HOAX - ANDY NGO. https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1823043885050012030 'A migrant has been sentenced to 3 months in prison in Derbyshire, England after making a hoax live stream pretending to be attacked by the far-right during last week's "100 far-right riots" hoax. In his video, the man screamed and claimed far-right rioters were chasing him. ...' UK: 'MUSLIM PATROL' ATTACKS - ANDY NGO.

Part II: A pub in Birmingham, England was attacked and terrorized by a mob of masked "Muslim patrol" militants after they marched around the city looking for accused white supremacist "Islamophobes" to beat.

The violence was then proceeded by days of leftist and Muslim direct… https://t.co/3tGU7XYKq3 pic.twitter.com/dF2JTeVssD

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 11, 2024

'A pub in Birmingham, England was attacked and terrorized by a mob of masked "Muslim patrol" militants after they marched around the city looking for accused white supremacist "Islamophobes" to beat.'

US / Israel: Kirby and Smotrich have words.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/en/news/394391

“I even saw one claim today, again by Mr. Smotrich, suggesting that the mediators of this deal, which includes the United States, would impose, quote, ‘a surrender agreement on Israel.’ He's saying this as President Biden is actually directing the United States military to the Middle East to directly defend Israel against a potential attack from Iran or other Iranian backed terrorist groups,” said Kirby. He added that Biden “is fully prepared to defend Israel yet again, with the United States military, and again, this is the second time that he will have done this in four months. The idea that he would support a deal that leaves Israel's security at risk, It's outrageous. And anybody knows President Biden and how staunchly he's been a defender for Israel for the entire day of his public service, ought to be ashamed of thinking simply put the views being taken against this agreement ... ”

"Look at all we've done for you!" Kirby is saying. He is explicitly telling the Israelis that Israel should become dependent on the United States for its defense, which of course would be contingent on Washington's good will. What's in the agreement that got Kirby so defensive? Well ...

"You have to read it to believe it, and above all to understand the distorted and dangerous starting point of those who are pressuring us to stop the war and surrender. The ‘mediators’ actually wrote in their announcement yesterday that ‘the time has come to conclude the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the release of the hostages and prisoners’ while creating a delusional symmetry between the Israeli hostages - men, women and children - who were kidnapped from their beds with terrible cruelty, and despicable terrorists who murdered Jews and are serving their sentences for it in prisons," said Smotrich.

Will Iran attack Israel?

Or will Israel attack Iran? https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-813765

“We are prepared both defensively and offensively,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated during a visit Wednesday to the IDF induction base at Tel Hashomer.

How to help?

We want to help others, and it's good that we do. But how to help? Sometimes the answer is simple: if a person is starving, you give them food; if they're drowning, you throw them a life preserver; if they're in a burning building, you bring them out. I am not claiming that these things are easy - clearly, it takes great courage to rush into a burning building - but there is nothing difficult about knowing what the person needs. You know immediately what's the right thing to do - you just have to do it. In the real world, knowing how to help is often more difficult and complicated. What is the right kind of help, and what is the wrong kind? How much help is enough, and how much is too much? Perhaps you see an elderly or disabled person carrying a bag of groceries, and you want to help. But maybe they are suspicious of your intentions; or maybe the person is very proud, or has worked hard to overcome a disability, and prefers to be independent. How do you know? You might have to pay close attention to the person's reaction as you offer to help - their words, their tone, their facial expressions, their body language - to be sure that your help is really wanted. For the government bureaucrat, every problem is a problem for the government to solve, by "some sort of collective action": changes to public transit, changes to building codes, and hey, why not a "basic income" while we're at it? Every one of these proposed courses of action ("some sort of collective action") implies some sort of public policy change - to transit, to building codes, or to the economy itself. Each one of those changes entails something that will impose costs on someone else (transit riders, shopkeepers, the working population), and (not coincidentally) accrues more power to the party imposing the changes. Conversely, what is lost in the "collective action" approach is the knowledge of the particulars - the granular, mundane, local knowledge of THIS individual in THIS situation in THIS place and time - that is essential to assessing the person's specific needs.

Lesbian veteran speaks out.

"Take it from somebody who is gay - me. ... Trump is not going to mess with gay rights. He's not going to touch gay rights. Everything that me and my generation fought for - and like-minded individuals are also voting for Trump ... we fought for this. I served in the military during Don't Ask Don't Tell. I actually lived in a time when my orientation was oppressed. I don't care to shove it down other people's throats, I don't care to live behind that, because that is not my identity. I want to live my life in peace, and be left alone. Those of you that are shoving all these pronouns down people's throats, you're creating a problem. For those of us that actually fought for gay rights - you're creating a problem. Because all we wanted was to be treated just like any other American. And given the same rights. Guess what, we got that. That's why we're quiet. That's why we don't run our mouths. But y'all? Y'all are making us look bad."

You need to trust me and watch this entire clip.

This woman is “gay” and does NOT subscribe to the LGBTQ labeling.

She served in the military, and she is voting for President Trump.

She hits on many important issues.

God bless her for this emotional testimony. pic.twitter.com/gWdGZxR1NV

— eve (@eveforamerica) July 31, 2024

This is a woman who kows the difference between real discrimination, and a phony victim narrative that's being used to foster a sense of entitlement.

Morning Report: 2024-08-02

 GAZA:  ISMAIL AL-GHOUL, WHO FILMED OCTOBER 7 ATROCITIES, GETS HIS VIRGINS.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/393980

The aptly-named Ismail al-Ghoul was eliminated in a joint IDF / Shin Bet operation.

 

ISW ON ISMAIL HANIYEH OPERATION.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-july-31-2024

'Israel killed Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 30. Israeli agents appeared to have launched an explosively laden drone or missile from inside Iran to target Haniyeh, who was visiting for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Haniyeh was staying at a facility with the IRGC Quds Force in northern Tehran.[1] The killing of Haniyeh reflects the degree to which Israel has infiltrated the Iranian security sector and is able to strike high-value targets within Iran. Hamas responded to the killing by calling on Middle Eastern countries to “deter” and “rein in” Israel.[2] Hamas also threatened to expand the war against Israel to ”new dimensions.”[3]'

The ISW article refers to a "drone or missile" but other reports are suggesting the strike was done with a bomb planted in Haniyeh's quarters as much as two months in advance.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/nyt-haniyeh-was-killed-by-explosive-smuggled-into-tehran-guesthouse-two-months-ago/

LONG WAR JOURNAL ON ISMAIL HANIYEH OPERATION.

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2024/07/hamas-chief-political-leader-ismail-haniyeh-killed-in-tehran.php

'One of Hamas’ longest-serving and most influential leaders, Chairman of the Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh, was targeted and killed on Tuesday in Tehran while in town to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president. Hamas referred to Haniyeh as the “head of the movement,” the man who represented the Palestinian terrorist group as its public face in high-profile negotiations and gatherings around the world—including ongoing and stalled ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel.'

 PENNSYLVANIA:  STATE SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW SUICIDE RULING ON 2011 STABBING DEATH OF ELLEN GREENBERG.

https://thepostmillennial.com/penn-supreme-court-to-review-suicide-ruling-in-case-of-philly-woman-stabbed-20-times-in-2011-then-ag-josh-shapiro-backed-claim-wounds-were-self-inflicted

The 27-year-old woman was found with 20 stab and slash wounds, many in the back of her neck and head, but then-AG Josh Shapiro backed up the "suicide" ruling favored by the Philadelphia Police and DA Office.

Ismail Haniyeh gets his virgins.

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/en/news/393879

'The Hamas terrorist organization announced on Wednesday morning that the organization's leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was eliminated in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Earlier, media outlets in Iran, citing the Revolutionary Guards, reported that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed in an attack on the home in which they were staying in Tehran.

Saudi media reported that Haniyeh was killed in his bedroom by a precision-guided missile that was launched towards him at 2:00 a.m. Tehran time.

Haniyeh was visiting Tehran in order to take part in the swearing-in ceremony of the new Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, which took place on Tuesday.'

 

https://www.enlacejudio.com/2024/07/30/ismail-haniyeh-lider-de-hamas-fue-eliminado-en-iran/

'El líder del buró político de Hamás, Ismail Haniyeh, fue asesinado este martes en Teherán, la capital de Irán, confirmó el grupo terrorista palestino.'

https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-top-hamas-leader-ismail-haniyeh-killed-inside-iran

'While it’s not immediately clear who killed Haniyeh, it was publicly known that Israel was hunting down all Hamas officials, including its top leaders who live on foreign soil, following the October 7 massacre.

The head of the Israel Security Agency, commonly referred to as “Shin Bet,” said in a recording that was leaked to Israeli media back in December that the attack was “our Munich” — a reference to when Palestinian terrorists murdered 11 members of Israel’s Olympic team in the 1972 Summer Games in Munich. Israel responded to the murders by hunting down and killing every person that was involved, either directly or indirectly, with the attacks.'

Morning Report: 2024-07-25

 ISRAEL / USA:  NETANYAHU ADDRESSES CONGRESS.

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/benjamin-netanyahu-address-congress-hundreds-protest-dc

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress for the first time since the October 7 massacres.  "Our world is in upheaval.... This is not a clash of civilizations. It's a clash between barbarism and civilization. It's a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life. For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together," said Netanyahu.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/393564

"Mr. Speaker I want to thank you for the honor of addressing this great citadel of Democracy for the fourth time. We meet today at a crossroads of history, our world is in upheaval. In the Middle East, Iran's axis of terror confronts America, Israel, and our Arab friends. This is not a clash of civilizations, it's a clash between barbarism and civilization. It's a clash between those who glorify death against those who sanctify life. For the forces of civilization to triumph, America and Israel must stand together!" Netanyahu opened.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/393580

About half of Congressional Democrats were absent.  Also absent was Kamala Harris, currently Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate.  Meanwhile Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), attended the address wearing kaffiyeh and held up a sign reading "War criminal" and "guilty of genocide."

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/393585

Anti-Israel protesters burned American flags and an effigy of Netanyahu.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/393576

Anti-Israel gangs released maggots and pulled fire alarms at the Watergate Hotel, where the Israeli delegation - including Netanyahu and hostage families - are staying.

Morning Report: 2024-07-24

 SARAH HOYT:  STARING INTO THE DUMPSTER FIRE.
https://accordingtohoyt.com/2024/07/22/getting-it-out-of-the-way/
<i>'Not that this is all that weird, except for the fact that it has all the appearance of a palace coup. As in, one does wonder if Biden knows he dropped out of his campaign. One does wonder, at that, if Biden is alive, or sufficiently compus mentis to know that he has dropped out. And that’s if he knew he was running in the first place, which one very much doubts.

Some people on Twitter are horrified that someone other than Joe Biden is obviously acting as president. I want to scream, vomit, laugh and hit my head on the wall. First of all, if they don’t think that’s been happening since 2020 they are such wishful thinkers they’re not even in this reality. Second, apparently they’re horrified because the people running the country “weren’t elected” which implies they think Joe Biden WAS elected. Despite the campaign run from the basement, which no one would do unless they were SURE they could win, and the only way to be sure was to have it fraud-locked in place; despite the obviously and clearly hackable voting machines; despite the kicked out poll observers, despite the glaring mathematical impossibility of the vote count; despite the way the democrats acted immediately after, like they were afraid the American people would catch on and tear them limb from limb. Despite all this, these people believed. Because they wanted to believe. ...'</i>

USA:  BIDEN APPEARS.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/24/reports-biden-determined-to-defy-lame-duck-status-with-oval-office-address/
<i>'President Joe Biden is not yesterday’s man, or even the day-before-yesterday’s man. That will be the core message when he addresses the nation on Wednesday night barely three days after he exited the 2024 race for the White House and allowed Vice President Kamala Harris to be anointed as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.

It is only the fourth Oval Office of his presidency overall – and could well be his last – as he seeks to retain any symbol of relevancy possible in his last months of office.'</i>

COMMENTARY.  The next six months are going to be interesting, that's for sure.  The elites, the technocrats, the governing class are losing control of the narrative.  They want us all to believe their opposition is few in number and isolated, but we know that's not true.  They will continue using the magic tricks of the media to sustain this illusion, but the small, puny man behind the curtain has already been exposed.  The 2020 "election"?  Go ahead and believe Joe Biden won a free and fair election if it makes you happy; you can believe in Santa Claus for all I care.  But I know what I know.

Morning Report: 2024-07-12

 ISRAEL:  OCTOBER 7 - KIBBUTZ BE'ERI IDF INQUIRY.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/392902

It took seven long hours - from the start of the attack at 06:30 until 13:30 - for the IDF to mount a meaningful counterattack against the organized barbarity of Hamas.  The IDF's operational inquiry into the failures of that day was released today.

The inquiry team determined that the IDF failed in its mission to protect the residents of Kibbutz Be'eri. However, the bravery of the Be'eri residents and the members of the kibbutz's civilian rapid response team is commendable and was crucial in stabilizing the defensive line during the first hours of combat, preventing the attack from spreading to other parts of the kibbutz.

In the attack on the kibbutz, 101 civilians were killed, and 30 hostages from Kibbutz Be’eri and two additional hostages were abducted and taken into Gaza, 11 of whom are still being held in Gaza. The security forces who fought in the area operated with great bravery and heroism. During the battle, 31 security personnel fell, including 23 IDF soldiers and members of the civilian rapid response team and eight officers of the Israel Police. Many soldiers and civilians were also injured.

Go to the link for a summary of the timeline and of the report's findings.

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2024/07/idf-releases-its-first-probe-into-october-7-failures-as-the-shejaiya-raid-ends.php

The IDF’s inquiry into the failure to protect this kibbutz was presented to surviving community members and then released to the public on July 11. During the battle to re-take Beeri from approximately 340 terrorists who had infiltrated, the IDF concluded that 31 security personnel were killed, including 23 IDF soldiers and members of the civilian rapid response team, and eight officers of the Israel Police.

The IDF inquiry concluded that Israeli forces were “not prepared for the extensive infiltration scenario that occurred on October 7th, involving multiple infiltration points by thousands of terrorists attacking dozens of locations simultaneously.”

No reserve forces were available for many hours as the Kibbutz was attacked. This meant the kibbutz was primarily defended by its local, lightly armed civilian volunteer security team from 6:30 in the morning until roughly 1:30 pm. Not until the afternoon did enough IDF reinforcements arrive to finally outnumber the terrorists who had infiltrated the community.

Go to Seth Frantzman's article for more details, and for the situation today.

Morning Report: 2024-07-10

USA:  BIDEN TO BLOCK SAVE ACT THAT WOULD REQUIRE PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP TO VOTE.

https://www.breitbart.com/2024-election/2024/07/09/joe-biden-vows-block-bill-requiring-proof-us-citizenship-vote-calls-noncitizens-voting-extraordinarily-rare/

The SAVE Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), would require state election officials to mandate voter registration applicants provide proof of American citizenship before they are added to the nation’s voter rolls.  The White House released a statement saying the Administration "strongly opposes" H.R. 8281, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.

 

FLORIDA:  PRO-ABORTION ANTIFA THUGS PLEAD GUILTY TO ATTACKING PREGNANCY CENTER.

https://thepostmillennial.com/antifa-linked-abortion-activists-reach-settlement-with-miami-pregnancy-center-after-attacking-it

Vandals connected to Antifa and Jane's Revenge pleaded guilty to attacking a Florida pregnancy center and then reached a settlement with the pro-life organization that runs the facility. Heartbeat of Miami is “a faith-based ministry that provides life-affirming services and support to women and couples" and was vandalized by Caleb Freestone and Amber Smith-Stewart in July 2022.  

Freestone and Smith-Stewart pleaded guilty to charges of "conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten or intimidate employees of pregnancy resource centers in the free exercise of the right to provide and seek to provide reproductive health service," per a press release from the US Department of Justice. Both had vandalized pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida and are reportedly connected to Antifa and Jane's Revenge, per Live Action. 

 

ISRAEL / HEZBOLLAH:  IAF STRIKES SITE OF LAUNCH THAT KILLED COUPLE IN GOLAN.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/392807

The IAF on Tuesday evening struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the area of Qabrikha from which the projectiles were launched toward the area of the Golan Heights earlier in the day, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said. 

UPDATE:  The couple have been identified as Noa and Nir Barnes.  They left three children.

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/392834

 

 MELANIE PHILLIPS:  ABANDONING ISRAEL AND THE JEWS.

https://melaniephillips.substack.com/p/abandoning-israel-and-the-jews

'The new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is said to have purged his party of antisemitism and has persuaded many British Jews that he has made Labour safe again for Jewish voters. On Sunday morning, he told the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas — antisemite, Holocaust denier and fan of Hitler’s wartime ally in the Middle East — that an independent state was the “undeniable right” of the Palestinian people and that “financial support for the Palestinian Authority” was one of his “immediate priorities”. ...'

That's just the beginning.  The new Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, is contemplating halting arms sales to Israel; he is also sympathetic to ICC plans to order the arrest of Israeli officials.  Then there's  Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Shabina Mahmood, a supporter of anti-Israel economic sanctions; and the new Attorney-General, Richard Hermer KC. Hermer.  Read it all at the link.

Morning Report: 2024-07-09

 ISRAEL / HAMAS:  ISRAELI FORCES ENTER GAZA CITY NEIGHBORHOODS.

https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2024/07/israeli-forces-enter-gaza-city-neighborhoods-to-target-terrorist-infrastructure.php

'The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new operation in portions of Gaza City on July 8. A raid by troops from the IDF’s 99^th Division targeted several neighborhoods that fan out from Gaza’s old city and center toward the west and south. Hamas has returned to many communities in northern Gaza around Gaza City, and the IDF carried out similar raids in Jabaliya in May and Shejaiya in late June. ...

Palestinian media reported that the raid began in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood west of Gaza City. The IDF called on residents to leave the area and head south toward the Mawasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza. Tel al-Hawa is near the IDF-controlled Netzarim Corridor that stretches across Gaza. It is not far from the Mediterranean coastline and borders another neighborhood called Zaytun, where the IDF has carried out several operations since February to clear the area of terrorists.'

ISRAEL / HEZBOLLAH / IRAN:  IRAN EXPANDS DRONE, MISSILE CAPABILITIES, ENABLING FURTHER SUPPORT TO RUSSIA AND ALLIES.

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-july-8-2024

'Iran is expanding its domestic drone and missile production capacities, which would enable further Iranian military support to Russia and the Axis of Resistance. Reuters, citing commercially available satellite imagery, reported on July 7 that Iran has expanded two defense industrial sites outside Tehran City in recent months.[1] The satellite imagery indicated that Iran has built over 30 new buildings at the two sites, which are meant to support the manufacturing of ballistic missiles and drones. A Western analyst that Reuters cited assessed that the expansion began at one site—the Khojir missile production complex—in August 2023 and at the other site—the Shahid Modarres base—in October 2023. The buildings are apparently still under construction. Anonymous Iranian officials speaking to Reuters claimed that Iran would transfer the drones and missiles produced at these facilities to Russia, the Houthis, and Lebanese Hezbollah. The satellite imagery of the Iranian sites also showed dirt berms surrounding many of the new structures, indicating the nearby presence of highly combustible materials.[2] The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) oversees both sites undergoing construction.'

HEZBOLLAH PUBLISHES AERIAL VIEWS OF ISRAELI SITES.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/392789

'The Hezbollah terror organization on Tuesday afternoon published aerial footage of sites in the Golan Heights.  According to Hezbollah, the video clip was filmed by a UAV which crossed into Israel and returned to Lebanon.  The nine-minute-long video clip, which was approved for publication by the censors, appears to show a list of military bases and security facilities in the region.'

Against Oregon HB 2004 - Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV)

 https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB2004/Enrolled

 An election is by nature competitive:  the citizen is called to choose one candidate while rejecting others.  Casting one's vote is a clarifying process.

HB 2004 seeks to replace transparency with opacity.  Under this bill, the voter considering a list of candidates would be called on to rank ALL of the candidates on the list, in order of preference.  Thus, for a slate of three, four, five, or six candidates, there would be 6, 24, 120, or 720 possible rankings, exponentially increasing the time and mental effort involved in filling out a ballot.  This is a deterrent to voting.

Under this vote-counting system, "votes that had been counted for the defeated candidate are transferred to each ballot's next highest-ranked candidate".  This process makes vote-counting exponentially more complex and time consuming, and renders hand-counting impracticable.  This is a blow to transparency.

The creation of a system where votes are routinely "transferred" from one candidate to another invites abuse and manipulation by shadowy groups intent on thwarting the will of the people.  It is not hard to foresee that a group of candidates, each unable to gain significant support from the public, could run as ostensible "opponents" to one another while in fact colluding.  This is an invitation to rule by cartels.

The existing electoral process already provides ample opportunities for Oregon voters to winnow the field of candidates to those few they deem most desirable.  Tampering with that process is courting disaster.

Morning Report: 2024-07-07

 UK ELECTIONS:  GAINS FOR LABOUR, SETBACKS FOR TORIES, WHILE REFORM GROWS.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/07/04/exit-poll-says-leftist-sir-keir-starmer-will-be-britains-new-prime-minister/

'Sir Keir Starmer, a top lawyer who once served as the United Kingdom’s Director of Public Prosecutions and supposedly former hardline leftist radical, who claims to have changed his mind and reformed the Labour party he now leads into a mature and capable governing force, is going to be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

The Ipsos exit poll claims 410 seats for Labour — the second largest Labour majority ever, if it proves to be correct — and a crushing defeat to the Conservatives, collapsing from 365 seats won in 2019 to an estimated 131 today.

The Liberal Democrats are polled to have enjoyed strong growth to 61 seats. Nigel Farage’s Reform, if this exit poll is correct, have well and truly gained the beachhead they said they wanted with an estimated 13 seats — he will be very happy with this.'

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/07/05/rishi-sunak-resigns-announces-he-will-quit-as-tory-leader/

'The defeated leader of the Conservative Party, which suffered its worst election result in well over a century overnight, has said he is stepping down from power and will also give up control of what remains of his political faction.'

 https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/07/07/farage-party-would-have-won-94-seats-under-proportional-voting-system/

'The British general election result has been described as the most disproportionate in history. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK won over four million votes but only secured five seats in the House of Commons, sparking calls for a change to the electoral system.'

MELANIE PHILLIPS:  'NO LESS SEISMIC FOR BEING PREDICTED'.

https://melaniephillips.substack.com/p/all-change

The Reform party led by Nigel Farage achieved extraordinary success from a standing start. Despite the high bar against third parties set by the British electoral system — and despite some deeply questionable candidates, the result of a campaign thrown together at a moment’s notice with next to no organisation or party discipline — Reform won four seats, putting Farage himself into parliament for the first time. 

'The significance of this achievement, however, goes much deeper than the number of seats the party actually won. Reform did enormous damage to the Conservatives (and more than a little to Labour too) by the high numbers voting for it, costing the Tories no fewer than 180 seats. Reform is now a serious insurgency on the pattern of “populist” insurgencies against a monolithic political establishment that we have seen developing in Europe. 

A deeply ominous development is the emergence of an Islamic sectarian vote, with four previously Labour-held seats lost to independent candidates whose pitch — in a British general election concerning British national interests —  was about Gaza and “Palestine”. '

 SAM ASHWORTH-HAYES:  BRITAIN AND THE NEW SECTARIANISM.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/07/05/britain-can-no-longer-ignore-the-new-sectarianism/

'The unexamined assumption that underlay Britain’s immigration system was a grand-scale version of the Wykehamist fallacy: people look different, but act the same. They vary on things that don’t matter very much – clothes, food, quaint traditions – but in their core, everyone is a good liberal waiting to discover that fact.

This, it turns out, may be entirely the wrong way to conceive of culture and identity. People can vary significantly in what they believe is moral and right, how they should act, and how society should be ordered, and they sometimes retain and transmit these differences across borders and down generations. '

COMMENTARY.  While much of Europe trends rightward, Britain has seemingly taken a turn in the opposite direction.  Britons will now have the opportunity to experience the effects of leftist policies full-on, as Americans have under four years of the Biden regime.
 

Morning Report: 2024-07-04

CALIFORNIA:  PROP 47 ADVANCES, GOV NEWSOM WITHDRAWS COMPETING ANTI-CRIME BILL.

https://thepostmillennial.com/gavin-newsom-cancels-alternative-anti-crime-ballot-measure-as-tough-on-crime-republicans-make-strides-in-california

'California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom canceled his anti-crime ballot measure meant to compete against Republicans' Prop. 47 reform initiative that would significantly increase penalties for drug dealers and repeat offenders. The Republican-backed initiative garnered enough support from California residents in April to appear on the ballot for a vote in November, despite Democratic lawmakers working to prevent it from passing.'

TECHNOLOGY:  PROTON TO LAUNCH DOCS APP AS GOOGLE COMPETITOR.

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2024/07/04/proton-launches-google-docs-rival-with-enhanced-privacy-features/

'Privacy-focused email and VPN company Proton has unveiled Proton Docs, a privacy-focused document editor that aims to provide users with a secure alternative to Google Docs.'

HISTORY:  PRAGER U LAUNCHES AMERICAN FOUNDERS COURSE.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/07/04/prageru-launches-video-series-e-book-on-founding-fathers-providing-information-that-people-didnt-learn-in-school/

'PragerU has released a video series and an e-book on the Founding Fathers of the United States, in which subscribers can “learn the true stories of the men who built America and risked everything to create the greatest nation the world has ever known.”'

ANTI-SEMITISM IN AMERICA:  RABBI MOSHE HAUER.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/392556

'The past year has been disorienting for American Jews. The country we knew, founded on the values of liberty and fairness and characterized by its kindness and caring, welcomed us here and encouraged us to live and to thrive as Jews. Does that America still exist, and if so, for how much longer? Are the horrific scenes on the streets of New York and Los Angeles and on innumerable university campuses the new American normal?

The vast majority of Americans, its leaders and its citizens, refuse to accept that. They share our horror at what has taken hold in pockets of this country amongst those who are ashamed of and angry with America. ...'

Morning Report: 2024-07-03

ISRAEL:  CDR SALAMANDER, CAROLINE GLICK, AND THE IDF'S FAILED DOCTRINES.

https://cdrsalamander.substack.com/p/caroline-glicks-failed-doctrines

The title of CDR Salamander's blog post is a little confusing; the article is an endorsement of Caroline Glick, sharing her critiques of the "failed doctrines" of the IDF.  [EDIT:  CDR Salamander has fixed the title.]  Quoting from Glick:

Two underlying assumptions guided Israel’s security establishment for the past generation. The first asserted that with the end of the Cold War, the era of conventional wars had ended. In the present age, brains, rather than brawn, would rule the roost.

…the second underlying assumption that guided Israel’s security establishment for the past generation. This assumption, also championed by Barak, asserted that Israel’s most important strategic asset was the United States.

Salamander adds:

The Smartest People in the Room™ assured them all was well.

When this war ends - or at least this stage of a “war” that may never really end - this reality will have to be addressed, and probably looks like it already is.

The failure of the second assumption should ring loudly in Europe as well. The Russians have made this apparent.

Glick's original article - titled 'Rising from the Ruins of a Generation of Failed Doctrines' - is here:

https://carolineglick.com/rising-from-the-ruins-of-a-generation-of-failed-doctrines/

Glick notes that the IDF is already starting to learn some hard lessons, and moving back towards domestically-produced weapons and munitions in a program called the "Independence Project".

COMMENTARY.  I have little to add to the knowledgeable analyses of Caroline Glick and CDR Salamander, but I do want to point out one thing.  The IDF was not wrong in its estimation of the American people's support for the Jewish state, but it made the mistake of confusing the American people with the American government.

 Every American patriot understands that while our own Nation's security is entrusted to our government and our armed forces, ultimately it is the American citizenry - We The People - who are responsible for our Nation's safety and our own.  Our Bill of Rights enshrines the individual citizen's right to keep and bear the tools of his or her own defense, and of the Nation's.  This is every American's last line of defense against enemies foreign and domestic, and it is our protection in the event of an ineffectual or hostile government regime.

 The defense of Israel is Israel's responsibility.  The Israeli people have paid a terrible price for their government's over-reliance on technology, intellect, and a friendly regime in Washington.  As Americans prepare to celebrate our Independence Day, Israelis are looking for a way forward in the wake of last October's bloodshed.  May they do so in a renewed spirit of independence.