Thursday 17 July 2014
Photo, above: The Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels are passages that have been dug under the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land, 14 km (8.699 miles) in length, situated along the border between Gaza Stripand Egypt. After the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979, the town ofRafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, was split by this Corridor. One half of the town belongs to Egypt, and the other half was under Israeli military control until 2005. After Israel withdrew, the Philadelphi Corridor was placed under the control of the Palestine Authority until 2007. When the Hamas seized power in 2007, Egypt and Israel closed borders with Gaza
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-hosts: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal editorial board & host of OpinionJournal.com. Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents.
Hour One
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block A: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal editorial board & host of OpinionJournal.com; in re: Civil war in Gaza (“extensive IDF operation side Gaza into tunnels”); Ukrainian civil war. Mary Kissel spoke with Dore Gold (PMM Netanyahu’s foreign policy advisor) today: Hamas gangsters are using civilians as shields. Why is Israel getting the same criticism now as it did last time in the (later proven fraudulent) Goldstone Report. Iran: prepared to deal with ballistic missiles?
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block B: John Roskam, Independent Policy Institute Melbourne; in re: Greens leader Christine Milne finally cares about Tasmanian jobs! Last week, she was worried that scrapping the carbon tax would cost jobs...at Hydro Tasmania. It's just as well she's come around, given this remarkable chart . . .
If you think the Tasmanian and South Australian governments' handling of the economy is bad, take a look at the Singaporean government's hilarious attempt to deal with problem gambling
This is a terrible story from Reason of a mother in the US being jailed this month for letting her nine-year-old child go to the park by herself. And here is our FreedomWatch post on the academics who think sending children to the naughty corner is an abuse of their human rights.
The bizarre operation to remove smoking from the historical record of World War Two continues. In March we showed you these photos of Winston Churchill with and without his trademark cigar. Now, American viewers of George Clooney's new movie The Monuments Men, set during World War Two, are being warned it contains 'historical smoking' (FreedomWatch post here).
Still in the states, read this amazing story from Mark Steyn on Monday about an Independence Day float, the Department of Justice and an outhouse.
But it's not all bad news from America - Reason released a report last week showing that increasing numbers of millennials think government is wasteful and inefficient.
And here's something else that will cheer you up! After a 10-year legal battle, Amazon has got around France's law against companies offering free shipping of books - by charging 0.01 euros per shipment. If you're in Melbourne on 8 and 9 October then you should go and see the IPA's executive director John Roskam speak at the Council of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences National Forum. Details here.
Here's what else the IPA said this week:
Sinclair Davidson, Goodbye to the all pain, no gain carbon tax - The Drum
Alan Moran, End of the carbon bubble - The Australian Financial Review
Simon Breheny, The right to be forgotten online sets a dangerous precedent for freedom of speech - The Age
James Bolt, Nanny Staters rejoice, you're not needed anymore - FreedomWatch
Simon Breheny, Christine Milne believes in free speech? - FreedomWatch
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block C: Veronique de Rugy, Mercatus, in re: 85% of Airbus and Boeing aircraft sold are sold without subsidies. CEO of Delta testified to Congress on 25 June: compared deals that foreign airlines get when they buy a plane with ExIm loan o- get much better terms. Emirates bought four Airbus at mkt rates and two Boeings with ExIm support.
ExImBank is the epitome of Washington inside crony finances. There are lenders willing to extend loans.
Why ExImBank? New Study: Let Ex-Im Bank Expire With the charter of the Export-Import Bank—the federal government’s export-credit agency—soon to expire, Washington is engaged in a fierce battle over whether to continue the Bank’s funding.
A new Mercatus Center study by Veronique de Rugy and Andrea Castillo provides a brief overview of the history and operations of the Ex-Im Bank, followed by an examination of the key justifications for the Bank’s continued authorization. Specifically, the study considers the veracity of claims that the Bank: (1) plays a critical role in promoting US exports, (2) maintains or creates US jobs, (3) substantially benefits small businesses, (4) levels the playing field for US companies competing against subsidized foreign companies, and (5) is a good deal for taxpayers. The study concludes that the Ex-Im Bank’s activities and outcomes do not meet its own supporters’ standards, and recommends that the Bank’s charter be allowed to expire.
Please see "The US Export-Import Bank: A Review of the Debate over Reauthorization" to read the study in its entirety and learn more about the authors. Please click here to see a collection of all of de Rugy's charts, op-eds, and blog posts on the Ex-Im Bank.
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 1, Block D: Steven L Herman, Southeast Asia Bureau Chief/Correspondent. Voice of America, in re: Steve Herman in Bangkok headed to KL: MH17 downed flight. Malaysia AL now says all its flights will take different routes . . . Eastern Ukrainian air space now closed to all flights.
Pirates. Thailand: Junta to stay in charge for indefinite period; elections in October 2015 or later. Rigged? Probably a fully-appointed senate and a hand-picked prime minister. "The Thai people are buffalos, too dumb to pick leaders." Social media last week: Thaksin Shinawat standing next to a traffic sign saying, WAIT.
Thai Panel Votes for Legal Action Against Yingluck Thailand's anticorruption commission unanimously recommended that legal action be taken against former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra over her handling of a controversial rice-subsidy program, just hours after the military now ruling Thailand said she could vacation overseas.
Hour Two
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block A: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents; in re: This morning Israeli time, found yet more tunnels. Rocket went right through a children's clinic reduced it to rubble. The 90%-plus hit rate of Iron Dome, computerized system. US COngres came out today ins trong support of Israel. Hamas with ISIS and Boko Haram use human shields. The "civilians Hamas claims: many are 40-year-old males of army age. Rockets aimed into civilian population are filled with shrapnel and ball bearings to maim civilians; same with rocket whose remains John Batchelor saw in Beersheba. Hamas has spent years building tunnels and rocket-launchers in Gaza; meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians go to Israel for medical help, including Haniyah's mother-in-law some days ago. Rockets: money, technology and command structure are not in Gaza; they’re in Teheran.
Obama May Seek More Time for Iran Negotiations Iran has signaled that it wants to negotiate past Sunday’s deadline, but the president is almost certain to run into congressional opposition if he agrees.
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block B: Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel in New York; in re: Egypt, Saudis, Kuwaitis, UAE, all support Israel in its fight with Hamas. All oppose Islamic jihad, not only as it fights modernity and the violence in its DNA, but out of concern for its grave impact. Inside Israel, remarkable unity across the political spectrum. 1500 rockets in three days; Three-quarters of Israeli population under fire; business, all activities, disrupted . Start by kidnapping and killing three teenagers, start rocketing, violate UN agreements . Americans say: Israel has a duty to protect itself. Unusually high level of support. We've been alerting and informing the people of Gaza for days – we're uniquely transparent right now – much concerned with the possibility of hurting innocent people . As IDF enters into the tunnels, it can't be surgical – messy. Hamas has built 8,000 tunnels, some as long as 1.5 miles, for smuggling and to hide weapons. Today, just as we finished the humanitarian cease-fire, Hamas sent a dozen members to blow up a small kibbutz. Fortunately, the IDF averted that.
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block C: Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, Vice President of Research, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; in re: Strategy was to draw IDF in to kill. Even with longer-range rockets, knew that Iron Dome would take them out, but if Hamas continues to send local rocket, knew they'd draw IDF in, even with the cautious Netanyahu. What sort of booby traps has Hamas prepared? US has lost the trust of both the Israelis and the Palestinians in the last few years, is now not a player. Ceasefire brokers could be Qatar and Turkey – both have sponsored Hamas over the last five years; further, Israel would bestow on them this honor while what they have; been is state sponsors of terror. Let’s say Teheran has an intended end-game. This is about Iran's desire to project power throughout the region; and if the West wants to see peace in the region it'll have to go through Iran. In Hamas, there's no longer one leadership – it’s splintered into groups and gangs. Used to be united; no longer. Hessan: Movement of the Patient in Palestine, had IRGC logo, is a Shi'a group in a homogenously Sunni population in Gaza.
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 2, Block D: Ambassador Alan Baker, Director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs; in re: It’s in Abbas's interest for Israel to destroy Hamas; PA uses the language of genocide against Israel to aim at the Intl Court, which he can use because PA is not a state, so this is a PR bluff. He repeats it every few days. Abbas is basically sidelined, but the Egyptians are trying to bring him back because they want nothing to do with Hamas. He'll use the new-found status accorded him by Egypt to build himself up. Are the US and Europe holding up a stooge who's responsible for the murders of the three teenagers? He's signed 15 intl documents as "The State of Palestine" – which voids the Oslo Accord. Because the US and Europe still prop him up, Israel is under pressure to keep Abbas in the picture. Under intl law, may Israel interfere with the electricity and gas going in to Gaza? Israel is in a sort of quasi-war where we're dealing with forces almost as capable as though of a state, but also with a civilian population, which must be protected as much as possible.
Hour Three
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block A: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Dany Danon, defense minister of Israel, was sacked for speaking against the PM in time of war; another rminster . . . This is the frst time PM Netanyahu has authorized war – he kept begging Hamas to join a ceasefire. Today, during a humanitarian ceasfire Hamas sent rockets. Egypt says thaw Hamas is guilty of war crimes for unilaterally breaking the ceasefire while Israel maintained it. Now they have 160-km rockets – intolerable PM took this action after the most-recent tunnel was discovered: a mile long into Israel to kidnap and kill civilians, Question: exit strategy? Money: US block Qatari funds to pay civil servants in Gaza – 40,000 employees on payroll, haven’t paid in a long time. Told PA to pay, Abbas declines. Qatar was trying t transfer money through the Arab Bank, not delivered due to US pressure. Arab world angry at Qatar for supporting Hamas ("The country built on a TV station" – al Jazeera) Hamas cut a tunnel under wire to a kibbutz - 20 feet under round; had to cut a tiny air-hole up, which someone amazingly found. IDF found several air-holes. Have phones, food, fans, inside tunnels: very sophisticated. Big enough for men to walk thorough and kidnap people. Hamas investing huge amounts in tunnels. In Gaza, the tunnels emerge inside a mosque, a hospital.
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block B: Brigadier General (res.) Israel (“Relik”) Shafir, Brigadier General (res.) Israel Air Force; in re: Current campaign against Hamas. Campaign started when Hamas was under much pressure from Israel, from Egyptians' sealing off tunnels and weapons-smuggling; and when the marriage to PA failed to reduce financial favors. Began firing rockets in to Israel. Iron Dome was dvpd from three different technologies in mid-2000. Most important is Pythn5 missile with changed characteristics: fast ground-to-air with successful warhead and seeker can pick-up missile midflight and shoot so debris coming down won't explode on ground. Compute trajectory, automatically fires missiles to intercept before reaching a populated areas. Hamas is coming down to king and pawns, running out of pawns. Last-ditch effort was 13 Palestinian terrorist s come out of a tunnel to kidnap or kill; forced ground forces to go in to Gaza to take out tunnels. Extremely dangerous to IDF.
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block C: Paul Gregory, Hoover, in re:
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 3, Block D: Amos Guiora, University of Utah Law, in re: Legitimate Target: A Criteria-Based Approach to Targeted Killing (Terrorism and Global Justice)
Hour Four
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block A: Bud Weinstein, Southern Methodist University, in re: http://buenosairesherald.com/article/164759/gov’t-claims-holdouts-are-after-vaca-muerta
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block B: Ken Croswell, Science Magazine, in re: It's the Alberta tar sands for the Milky Way!
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block C: Drake Bennett, Bloomberg, in re: WHAT ARE THEY DOING AT MONSANTO?
Thursday 17 July 2014 / Hour 4, Block D: Ann Gibbons, , in re: Tibetans inherited high-altitude gene from ancient human