What I couldn’t figure out about Operation Protective Edge was how the Israeli Defense Forces could so accurately target buildings, rocket launchers, and mortar positions. The IDF has Tzayad (Hebrew for “Hunter”), the Digital Army Program that allows commanders to see the battlefield in both virtual and actual form. Assets and enemies are assigned twelve-digit…
Withdraw, but don’t be upset
April 22, 2015
Over the past several weeks, I’ve received many messages from people who are closing their Twitter and Facebook accounts due to the unending hate they face. I think that’s a reasonable reaction. What bothers me is that they think that they’re weak for opting out. I want to tell everyone who’s considering self-banishment from social…
Yom HaShoah
April 15, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2105, is Yom HaShoah in Israel, “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day.” The Israelis remember not only those who were murdered but also those who fought back. This is what happens at 10:00 a.m. Unlike a lot of people, I never had any trouble believing that the Holocaust happened. My mother went to…
A ruminative loop
April 11, 2015
Yesterday a journalist called and told me that I was correct about the murders of Ismail, Mohammed, Ahed, and Zakaria Bakr. The four boys were part of a deception operation that Hamas carried out against the Israeli Defense Forces on the Gaza beach, July 16, 2014. The person told me that the foreign reporters who…
No, monotheism hasn’t killed the most people
April 5, 2015
When it comes to wholesale slaughter, monotheism—the belief in one God—can’t hold a candle to polytheism, paganism, atheism, nationalism, political ideologies, and commerce. Two Indians told me today that monotheism is responsible for the most deaths in human history. Not even close. First, we have to agree on the terms of the discussion. What they…
I’ll take “bigotry” over authoritarianism
April 3, 2015
The US is wrestling with divisive social issues. As happens in representative democratic republics, the voters will decide where we go from here. If you support or oppose something, you have the duty to elect politicians who can convince enough of his or her colleagues to get on board. Since being informed is hard, many…