What the Guilty Verdict of Sgt. Elor Azariya Will Mean

 

Military court handed down guilty verdict finding Sergeant Elor Azariya guilty of manslaughter. The verdict was in at his arrest, with only the formalities left to complete, in this most obvious result in the universe. The media tried this case before the first military hearing or first witness was called. There was never the slightest doubt in the media, neither the Israeli nor the world, as the left slant of the media will always side against the military because they use violence instead of talking things out in a reasoned manner like they would as the real adults who keep us safe. The media has some less than reasoned beliefs; especially when it comes to the military, law enforcement or any other use of violence performed protecting the public. It’s that reasoned thing where adults would resolve such serious and difficult problems such as the five day weather forecast, political elections, budget issues and arresting violent, armed and dangerous felons or preventing terrorist attacks; oh, wait; the media run and hide when such problems arise and only come forth to complain about how law enforcement or the media used any amount of violence in resolving such situations. We are not going to debate the verdict or whether Sgt. Elor Azariya was justified or not and will leave that to the media, they will be salivating over this, and the demonstrators who will present the opposite views. Our apologies to the few media such as Arutz Sheva which will give all sides all the print they need to tangle and dice the verdict and evidence into second-by-second slices and view them from top, bottom, right, left, front, back, outside and inside and any other manner conceivably possible.

 

Our concern will take us on a different tack. This verdict will place the fear of imprisonment above and beyond the already burdensome Rules of Engagement (ROE), a military hierarchy which either fears or aligns themselves with the left, political establishment which also fears the media or is elected by them, and a public which is almost as equally divided. The losers from this verdict, other than Sgt. Elor Azariya, will be the soldier in the field who when facing any questionable situation where there might be any doubt or opening for leftist outrage will have an extra question in his decision protocols, will I face charges and is it worth my life to act or simply take cover and be safe from prosecution. Remember that at the other end of the infantryman’s rifle are very often terrorists who will have absolutely no decision protocols, they simply shoot first, second and continue to shoot until stopped, stopped by that soldier working through the ROE and now the political and legal challenges which are distractions far outside the norm for soldiers in what is in all honesty a combat zone. These soldiers are actually volunteers in a manner of speaking as if any Israeli teen upon graduating High School can find a means of avoiding military service by one of three alternatives, civilian service or seek some deferment or a long overseas vacation. The most honorable is civilian service but most Israelis choose the IDF and many religious Jews apply for the elite infantry units knowing they will face the harshest of training rigors and an uphill battle to meet and exceed all qualifications as well as have to compete against one another for the limited slots available. The highly motivated, altruistic, selfless, servants of Israel carry the weight of protecting their nation and its people on their shoulders. Now they also need to gauge the emotional state of the world, the probabilities of some prosecutor deciding to make a name for themselves before leaving the service and entering the work force hoping to polish up the resume and hoping if they do decide to use their weapon, whether the media might find reason to explode an expose doubting the need for discharging their weapon.

 

What seems to get lost in this mix is that these young people are facing terrorists who do not have ROE, do not wear uniforms, hide behind civilians, ambush civilians, hate life and worship death. The situation often is not cut and dry; and doubt, if permitted to permeate any situation, can be fatal as when fighting terrorism, delay results in the soldier’s life. These are the truths and we can rely that as time passes this decision will cause some unfortunate soldier to delay, consider one too many consequences, figure one too many angles, second guess before shooting and never get off that saving shot. It may well cost that soldier their life or worse, watching a civilian they were sworn to protect lose their life which would haunt them for the rest of their life. These are the stakes which these youth face regularly and adding more tension to their young lives is criminal, and we do not need any trial to figure this out. Was there no other means for the IDF handling this difficult situation? Unfortunate truth is, probably not after the media made such a monstrous crime of the century uproar about the shooting of a terrorist, injured and presumably subdued though not yet restrained, who had just stabbed another soldier and attacked others at the scene. Is such a mitigating factor? Apparently not in this or any case as they are enforcing the toughest and most moral code of any military in the world. For potentially making the IDF a target for recrimination by the world, its media and propaganda for the terror masters to radicalize more and more terrorists, Sgt. Elor Azariya may end up spending the next twenty years of his life in a military prison and his life will never be the same nor likely ever recover from this ordeal.

 

 

Knowing some will demand our opinion, I will speak for myself and not the remainder of our small staff, though the staff likely would agree. Was Sgt. Elor Azariya guilty of the manslaughter charge? That I cannot tell as I am not and never was a lawyer, intellectual, judge, politician or part of a paid media. Some of the above mentioned have the legal knowledge and possibly the background to judge fairly while others are simply presumptuous enough to claim that right. I can only speak as one who has carried a rifle and was in a combat unit though I fortunately never had to shoot any enemy targets, and in war that is what all enemy are, targets. The first thing in a case where an enemy has been taken prisoner but is not yet secured as they are seriously injured requiring medical attention, one must know the mind of the enemy. Would they still pose a threat and are they sufficiently guarded to prevent such threat. From what I have read, the terrorist in question was not being actively guarded, though there were sufficient soldiers that should he become a menace by one of their judgements of the terrorist’s acts and movements, then the terrorist would be neutralized, killed. This is what occurred and what was on trial here was the danger level the terrorist posed. Here we need consider the motivation to kill us the terrorists keep within them. We know they viscerally despise and hate us wishing us all dead. They would do anything to hurt and kill us. I guess the best way I could describe the level of animosity held by the terrorists is to point out that they would be willing to die to kill a little girl’s puppy because it would make her cry and place them in paradise as is his sick, perverse and beastly interpretation of his religion, and that level of hatred is only prevented from performing more acts of hostility and illogical violence when they are completely neutralized either through restraints or death. The terrorist was not restrained, you figure it out.

 

Beyond the Cusp 

 

Promise Israel Should Tell Obama

 

There has been much projecting on what President Obama might do to release his vengeance on Prime Minister Netanyahu and to hurt Israel permanently under International Relations. Israel should be wise and quietly relate to Administration officials that any drastic alteration from the agreed settlement reached through direct negotiations will be met with determination and resolve. Further information on what is meant by determination and resolve should be met that the degree to which such responses might take would be situationally dependent and would take actions measurable to any provocation or attack on the status-quo which the Administration was always so concerned about over the last eight years. Israel fully expects that said status-quo will continue and there will be no surprises or alterations placed on the balanced situation. This situational reactive desire will include any changes at the United Nations, The Hague or in any other international forum and not solely actions by the United States including lack of action allowing changes to occur. Should Israel find all things remain within the broader definition of the status-quo, then there would be no appreciable moves by Israel. Just believe that Israel is prepared to counter any move aimed at compromising Israel and the guarantees in place from before the election and including all expectations from promises and previous apparent intentions.

 

For the record, the rest of this editorial is purely the desired reactions BTC would hope have been communicated at least as strongly as above and potentially including some of what follows. One item which the world need understand is Israel will never allow any rescinding of our having annexed all of Jerusalem including the Old City, the Kotel and Plaza and the Temple Mount. These are all vital historic lands upon which there can be no debate, end of story. It is the intent of Israel to retail all of Area C which has been the intent from the very beginning of negotiations and Israel is adamant on this point. Area A will be permitted as Palestinian lands and agreements need be found to divide the lands in Area B such that each state has contiguous borders in the division in Judea and Samaria. All of these agreements depend on the Palestinians and the Arab nations recognize Israel as the home of the Jewish People and all reach a peace and agree that all hostilities will end. The situation is and has always been the Arab/Israeli conflict and not limited to just the Palestinians but the Arab and Muslim worlds. Any final agreement which falls short of this level of acceptance is a formula for eventual warfare and as such is unacceptable to Israel who desires peaceful and even beneficial relations with the other nations in the MENA nations (Middle East and North Africa – see map below). Israel will also retain the Golan Heights, particularly since there is no true Syrian government and the Islamic State, which is being enriched with Saudi Arabian funds and arms, could easily take these heights long enough to launch a severe attack upon Israelis residing in the Galilee. These same heights were previously used by Syrian snipers to practice their craft murdering farmers who were simply tending their fields and animals. That is another reason Israel must retain these high lands. Finally, the Jordan valley and overlooking heights will remain defended by the IDF as this is the first line for the defense of Israel. These minimal states need to be communicated through whatever channels used for official warnings and staunch positions. These are Israeli stances which have been presumably eroded but are being reestablished and former promises from San Remo through Article 80 of the United Nations Charter and the original mandate system. These promises need be realized and any compromise within the lands between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea will be permitted by the good graces of Israel and not through any external pressures or threats.

 

(MENA)
Middle East and North Africa
Including Turkey and Iran
With North Central Africa

 

Israel must take whatever defensive measures and precautions necessary to assure that should there be a parting vengeance shot from the White House in a manner which would be difficult or impossible for the Trump Administration to counter and return everything to the equilibrium which existed before any action by a parting President Obama, then Israel will have procedures and actions which would assure Israel’s rights and safety for the future. These are warnings and military planning with troops drilled and practiced for carrying out whatever is necessary to execute each of the responses to any of a complete series and span of potential attacks at the status-quo. Israel should be prepared to limit the Palestinian Authority (PA) to Area A and limited parts of Area B but none of Area C and if the Security Council were to pass an enforceable resolution, then Israel need act even if it causes a potential for a confrontation and be prepared to hold their ground and should world powers then demand Israel relent and it becomes apparent that an actual confrontation is in the making, then Israel will have little choice but to slowly pull from lands as necessary and also terminate all water, power and other services which the PA is behind on their payments. The world might be capable of forcing a settlement on Israel giving the PA everything that President Obama has continuously threatened to recognize, namely the pre Six Day War borders on Israel, there is absolutely no reason for Israel to power, water, feed and totally support such an open and immediate threat to her safety. There is no means other than invading an independent nation, Israel, and take control of the power grid, water systems and other utilities and even broadcast frequencies so as to provide free everything for the PA and force Israel to provide such support through invading a sovereign state, an act of war. That begs the question as to which nations would attempt an invasion just to enact such a spiteful assault by Barack Hussein Obama as he leaves office. One would hope none of the main powers would enforce such but Israel should be prepared for even the most unlikely of situations, the world backing a temper tantrum. Israel actually could annex all of Judea and Samaria followed by deportation of every officer from the PA and all of the security personnel, particularly the ones with terror ties which include the majority of the police and security personnel. This must be one possible solution which should be reserved only should President Obama attempt to give all of Judea and Samaria to the PA as a gift and claim the United States recognizes their invented nation. Such cannot be permitted to stand as within days either Hamas or Islamic State would take possession of the lands which then would allow them to pose a direct threat to Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion International Airport and the majority of infrastructure, business and residential neighborhoods, a completely untenable situation. This is the threat and potential situation facing Israel and why the leadership must make any action by President Obama have consequences which are spelled out in advance such that there can be no surprise or claim that the reaction was not anticipated. The real aim is to preserve the status-quo such that the system can continue for as long as the world demands that terrorists of the PA must be coddled as if they actually cared for the people residing under their corrupt rule. The day will come, possibly soon, when the people living under the PA will demand real leadership and an end to their impoverished state directly due to the thieving of their leadership. On that day the Israelis will know that the Palestinian people are ready to have peace and a future for their children and themselves.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

I Have Seen This Campaign Before

 

I have seen this exact style and lack of truth in an election built entirely on one overriding misdirection repeated ad-nauseum. I reserve the right to keep you guessing and in the dark, just as the media coverage of the American Presidential Election has and will continue as they have chosen and scripted their coverage for one side, Hillary Clinton’s coronation. One might ask why there has been so little a cry from the Republican elite and leadership. The reason has much to do with their complete lack of pushback against Donald Trump’s initial success while their golden candidate, Jeb Bush, completely crashed and burned without any Republican emergency response team to douse the flames. They were assisting and even secretly arranging in quiet ways Donald Trump’s victory as this was necessitated for a Hillary Clinton victory in the general election. Any honest and readily supportable Republican candidate with the possible exception of Ted Cruz, unsurprisingly the sole Republican who had any hope of toppling the Trump nomination, would have beaten Hillary like a drum. That was the requirement the Republican Party power brokers delivered upon just as directed in the Hillary coronation directive handbook which everybody appears to be playing by except The Donald. Thankfully The Donald is extremely well adapted for the role of the unscripted wildcard.

 

There was an excerpt from the comedy show “Third Rock from the Sun” where John Lithgow’s character boils over (normal for his character) about the election and the anguish mixed with insanity he suffers over how to decide through all the lies and confusion (see video below) and Jane Curtain’s character quotes, rather loosely, Winston Churchill about the horror that is Democracy as a form of government. If you are a Lithgow fan, as am I, then you will love this. This is also unfortunately how all too many voters in America are likely feeling and this confusion does not stop at the shores, it extends to wherever people are involving this election into their lives. Unlike Lithgow, many will not be burdened with having to make that fateful choice; only Americans can be so cursed. Some have defined this election as between a crook and a megalomaniac. Well, it could always be worse; they could both be megalomaniacal crooks which some claim is also the case. Our solace is that even if we still resided in the United States, our state is the second most extreme such that there is no chance of countering the overwhelming majority which makes all predetermined. What makes this election so beyond most not overly familiar with American political theater and how most of the states are all but preordained to vote one party or the other with near 100% accuracy. What this produces is the election will rest on as few as five swing states to a maximum of a dozen potential swing states. As Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida alone could elect Hillary Clinton if she wins all three, the election may be all but decided early. If not then after Ohio, Illinois, and a remote Michigan swing will end all expectations as after that Colorado and New Mexico are unlikely to make the difference, but one can never be too sure. Imagine if it has been announced that Hillary will win and then, against all the odds, California goes for Trump. There would be a lot of news anchors with egg on their faces at that.

 

 

The nicest thing about the American election is that the tense and shrill back-and-forth screaming and accusations being exchanged blow for blow will all be decided within two and a half weeks. The less than nice thing is whoever wins will be the President of the United States for, at a minimum, four years. Whichever candidate prevails, the media will be filled with either criticisms or adulation every day from inauguration through their run for reelection. The one thing of which we can all be assured is that the next President of the United States will take office facing more than the usual set of challenges facing them immediately as they take office. The world has seen perilous times with ominous omens and exceedingly high threat indexes but rarely at the levels as all indicators press are rapidly approaching. The state of the world begs the question of why anybody would actually seek the Presidency at this time. The obvious answer would be either an inflated, larger than life ego or an overbearing feeling of being preordained and whose time has finally come though overdue. Looking at the two candidates we find that we have one of each, imagine that. Who could have imagined such an interesting election where only two personality types would seek the Presidency and then get both personalities? Usually one candidate appears so much more fitting the times and they rise to the office but here we have two. With both fitting one of two differing profiles, the voters will need to decide which candidate as well as which profile and then which is more necessary to face the coming difficulties and possible scenarios which will likely present themselves in the upcoming months and years.

 

This is not an election to envy the American voting public as if they were to choose poorly, the world will pay a horrific price, perhaps things which completely change the world as we know it today with massive change of the progressing of civilization and the laws by which we are governed. There are few points throughout history where the right person is in the right position when their world needs their type, style or quality of leadership. Even more unlikely has been the right person elected where they ward off a coming threat. Probably the most obvious example was British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain as having the worst possible qualities for leadership facing the rise of Nazi Germany. Fortunately the British made a better choice once they realized that a war for survival was upon them choosing Winston Churchill. We can only hope that the world does not face a repeat of such as what led to World War II. The world would be far better off avoiding any war which would sink any sizeable parts of the world if at all possible.

 

Centers of World Conflicts

 

There can be little doubt that the world is once again approaching another central pivoting point where a future for the foreseeable future will be determined. If one were to plot out a logical future, it would point to a failing of technology to prove decisive in a coming conflagration. The main and possibly only hope the advanced Western technological edge would have to preserve the underlying social structures of passivity, full equality, gender blending, sexual independence, complete tolerance and the abhorrence of the use of force is if their technology can circumvent the fierce religious observance and intractability following the strictest interpretations of their religious dogmas as possible, demanding the conquest and submission of all who are in any way different. Their strictness in observances leads to intrareligious inflexibility forcing rejection of those following even the slightest difference of interpretation or of historic views of the passing of leadership such as the detestations which existed in Christianity during the reformation. The world is shrinking in unprecedented ways and rapidity which is forcing the disparate religions, societies, governances, philosophies and every other predispositions that separate the varying formations of humanity closer and into competitions which forces clashes in every manner of difference possible. The resolutions of these conflicts will determine the future, or even if there is a future, of humanity. This makes every election worldwide and especially in the West, especially the United States as the flagship, and the manner of succession in undemocratic lands and the resolution of wars before their effects spread endangering other lands, as with Syria, and in such a manner as to advance peace and not more conflict. Bringing conflicts to an end and preventing future conflict while advancing intersocietal tolerance are the most important of the coming challenges we are going to face as a planet. Whoever can advance strong, flexible, determined, intelligent, intuitive leadership with an understanding of the needs and respects demanded by others and being capable of incorporating such in their negotiations and even more urgent and feverish emerging engagements and confrontations would prove to be the most intelligent of leaders. Such a leader would also be required to choose wise and capable advisors with diverse backgrounds so they can present the widest of potential venues and paths forward. As the ancient Chinese curse read, “May you live in interesting times,” and we most certainly are doing exactly that.

 

Oh, and where have I seen this campaign before? In a comic book come television show then movie series, Batman. There was an election in Gotham City between Batman and Penguin. Penguin ran a campaign based on how you always saw him in the company of police while Batman was always in the company of arch villains asking, who would you prefer as Mayor, one who keeps company of the police or someone who is always in the company of arch villains and criminals? (see below) Plot killer, Penguin won the election, of course. The result, well, that is the question after every election, isn’t it.

 

 

Beyond the Cusp