Saturday Miscellany

First, the Biden administration has been awaiting an opportunity to turn against Israel. I have suggested as much on numerous occasions. Now, an errant IDF missile provided the opportunity Biden awaited, to intervene in order to save Hamas. 

A moral eunuch named Antony Blinken took the opportunity to compare Israel to Hamas. 

Clifford Asness comments:

Blinken warns: “Israel risks becoming indistinguishable from Hamas if it doesn't protect Gaza civilians” Indistinguishable. Really. Not “Israel should do more” (which is already empty without telling them how — subject to ending Hamas who use civilians as human shields and had a cease fire Oct 6th and could have one tomorrow if they give up the hostages and surrender). 

But “indistinguishable.” Really. The rest of us warn Blinken: You and your boss have (not “you are risking” but “you have”) become indistinguishable from water carriers for Hamas monsters all in a sad effort to win Michigan. That is your legacy.

Second, numerous commentators have remarked that Biden and his former boss Obama were responsible for more than their fair share of civilian casualties. The Jewish Policy Center recounts:

Obama ordered 542 drone strikes killing 3,797 people, incl aid workers & American citizens. Biden killed an Afghan family of 10 during our 2021 pullout. Neither took the open responsibility the IDF took for the tragedy of @WCKitchen workers.

Obviously, the Israelis are being held to different standards.

Third,  Awi Federgruen and Ran Kivetz offer a correction to the notion that Israel is denying the people of Gaza food. From Real Clear Politics:

The European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell, blamed Israel, saying, “Starvation is used as a weapon of war. Israel is provoking famine.” And U.S. officials unveiled a United Nations ceasefire resolution that cited "famine" conditions after the IPC report came out.

But Hamas, which has been hoarding food and stealing from Gazans, is the root cause of Gazans’ suffering. As Congressman Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat and ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, stated in a CNN interview:

 “Hamas has a long history of stealing aid, and needs to stop that in the interest of the people that they purport to represent.”

Israel has tried for years to balance its interests with those of innocent Palestinians. Its maritime blockade did not stop Gaza from being self-sufficient in fruits and vegetables, with enough left over to potentially export.. 

Despite the war, three-quarters of greenhouse acres were still available as of Feb. 15, according to a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, which has the latest available data. Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) indicates that bakeries can still provide “over 2 million breads, rolls, and pita breads a day.” 

Fourth, Alan Dershowitz offers the downside of the Biden alliance with Hamas:

By threatening Israel, President Biden is encouraging Hamas to fight on and not compromise or return hostages. There can be no cease-fire without return of hostages and by rewarding Hamas for its October 7 barbarisms, they are assuring repetitions.

Why would Hamas surrender when it has Joe on its side?

Fifth, the son of one of the founders of Hamas has offered a realistic appraisal of the terror group. He did it when talking with Dr. Phil:

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas cofounder Shiehk Hassan Yousef, dropped some major truth bombs while on Dr. Phil's show recently. He explained how there is “lots of hatred” against Jews in Islamic culture, according to a transcription by Breitbart, and stated “the vast majority” of Palestinians support Hamas, a fact confirmed by a recent poll. Indeed, Yousef argued, the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7 were “an attempt for ethnic cleansing” and a “holy war” against Jews. While hatred for Israel binds different factions of Palestinians together now, in the absence of Israel, Yousef said, the Gazan Arabs “would kill each other” just as they would happily kill many of the foolish Westerners marching in support of their bloody cause.

Sixth, meanwhile in Yemen, where Islamic radicals rule, several men have been sentenced to crucifixion and stoning, for sodomy. That is, for being gay. We wonder what Judith Butler has to say about this.

In the meantime the feckless Biden administration has shown its incompetence by showing that it does not know how to conduct policy toward a nation that has been blocking sea traffic through the Red Sea. You will recall that our wondrously woke military was going to take care of the Houthis.

John Hasson offers up the Biden policy record:

1. Biden removes Houthis from terror list 

2. Houthis start attacking ships 

3. Biden threatens to put Houthis back on the list

 4. Houthis keep attacking 

5. Biden puts Houthis back on the list 

6. Houthis keep attacking 

TODAY: Biden offers to take Houthis off the list

Seventh, as you have heard, crime is down across the country. It is the Biden campaign talking point. Prof. David Bernstein offers a counterargument:

You know those statistics showing crime isn't so bad in New York City, even though everyone in New York is freaking out about how unsafe the city has gotten? My friend got assaulted twice. Once, no serious injury, cops refused to even fill out a report. Second time, badly injured, needed emergency surgery, months long recovery. DA refused to charge with a felony, instead misdemeanor assault. So two felonious assaults, goes down in the records as one misdemeanor assault.

Eighth, if you have been tormenting yourself over the great existential question: are puberty blockers reversible, a new study from the Mayo Clinic offers the latest science. They are not.

Journalist Christina Buttons reports:

Groundbreaking new study from @MayoClinic, utilizing largest collection of testicular samples in youth, found mild to severe atrophy in the testes of boys who took puberty blockers, leading authors to doubt "reversibility" claims of these drugs.

Ninth, as for the wondrous American economy and its capacity to produce massive numbers of new jobs, it was yesterday’s story of the day. 

A contrary opinion was offered by famed market strategist David Rosenberg:

It is a bull market in (i) part-time jobs, (ii) self-employment and (iii) multiple job holders. Outside of these areas, employment actually contracted more than -500k in March and by -2 million in the past year. What an economy!!

Tenth, when ESPN reporter Sage Steele was granted the privilege of interviewing President Biden, she discovered that all the questions had been scripted. And she was not allowed any follow-ups.

From the New York Post:

Former ESPN anchor Sage Steele revealed that her interview with President Joe Biden shortly after he took office in March 2021 was “scripted” by executives at the Disney-owned network.

Steele … told Fox News that she was beholden to a “structured” interview.

“It was very much ‘This is what you will ask. This is how you will say it. No follow-ups, no follow-ups. Next,'” Steele told Fox, adding that each question was “gone over dozens of times by many editors and executives.”

Steele said she wasn’t certain whether ESPN had sent the questions to the White House in advance of the interview.

However, she was confident that is “what happened” as her bosses at the time were so adamant that she stick to the script.

“I was told, ‘You will say every word that we write out, you will not deviate from the script,’” she said.

Surely, the Biden staff is not confident in their boss’s cognitive abilities.

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