Frontlines

This past February 26 marked 30 years since the first World Trade Center attack, which killed six people and injured thousands. I happened to be in Manhattan that day and remember the smoke rising from the North Tower. It was a frightful day and an ominous foreboding of the murder of nearly 3000 innocent people on 9/11.

Much has been written about the proliferation of illegal guns in America. Unfortunately, Israel faces a similar problem with the Arab population and illegal gun possession. In the United States, illegal guns have fueled a crime wave the likes of which have never been seen before. In 2022, crime was up 22% in 2022 in New York City. Illegal guns from Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania that are driven up Interstate 95 on the “Iron Pipeline” to New York have wreaked havoc on the citizens of New York. In Israel, most of the illegal guns and terrorists hail from Jenin and Nablus. The source of the illegal guns in Israel is somewhat more complicated.

The “Day of Hate” Neo-Nazi Groups in America declared on February 25 made me think about the Holocaust. The ugly head of anti-Semitism seems to be rising again throughout the world. Social media has unfortunately given a new and vibrant platform to this old and insidious disease. Unless social media is reigned in and anti-Semitic content blocked, the situation will only get worse.

The new Netanyahu government could not have been elected too soon to thwart the illegal land grab by the Arabs in Judea and Samaria. The new coalition has made this thankfully a priority. It’s about time. The government is to be commended for demolishing illegal Arab outposts in Wadi Rahhal and Irtas in the Gush Etzion area recently. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

On February 13, Thomas L. Friedman penned a piece in The New York Times entitled, “Biden’s 46 Words About Israel at a Critical Moment.”

I remember well the days when William Safire and AM Rosenthal ran the roost. They were titans and their words resonated the world over. Democracy is just not the same without that dynamic duo.

After 15 rounds and four days of wrestling and wrangling, Congressman Kevin McCarthy was voted in as Speaker of the House of Representatives. The last time the process required multiple ballots was in 1855. In 2023, the proceedings were relatively tame compared to then. In that pre-Civil-War environment, it took 133 rounds and two months to pick a Speaker. The Speaker is second in line after the Vice President to become President in case of a need for succession. Interestingly, after the Speaker, the law of succession is as follows: President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of Defense. Secretary of Transportation is way down on the list.