Chit Chat

By Ted Belman

From now on comments on every post must relate to the content of the post.

Comments that don’t relate to the post must go here.

Any person who contravenes this demand will be put on moderation. Also their offending comment will be trashed.

The reason for this demand is so that people who want to read comments which pertain to the post, don’t have to wade through the chatter.

Everyone will be happier.

April 16, 2020 | 7,781 Comments »

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50 Comments / 7781 Comments

  1. Over 200 missiles fired at Israel so far, IDF spokesman says; Israeli fighter jets continue to intercept cruise missiles beyond Israel’s borders. via @N12News
    & @ynetalerts

    Israel Radar

  2. The Israel Link is reporting that a child, 10 year old, first reported as a boy and later as a girl, who was struck by falling debris from a ballistic missile.

    No one else is reporting the child’s death.

  3. ABC News reports that a US official has stated that Iran has launched another wave of 70 missiles.

    ILRedAlert

  4. Senior sources confirm: Israeli response to Iranian assault will be “significant and powerful”; security cabinet convenes to discuss next steps. via @ynetalerts

    Radar News

  5. 99% success rate in shooting down drones, cruise & ballistic missiles by IDF.

    USA & Jordan also shot down drones over Jordan, Syria and Iraq.

    One injury to a Israeli Bedouin reported who was hit by falling remnants of missile.

    OOPPs I was trying to give timely news update to those who do not have the ability to listen and watch Hebrew timely news. Sorry I am in moderation so this was a waste of time. My mistake.

  6. IDF spokesman tells Israelis: Iran launched ballistic missiles, explosions may be heard due to interceptions or impacts; red alert sirens possible in large areas of Israel. via @N12New

    IDF says dozens of ballistic missiles fired at Israel, @N12News
    reports

    Israel Radar

  7. 272 Red Alerts active right now across Israel.

    Air raid alerts across Israel, drone and missile attacks from Iran underway, massive explosions heard, air defences engaging

    IL RedAlert

  8. Iran mission to the UN says after its attack against Israel tonight: “The matter can be deemed concluded”

    AmichaiStein1

  9. Marco Rubio, Vice-chair of the Senate intelligence committee and member of the gang of eight, says: “The attack on Israel by the regime in Iran is going to be more extensive than initially expected”

    Faytuks News

  10. “A senior U.S. official told ABC News they now think there will be anywhere from 400 to 500 drones and missiles launched at Israel from Iraq, Syria, southern Lebanon and the Houthis but that the bulk will be launched form Iran”

    ELINT News

  11. Iran has reportedly Threatened to Attack any Country in the Middle East that Opens its Airspace for an Israeli Attack against Iran.

    OSINTdefender

  12. In the coming hours the U.S. expects missile launches from Iran and southern Lebanon — and maybe even the Houthis — as well as drones. The Iranians are trying to overwhelm the Israeli air defenses, per Israeli official

    Faytuks News

  13. 11:31 PM
    Security estimates: Iranian UAVs expected to reach Israel between 2-4am

    Arutz Sheva briefs.

  14. @Edgar I know the first one as a debate between a rabbi and priest who are friends and it’s timelessly funny, I agree. I didn’t know the second one but I don’t think it’s funny.

  15. SEB-

    A Jew was discussing Rabbinic Law.

    “Do you know that the sin of eating chometz on Pesach has the same penalty as the sin of committing adultery??”

    “I’ve tried them both and believe me, there’s NO Comparison””.

    “Psychiatrists say that Frank Sinatra’s moving on from woman to woman is a sign of deep unhappiness..
    We have to be sorry for the poor guy, suffering like anything”.

  16. SEB-

    A Jew was discussing Rabbinic Law.

    “Do you know that the sin of eating chometz on Pesach has the same penalty as the sin of committing adultery??”

    “I’ve tried them both and believe me, there’s NO Comparison””.

  17. The sacrifices that the US made in post War Europe, like The Marshall Plan, were not made out of altruism. They were a vital neccessity for the US to have a strong bulwark against rampantly aggressive, octupus-like grasp of the USSR, which showed its true colours long before the war ended.

    Even a political neophyte like myself could see this. The East-West Berlin blockade was a perfect example/ was like a grim game of football with fatal consequences of “goals” scored.

  18. @Michael

    I know how you feel

    IF this is so, you have yet to demonstrate it.

    you, who advocate Russia swallowing up its neighbors, and Ted, who advocates overthrowing the Jordanian king, I must say that both of you have a selective view of “sovereignty”

    The NATO overthrow of Ukraine rendered Ukraine a NATO colony, rather than a sovereign nation on the doorstep of a nuclear powered state, which waited nearly a decade before responding militarily as the US did spontaneously with regards to Cuba in 1962.

    As to the Hashemites, that regime has waged a war against Israel since Israel was formed and created the breach in Israeli society with the war crime of withdrawing citizenship from the Pals living in Israel. Even signing a peace treaty with Israel they have continued to overtly violate that ‘treaty’ repeatedly over the years, most recently with the smuggling of guns and gold to terrorists in Israel thru the use of diplomatic couriers, and sparking the 2021 War of Riots and Rockets before that.

    The illicit actions of NATO and the Hashemites are each actions of belligerents, which no sovereign nation would or should allow to go unanswered. Hence, it is not incumbent upon sovereign nations to accept such abuses as either Russia or Israel has done in these examples, but rather they should respond as necessary to maintain their sovereignty, as Russia has done, and hopefully as Israel will do.

    If you consider a military alliance a threat to Israel’s sovereignty

    It is far greater than a military allaince which threatens Israel, but the adoption of US aid and offshoring of Israeli munition sources solely to the US.

    you have criticized ME for advocating that, in the current duress of my own country, we should’t be squandering our resources on Israel.

    You wear the US upon your sleeve as if I should countenance my repulsion of the actions of that once great nation to satisfy your overstated sensitivities. I object to the belligerence of the US, as it applies to Serbia, to Libya, to Iraq, to Ukraine, to Russia, and yes, to Israel, and this is easily a limited list which could be extended. In fact, it is those people who can not appreciate the opprobrium being committed by their respective nations which lend their support to the wielding of tyranny over other nations. This is the lesson which we should all take from the sacrifice of Sophie Scholl. The notion that such actions as have been taken by the US should be ignored or accepted because you find it an abuse of your personal self is, to me, both illogical and indefensible.

    My only criticism of you was that you supported the antisemitic rants made by Owens and Carlson as being in any way supportably fair, when in fact, they are nothing more than the antisemitic rants of two isolationists who believe that they can change the pro-Israel MAGA movement into an anti-Israel isolationist movement.

    belittling the sacrifices we made in WWII — sacrifices we didn’t have to make for our own sake (as one here has well said, we were secure from any attack from the Nazis); but regardless of our motives or lack thereof, what we did had the effect of destroying Hitler and facilitating the creation of Israel

    No one has belittled the sacrifices made by the American people in WWII, though many have done so with regards to the Russian people, whose sacrifice was actually much much greater. Personally, I am beholden to all the forces and peoples who brought the Nazi regime down, but I do not hold that reverence in perpetuity. What the US has done over the last 40 years in supporting the rise of the Iranian menace and the criticisms made thereof those actions by the US are not related to nor relatable to America’s role in WWII, but should be critiqued and valued independently as I have done.

    I find defenses of [Russia’s] current leader to be repulsive.

    Bully for you. I couldn’t care less if you like that I raise my criticisms of America’s actions nor if you dislike that I raise my support for Russia’s reasonable response to NATO’s oversteps. If you disagree with me, speak to what I state with facts or opinions about what I state, as this results in greater learning and understanding of what we each might think.

    Respond as you like, but you do seem poorly informed as to my positions on these matters.

    2
    2
  19. @Michael

    “…make the Russian pig smell like a rose.”

    I’m going to go out on a limb here and take a wild guess, but I think you hate Russians.

  20. Peloni,

    There is no need to drag Mr. Rosenthal or anyone else into this. Let me simply express myself freely concerning you and Ted. If that means my post gets trashed for being “too long”, then so be it.

    1. Sovereignty: Between you, who advocate Russia swallowing up its neighbors, and Ted, who advocates overthrowing the Jordanian king, I must say that both of you have a selective view of “sovereignty” — enough for me to doubt the sincerity of anything you say on the matter. Nevertheless,

    2. If you consider a military alliance a threat to Israel’s sovereignty I haven’t criticized you for this; in fact, I have advocated this myself

    3. The above said, you have criticized ME for advocating that, in the current duress of my own country, we should’t be squandering our resources on Israel.

    4. The above are just dodges on your parts. You both should know that the heart of the matter between us has nothing to do with Russia, Ukraine or Israel; it is your repeated attacks on the US, even belittling the sacrifices we made in WWII — sacrifices we didn’t have to make for our own sake (as one here has well said, we were secure from any attack from the Nazis); but regardless of our motives or lack therof, what we did had the effect of destroying Hitler and facilitating the creation of Israel

    I needn’t say more on this matter; and I have no interest in a long, running discussion on the matter. I know how you feel, and you know how I feel. There’s no need to go beyond this.

    5. Concerning Russia, whether you think Israel should ally themselves with her or not, I find defenses of its current leader to be repulsive; and I’ve said as much. The continual references many here have made to other countries — Ukraine, the US, the UK, etc. do not make the Russian pig smell like a rose.

  21. @Michael

    If Israel turns its fate over to the likes of Putin,

    This is as short sighted of a suggestion as it is ignorant of what I have advocated for many years. Israel needs to NOT turn its fate over to Russia and to STOP turning its fate over to the Americans. It is a SOVEREIGN nation, whose raison d’être has always been to be a nation of Jews able and capable of choosing the fate of her Jewish population without subjugating the interests of that Jewish population to the whims and interests of foreigners.

    The pursuit of support from the US has only made Israel dependent upon that support, malleable to her destruction and accepting of existential threats. This is as unhealthy as it is unsustainable and October 7 has provided proof of this fact for those who needed such clarification. So, in your lack of clarity for that which I have advocated, you are now suggesting that I would have Israel trade the US dependence for that of Russia? Utter twaddle.

    My following comment from two years ago and Victor Rosenthal’s article, to which it is attached, instead provides a summary of what I have advocated:
    https://www.israpundit.org/israel-must-become-an-unaligned-nation/#comment-63356000248406
    Israel must have no master, but must be her own sovereign, standing between empires rather than attached to them. We have assets and advantages which the various players might value should we maintain our independence, while choosing sides renders us irrelevant to our “ally” and an enemy to our “ally’s” opposition. Independence rather than dependence, neutrality and partnership as opposed to advocacy and alliance, and sovereignty rather than subjugation. These are the basis of what I have advocated, not to become a Russian toady state in place of being an American toady state.

  22. @Michael I see Poland has been asking for the U.S. to share it’s nuclear weapons in response to Russia stationing them in Belarus.
    https://www.jpost.com/international/article-748554

    (I was actually looking for something about the Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy in a Ukrainian paper and not only was there nothing but it was hard to get any Ukrainian news sites to come up, even when I had to go to DuckDuckGo.)

    How nice. You must be happy. On 2 counts. First, you get to have your Christian Armageddon and afterword, 72 black-eyed virgins? No, whoops. Wrong crazy millenarian eschatalogical cult. Have any fun plans after the rapture when you get to heaven? Maybe get a few tips from this wonderful comedy – one of my mother’s favorite films and I like it, too –

    Defending Your Life (1991) Official Trailer – Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep Movie HD

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZEbLVD72hY

    Also, sharing is a very wholesome Christian value is it not?

    “Share everything.
    Play fair.
    Don’t hit people.
    Put things back where you found them.
    Clean up your own mess.
    Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
    Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
    Wash your hands before you eat.”

    – “Everything I ever needed to know I learned in Kindergarden.” by Robert Fulghum

  23. @Michael you missed the point about the tattoos. They’re not illegal in Russia. He wasn’t arrested for that. He was arrested for suspicion of planning to join the war against Russia and the NAZI tattoo on his shoulder was confirmation after he wouldn’t allow his phone to be unlocked But, he was stopped while crossing borders because one of his war gaming buddies had reported him to the authorities. He says, himself, he’s right wing and pro-Ukraine. What do you think would have happened to him if he had been a citizen of Ukraine and the situation were reversed, huh? Or any country at war, actually.

  24. @Michael

    “Poland asks United States for nuclear weapons”

    https://ukranews.com/en/news/998716-poland-asks-united-states-for-nuclear-weapons
    Happy now? What do you plan to do when after your Christian Armeggedon arrives and you get to go to heaven? Any fun plans? 72 black-eyed virgins. Oh, oops, sorry, wrong crazy millenarian cult.

    By the way, you might enjoy one of my – and my late mother’s – favorite films by one of my favorite humorists, Albert Brooks: “Defending Your Life” with Meryl Streep

    “Defending Your Life (1991) Official Trailer – Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep Movie HD”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZEbLVD72hY

  25. Hi, Sebastien.

    Tattoos have long been associated with criminal leaders, outlaws, and rogues across many centuries.”

    OOOOOH!

    I don’t know if you’ve ventured out into the street lately (If I were in NYC, I don’t think I would), but most people under 40 years old have tattoos — and most of them are women! Are they criminal leaders, outlaws, and rogues? I don’t think so. Even so, live in your fantasy if you want to.

    I don’t know why you feel so guilty about the Ukraine. I didn’t bring them up. Peloni made a comment, that the UK should be tried for war crimes, and I pointed out that others have committed war crimes as well — including… CENSORED

    At any rate, “UK” does not stand for “Ukraine”.

    Enjoy your day 🙂

  26. @Michael From the 2nd article you just posted:

    According to the Coalition Council of Islamic Revolution Forces – a conservative coalition of parties close to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – Zahedi was directly involved in the planning and implementation of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which Hamas launched against Israel in October 2023. The deceased general was an important “link” between Tehran and Damascus, as well as Tehran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and also instructed Hamas militants in conducting military operations against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).. In order to justify its actions, the Israeli side claimed that the Iranian consulate was used by Tehran as the headquarters of the IRGC and Hezbollah. Iran did not confirm this information, but did not deny it either…”

    https://www.rt.com/news/595809-islamic-world-israel-destruction/

  27. @Michael

    I just provided you with the testimony of a man who was arrested for having a tattoo”,

    😀 No you didn’t. You didn’t read your own article before you posted it.

    Denis was arrested last year on apparent suspicion of involvement in an anti-Kremlin paramilitary group fighting alongside the Ukrainian army. ..

    “..“I had more right-leaning views before, but of course, when the war started, I supported Ukraine. I have people I know there, even friends, Ukrainians I constantly kept in contact with,” he told The Moscow Times.

    Today, he said he believes that he caught the FSB’s interest because a pro-war fan told the authorities that Denis was planning to enlist in one of the Russian paramilitary groups fighting against the Russian army in Ukraine.

    On Jan. 12, 2023, Denis was crossing the border with Georgia for a “vacation” when he was stopped by border guards and asked to unlock his phone.

    After he refused, the guards undressed him and discovered a tattoo of an Iron Cross — a German military emblem often used by the far right — on his shoulder. The Iron Cross is considered by Russian authorities to be a display of “extremist” or “Nazi” symbols, a crime in Russia.

    The border guards’ examination swiftly turned into an interrogation. Denis was accused of “wanting to kill Russians” and asked how many of his friends had gone to fight for Ukraine.”

    https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/04/12/nobody-will-ever-find-you-an-fsb-torture-survivor-tells-his-story-a84775

    Then I googled the question of whether tattooing is illegal in Russia. It is in a number of countries, such asDenmark. Ever since 1966, Danes have been forbidden from getting their face, head, neck, or hands tattooed. …
    Turkey. …
    Iran. …
    Sri Lanka. …
    UAE. …
    Japan. …
    North Korea. …
    South Korea.

    S.Korean court upholds tattooing ban

    Reuters
    https://www.reuters.com › world › asia-pacific › skorea…
    Mar 31, 2022 — Violating the ban is punishable by fines of up to 50 million won ($41,300) and prison terms – usually two years, though the law provides for as …

    And it seems to have been in the Soviet Union was but all I found about contemporary Russia was:

    ople also ask
    Do people in Russia have tattoos?
    A Guide to Russian Prison Tattoos – Tattooing 101
    Older Generations still stigmatize tattoos in Russia.

    Tattoos have long been associated with criminal leaders, outlaws, and rogues across many centuries.”

  28. 12 Apr, 2024 14:21
    HomeWorld News
    ‘Islamic world will celebrate the destruction of Israel’: Is war inevitable between Tehran and West Jerusalem?
    What will the Islamic Republic’s response be to the attack on its embassy in Syria?

    The Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1 left political experts and millions of people around the world wondering whether the attack will lead to a direct war between the two nations…

    — Russian Times
    https://www.rt.com/news/595809-islamic-world-israel-destruction/

    Notice how RT (the quasi-official voice of Vladimir Putin) blames Israel for provoking the confrontation with Iran.

  29. Hi, Sebastien

    I just provided you with the testimony of a man who was arrested for havingt a tattoo, then beaten and electrocuted. There weren’t any Ukrainians in the room. You have brought them in, like Havey the Imaginary Rabbit.

    As I’ve said often, “Don’t quit your day job”

    BTW, the article I quoted was from the Moscow Times.

  30. @Micheal

    “…Turning now to the treatment of prisoners of war interned by the Government of Ukraine. We have received credible allegations of summary executions of persons hors de combat and several cases of torture and ill-treatment, reportedly committed by members of the Ukrainian armed forces.

    We documented cases of torture and ill-treatment, mostly when people were captured, first interrogated, or moved to transit camps and places of internment. In some cases, Russian prisoners of war (from Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups) said they were punched and kicked in the face and body after surrendering and when they were interrogated by members of the Ukrainian armed forces.

    In several cases, prisoners of war were stabbed or given electric shocks with the ‘TAPik’ military phone by Ukrainian law enforcement officers or military personnel guarding them. One prisoner of war recalled: “We were most afraid of the military phone. The feeling was awful. Your whole body froze and then you would fall on your side.”

    Many reported poor and often humiliating conditions of their evacuation to transit camps and places of internment. Often naked, they were packed into trucks or minivans, with their hands tied behind their backs.

    We also documented cases of ill-treatment of Russian prisoners of war in a penal colony in Dnipropetrovska region and in several pre-trial facilities, including so-called ‘welcome beatings’. We received allegations of extended internment in informal places of detention, such as the basements of guardhouses or military headquarters.

    With regard to accountability, we note that Ukraine has launched a number of criminal investigations following allegations of abuse of prisoners of war by members of its armed forces. We await progress in these cases.

    We also remain concerned that Ukraine continues to prosecute members of Russian-affiliated armed groups, Ukrainian nationals, for membership in those armed groups. We recall that in international armed conflicts, the prosecution of combatants for mere participation in the hostilities is prohibited by international humanitarian law…”

    https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-briefing-notes/2022/11/ukraine-russia-prisoners-war

  31. Sebastian,

    Several years ago, I read “A History of the Kovno Ghetto”. One photo in it that caught my attention, was of of a line of residents queuing up to collect their ration of horsemeat. They were smiling, and obviously good-naturedly joking with one another. You might have fit in well there, keeping up spirits.

    Then, chances are, you would soon be dead, no joke!

    Should some people be investigated for war crimes? What do you think “war crimes” are? getting a tattoo? or beating and electrocuting someone?

    I’m not saying this to brow-beat you or anyone, just pointing out the irony of the present situation.

    Concerning the breakfast menu, the point is that these everyday things don’t depend on what’s happening in Israel: Without American support, Israel is very, very much alone.

    Ted and Peloni, I respect your rights to your own opinions; but if you’re looking longingly for the tender mercies of Vladimir Putin, I continue to advise against it:


    ‘Nobody Will Ever Find You’: An FSB Torture Survivor Tells His Story

    By Lukas Žalalis one day ago

    ““They brought me to a dimly lit room filled with a heavy stench,” Denis, 34, said of his arrest in southern Russia by Federal Security Service (FSB) officers. “There was a big table, eerie concrete walls, floor and ceiling, and — this was imprinted in my memory — a portrait of Putin. It looked like a torture chamber. They forced me to sit on a chair, put a plastic bag on my head again and started beating me…”

    https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/04/12/nobody-will-ever-find-you-an-fsb-torture-survivor-tells-his-story-a84775

    I assume the two of you think you will escape such a fate: If Israel turns its fate over to the likes of Putin, YOU wouldn’t find yourself on the dark side of his favor! Then again, maybe you would… It could happen.

  32. The Israeli government on Wednesday announced that over 6,000 Indian workers are scheduled to land in Israel between April and May to assist the nation's construction industry in tackling a labour deficit triggered by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

    Hindustan Times, April 11, 2024

  33. @Sebastien

    Israel should sue the UK for war crimes. Or if unable to do so for diplomatic reasons, the relatives.

    Very good point.

  34. 10 APR 2024, ?ALERT: ISRAEL AND IRAN THREATEN NUCLEAR/ EMP STRIKES, GOLDS WW3 WARNING, FRANCE CUTS RUSSIA TALKS

    https://www.brighteon.com/c008cb60-a399-4b73-b39b-b6b88f6e37a5

    BTW, I’m just posting what is being said around the world. If there’s a nuclear war in Israel, I would like something like bacon, eggs and toast for breakfast, as usual. (Note the bacon: I’m not Jewish).. If it DOESN’T happen, I would like the same.