Thursday
A bewildering day. The Russians shot down a Malaysian Airlines Boeing777, killing roughly 300 men, women, children and infants on board. They shot it down over eastern Ukraine, basically by accident, but by the kind of accident that shows such extreme contempt for life that it would be considered a crime in any country.

There is no doubt that the Russian-controlled, Russian-armed “pro-separatists” shot down the plane with a Russian-supplied super capable SA-11 “Gadfly” anti-aircraft missile. It could not have been anyone else, unless it was the Russian army on Russian soil. Only the Russian proxy army has the SA-11 and the motive to shoot down planes over the Ukraine. Obviously, the Ukrainians would not do it. What would be their motive?

But the reckless, contemptuous Russian “rebels” have the motive — shoot down planes over Ukraine — and this part is perfect: They are on the record in phone intercepts saying they did it.

The Kiev government recorded them and if the Kiev government recorded it, the NSA must have it in 5.1 channel stereo.

So, what does the nerviest, most contemptuous man on this earth do when he learns about the murders? Mr. Vladimir Putin calls his pal, Barack Obama, and says, “There’s been a terrible accident. Let’s try to figure it out.” Putin knows that Obama is so weak, so used to being used and abused by Putin, that he’ll just wag his tail and bow with happiness that Putin actually called him.

Instead of saying, “You idiot. You gave arms to other idiots who used them to kill innocent Dutch children. You’ll pay for this,” Obama says he’ll work with the Russians to figure out what happened.

BUT—AGAIN—OBAMA KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED!!!! Everyone knows what happened. This is getting more and more pitiful by the day. I don’t see that we should fight in Ukraine. But something other than fawning by Obama was called for. Isn’t Obama embarrassed that Putin has just told the world, “Look, Obama is so weak and stupid I can lie to his face and get away with it”? I guess not.

And this man is our PRESIDENT!!!!

Now, let’s turn to CNN. Tonight, as I unpacked. I watched a woman report from Jerusalem on the fighting between Hamas and Israel. The key fact, she said, the basic bedrock of this problem, is that “56,000 Palestinian children” have been traumatized by this fighting and will need “psychosocial help.” (By the way, “56,000” not “57,000” or “55,000”? When an absurdly precise figure is given in the news, it’s always made up, as about “the main point.”)

Really? That’s the main point? So, does that mean that the main point of World War II was that millions of Germans were traumatized by Allied terror raids? Or that the main point of the war in the Pacific was that millions of Japanese families were traumatized by the bombing of Japan? The main points were not about aggression and the Holocaust and the murders of millions of civilians by the Nazis and the Japanese?

Maybe the main point of Gaza is that Hamas never wanted peace, has used every nickel it could get from the Gulf States to buy weapons of death to kill Israeli children and that Israel every so often has to defend itself. Maybe the main point is that Hamas started this terror campaign against Israel, has refused a ceasefire, and exists only to kill Jews. Maybe the main point is that too many people consider it shameful when Jews defend themselves and that Israel should ignore these people.

It is too sad that people die in wars. It is horrible that the Gazans are run by a government that has no interest in keeping them alive and well. But the main point is that someone, somewhere in the Western world is taking a stand against terror. As usual, that someone is Israel. The “effete corps of impudent snobs” (great Agnew phrase) at the BBC will never get it. The most self-hating newspaper in the U.S., the New York Times, will never get it. But Netanyahu gets it and it’s a shame he can’t run on the GOP ballot in 2016.

Anyway, I am back in Sandpoint. It is smoky here from fires near Wenatchee. But, it’s fine. I’m happy with Idaho, but as far away as I try to get from Gaza, it’s never far enough. Gaza has become a metaphor for evil in Palestine and in the media. It follows us all, wherever there is media.