There’s a hostage deal proposal from Hamas

The New Neo Posted on by

And as usual, it’s not something that Israel could afford to entertain for even a moment – although you never know. Between the pressure from the Biden administration and much of the world, as well as the internal pressure to get hostages home before they’re all dead, plus precedent such as the Shalit deal, there’s always that possibility although I believe it’s small.

Here’s what Hamas is reported to be proposing:

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the Hamas counterproposal envisions three phases, each lasting 45 days.

During the first 45-day phase, all Israeli women hostages, males under 19 and the elderly and sick would be released, in exchange for female and underage Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel would withdraw troops from populated areas.

Implementation of the second phase would not begin until the sides conclude “indirect talks over the requirements needed to end the mutual military operations and return to complete calm.”

The second phase would include the release of remaining male hostages and full Israeli withdrawal from all of Gaza. Bodies and remains would be exchanged during the third phase. …

The terror group, which governs Gaza, said in an addendum to the proposal that it sought the release of 1,500 prisoners from Israeli jails, a third of whom it wanted to select from a list of Palestinians serving life sentences.

Much more of the demands at the link, including the reinstatement of terror-buddy UNRWA.

So basically it’s “we give you the hostages if you end the war and free all our prisoners, including terrorist murderers. And also, Gaza gets all sorts of aid and rebuilding.”

Not a surprise. That’s what the hostage-taking has been all about. Hamas sees it as a “get-out-of-jail-free” card, a ticket to Hamas victory. Israel has taken the bait before, so it makes sense that Hamas figured from the start that Israel would take the bait now.

Also:

Unnamed Israeli officials told the Ynet news site on Wednesday that “we cannot accept a demand to stop the war,” and highlighted the “demand for the release of 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, including serious terrorists.”

Nonetheless, Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Doha was “optimistic” after receiving the terror group’s “positive response.” US President Joe Biden, on the other hand, said Hamas’s reply was “a little over the top,” while noting that negotiations were ongoing.

Yes, Joe; just a little over the top.

Crumbley’s mother found guilty of manslaughter

The New Neo Posted on by

[NOTE: I’m in a hurry at the moment so this post will be short, but I may revisit this in the not-too-distant future.]

This must be one of the worst legal decisions I’ve ever seen:

Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents in U.S. history to stand trial for a mass shooting. Their son, Ethan Crumbley, pled guilty to murder and terrorism in 2023 for the Nov. 30, 2021, shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan that left four students dead and seven others injured. …

Jennifer Crumbley and her husband, James Crumbley, were each charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting. Mr. Crumbley is being tried separately.

On Tuesday, Jennifer learned her fate: She was found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter. …

While Crumbley’s defense team argued that she was innocent because she didn’t know her son was planning the school shooting and therefore shouldn’t be held accountable for his crimes, the prosecution argued that she ignored Ethan’s cries for help — and that the 15-year-old committed the shooting with a gun the Crumbleys alleged bought for him as a gift.

I have written four previous posts on the Crumbley case. Please take a look. I believe they cover most of the issues here.

McConnell does an Emily Litella and says “never mind” on the border bill

The New Neo Posted on by

On McConnell’s latest move:

In a dramatic turnaround, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell recommended to GOP senators in a closed-door meeting that they vote against the first procedural vote Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the meeting who were not authorized to talk publicly about it and spoke anonymously.

It came just hours after the Kentucky Republican had urged colleagues on the Senate floor that “it’s now time for Congress to take action.” But McConnell has struggled to marshal his conference to support the package of $118 billion package of border enforcement policy and funding for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.

That’s the AP, so it calls the bill a “border enforcement” bill although it might rightly be called the opposite. No matter what it’s called, what is going on in McConnell’s brain? Is he really stepping back from this? Is it only because it became clear it had a terrible response from GOP voters (that’s not usually enough to do it), or is it just because the House was absolutely not going to support it?

DC appeals court rules against Trump’s presidential immunity as a legal bar in the election interference case

The New Neo Posted on by

This is unsurprising:

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected former President Donald Trump’s claim that he has presidential immunity in the D.C. election interference case.

Former President Trump moved to dismiss the Indictment and the district court denied his motion. Today, we affirm the denial. For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant. But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution.

There will be an appeal, but it’s not clear that SCOTUS would take the case although it certainly might. I think they definitely should, but they’re not asking me.

Another possibility – if Trump’s aim is to delay the case – is to ask the entire DC court to hear it en banc. The result would still be the same, I believe, but it would take longer.

On the Biden administration’s foreign policy

The New Neo Posted on by

I often refer not to Biden himself but to the Biden administration when I discuss policies of the executive branch since Biden’s inauguration three long years ago. That’s because it’s never been clear how much Biden has been in charge. Some think he’s not in charge at all.

I certainly don’t think he’s fully in charge; his cognitive decline is obvious, and he sometimes even refers to what “they” tell him to do – although that latter phenomenon is usually in the context of instructions for how long to speak or how to exit a stage. In general, however, regarding policy, I think Biden is still at least somewhat involved and that he’s a stubborn guy who fancies himself some sort of expert.

Biden has always had terrible foreign policy instincts even when he was in full possession of whatever might have been his original faculties. He still has terrible foreign policy instincts, although ever since he was Obama’s vice president they’ve also been informed by Obama’s pernicious ones. That means we have a mix of Biden’s own incompetence and poor judgment, plus Obama’s more coherent but Iran-loving and other destructive decisions that appear designed to weaken America on the world stage. It’s a toxic brew.

Today I read this article by Caroline Glick (hat tip “sdferr”), in which she writes:

The rising expressions of rage [coming from Israelis] at the Biden administration from ordinary citizens are a testament to the shock and anger Israelis feel at what they perceive as a betrayal of Israel’s most basic interests by Biden and his top advisers.

Three and a half months ago, when Biden came to Israel, most Israelis couldn’t imagine his warm embrace would transform into a torrent of hostile actions.

At the height of Biden’s emotional visit, he gave a speech to the people of Israel: “I come to Israel with a single message. You are not alone. You are not alone. As long as the United States stands—and we will stand forever—we will not let you ever be alone.”

For the overwhelming majority of Israelis, Biden’s declaration sounded like a bankable guarantee. But for the few with more sensitive ears, it sounded like a threat—that he and his administration would never leave Israel alone to fight the war to victory.

As the weeks and months passed, it turned out that the latter had it right.

It boggles my mind that anyone would have thought Biden would be a reliable Israel supporter. I suppose it might be because most ordinary citizens in Israel – and many in this country as well – haven’t really paid much attention to Biden. But anyone who did pay attention would have known he (or those controlling him or semi-controlling him) would follow far more in Obama’s footsteps (or worse) than they would follow any Israel-supporting rhetoric Biden’s speechwriters might initially pen.

The Biden administration’s policy is a denial of reality – the reality of Iran as an implacable enemy not just of Israel but of the US, as well as the collapse of any reason to believe in a 2-state solution. The policy also denies the reality of how a war must be waged if it is to be won, and even the necessity of winning in order to change the situation. How involved Biden himself is in this fiasco is unknown, but it’s not even all that important. And unless a change occurs in November of 2024, it will continue unabated.

Let me add that the problems are hardly limited to the administration’s Israeli policy, or even its foreign policy.

Newsom wants electricity costs to be income-based

The New Neo Posted on by

In 2022 the California legislature passed a bill with the intention of implementing “equitable” electricity charges – in other words, charge the non-poor more.

Must have seemed like a great idea to the California legislators at the time, but guess what? It turns out the people aren’t keen on it. Who would have guessed such a thing? And now even many of the Democrat lawmakers are backing away from it.

But not Gavin Newsom:

California governor Gavin Newsom is standing by the state’s soon-to-be-implemented “equitable” policy to base electricity bills on income, rather than usage, even as public and political opposition to the idea builds in the Democratic coalition.

A spokesman for the governor said on Tuesday that Newsom is looking forward to seeing a final proposal from the state’s utilities commission “that is consistent with” the 2022 law that required the agency to devise an income-based billing system.

“California must combat climate change by rapidly expanding the use of clean electricity in our vehicles and buildings, while at the same time making it more affordable for low-income Californians,” the spokesman said in a statement.

Newsom’s commitment to California’s income-based electricity billing plan followed a press conference by a group of Democratic lawmakers who want to reverse the policy, after they voted in its favor as part of a 2022 budget bill. Citing public outcry, they condemned the plan as another price hike for Californians’ astronomical energy bills that would punish conservation-minded households while also subjecting everyone to invasive income checks.

I wonder why they didn’t think of that in 2022. That’s not sarcasm on my part – well, only a bit. I really do wonder, because this is such an egregiously bad idea that it could have been confidently predicted that even in bluer-than-bluer California the consumers would not like it. Apparently they – and Newsom – are extremely out of touch.

Speaking of out of touch – or rather, untouchable [emphasis mine]:

The latest proposals vary between an extra $30 to $50 per month for Californians who aren’t poor enough to qualify for subsidies. Utility companies initially pitched charges of up to $128 for higher-income households, but walked those back after public outcry. The agency, an unelected body of regulators, is tasked with settling on a final fee and implementing it by summer.

A lot of people think Newsom will somehow replace Biden as the Democrat candidate for president in 2024. I don’t think so. He may have survived recall in California, but I don’t think he’d do well on a national level. At least, I hope not.

The House versus the Senate on the border bill

The New Neo Posted on by

Speaker Johnson of the House says “no” to the new “bipartisan” border bill sent by the Senate:

… Speaker Johnson said, “I’ve seen enough. This bill is even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President has created. As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed: Under this legislation, “the border never closes.”

From Mike Collins and Steve Scalise:

Do Johnson and McConnell ever speak to each other?

Every two years the entire House is up for re-election. Many House members are incumbents in relatively safe districts, but many are not. This arguably makes the House more responsive to public opinion compared to the Senate, only a third of whose members are up for re-election every two-year cycle.

McConnell has been especially bad – even for a GOP senator – in terms of doing what the people want. This bill certainly reflects that.

The problem of the people’s government representatives not doing the will of the people – or what would be good for the country – particularly regarding borders, is hardly limited to the US. It’s rampant in Europe as well.

Extraordinary article by former Sudanese slave, plus video about violence and slavery in Africa today

The New Neo Posted on by

First, an excerpt from the article by Simon Deng, entitled: “First They Came for My People, Then They Came for the Jews: A South Sudanese former slave recognized the Palestinian pogrom on Oct. 7”:

My name is Simon Aban Deng. I am from South Sudan. I am a Shilluk. I am a Christian. I am a former slave.

I will not forget that day when Arab Sudanese government troops came and raided my village. We didn’t know what was going on until we heard gunshots from every direction. I was only 9 years old, but the militiamen were shooting anybody they saw, including children.

Myself, my family, and five of my friends had to run. But the Arabs ran after us: While we were running, they shot two of my friends. We ran wildly, not knowing where we were running. We just wanted to get away from these men, and the bullets, chasing us. …

… [On returning later the survivors discovered] the whole village had been burned to the ground with the people inside the houses, including a blind man and an elderly lady we knew.

Deng tells the story of how he then was sold into slavery, what it was like during the years he was a slave, and how he came to be free. Then he writes this:

On Oct. 7, 2023, I watched the news and was sick. Seeing the video of the attack on the music festival in Israel, everything welled up inside me. From the experience of my people, from my own experience, I knew exactly what had just happened and how those terrified hostages were going to suffer. Israelis had been raped, tortured, mutilated, and burned alive just like my people had been for centuries. I will never forget the fires and the burned bodies: They looked exactly like what I saw the day my village was destroyed.

What Hamas did was precisely like what Arab Sudan’s genocidal government did to my people. Since they invaded Africa in the seventh century, Arab Muslims had always been doing jihad. We will never really know many Blacks have died between then and today. It is one of those numbers which, because it is unknown, proves how huge the suffering must be.

Much much more at the link.

The following video is a companion piece I came across not long after. It takes a broader look at the same subject: African Arabs’ violent war on black Africans. I highly recommend watching it. From the description at YouTube:

Many are not aware, but slavery and sex trafficking has never ended in Africa. But while the human rights community seems obsessed with “genocide” in Palestine, no one really pays attention to the massive human rights violations happening to black people in Africa. Why are human rights groups so selective? Why does the media gravitate towards and champion the rights of some while others are ignored?

This week on Top Story, JNS Editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin speaks with the co-founder of Americans for Peace and Tolerance Charles Jacobs and executive director of the American Anti-Slavery Group Ben Poser, both of whom are involved in raising awareness of African slaves and freeing them in some cases.

Walpurgis Nacht in competition

The New Neo Posted on by

This “Bacchante” variation from Walpurgis Nacht was Maya Plisetkaya’s forte, and nobody else is Plisetskaya or even close. But many give the variation a try, especially in dance competitions where they face a particularly daunting task: to perform the variation without the accompanying satyrs who give the dance its context. For example, the little hand flicks that accompany the hops on point are meant to tease the satyrs, but when the dancer performs them all by herself then they’re just strange little hand flicks while hopping on point. But it’s a fun variation; I once learned a tiny bit of it.

Here’s a dancer who can do all the steps just fine, but doesn’t exhibit much of the playfulness and ease that’s required:

Whereas this girl at 14 years old (young for this dance) really puts a lot more playfulness and easy-seeming grace (although it’s not the least bit easy) into it than most adult professional soloists do:

And here’s the Plisetskaya standard to which all can aspire but no one can reach. Such abandon! Such freedom of the upper body! She’s not afraid to bend way forward and way back as she’s prancing. Really, there’s never been anyone like her (she’s also got the requisite satyrs here, since I’m pretty sure this is a live performance, although I believe the sound was added later). Unfortunately, video can’t be embedded, but just click here to watch it.

Bonus clip: the following video (filmed in 1956) can’t be embedded, either. It features the dancer Raisa Struchkova in the same role, and she’s wonderful too, although she gives it a different feel than Plisetkaya does. Struchkova is incredibly light and airy. So take a look; the variation begins at around minute 3:45.