War

On the disproportion of force between Israel and Hamas.

"Speaking of the military imbalance, Dr. James E. Jennings, president of Conscience International and executive director of U.S. Academics for Peace, told IPS, “Unless you have been on the street facing Israeli troops in Gaza, or sleeping on the floor under an Israeli aerial assault, as I have several times while delivering aid in 1989, 2000, and 2009, it’s impossible to imagine the total disproportion of power in this conflict. "

This is immaterial. If a man tries to stab you with a knife, you can shoot him with a gun. You're not required to forgo your gun when defending yourself. What matters is who's the aggressor.

"“I saw boys who were merely running away shot in the back by Israeli soldiers with Uzi [submachine guns] and arrayed in body armor, and in 2009 and 2012 at Rafah witnessed Israel’s technological superiority in coordinating sophisticated computers, drones, and F-15s with devastating effect,” he said. "

Shooting unarmed boys in the back then arming their bodies is war crime as it ought to be.

Embattled Turk PM declares Israel has done worse to Palestinians that Hitler did to Jews. That probably boosted his abysmal approval ratings a bit.

Pat Buchanan asks:

"When then did this issue of whose flag flies over Donetsk or Crimea become so crucial that we would arm Ukrainians to fight Russian-backed rebels and consider giving a NATO war guarantee to Kiev, potentially bringing us to war with a nuclear-armed Russia?"

It happened when the war for the dollar started.

"What motivates Putin seems simple and understandable. He wants the respect due a world power. He sees himself as protector of the Russians left behind in his “near abroad.” He relishes playing Big Power politics. History is full of such men.
He allows U.S. overflights to Afghanistan, cooperates in the P5+1 on Iran, helped us rid Syria of chemical weapons, launches our astronauts into orbit, collaborates in the war on terror and disagrees on Crimea and Syria."

Hardly like Stalin, let alone uncooperative.

"But what motivates those on our side who seek every opportunity to restart the Cold War?"

The fear Russia will sell energy in a currency other than the dollar.

Dollar hegemony is why Washington keeps pushing for war.

"Despite the conclusion by US intelligence that there is no evidence of Russian involvement in the destruction of the Malaysian airliner and all lives onboard, Washington is escalating the crisis and shepherding it toward war.
Twenty-two US senators have introduced into the 113th Congress, Second Session, a bill, S.2277, “To prevent further Russian aggression toward Ukraine and other sovereign states in Europe and Eurasia, and for other purposes.” https://beta.congress.gov/113/bills/s2277/BILLS-113s2277is.pdf The bill is before the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Note that prior to any evidence of any Russian aggression, there are already 22 senators lined up in behalf of preventing further Russian aggression."

I still doubt the US will go to war with Russia. As mad with power as our rulers are, surely saner minds will prevail. I hope.

More detail on the most bizarre conspiracy theory regarding the downed Malaysian flight.

"Relying on secondhand information, Girkin asserted that many of the passengers from the crash had already been dead before the plane had even taken off. His underlings had reported to him that the bodies were badly decomposed and drained of blood. This, of course, was news to all the families of the victims who’d seen off their loved ones at the airport in Amsterdam."

I remember this report came out on the first day of the crash.

Boy Scouts are a pipeline to the military. I'm sure that's how the organization was conceived, but it's still sad.