Unimaginable Savagery of Hamas Terrorists

Hamas terrorists unleashed a barbaric attack on Israel, murdering 1,300 ordinary civilians, including 30 Americans.  The sheer scale of the horror shocked most of the civilized world. Babies decapitated. Elderly gunned down in their beds. Families burned alive in their houses. Women raped and kidnapped. 

Young concert goers were senselessly slaughtered after killers floated from the skies on paragliders.  Two Holocaust survivors were shot in cold blood. Terrorists on motorcycles sprayed cars with bullets and then kidnapped the occupants.  More than 4,500 Hamas rockets exploded in a quiet residential area.

For perspective, the massacre of 1,300 people in Israel is the equivalent to more than 35,000 civilians casualties in the U.S. That's ten, 9/11 attacks.  After 9/11, Americans united in support of military action against the terrorists. The same national resolve is fueling Israel's strategic preparations for war.   

Unlike past Hamas incursions, this surprise invasion was meticulously planned and executed with military precision. Hamas killers breeched a virtually impenetrable concrete barrier separating Gaza and Israel. Some 1,500 heavily armed Hamas thugs invaded Israel, creating mass panic. That was their goal. 

Terrorists videotaped their heinous butchery and posted the images on social media.  The invaders also sent photos and videotapes to friends and families of victims. These sadistic killers are not "militants" or "soldiers" as portrayed by some media.  They are terrorists.  Period. 

News organizations self-censored the most gruesome images. Palestinian defenders and Hamas jihadists complained Jewish leaders were exaggerating the carnage.  An outraged Benjamin Netanyahu was compelled to release graphic photos and videos online to rebuke the deniers and propagandists.

The attack bears the fingerprints of Iran, although the State Department used parsed language to point out there was no "direct evidence" the Islamic Republic was involved.  Yet U.S. officials readily acknowledge that Iran is complicit in funding Hamas and providing it weapons and training. 

It strains credulity to suggest the Iran's ruling Islamic mullahs did not green light the attack. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the Islamic Republic's elite military arm, regularly trains state-sponsored terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah, according to intelligence sources.

Recent U.S. policy towards Iran has favored rapprochement and diplomacy in an effort to bring stability to the Middle East. The pursuit of peace is always preferable but Iran's malevolent words and its behavior make it clear the regime will never change under the current extremist leaders. 

The United States must course correct and implement every means possible to isolate Iran.  Deny the regime any funding.  Cut off its oil shipments, especially to China, the main buyers of Iran's crude. Launch a maximum campaign to pressure China to stop supporting the Iranian economy. 

Credit the Biden Administration for sending a flotilla of carriers and warships to the Mediterranean to deter a widening war against Israel. Hezbollah, which operates in Lebanon, is stepping up rocket attacks and shelling in the north of Israel.  Lebanon's military has missiles that can reach Tel Aviv. 

One of the first priorities must be the release of potentially 13 Americans held hostage in Gaza. Terrorists have threatened to murder hostages.  President Biden should announce America will hold Hamas responsible and will hunt down and kill any terrorist who harms a U.S. citizen.    

Even in these darkest of times, the ugly face of Antisemitism has been unmasked, both in the U.S. and abroad.  It is a reprehensible,  grim reminder of the Nazi's campaign to demonize Jews, paving the way for public acquiescence to the Holocaust.  Leaders must condemn those who applaud Hamas's attacks. 

Black Lives Matter chapters across America manufactured an image of a Hamas paraglider descending over Israel with the caption: "We stand with Palestine."  Not one corporate funder of BLM condemned the organization.  African-American leaders need to hold BLM accountable.

Four congresswomen criticized accusing the U.S.  of aiding and abetting "apartheid",while condemning Israel's response to Hamas violence.  Not one castigated Hamas for its inhuman brutality. The Hamas apologists are: Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocascio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib. 

College students at campuses across the country rallied behind Palestine, which amounts to veiled support for Hamas.  A student group at a Wisconsin college chanted, "Glory to the Murderers." Yes, their numbers were small, but college administrations were slow to denounce their actions.

Billionaire CEO Marc Rowan, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and a mega donor, demanded the college's leaders resign and rallied donors to shut their checkbooks. He was understandably upset after the UPenn president and provost failed to condemn the "hate filled" student protests at a Palestinian event. 

There were also demonstrations in many America cities, including in New York City, supporting Palestine and blaming Israel for the Hamas attacks. Simultaneous protests broke out in Atlanta, Chicao, Denver, San Diego, Washington, D.C. and other cities. 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams made a powerful speech declaring Israel had a right to defend itself after the unprovoked attacks and said "we are not right" with Pro-Palestinian protests celebrating Hamas  in the nation's largest city. He was a lone voice among mayors across the country.  

In Australia, a crowd of 1,000 rallied near the Sydney Opera House, screaming "Gas the Jews."  In London, thousands of pro-palestinian protestors congregated near the Israeli Embassy, chanting "Israel is a Terrorist State." 

There were scores of demonstrations supporting Israel too.  But inevitably counter demonstrators backing Palestine and decrying Israel showed up at some, spoiling for a confrontation.  Heightened police presence is visible in the U.S. and the world as tensions rise.  

The media, often sympathetic to Palestine, is wringing its hands over Israel's bombardment of Gaza. The media fail to inform Americans the majority of Palestinians support Hamas terrorists and its leaders.  Palestinians regard Hamas as freedom fighters trying to take back disputed territory in Israel. 

The United Nations, a body known for its disdain for Israel, is already trying to head off an Israeli military response to attacks on its soil. Hamas is counting on worldwide condemnation of Israel so it can continue to stockpile weapons for an increasing number of bloody attacks.  

Hamas will resort to its playbook of using human shields once the ground war begins. Weapons, munitions and terrorists will relocated to hospitals, schools and residences.  Hamas wants civilian casualties. They have no regard for human life.  Innocents will be sacrificed in the name of jihad. 

The United States cannot bow to outside pressure.  Leaders must allow Israel to punish the perpetrators, just as the U.S. did after 9/11.  There can be no security for Israel until it roots out terrorists, who have traumatized its citizens for decades by killing Jewish civilians.   

Looting Surging In Major American Cities

A nation was stunned by videos of roving flash mobs smashing store windows and hauling off merchandise in Philadelphia.  Gangs of young adults, working in tandem, roamed the city in a caravan, stealing with impunity last week.  Overwhelmed police could not stop the brazen crime wave.

The rampage occurred after a peaceful demonstration to protest the decision to drop charges against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a young adult.  The mayor and police were emphatic: the burglaries and thefts were unrelated to the shooting and the nonviolent protests.

Philadelphia's nightmare is just the latest in an outbreak of unbridled criminal looting.  Stores in Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Portland and Los Angeles have been victimized by thieves almost daily.  Retail theft has become an epidemic that is prompting businesses to shutter stores. 

Big box store Target recently announced it was closing nine stores in major cities, citing violence, theft and concern for the safety of its employees.  Clothier Lululemon, Walmart, Starbucks, Walgreen's, CVS and Nordstrom have closed stores in areas hard-hit by repeated looting and theft. 

Some businesses, including Lululemon, have ordered employees to take no action as stores are emptied by shoplifters and mobs.  Two Lululemon employees who confronted thieves were summarily fired by the company. The message to thieves is clear: We invite you to steal merchandise.   

The perpetrators for the most part are not individual shoplifters. These are criminal enterprises operated by individuals that steal merchandise and fence the ill gotten goods for cash.   This doesn't reflect tough economic times; it is increasingly a lucrative cash business for crime networks. 

The price tag for retail theft is $112 billion so far this year, according to a retail security survey conducted by the National Retail Foundation.  That figure compares to $94 billion in 2021. Most police departments do not have a separate category to distinguish looting from robbery and larceny. 

New York Congresswoman Alexander Ocasio-Cortez has characterized the thieves as individuals who just want food to eat.  The only people going hungry are the scores of  retail employees who lose their jobs in the aftermath of store closings. 

In Los Angeles, a group of thieves ransacked a Nike store, carting off trash bags full of high-priced shoes. In San Francisco, mobs attached Victoria's Secret and Swarovski a few years ago, leaving a trail of bras and pushed jewelry boxes littering the sidewalks in their getaway.   

Police and retailers blame the lack of prosecution of thieves and the implementation of laws that make shoplifting de facto legal. California's new penal code 459 made pilfering a misdemeanor if the pilfered merchandise was valued under $950.  

California Governor Gavin Newsome recently signed a new law making shoplifting a felony IF it is carried out by a organized ring of criminals intending to resell the goods.  That's a big IF.  The state's prosecutors often decline to bring shoplifting charges or allow individuals to walk free after booking. 

Unfettered looting isn't confined to California, as the scene in Philadelphia testifies.  Criminal looters have struck in New York City, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Tampa, Bellevue (Washington), Portland and others. Looting is likely the fastest growing crime, but no data exists to verify it.    

Looters encourage other young adults to join in, posting on social media live video of their criminal escapades.  The thieves even single out which stores have insurance to cover losses, making the crime appear harmless because after all, theft really doesn't cost the business in the long run.  

Looting sprees are an outgrowth of the George Floyd riots in the summer of 2020, More than $1 billion in damages caused by arson, vandalism, and looting occurred  in the wake of 10,600 "peaceful" demonstrations that erupted in the wake of Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman.

While hundreds were arrested nationwide during the riots, the crime of looting went mostly unpunished.  Some mayors, including Baltimore's chief executive, ordered police to stand down and let the looters vent their frustration at the Floyd killing.  Criminals got the message.  Looting will go unpunished.

Social justice proponents like to blame the pandemic.  That's a coincidence, not a cause.  The Floyd riots ignited during the pandemic.  That was the trigger for violence, arson, attacks on police and looting. Blaming the pandemic for looting lacks credible evidence. 

Executives of retail stores from Walmart to Walgreens are encouraging police and prosecutors to crack down on these organized thefts. Retailers warn they'll be forced to raise prices and close more stores without help to address the growing threat.

Some sates are enacting tougher laws to make looting and shoplifting with intent to sell a felony.  Others are beefing up police presence in retail districts.  That's a start.  Law enfacement needs real time data, which means tracking retail theft as a separate category at the national level.

Retailers also need to do their part.  Their warnings about store closings are ignored by the mobs.  Don't just wring your hands about the losses and pass on the increase to consumers in the form of higher prices. Issue ultimatums to cities: Stop the looting or we are leaving.

In light of America's other deeper crime issues, this one is imminently solvable.