Some random thoughts about the situation at Israel and Gaza

So Hamas did a major terroristic incursion into Israel, and it appears THOUSANDS of Israelis (and a dozen Americans) have been killed, and many are held hostage, and both Gaza and Israeli border have been turned into hell. Details are now just emerging, where entire kibbutz have been slaughtered, including the children. 

This is basically Israeli's 9/11. The Israelis will chase down whoever's responsible for this to the ends of the Earth, just like US did, and while they probably do not need to level Gaza to do it, they really aren't going to hesitate. Hostages? They are already considered martyr to the cause for continued existence, and to borrow a cliche... "They will be avenged." 

I am not going to argue who's evil and who's right in the Israel / Palestine mess, i.e. "who came first" and all that. There is plenty of land to share. It is this absolute refusal to share that is causing the modern problems, and it only gotten worse with this attack. The current situation is bad, but at least it's not open warfare. Now it is open warfare. 

Frankly, whoever at Hamas screwed up. Instead of playing the long-game, gain international sympathy by highlighting the brutality of the situation, and try to established neutral zones where they coexist, they allowed their bloodlust overshadow their senses. The Israelis now have no choice but to destroy and replace the entire Hamas leadership to find somebody "reasonable", or basically force a regime change in Gaza. While plenty of Middle East hate Israel, few are dumb enough to provoke in in this manner. 

And the sooner the two sides realize they must coexist, on the same piece of land, the sooner we will have peace. This sort of attack is the exact opposite of peace. Enough said. 

The COVIDiot Terrorist: A Train Engineer Who Crashed a Train Believing He's Revealing a Conspiracy

Back in March 2020, the first wave of COVID just hit the US, and things were looking dire. So dire, that US Navy called in its 2 hospital ships, USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, to Los Angeles and New York respectively, "just in case". Each ship can provide up to 1000 beds for non-COVID patients, leaving the local hospitals to handle COVID. 

USNS Mercy, hospital ship, photo courtesy of MayorOfLA Tweet

USNS Mercy arrived on March 27, 2020, and admitted its first patient on March 29, 2020. It would keep doing so until May 15th, 2020, serving 7 weeks, before returning to its homeport of San Diego, having only treated about 80 patients around Los Angeles. 

But some did not believe the stated mission of the ships. Someone believed the ships have a sinister purpose, either COVID-related or it's some sort of government takeover. That would be Eduardo Moreno, a train engineer for a small port freight line that services the Port of Los Angeles. And he believed if he cause a serious incident, he can bring media attention to reveal the conspiracy. 

On March 31st, 2020, Eduardo Moreno derailed a freight train by intentionally ramming it through the end stops, multiple walls, and a parking lot. He ended up about 250 yards from the ship. When CHP officer confronted him, he freely admitted to the deed. 

The crash caused a diesel spill, in addition to about 700000 in damages done to the locomotive and surrounding structures. There were no injuries. 

So whatever he believed, it's... definitely COVIDiocy. And he's being charged as a terrorist by FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force. 

After being put in jail and under further interviews, it was revealed that he was a Qanon believer, and allegedly suffered a psychosis helped by way too much caffeine. He bought into the conspiracy that USNS Mercy is an extermination ship for "open-minded healthy people". After psychiatric treatment, he is believed to have recovered from his COVIDiocy episode, had disavowed Qanon, and is taking medication for his condition. 

Eduardo Moreno was recently sentenced to 3 years in prison and ordered to pay 755880 in restitution. 

Don't be a COVIDiot. 

Chinese Joke about Osama Bin Laden... is it funny?

賓拉登說：中國是全球唯一絕對不能惹的國家！ 阿拉伯半島電視臺對賓拉登的最新採訪。
Bin Laden said: China is the only country in the world should not be attacked! Arabian peninsula TV station interview revealed.


賓 拉登說：中國是全球唯一絕對不能惹的國家！
Bin Laden said: China is the only country in the world that should not be attacked!

原因是這樣的：蓋達組織曾派出八名恐怖分子襲擊中國。
This is the reason: Al Qaeda actually sent 8 terrorists to attack China. 

結果：一人在炸北京西直門立體交通橋時，在橋上迷了路；
Result: one man tried to bomb the Beijing West Gate Bridge, but lost his way on the bridge.
(Cultural reference: the West Gate Bridge is actually a series of foot bridges. It is very easy to get lost if you don't have a map or read the signs)

一人在上海坐公車自殺炸彈時，擠了兩小時沒擠上車；
One man tried to bring a bomb onboard a bus in Shanghai, but he wasn't able to get on a bus after two full hours. 

一人在武漢炸超市時，炸彈遙控器被偷；
One man tried to bomb a supermarket in Wuhan, but when he tried to detonate, he found that a pickpocket had taken his detonator. 

一人在炸成都政府大樓時，在門口被保安當作疆獨份子逮捕、狂揍、逼 供。 
One man tried to bomb the government building in Chendu, but was immediately arrested by Public Security as a suspicious character from the outer Mongolian regions, and was beaten into a confession. 

一人成功地河北炸礦，死傷數百人，潛回蓋達基地後，半年沒見任何新 聞報導，遂被組織以謊報戰果罪"處決了； 
One man was able to successfully attack a coal mine in Hebei, and there were several hundred casualties. He made it back to Al Qaeda base, but after six months, there was absolutely no news coverage. He was then executed by Al Qaeda for lying. 

一人曾經嘗試炸廣州，結果剛一出火車站，炸藥包就給飛車黨搶了。 
One man tried to bomb the market in Kwongzhou, but as soon as he made it out of the train station, a motorcycle bandit took his backpack bomb. 

一人剛到中國就失聯，後來在上海醫院找到人，但還在昏迷當中，醫生說他不但吃到黑心食品，還喝到假酒，可能會成為植物人。 
One man disappeared right after he entered China. Later Al Qaeda agents found him in a Shanghai hospital. Turned out he ate contaminated food, and possibly fake liquor, and was poisoned into a coma. 

後來，賓拉登改派一女恐怖分子去炸海南島，結果竟然被騙去賣淫!!
Bin laden was desperate and sent one of his few woman operatives to blow up Hainan island. Unfortunately, she was tricked by a human smuggler and sold as a sex slave. 

賓拉登不得不說：記得！！中國是全球唯一絕對不能惹的國家！
Bin laden finally declared, REMEMBER! China is the only country in the world not to be attacked!

I can't claim credit for this joke. I heard it months ago, but just remembered it now to translate it.

RANT: Jihadists are simply on the wrong battlefield

Image via Wikipedia

One person had asked that how is Jihadists similar to the kamikazes during WW2, and how can people who aren't afraid to die be defeated?

My initial answer is simple: kill them. If they are dead, they cannot win.

However, the issue is a little complicated than that. To answer that question, we have to examine the motive. If we can prevent their ideal outcome, then they do not win, right?

Ever wonder what exactly the Jihadists are fighting for? What is their "ideal outcome"?

Osama bin Laden and many other Jihadists had stated before that Al Qaeda basically want to reestablish the Caliphate, a new Islamic superpower, preferably around the world. They see this conflict as a war between two value systems: Islamic, and Western.

Are there similarities between the Jihadists and the kamikazes? Yes. The similarities between them is they are trying to protect their "way of life", just as we are trying to protect ours.

However, upon closer examination, the Jihadist's arguments are much weaker.

The kamikaze pilots in WW2 believe they are sacrificing themselves to protect their country, their village, their family, and their emperor, and they'd be technically correct, as the US does have plans to invade and occupy Japan, if the atomic bombs were not dropped.

The Jihadists believe that they are protecting their faith against encroaching Western values. It is a MUCH weaker argument overall, because Western values is about choice, as one can choose to embrace it or not. Jihadists can argue that the encroaching values IS an invasion, but it is an invasion of ideas, new vs. old, and as the saying goes, "change is inevitable".

Or to put it another way:

Kamikaze rationale: invaders are coming to pillage and rape! Defend the village with your lives!

Jihadist rationale: boys are coming to the village to date our girls! Kill the boys! We can't let them corrupt our girls! Defend the village with your lives!

It is simply ridiculous by Western standards, but the Jihadists are deadly serious about it.

Jihadists are simply fighting on the wrong battlefield. They are fighting war of ideas with PHYSICAL weapons. So what are the chances they can succeed? Can you fight war of idea physical weapons? Unfortunately, yes. That's why they are called terrorists.

Or to put it another way: there are two ways to turn the world into Islamic empire: one, you convert all the non-Muslims, or two, you kill all the non-Muslims. Since Al Qaeda is not in the conversion business, it must be in the killing business.

So can you defeat people like that? Depends on your definition of "defeat". You can prevent them from winning, and they will never win. But can you root them out and destroy them once and for all? No. You can't DEFEAT an ideology, at least not with physical weapons. EDUCATION is the key. Teach the truth about Western civilization (something the Al Qaeda does NOT want), both good and bad, and teach the falsehoods about the Jihadists, how they have perverted the Koran, and let people make up their own mind. 

And yes, the Jihadists have perverted the Koran. Jihad is not just about war, but about one's faith, and defense of it, and there's nothing in the Koran that states that the laws of war can be suspended for jihad. Prophet Mohammed specifically forbade killing of women, children, elderly, messengers, prisoners, and such, as well as outlawing treachery and betrayal, even collateral damage. The laws and edicts have been followed by major Muslim armies, such as King Saladin's army through the Crusades and such. It is only very recently that Jihadists decided to reinterpret the edicts so they don't apply to infidels.

So it is a war of ideas. Spread the truth about the Jihadist betrayal of their faith, and you can eventually defeat them. So, the question is, are WE fighting on the right battlefield as well?