Dromi is Acquitted!

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3746822,00.html


The Beersheba District Court on Wednesday decided by a majority vote to acquit southern farmer Shai Dromi of manslaughter beyond a reasonable doubt. However, the court did convict him of weapon offenses.

Here are my thoughts [which have also been reposted on the Daily Capitalist site]

1.This is very remininscent of the Boernie Goetz case in America, where a man was convicted of firearms charges because the prosecutor could not get him on the manslaughter charge due to self-defense claims. Let me remind Western Readers - Israeli courts are not required to convict people even if they're guilty under the facts. One doubts why they did it in this case.

2.The judge in Israel is not bound to convict every criminal who is technically guilty. The judges here decided to convict Shai Dromi on a 'firearms charge' in relation to a .22LR rifle. These are not designed as weapons (though of course, as the case proved, one can technically kill with them). These are designed as sporting weapons, and in Europe they're often sold without licenses (note I am deliberately avoiding discussion of the US policy). I think it was petty to convict for possession under the circum

3.I realize that adoption of US-like firearms laws is currently not a possibility in Israel, but I think this is proof should relax them, if even slightly. Under the current laws, most citizens of Israel cannot own weapons at all:
http://server103.http.co.il/~hamitvac/files/wordocs/tavchinim.pdf

Perhaps it would be best to except some types of weapons from the licensing requirements, or at least make it easy to purchase one. Specifically, rifles and shotguns are classic home defense weapons and they cannot really be comfortably carried or used by criminals (in the US, the gun-ownership utopia/dystopia, rifle murders constitute about 3% of total murders, even though dozens of millions of people have them). Such a limited reform would allow men like Dromi to defend themselves.

Netanyahu's New Governmeent - Questions

On this blog, I sometimes post articles I don't quite agree with. This is one from Daniel Doron, the founder of ISCEP. My comments about the article are shown below, in bold. For full disclosure - I voted for Likud.

Big government? Yes, but there's a reason

Apr. 11, 2009
DANIEL DORON , THE JERUSALEM POST

Is Binyamin Netanyahu's government too big? Yes. Is that good? No. So why would Netanyahu, an experienced politician, create such an unwieldy beast? He and his government face two historic challenges: an economic crisis that has yet to fully unfold, and a nuclear threat from Iran.

How big is this crisis? We do not know. World-class economists had disagreed about how long it is going to be, what are its causes, and whether it is a crisis at all. Many say it'll be over by the end of this year. Similarly, we are not certain that Iran is such a huge crisis at all. It's not certain that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, it's not certain it's capable of having them, it's not certain that they plan to use them on us.

We all want a government that can face these challenges. Could Netanyahu's critics suggest a better alternative to the coalition he managed to form, considering the sanctimonious refusal by Kadima to join a wider coalition?

No, I cannot suggest a better alternative. But that does not make Netanyahu beyond criticism. We must continue to criticize all parties when they deserve it, to improve Israel's political climate to the point a truly free society is possible and feasible.

Netanyahu would probably prefer a more compact government. No one has suffered more from coalititis - the disease afflicting our body politics - than he. When previously prime minister, he had to devote most of his time to political survival, fending off his many adversaries from the Left and Right. They so exhausted him that he was unable to carry out most of the excellent reforms he had planned.

So he sacrificed ideas and decency for political purposes. Thank you for making this clear.

As finance minister, Netanyahu proved exceptionally able to push through crucial reforms when given a chance. When he enjoyed the backing of prime minister Ariel Sharon, Netanyahu exhibited not only an ability to frame and execute major reforms, but also a willingness - so rare among politicians - to pay a heavy political price to get them enacted. He succeeded in saving the country from an Argentina-like collapse, and in transforming 20 years of no growth and deep recession into five years of spectacular growth. But he paid for his boldness and determination by losing an election.

SO YES, Netanyahu's first task was to establish a (relatively) stable government that will allow him to handle the challenges facing the country with a modicum of a national consensus. This required as big and as varied a coalition as he could get. In politics, especially in our politics, there is no free lunch, so Netanyahu had to pay with a large and costly government. However, should Netanyahu - as he probably intends - manage to use this wide coalition to push through even some of the reforms he spoke about, especially in land use and education, the savings from these reforms, the bureaucratic waste they will cut and the efficiency they will generate will pay in spades for the additional costs of his big government.

So what some condemn as wastefulness may turn out to be a wise investment in facilitating basic reforms that have enormous potential returns.

IF YOU WANT to appreciate how intense is the personal and ideological animus that certain critics in politics, but especially in the media, have toward Netanyahu precisely because he is not part the cabal that dominates both our politics and our economy, precisely because his reforms are the only real challenge to the corrupt system of spoils that enrich them - just examine the maelstrom of criticism that greeted his appointment of Yuval Steinitz as finance minister.

True, it may have been better had Netanyahu found an accomplished economist to serve as finance minister. But a good finance minister needs qualities even more rare than a knowledge of economics (which Steinitz, a very capable man, can acquire in a reasonable time). Steinitz certainly has integrity, a keen intelligence, a good temper, a knack for teamwork and loyalty to his mentor, Netanyahu. Above all, in contrast to almost any economically savvy candidate for the job, and certainly any candidate with former economic or business experience, the very fact that Steinitz does not come from such a background may prove a refreshing guarantee that he is neither tainted by nor beholden to any of the vested interests that dominate the economy.

I invite our readers to list those they consider qualified and experienced candidates for finance minister, and to find one who would not come loaded with baggage and representing vested interests. A clean slate can have immense advantages.

Two word: Omer Moav.

MOREOVER, UNTIL he learns the ropes Steinitz will be helped by a prime minister who, unlike most politicians, has an excellent understanding of economics, and of how vital a healthy economy is for the survival of a country. Netanyahu also knows what must be done to assure that the economy gets well.

Steinitz will also be helped by an excellent professional team, the "treasury boys" as the enemies of reform often refer to them. Last, but certainly not least, he will enjoy the advice and backing of our exceptional Bank of Israel governor, Stanley Fischer, a top-notch economist of international fame. Steinitz will not be facing the crisis alone.

Yes, it would be great if circumstances had allowed Netanyahu to form a smaller, more efficient government based on a stronger Likud. But under the circumstances, he should be congratulated for his determination and skill in forming a government that may yet do great things, especially in economic reform.

This is the main question that I would like to ask Mr. Doron. What is this 'reform' that we're talking about? We already understand that Netanyahu's economic platform as expressed before the elections will not be implemented.

We already realize Mr. Netanyahu is not a principled free marketeer in the vein of Paul Broun, Ron Paul, or even Reagan or Thatcher. So what is this reform so precious and wonderful that we must all not just rally behind Bibi but defend him from all criticism?

Uncomfortably Close

So I was coming home from college today and saw my entire street blocked off – police, firefighters, Army troops, the works. Naturally, I assumed that a rocket fell on my street and asked one of the soldiers where it hit – and was told it hit a 'kindergarten', with the guy pointing in the vague direction of my house. Nobody was injured, he said.

There is a kindergarten literally in front of my house. I assumed immediately this was the one hit and started making my way past the cops, spectators, and TV crews, while frenziedly calling all the house phones, trying to get to my father – I realized he wasn't directly injured, but I feared he might have had heart problems due to the events.

By the time I got closer to the end of the street Mom reached Dad's spare cell and it turned out he had slept right through the whole thing – and the rocket hit a different kindergarten a block away. It was empty – all of them are – so there were only ten people in psychological shock.

Regarding the terrorist incident

Police said the incident was definitely terrorism, emphasizing that the perpetrator, Jabr Duwait, a 32-year-old father of two from East Jerusalem, was carrying an Israeli identity card.[4] He was being hired by a local construction firm for the Jerusalem Light Rail.



From Comrade Wiki, of course.

Previously it was said that one of the policemen involved was wounded by gunfire. This appears, as of now, not to be true.

At least 4 killed, 36 hurt in J'lem bulldozer terror attack

From the Jerusalem Post

At least 4 killed, 36 hurt in J'lem bulldozer terror attack
Jul. 2, 2008
JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

At least four people were killed and 36 were wounded - two seriously, four moderately and 30 lightly - on Wednesday afternoon when a bulldozer driver went on a rampage in downtown Jerusalem.

Police said that the driver plowed his vehicle into two public buses, toppling them over, and slammed into several cars.

The driver was shot dead by an elite policeman, police said, adding that the incident was a terror attack. Police emphasized that the terrorist was carrying an Israeli identity card and was a resident of east Jerusalem.

Witnesses said the driver was killed after a brief struggle with two policemen.

One of the elite policeman was lightly wounded, apprently by gunfire, indicating that the terrorist was armed.

The attack, on the junction of Jaffa and Sha'arie Yisreal streets, set off a panic in the area. Dozens of people ran through the streets to flee the scene of the attack and a car was still stuck under the bulldozer. Police said it was unclear how many people were in the trapped vehicle.

The bulldozer was apprently being used for construction work on the Jerusalem light rail project.

MicroBalrog Notes:

1. Ban guns. They'll use tractors. And illegal guns.

2. Guns are even useful against guys with tractors.

Less and less army recruits

According to the department of Human Resources Planning of the IDF, only 52% of the young men will be joining the army this year.

Year after year, the percentage of people avoiding military service increases - and yet, states the Army, "this situation will not hurt national security".

I suspect it will not hurt national security because we do not need these men anyway.

The more people opt out of 'compulsory' military service, the better - because the more of them opt out, the more pressure it puts on the army to switch over to a real, voluntary military.

Now returning to the actual topic of the blog...

Apparently, the Central Bank is considering removing Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir from the relevant money notes, and replacing them outright with politically neutral poets.

That is a great thing, in my opinion. The worship of David Ben-Gurion (Altalena disaster, anyone?), and Golda really, really needs to end.

Castle Doctrine Yay!

Israel's Castle Doctrine law, sponsored by a Likud MK, passed the first reading in the Knesset today 119-1.

We will soon be able to shoot intruders in our homes.

At least those happy 2% that have guns.