Yes, it's a travel day again. Greetings from the airline lounge at Paris-Charles DeGaulle.
I've discussed the concept of a Darwin Award many times. A Darwin Award is given to someone who improves the human race by removing himself from the gene pool.
The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas announced that one of its
operatives was electrocuted to death while working on a tunnel in the
Gaza Strip on Saturday, Israel Army Radio reported. The news comes as residents of Gaza who seek to rebuild their homes face difficulty in securing the necessary electricity and other resources, which are routinely appropriated by Hamas.
Israel was forced to increase
the amount of electricity it sends to Gaza in June after repeated
shutdowns at Gaza’s only power plant due to a payment dispute between
Hamas and Fatah. Because of this infighting, Gaza residents usually only
have six to eight
hours of electricity per day. The lack of power has also caused
failures at Gaza’s new $100 million sewage treatment facility, which was
built with financing from the World Bank.
It's nice to be able to laugh at Hamas once in a while, but really this is not such a joke.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, formerly the head of the
research division of Israeli military intelligence and later
the director general of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, told reporters in
May that the discovery of the tunnels was a sign that Hamas was
preparing for another war against Israel. He added that the tunnel
digging means that “they definitely invest a lot in making the necessary
preparations so that in the next round, when they decide to start it,
they will be able to inflict the heaviest damage on Israel, including
through those tunnels.”
Commenting on the efforts Hamas was putting into its terror tunnels
at the expense of Gazans, long time Palestinian affairs correspondent
Khaled Abu Toameh observed, “the last thing Hamas cares about is the welfare of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,”
Haaretz’s defense correspondent Amos Harel wrote
in January that “Hamas is investing great efforts and huge sums in the
tunnel project. It is reasonable to assume that the number of tunnels
crossing under the border is close to that on the eve of Protective
Edge,” or the 2014 Gaza war.
But give them a 'state' and the 'Palestinians' will know exactly what to do. The Euroweenies will help them. Oh... wait... Hamas HAS a state in Gaza, and this is what they are doing with it.
Must see video: This is how they drive in Saudi Arabia
Given that this happened in Saudi Arabia, you can be sure of one thing: The driver was a man.
Let's go to the videotape.
Reminds me of my friend in high school who took me for a ride in his father's Audi, and as we are going around an exit ramp that is forever known in family as the David C Memorial Exit Ramp at 60 mph, he says "watch how this car takes curves." The car ended up on top of the guardrail. The State Trooper who came to take care of us told my parents that the radius of the almost complete circle on the ramp changes several times and that's why the speed limit is... 25 mph....
But you would think this guy would at least put the dumping bucket down. Hmmm.
What do you folks think? Is he a candidate for a Darwin Award?
Some 10,000 people rallied this week in Lahore, the capital of the
Punjab province, to protest the movie trailer that Muslims say insults
Islam, according to the International Herald-Tribune. One participant,
identified as Abdullah Ismail, died after being taken to an area
hospital. Witnesses said he had complained of feeling sick from the
smoke from American flags burnt at the rally.
Video: The Arab Darwin Award Winner (Graphic warning)
WARNING - THIS IS GRAPHIC
I'm not even sure who gets the award for this one, but it happened in Syria.
A suicide bomber was killed before he could set himself off. He was wrapped in shrouds and they went to bury him. Unfortunately, whoever prepared him for the funeral didn't remove the bomb belt. And the results?
A 'Palestinian' stone thrower has won the first Darwin Award of 2013. This is from the first link (Hat Tip: Mrs. Carl).
The Arab teenager hurled heavy stones at Israeli-owned vehicles along a Samaria highway last Tuesday evening. He managed to hit one car, which was driven by a resident of the nearby town of Emmanuel.
Fearing further attacks, the driver fired a single shot in the air to frighten away the stone-thrower. He then contacted local security officers to report both the attack and his own response.
A short time later, Israeli paramedics received a report of an Arab teen found unconscious and badly wounded next to a highway. The teen suffered a serious head injury that appeared to be a bullet wound. Medical personnel rushed to the scene but were unable to save the young Arab, who died a short time later.
Police originally believed that the resident of Emmanuel who reported firing in the air had in fact fired at his attacker, killing him. The man was arrested and questioned. However, an initial forensic report showed that the attacker had not been killed by a bullet, and the detainee was released.
A final forensic report, released over the weekend, showed that the attacker was killed when a stone he threw hit the car driven by the man from Emmanuel. The stone hit the car's tire and bounced back at high speed, hitting the attacker and leaving him with a fatal head injury.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
UPDATE 8:09 PM
Someone pointed out to me by email that the original article is dated 2009 and not 2013.... /sigh
If someone attacked me like that, even without a gun, I hope someone would interfere on my behalf. That looks like a real attack. There is no way that anyone could have known that the gun he was carrying was fake. There is no choice but to shoot first and ask questions later.
'Palestinians' post picture of border police officer on Facebook, demand she be brought to international courts
Pictures have been posted on Facebook of a female border police officer who shot dead a 'Palestinian' whom she believed to be threatening one of her subordinates on Wednesday night. The pictures demand that she be brought to 'justice' in 'international courts.'
A picture of the female border police officer who on Wednesday shot
and killed a Palestinian youth after he threatened her subordinate with
what later turned out to have been a fake handgun in the West Bank city
of Hebron is being circulated by pro-Palestinian groups, who are
demanding to “bring the killer to trial before international courts.”
In Israel, the identity of the woman is protected by gag order, and
pictures of her published in the Hebrew-language media have all been
pixelated.
After the event, the officer countered questions about her conduct
and said that she had acted correctly and in full compliance with the
army’s rules of engagement.
Anyone in her position, she said, “would have done the same.”
The officer, a 20-year-old from Tel Aviv, recounted the events in
interviews with Israeli media late Tuesday night, saying that she and
two border police soldiers under her command were manning a checkpoint
near the Cave of the Patriarchs when the young Palestinian approached
them.
“Following the standard procedure, the soldier who was with me asked
him for an ID,” she said. “The Palestinian handed him his documents and I
entered the room to run a background check.”
While inside, she continued, she looked out and saw that the
Palestinian had charged the soldier and drawn what appeared to be a
pistol.
“With one hand,” she related, “he grabbed the soldier’s neck and
pressed against him, and with the other he put the pistol to the
soldier’s temple. In that situation, the soldier couldn’t break free or
react.”
The female officer, who was only a few meters away, cocked her weapon.
“I was looking for an angle from which to fire without hurting the
soldier,” she said, and it was only after she ascertained that his life
was in danger that she pulled the trigger.
I wonder how the 'Palestinians' found out who she is. Bet on some of our Leftist traitors.
It starts: Rioting in Hebron before 'Palestinian' youth's funeral
There are 'clashes' in Hebron ahead of the funeral of a 17-year old 'Palestinian' who was shot last night after he approached IDF soldiers carrying what appeared to be a weapon. As it turns out, the weapon was a toy. This is from the first link.
Clashes broke out
in Hebron on Thursday ahead of the funeral of Muhammad al-Salaymeh, the
Palestinian teenager killed by a Border Police officer on Wednesday
after his fake gun was mistaken for a real gun. Army Radio reported that
some 50 Palestinians threw stones at an IDF post in the city and the
soldiers responded with dispersal methods.
Palestinian news
agency Ma'an reported that IDF soldiers fired tear gas directly at
Palestinians, injuring five, who were then evacuated to the hospital.
It has been widely reported that his brother is Awad Salima Ziyad
Awad, who was arrested on December 17th 1993 and convicted of murder
during a hostile act, attempted murder, throwing a Molotov cocktail, and
membership in a banned organization. Awad was released in October 2011
in the first phase of the Schalit Deal.
Border police on Wednesday said that al-Salaymeh had raised
the suspicion of the officers, and when they asked him for his
identification card "he pulled out a gun and pointed it at the head of
one of the soldiers."
A Border Police officer at the
checkpoint saw what took place, fired at the youngster and critically
wounded him. Later, a police sapper determined that the gun was a toy
pistol made of metal.
The Border Police officer said Thursday
that she had acted quickly out of fear for her colleagues' safety,
during an interview with Israel Radio.
""I realized within
seconds that if I didn't act my colleagues would die," she told Israel
Radio. "There was no time to verify if it was a real gun."
She
said that the two grabbed each other, but she managed to shoot one
bulled at the Palestinian, and after another officer tore him away she
shot another two bullets.
The officer told Israel Radio that she
was not afraid of an investigation into the incident because it was
clear to her that she acted correctly.
Meanwhile, the 'Free Gaza' organization has helpfully tweeted that al-Salaymeh was killed while 'celebrating his birthday at school.' Schools are not in session at night, schools don't hold sessions next to IDF patrols (close enough to grab an IDF soldier), and even if they did, people who pull guns in front of IDF soldiers cannot be ensured that their actions will be without consequences. Quite simply, 'Free Gaza' has lied again in a bid to incite riots. What a shock....
In that post, I reported a claim that the gun in question was not real. I said that if that were true, the 'Palestinian' deserves a Darwin Award. He just won it. It's now been confirmed that the gun was not real.
Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian
teenager on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron after
the youth threatened them with what appeared to be a pistol, but which
may not have been a real weapon, a police spokesman said.
...
Micky Rosenfeld, a spokesman for Israeli police, said that "a
Palestinian pulled a pistol in front of border police on patrol in
Hebron" near a flashpoint holy site after darkness fell. "Police opened
fire at him, critically injuring him. He was later pronounced dead at
the scene," Rosenfeld said.
Palestinian medical officials said the youth was 17.
Rosenfeld said an initial investigation indicated "he pulled a fake
pistol. They (troops at the scene) thought it was real ... it's not
clear why he did that."
Well, obviously he did it because he wanted to win a Darwin Award.
Here's a look at the fake pistol. If someone came up to you on a dark street in Hebron holding this, what would you do? (Hat Tip: Captain Barak Raz).
A Pakistani man, one of approximately 10,000 people participating in an anti-American rally has died. The cause of death? Complications from inhaling smoke after burning an American flag. The Express Tribune, a Pakistani newspaper affiliated with The International Herald Tribune (“The Global Edition of The New York Times”) reported:
One of the participants of the rally, Abdullah Ismail, passed away after he was taken to Mayo Hospital. Witnesses said he had complained of feeling unwell from the smoke from US flags burnt at the rally.
The rally is part of protests, organized by Jamaat-Ud-Dawa, the political arm of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. Protesters are allegedly insulted by America’s unwillingness to punish the makers of the film “Innocence of Muslims.”
Give that man a Darwin Award! And flood the Muslim world with American flags!
A student was accidentally shot dead Sunday by her brother while celebrating her success in passing the Tawjihi high school exit exams, police said.
Fatima Al-Masdar was killed by a stray bullet during celebratory gunfire to mark the release of Tawjihi results in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Al-Masdar had scored 95.2 percent in the tests, which prepare students for entry into universities.
In the Middle East, it is customary for men to fire gunshots into the air to celebrate wedding parties and other significant events, but Palestinian security services have repeatedly warned the public not to use weapons or fireworks during celebrations to avoid tragedies.
And you thought it's all genetic and you couldn't have a bright kid and a moron in the same family....
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
