BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

by David Warren In Toronto, on Thursday, I witnessed a little incident of some value to the interpretation of world affairs. It happened on a crowded westbound King Street trolley, trapped at Yonge Street by the early rush hour crowds. (Ottawans may envy any kind of functioning transit service.) Three young men, whom one might characterize as voluntary members of the underclass from the way they were dressed (expensive ghetto gear), jumped the back door of the trolley, in order to avoid paying fares. It is the sort of thing people just get used to in a decaying society. The drivers have their hands full processing paying customers through the front entrance, and can hardly be expected to guard the rear. But in this case, the driver more than noticed what was happening, apparently through his rear-view mirror. He shut the front doors, stalled the car, and elbowed his way through the standing passengers to confront his unpaid guests. "I've got bad news for you punks," he de...

I apologize. I usually have an overload of empathy and compassion. But this sympathy ploy reminds me of so many abusers I help people get away from... and this one works for the Press so he abuses that outlet as well. Surprise... NOT. BLAME SHIFTING A common bully tactic. It goes right along with changing the subject and making accusations. It's not always your fault though. It could be his boss, the clerk at the grocery store, the bank teller, the guy who cut him off on the freeway, a lack of sleep, a worrying situation … anyone or anything at all as long as it's not him. Blame shifting is not always obvious because it is not always directly linked to the situation at hand. Either way he wins. If nobody in the situation is to blame, then there is no way to resolve the problem. If you are to blame, then you must fix it. As for him, he is just an innocent victim and utterly blameless, therefore unable to do anything at all to find a solution, but totally justified in being a ...

GAZA LOCKDOWN Gaza's locked down and the poor poor Palestinians are angry calling for a "massive response." How typical of ABUSIVE PERSONALITIES! They provoke & provoke covertly and overtly (Qassams falls into the OVERT category). The abused (Israel) finally says "that's enough" and now Hamas is angry... at Israel... for DEFENDING ITSELF. The minute the VICTIM stands up and says "ENOUGH!" its a rush to pile on them and villfy them for doing so. Hello, IDF? Kick butt. Barak orders lockdown of Gaza, Hamas vows revenge Over 130 rockets hit southern Israel in last 72 hours while Israeli strikes against terror cells in Gaza leave at least 25 Palestinians killed. Defense minister vows IDF will bring end to incessant barrages, orders complete closure of coastal territory. More than 40 Qassam rockets landed in and around the town of Sderot and its neighboring communities in the western Negev on Tuesday, wounding three people. Defense Minister Ehud B...

LIVING IN TERROR by Fred D. Thompson Let me ask you a hypothetical question. What do you think America would do if Canadian soldiers were firing dozens of missiles every day into Buffalo, N.Y.? What do you think our response would be if Mexican troops for two years had launched daily rocket attacks on San Diego -- and bragged about it? I can tell you, our response would look nothing like Israel's restrained and pinpoint reactions to daily missile attacks from Gaza. We would use whatever means necessary to win the war. There would likely be numerous casualties on our enemy's side, but we would rightfully hold those who attacked us responsible. More than 1,300 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza since Palestinians were given control two years ago. Israelis, however, have gone to incredible lengths to stop the war against them without harming Palestinian non-combatants. But make no mistake, Israel is at war. The elected Hamas government regularly repeats its official pro...