The events of the past week following the mass shooting in Florida have only increased the divide in this country on the issue of guns—and pretty much everything else. This is what we talk about on the final podcast of the week. And we talk about whether Sheldon Adelson should pay for the U.S. embassy in Israel. Give a listen.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Welcome to the carbon to hurry, Benghazi, podcast, presided today for Friday for moratoria,
earn twenty eighteen by major ports in a condition of partial,
where a joyous and a post Disney colds, I hope you will forgive the Margaret Solid,
tenor of my voice, and if that reference does mean anything to you, I could also say John Greenwood,
If that reference doesn't mean anything to you the way I got nothing
If nothing else left for you, but
It's me as always, a green walled, our senior editor high Abe Hygiene and associate at a lower Rossman. I know I John sort of Mari is out today Commentary magazine these seventy three year old, monthly of
intellectual analysis, political, probably and cultural criticism from a conservative perspective. We let you join us commentary.
Amazing, dot com, where we give you a few free reads and then asked you to subscribe: one thousand nine hundred and ninety five for a digital subscription in twenty nine. Ninety five
for an all access subscription, including our beautiful monthly magazine in your mailbox eleven times a year,
please if you are not subscribing to us on Itunes do so.
Oh go, there leave a review. We I think we are now falling behind the evil. Jonah Goldberg and his dog driven self promotion on Twitter, leading to excessive.
Numbers overviews for his podcast, the remnant. So you know if you want to raise a flag for this podcast and take it to Giotto and give it to all right where he lives, please God, Itunes and leave us a review and of course it should be five stars
because, if you're listening up to this point, presumably you're willing to give us five stars cause. Why wouldn't you just stop? There are other things you could be doing like watching. A movie with Joan, Greenwood or Margaret Sullivan.
Guess you sound like Henry Kissinger
so like Henry Kissinger, okay. Well, that's that that's a reference answers that frankly, my head do not. I do a bit of a mess with Asian. I can do one, but only facilitated by air conditioned. Thank you very much
So, of course, we are now into our second week of the national response to the horrific parkland Florida school shooting, and I think it's fair to say that things are just seem to be getting worse rather than better by the day.
You got to say that the response, the details about what happened in Broward County Florida in the two years before the shooter, whose name I'm not going to use. You know what went back to his high school and did what he did. The details are horrifying and depressing up right until the minute, where we found out yesterday from Broward County Sheriff Sheriff, is real that the public safety officer on do the armed public safety officer on duty at the Marjory Douglas School. In fact,
voided, engaging with the active shooting situation and hung back, and we also know that he was
aware of who
sure was because twice in
the previous two years. The shooter had specifically been referenced to him as somebody who was making threats and doing weird things at the school. So not only did did he not engage, but he also did not engage knowing full well that there was a potentially possibly psychopathic student who had been on campus. That was yes last night's revelation John. This makes me think that perhaps one of the contributing factors to the horrifying trend in these shootings has to do with something that you ve brought up before
other contacts here, which is this general crisis of competence right well, if your authority or will the Lee the surrender of authority by the authority has accomplished when you put you out in those terms till I mean these are known
so so many missed opportunities. Botched opportunities contributed to this one particular case. Thirty, nine separate visits to
the shooters household, from twenty ten to twenty seventeen by the police in Broward County, thirty, nine visits to the house just this morning. We learning that Florida sheriff's deputies head at least eighteen calls warning about the shooter between two thousand and eight and two thousand and seventeen, including one that was quoted. He planned to shoot up the school. This is like a decade. We have a cousin, we have a close friend. We have. We have the cops called to the house where he at
after his mother's death in November, because he had threatened his the kid living in the house say he was going to go, get his gun and bring it back and shoot him. So we have multiple a
now literally dozens of encounters between him and the police that lead to nothing and then, of course, we have the two F b. I it's, which were the first thing that we have heard about, was that the FBI had gotten to different warning specific warnings about him as a school shooter and that they had no done some kind of appropriate cursory search through a database of them dropped it so
This tells us that its we call these things systemic failure. This is systemic failure, because we have a federal agency that fell down on the job, a local law enforcement agency that fell down job and, specifically, a lie:
local law enforcement or blood force artificial charged with the duty of protecting the school itself
the school itself, refusing to do so now. There was a lot of talk less
and social media about how it you walk a mile in that guy's deputy shoes. You don't know what you do in a situation like that. How dare you, you know, judge him.
I don't feel like I was judging him, I feel like Scott is real. His boss was judging him, the sheriff Israel because he said he failed to do what he was supposed to do and he you know, has been put on suspension that he's retired
but I think that there is a weirdness here, which is that the theirs
is to be an unwillingness to engage with this systemic failure on the grounds that, if you were to say my gather, all these possible moment at which somebody could have intervened and a high
Did the trajectory of the shooter toward the school on the day in which you shot up the school that you were there for letting the real villain here off the hook, which is the gun that he was carrying and the system that allowed him to own, have the gun and use it at the school and then every. If you don't focus on that, everything else is either as a distraction or away to wait the conversation away from where it needs to be. According to the people who believe this, which is that you know something needs to be done
out gun sales or sales of assault rifles or wherever, and it is an that's, the only honest intellectual response to them.
Changing data points that were were privy to know that,
the argument that I've seen the rather reflex is not an argument. The reflex arrives.
It is also the good guy with a gun was there and he didn't act. So this
the guy with a gun, didn't stop the bad guy with a gun, as though this is indicative
of how all individuals with firearms behave as though we didn't have a counterpoint.
In a mass shooting in a church in Texas. Just couple of months ago, in for
ITALY in which the girl with the gun was responsible for neutralizing the threat
although after he had done something very sit. Us substantial
but it is an effort to disengage from these counter points
something like their desirous of conversation about guns and not a conversation about institutions are lawns,
where's manner, this human fallibility, you know
We can walk and shoot out at the same time. You can have both conversations at the same time and they can be of equal weight. I mean the price
would be a voice,
hurry facile thing that people are saying which is there was a good guy with a gun and he didn't and gave a beggar with a gun. And therefore you know the good guy with a gun. Theory is bad. Is ridiculous because
the good guy with a guy- maybe not at this. These are all you know, they're, not terms of our
they have been the other night, they don't have a regular definition, but that means a vice
Anderson as someone who was not charged with the public responsibility for public safety, that's the good of the God of the guys walking by
and see something happening. Any just happens to have a gun, and he can do something to interview
so to interpose himself between. In of the event,
horrible that did not happen and in them and not as opposed to
the idea that there is actually an official person
when the earth's it must have a monopoly on force. There is a person who has the right, the
only person in the building who has the right to use a weapon was
officer Patterson who refused to do was apparently froze so he's not good guy with a gun
that was his job, that he fell down on the good guy with a
unsavoury? Is that
somebody who does
not necessarily have to have a gun or has a good cause.
Into the situation and aunt em and becomes a player for order
go with a gun. Theory is part of the argument for getting rid of gun free zones, because in
in gun free zones. You only have bad guys with guns, because
because our Lord you're lying down owners would would don't break the law or the argument to allow teachers right the argument to allow people who have been
reigned in the use of weaponry, who are adults or to carry their weapons, are concerned.
Fashion,
school so that the people who are potentially thinking of shooting the place up would know that they might fail, because
as they wouldn't know whether there was a good guy with a gun in a classroom. We're not now, I think, that's a problematic idea when you're talking about you know psychopath hee hee
the notion that he'll go now. I guess I won't do it because maybe there's a guy with a gun in the classroom suggest an ordered form of thinking that you don't necessarily know
The sugar other shooters possess those, and I knew you had said that we can to them at the end. Walk at the same time, talk about guns and talk about institutions. I think
those who are really hoping to make a moment of this about guns and and pursue some sort of gun legislation. As a result of
are absolutely correct, whether consciously or otherwise they think
These revelations detract from their campaign because they, it has been
not even really thinly veiled in the effort to advance gun control laws on the backs of the moral righteousness of the survivors of this tragedy, namely the children who survived that they had been put front, sent her, and if we talk about how the Czechs and safeguards
and feel saves that were designed to preserve protect them? Failed were no longer talking about there.
Their absolute righteousness, their moral authority, and that is
what we ve been seeing used as currency in the situation when that appreciates yes, there, the crusade that thereon is, is not going to be as effective as I thought it would be.
Well now we can get to the question of the long term effectiveness of this campaign or of any campaign in the Euro and in the wake of some
terrible, I would argue
I have to say this and I would argue that in the annals of the horrible sandy hook was more horrible than this, and we are talking about the Lido murders of twenty first graders,
right, I mean that that you know, sir, if you were, if you needed to somehow come up with a hierarchy, you know a list of
What was worse, I think that would somehow seem well
earth and were of a different situation there, because of course, Adam lands are who did that? Who did that horrible thing in Connecticut is dead,
The shooter here is alive, so we will proceed
Will we get some sense of what was going on with him, although I would say that the previous trials in events with mass shooters, like the guy in work, Hurrah Colorado, have proven very little in Alex
that their serve evil in his case like evil walks among us on the case of the of the person who shot Congress councilman Gabriel Giffords that
genuine true psych, sketches
psychosis walks among us, and I don't know that that teaches us any
think about where we are as a people or who we are as a people or how we are society. There is a fundamental difficulty in dealing with this issue.
And everybody on the right and the left and everybody programme granting on has to face up to the difficulty. The difficulty is
But the second by the United States as the right uses, the language the right to keep and bare arm shall not be infringed. Many people claim that the first clause, involving the purposes of Saint Militia
modifies the second clause to such an extent that it's not fair to say that this is granting an absolute right to the ownership of a weapon, but there's a lot of
Supreme Court jurisprudence and quarter spoons on this in the last fifteen years that ten,
the notion that, yes,
in the constitutional right to bear arms, is granted to people rights.
What this means is we're not like other countries,
When I say we're not like Sweden, were not like this or knowledge that one because their constitutions do not grant people the right to bear arms.
So, on the one hand the laugh by saying I don't understand or not the last letter gun controller say I don't know: why does anybody need one of these weapons? Why does anybody need their fifty? Why does anybody need one? That is the wrong question?
there is no, why? Why is not? Why is not a more? Why is not engaged question? People have
right to own these web.
In the absence of laws that challenge that that,
modify or deal word somehow fit in with the second member that say that they can't
We know that such things happen. Cuz. There was an assault. Weapons ban, passed, one thousand nine hundred and ninety four and lasted for ten years, and it survived. It survived constitutional scrutiny in the courts.
But so, on the one hand saying I dont know why everybody needs these. Is it's not your business? You know
I mean, I don't know why anybody needs anything but in the United States, in the absence of specific things,
say you can't have acts. We grant people liberty to have what they wish to own privately.
On the other side on the side of of gun activists or people who want one own guns. The question they have to answer is: is
their desire to own weaponry without limit congruent with they have to grapple with the fact that
the thing that these things they love are used in the commission.
Horrible, my
it was of soul, deadening crimes that arm
the equivalent of terrorism without but without politics, and that they want what they want,
doesn't then excuse them necessarily from having to answer
moral question of whether there once interferes with some form of you know
social discussed at the fact that we have this libertarian gun culture that
On occasion, every on occasion,
now every couple weeks. But you know a country three hundred thirty million people, that's nothing!
leads to these acts of you, no mass slaughter and that's what I mean by walking in showing up at the same time, if we can engage in these conversations,
in which people acknowledge the weakness of their own argument.
Because as they go after the weakness of the other side's argument, maybe you know then than leave. We ve lost.
Ability to have a serious conversation about anything. What is kind of cross the border mean, especially when it comes to activist issue issues. Everything is argued on some sort of single point right. It's it's all right! It's it's! It's always reductionist! Now, because you know if something goes wrong. It's just be it's because of this. It's big it's because of guns and with it works. Both ways
I never really thought that that was the case outside of that. The hot house environment, that is social media and twitter, that there really was sort of
The dynamic where people can understand each other and have an interpersonal,
a ship in an interchange that was constructive. I think that my faith in that was broken, if not really seriously damaged, watching the CNN town Hall, which was a mistake. It was an absolutely terribly thought out. Better performance, art and everybody in Bolton should be ashamed of the planet side
It was a disaster if you watch it, please expound ok, well from what I saw was marker. Rubio was the stand
in four gun rights advocates and block in the name of the house member. But it was a Florida senator bill. Nelson,
and another member of the house, some from Florida delegation on blocking and his name Democrats,
on the profoundly anti gun sign on the broken controls, and it was set up in Florida,
within this community. That was where the victims of this tragedy live and done. A lush lash LOS last lash lash who's, the energy spokesman,
spokeswoman now Andy the Brower County Sheriff's office,
Ariel, Israel was also present on the stage and they were basically engage in a debate in the sheriff was broken. Controlling
Anna was eight again now.
At the field. Questions from members,
this community, notably the survivors of this type.
Actually, many of whom are you see quite a bit on television, with the exception of the fact that
in a few hours prior, you saw something
members of the community with the president in the way,
as having a listening session, which was constructive and thoughtful and though it didn't deal very heavily with gun control issues. It was never
less civil exchange and ovarian emotional exchange, one of them stronger moments of this presidency, you couldn't imagine, is a bigger contrast from
The what we saw on the stage at that event, the crowd was riled up,
and really angry and very bitter about
anything that had to do with a broken argument, and they were
rude and abusive to both,
Margaret Rubio, Dana Lash, and
They were very supportive of the individuals who are pro gun control and that actually weakens the pro controller Sgt, because all they had to do was throw both bloody tunics into the crowd, and I bathed in the applause and the adoration
and it actually did very little to advance the gun controllers arguments in my opinion, because
particular moment.
Her Rubio teased out of his interlocutors, the fact that their design
air would ultimately be arbitrary. The
the banning of assault weapons isn't
veterinary characterisation and very difficult to Greece
legislation that is comprehensive in that sense and what you have to do in order to effectively do what they want to do,
is put a ban on the category
We have weapon that that is which are a semi automatic, long guns and if
were to do that? Your banning
giant category of weaponry that nobody is interested in and for this, the crowd lit up. They were thrilled about it
very enthusiastic about that sort of thing. And
moreover, the events then said one not a really wants to do this, including my my counterparts here in this stage. What have you
but that is the moment that I believe is going to translate and last longer.
Just about anyone, including the
opportunities where these very emotionally.
Strong. Survivors of this thing accused marker Rubio of being
equivalent of a murderer, and then the latter being a bad parent that happened,
but also that this particular moment, where crowded
visuals whipped up into a frenzy said: we need to ban semi automatic weapons. Ninety
percent of all weapons in this country. That is what's gonna translate
that's? What's gonna be played on a loop long after everybody's forgotten? What happened on that stage? People who are for
funds in both for guns are going to see that clip and be reminded of what their up against it was. A disaster for people were broken control right so
Parliament's in the new posts this morning
crystal layout some, you know really relatively basic facts about gun ownership in the United States, which say two hundred and thirty or two all the polling boiled down to thirty. Five percent of american households have a gun in them
There are a hundred and twenty six million households in the United States. That means that forty four billion of them have guns in them. There are two point: eight people on average per household according to the census beer. That means more than a hundred million people live at home with a gun in them. Now, let's assume
those are children. So we can then say that something like eighty million Americans have a gun in the home and haven't gotten the home has recently for rocket up enough that you can assume that people who have the guns in their home wish affirmatively to have a gun in their home. That's a lot of people. You know how many people vote in presidential elections about a hundred and thirty five million
Maybe people vote mid term elections about ninety million, so there are eighty million people affirmatively wishing to have guns in their homes of voting age. Ninety million people in the country vote in the matter.
Elections. She wanted a why gun control is a hard sell. That's why? Because not only a gun and wanting other people not to own a gun does not, despite every passionate thing, you're here.
The last week, we half translate into I'm gonna, go to the polls and vote this way to throw people out or do whatever
report, because a lot of people who don't want guns to their own already live in states and in places in which they have their way? Neil will even I live in Europe,
I'm not sure what the stories in New Jersey were no lives but, in your say, has extremely tight gun control instructions.
I live here, everybody I know lives here. Most people would fall in the extreme version of the gun, control argument and they have geographically they get their way. They live in a state where that's the book. That's that's! Where things are floor.
It's not that state brow carries one of the few where, where parliament is one of the few liberal counties, formatively openly
counties in Florida which worse went for Trump Rubio is their senator,
when people vote with their feet, people choose deliver their living eighty million
people? Ninety million voters? That's why there was this one moment when Democrats were still a sort of national party and not a regional party,
Eighteen, ninety three: ninety four: when they got a when they got an assault, weapons ban, pass through Congress and signed by president.
Then, let us not forget, as I said, unless Pike has the bill, Clinton and Luke angrily,
and the people who are involved in nineteen? Eighty four election say that the assault weapons ban was one of the most politically disastrous things that any party has ever done
So that was at a time when pulls demonstrated that people were much more amenable to gun control than they are today,
right where you are, and I was right and when it was imposed. That was when you gave strength to the argument of people who oppose gun control and believing gun right to say government is coming after your private property that is guaranteed
you by the Constitution of the United States, it was kind of it in arguable point. It was happening
It was affirmatively happening at the federal level. At the same time, as their hats,
In these
two incidents at Waco and Ruby.
Edge in which federal authorities had wildly over, reacted to the fact that there were compounds where there were guns- and you know, storm them and ended up killing dozens and dozens of people federal authorities doing it on the grounds that they had to go in to protect the safety of the people who are living there and instead killed a lot of them
you don't you see all this stuff on social media, about linking the array to a whole score of public and politicians who were funded took money. It is from from the generator, but no it what happened. As you pointed out earlier, when the Democrats
We have a chance to do something about about gun control right will. In twenty thirteen, after new town, we had a vote on a series of amendments in the assault weapons ban, an amendment,
used by nine Feinstein came up and fifteen them
that's in one independent Caucasus, with Democrats voted against. It wouldn't got
sixty, even of all of them, had voted for it. But
what have gotten a lot closer than it did, and why did they fail? Well, a because, in my view, wherein there
Climate, now than we were nineteen, eighty four there's more favourable towards guns and people really want to imagine, but also because, if that had passed a democratic process
would have signed and into law
This is a free moment. You don't have to worry about that at the end
you pass being signed into laws not getting through the Senate and it's not getting past. The president's desk Democrats can posture all they want on guns. It's a free pass for the budget
This makes me this principle questions, especially in regard to the to the town hall event. Do they want the change, or do they want the
Do is, is it do they want model mob catharsis, so they want, they want to change, and you know what I don't think. That's true in some cases, brine shouts is therefore that Hawaii Senator said I we don't have to compromise anymore. We are not going to compromise anymore. This is about defeating them. That's about the issue right, but you put their market.
Them so there is nicely ok, but what
hey as do they want to change, do gun controllers and even policy pursued,
do they believe that the NRA is the uniquely evil organization that but function work in our time and do they believe that the you know cold hard piece of metal that is
time is an evil in itself that needs to be extra payment from the United States. Yes, they believe that very much, and unfortunately this extends them to an hour.
Or to a mindset in which they will tend to believe, particularly if
live in places in which no one they now owns a gun and no one they ve ever met hasn't got whoever
every single person who wants to own or owns.
A semi automatic long gun
they potential parkland shooter.
And given the fact, as I have said before, that there are a hundred and twenty six million people in this country who live in direct proximity to a gun that
is simply an insane mindset. Farmers,
Now these it insane its uncivil at its demented at its evil limit its evil in a democratic since there are.
There have been two hundred and forty five of these cases in the last ten years hundred forty five Kay.
There are a hundred and seven thousand gun crimes in the United States a year right, so
there are eight hundred thousand gun crimes. There are a hundred and Fortys
of cases of mass shootings? There are a hundred,
twenty million people living in direct proximity to a gun
These numbers do not add up to any one who has a gun could go into a school and shoot because the answer is yes, of course,
When will the car could drive a car into
the entrance of a mall or slam into people. S
with a knife, could go into stabbing spree. None of this can. This is all the anthropomorphic nation of an assault weapon or of, as you say, semi automatic long them and when they do it and they don't.
They are alienating any possibility of making their argument incrementally, which is to say, simply saying
raise the age. I raise the age of ownership to twenty one, the energies against it.
Believes any any regulation is bad.
Constitution says you have the right to keeping bear arms constitution also litter,
really features age limitations in terms of
serving an office. The constitution, it would not would pass constitutional muster for there be a federal law saying that you,
by this class of weapon. Until you were twenty one years old
if that were where the gun control movement focused its energy on one or two points
of sensible small scale regulation like
that was going to happen a couple months ago with bump stocks, could that pass yeah would would Donald Trump sign it. I will we don't know but
but the indications are, he would certainly consider have I gotta say I I mean
toward a cynical and I'm not sure whether any of this his conscience. But I don't really believe there is any interest
changing mines are changing hearts at this stage for people who are horn, whore activists,
the Democratic Party not who are repulsed by violence and want to see some sort of behavior change on the part of the country, but that's a genuine impulse. The people who are politically calculating
I don't see this as anything other than having some instrumental utility bills,
when the dynamic becomes gun, control versus Anti gun control, the Trump dynamic sort of fades away and disappears
back to a very old traditional dynamic, in which Republicans both trump sceptics and programmers have no interest in litigating that that dynamic anymore, we're back to a very familiar right, verses left
in which the distinctions are really to be made any more between promenade trump on the right, because I,
Frankly, I believe a lot of people on the left are very uncomfortable, with their new allies on the Republican right and don't necessarily really want them around, particularly when it comes to issues like guns.
Well, I'm excited to take a pause here to talk to people about r r newest
answer, the tick for fund
Last year we introduce rears of commentary to a new, regular columnist, Rabbi mayor, solid aging,
Rob S. Old Age is a unique figure in jewish intellectual life, with a Phd in jewish thought from Princeton, and his own
accelerate XIV University and as the
this country's oldest and one of its most distant,
his congregation shower Cherith, Israel or the spanish and portuguese synagogue,
the Upper West Side Manhattan Sully as his friends call. Him is also one that was interesting and incisive writers and thoroughly
jewish ideas to American cited american culture and for the poor,
ass many years, he has nourished a special interest in the relation of jewish thought to the american founding his early forces in the sensitive and published in the Wall Street Journal Mosaic and here in the pages of come
Terry, but our friends at these tick refund have now partnered
with rabbis elevator to make his mature analysis of Jews,
ideas and the american founders available as an
streaming video course. It's called you
ideas, the american founders of features, aid, our laws,
lectures and railway salvaging each one enriched with his humour charismatic.
Presentation, and believe me both are true.
Dwells and original study guy with discussion, questions and primary sources. The course looks at it
Stickley american traditions of religious liberty, the public debate that inspired America's republican operas
the monarchy, the distinction decision between a contract and a cup,
the role of religious voices in the public's wherever great democracy,
Solly shows how America is an amalgam of distinct intellectual traditions, double helix that intertwined enlightenment ideas with those from the hebrew Bible
so I can offer listeners of the commentary podcast a new will want this especial discount to unroll, visit courses, dot, tick, the fund, DOT, Org, Slash commentary, that's courses, dot, tick for fun tee. I Kay the age a few Wendy.
Dot org slashed commentary to say fifty percent of the normal cost of relevant and access
All of railway saw evasive lectures for just twenty dollars.
You have to do is enter the coop on gold commentary when you sign up that's
Mrs Don T, I ve cakes,
De I Kay the age
few MD dot Org
Slash commentary, coupon code commentary to learn more.
And role. I apologize
I'm so stunned by the thought.
Of all of you getting to listen to Sally for an hour.
Which is a unique and pleasurable and delightful experience that I cannot. I can't
I endorse the sponsor heartily and tick for fun courses that take the fund
dot org slashed commentary for this.
Solly lecture Series, you know I've, a piece
In the current issue of of counter the march issue,
old, American Israel, the Trump era, new realism.
Some of the things that are happening over the last couple of days. I think give some balance to what I'm talkin about here, witches
as I begin the peace, I say that you know of all of Us-
the quality
so the Trump air, none is more surprising than the total printed
shift.
Towards Israel in trumps foreign policy, because he spent much of his campaign
very eagerly trying to make it clear that he was not going to participate in these or of
follow, is real love, vests, Sd Republican debate that he was too we didn't want to see was on Israel side, the Israel, Palestine Matter. He wanted to make a deal and eaten one a privilege. One over the other in all this, and yet I think it's very clear that he has come down very hard on the Israel side of the great divide and in a way that is, could have shocked everybody and totally paralyzed thee lets a pro palestinian or pro balanced side or something into kind of a shocked silence, because they can't quite believe how fast the scarlet, how much this happen in my argument pieces that this represents not a some kind of evangelical zeal.
Fantasy about you know the jewish domination of the Middle EAST, or something like that, but rather actually a an acceptance of the fact that, though, that the view of the last seventy years, which is that the without some kind of solution,
to the israeli palestinian problem. There will never be anything, but chaos and horror in the Middle EAST has been discarded and it's been discarded because it was a fantasy, was a fantasy to begin with its always
fantasy and that this new view actually Samantha new realism that Israel is a country that is between. Fortunately, between Israel and Palestine. Is the more useful to the United States that in the struggle against arrived,
it's more useful for us to be allied with Israel, because they have intelligence and their serving as a counterweight, and that a lot of
Things are one of them, at least in the last ten years, have involved a recognition by arab countries that their that deck got going. It's so quiet series of alliances are concordance is or concordance with. Israel is the way to go for their them to justify their own security and find a way to counterbalance rising IRAN
So the news comes today that it is likely that the U S embassy will move to.
Who Jerusalem in some form within the next six months
and that mega donor Sheldon Addison has offered to pay the cost of the construction of the USA
see Jerusalem that something like this, I believe, is there really been done? The private donor offering to build a public facilities of the sort
embassy of this sort will cost five hundred million to a billion dollars to construct, harden
to have the security that is necessary to have the intelligence can capabilities that are necessary. Alcinous.
Where's forty billion dollars, it's kind of a remarkable offered some interesting developments, and you know a lot of people both often talk about how there be no big, be the big swinging guys in the sort of thing, but don't actually take out there check book and Addison was willing to take as checkbook when you were when you rather
that. The american taxpayer pays worth a yell, I'm saying it's a weird. I don't think they can just accepted donation to build it night, I'm alone at various, allocate that there,
no there's, no nothing in law that says you can't buy the way. Now, let's
say somebody had a building in Ankara had a beautiful giant town house in Ankara and wanted to bequeath to the US government to serve as the home of the ambassador right. I think
that would be acceptable, wouldn't it I mean you can leave a building to the federal government. Does anyone know any other nor the statutes that govern the sort of thing? But it's that smells like? I leave you to leave part you leave your home to you. Can you can bequeathed your home to the government
national MRI, some short sighted,
Now I ve been enzymes, and I think that from the administration, those either thing since there were come up before yeah. I think, on the one hand,
I think what s interesting about it is that it would,
men out its own sense- and I know a little bit of being out the most important issue in the world in the most important zionist in the world, and there is no reason for the: U S: government, to sort of.
Be the you don't allow itself to be used in that fashion this early, but I do think that if the his point is he wants to still at eight something that is difficult for truant. You know Budgetarily.
It won't happen. Finally to register. Could you somewhere? I hope it doesn't happen in its wonderful offer and it's an amazing offer unattended, but you want to move to be America
it's it's? This is America's move, having you know been undertaken rife with full.
Confidence must be an end to just spend two billion dollars, building a new embassy in London right, so we obviously you can spend the money. Like you know. We were
a trillion dollar budget, we added six hundred
billion dollars a new spending to the budget. You know spending half a bit
dollars on a new and of an embassy that was request, was were quite its construction
as required by the way my law. We are
required under a ninety ninety six law to build a new embassy in Jerusalem Sheldon else and can donate a billion dollars to the Treasury. At any point, in that Olaf's at the cost of without that would be the same, I guess it would be a site that you just would get a plaque
let me tell you what a Jews the they need a plaque,
but you're not look without given money without that plan, such a move as to say this is the Sheldon Apples and embassy would detract from what I think is the biggest
selling point for the Trump administrations, Israel policy, which is that it is uneasy illogical. It is a recognition of facts.
On the ground. I read a headline the other day, which, if you
twenty years ago would blow your mind. It was Israel, Israel,
Companies ink a deal with the egyptian government to sell them liquid natural gas
so Israel is a net energy explore her to the.
Our world.
Eighteen, ninety eight, you read that headline you would say this is not the planet earth, but I've been living on for the last fifty years,
remember that it is just the change of geopolitics in the region, which is facilitating a change in
in America's position to the region that was fun
stalled by the excessively ideological perception of
region of the Obama administration right over as it that's very
I just think is an interesting discovered, almost a comic idea that you know Shelly
We would call up Donald and say look I'll pay for it,
trouble I'll pay for it. So you need my check, looks out
I'll pay for it, but, as I say you others, a great one of the first
israeli movie made in nineteen, sixty to nineteen sixty three called Kaza blonde starring Topol, who would end up going on to play Tevye in the great movie version of fiddler on the roof as a guy who worked in the jewish National Fund forest essentials on Forest Inn in Israel, and it was his job when they got news that MR and MRS
Applin from or say. Might my grandpa, Mr Mrs Rosen Fall from Saint Paul Minnesota were coming? He had to go to the tree. Take off the plan for Mister
This is capital from Say, Lucas and put the black. That said, Mister MRS Rose and fell from.
Say Paul Minnesota. So this is the ultimate fulfilled. This would be the ultimate fulfilment of the cause of one doctrine, which is that
which is that there are of course the other thing is that funny aside, but
Meanwhile, you know Israel's in the middle of a gigantic political crisis, because you know
days been recommended that baby Netanyahu be indicted on corruption, charges I've so loud, I'm reading about these corruption charges and there is some pretty weak beer in there. I don't know. What's going to happen, I think the presumption that you know that this is going to happen is belied by how weak some of this stuff is like. One of the arguments is that somebody who somebody potent or something gave Netanyahu watch where seventy never dollars and his aid took it according to israeli law and consumers must be able to take a gift and, according to
Guy who turned states witness a witness. Sarah Netanyahu, babies, very difficult wife, Winton, said where's the watch it he said. I've already turned it into the Treasury and she yelled and screamed at him. Could she wanted the watch and then
two weeks later be fired. Him said the idea being that he had fired it because of the watch them
he then we hired ever higher position about six months later, because this is what baby does he keeps his people at his own kalisz, constantly off guard
he pulls close, he throws away. Does it's all about making sure that nobody is in a position to challenge them? And if that's the level of argument that
guy was fired two weeks later because Servant Yahoo yelled at about a watch. He can't even prove that there was a quid pro quo there. I don't know
Having said that, you never know, what's going to happen,
because you never know what's gonna happen as if somehow this does happen, he feels obliged to step down rosemary foursome step them. He has done great damage to his own political movement on the right, because there's no one to follow in the footsteps of, and there are people or their up. There are political figures in Israel, but he has been such a giant serve the colossus of of Israel and on the right that it's very hard to know who could step into his shoes. The other thing that this raises again in a democratic society is real mistake for people to stay in power be on eight years. We ve seen time and time and time again. Political parties cannot maintain power longer than eight years without becoming corrupted by power.
That's one of the great discoveries of there seems to be some mystical fact that eight years is a bad that past eight years of the bad number and the other thing that this brings up is should be not be. There would affect. Does that then have on the trouble ministration in israeli me because they need the currently the two administrations earth very complimentary in a way, there's a twin history and concerns- and you know trumps night,
the logical take on things about it. That's all! It's all fitting! Well, right now, we're tromp was also very personal right right, so he feels personal affinity to baby there. Both hate about me
you're about hated by the media there, but there
outsiders, though neither one of them is an outsider in baby. Certainly, isn't it tighter at all but plays
the outsider,
and so they have a personal connection. There also both extremely obnoxious and unpleasant and combative, and all of that so- and you know the blue country
worthy personally untrustworthy. So they have a lot in common that they recognise and baby places.
Very well he's also been a very brilliant political leader side from maintained maintenance of his own power. This extension expansion of Israel's foreign policy into real relations with food,
were enemies and making political openings all around the world that
the visionary thing that he has accomplished. It's not clear that another person would have made the inroads or or or look the way that he has done, even as those
parts of the world that we consider civilised Europe and all that have turned the even more aggressively against Israel? And he was doing it during a time when the Israel's greatest ally the United States have do under Brok, Obama was was waging this sort of you know
ruthless pr and diplomatic campaign against it. Also necessity was the mother of invention, their employees have had to do it because he looked in said the american
why it is no longer something that we can rely on. You can count on forever,
yet. Another way in which Brok Obama's roof in
pushing his his vision on things arrived at the exact point he didn't want.
The other big news of today's that Ben Roads, the Father of the IRAN deal or the father of the selling of IRAN deal, has announced that he has written a member,
or of his eight years it will be coming out June and there you know, I'm I'm, I'm batting away the emails demanding the right to be their reviewer,
of the ban were hoods book which I may
I simply may have to reserve for my myself-
so with that and with sorrow
the absence of
Murray, who is unsure, enlightening people elsewhere in the country.
Wonders of his views. We will back us your next week so for a Green Walden nor Roslin John,
Let's keep the category.
Transcript generated on 2019-12-12.