Tom Trento on the War in Gaza

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The United West founder Tom Trento, began his talk by asking Mel to walk to the western door of the meeting room, “you know what to do” he said. Holding the microphone near a speaker playing an air raid siren, 15 seconds went by before he declared “you’re dead”.

Thus he began an exposition of life in Israel under the constant threat of Hamas rockets coming from Gaza. Fifteen seconds is all the time you have to seek shelter when the rockets are incoming and the slow can pay a price.

With charts and maps, he described the types of rockets, the tunnel systems, and the over 70% of Israel which is threatened. Pictures of the multi-millionaire Hamas leaders who live in luxury in Egypt or elsewhere while the war rages Gaza, and excerpts from the Hamas founding principles that proclaim the end of Israel put it all in perspective.

Broadening his discussion beyond Israel, he made a compelling case that the most critical threat to western civilization is not a rising China or re-emergent Russia, but Global Islamic Jihad. Until the leaders of the west realize that we are in a war for which there is no negotiated settlement, the outlook is grim. Current Obama half measures against ISIL and his weak support for Israel are the wrong path, and the next election (2016) may be our last chance to meet the threat.

Also speaking was House district 82 candidate and incumbent MaryLynn Magar. Running in 2012, she found the most pressing issue in the district was jobs – and that has not changed two years later. Holding 2 or three part time jobs and desparately seeking health care for their families, people are struggling, however the administration paints the “progress” of the recovery. In favor of “all of the above” on energy, she supports drilling off the Florida coast, as long as it is far enough off shore to not be visible and interfere with tourism, opposed the medicaid expansion, and is against Common Core and All Aboard Florida.