[Illbay]

First, notice one major point the analyst--who is an ISRAELI free-market conservative, mind you--makes is that these items were all culled from just ONE DAY'S worth of headlines in the Israeli press.

I think you can dispense, then, with the notion that this is some sort of "aberration". It is, instead, what you are dealing with in Israel.

Israel deserves no more adulation in the way the do things, than FRANCE does, that much is clear.

And as far as "winning friends and influencing people": I don't suppose you'd consider it reasonable of me to tell you to stop putting forth your opinions since there are "plenty" here and elsewhere on FR who don't agree with you.

I have noticed that as soon as folks like you run out of arguments, the invective begins instead. Means you have nothing else useful to say, I suppose.

[Torie]

I don't think I have ever told anyone on this forum to stop posting their opinions, and indeed have had many pleasant dialogues with those with whom I have little or nothing in common politically, less in common indeed than I have with you.

I have noticed that as soon as folks like you run out of arguments, the invective begins instead. Means you have nothing else useful to say, I suppose.

The great thing about this forum is that our posts are out there for review. Folks will make their own minds up about the substance of what each of us is saying, and how we say it, and that is good enough for me.