One year ago, monsters infiltrated across the Israel-Gaza border to rape, slaughter, and kidnap whoever they could. I don’t care what you think of how the Gazans were treated by Israel. Those monsters were not freedom fighters. Freedom fighters do not commit those kinds of atrocities.

I went back and looked at my initial reaction. It was part of a Monday links post, and I predicted a “Republican Pounce” moment. Damn, did I underestimate what would happen across the globe. I’ll address this further in a moment.

Israelis – not just the government, but the people – decided that they could no longer allow Hamas to continue operating in Gaza. If I were living in Israel, I think I would have the same opinion. If the Mexican cartels came across the border and did just the same amount of damage to border towns and farms in a weekend, I don’t doubt for a moment that there would be US troops in Mexico within a week or two. You can’t find peace with people who want you dead. You can have a ceasefire, but peace is not the absence of violence, but the presence of justice.

A good example is Hezbollah, who took the opportunity of Israel’s gaze being turned to Gaza to make northern Israel uninhabitable through rocket barrages. Now, Israel has decapitated Hezbollah and gone after their stockpiles. The chattering class is full of Iran directing all of this, but I’m not so sure. I feel like there are three wars happening simultaneously – Israel-Hamas, Israel-Hezbollah, and Israel-Iran.

Now, back to the public reaction. Sweet FSM, I expected some of the usual suspects to condemn Israel’s reaction. But to actually cheer on Hamas? To close down campus in support of Hamas? To intimidate and assault Jews in support of Hamas? What the hell?

The world has pivoted in ways I never saw coming when I first heard the news a year ago.