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Fatalities in Crips War: 1300

Given that the Crips have been responsible for several murders over many years, given that their leaders continue to threaten violence, they were finally brought to submission in 2002 by an incursion of the US military into Crip territory. Approximately 5600 people living in Los Angeles were injured and 1300 killed in the bombing and military strike.

Californians and Angelenos considered this an unfortunate but acceptable loss. What else could they say? They couldn't argue against the United States defending itself and taking action to stop a group of killers.

Is that an unfair analogy to the 2008-2009 Gaza-Israel Conflict? As of Jan 19, 2009, Wikipedia authors estimate 5600 injuries and 1300 fatalities total on both sides of the conflict since late Dec 2008. I don't know how many people have been killed by LA gangs in one year, but I'd guess 36 in one year sounds within their ability.

"Shootings, stabbings, rocket and missile fire, and a bulldozer attack by Palestinian and Arab terrorists killed 36 Israelis and tourists in Israel in 2008, compared to 12 in 2007 and 29 in 2006, according to a report by Hatzalah Judea and Samaria released over the weekend." -- article from The Jerusalem Post dated Jan 4, 2009 (Updated Jan 5, 2009).

What would you think if your city or county or state or federal government tried to protect or defend you with this many civilian casualties? Would you be more worried about the gangs or the military killing you? Would it be acceptable if the Israeli military killed that many people within Israel to stop an equivalent threat? Does the borderline make it different?

A big difference between these two situations is that Israelis don't see Palestinian civilians as their neighbors or fellow "countrymen". By comparison, Californians and Americans would feel they were attacking "themselves" if there were so many civilian casualties in their own community. (--Assuming that they identify strongly with the government claiming to represent them and with the people getting attacked.)

October 13

Historically noteworth events other than my birth that happened on October 13, according to Wikipedia:

* 1307 - Hundreds of Knights Templar in France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into "admitting" heresy.

* 1775 - The United States Continental Congress orders the establishment of the Continental Navy (later renamed the United States Navy). [My dad was in the Navy when I was born, so he made a big deal that I was born on the "Navy's birthday."]

* 1843 - In New York City, Henry Jones and 11 others found B'nai B'rith (the oldest Jewish service organization in the world).

* 1845 - A majority of voters in the Republic of Texas approve a proposed constitution, that if accepted by the U.S. Congress, will make Texas a U.S. state.

* 1917 - The "Miracle of the Sun" is witnessed by an estimated 70,000 people in the Cova da Iria in Fátima, Portugal. *rolleyes*

* 1972 - An Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-62 crashed outside Moscow killing 176.

* 1972 - Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashes in the Andes mountains, in between the borders of Argentina and Chile. By December 23, 1972 only 16 out of 45 people lived long enough to be rescued. [You may have read the book or seen the movie, "Alive". Cannibalism helped some of them survive.]

* 1976 - A Bolivian Boeing 707 cargo jet crashes in Santa Cruz, Bolivia killing 100 (97, mostly children, killed on the ground).

* 1977 - Four Palestinians hijack Lufthansa Flight 181 to Somalia and demand release of 11 members of the Red Army Faction.

* 1992 - An Antonov An-124 operated by Antonov Airlines registered CCCP-82002, crashed near Kiev, Ukraine.

[Not a great day to fly in recent decades.]

Births:
1244 - Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar (d. 1314)
1909 - Herbert Block, American cartoonist (d. 2001)
1915 - Cornel Wilde, American actor (d. 1989)
1925 - Lenny Bruce, American comedian (d. 1966)
1925 - Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
1941 - Paul Simon, American singer and musician (Simon and Garfunkel)
1947 - Sammy Hagar, American singer (Van Halen)
1954 - Mordechai Vanunu, Israeli nuclear technician
1956 - Chris Carter, American television producer (X-Files!)
1959 - Marie Osmond, American entertainer
1968 - Tisha Campbell-Martin, American actress and singer
1969 - Nancy Kerrigan, American figure skater
1971 - Sacha Baron Cohen, English comedian

Died on Oct 13:
1938 - E.C. Segar, American cartoonist (Popeye) (b. 1894)

Survivalrealty.com

omfg for real though. The punchline is right there in the headline, it's all downhill from here. Survivalrealty.com. Nothing much I can add to that. Why didn't I run with that idea years ago? I wrote a "game" called My Love For You Is Way Out of Line. It's practically unplayable, about a salesman wandering around an office. His goal is to flirt and joke with the secretary enough in the final minutes before he's killed by a dog to earn a pleasant final utterance from the object of his affection. It's set in the sales office of "Megiddo Homes, a licensed real estate agency specializing in custom-built, sustainable, self-sufficient underground shelter dwellings for survivalists and modern-day homesteaders.

As part of the game project, I created a page for Megiddo Homes. Someone emailed me once to ask for my prices. I should have known right then! Oh well.

Anyhow, enjoy your survivalrealty.com.