Stalin Lives in Israel

The Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, (who bears a most unfortunate and quite uncanny physical resemblance to Joseph Stalin) opens his mouth and proves that the resemblance to Stalin is more than just a passing physical likeness to his evil twin, reports Ynet News:

Defense Minister Amir Peretz blasted the initiative of business mogul Arcadi Gaydamak, who organized and paid for hundreds of Sderot residents to drive to Eilat far away from the threat of Qassams. Peretz said that Israel will not allow philanthropists and wealthy people to take over the distress of the citizens.

Recently the residents of Sderot have protested against the job Peretz is doing to fight the Qassams. This time Peretz chose to criticize the very person who came to help them when all other systems have failed.

"We will prepare an organized and coordinated plan in order to make life easy on the citizens so they won't have to knock on the doors of philanthropists," he said. "There must not be abandonment or running away. This plan must be conducted in an organized and coordinated manner."

Hundreds of children and parents have already arrived in Eilat in dozens of busses and were put up in hotels, where they will spend the next few days, away from the ongoing rocket fire on their city.

Gaydamak himself told Ynet in response to the attack that "Peretz is a minister and his job is mostly to talk. When the parents of students asked me to help their children - as a Jew it was my duty to do something. You can say many things, if it was good or not, but the parents care about their children and that is the most important thing. If the Defense Ministry can do it better than I can, I will be happy for him, but up until this morning many people asked for my help. Peretz can criticize me, maybe I didn't organize it well, but nobody joined the mission. Nobody did it."

Gaydamak also remembered the days of the war in Lebanon: "It's just like what happened then. At that time again the Defense Ministry built a beautiful tent area but it had one problem – it was ready two days after the war was over. They did good things, but if Jews ask for help, it was my duty to help."

Evelyn Benisti, 47, told Ynet about the drive south: "The atmosphere on the bus was good. We had a good time and forgot about the troubles. We don't know who Gaydamak is, but he did something amazing.

What is appalling is for the Minister of Defense to publicly chastise and attempt to censure a private citizen who was asked to help alleviate the suffering of hundreds of children and did what he could to help. If anyone asked me I would say the world needs more Gaydamak’s and a damn few less Stalin wannabes.

There are rumors that Gaydamak has ties to the Russian Mayfia and I honestly have no idea if he has or not. What I do know is that after Gaydamak paid out of his pocket for the tent cities in the south to house the Northern residents who fled Hezbollah’s rockets, the Olmert Administration sicked the Attorney General on him.

But in fairness to Peretz, I do comprehend where he is coming from. When the people fully realize that a government will not act in their best interests or fails to provide for security of person - is not the social contract broken? And if the government breaks the social contract between the people; what possible motivation is there for the people to continue to conform to the dictates of the state? By my reckoning Peretz needs to find a new day job.

There is an answer, and a military solution to the Kassams. Retake Gaza and expel every last Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah member. Let the Iranians take them. It is my understanding that they pay foreign mercenaries rather well.

Update: For the record, I believe the UN Intel report claiming there were 700 Somalians fighters working for Hezbollah last summer in Lebanon should be treated with extreme skeptism - and outright hilarity.