Bits and Bites from around the World > Reckless driver a dog; Chris Christie's Niece goes wild - bites cop - Shocking Update

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In a sane world, you might easily see a dog bite a man and a woman in a car accident. Today, we have a reversal of roles where the dog drives a car into an accident, and a woman bites a man.

‘Reckless driver’ in Walmart parking lot that struck 2 cars turns out to be dog

By Chris Pandolfo, Fox News

December 3, 2022 5:23pm  Updated

A "reckless driver" that crashed into 2 cars in a Walmart parking lot turned out to be a dog.

Kilgore Police Department

Doggonit!

Texas police said Thursday they apprehended a “reckless driver” who rammed a truck into two cars in a Walmart parking lot, but they were surprised to learn the identity of the culprit. 

A dog had somehow set his owner’s vehicle in motion while left to wait in the car, the Kilgore Police Department said. 

While his owners were out shopping, the pup became “antsy” and “bounced around the cab, setting this truck in motion,” according to investigators. 

One of the victims witnessed the crash and was “shocked” to see a dog behind the wheel, police said. He attempted to get out of the way as the truck barreled toward him but was unable to avoid an accident. This good boy apparently hadn’t been trained to use the brakes. 

His paws hadn't learned how to pause!

Police said the vehicle’s steering column had some prior damage and theorized the dog must have put the vehicle in drive. The woofer was wearing a leash, and investigators believe it got caught on the emergency brake and released it. 

No one was injured in the accident. 

“It doesn’t sound feasible, but an eyewitness saw the pooch behind the wheel just before the crash,” Kilgore Police said. “He certainly has a guilty look on his face.” 

I hope he has a license!

Chris Christie’s niece accused of biting, injuring cops

during violent plane meltdown (Updated)

Caution: disgusting, vulgar language below. Another case of madness almost certainly attributable to drugs.

By Ben Kesslen

NYPost

Photo of Shannon Epstein 

At one point she “broke free” as officers tried to handcuff her, forcing cops to block her path. She “was belligerent and displayed unusual strength” during the struggle, according to the report.

The niece of the ex-gov and failed 2016 presidential candidate “slurred her words” and “had white foam coming from the sides of her mouth.

“Epstein punched me, kicked me, spit in my face, and twisted as she attempted to free herself from my grip,” the officer writing the report said.

Epstein was allegedly “foaming at the mouth” during the rampage. That’s when she again brought up her famous uncle, but claimed she was his daughter — and also said she knew former President Trump.

Epstein continued her screed against the police: “By this time tomorrow you will both be in jail. What the f— did I do? I’m a lesbian. Is that it? Do you want put your dick in me? That’s it, isn’t it. That’s what this is all about? You want to put your dick in my mouth, don’t you? You’re so f—ed, you asshole.”

Epstein continued to be violent after going on the drunken tirade, cops said, which forced them to tackle her to the floor. She then bit an officer’s left bicep and “tore the skin away.” She also scratched the officer’s left leg as she attempted to kick him in the groin, police said.

Officers were eventually able to handcuff her, but she continued to “struggle against handcuff, kick, spit on deputies, and attempt to break free,” according to the report. When asked if she was aware what was happening, she responded: “I’m very aware.”

“Do you guys think I have cocaine in my p—y?” she asked, then screamed for several minutes, according to the report. 

Original report:

By Ben Kesslen

December 4, 2022 12:41pm  Updated

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’ niece was kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight and arrested after she accused a Latino family of “smuggling cocaine” — and allegedly injured six sheriff’s deputies, one of whom was bitten.

Shannon Epstein, 25, allegedly caused the ruckus on a 6 a.m. flight from New Orleans, Louisiana to New Jersey on Thanksgiving Day. She asked a Latino family sitting nearby if they were “smuggling cocaine,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jason Rivarde told NOLA.com. 

Epstein, the niece of the failed 2016 Republican presidential contender, grew angry and was being disruptive on the flight, the local outlet reported Saturday. 

Airline workers decided to remove her from the plane, which had already left the gate.

But Epstein allegedly refused to leave after the plane returned from the tarmac — and she became “extremely combative” when approached by deputies, the report said.

She injured six deputies while resisting arrest, Rivarde told NOLA.com, including biting one on the arm and breaking skin. She kicked another officer in the groin, he added.

Epstein also threatened the officers, saying her uncle is friends with former President Donald Trump and that she knows powerful people, Rivarde said.

Shannon Epstein was arrested after a flight from New Orleans to New Jersey. Getty Images

She ultimately had to be handcuffed to wheelchair, according to the report.

The brash-talking Garden State pol’s niece was charged with six counts of battery on a police officer, three counts of disturbing the peace, one of resisting arrest by force and one of remaining after forbidden, the outlet reported.

View of the new facilities of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. This airport is the primary

commercial airport for the New Orleans metropolitan area and southeast Louisiana. Getty Images

She was released from Jefferson Parish Correction Center on Thanksgiving Day after putting up $10,750 in bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 23, the site reported.

Epstein, Christie and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office could not be reached for comment by The Post Sunday.

Portland Graffiti Depicts ‘Racist, Homophobe, Moron’ Maine Governor as KKK Grand Wizard

Governor of Maine - a cross between Rob Ford and Rodrigo Duterte

While Maine Governor Paul LePage may be a controversial figure, Portland residents are more apt to argue over whether a giant mural depicting him wearing the robes of a Ku Klux Klan grand wizard is hate speech or good art.

The mural was painted along a popular walking trail on the wall of a water treatment facility in Portland sometime in the last week by an unknown graffiti artist. It showed LePage dressed in a white hood and robe emblazoned with a red KKK insignia. Next to it, in large block letters, the words “racist,” “homophobe,” “moron” and “governor” ‒ which was crossed out ‒ were written. It was painted next to a large mural that read: “Dump LePage.”



The Republican governor gained national notoriety in January, when he said that “drug dealers” and “black people” were impregnating “young, white girls” and “our white women” in Maine. He also threatened to bring back the guillotine for drug dealers in the Pine Tree State, which abolished the death penalty in 1887. A day later, LePage told residents to“load up and get rid of the drug dealers. Because, folks, they’re killing our kids.”

At the end of August, he called an opponent a “socialist ******.”  (Way too disgusting for this blog.)

    The Big Picture - Maine story is at the 6 minute mark

On Tuesday, Mayor Ethan Strimling wrote the Portland Water District, which owns the wall, asking them to remove the mural.

“I do not want it up there. It is not reflective of our values,” he told the Portland Press Herald. “The KKK has a long, problematic history in the state of Maine, and equating the governor and his rhetoric, as much as we disagree with it, is a step too far.”

Strimling has long battled with the controversial governor, but said that his request to remove the mural isn’t a peace offering to LePage.

“I am as frustrated as the next person with the governor’s rhetoric,” he said. “It is not appropriate to trivialize the KKK.” Whoa, what?


Maine Governor Paul LePage

Other than the mayor’s request, officials seem reluctant to take action to remove the mural.

The city is in charge of removing any offensive artwork, the Portland Water District told WMTW. The company is “talking with the City of Portland to see what can be done,” spokeswoman Michelle Clements told the Washington Post. In the 15 years since the wall became a designated art space, Portland has never removed a painting, she said.

However, neither the city nor police seem likely remove it, even though they may not condone the message.

“We can’t do anything because it’s sanctioned and it’s a matter of free speech,” city spokeswoman Jessica Grondin told the Bangor Daily News. “If it was hate speech, it would be illegal. But it’s not.”

That's curious! If he was black, Hispanic or Muslim would it still not be hate-speech?

“We are seeing what the council would like and also exploring what our options are because, obviously, there could be legal ramifications if we were to take it down,” she later told the Washington Post.

Many Portland residents seem to approve of the art. Maine’s largest city is a liberal enclave in a state that leans Republican, and 78 percent of Portlanders voted against LePage in 2014.

“This city always seems to create great art over awful stuff, and he is awful stuff,” Kellie Smith told the Portland Press Herald while taking in the mural.

“This is the trajectory he is on,” Smith said. “This is an honest portrayal, it is good work.”

“He’s just a hateful person,” Tim Kennedy agreed. “When he expresses hateful views, he gets what he gets.”

Not everyone is so appreciative, however. On Tuesday night, two people, including Mark Reilly, a LePage supporter who thinks that the KKK portrayal went too far, came out to paint over the mural.

“I think that things that he has said in the past are very concerning,” Reilly told WCSH. “However, if you look past what he says and look at what he does for the state, I think the state’s been in better shape since he’s been in office.”

Shortly after, though, a group of about 15 people came out to wash off the paint, WMTW reported. That led to a brief argument between Reilly and the group that removed his work.

“We took a stand, and we said, ‘No, this is our city... This represents us',” Erica Hall, who helped remove Reilly’s paint, told WCSH. The mural “doesn’t have to stay, but it does have to get the message out,” she added.

By 10pm Tuesday night, however, the mural had been altered to remove the KKK robe. It was replaced by what appears to be Mickey Mouse ears, flanked by the words “no hate" and “hate is hate.” The original words of “racist,” “homophobe,” “moron” and the crossed-out “governor” remain.

It remains unclear what the sentiment behind the Mickey ears is.

Who Actually Won the Cold War? And Can We Lose It Again?

A most extraordinary book has recently been brought to my attention by a reader. The book examines what the author presents as a communist blueprint for overcoming all non-communist countries. The book is genuine, was read into the Congressional Record in 1963, and reveals the staggering effectiveness of Soviet strategy in America.

It also may reveal just how vulnerable the west is to such clandestine activities. Communism was rampant in post-McCarthy universities, that was obvious to the naked eye. But political correctness in the desire of not being seen as McCarthy-like, allowed communists to effect many of the goals set out in the manifesto.

From Wikipedia

The Naked Communist is a 1958 book by an ex FBI agent, United States author political theorist Cleon Skousen.

The Naked Communist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Naked Communist
The Naked Communist.jpg
Author W. Cleon Skousen
Country United States
Language English
Genre Non-fiction
Published 1958, 2014 (Izzard Ink Publishing)
Pages 398
ISBN 978-1630720797
Dewey Decimal 335.4 22
LC Class HX44 .S5585 2009

The author posits and seeks to describe a geopolitical strategy by which the Marxist–Leninist Soviet Union was attempting to overcome and control all the governments of the world that were not members of the Communist bloc. At the time that the book was published, during the Cold War, fear of communism was common among people in non-communist nations.

Skousen's list of communist goals contained in the book was read into the Congressional Record by U.S. Congressman Albert S. Herlong, Jr. of Florida, on January 10, 1963.

President Ronald Reagan said of the book: "No one is better qualified to discuss the threat to this nation from communism. You will be alarmed, you will be informed and you'll be glad you heard him (W. Cleon Skousen)."

As you read the remarkable list below, consider replacing the word 'Communist' with 'Muslim'. You will find, to your horror, I expect, that most of them have not only been accomplished by Communism, even long after the Cold War, but that many of them are currently being accomplished by groups like The Muslim Brotherhood, The Muslim Students Assoc., The Muslim Teachers Assoc., etc., etc.

I suspect Muslims read this book and thought, "what a great idea! Let's do this in America and all across Europe!" Meanwhile, our political correctness plays right into their hands. Islam may well conquer all of the west without firing a shot and with our help. Our consolation will be that at least we didn't look intolerant while handing our country over to Islam. Good night America.

The following is the list of Communist goals contained in 
The Naked Communist:

U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

Develop the illusion that total disarmament by the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces.

Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

Do away with all loyalty oaths.

Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

Gain control of all student newspapers.

Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

Control art critics and directors of art museums.

Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture—education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat.

Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity, masturbation and easy divorce.

Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use "united force" to solve economic, political or social problems.

Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

Internationalize the Panama Canal.

Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.

Russia's Swearing Ban Blanks Out Vulgarity in Hit Film Leviathan

Leviathan shows harsh realities in a far-flung northern community

The Oscar-nominated Russian film Leviathan is going on general release in Russian cinemas, but with silence blanking out the many swear words.

It is a highly controversial film in Russia, portraying a corrupt mayor in the bleak far north bullying a man trying to keep his property.

The distributor, A-Company Russia, says the film has not been cut, but Russian cinema-goers will not hear swear words.

Russian law bans swearing in films, TV broadcasts, theatres and the media. (see below).

Much of the dialogue in Leviathan contains swearing, some of it very strong language. A spokesman for the distributor said Russian viewers "will find it easy to lip-read the swear words".

Leviathan is already on show in London and it received a best screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival last May.

It also won a Golden Globe for best foreign film and in Russia it got a Golden Eagle award.

Yelena Liadova plays a long-suffering wife in Leviathan

Demand for Leviathan among Russian cinemas has outstripped predictions, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency reports.

It will be shown in 650 cinemas - more than double the number that had been anticipated.

Director Andrey Zvyagintsev takes aim at bureaucratic power in Russia

The film's producer, Alexander Rodnyansky, said interest had surged since a pirated copy appeared on the internet a month ago and the film had become a hot topic of debate.

Director Andrey Zvyagintsev said he was pleased that the film had sharply divided opinion in Russia.

"The film is necessary, the audience confirms that," he was quoted as saying on the Newsru.com website (in Russian).

"Society and the country are divided. The polarised viewpoints indicate that we hit the target," he said.

Some have seen the film as a condemnation of President Vladimir Putin's Russia. A big photo of Mr Putin hangs above the corrupt mayor's desk.

However, Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was pleased that Leviathan had triggered such sharp reactions in society.

Russian law bans swearing in arts and media

Moscow cinema entrance It is not yet clear how Russian censors
will deal with swearing in imported films

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law banning all swearing in films, television broadcasts, theatres and the media.

Offenders will face fines - as much as 50,000 roubles (£829; $1,400) for organisations, or up to 2,500 roubles (£41; $70) for individuals.

The fines don't appear to be excessive for big productions or individuals. Smaller productions will be hit hardest.

Is it fair? Is it a reasonable law? Is it a step in returning to Communist order? I don't know, but personally, I like it. I despise the vulgar language that is so popular these days. So, while I somewhat admire Putin's desire to clean up Russia, I wish he would start with the oligarchy, but, alas, they are too close to him.

Where disputes arise a panel of experts will decide exactly what counts as a swear word.

Books containing swear words will have to carry warnings on the cover.

Russia's Vesti news website says that, according to sociologists' research, swearing is common in two-thirds of Russian companies.

The law will take effect from 1 July and will not apply to cases of swearing at performances before that date.

A leading pro-Putin film director and now MP, Stanislav Govorukhin, was one of the new law's architects.

The law harks back to the conservatism of the Soviet period, when the Communist Party required artists and writers to avoid "decadent" Western fashions and to stick to traditional values.

Traders who fail to give consumers warnings about swearing in videos or other audiovisual products will risk having their licences withdrawn.

It is not clear whether the ban on swearing in the media will also extend to Russian users of international social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

Israeli Election Campaign Takes Mudslinging into the Theater of the Absurd

Israel is so pivotal in the geopolitical climate of the middle east, choosing the right prime minister is critical for the entire world. I sincerely hope and pray that it is not decided by the theater of the absurd.

By ISI LEIBLER
Jerusalem Post

Israeli voters should be considering the issues and debating who is best equipped to lead a nation confronted by extraordinary military, diplomatic, social and religious challenges. Yet what we are witnessing today is probably the most vulgar and demeaning campaign in the country’s history, in which the vast majority of politicians have descended to the lowest levels. The bulk of the media has heightened this by excessively exaggerating, personalizing, distorting and sensationalizing the issues.

Topping the charts for vulgarity have been the obsessive and primitive attacks designed to discredit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by portraying his wife as a resurrected witch from Salem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

This was spearheaded by Meni Naftali, a disgruntled employee who is obviously being promoted by those engaged in the “anyone but Bibi” campaign.

His allegations of “abuse” include claims that Sara Netanyahu reprimanded him over issues such as providing milk in a bag instead of a carton. Oh my goodness, how could she?

The latest accusation, the so-called “Bottlegate” affair, alleged that Sara Netanyahu was “stealing” NIS 1,000 worth of bottle refunds a year, despite the fact that this was clearly a bureaucratic oversight rectified at her own initiative two years ago. Can anyone seriously visualize the Netanyahu family planning to augment their income by an extra 20 shekels a week from bottle refunds? Yet the sickening media obsession with this issue was infinitely more passionate than the shocking Yisrael Beytenu corruption charges.

The Prime Minister’s Office has also been accused of buying too much ice cream and even worse, purchasing higher quality ice cream. And the latest act of purported extravagance was the consumption of a bottle of wine a day, which was dubbed excessive.

We have also had “Bibitours” allegations of accepting disproportionate hospitality on a visit to the UK 10 years ago, an issue which had previously been raised and dismissed.

It is inconceivable that any other Western prime minister and his wife would be subjected to such a defamatory campaign. None of these bizarre accusations would reach the media in another country, much less serve as the main headlines of a number of newspapers day after day.

It clearly represents a concerted conspiracy to divert debate from the real issues and to depict Netanyahu as corrupt and avaricious. The worst feature of this vulgarity is that two newspapers have transformed these non-issues into screaming front-page headlines. Haaretz has a clear political agenda but one would have expected it to concentrate on genuine issues rather than seeking to exploit the lowest forms of populism by stooping to petty character assassination against a candidate and his wife.

But the worst is Yediot Aharonot. Publisher Noni Mozes has demonstrated that he lacks any semblance of moral compass. He has a venomous, histrionic hatred of Netanyahu, exacerbated because the prime minister is supported by Mozes’ principal competitor, Israel Hayom. Mozes has directed his employees to demonize Netanyahu, transforming his front page into a gutter, with ad hominem attack placards against Netanyahu and his wife. Yet the very same paper was shamelessly promoting Ehud Olmert as a future prime minister even after he was formally convicted in court. Yediot’s behavior is a disgrace to the entire Israel media.

I would be surprised if Washington isn't helping fund the opposition parties and even the newspapers. We know Obama hates Bibi, though he may hate all Jews; and John Kerry sees Bibi as the main obstacle to peace in the middle east. He has this hair-brained idea that Hamas actually wants peace. They don't, if they pursue peace at all it's to buy time while they re-stock their arsenal of rockets, and because they just want the borders of Israel rolled back so as to make it easier to invade.

The character assassination is being replicated by most of the political parties as standard electioneering.

But even worse is the effort to gain votes by seeking to discredit Netanyahu even when this conflicts with the national interest and undermines Israel’s global position.

Tzipi Livni

This has been the constant refrain of Isaac Herzog, Tzipi Livni and Yair Lapid, who have blamed Netanyahu rather than Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the breakdown in negotiations with the Palestinians. They have of course not proposed an alternative approach to the intransigent and duplicitous Palestinian leaders.

Likewise, they have condemned Netanyahu rather than US President Barack Obama for the toxic relationship that prevails between them. They have not said that they would accept Obama’s call for adopting the indefensible borders based on the 1949 armistice lines or accept US demands to freeze construction in the Jewish neighborhoods of east Jerusalem on the grounds that these constitute settlements. Their crass and cynical attacks on Netanyahu’s visit to France were appalling.

But the most irresponsible act was their hysterical condemnation of Netanyahu for having agreed to address US Congress to alert the world of the tremendous dangers inherent in enabling Iran to become a nuclear state. Most Israeli politicians across the political spectrum are cognizant of the fact that Obama and most Western countries are desperate to make a deal with the Iranians, virtually capitulating to their major demands. While a nuclear Iran would pose a nightmarish threat extending ultimately to the entire world, for Israel, a nuclear Iran – which is today openly calling for its annihilation – represents an existential threat.

Under such circumstances, it was utterly irresponsible to accuse Netanyahu of insulting Obama for electoral benefit, and thus justifying the outrageous responses from the Obama administration. It also provides credence to those seeking to exploit Netanyahu’s address to Congress as a means to weaken the bipartisan climate which is of enormous importance to retaining the strong US-Israel relationship.

There are other bizarre aspects to the election. It is almost comical to observe Lapid, head of Yesh Atid, continuously, unashamedly condemning the government – in which he was finance minister – for having failed to confront and reform social and economic anomalies.

Isaac Herzog

Avigdor Liberman’s party, Yisrael Beytenu, has been on a downward spiral since the exposure of the extent of corruption at senior levels. He has been zigzagging, issuing alternating hawkish and dovish sound bites. During the flare-up with Hezbollah at the Syrian border, despite being foreign minister, he highlighted the dysfunctionality of his own government by condemning it for not being tough enough in its response. Realizing that his dovish outbursts have undermined his core support, he has now proclaimed that he would never join a left-wing government, in stark contradiction to what he had been saying a few weeks ago.

Likud as the governing party has been less on the offensive and has sought to debate issues rather than personalities. But it has accused Herzog and Livni of being behind Victory 2015 (V15), a group heavily engaged in lobbying for them, and raising of millions of dollars from abroad, including foreign governments, in contravention of election finance laws. They note that Herzog’s illegal fundraising for Ehud Barak was a scandalous fraud, that was quietly shelved in 1999 after Herzog invoked his right of silence to deter any investigation. Ironically, Livni, who at the time was a member of Likud, led the charge against Herzog in 1999. But then again, Livni, who is at the forefront of the “Bottlegate” brouhaha, was still willing to run with Olmert in the last election even though he was a convicted criminal.

Naftali Bennett, head of Bayit Yehudi, who was until recently riding a crest of popularity, shot himself in the foot by autocratically selecting Eli Ohana, a secular former football star with no serious political credentials, outraging all his party colleagues.

When some of his inner circle accused him of engaging in low-level populism and betraying the ideals of his party and threatening to leave, he was forced to back down.

What is needed in lieu of character assassination and crass populist demagoguery are basic facts to enable the public to assess and vote on the basis of which party can best deal with the following crucial challenges.

They should ask themselves: 

• Who can best handle the military and security challenges facing us? 
• Who is best able to turn the current anti-Israel global tide without making concessions that will undermine our security? 
• Who is best equipped to bring about sorely needed social and economic reforms that will enhance the quality of life for most Israelis? 
• Who is best able to resolve the issues of religion and state as well as be strong enough to resist haredi (ultra-Orthodox) pressure and bring about changes that will peacefully engage more haredim in the workforce and ensure that they share the national burden? 

Most Israelis have misgivings concerning the composition of the party lists they will be supporting.

Yet in our system, the prime minister will be assuming the key policymaking role. The most important question is whether it is Netanyahu or Herzog/Livni who is the most capable to lead our nation over the next challenging years.

One can only hope that despite the shameful media sensationalism, it is the issues – not bottle refunds or ice cream – that will determine how Israelis vote.

The author’s website can be viewed at www.wordfromjerusalem.com