When's Chappie Getting Avenged?

Good morning Stroock's Books readership. It's a clear, crisp day here in Chindia with temps in the low 60s.

This is day three of Israel exercising restraint. We'd just like to point out that Joe said don't to Putin, and Putin invaded Ukraine. Joe said don't to Iran, and Iran attacked Israel. If Joe says don't to Israel, Israel should...? The war in the Middle East is Joe's war. It is Joe's failure. So far restraint is playing perfectly. There's talk of renewed sanctions against Iran this morning. Be restrained, until it's time to not be restrained.*

Israel's war cabinet has approved a retaliation against Iran. We see tons of speculation out there. The Israelis will attack Iranian military bases. The Israelis will hit Iranian nuclear facilities. The Israelis will destroy Iranian oil platforms. The Israelis will launch the mother of all cyber-attacks. Nobody knows nuthin'.

The Times of Israel reports, 'The US believes that Israel’s response to Iran’s unprecedented attack early on Sunday morning will likely to be limited, and may focus on striking key targets outside of Iran in a bid to avoid a wider conflagration...' The IDF just completed another drill in the north. Time to begin the war on Hezbollah in earnest? As we've been saying since 10/8, Hezbollah, Bibi. 

Hot Air has a fascinating post in which Ed Morrissey (quoting Ben Shapiro) argues that Israel should parley doing nothing directly to Iran into Biden Regime support for finishing off Hamas. Hamas rejected Israel's latest offer and is demanding more in exchange for less, 20 hostages. The sad reality is that there are probably only 20 living hostages left. If that. Say it, Bibi: dracarys.

Meanwhile the Iranians are talking a lot, promising fire and fury. They're talking like Arabs, and sound like Saddam before Desert Storm, or Nasser before the Six Day War. Which strikes us as odd and distinctly un-Persian. As Eli Wallach said in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, 'When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.'

We have finished (stopped writing, anyway) Standoff at San Miguel. We read through the story twice yesterday. We like this story a lot, actually, and are terribly pleased. We've never written anything that just flows so well. Trimming a few parts out of the first act really moved the plot along. There's no guarantee the story will be accepted though. That's the gig, man. 

Now we're free to devote energy to other projects. A contribution to a World War Two alternate history anthology is due in July...And back to War Night and Other Stories of the Great Nuclear War of 1975. What's War Night?! We bang our head on the table in frustration. 

*And then you pop that Queen tape into the cassette player, say, "This one's for you, Chappie," and blow some stuff up.