In Impromptus today, I discuss earthquakes, among other matters. Turkey has just had a terrible earthquake. They are refusing Israeli help. In the old days, they accepted Israeli help: The Israelis, acting with supreme speed and skill, would pull the living from the rubble.
Why are the Israelis so good at this? For a terrible reason, of course: They are used to bombings — terrorist bombings — and the ghastly aftermath.
Now that Turkey is quasi-Islamist, they are refusing Israeli help, letting people die instead. Iran did this in 2003, when that nation experienced a major earthquake. The Israelis, so nearby, wanted to respond immediately. The mullahs said no way.
The Haitians, bless them, were not so picky when they were hit with an earthquake last year. The Israelis did a ton of good on that island, so far away from their Middle Eastern home.
Why am I rehearsing all this, since I make these points in my column? There was one point I left out: One objection to Israeli help in Muslim countries is that the Israelis, in their rescue efforts, use dogs. And, to some, it’s bad enough to be rescued by Jews; to be rescued by Jews and dogs is a double insult. Better to die.
Funny and sick old world.