The BBC takes a look at the question: Gaza conflict: Who is a civilian?

If you accept the Israeli definition of a “combatant” and apply it to the Israeli population, the only civilians are those below 18 or members of certain religious groups, because everyone else does national service.

This is how Israel can claim that civilian casualties are only 25% of total casualties, by playing Six Degrees of Separation with the population to “prove” they are all Hamas terrorists. Of course, they can’t show you any proof of their claims because that would reveal sources and methods.

It is Twelfth Night and the party is just about over. It’s the night of the last of the celebrating and time to take down the Christmas decorations.

Via Danger Room, some media outlets are trying to use the available tools for reporting.

Al Jazeera has set up a site, War on Gaza that is attempting to integrate input from people on the scene with a map to give an up-to-date view of what is going on. Cell service is still functioning to a limited extent and people are sending text messages to Al Jazeera reporting what they can see.

The Israelis aren’t going to like this, and there will be jamming activities shortly, if they don’t just cut off all Internet connections. Of course that cable cut between Egypt and Europe was just an accident.

The Pensacola News Journal says that Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom announced that he has resigned his job with Northwest Florida State College [OWCC, who are they kidding] because of the controversy over “possible” conflict of interest.

It would have been better if Ray had resigned from the House, because the job will probably still be there at the end of his term, and everyone already assumes that he’s compromised. The Panhandle will get short shrift in the legislature because of Ray’s problems, and we have been ignored for years because the Republicans take the area for granted.

Too bad Ray couldn’t have sold out for something the area needed, rather than the empire building at OW.