In Monty Python's The Life of Brian (a movie that's about to be rereleased to theatres to capitalize on the success of Mel Gibson's "Passion"), there's a hilarious scene in which a man is about to be stoned to death for blasphemy.

Really.

MATTHIAS: Look. I don't think it ought to be blasphemy, just saying 'Jehovah'.

CROWD: Oooh! He said it again! Oooh!...

OFFICIAL: You're only making it worse for yourself!

MATTHIAS: Making it worse?! How could it be worse?! Jehovah! Jehovah! Jehovah!

Allison Kaplan Sommer says that, after years of intifada, this is the point that the Israeli public has reached, and why there's little domestic opposition to Sharon's plan to build the wall and kill the terrorist leadership.

With nothing left to lose, let's try to do what we can to protect ourselves. That's the sentiment of the man on the street.

Clearly, the Israeli public seems to have all but given up on figuring out how to make the right moves in order to nudge the Palestinians towards wanting a peaceful two-state solution. They've given up. That's why there's generally support for Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan -- otherwise known as the "We're So Disgusted with the Palestinians, We're Getting the Hell Away From Them and Building a Big Wall" plan. And if they try to wage war from the other side of the wall, they'll get the same treatment as Yassin.

We're not running scared. We're just sick and tired of this.

Stephen den Beste (from whom I got the link to Allison's post) has further thoughts.

Although I very much tend to be on the more liberal side of the street, I do support the big wall idea.

So long as Sharon is not too aggressive about the track the wall will follow, completion of the wall may well allow Israeli disengagement and withdrawal from Gaza and the disputed West Bank.

Voila! A de facto two state solution with security for Israel.

More "Life of Brian" news from Hamas: some of their "crack suicide troops" were caught yesterday by Israeli security trying to swim ashore on an Israeli compound with guns SEAL style. They were all shot before even reaching the beach.

-Tom Merkle

Good fences make good neighbors. Why so many people have so much difficulty grasping this very simple concept I have no idea.