Totten -- pictures of bomb shelters and other stuff

As usual, Michael J. Totten furnishes fresh information in the form of snapshots of everyday features in Israel that we would never think to ask about. This man is a premier journalist.
This time he tells about bomb shelters.

Here is a picture of Amichai’s bomb shelter. His house is new, and all new houses are required by law to include sealed rooms (to protect against chemical weapons) that can also absorb a direct hit by a rocket or missile. The walls are solid, thick, and lined with books. Amichai told me he rather enjoys staying in his above-ground shelter. It's just another room in his house. With books, a computer, music, a bed, and a window, what more do you need

Go read. See for yourself.

And while Andrew Sullivan is away, Totten is guest-blogging there as well. This most recent post says flat-out that Israel has no expectation that Hezbollah will be disarmed.

Israel has finally figured out what everyone in Lebanon knew already, that disarming the Hezbollah terror-guerilla militia is not going to happen.
[...]
Those inside and outside Israel who believed disarming Hezbollah by force was possible in a short time frame were supremely delusional. It’s not 1967 anymore, when Israel could defeat three Arab armies in six days. Hezbollah is a guerilla army, as well as a terrorist army, and assymetrical warfare is hard. Look at how much longer it is taking the US to put down a Baathist insurgency in Iraq compared with the Baathist army in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was in power.

More at the links. Be sure to read the Michael Young piece as well.