Israeli pilots refuse to fly

A group of 27 pilots in the Israeli airforce have declared their opposition to the bombing campaign that has killed dozens of civilians. A spokesman for the Israeli army would not divulge actual numbers but said that the 27 pilots were "a drop in the ocean" for the airforce.
Expert Raad Missmar speculates that while the military may have large numbers of pilots, the impact of the declaration may be large enough to put a stop to bombing operations. "It all depends on who these 27 men really are. Although they are described as a small group of retired and reserve pilots, it is precisely this kind of pilot that forms the base of the pillar that holds a protective roof over our heads... and the pillar is called piloting." Missmar points out that there are only 8 flight teams in America's Top Gun school, and that it remains possible that some of these 27 men are Israel's best of the best... or at least the wizened flight instructors responsible for babysitting them. If this is true, it may give pause to those who remember Top Gun, and how crucial every man was in protecting the United States against its imaginary fighter-pilot enemies.
One detractor, Brigadier General Ido Nehushtn, claims that who the men are is irrelevant, as, "we hardly need the best talent to bomb civilians. I mean, we bombed the hell out this master terrorist in a donkey cart a few months ago. I was going to call in the best, but who needs some prima donna flyboy in your face? There will always be a ton of people in the army who hate Islamic terrorists, and I'm sure everyone in the Middle East hates donkeys... Hell, people will be paying me for the chance to pull the trigger."
The Palestinian Authority warned that some militant groups, sensing weakness in Israel's air defenses may plan to engage bombers in tactical dogfights. President Bush commented that he was against terrorism in all its forms, and would regretfully support a pre-emptive strike if necessary to keep rogue groups from acquiring "any armament more sophistimicated than a rock."
In other news, 12 more killed by coalition forces in Iraq. A wedding party was sighted and fired upon as they gathered and threw rocks into the air. The traditional celebration was mistaken for the 'bad kind of agitation', such as political activism, which troops are under intense pressure to stamp out. The occupational administration is holding a private auction for the contract to remove all dangerous handheld rocks and stones from the ghetto areas of Baghdad.