>That any group spouts 'Israel must be destroyed' or 'Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth' is simply rhetoric - the only weapon left in their arsenal - aimed at both preserving their leadership and getting some rise out of desperate people.

>I've heard football player scream 'we're going to wipe them off the face of the earth' and similar. I've seen wrestlers proclaim the same. Do the other teams refuse to play when those words are uttered?... of course not, because they're just words.

Jim, athletes play a game. Trash talk is part of the hype. How can you compare the two?

So if you went to a bank with a weapon and made certain demands/threats, I'm sure they'll just smile and ignore you becuase they know you don't mean any harm, right?