State Rep. David Schapira back home safely...

State Representative David Schapira (D-LD17) spent the bulk of the holiday season visiting Israel with his family to celebrate his grandfather's 80th birthday. He ended up experiencing firsthand what most of us have only read about, the escalation of tensions and violence in the Middle East.

From AZCentral.com's Political Insider -

"We were actually in the Muslim Quarter in the Old City in Jerusalem when the first strikes hit Gaza," Schapira wrote in an email. "All the shops closed immediately in protest. The tension was palpable. I can tell you that I've never been happier to see soldiers with M-16s."

He went on to explain that in Jerusalem he and his family were pretty safe, though they had to deal with some travel restrictions.

Now we'll find out how safe Rep. Schapira (and the rest of the state!) feels once the new session of the legislature convenes.

As we all know, when it comes to scaring people, missile attacks and air strikes have nothing on the Republican caucus of the AZ legislature.

Apparently, I've already failed at my "no snarkiness" New Year's resolution. :)

Later!