It’s been quite a long week for me, but I want to make sure we have a record of the U.S. military’s strike today on more than 85 targets at four facilities in Syria and three in Iraq used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp—which is the paramilitary organization organized in 1979 to protect the Islamic regime—and the militant groups it sponsors.
Today’s news seems sadder than not. That the Paris agreements dissolved quickly if the first disappointment. Then to learn that the IDF is shooting up Raffa, the last “refuge” of Palestinian civilians will be the object of total destruction and that Netanyahu and settlers are in attack mode on the West Bank as well…. Finally I heard “Russia” in the mix, a name I have been waiting for, knowing the connection between the ?two wars had to be very real. May Speaker Johnson and his crew finally get their heads together and recognize (if they are capable of some international thinking) that funds for Ukraine and for Israel and Palestine to rebuild, are essential NOW. Everyone agrees on the two-state solution except Netanyahu and his fellow warmongers, most Americans agree on sending the planned arms to Ukraine, including many Republicans, so time for Congress to behave like grownups and pass the bills.
These trumpian traitors in our Congress are doing exactly what they want. Chaos and blocking. They do not want to help any country except Russia. Vladimir is their leader and Trump is one of his lieutenants. Our country is in grave trouble. Black men aren’t sure if democrats are doing enough for them. Wait til they try Trump as a dictator. Young people don’t like the way Biden is handling foreign policy. Wait til they try Trump as a dictator. All of these ignorant groups especially his dim witted cultists are going to be devastated when they live in the TRUTH of Trump. Sad part is we will all be with them. We MUST get out every vote. Talk to strangers. To make a majority realize that they might not care for Joe Biden. But Biden will maintain our Democracy so we can have the freedom to choose his successor. If Trump goes in that we be the last time America gets to chose anything.
I totally agree with you. We have in effect Russian operatives representing constituents in our Congress. This is totally unacceptable. These people have only one goal and that is for the American government to fail so that their dictator-wannabe can get back in control.Said dictator wants back in to avoid jail time. We have people in Congress who helped this traitor to try to overthrow our government and negate the effects of my legally cast ballot. They are ineligible to be in government according to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of our Constitution. They are sabotaging the American way of life. They are un-American.
Basically, the corporates prefer TFG because he’ll give them more tax cuts; he’s anti-union; and he never saw a monopoly he didn’t love. Biden wants them to pay more taxes, allow unions, and he’s breaking up monopolies. Follow the money.
Train safety regulations have already been relaxed. I wonder if trump will leave his golf course in Scotland to help out with trump water. Biden was expected to leave Ukraine for such an "emergency." trump is 0-3.
The wannabe is already a dictator, and has been for a long time -- dictating to a good percentage of a certain political party! Or political persuasion.
All their respect is directed toward personal power and the almighty dollar, if you look closely as they raise their right hand to sear to the oath, their left hand has fingers crossed. They sell us out then wave the stars and stripes.
These extremists in the Congress know better. If some republicans cross the line of common sense, it would seem that the others know that what they are doing is wrong. They are playing god (at any cost) for this for the power, and the trumper vote will give it to them.. They want the trumper vote.
Do they realize how many Russian generals have gone missing? How many times trump has said," I don't know him very well." Epstein (trump being a frequent flyer on Epstein's jet), a trump appointed employee, Sidney Powell (is she my lawyer). How many loyal sycophants have been fired because they voiced an opinion that didn't correspond with his. Look at his desperate moves to get a Barr replacement who will declare the election was stolen. Look at Milley. trump wants to execute him. Just because these deluded souls get him in, there is no guarantee that trump won't get them ousted.
"Young people don’t like the way Biden is handling foreign policy."
I would say young people are horrified by seeing the total destruction of the humanity in Gaza. Most of that humanity which has NOT attacked Israel.
My own kids (20's) call what they see in Gaza as Genocide and call what is going on Israel's "Final Solution" to rid themselves of those pesky Muslims who believe in the same God Jewish folks believe in.
I think my kids WILL hold their noses and vote for Biden, just like I will. However, the US ongoing support for Israel's "Final Solution" in Gaza will come back to haunt us.
We just cannot get away with supporting a genocide sponsor: Netanyahoo.
You sound like the US President rules Israel—Israel is an autonomous country. Anyone who throws in with the RNC as a spite vote is utterly childish: It was NETANYAHU AND TRUMP who provoked the backlash by moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem. It is NETANYAHU—corrupt, and like Trump, pals with PUTIN who runs Israel. It was NETANYAHU who opened fire on unarmed, Palestinian protestors at the embassy ceremony as TRUMP & Kushner’s celebrated.
Do you think Biden has decision-making power in Israel? We are allies, not dictators of a satellite nation.
You and your kids can try thinking this through.
As for Arab Americans, THEY should try thinking this through, as well. Throwing in with a neonazi, fascist Republican out of spite is like feeding a fire with gasoline. They won’t do well under a trump dictatorship—might as well return from whence they came if coming to America was about seeking asylum.
And when Israel runs out of weapons, what exactly do you think will happen to them?
Mike, Israel has provided the west with an important counterweight to Iranian power in the Middle East, as well as providing an example of democratic governance in a region without it. In fact, 20% of the population of Israel is not Jewish, and they are not being “genocided.”
Again, this is an incredibly complex and intractable problem. Simplistic solutions have a myriad of consequences, not all of them good. And in this case, none of them good.
Furthermore, the US is not the only country providing aid to Israel: Germany provides slightly less than we do, but is also a much smaller nation. And we are also one of the major donors of aid to the Palestinians.
"Again, this is an incredibly complex and intractable problem. Simplistic solutions have a myriad of consequences, not all of them good. And in this case, none of them good."
Exactly. So stop adding fuel to the fire with a constant stream of more munitions and additional US military strikes in other regions.
tfg has vowed to reinstate the Muslin ban if re-elected. That could be the beginning of probably more restrictions. If you have family outside the U.S. you would have to visit them. And, who’s to say that you would be allowed to enter the United States. If drumpf is elected everything becomes a possibility.
Dawna. Thank you for this especially coming from you as as Arab American. Death star has threatened mass deportations as part of his spiel to his cult followers. Also MaryLee below has noted the Muslim ban and other problems. I too am dismayed by what has is happening in Gaza and I hold Bibi responsible for a lot that has happened before and now. And you are correct in that Bibi doesn't have to listen to Biden or anyone else.
My fear is that young voters, like our granddaughter who just turned 18, don't really understand fascism, don't know what we went through in the '60's to achieve a lot of our freedoms for women or people of color, what people have gone through to improve LGBTQ rights, etc., etc., etc. Nor do they know or understand about the Holocaust or what thousands (maybe millions) of displaced Palestinian or Ukrainian or Hispanic people go through every day. They see the regular news or look to social media for their news. We MUST get these "kids" out to vote and help them understand the world they/we live in and how terrible it would be if we lose our democracy to the evil people within our own country.
How well do history classes teach about the World Wars-especially WWII?Unfortunately, most people from that era are dead so we will never know what happened unless we read about it. People like that nitwit MTG claiming that there was no Holocaust would would rewrite history as a big European war which we won single handedly. She should take a trip and visit Dachau ( I did). Probably wouldn't affect her since she epitomizes the dumb blonde jokes.
The much bigger problem is that absolutely nothing was learned from the Holocaust and the masses can again easily be manipulated in supporting a right-wing demagogue in committing genocide. That the man and his terrible followers are this time Jewish is completely irrelevant.
Copy of an email I sent to the Mayor of Dearborn, MI…..
Dear Mayor Hammoud,
Between a rock and a hard place?
Over the past couple of days, I’ve watched and listened your interviews on news networks, and, in those interviews, you said that Muslim-American voters in your city are not going to vote to re-elect President Joe Biden because of Biden’s support of Israel ‘s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
What you failed to point out in those interviews is that Israel did not start the war, that the war was started by scum-of-the-earth HAMAS terrorists, who, on Oct 7, 2023, murdered over 1,200 innocent Israelis, some of whom were decapitated, burned beyond recognition (including young children), stabbed to death, shot in the back of the head, and, in the case of many Israeli women, were raped or otherwise sexually abused. And, the scum-of-the-earth HAMAS took some 240 hostages. Where was your statement acknowledging those facts?
In the fall, I posted on comment boards that, if - during Israel’s pursuit of HAMAS to wipe them out, eliminate them as a threat, hold them to account for the atrocities they committed on October 7th - they don’t want to suffer harm from collateral damage, then the Palestinian people should not allow the HAMAS terrorists to hide behind them, should turn them over to the Israeli’s, and should assist the Israeli’s in their efforts to free the hostages.
I have yet to see any of those actions take place. Which leads me to believe that the Palestinian people fully support HAMAS. If the Palestinian people want peace, they should take positive steps to attain peace!
During your remarks, you said that over 27,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s pursuit of HAMAS in Gaza. You failed to mention, at all, the number of HAMAS terrorists included in that number. Why is that?
And, as to “between a rock and a hard place”, if, in November 2024, the two people on the ballot for President of the USA are President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Arab-American voters in the city of Dearborn (and elsewhere in the United States) will either not vote at all or will choose between President Biden and Donald Trump, I want to share this with you - President Biden supports Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorists, supports Israel’s right to go after the HAMAS terrorists, but urges Israel to do everything it can to reduce, in every way possible, collateral damage (the deaths of Palestinians who are not HAMAS terrorists) - Donald Trump also supports Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorists, supports Israel’s right to go after the HAMAS terrorists, and would likely also urge Israel to do everything it can to reduce, in every way possible, collateral damage (the deaths of Palestinians who are not HAMAS terrorists). - But, as to Trump, Trump is already on record for his long history of anti-Muslim animus (which, if you care to read about that, you can click on this link:)
“A Record of Bigotry and Hate: Donald Trump’s Long History of Anti-Muslim Animus”:
All those thousands of Palestinian babies and children killed and maimed and starving should have made sure their parents turned HAMAS out … otherwise they deserve what they got … they asked for it by their support of HAMAS … is that what you’re saying, Joel?
Because his comment above about reading comprehension— Oh, that’s a great way to use deflection and aggressive language to avoid having to clarify his lousy attitude.
He did not say yet whether he considers the kids in Gaza part of that group he thinks should have turned Hamas out — and whether they, along with the adults he holds culpable, are “getting what they deserve.” If not, how does he justify Israell delivering these horrors to those kids?
Or, maye he just doesn’t want to explain himself to anyone, preferring to spout propagandistic blah-blah.
There is always more going g on behind the scenes in international relations than we citizens are privy to. Biden has put sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Though this is of little consequence in general, it is a notice to Netanyahu that the US us nit in full support of his means of conducting the war. I want to see us continue to supply Israel with defensive weapons and cut off, or at least decrease offensive weapons.
The Middle East is a powder keg. It behooves us to be patient and not go off half-cocked. There is a lot we don't know.
We DO know that if Trump were in charge, we would be in far, far worse shape.
I want Biden to be more vocal about his NON-support of how Israel is handling Gaza and the settlements in the West Bank — and I’d love to have seen it before the HAMAS attack, too, but that failure to speak up is already water under this bridge. [Though it can be addressed again, as it is all still relevant.]
Israel must be able to defend itself, but that is not an excuse to victimize others … performative “warnings” and advising people to leave an area, and then bombing them in the place they move TO is not “taking care to avoid civilian casualties.” it is creating a fiction that one is trying to avoid civilian casualties.
Conducting a war in one of the most highly-populated locations on the planet, and one in which the people are walled away from options for escape, means Israel has a much harder task, and Israel is the entity that created the walled and over-populated circumstances to begin with. The physical and population circumstances in Gaza are not an excuse for Israel to fail to consider the non-combatants and children in that place.
HAMAS must be gone from Gaza and from Palestinian territory in Israel. That organization is not now in any way compatible with the Israeli state. But Palestinians there still deserve decency and a future that is not bleak and oppressive.
Easy for me to day. Netanyahu does not want Palestinians to have aspirations for their own futures and for self-determination. He said so, many times.
Much to resolve there, but blaming babies for HAMAS is not legitimate..
What about the ongoing violence in Ukraine. WE are supporting an absolute dictator, Vladimir Putin, WHO IS COMMITTING GENOCIDE against the Ukrainians, murdering babies, women, children either murdered or kidnapped. Why do people object to the deaths of Palestinians but NOT A WORD about the deaths of Ukrainians? What about people who hate Netanyoo but say not a word about PUTIN? I will say it, for those of you who are unable to say it: 1) Putin is a murderer, Putin is committing genocide, and people in the United States who say nothing about the deaths in Ukraine, are supporters of genocide.
Huge death tolls of 28000 do not constitute genocide, however horrific. As well, Hamas has enjoyed huge popular support in Gaza, esp since the Israelis all out attacks on them. It's beyond true that Hamas fighters and leadership are deeply ensconced among the population, aided and abetted. Hamas has thrown in all or nothing, deliberately provoking the massive Israeli military response. Israel has always responded thus, killing far far more Gazans than losses suffered from Hamas et al. Maybe Hamas needs to find a less suicidal approach to "living with Israel", which it has always wanted to drive "into the sea". Come'on Mike, a simplistic blame the Israelis isn't going anywhere.
You can be assured Netanyahu is not running these operations by himself, anymore than the continuing settler violence in West Palestine. There is a real religious force in Israel promoting something akin if not in fact to a "one party state"... Hamas' latest machination has fed straight into the hands of those who think Israel was the promised land and is destined to return to them, "in due course".
Netanyahu is the Front Man for the No Palestinian State faction. He is the current face of that ideology, and its “leader.” He doesn’t get off for that just because other powerful people are also a part of his hyper-right-wing religious fanatical group.
Israelis deserve a lot more peace in their homes than they are getting from these people who think that, if they can just persist long enough, they can drive Palestinians from their midst forever.
Palestinians have every right to be within Israel. They have a right to establish their own state on land they control, and their people have occupied for millennia. There needs to be a two-state solution that provides a VIABLE and free Palestine — not a walled city and a pork-chopped West Bank cut through by private roads and settlements.
Lots to be resolved. This war is not resolving any of it.
Mike, that language is incredibly inflammatory. Do you and your kids actually know what the Final Solution was? I’m hoping this is ignorance speaking and not what it looks like.
Combining the language of the Holocaust, used to describe real things that happened to real people (i.e. Final Solution and genocide) with what is happening in Gaza is so toxic. It also implies an equivalence between what Hamas did on October 7 and what Israel is doing now. Do you truly think those two things are the same?
I’m not defending what is happening to innocents in Gaza. I am a supporter of a two state solution, and have been for forty years, after I visited Amman and saw refugee camps in person. But Hamas is at least as much of an impediment to peace as Netanyahu is, and you and your children must surely see that. This is a terribly complex region, and finding solutions there isn’t easy, as witness all the years past since Camp David with little progress. To blame Biden for not waving his magic American wand and making the problem disappear is just naive. To apply the rhetoric of Nazi Germany is reprehensible.
I’ll just add that this kind of language and the rising tide of anti-semitism worldwide is exactly why all Jews, and not just Israelis, need Israel to exist. They’ve been here before, and we all know what happened to them.
Hello, KR. I was scrolling through the forum, when I read your exchange with Mike S. I am Jewish and familiar with our history. Years ago, when I was working on a news series broadcast by the public television station covering the New York metropolitan area, a friend of mine who was a reporter on The New York Times, recommended that I read the writing of Rashid Ismail Khalidi. He is a Palestinian-American historian of the Middle East and the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. He also served as editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies from 2002 until 2020. I followed up on John's suggestion, which included reading Khalidi's book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine years later (2020). I highly recommended it. My work and natural curiosity led me to follow Israel's policies with reference to the Palestinians. You may also be informed about this subject. My note to you is not connected to the exchange that you had with Mike S, but the heat that it generated reminded me of my gratitude to a friend who sought to widen and deepen my knowledge of the challenges that the Palestinians have been enduring, so I am passing that on in case you are interested. Salud!
Thanks, Fern, I had seen you reference this before. Many years ago, when I visited the Middle East, I read a lot of Edward Said’s work. He was a very impressive man. I’ll look out for your book.
Indeed they are. But you ignore what my point is: that your use of the language of the Holocaust is not only inaccurate; it is itself anti-Semitic and is reprehensible.
You are essentially equating the Israelis with Nazi Germany, an accusation that carries special weight for them. While I completely agree that the Jews, of all people, should have more compassion for the Palestinians, as should we all, I do not make the mistake of thinking that what the Israeli government is doing is the same as what Nazi Germany did to their forebears.
When you do that, you spread the hatred, bigotry, and prejudice of anti-semitism. Whether you mean to or not.
"Combining the language of the Holocaust, used to describe real things that happened to real people (i.e. Final Solution and genocide) with what is happening in Gaza is so toxic."
Real things are happening to real people in Gaza KR. Innocent people who played no part in what happened on October 7th.
Children are starving, being bombed, being shot. So are old women and men.
In my own view, Netanyahoo IS sponsoring what he hopes will be the 'Final Solution' or the extermination of the vermin Palestinians from what he thinks is "Israel's land". His perspective has even made it to the NY Times.
Why not just say what, by a reasonable view of history, is true?
Because it isn’t genocide. It’s awful. It shouldn’t be happening. I wish diplomacy would override military action. I wish Hamas hadn’t started this most recent round of violence by attacking Israel in a particularly horrible way. I wish Hamas weren’t hiding behind its citizens. I wish Hamas would release the remaining hostages, including Americans. Netanyahu is a terrible, corrupt man and I wish he were gone, as he is as much an impediment to a realistic and just solution as Hamas is. But it isn’t genocide. Words matter.
I still don't get why US efforts to deescalate Israeli response to the Hamas attack is viewed as genocide. Am I living in a bubble...or has the Biden administration made outsized attempts, aside from invading Israel, to stop and turn around Netanyahu? Has the US led negotiations to stop Israel from killing civilians and allowing humanitarian aid been misunderstood by me?
You have a host with you, I would bet including our president himself. Luckily for Netanyahu, Biden believes in the power of love and knows what he must do to protect US from Trump. As you hold your nose with your children, think that you are doing the best possible vote under the circumstances. Humans are a messy bunch!
So, how do you get Netanyahu to turn it around? Like Trump, this is all about him. He’s trying to avoid jail like 45.... the Middle East is a nightmare. It always has been. Young folks gotta get it together and decide do you want to be dictated to by Trump or do you want to be able to make your own decisions. Do they even understand democracy and how it works? It’s a travesty what Trump has done to this country and the willingness of republicans to go along. A travesty!
Mike. The Pesky, seeking Peace? Hamas is Islamism. Sadly apocalyptic. Hamas unvarnished. Supported by a vast majority of the Palestinian people. Both have rejected a two state solution. Multiple times. In their words:
The Hamas Foundational Covenant.
- The complete destruction of Israel as an essential condition for the liberation of Palestine and the establishment of a theocratic state based on Islamic law (Sharia),
- The need for both unrestrained and unceasing holy war (jihad) to attain the above objective,
- The deliberate disdain for, and dismissal of, any negotiated resolution or political settlement of Jewish and Muslim claims to the Holy Land.
When Hamas willfully massacred the Jews and westerners on October 7 they were carrying out their Covenant. In 2017 they claimed they had a change of heart. Taqiyya ; . As they say, actions speak louder than words.
We are on the cusp of war. Everywhere. One bomb away and your kids and mine will likely get called to fight in one of these wars if not all. Joe Biden represents the Party of War. These letters constantly promote it and him. When the time comes nobody will care what your kids or you and I think.
Don’t hold your nose. That is a cop out. To vote for Joe Biden is to vote for War. Forever War. There is an alternative. RFK. He has a much different message. Check him out with an open mind. The stakes are as high as they have ever been. Courage. Be on the right side of history.
RFK is another opportunistic, gaslighting grifter, cut from the same cloth as tffg. Instead of preying on real estate and businesses interests, RFK preys on the desperate parents of neuro-divergent children. Even his own family (including his mom) disavows his radical, dangerous view on health. Dig deeper into his views and his history to find out what a scourge this man has been.
"Kennedy’s most important supporters are turning away from him as he demonizes the worst-off people in the world while they’re being annihilated in a self-defeating attempt to fulfill his own ambitions."
And now he’s running as an independent, so who cares anyway?
Mike expresses the stance of many people about Israel’s response to October 7th. Most people
have their own views of how to define genocide despite “official”definitions.
Think about this-if it was Israel who launched the October 7 attack against Hamas and Hamas responded in the same way Israel is responding (I.e. killing over 27,000 Israelis mostly women and children) would you defend Hamas in the same way you defend Israel?
I can't say I 'defend' Israel's entire military response. But I've spoken my piece on Hamas' premeditated slaughter and kidnappings. the "about-if" isn't relevant to what's actually happened. Do remember that Israel's historical aggressions into Palestine and Gaza were responses to provocations, even if the responses seem overreach. I'm not promoting either side. And if Mike's perception and others is what it is, pointing out what myself and others feel is overreach on the genocide accusations is equally legit. Put yourself into the mind of a Hamas trooper doing away with an Israeli family, "on the scene", how does that go?
But we know full well that trump and the xtian nationalists will most definitely support neyanyahu and his murderous regime. There is no way in Hell that by wiping out Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank that Hamas will be destroyed. Bibi has engendered enough hatred for Israel to last 50 lifetimes.
Georgia Girl, I like your words, 'Wait til they try Trump as a dictator." That is a wonderful comeback to protest, uninterested, and other misguided voters planning to vote third party, or anything other than Biden, or not vote at all. Is it alright if I use them to nudge some future thinking? If so, I think I might even add the words, the GOP.
If tRump is elected, NO ONE will be safe. If he gets angry at someone, anyone who he deems disloyal, that person is in trouble. He would rule by whim, not govern. Think politics in the days of Henry VIII. Disagreeing with the king could cost your life.
JennSH, wish I could view that as hyperbole, but it's not. I remember trumps first week in office and his going after the union leader at the Carrier plant in OH and thereafter, starting a vendetta with any private citizen he had issues with. Couple that with his sick infatuation with strongmen.
No, no ones going to be safe. Idiots that back him don't get what a balancing act staying on the good side of a dictator is.
Reading about the Moscow trials in 1937, looking at the photos of the Politburo with the bodies outnumbering the heads or remembering the movie about the Nuremberg trials is my vision of dictatorship. Both fit Trump except that now photos could eliminate the extra bodies more easily than the fast airbrush jobs.
Trump is someone who demands total loyalty & he’ll be excessively hard on anyone who disagrees or has disagreed with him! He’s a very vengeful fascist!
Pat Russiano, yes it is a sadness. When I think of the word, grand, I think of the party being against slavery and its spread to other states. Admirable. But, in my lifetime, they sure have done a lot of ungrand things.
Talking to strangers is exactly what we need to do. Every stranger. Everyday. Everywhere. We need to pleasantly and kindly open their eyes, making sure they know the grave importance of their vote.
There are a million extremely important things we could discuss with strangers! It’s overwhelming to think of all the reasons to use one’s vote wisely. I tend to jump from topic to topic and probably end up leaving the impression I’m a nut.
It would be so helpful if we had a number of clear yet comprehensive “talking point” fact sheets we could follow, or even print and disburse. Sheets with sited links for people to learn more and start their own research. Sheets that show how deregulation and poor regulations are what has lead to practically every economic crash. Why a consistent foreign policy is important and how it’s meant to work. How the world is connected through trade and has resources we need, hence the foolishness of a Nationalist agenda. Even some brief history lessons on what happened to the elderly during down turns prior to the social security and medicare programs, and how Trump’s behavior so closely matches Hitler’s gain of control. So many people I talk to do not have a clear understanding of how things work and why we are where we are today. They totally rely on Fox telling them how to think.
Thanks, Marcella. Your suggestion is right on target (no pun intended). Could you possibly write up a few of those talking points? I do talk to strangers at the Y, at the grocery store and hardware store, shopping at Lowe's, in the parking lot, almost anywhere. And I try to keep it "friendly." But I'd love your list!
Trump, his enablers, and the "far right flank" in Congress are traitors to the USA and all it stands for and values. We -- and especially the media -- need to treat them as such.
Agreed. I suspect as the time approaches the cooler, saner parts of their minds will prevail at the ballot box. Hard to imagine the very disgruntled muslims in Michigan? who assert Biden no way are going to feel with the likes of Trump in power, who will be all too happy to turn over what's left of Palestinians over to Israel, and full demise of two-state solution, for now a mirage, despite calls.
Just received another 250 GOTV postcards. These are for Gallego in Arizona. Had a choice of three races. Chose this one. I got them through Indivisible, at VOTERMAILBAG.Com, but there are many other ways.
It is all the truth. But trying to talk to a republican about the truth they just don’t believe you. I talked about trump to a friend and she said “it’s all hearsay”. Even if you watch and see what’s coming out of his mouth “it’s hearsay “. So frustrating to try and talk to someone who has trump talking in their heads😬
Georgia Girl. I think exactly the same. I do feel that the news people seek out those who will voice discontent. When they do, I always think how do you think you are going to fare under death star. I do hope they wake up and vote for Biden. But then we warned about him the last time and we had fools not voting or voting for Jill not green Stein.
Over 50% of White people vote for Trump. Black men and youth will not be the reason Trump is elected. Trump and the Republicans’ electoral success will be on White people-especially White males.
Don’t blame youth and Black men who only vote for Trump at less than 20%.
I see the killings of these 3 people in our military as a direct result of the refusal of MAGA Mikey Johnson and his Trump following MAGAs to refuse to pass bills that could have showed the world our strength and lessen the likelihood that these terrorists would see our people as sitting ducks ripe for the plucking. In doing this both the Republican Party and Iran help Putin to weaken Ukraine. I am grateful that the EU pushed Hungary into backing their 50 bil € package, and are discussing releasing frozen Russian assets to Ukraine for restoration. I just hope that in their frustration Ukrainian leaders do not make moves that lessen their effectiveness, as in firing generals who say that things are at a stalemate, even if they are. That is perhaps the job of politicians to communicate to the right audience. However firing someone that the Ukrainian military has confidence in might be the wrong move. There are so many working parts to both the situation in the Middle East and in Ukraine. We are fortunate that Biden is the one in charge with his experience and thoughtfulness.
Two Democrats have asked for an investigation into Tommy Tupperware's hostage taking of our military.
We know Agent Orange told him to do it. Tommy had his own Ponzi scheme that landed his partner in prison for 10 years. Tommy only had to payback 2 million. His wife killed a man in a car accident running a stop sign in Lubbock, Texas in 2011. No accountability or even said she was sorry. So, he was easy pickings to carry out Agent Orange's goals. He was paid to do it. Tommy doesn't do anything for nothing.
The affects of his actions had fair reaching consequences for the military and their families.
Democracy is fragile. It's like pushing a boulder up a mountain with one arm. The people's of this planet have been waring with one another since the beginning of time. One can always find rationalizations for war. Certain male egos are as lethal as poison. Religion, greed and power brings us here every time. It's a cluster fuck.
I have heard nothing of Goobervulles personal issues. Where did you find this? The MSM seems fecklesss even for them. And where was the Democratic oppo research when this fool was running?
Oh right, the people in Alabama will vote for a turd for senate if it wears a football jersey.
Sad, but true. And their public schools allowed “paddling,” the last I knew. Too few there understand what corporal punishment does to the brain. Then add football, if which everyone knows the effects.
I'm like a detective. I dig. The GQP liked Tommy. He was a coach. He is the aww-shucks back slapper. They think he's a nice guy. Mitt Romney said that.
It's actually a really sad story. It was an elderly couple that she hit. The man lingered for 4 months in the hospital before he died. The wife tried to sue them without success. The Lubbock police department refused to investigate the accident. Tommy was coaching in Texas than.
“One can always find rationalizations for war. Certain male egos are as lethal as poison. Religion, greed and power brings us here every time. It's a cluster fuck.”
Yep. Anthropologists, as you can imagine, are interested in this question! As am I. Virginia below is on to something, despite insulting our genius forbears (what will you invent Virginia, to equal the wheel, fire, poetry?): wars like we have now, in which the idea is to kill more people and destroy more of their infrastructure and surroundings than the other guy does to you and yours, and originate in the technological power to do it on a devastating scale, are particularly new--19th century. The Civil War was a major model of this way. But "wars" in which the goal was to take prisoners and ransom them, or to steal some other rich guy's cows or sheep, or make him promise to send you a "tribute" every year, they were common enough at different periods in different societies (e.g. on and off in the European middle ages, or among the indigenous nations of the Eastern Woodlands at the point of European contact). There are gruesome man to man battle scenes in the Iliad, but the Greek troops had survived the shores of Illium for 10 years without reinforcements. What we have now, with bombing as the chief strategic operation--as in Guernica, London, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Fallujah, Gaza--was considered morally insane until WWII.
I don't disagree with you. It appears my statement was an over generalization of the facts. I based it on my simple understanding as civilizations grew and required more resources, conflicts expanded.
'Israel Signals Its Military Will Move Into a Gazan City Turned Refuge' (NYTimes, excerpt)
'A U.N. official described Rafah, a refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced people, as a “pressure cooker of despair.” It is one of the last cities in southern Gaza that Israeli ground forces have not reached.'
'Israel’s defense minister has signaled that ground forces will advance toward the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, which has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians pushed from their homes by nearly 13 weeks of war.'
'Rafah, which has also been a gateway for humanitarian aid, is a sprawl of tents and makeshift shelters crammed against the border with Egypt. About half of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have piled into and around the city, where about 200,000 people lived before the war, the United Nations said on Friday.'
'The city is one of the last in southern Gaza that Israeli ground forces, which have been fighting house-to-house battles in nearby Khan Younis, have not yet reached.'
“We are completing the mission in Khan Younis and we will reach Rafah, as well, and eliminate every terrorist there who threatens to harm us,” the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said during a visit to troops in Khan Younis, according to footage distributed by his office late Thursday.
'The prospect of battles in an area with so many displaced people has alarmed refugees there and United Nations officials.'
“We fear for what comes next,” Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said at a news conference in Geneva on Friday. He described Rafah as a “pressure cooker of despair.”
'Mr. Gallant’s comments came as Israel and Hamas are considering an American-led proposal for a prolonged cease-fire and a swap of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel.'
'It was not clear whether Mr. Gallant’s reference to Rafah reflected an immediate military objective, or whether it was intended more as a signal of resolve to the Israeli public and Hamas while Israel awaited the group’s response to the cease-fire proposal.'
'Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a statement on Friday that the group was studying the proposal but that it was insisting that the deal “completely end” the fighting. The proposal does not include a permanent cease-fire.'
'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will continue fighting Hamas in Gaza until it achieves “complete victory,” even as he faces rising domestic pressure to make a deal to free the remaining hostages, and international calls to ease the fighting and limit harm to civilians.' (NYTimes) See link below. Sorry that it could not be gifted.
Thank you for posting this. It’s sickening to read, reminding us again of the savage beast that lurks. Think the history of pogroms and czarist Russia, Stalin, Putin, THEN think that Hitler learned how to treat his Jews from learning about American racism! In Episcopal catechism class I learned (fine print under the Ten Commandments): “…and the sins of the fathers will (?shall) be visited unto the fourth generation…”. It makes sense as I continue to learn history.
Thank you, Fern, for jumping in. Facts are the most important thing in forming our own opinion, and this situation is so complex. It's a genuine dilema with no good solution given both sides are determined to wipe out the other.
They must be brought on board at some point or their terrorism will continue to destroy the lives of Palestinians and Israelis. And destabilize any plan for peace
My guess is that Hamas leadership and membership is not entirely lacking in the practical elements of self preservation, if nothing else. Having sacrificed Israelis and Palestinians, and awash in blood, Hamas terrorists have spotlighted the plight of Gazans , blamed it all on Israel, and brought world condemnation of the Netanyahu regime. This may be enough to abandon their quest for Mandatory Palestine and the obliteration of Israel.
What Hamas leaders may not realize is that their American sympathizers and allies may help reelect Trump. Which would be much worse for all.
Some days I feel very hopeful, but as the destruction of Gaza continues, I feel sick as I did remembering Warsaw and Stalingrad. I wish us more civilized, not walking backwards to savagery.
"Everyone agrees on the two-state solution except Netanyahu and his fellow warmongers"
In 2017 Hamas accepted the idea of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, but without recognizing the statehood of Israel. I have not heard that they have changed that.
My sense is that Hamas and the Netanyahu regime are both opposed to two sovereign and geographically autonomous states.
Yes. Have they not both stated their desire to wipe out the other totally? Netanyahu said so and the 1988 Hamas charter does the same. The revised Hamas charter, 2017,doesn't seem to have changed that.
Virginia, the radical far right House members and anyone who is supporting death star is incapable of thinking about the big picture. They want to "win" at all costs. The House speaker likely thinks to that he has a special line to God who hasn't given him any lessons in foreign policy and the poisonous snakes he is trying to herd have already threatened to get rid of him as speaker.
No, everyone does not agree on the 2-state solution. Not Netanyahu, not many Palestinians (considering their “state” looks on official Israeli maps like someone scattered a handful of beans or marbles over the state of Israel), not even all American Jews. There was once a chance for two neighbiringvstates
(This comment above jumped away from me suddenly while I was trying to fix the iPhone word salad at the end of it.) There was once a chance for two neighboring states, but decades of tolerance for and complicity with Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory and other policies of Likkud governments on the part of US governments have created a map that is just an algorithm of disaster.
Is there anyone who hasn’t hit the wrong key, bar, spot? Know I’m clumsy, but cannot imagine that everyone doesn’t occasionally have a problem with our machines.
“Everyone agrees on the two-state solution” Funny. Back to the future. So intersectional. You get a star ;) Virginia, little hint. The Palestinians and Hamas don’t. Not now, not ever.
Do not equate 'the Palestinians' with Hamas. Do not equate 'the Israelis with the Netanyahu regime. And please do not act as allies of either warring faction. Act as allies of both Palestinians and Israelis who want to negotiate peace and take the path of truth and reconcilliation
Fat Chance. There seems no end to war mongers be it here there or there or there…how much money or people loss is too much…seems neither has value except to have more of the former and less of their latter ..those ‘theirs’ are being opposition. So dividing is the game for the gain of the former or the latter.
Sick Fucks indeed.
I certainly hope the intended destruction is understood by those coalitions.
And these "funds" will come from sucking more money from other countries, adding to the Unpayable Debt that nobody wants to talk about. Vote for Joe "Dracula" Biden and the Vampire Liberals!
I saw the Eras Tour movie twice. Taylor Swift's music contains hurt from violating men, men like Joe "penis finger" Biden (per Tara Reade) and Donald "penis finger" Trump (per Jean Carroll).
Boo hoo Biden wins with Taylor’s help. And I’m writing a song about it. I’m not a Biden fan but compared to the ignorant monster he is running against, I’ll take it.
Taylor's song, in general, gives an example of how women often avoid talking about the cold, hard facts of what happened. Tara Reade's story provides another example:
Reported to Substack Inc along with what I allege are Substack Inc's violations of Readers' contracts that could mediated under JAMS SF's confidentiality so Substack could get a private reading on their dwindling contractl defenses.
I asked their counsel to stipulate to Mediation per their very own Terms of Use under their own choice of California law.
Because he gets attention here. He should only serve as reminder of what's out there.
Knocking on doors for candidates and listening to what people say is a good education of the range of our fellow Americans - and those are registered voters. Some doors you walk away scratching your head, some you step away from walking backwards. The majority of people are polite. Some are enlightening. And some are so heartening to have met at all that it makes the slog truly memorable.
HCR ignores the elegant statement of our Secretary of Defense. In decades of listening, I’ve heard nothing more tasteful, nothing more honest, nothing more meaningful. He apologized. He accepted accountability. He detailed his health and explained his reasons for speaking and for the quiet of his office, accepting his role and praising those that acted on their own, not at his behest. He explained the odds that affect Black vs white men and prostate cancer.
I love Secretary Austen. His leadership style offers a fresh perspective on leadership of the imperfect.
He is a good man, a warm, humble, humorous man of great integrity.
May his example teach America anew what President Abraham Lincoln sought at Gettysburg.
We are a good country, a good people at our best, and we err. To err is human. To forgive is divine.
Secretary Austin erred and he forgave today. He spoke the truth about his most personal life issues and an illness he has that threatens his life.
This Secretary demonstrates the wisdom of his President.
I can begin to imagine what Sec Austin’s days are like, to support democracy by helping Ukraine, organizing Allies/NATO/weapons procurement, containing the Middle East violence, preventing WW3, and has a routine prostate exam that turned into, “Hey we got a problem with your prostate ( that’s why we have check up exams with our docs) that we can fix as an outpatient right now, which then turned into a bigger problem and had to stay a few days to recover. Seems to me we need to give our SecDef the benefit of doubt and cut him some slack.
Ted, agree. Secretary's Lloyd James Austin III is honest. His personal elegance and integrity are a credit to our military, the president and the American people. The good people of America will pray for Secretary Austin and President Biden, two fine men in their 8th decade. We benefit from their courage, leadership, integrity, intelligence and decency. They are the best of America.
I think she means to say, media machine will post headlines for click bait vs fair reporting without final opinion judgements. Media presents the worse case to get clicks to pay their advertisers. They don’t get paid as much if it’s not so sensationalized.
I’m not sure the public understands how advertising metrics have changed given the internet competition. 1 click is a measurement which advertisers pay media in a hyper competitive constantly evolving “attention” market place/ economy. Our minds can’t grasp such a small micro second in time. It seems too small to be of any meaningful consequence.
Agree, I watched my husband, a very stoic man who was raised that showing emotion was for sissies, get the news that he has prostate cancer. Not just that, but that it was a very aggressive form of cancer. I understand Austens reaction. Humans do human things.
Really. He’s a man. He doesn’t want his prostate or his cancer discussed in public. As a WOCNurse and formerly of the ANC, I know how hard it is for men to address these issues, especially a General! Weakness is not in their domain. No, it wasn’t handled well. So get over it, America.
Not just men! I have/had a rare gynecological cancer. I do NOT discuss my cancer in specific terms with anyone except close friends and family. Most people just assume I had breast cancer. But I remember the days when that, too, was a taboo subject. My sympathy and compassion is with Sec. Austin.
My step-mother went through something like that. I hope you are in the hands of a great surgeon and oncologist! My step-mother beat the odds! And I have tons of respect for The Cleveland Clinic, btw 😉.
Thank you, Dawna! My team at the James in Columbus is stellar. Despite my poor initial prognosis, I just hit the 2.5 year no evidence of disease milestone! I’m very happy for your stepmother and your family. Each success lifts all of us up and gives us hope.
Austin delivered an exemplary speech. He received high praises from Lawrence O'Donnell the other night! The Rebs' call for his resignation have faded out on deaf ears. Personally i think this is an exaggerated story. Those "in the know" in his military administration were always fully informed. Not sure how this didn't routinely make it to the Oval Office.
I listened to Austin's press conference several times on CSpan. In context and completely. And he may be 'all that' to you, but he is also a man who in a crisis put his personal feelings above his mission and above the protocols and procedures of his office. And actually taking responsibility for his profound dereliction and poor judgement would mean stepping down. Except Austin's dysfunction and bad action must be taken in context of today's worse Republican party. We cannot afford a confirmation process driven by the GOPMAGAGRU crowd.
To say Austin demonstrates the wisdom of the president is damning to the president.
Your remark reflects a narrow interpretation of the situation. You presume Austin is bereft the management skills that brought him to where he is.
Secretary Austin like any superior managers prepare for emergencies and ensure their staffs have full knowledge that reflect their principles. The 9/11 chaos of absent government in the midst of an emergency has created the realization that pre-ordained policy must be in place absent leadership.
Obviously the President must be satisfied with this and his executive ability is stellar.
I had supposed Austin’s decision was based on the ridiculous turmoil the gotcha Republican Press stirs with any opening in Biden’s administration.
"Secretary Austin like any superior managers prepare for emergencies and ensure their staffs have full knowledge that reflect their principles."
This may be true of Austin's performance in general. It certainly is not true, as he admits, in this case.
Austin's bumbling self justifications are unimpressive and it is necessary to ask what his 'taking responsibility' actually translates into. I am with the journalist who asked why Austin should be treated any differently from any other service member who had done what Austin did. A question Austin did not answer. The only answer is Republicans' intransigence would harm the national security more than Austin's has.
So lin....I am looking for that person you have in mind who has always made the correct decision. I am now impressed, after paying attention Republican shenanigans for the last two decades, with a person in public service who admits they made a mistake. Yes everyone 'should' arise above themselves...but do you?
Military strategical and tactical decisions are difficult and complex. And often made under dire conditions. There must be leeway in interpreting their relative success or failure. Austin had a relatively easy and simple decision to make. To follow protocol or not. He chose not to. It wasn't Republican shenanigans which forced Austin to, belatedly, admit his mistake. It was only because of public outcry and press scrutiny that Austin came forward. And besides having to make a public statement and try to spin sympathy - what content does his 'taking full responsibility' actually have?
Comparing the official acts of high ranking public officials to the actions of those who do not take those oaths of office is fallacious. There are different standards.
I agree....comparisons are fallacious (wow...what a word) in an ideal world. I'd like to hear what you have to say about Congressmen, their oaths of office and taking responsibility.
Amidst his failure, the command structure was in placed. DOD and American Policy went forward as planned. Not a pass, perhaps, IMHO. The guardrails were in place. The Secretary returned to duty.
Yes. My added thought is that this admin functions as a well-oiled team (I enjoy mixing metaphors) that doesn't require over scrutiny of details. A side-handed applaud. No hiccups. Austin made a personal bad decision. Responsibility stayed with him. Missions will continue. Biden's team is in place because of his leadership. He won't hit the big red button because of some age-related issue and all hell will not break loose. Can't be said of the other guy.
Military systems, obviously by necessity rely on spread decisions that rely on General Orders and instant application of set protocols.
Like any Military Leader Secretary Austin’s own Public Relations\ appearances are not the stellar performances the entertainment world has trained us to expect.
George C. Scott was a better General Patton than the original- right?
I know some people who post here believe that our every action and word are fully rational choices that must be held to account. After teaching about the consequences of stress overload on the body and mind, I am much more charitable about missteps by people who have demonstrated their good heart and mind. The proof is in their reactions, later, to those missteps. They can double-down, fabricate and distract (like TFG) or they can explain, apologize, and do better. Such individuals do not require punishment but rather support - while we watch their future words and deeds to evaluate that they do, indeed, do better. Just my two cents.
Thank you for this excellent essay, Heather. Your writing is so clear and comprehensible. It's a pleasure to read. I think President Biden is doing exactly the right things by the actions he's taking. His words mean something: he means what he says. He will follow through; no empty words from him. I'm so glad he's our president. All of his experience stands him in good stead for unexpected crises.
I am thankful that Biden is President and the strike does not require the Congress approval. He should use the same logic of the US security to fund Ukraine.
“It is a bit odd, then, that the US president announced the beginning of this new series of airstrikes with a statement which claims “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world.” Conflict in the middle east is what the US empire does. The entire US empire is held together by endless conflict, especially in resource-rich regions where strategic control is necessary to retain planetary hegemony. The US empire is conflict.
Saying the US does not seek conflict in the middle east is like saying the Kardashians do not seek attention. It’s like saying Jeff Bezos doesn’t seek money. It’s like saying the Hamburglar doesn’t seek hamburgers. It’s kind of their thing. To make such a ridiculous claim while actively raining military explosives upon the middle east, in “retaliation” for an attack which the people you’re bombing didn’t even commit, is just extra icing on the cake of ridiculousness.
From Gaza to Iraq to Syria to Iran to Yemen, conflict in the middle east is the US empire’s bread and butter. The most murderous power structure on the planet continually paints itself as a poor little victim of any backlash against its abuses and as an innocent passive witness to the suffering it orchestrates, but nobody who’s involved in that many acts of violence has ever been interested in peace.”
How convenient for you to “forget” the context and history of this proxy war. It was trump and Netanyahu, WITH PUTIN’S CONSENT, who provoked this war by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem—against advice from all diplomatic sources. In exchange, AND ON THE SAME DAY, Putin formally invaded Crimea, even driving one of the trucks in the convoy. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL.
But she is, as noted by her proclivity towards all caps emphasis, enthusiastic in her confusion. To her credit, she called the Gaza genocide a proxy war; but that could have been more confusion on her part. We’ll need further commentary to pin that down.
Go ahead and try to bully me—if you don’t have anything more than innuendo and unfounded BS, you can take those capital letters and stick ‘em sideways. I can already tell you’ve reached the boundaries of your “education” on the matter.
Bless your heart, Dawna, it must be tough to think you’re being bullied when someone points out your ignorance, but then, that’s the mark of a subconscious lack of confidence in your own ‘understanding’ of the geopolitical realm.
I can already tell by the response to my all caps comments that you are quick to pull the ‘I am somebody’ defensive response, a sideways acknowledgment of your cognitive deficiencies, as it were.
You keep digging your hole here, and I’ll continue to point out the lunacy inherent in your shoveling technique. The fact that you blocked me shows where your boundaries lie; take your ball and go home.
How convenient , thank you Dawna, that you are stuck in the past and do not see what is happening in the present. Your, and others refusal to hear and understand what is happening now is what gives fodder to our enemies. Which gives credence to a move towards fascism.
Living in the past weakens democracy...and is a refusal of a more humanitarian future.
Though I understand your itemization of the USs past sins....it clouds current opportunities and enables trumpet. I cannot stomach the idea of trumpets finger on our nuclear weapons, or overseeing the future of our environment, or future foreign policy or the destruction of our federal agencies (perhaps not perfectly) that served as the guardrail against trumpets fascism.
You think things were bad in the past... whoa boy...it can get genocidally, cataclysmically worse.
Try being specific. It wasn’t so long ago that tRump et al moved that embassy to Jerusalem despite the advice of professional diplomats. And Putin’s formal invasion of Crimea happened the same day—not a coincidence. Of course, tRump used this provocative move to appease his supporters among conservative and Orthodox Jews—the “liberal” Jews, instead, got a curse and a threat from Trump just this last Rosh Hashanah because they understood the implications. So, clarify yourself, because you and your disparaging “trumpets” make no sense. Furthermore, one sign of a poor, illogical argument is having to resort to Ad hominem fallacy. Your appeal carries no weight, Susan.
I have never before seen the argument that moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and Russia's re-absorbing Crimea were coordinated or the result of a quid pro quo. I think it's possible that one of them took advantage of the other to move. I haven't looked at the timeline details.
Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian journalist without credentials. She yammers with hyperbole and innuendo--and you are echoing it. Legitimate references involve factual reports from experts in their field.
Actually, I heard that the Hamburgler is worried about his cholesterol level.
And off on a tangent, I have to imagine that Biden's recent show of imperial might in Syria and Iraq is not unlike policeman George Orwell's predicament when he "just had to" shoot an elephant because all the Burmese villagers expected it.
America MUST rain retribution from the heavens if ill-placed American soldiers get killed, or we (and Biden) lose face and clout.
I’ve lost track of the number of times a Democrat has pushed or supported a stupid foreign policy action based on a fear that not doing so would result in them being labeled as ‘weak’ by a political opponent.
A significant "stealth" portion of our military aid to Israel consists of holding the border crossing between Iraq and Syria to block Iranian weapons and supplies from moving through.
I'll suggest that the Establishment pulled the plug on Trump in 2020 because he didn't follow through on his commitment to break Iran.
Biden is their Ukraine guy and our involvement there is winding down. They have to be calculating the benefits of throwing Biden under the bus and re-leasing the Oval Office to a chastened and wealth-stripped Trump, as long as he promises to gut Social Security and Medicare.
I think the establishment, both political and security state, pulled the plug on Trump shortly after he was inaugurated in ‘17, when both realized he was a loose cannon, and would require as much constant attention as would a toddler from a parent. You might be right about the political side (monied interests) side of the establishment; the security state side doesn’t give a crap about SS & Medicare, and still would have qualms about his shoot from hip unpredictability, see Syria.
Above both the political establishment and the security state are "the families." Ferdinand Lundberg's book "America's 60 Families" is good, but very old. More recent is "George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography." Bush was born into a family of high-level servitors of the Harriman family, involved with the Eugenics movement and Nazi military financing.
Bush was groomed to be an Establishment man at the center of power; he was both a congressman and CIA Director. Bill Clinton was a junior partner in Bush's "Contra" cocaine smuggling operation.
Joe Biden is just an Establishment minion without Family connections. Tiny Delaware, with all its corporate headquarters, is a suburb of Wall Street. They put a young guy (Biden) in the Senate where he stayed and rose to become a committee chairman. He's disposable, and might already be on his way out.
Biden has just stupidly whacked a pair of hornets' nests, guaranteeing more American casualties as we deplete our store of munitions in reserve to bail out Netanyahu when he goes full on against Hezbollah.
Bloodthirsty vampires say: Vote for Bellicose Biden's Body Bags!!
No—it was Netanyahu and Trump & Kushner’s (long-time, family friends of Netanyahu) who “whacked the hornet’s nest.” This is a proxy war that Biden inherited from the right wing, holier-than-thou voters who wanted the embassy moved to Jerusalem.
By the way, with "hornets' nest" I was referring to Biden's very recent missile strike on the territory of Syria and Iraq -- two countries that want our military occupation to end, but we refuse to leave.
John Schmeeckle -- It would be a good idea if you listened to the facts of those strikes, and why they were precisely and very carefully chosen!! Listen to something in addition to far right "news" and "commentary." It is all readily available.
You make a confusing referrnce to far right news. What on Earth are you talking about? My inference is that Biden warned the Iranians exactly where we were going to strike, to avoid Iranian casualties.
How convenient for you to “forget” the context and history of this proxy war. It was trump and Netanyahu, WITH PUTIN’S CONSENT, who provoked this war by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem—against advice from all diplomatic sources. In exchange, AND ON THE SAME DAY, Putin formally invaded Crimea, even driving one of the trucks in the convoy. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL.
Oh, so Ukraine is not a sovereign nation? A great majority of US Citizens have German roots—does that make us a German nation? Russian policy of transplanting ethnic groups into regions is old news. Placing Germans into the Pale didn’t make the area German—oh, and much of that population emigrated to the US. . . That doesn’t make the states/country a domain of Germany.
p.s. Crimea, predominantly Russian (ethnically) and a part of Russia for two centuries, got arbitrarily "transferred" to Ukraine by the Soviet leader Kruschev in the 1950s.
Of course this decision has a political component. But it is much more than that. Being the Commander in Chief is tough. Imagine having to make these decisions. I am heartened by the Biden administration and the thought that the president has competent advisors.
Were it not for Republican dysfunction, disgraceful behavior, and Mike Johnson (Leonard Leo's legislative MiniMe) et al's agenda for an American clerical fascist dystopia, I'd say Congress should be formally part of this.
Yeah, because we’ve never said that before, and come to find out there were civilian casualties. We don’t care about civilian casualties, never have. We’re lobbing missiles in support of Israel, which obviously doesn’t care about civilian casualties either.
Everyone is anti-war, until the war propaganda starts.
I just looked it up, there is a "possibility" there may have been 16 civilian casualties, but there is no confirmation. I certainly hope no innocents were killed or injured, but I prefer to wait until we know one way or another before believing in possibilities.
We do that in our absurd ‘war on terror’ every chance we get. If we really cared about civilian casualties, we’d send a team of Seal Team assassins after every target we identify, but our casualties would result in public opposition, so we choose the sanitized route, wherein civilians are just some acceptable carnage from an air strike. If there is a scintilla of a chance civilians will die as a result of a drone strike, those civilians are most certainly targeted.
Ain’t a damn bit of difference, to the dead and their families, between being a target and collateral damage. If it makes you feel better about it to believe American propaganda, at least you’ve got lots of company.
Tom High: And what would you have had us do? Sit in a corner sucking our thumbs, "It's wrong wrong wrong to strike back?" Inarguably, any loss of human life is intolerable. I hate any war as much as most of the next persons. But the attack on us 2/2 demanded a response -- a "retaliation". I'm not normally a tit for tat, eye for an eye person. But in this case, it's different IMO.
Here's how the attack on Feb 2nd is described in Wikipedia (I'm doing this for my own benefit because my memory is very unreliable and important details are often lost) : "On 2 February 2024, the United States Air Force launched a series of airstrikes targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Iran-backed militia groups located in Iraq and Syria. The attack was launched in retaliation to a drone strike carried out by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeting US troops in Jordan the week before which killed three U.S. troops." [The Islamic Resistance is active in both Iraq and Syria.]
I cannot pretend or claim to know **anything** about war strategies. I can only go by what my gut tells me with some better-or-worse judgement thrown in (you're doing the same thing, unless you happen to have a PhD in warfare.)
By the way, slipping in that reference to Hiroshima was a bit over the top . The only apt comparison is that everyone (even this then-10-year-old) knew that something was going to happen with one of those atomic bombs being tested by J. Robert Oppenheimer, starting with Trinity. We just didn't know where or when. Everyone tuned into to their radios for news (which in those days was not 24/7). Waiting for whatever was to come -- a 'real' bomb to drop? Somewhere? My god it was a beyond-horrific experience, once (well, twice) in a lifetime, where the consequences of our actions were seen by the entire world. And thank Heaven, Earth and Humanity it hasn't happened since. The extraordinary loss of humanity. O.M.G.
So, I'll revise my comment (and please don't quibble with this -- just agree to disagree): The US in this latest strike in Syria and Iraq did not deliberately target civilians.
Yes, this is definitely terrifying but at the very least, I feel some relief that we have an extremely capable administration in charge. The thought of a re-occupation of the WH by trump scares the living bejesus out of me. It is unimaginable the terror and collapse we would experience at home as well as on a global basis.
"Extremely capable"? Biden is stumbling toward World War III in defense of American imperialist military bases. He had to wait several days to counter-attack because it's hard to scrape up the munitions we used. Now our stocks are further depleted, as the flames of war spread through the Middle East, and we'll have trouble "getting it up" for the next round, unless we go nuclear against Iran, but maybe that's the plan.
The Biden administration is insanely suicidal and morally depraved.
Did anyone notice how Schmeeckle only uses a heathercoxrichardson post as a reference? Does he not read actual news reports, referenced materials & books? I’m trying to find his note re: Ancient Greek history, just for kicks and giggles. The current war in Israel is a PROXY WAR with Iran & Russia. Esoteric references of Ancient Greek battles don’t answer current events.
'Over 800 Officials in U.S. and Europe Sign Letter Protesting Israel Policies (NYTimes)
The document was signed by government employees in 12 nations and E.U. institutions. Signers say their leaders’ policies could be contributing to war crimes in Gaza.' (NYTimes)
By Edward Wong and Matina Stevis-Gridneff
Edward Wong reported from Washington, and Matina Stevis-Gridneff from Brussels.
Feb. 2, 2024Updated 3:53 p.m. ET
'More than 800 officials in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union released a public letter of dissent on Friday against their governments’ support of Israel in its war in Gaza.
The letter is the first instance of officials in allied nations across the Atlantic coming together to openly criticize their governments over the war, say current and former officials who are organizing or supporting the effort.'
'The officials say that it is their duty as civil servants to help improve policy and to work in their nations’ interests, and that they are speaking up because they believe their governments need to change direction on the war. The signers say they have raised concerns through internal channels but have been ignored.'
“Our governments’ current policies weaken their moral standing and undermine their ability to stand up for freedom, justice and human rights globally,” the letter says, according to a copy obtained Thursday by The New York Times. It adds that “there is a plausible risk that our governments’ policies are contributing to grave violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and even ethnic cleansing or genocide.”
'The Israeli military launched a bombing and ground campaign in Gaza after Hamas fighters invaded Israel on Oct. 7 and killed about 1,200 people while abducting about 240, Israeli officials said. More than 27,000 people in Gaza have been killed and nearly 2 million have been displaced since Israel’s offensive began, according to the health ministry in Gaza and United Nations officials.'
'The document does not include the names of signers because they fear reprisal, said one organizer, an official who has worked in the State Department for more than two decades. But about 800 current officials have given approval to the letter as it has quietly circulated among employees at the national level in multiple countries, the official said.'
'The effort reveals the extent to which pro-Israel policies among American, British and European leaders have stirred dissent among civil servants, including many who carry out the foreign policies of their governments.'
'About 80 of the signers are from American agencies, with the biggest group being from the State Department, one organizer said. The governing authority most represented among the signers is the collective European Union institutions, followed by the Netherlands and the United States.'
'National-level officials from eight other member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as well as Sweden and Switzerland, have approved the letter, said another person familiar with the letter. Most of those supporters work in the foreign ministries of those nations.'
'The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.'
“The political decision-making of Western governments and institutions” over the war “has created unprecedented tensions with the expertise and duty that apolitical civil servants bring to bear,” said Josh Paul, who worked in the State Department bureau that oversees arms transfers but who resigned in October over the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s military campaign. Mr. Paul said he knew the organizers of the letter.'
“One-sided support for Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, and a blindness to Palestinian humanity, is both a moral failure and, for the harm it does to Western interests around the globe, a policy failure,” he said.
Robert Ford, a former U.S. ambassador to Algeria and Syria who resigned in 2014 over the Obama administration’s Syria policy, said he had never seen a cross-border dissent letter like this new one in three decades of working at the State Department.'
'He added that some diplomats had learned a lesson from the run-up to the Iraq War begun by President George W. Bush: that keeping quiet about objections to misguided policies or not going public with them when the stakes are high could contribute to a disastrous outcome.
“When war is looming that is very problematic on many levels, I can see why people are speaking out,” he said.'
'U.S. officials released a few similar letters and dissenting messages last fall. In November, more than 500 employees of about 40 U.S. government agencies sent a letter to President Biden criticizing his policies on the war. In that letter, the officials also did not reveal their names.'
'More than 1,000 employees of the United States Agency for International Development released an open letter along the same lines. And dozens of State Department officials have sent at least three internal dissent cables to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.'
'Across the Atlantic, dissent among European officials has also broken through in the months since Israel’s military response in Gaza after the attack on Oct. 7.'
'In the European Union, which maintains a joint diplomatic corps known as the European External Action Service, as well as agencies dealing with humanitarian aid and development, hundreds of officials have signed at least two separate letters of dissent to the bloc’s leadership. Unlike the United States, the European Union does not maintain “dissent channels” for officials to formally register their disagreement with policy.'
'The 27 E.U. countries, and their joint institutions, have taken diverging stances on the war, but a majority of governments are largely pro-Israel.'
'Only a handful of E.U. nations — prominently Ireland, Spain and Belgium — have consistently called on their partners and the union to moderate support for Israel, push for a cease-fire and focus on Gazans’ suffering.'
'van der Woude, a former Dutch diplomat, said she wanted to speak out on behalf of the active civil servants who had signed the letter anonymously because they feared retribution for dissenting.'
'Ms. van der Woude, a conflict and peacekeeping expert who had served in the Dutch Foreign Ministry, including in its mission in Ramallah, in the West Bank, resigned in 2022 to protest her government’s policy. She has since been a prominent pro-Palestinian voice in the Netherlands.'
'Ms. van der Woude said that dissent in situations like the Israel-Hamas conflict, even among the ranks of civil servants who tend to work behind the scenes and take political direction from elected governments, was justified if the policies being adopted were seen as harmful.'
“Being a civil servant doesn’t absolve you from your responsibility to keep on thinking,” she said. “When the system produces perverse decisions or actions, we have a responsibility to stop it. It’s not as simple as ‘shut up and do what you’re told’; we’re also paid to think.” (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
If my memory serves me correctly, President Biden requested Heather Cox Richardson to come to the White House and interview him!! He seems to have a very high regard for her. I've been wondering if he consults with her more on a private base.
Those 800 are certainly well organized, but they lack the courage of their convictions in not signing their names. I suspect them of neoNazi type leanings. If they were asked, would they deny it? Could the 80 in the US be those planted in our administration by tfg during his 4 toxic years? If they are serious, they need to step forward.
I agree, Fern. In fact, I think Biden needs (and secretly welcomes) this dissent in order to convince Nee-don't-wanto to stop his vicious murder of Palestinians.
The only thing that will stop Bibi is a legitimate threat to cut off military aid. Biden/Blinken refuse to go there, a big reason that this is an election year, and that announcement would create a firestorm of criticism, and Biden is a self proclaimed Zionist, both hurl-worthy reasons.
Biden/Blinken are playing the part of fools here, evil ones at that.
No Tom, not a fool, just a politician and leader with NO good choices, no choices which would avoid clear legitimate criticism from one quarter or another. So far, NO options have been promulgated which all would or could accept. The 2-state solution sounds like the closest one except that neither party to the conflict wants it nor will accept it.
Biden could use the Fulbright program so Americans could help schools around the world so students learning English could learn to see "others" as individuals in their cultures.
It's a choice.
We've chosen instead to keep academe in neutered silos, in group identity departments, in deference to dark money, so billionaires rule in consort with oligarchs, dictators, nationalists.
Standardized testing rules in almost all countries (not Finland). People are numbers, units, packageable. Computers do all the grading.
Everyone requires the other side to be above reproach while we cut our side some slack.
Reading these comments makes me feel we need a political equivalent to the golden rule:
Say things about others in the way you would want them to say things about you.
In reality every case requires a separate assessment of right and wrong. Parts of the US have done grievous harm. Parts have done powerful good. We can’t judge the whole by the parts.
The same is true of Russia. Although the vicious parts appear to have thorough control.
We never know the whole story. I admire HCR because she brings a far-sighted perspective to events the same day.
There are three types of people who have a hard time with HCR: 1) partisans. 2) people who want a less complex or ambiguous world view. 3) people who have a particular issue in mind that they can’t let go. I try to pay attention to the third group.
You never fully know who’s in which group so I try not to take this seriously. But I like it when the commenters disagree.
Highly unlikely to be tfg "plants". Bob Ford joined the Foreign Service in 1985. Honest and honorable, serving for years in North Africa and the Middle East. And highly probable, like many of us, to be heartbroken by this whole mess.
The Letter itself poses the alternative of their governments not supporting Israeli's conduct in its war as it pertains to the children and adults living and dying in Gaza.
FERN: thanks for this important share. The details are stunning.
Total change of subject: is the Edward Yong who’s listed as a writer the same person as Ed Yong who wrote “An Immense World?” I’m reading that right now for a book club and it really is a nice to feel awe and beauty for a change!
Marge, one of the reporters of this article is Edward Wong, not 'Yong'. Ed Yong the author of 'An Immense World' is a science journalist. Articles of his can be seen on Atlantic Magazine.
Thank you for staying up to bring this to us Heather. As always, clear and concise. I can sleep on that. The Pinapple Express is getting ready to stop in LA late tomorrow night. Batten down the hatches.
Thank you. I’m aware of the West Coast weather and have the excellent Windy app, but I didn’t know what “Tail of the Tiger”means. Pretty easy to guess though ! 😊
We have shown tremendous restraint and the risk of an even greater escalation of war in the Middle East is a real possibility and closer/scarier than ever, but a NY Times photo and caption: "Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry, the oldest active-duty unit in the Army traditionally known as “'the Old Guard,'” carefully returned the fallen troops to American soil." captures the justified reason for striking back.
The judge had to delay because the Appeals Court has not returned a decision on Trump's presidential immunity "argument" that no president can every be prosecuted for any action/crime done while in office. The judge had no choice but to delay; the Appeals Court, on the other hand, has had a choice and has delayed their judgment.
Trump is merely stalling to push trials past the November election. It concerns me that so many in Congress,state legislators and other elected officials are complicit in this plan. Democracy is at stake!
Jeri, there are fools and charlatans here, but I don’t believe they’ve hijacked us. We know who they are and we are quite capable of rational arguments with them. I’m just not sure we should always engage. They want us to (engage and get upset), but they won’t listen to anything we say, so what’s the point, really.
Actually, these responses don’t bother me. If they’re consistently out there or really nasty, I just pass them by rather than responding. I’d rather read them here than have them fester on sites I can’t bring myself to visit. If anything, they make me more secure in my beliefs. Sometimes, they make me think beyond my core beliefs and investigate further, which is a good thing IMHO, and decide whether they have value to me. I’m usually suspicious of ‘always’ or ‘never’ statements or those that provide no references.
Hopefully we all can accept and engage in what Joyce Vance refers to as “civil discourse.” We’ve been sorely missing that for years.
'WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military launched an air assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Friday, in the opening salvo of retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend.'
'The massive barrage of strikes hit more than 85 targets at seven locations, including command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities that were connected to the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force, the Guard’s expeditionary unit that handles Tehran’s relationship with and arming of regional militias. And President Joe Biden made it clear in a statement that there will be more to come.'
'The U.S. strikes appeared to stop short of directly targeting Iran or senior leaders of the Revolutionary Guard Quds Force within its borders, as the U.S. tries to prevent the conflict from escalating even further. Iran has denied it was behind the Jordan attack.
It was unclear what the impact will be of the strikes. Days of U.S. warnings may have sent militia members scattering into hiding. With multiple groups operating at various locations in several countries, a knockout blow is unlikely.'
'Though one of the main Iran-backed militias, Kataib Hezbollah, said it was suspending attacks on American troops, others have vowed to continue fighting, casting themselves as champions of the Palestinian cause while the war in Gaza shows no sign of ending.'
“Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” Biden warned, adding, “let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.” He and other top U.S. leaders had been saying for days that any American response wouldn’t be just one hit but a “tiered response” over time.'
'National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the targets “were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and based on clear, irrefutable evidence that they were connected to attacks on U.S. personnel in the region.” He declined to detail what that evidence was.
The strikes took place over about 30 minutes, and three of the sites struck were in Iraq and four were in Syria, said Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Staff.'
'U.S. Central Command said the assault involved more than 125 precision munitions, and they were delivered by numerous aircraft, including long-range B-1 bombers flown from the United States. Sims said weather was a factor as the U.S. planned the strikes in order to allow the U.S. to confirm it was hitting the right targets and avoiding civilian casualties.'
'It’s not clear, however, whether militia members were killed.'
“We know that there are militants that use these locations, IRGC as well as Iranian-aligned militia group personnel,” Sims said. “We made these strikes tonight with an idea that there would likely be casualties associated with people inside those facilities.”
'Syrian state media reported that there were casualties but did not give a number. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 18 militants were killed in the Syria strikes.'
'Iraqi army spokesman Yahya Rasool said in a statement that the city of al-Qaim and areas along the country’s border with Syria had been hit by U.S. airstrikes. The strikes, he said, “constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, posing a threat that will pull Iraq and the region to undesirable consequences.”
'Kirby said that the U.S. alerted the Iraqi government prior to carrying out the strikes.
The assault came ust hours after Biden and top defense leaders joined grieving families to watch as the remains of the three Army Reserve soldiers were returned to the U.S. at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.'
'Just Friday morning, Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi reiterated earlier promises by Tehran to potentially retaliate for any U.S. strikes targeting its interests. We “will not start a war, but if a country, if a cruel force wants to bully us, the Islamic Republic of Iran will give a strong response,” Raisi said.'
'In a statement this week, Kataib Hezbollah announced “the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.” But that assertion clearly had no impact on U.S. strike plans. Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the other major Iran-backed groups, vowed Friday to continue military operations against U.S. troops.'
'The U.S. has blamed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a broad coalition of Iran-backed militias, for the attack in Jordan, but hasn’t narrowed it down to a specific group. Kataib Hezbollah is, however, a top suspect.'
'Some of the militias have been a threat to U.S. bases for years, but the groups intensified their assaults in the wake of Israel’s war with Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. The war has led to the deaths of more than 27,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and has inflamed the Middle East.'
'Iran-backed militia groups throughout the region have used the conflict to justify striking Israeli or U.S. interests, including threatening civilian commercial ships and U.S. warships in the Red Sea region with drones or missiles in almost daily exchanges.'
'Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said “this is a dangerous moment in the Middle East.” He said the U.S. will take all necessary actions to defend its interests and people, and warned, “At this point, it’s time to take away even more capability than we’ve taken in the past.”
As of Tuesday, Iran-backed militia groups had launched 166 attacks on U.S. military installations since Oct. 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, according to a U.S. military official. The last attack was Jan. 29 at al-Asad airbase in Iraq, and there were no injuries or damage.'
'The U.S., meanwhile, has bolstered defenses at Tower 22, the base in Jordan that was attacked by Iran-backed militants on Sunday, according to a U.S. official. While previous U.S. responses in Iraq and Syria have been more limited, the deaths of the three service members in Jordan crossed a line, the official said.' (AP)
Actually, eight-five plus (85+) strikes ( eastenr Syria & wester Iraq) starting at midnight 2/3 local time. Note, there were no strikes on the Lebanon border nor specifically at Hezbollah targets per AP, The Guardian & MSNBC
The r egion is a complex War theater with multiple proxies, local 'militias' & nation state players involved over a wide region
I do not support Hamas in. any way. However, I think our level of support for Israel will get us into more trouble. Israel is committing atrocities in Gaza and has 300+ illegal settlements (settlements it promised not to create, too) in the West Bank and has made Palestinians second class citizens in a land that once was theirs. Israel has no interest in a two-state solution in which Palestinians would have legitimate sovereignty comparable to Israel's which, as we all know was arbitrarily created for them. We are paying the price for failing to create a sovereign Palestine at that time. If Israel's actions don't change, there will be no peace. It insane to keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
I am still in the dark as to why Biden, whom I support on almost all issues, save supporting Netanyahu’s war, continues to not set a limit. Driving a million civilians into a small confined area, and then bombing them, as we all know is a war crime. But we continue to sit on our hands while 27,000 mostly women and children have been killed. If we cannot see the damage this is wreaking across generations into the future, we are truly blind. Now the Israeli govt is planning to bomb Rafah. America must stand against this. Biden must stand against it much more strongly than he has.
Diplomacy, as Obama learned to his regret, is not about unilaterally 'setting limits.' It's about building coalitions. Which Biden and Blinken are doing. While moving the administration's position forward. For example in the UN where we have moved from opposing the call for a ceasefire, to abstaining on the call, to now joining the call for a ceasefire.
Instead of castigating Biden, American activists should unite in unrelenting pressure to call for a cessation of hostilities, increased aid to the people of Gaza, cuts in military aid to the Netanyahu regime, marginalization of both Hamas and the Netanyahu regime, and calls for sovereign geographically autonomous Israeli and Palestinian states.
As leader in chief of the USA, his voice and decisions matter. How long do the refugees in Gaza need to wait for us to say enough, “ no more $$ , no more support until you stop bombing civilians.”. Some tend to see only one solution to violence… more violence.
I am not castigating Biden. I am asking “why”? I have written the WH and my senators at least 20 times. How many more children need to die or lose their families before our leaders see that Netanyahu is not a champion of democracy, nor of Israel.
And what another commenter wrote, we are losing the young, and black and progressive votes. They will not forget. Why? Because they read the API, Times, Wash Post and see what is and has been happening. I’m not sure if it is age that neuters our hearts against the ending of young innocent souls, with no voice shouting “cease fire”. But young people haven’t lost their hearts and it is extremely difficult for them to reconcile Biden’s lack of urgency and his inaction, when even our democratic neighboring nations and the UN are calling for a ceasefire.
I will vote against Trump by voting for Biden. I write postcards encouraging voters to register and vote Blue.
But this does not answer my original question. And still the news reports more daily bombing.
In response to the Hamas atrocities of Oct 7, Netanyahu might have forgone a military response and called on the world to release the hostages. In response to Israel's assault on Gaza, Hamas might have put down their weapons and called on the world to constrain Netanyahu. Both these things were possible and preferable. Both sides chose slaughter. No one person, no one nation, can stop people from slaughtering each other until they tire of blood running through the streets. That was an Ugandan journalist's comment on Bosnia. It still holds. This may be the moment for Israelis and Palestinians.
Diplomacy cannot afford the indulgence in emotionalism. Although people's despair and disgust may drive diplomatic solutions. As I think is happening.
Policy making cannot afford the indulgence in politics. But neither can it disentangle itself. Certainly not here, not now. However politicians take note of protest. Although more strategic protest might be more effective.
Voting is not an individual exercise in personal expression. It is a joint exercise in uniting to take power. Anyone who does not vote for Biden will help elect Trump. Anyone who thinks a Trump administration will do better for Palestinians and Israelis than a Biden administration, is willing to sacrifice more lives to their own bile.
I doubt this will answer your cry from the heart. I did not understand what is involved in diplomacy until I spent time with a diplomat. Like the law, it is not just common sense or uncommon compassion. But it can mitigate the results of people's worst impulses. Eventually. Eventually this ends at the negotiating table, no matter how many bodies must be climbed over to get there.
ThankYou for all your good efforts and clear thinking, especially given the quandary you are in. I can only say I share both the work and the quandary.
I had wanted to mention some personal instances related to diplomacy.
I have had occasion recently to be working with the papers of Louisa Livingston Kennedy, the wife of Moorehead Kennedy a high ranking diplomat who was one of 52 Americans held hostage in Iran for over a year.
"A founder and the official spokeswoman of the Family Liaison Action Group, known as FLAG, Ms. Kennedy helped ensure that the plight of the hostages remained in the forefront of international consciousness. ..Observers remarked often on Ms. Kennedy’s articulate composure as she faced television cameras day after day. . .
In a television interview broadcast on Christmas Day in 1980, Ms. Kennedy quoted four lines from Shakespeare’s “Othello” that she said summed up her feelings toward her husband’s captors:
To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
Is the next way to draw new mischief on. ...
The robb’d that smiles steals something from the thief;
He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.""
In one interview, she was asked about anger. She replied that in the first days she was angry at everyone and everything, but that it wasn't useful to what she needed to do. In a letter she comments on other hostage families who were expressing their anguish in ways
which were understandable but not helpful. Noting that they had no experience in or with the diplomatic corps. (One mother of a young serviceman who just happened to be on guard duty that day, was planning to defy State Department recommendations by going directly to Iran to demand to see her son and gain his release.) In another letter, during a much earlier posting to Yemen, she writes home of beheadings at tennis courts nearby and includes photos her husband took from a window. Now her calm may be her character informed by her experience - personal and in the diplomatic corps. She came from the most eminent of New York Dutch and English colonial ancestors. The type of people Henry James and Edith Wharton wrote about. She studied theatre at Sarah Lawrence. But Kennedy's stance reminds me of my mother who had a very different and very demanding life. And who as a school child articulated for herself something she lived by her entire life: "If crying accomplished anything then I'd cry all day, but there is work to be done." She was a second generation American whose mother worked in a pencil factory and whose father worked on a train line and who herself started a life of full time work at 16, despite having been accepted at Hunter College the NYC college for women. Perhaps the public school equivalent of Sarah Lawrence or Barnard.
After being released, Mike Kennedy left the State Department and founded a peace institute "The World Center for the Study of Religion and International Affairs." I mention this also, the diplomat I knew had spent decades in 'first world' postings, eventually serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at two high profile embassies. Late in his career he was posted to Afghanistan at a particularly bad time even for that war torn country. Later he served at the US Institute of Peace. But he also retired early from the State Department to do volunteer work to better children's lives. Diplomacy is demanding work. If voting for Joe Biden gave us nothing else - and it has given us a profoundly competent administration with remarkable accomplishments - it has given us Anthony Blinken who also brings his personal experience of diplomacy to his professional office. (In my opinion, those demonstrators taking out their anger and frustration on him and his family are woefully misguided.) And here we are back to Iran. (I also suggest The Shahnameh or Persian Book of Kings, in the Dick Davis translation. In which a vizier suggests to a king, that rather than raze a municipality which would make people angry at the king, appoint an ignorant loudmouth
governor and let him destroy it. In keeping with America's enemies working to elect Trump. With the help of an American fifth column - The MAGA Right and The MAGA Left. Again.)
As an American Jew, Zionist, and Progressive, I have protested each successively more antidemocratic and abusive Netanyahu administration. I write continually to newspapers, my congressional delegation, and the White House. The appropriation of Zionism by racist right wing religious extremists - AIPAC and the Evangelicals - is the worst thing to happen to Israel. As is the appropriation of Palestinian Liberation by antisemitic religious extremists such as Hamas and the Iranian regime.
It is our job to reelect Biden, no matter those Americans who cry antisemitism at any critique of Israeli policy and those who cry genocide at any support of Israel.
Too little, too late is a critique but not a strategy to move forward. The Biden administration is moving forward in the right direction.
I agree and am writing my reps in House and Senate. I think Biden and all who are not taking a strong stand against Israel's slaughtering everybody are wrong, and putting us at greater risk of a larger war. We are also acting against our best interests by failing to give strong immediate support to Ukraine. Russia must be very happy with our foolish Republicans. I wonder if that is where dark money PACs are getting their money.
Please do not equate Israel with the policies of the appalling Netanyahu administration. Any more than you would equate the United States with the appalling policies of the Trump administration.
Unfortunately, Bibbi is calling the shots in Israel and must take the blame. Israel has grabbed land for at least 50 years and helped perpetuate its problems. I often traveled in Europe and elsewhere during the G W Bush and Trump their years and got tired of being asked what was wrong in the USA. We all got blamed for their policies and actions. There was/is no good answer and my opposition to them doesn't change the fact that we are behaving poorly in fight for liberal democracy at home and abroad.
There is no demand on Hamas to surrender because the IDF is clearly intent on eliminating Hamas from the planet, irrespective of the dire and genocidally disproportionate cost. Even worse, our government is subsidizing this effort by continuing to provide Israel with munitions to do so.
As barbaric as Hamas' attack was, the Israeli response is far more barbaric and then some.
I wish the world would learn Peace. I’m deeply saddened that the anti-war cliches and truths are just that: True. Will there ever be a time of World Peace? That is not a naive question. It is a hope for our children, our world. “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Some say the peacemaker Gandhi spoke those words and some say not. No matter the source, think of the meaning. For a child in preschool or a country defending itself, and all in between.
President Biden: “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.” It is that statement that is how a government responds. Deep sigh. Don’t ask me what I would do.
I've wondered the same all my life, having two warring older brothers. Finally I learned that diplomacy can be taught in preschool, and can set a mind map for life, a schemata. Traumatized toddlers don't make wise adult leaders. We will need an army of psychiatrists to undo the damage done to humanity by today's violence.
Vivian Gussin Paley’s book You Can’t Say You Can’t Play is arresting in its title, magical in its appeal, and inspiring in its message… [It] illustrates how the teacher’s art can attack the evil of exclusion at its childhood root. Now, Mrs. Paley, we need your help in weeding out the pernicious practices that afflict the adults of our exclusionary society.
Will there ever be a time of World Peace. Maybe when we are attacked by aliens, we will unite. But peace, such a foreign concept; although popular with the majority, roiling the waters is way easier. Requires only one stick.
I have wondered that myself, Jeri. If you have ever watched the original movie "Independence Day", that is its essential premise. It also does an interesting job of showing the "it is all good" vs. "it is all bad" mindsets of the population. My favorite scenes are 1: where the US, sends out by Morse code the solution to the problem, and it shows Japanese and Russian military receiving the answer, and 2, the most moving sight for me, Palestinian and Israeli fighter jets, side by side, agreeing to cooperate.
Favorite quote: "Mankind. That sure means something else today, doesn't it?"
No, I didn't see it. I remember telling that to a high school student who had to ask people that question for an assignment. Way long time ago. Surely I can find it on one of the five streaming services I subscribe to. Have to say that man is not kind today. Likely never was. Freud did say "Man is wolf to man," if memory serves.
Today’s news seems sadder than not. That the Paris agreements dissolved quickly if the first disappointment. Then to learn that the IDF is shooting up Raffa, the last “refuge” of Palestinian civilians will be the object of total destruction and that Netanyahu and settlers are in attack mode on the West Bank as well…. Finally I heard “Russia” in the mix, a name I have been waiting for, knowing the connection between the ?two wars had to be very real. May Speaker Johnson and his crew finally get their heads together and recognize (if they are capable of some international thinking) that funds for Ukraine and for Israel and Palestine to rebuild, are essential NOW. Everyone agrees on the two-state solution except Netanyahu and his fellow warmongers, most Americans agree on sending the planned arms to Ukraine, including many Republicans, so time for Congress to behave like grownups and pass the bills.
These trumpian traitors in our Congress are doing exactly what they want. Chaos and blocking. They do not want to help any country except Russia. Vladimir is their leader and Trump is one of his lieutenants. Our country is in grave trouble. Black men aren’t sure if democrats are doing enough for them. Wait til they try Trump as a dictator. Young people don’t like the way Biden is handling foreign policy. Wait til they try Trump as a dictator. All of these ignorant groups especially his dim witted cultists are going to be devastated when they live in the TRUTH of Trump. Sad part is we will all be with them. We MUST get out every vote. Talk to strangers. To make a majority realize that they might not care for Joe Biden. But Biden will maintain our Democracy so we can have the freedom to choose his successor. If Trump goes in that we be the last time America gets to chose anything.
I totally agree with you. We have in effect Russian operatives representing constituents in our Congress. This is totally unacceptable. These people have only one goal and that is for the American government to fail so that their dictator-wannabe can get back in control.Said dictator wants back in to avoid jail time. We have people in Congress who helped this traitor to try to overthrow our government and negate the effects of my legally cast ballot. They are ineligible to be in government according to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of our Constitution. They are sabotaging the American way of life. They are un-American.
The dictator wannabe has the support of corporate America because they see how easily Putin has bought him, and think they can do the same.
The corruption of Citizens United on full display.
Happy now, John Roberts?
Basically, the corporates prefer TFG because he’ll give them more tax cuts; he’s anti-union; and he never saw a monopoly he didn’t love. Biden wants them to pay more taxes, allow unions, and he’s breaking up monopolies. Follow the money.
It's always about money. :(
Bonnie, Agree but I think we need a stronger word than follow the money, how about follow the Greed.
And they will disrupt the few remaining regulations that keep them in line.
Yes! I forgot to include that but it’s a huge incentive for CEOs to support the orange gibbon.
Train safety regulations have already been relaxed. I wonder if trump will leave his golf course in Scotland to help out with trump water. Biden was expected to leave Ukraine for such an "emergency." trump is 0-3.
The wannabe is already a dictator, and has been for a long time -- dictating to a good percentage of a certain political party! Or political persuasion.
We The People outnumber these people and we need to roar!It is like we live in two separate worlds/ nations.
So sick of these men and women having no respect for the oath the took.
All their respect is directed toward personal power and the almighty dollar, if you look closely as they raise their right hand to sear to the oath, their left hand has fingers crossed. They sell us out then wave the stars and stripes.
or in your pocket.
These extremists in the Congress know better. If some republicans cross the line of common sense, it would seem that the others know that what they are doing is wrong. They are playing god (at any cost) for this for the power, and the trumper vote will give it to them.. They want the trumper vote.
Do they realize how many Russian generals have gone missing? How many times trump has said," I don't know him very well." Epstein (trump being a frequent flyer on Epstein's jet), a trump appointed employee, Sidney Powell (is she my lawyer). How many loyal sycophants have been fired because they voiced an opinion that didn't correspond with his. Look at his desperate moves to get a Barr replacement who will declare the election was stolen. Look at Milley. trump wants to execute him. Just because these deluded souls get him in, there is no guarantee that trump won't get them ousted.
Exactly. They’re so stupid!
Yes.He respects no one except himself.
Those who do not respect others, may also lack self respect.
True for our “rep” Elise. I often wonder what a mess her personal life must be for such a sycophant.
AMEN
GG,
"Young people don’t like the way Biden is handling foreign policy."
I would say young people are horrified by seeing the total destruction of the humanity in Gaza. Most of that humanity which has NOT attacked Israel.
My own kids (20's) call what they see in Gaza as Genocide and call what is going on Israel's "Final Solution" to rid themselves of those pesky Muslims who believe in the same God Jewish folks believe in.
I think my kids WILL hold their noses and vote for Biden, just like I will. However, the US ongoing support for Israel's "Final Solution" in Gaza will come back to haunt us.
We just cannot get away with supporting a genocide sponsor: Netanyahoo.
You sound like the US President rules Israel—Israel is an autonomous country. Anyone who throws in with the RNC as a spite vote is utterly childish: It was NETANYAHU AND TRUMP who provoked the backlash by moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem. It is NETANYAHU—corrupt, and like Trump, pals with PUTIN who runs Israel. It was NETANYAHU who opened fire on unarmed, Palestinian protestors at the embassy ceremony as TRUMP & Kushner’s celebrated.
Do you think Biden has decision-making power in Israel? We are allies, not dictators of a satellite nation.
You and your kids can try thinking this through.
As for Arab Americans, THEY should try thinking this through, as well. Throwing in with a neonazi, fascist Republican out of spite is like feeding a fire with gasoline. They won’t do well under a trump dictatorship—might as well return from whence they came if coming to America was about seeking asylum.
Dawna,
"Israel is an autonomous country."
Israel's ability to level Gaza and perform Genocide is entirely due to our (USA) weapons systems granted to Israel.
If we cut off those weapons and the massive foreign aid to Israel the Genocide will stop at some point when Israel runs out of money and weapons.
So, Israel is not truly an autonomous country just like we, the US are not.
All countries are interdependent and we, the USA, COULD make a big difference IF we WANTED to do so.
And when Israel runs out of weapons, what exactly do you think will happen to them?
Mike, Israel has provided the west with an important counterweight to Iranian power in the Middle East, as well as providing an example of democratic governance in a region without it. In fact, 20% of the population of Israel is not Jewish, and they are not being “genocided.”
Again, this is an incredibly complex and intractable problem. Simplistic solutions have a myriad of consequences, not all of them good. And in this case, none of them good.
Furthermore, the US is not the only country providing aid to Israel: Germany provides slightly less than we do, but is also a much smaller nation. And we are also one of the major donors of aid to the Palestinians.
"Again, this is an incredibly complex and intractable problem. Simplistic solutions have a myriad of consequences, not all of them good. And in this case, none of them good."
Exactly. So stop adding fuel to the fire with a constant stream of more munitions and additional US military strikes in other regions.
Well rehearsed BS.
tfg has vowed to reinstate the Muslin ban if re-elected. That could be the beginning of probably more restrictions. If you have family outside the U.S. you would have to visit them. And, who’s to say that you would be allowed to enter the United States. If drumpf is elected everything becomes a possibility.
Dawna. Thank you for this especially coming from you as as Arab American. Death star has threatened mass deportations as part of his spiel to his cult followers. Also MaryLee below has noted the Muslim ban and other problems. I too am dismayed by what has is happening in Gaza and I hold Bibi responsible for a lot that has happened before and now. And you are correct in that Bibi doesn't have to listen to Biden or anyone else.
My fear is that young voters, like our granddaughter who just turned 18, don't really understand fascism, don't know what we went through in the '60's to achieve a lot of our freedoms for women or people of color, what people have gone through to improve LGBTQ rights, etc., etc., etc. Nor do they know or understand about the Holocaust or what thousands (maybe millions) of displaced Palestinian or Ukrainian or Hispanic people go through every day. They see the regular news or look to social media for their news. We MUST get these "kids" out to vote and help them understand the world they/we live in and how terrible it would be if we lose our democracy to the evil people within our own country.
How well do history classes teach about the World Wars-especially WWII?Unfortunately, most people from that era are dead so we will never know what happened unless we read about it. People like that nitwit MTG claiming that there was no Holocaust would would rewrite history as a big European war which we won single handedly. She should take a trip and visit Dachau ( I did). Probably wouldn't affect her since she epitomizes the dumb blonde jokes.
No offense to dumb blond jokes.🤣🤣🤣
The much bigger problem is that absolutely nothing was learned from the Holocaust and the masses can again easily be manipulated in supporting a right-wing demagogue in committing genocide. That the man and his terrible followers are this time Jewish is completely irrelevant.
Foreign policy is not just who we control — it is who we agree with, aid, and enable.
"We are allies, not dictators of a satellite nation." I am reminded of what happened to the allies of Athens during the Peloponnesian War.
Whoa John- you had to reach waaaay back on that one!
How the hell old are you anyway?
John's a troll, always inserting himself into the first comment thread.
Best to ignore him.
Before time was...
I do believe that much of the decision making power is not in Washington but in Israel.
Copy of an email I sent to the Mayor of Dearborn, MI…..
Dear Mayor Hammoud,
Between a rock and a hard place?
Over the past couple of days, I’ve watched and listened your interviews on news networks, and, in those interviews, you said that Muslim-American voters in your city are not going to vote to re-elect President Joe Biden because of Biden’s support of Israel ‘s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
What you failed to point out in those interviews is that Israel did not start the war, that the war was started by scum-of-the-earth HAMAS terrorists, who, on Oct 7, 2023, murdered over 1,200 innocent Israelis, some of whom were decapitated, burned beyond recognition (including young children), stabbed to death, shot in the back of the head, and, in the case of many Israeli women, were raped or otherwise sexually abused. And, the scum-of-the-earth HAMAS took some 240 hostages. Where was your statement acknowledging those facts?
In the fall, I posted on comment boards that, if - during Israel’s pursuit of HAMAS to wipe them out, eliminate them as a threat, hold them to account for the atrocities they committed on October 7th - they don’t want to suffer harm from collateral damage, then the Palestinian people should not allow the HAMAS terrorists to hide behind them, should turn them over to the Israeli’s, and should assist the Israeli’s in their efforts to free the hostages.
I have yet to see any of those actions take place. Which leads me to believe that the Palestinian people fully support HAMAS. If the Palestinian people want peace, they should take positive steps to attain peace!
During your remarks, you said that over 27,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s pursuit of HAMAS in Gaza. You failed to mention, at all, the number of HAMAS terrorists included in that number. Why is that?
And, as to “between a rock and a hard place”, if, in November 2024, the two people on the ballot for President of the USA are President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Arab-American voters in the city of Dearborn (and elsewhere in the United States) will either not vote at all or will choose between President Biden and Donald Trump, I want to share this with you - President Biden supports Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorists, supports Israel’s right to go after the HAMAS terrorists, but urges Israel to do everything it can to reduce, in every way possible, collateral damage (the deaths of Palestinians who are not HAMAS terrorists) - Donald Trump also supports Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorists, supports Israel’s right to go after the HAMAS terrorists, and would likely also urge Israel to do everything it can to reduce, in every way possible, collateral damage (the deaths of Palestinians who are not HAMAS terrorists). - But, as to Trump, Trump is already on record for his long history of anti-Muslim animus (which, if you care to read about that, you can click on this link:)
“A Record of Bigotry and Hate: Donald Trump’s Long History of Anti-Muslim Animus”:
https://muslimadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Timeline-of-Record-of-Bigotry.pdf
Thank you.
P.S., I’m in favor of a 2 state solution
So am I in favor of a two-state solution! Thank you for adding that!
Well said, thank you.
All those thousands of Palestinian babies and children killed and maimed and starving should have made sure their parents turned HAMAS out … otherwise they deserve what they got … they asked for it by their support of HAMAS … is that what you’re saying, Joel?
I’m sorry, but I’m not credentialed to provide assistance to people who may have reading comprehension problems.
As to statistics in articles, posts, comments, tweets, etc., there are at least two sources (of so called facts) that I NEVER trust to be truthful;
A) Donald Trump (or a Trump spokesperson)
B) any HAMAS spokesperson
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Wow that is both simplistic and specious.
You mean Joel, right?
Or me?
Because his comment above about reading comprehension— Oh, that’s a great way to use deflection and aggressive language to avoid having to clarify his lousy attitude.
He did not say yet whether he considers the kids in Gaza part of that group he thinks should have turned Hamas out — and whether they, along with the adults he holds culpable, are “getting what they deserve.” If not, how does he justify Israell delivering these horrors to those kids?
Or, maye he just doesn’t want to explain himself to anyone, preferring to spout propagandistic blah-blah.
There is always more going g on behind the scenes in international relations than we citizens are privy to. Biden has put sanctions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Though this is of little consequence in general, it is a notice to Netanyahu that the US us nit in full support of his means of conducting the war. I want to see us continue to supply Israel with defensive weapons and cut off, or at least decrease offensive weapons.
The Middle East is a powder keg. It behooves us to be patient and not go off half-cocked. There is a lot we don't know.
We DO know that if Trump were in charge, we would be in far, far worse shape.
I want Biden to be more vocal about his NON-support of how Israel is handling Gaza and the settlements in the West Bank — and I’d love to have seen it before the HAMAS attack, too, but that failure to speak up is already water under this bridge. [Though it can be addressed again, as it is all still relevant.]
Israel must be able to defend itself, but that is not an excuse to victimize others … performative “warnings” and advising people to leave an area, and then bombing them in the place they move TO is not “taking care to avoid civilian casualties.” it is creating a fiction that one is trying to avoid civilian casualties.
Conducting a war in one of the most highly-populated locations on the planet, and one in which the people are walled away from options for escape, means Israel has a much harder task, and Israel is the entity that created the walled and over-populated circumstances to begin with. The physical and population circumstances in Gaza are not an excuse for Israel to fail to consider the non-combatants and children in that place.
HAMAS must be gone from Gaza and from Palestinian territory in Israel. That organization is not now in any way compatible with the Israeli state. But Palestinians there still deserve decency and a future that is not bleak and oppressive.
Easy for me to day. Netanyahu does not want Palestinians to have aspirations for their own futures and for self-determination. He said so, many times.
Much to resolve there, but blaming babies for HAMAS is not legitimate..
And trump’s ability to handle foreign policy? Unthinkable
What about the ongoing violence in Ukraine. WE are supporting an absolute dictator, Vladimir Putin, WHO IS COMMITTING GENOCIDE against the Ukrainians, murdering babies, women, children either murdered or kidnapped. Why do people object to the deaths of Palestinians but NOT A WORD about the deaths of Ukrainians? What about people who hate Netanyoo but say not a word about PUTIN? I will say it, for those of you who are unable to say it: 1) Putin is a murderer, Putin is committing genocide, and people in the United States who say nothing about the deaths in Ukraine, are supporters of genocide.
Huge death tolls of 28000 do not constitute genocide, however horrific. As well, Hamas has enjoyed huge popular support in Gaza, esp since the Israelis all out attacks on them. It's beyond true that Hamas fighters and leadership are deeply ensconced among the population, aided and abetted. Hamas has thrown in all or nothing, deliberately provoking the massive Israeli military response. Israel has always responded thus, killing far far more Gazans than losses suffered from Hamas et al. Maybe Hamas needs to find a less suicidal approach to "living with Israel", which it has always wanted to drive "into the sea". Come'on Mike, a simplistic blame the Israelis isn't going anywhere.
Plenty of fault on both sides. And being led by a person as corrupt as Netanyahu, no statesman that man, has not helped.
You can be assured Netanyahu is not running these operations by himself, anymore than the continuing settler violence in West Palestine. There is a real religious force in Israel promoting something akin if not in fact to a "one party state"... Hamas' latest machination has fed straight into the hands of those who think Israel was the promised land and is destined to return to them, "in due course".
Netanyahu is the Front Man for the No Palestinian State faction. He is the current face of that ideology, and its “leader.” He doesn’t get off for that just because other powerful people are also a part of his hyper-right-wing religious fanatical group.
Israelis deserve a lot more peace in their homes than they are getting from these people who think that, if they can just persist long enough, they can drive Palestinians from their midst forever.
Palestinians have every right to be within Israel. They have a right to establish their own state on land they control, and their people have occupied for millennia. There needs to be a two-state solution that provides a VIABLE and free Palestine — not a walled city and a pork-chopped West Bank cut through by private roads and settlements.
Lots to be resolved. This war is not resolving any of it.
Mike, that language is incredibly inflammatory. Do you and your kids actually know what the Final Solution was? I’m hoping this is ignorance speaking and not what it looks like.
Combining the language of the Holocaust, used to describe real things that happened to real people (i.e. Final Solution and genocide) with what is happening in Gaza is so toxic. It also implies an equivalence between what Hamas did on October 7 and what Israel is doing now. Do you truly think those two things are the same?
I’m not defending what is happening to innocents in Gaza. I am a supporter of a two state solution, and have been for forty years, after I visited Amman and saw refugee camps in person. But Hamas is at least as much of an impediment to peace as Netanyahu is, and you and your children must surely see that. This is a terribly complex region, and finding solutions there isn’t easy, as witness all the years past since Camp David with little progress. To blame Biden for not waving his magic American wand and making the problem disappear is just naive. To apply the rhetoric of Nazi Germany is reprehensible.
I’ll just add that this kind of language and the rising tide of anti-semitism worldwide is exactly why all Jews, and not just Israelis, need Israel to exist. They’ve been here before, and we all know what happened to them.
Hello, KR. I was scrolling through the forum, when I read your exchange with Mike S. I am Jewish and familiar with our history. Years ago, when I was working on a news series broadcast by the public television station covering the New York metropolitan area, a friend of mine who was a reporter on The New York Times, recommended that I read the writing of Rashid Ismail Khalidi. He is a Palestinian-American historian of the Middle East and the Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University. He also served as editor of the Journal of Palestine Studies from 2002 until 2020. I followed up on John's suggestion, which included reading Khalidi's book The Hundred Years' War on Palestine years later (2020). I highly recommended it. My work and natural curiosity led me to follow Israel's policies with reference to the Palestinians. You may also be informed about this subject. My note to you is not connected to the exchange that you had with Mike S, but the heat that it generated reminded me of my gratitude to a friend who sought to widen and deepen my knowledge of the challenges that the Palestinians have been enduring, so I am passing that on in case you are interested. Salud!
Thanks, Fern, I had seen you reference this before. Many years ago, when I visited the Middle East, I read a lot of Edward Said’s work. He was a very impressive man. I’ll look out for your book.
KR,
I recommend not confusing anti-Semitism with horror at what is being promulgated on the civilians of Gaza.
They are two entirely different topics and aspects of the Palestinian experience.
Indeed they are. But you ignore what my point is: that your use of the language of the Holocaust is not only inaccurate; it is itself anti-Semitic and is reprehensible.
You are essentially equating the Israelis with Nazi Germany, an accusation that carries special weight for them. While I completely agree that the Jews, of all people, should have more compassion for the Palestinians, as should we all, I do not make the mistake of thinking that what the Israeli government is doing is the same as what Nazi Germany did to their forebears.
When you do that, you spread the hatred, bigotry, and prejudice of anti-semitism. Whether you mean to or not.
"Combining the language of the Holocaust, used to describe real things that happened to real people (i.e. Final Solution and genocide) with what is happening in Gaza is so toxic."
Real things are happening to real people in Gaza KR. Innocent people who played no part in what happened on October 7th.
Children are starving, being bombed, being shot. So are old women and men.
In my own view, Netanyahoo IS sponsoring what he hopes will be the 'Final Solution' or the extermination of the vermin Palestinians from what he thinks is "Israel's land". His perspective has even made it to the NY Times.
Why not just say what, by a reasonable view of history, is true?
Because it isn’t genocide. It’s awful. It shouldn’t be happening. I wish diplomacy would override military action. I wish Hamas hadn’t started this most recent round of violence by attacking Israel in a particularly horrible way. I wish Hamas weren’t hiding behind its citizens. I wish Hamas would release the remaining hostages, including Americans. Netanyahu is a terrible, corrupt man and I wish he were gone, as he is as much an impediment to a realistic and just solution as Hamas is. But it isn’t genocide. Words matter.
Boy, I sure agree with that.
I still don't get why US efforts to deescalate Israeli response to the Hamas attack is viewed as genocide. Am I living in a bubble...or has the Biden administration made outsized attempts, aside from invading Israel, to stop and turn around Netanyahu? Has the US led negotiations to stop Israel from killing civilians and allowing humanitarian aid been misunderstood by me?
You have a host with you, I would bet including our president himself. Luckily for Netanyahu, Biden believes in the power of love and knows what he must do to protect US from Trump. As you hold your nose with your children, think that you are doing the best possible vote under the circumstances. Humans are a messy bunch!
He is a con artist. He charges with the season.
So, how do you get Netanyahu to turn it around? Like Trump, this is all about him. He’s trying to avoid jail like 45.... the Middle East is a nightmare. It always has been. Young folks gotta get it together and decide do you want to be dictated to by Trump or do you want to be able to make your own decisions. Do they even understand democracy and how it works? It’s a travesty what Trump has done to this country and the willingness of republicans to go along. A travesty!
Mike. The Pesky, seeking Peace? Hamas is Islamism. Sadly apocalyptic. Hamas unvarnished. Supported by a vast majority of the Palestinian people. Both have rejected a two state solution. Multiple times. In their words:
The Hamas Foundational Covenant.
- The complete destruction of Israel as an essential condition for the liberation of Palestine and the establishment of a theocratic state based on Islamic law (Sharia),
- The need for both unrestrained and unceasing holy war (jihad) to attain the above objective,
- The deliberate disdain for, and dismissal of, any negotiated resolution or political settlement of Jewish and Muslim claims to the Holy Land.
When Hamas willfully massacred the Jews and westerners on October 7 they were carrying out their Covenant. In 2017 they claimed they had a change of heart. Taqiyya ; . As they say, actions speak louder than words.
We are on the cusp of war. Everywhere. One bomb away and your kids and mine will likely get called to fight in one of these wars if not all. Joe Biden represents the Party of War. These letters constantly promote it and him. When the time comes nobody will care what your kids or you and I think.
Don’t hold your nose. That is a cop out. To vote for Joe Biden is to vote for War. Forever War. There is an alternative. RFK. He has a much different message. Check him out with an open mind. The stakes are as high as they have ever been. Courage. Be on the right side of history.
A feel-good vote for RFK is a vote for Trump. Be on the right side of history.
So you vote then for War. Forever War and Joe. Got it ;)
I vote for Not Crazy, David.
RFK? No, just...no.
RFK is another opportunistic, gaslighting grifter, cut from the same cloth as tffg. Instead of preying on real estate and businesses interests, RFK preys on the desperate parents of neuro-divergent children. Even his own family (including his mom) disavows his radical, dangerous view on health. Dig deeper into his views and his history to find out what a scourge this man has been.
Know better--do better.
Yes know better, do better.
No RFK and no Manchin when he puts his name in the hat in the No Labels party. A vote for anyone other than JB is a vote against democracy.
If you think RFK is anything but a pathetic fool, I wonder about you too.
"Kennedy’s most important supporters are turning away from him as he demonizes the worst-off people in the world while they’re being annihilated in a self-defeating attempt to fulfill his own ambitions."
And now he’s running as an independent, so who cares anyway?
Kudos. I see you, many others, and myself, have pushed back on Mike indeed.
Mike expresses the stance of many people about Israel’s response to October 7th. Most people
have their own views of how to define genocide despite “official”definitions.
Think about this-if it was Israel who launched the October 7 attack against Hamas and Hamas responded in the same way Israel is responding (I.e. killing over 27,000 Israelis mostly women and children) would you defend Hamas in the same way you defend Israel?
I can't say I 'defend' Israel's entire military response. But I've spoken my piece on Hamas' premeditated slaughter and kidnappings. the "about-if" isn't relevant to what's actually happened. Do remember that Israel's historical aggressions into Palestine and Gaza were responses to provocations, even if the responses seem overreach. I'm not promoting either side. And if Mike's perception and others is what it is, pointing out what myself and others feel is overreach on the genocide accusations is equally legit. Put yourself into the mind of a Hamas trooper doing away with an Israeli family, "on the scene", how does that go?
Not a snowball's chance, me thinks.
Waste my vote on a man who doesn't believe in vaccines? No thank you.
But we know full well that trump and the xtian nationalists will most definitely support neyanyahu and his murderous regime. There is no way in Hell that by wiping out Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank that Hamas will be destroyed. Bibi has engendered enough hatred for Israel to last 50 lifetimes.
Mike S, agree with you and with the comments preceding yours. It is Barely February and a long way to November elections
I often disagree with Mike S, but not this time.
Georgia Girl, I like your words, 'Wait til they try Trump as a dictator." That is a wonderful comeback to protest, uninterested, and other misguided voters planning to vote third party, or anything other than Biden, or not vote at all. Is it alright if I use them to nudge some future thinking? If so, I think I might even add the words, the GOP.
If tRump is elected, NO ONE will be safe. If he gets angry at someone, anyone who he deems disloyal, that person is in trouble. He would rule by whim, not govern. Think politics in the days of Henry VIII. Disagreeing with the king could cost your life.
JennSH, wish I could view that as hyperbole, but it's not. I remember trumps first week in office and his going after the union leader at the Carrier plant in OH and thereafter, starting a vendetta with any private citizen he had issues with. Couple that with his sick infatuation with strongmen.
No, no ones going to be safe. Idiots that back him don't get what a balancing act staying on the good side of a dictator is.
Reading about the Moscow trials in 1937, looking at the photos of the Politburo with the bodies outnumbering the heads or remembering the movie about the Nuremberg trials is my vision of dictatorship. Both fit Trump except that now photos could eliminate the extra bodies more easily than the fast airbrush jobs.
JennSH from NC, true. You're exactly right.
Excellent analogy!
Trump is someone who demands total loyalty & he’ll be excessively hard on anyone who disagrees or has disagreed with him! He’s a very vengeful fascist!
M Tree, sadly Trump IS the GOP at the moment. It is absolutely no resemblance of The Grand Old Party
Pat Russiano, yes it is a sadness. When I think of the word, grand, I think of the party being against slavery and its spread to other states. Admirable. But, in my lifetime, they sure have done a lot of ungrand things.
Reading my mind
Talking to strangers is exactly what we need to do. Every stranger. Everyday. Everywhere. We need to pleasantly and kindly open their eyes, making sure they know the grave importance of their vote.
There are a million extremely important things we could discuss with strangers! It’s overwhelming to think of all the reasons to use one’s vote wisely. I tend to jump from topic to topic and probably end up leaving the impression I’m a nut.
It would be so helpful if we had a number of clear yet comprehensive “talking point” fact sheets we could follow, or even print and disburse. Sheets with sited links for people to learn more and start their own research. Sheets that show how deregulation and poor regulations are what has lead to practically every economic crash. Why a consistent foreign policy is important and how it’s meant to work. How the world is connected through trade and has resources we need, hence the foolishness of a Nationalist agenda. Even some brief history lessons on what happened to the elderly during down turns prior to the social security and medicare programs, and how Trump’s behavior so closely matches Hitler’s gain of control. So many people I talk to do not have a clear understanding of how things work and why we are where we are today. They totally rely on Fox telling them how to think.
Thanks, Marcella. Your suggestion is right on target (no pun intended). Could you possibly write up a few of those talking points? I do talk to strangers at the Y, at the grocery store and hardware store, shopping at Lowe's, in the parking lot, almost anywhere. And I try to keep it "friendly." But I'd love your list!
I could create a template that we can all add too. We’ll have to ask HCR if we can use information in her letters and sites referencing.
What is the name of the Card group HCR is supporting? I signed up and still I can't remember!
This group? https://markersfordemocracy.org/
CardCampaignBH@gmail.com
Trump, his enablers, and the "far right flank" in Congress are traitors to the USA and all it stands for and values. We -- and especially the media -- need to treat them as such.
Agreed. I suspect as the time approaches the cooler, saner parts of their minds will prevail at the ballot box. Hard to imagine the very disgruntled muslims in Michigan? who assert Biden no way are going to feel with the likes of Trump in power, who will be all too happy to turn over what's left of Palestinians over to Israel, and full demise of two-state solution, for now a mirage, despite calls.
Just received another 250 GOTV postcards. These are for Gallego in Arizona. Had a choice of three races. Chose this one. I got them through Indivisible, at VOTERMAILBAG.Com, but there are many other ways.
Great post, Georgia Girl.
It is all the truth. But trying to talk to a republican about the truth they just don’t believe you. I talked about trump to a friend and she said “it’s all hearsay”. Even if you watch and see what’s coming out of his mouth “it’s hearsay “. So frustrating to try and talk to someone who has trump talking in their heads😬
That's my experience as well.
Georgia Girl. I think exactly the same. I do feel that the news people seek out those who will voice discontent. When they do, I always think how do you think you are going to fare under death star. I do hope they wake up and vote for Biden. But then we warned about him the last time and we had fools not voting or voting for Jill not green Stein.
Over 50% of White people vote for Trump. Black men and youth will not be the reason Trump is elected. Trump and the Republicans’ electoral success will be on White people-especially White males.
Don’t blame youth and Black men who only vote for Trump at less than 20%.
Well said
I see the killings of these 3 people in our military as a direct result of the refusal of MAGA Mikey Johnson and his Trump following MAGAs to refuse to pass bills that could have showed the world our strength and lessen the likelihood that these terrorists would see our people as sitting ducks ripe for the plucking. In doing this both the Republican Party and Iran help Putin to weaken Ukraine. I am grateful that the EU pushed Hungary into backing their 50 bil € package, and are discussing releasing frozen Russian assets to Ukraine for restoration. I just hope that in their frustration Ukrainian leaders do not make moves that lessen their effectiveness, as in firing generals who say that things are at a stalemate, even if they are. That is perhaps the job of politicians to communicate to the right audience. However firing someone that the Ukrainian military has confidence in might be the wrong move. There are so many working parts to both the situation in the Middle East and in Ukraine. We are fortunate that Biden is the one in charge with his experience and thoughtfulness.
Two Democrats have asked for an investigation into Tommy Tupperware's hostage taking of our military.
We know Agent Orange told him to do it. Tommy had his own Ponzi scheme that landed his partner in prison for 10 years. Tommy only had to payback 2 million. His wife killed a man in a car accident running a stop sign in Lubbock, Texas in 2011. No accountability or even said she was sorry. So, he was easy pickings to carry out Agent Orange's goals. He was paid to do it. Tommy doesn't do anything for nothing.
The affects of his actions had fair reaching consequences for the military and their families.
Democracy is fragile. It's like pushing a boulder up a mountain with one arm. The people's of this planet have been waring with one another since the beginning of time. One can always find rationalizations for war. Certain male egos are as lethal as poison. Religion, greed and power brings us here every time. It's a cluster fuck.
I have heard nothing of Goobervulles personal issues. Where did you find this? The MSM seems fecklesss even for them. And where was the Democratic oppo research when this fool was running?
Oh right, the people in Alabama will vote for a turd for senate if it wears a football jersey.
Sad, but true. And their public schools allowed “paddling,” the last I knew. Too few there understand what corporal punishment does to the brain. Then add football, if which everyone knows the effects.
I'm like a detective. I dig. The GQP liked Tommy. He was a coach. He is the aww-shucks back slapper. They think he's a nice guy. Mitt Romney said that.
Hummm….Laura Bush caused a similar accident when she was young…..and whoosh….right under the carpet it went!
It's actually a really sad story. It was an elderly couple that she hit. The man lingered for 4 months in the hospital before he died. The wife tried to sue them without success. The Lubbock police department refused to investigate the accident. Tommy was coaching in Texas than.
and the rich get richer.
“One can always find rationalizations for war. Certain male egos are as lethal as poison. Religion, greed and power brings us here every time. It's a cluster fuck.”
Right on, Lisa! It is indeed a cluster fuck.
This video is an interview of Alexander Vindman being interviewed on Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff, talking about the upcoming election and Ukraine. https://open.substack.com/pub/alexandervindman/p/full-interview-on-the-independent?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&comments=true
Further explanation of how dangerous it is for us to let Putin build up his military inventory, which we cannot fund Ukraine.
Actually the people of this planet have not been warring against each other since the beginning of time.
I got it wrong?
Yep. Anthropologists, as you can imagine, are interested in this question! As am I. Virginia below is on to something, despite insulting our genius forbears (what will you invent Virginia, to equal the wheel, fire, poetry?): wars like we have now, in which the idea is to kill more people and destroy more of their infrastructure and surroundings than the other guy does to you and yours, and originate in the technological power to do it on a devastating scale, are particularly new--19th century. The Civil War was a major model of this way. But "wars" in which the goal was to take prisoners and ransom them, or to steal some other rich guy's cows or sheep, or make him promise to send you a "tribute" every year, they were common enough at different periods in different societies (e.g. on and off in the European middle ages, or among the indigenous nations of the Eastern Woodlands at the point of European contact). There are gruesome man to man battle scenes in the Iliad, but the Greek troops had survived the shores of Illium for 10 years without reinforcements. What we have now, with bombing as the chief strategic operation--as in Guernica, London, Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Fallujah, Gaza--was considered morally insane until WWII.
I don't disagree with you. It appears my statement was an over generalization of the facts. I based it on my simple understanding as civilizations grew and required more resources, conflicts expanded.
Maybe we weren’t as effective at warring when we lived in trees.🤣
Word.
Linda..that's a story I'd like to see the media cover, how GOP refusal to send aid is killing American soldiers.
US influence in how Ukraine proceeds against Russia wans until US aid is available. Maybe just as Republicans want it.
Susan, I agree with you! That is the story that our cowardly, or incompetent press should be running with!
'Israel Signals Its Military Will Move Into a Gazan City Turned Refuge' (NYTimes, excerpt)
'A U.N. official described Rafah, a refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced people, as a “pressure cooker of despair.” It is one of the last cities in southern Gaza that Israeli ground forces have not reached.'
'Israel’s defense minister has signaled that ground forces will advance toward the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, which has become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians pushed from their homes by nearly 13 weeks of war.'
'Rafah, which has also been a gateway for humanitarian aid, is a sprawl of tents and makeshift shelters crammed against the border with Egypt. About half of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have piled into and around the city, where about 200,000 people lived before the war, the United Nations said on Friday.'
'The city is one of the last in southern Gaza that Israeli ground forces, which have been fighting house-to-house battles in nearby Khan Younis, have not yet reached.'
“We are completing the mission in Khan Younis and we will reach Rafah, as well, and eliminate every terrorist there who threatens to harm us,” the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said during a visit to troops in Khan Younis, according to footage distributed by his office late Thursday.
'The prospect of battles in an area with so many displaced people has alarmed refugees there and United Nations officials.'
“We fear for what comes next,” Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said at a news conference in Geneva on Friday. He described Rafah as a “pressure cooker of despair.”
'Mr. Gallant’s comments came as Israel and Hamas are considering an American-led proposal for a prolonged cease-fire and a swap of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel.'
'It was not clear whether Mr. Gallant’s reference to Rafah reflected an immediate military objective, or whether it was intended more as a signal of resolve to the Israeli public and Hamas while Israel awaited the group’s response to the cease-fire proposal.'
'Hamas’ top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a statement on Friday that the group was studying the proposal but that it was insisting that the deal “completely end” the fighting. The proposal does not include a permanent cease-fire.'
'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will continue fighting Hamas in Gaza until it achieves “complete victory,” even as he faces rising domestic pressure to make a deal to free the remaining hostages, and international calls to ease the fighting and limit harm to civilians.' (NYTimes) See link below. Sorry that it could not be gifted.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-southern-gaza-rafah.html
Thank you, I think, Fern. All of it so heartbreaking.
There's no such thing as complete victory in war. Battles are won but not wars....
Welcome back Fern! I hope you are well and thank you as always for your extra information we might have missed. 💕
Thank you for your warm greeting, Tamera. It was lovely of you to take the time. Salud!
Fern, thank you for being the curator of so much important information, especially since I can’t subscribe to everything! :-)
Here you are, Fern.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-southern-gaza-rafah.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Sk0.xt98.Smm5Lxzi7gZe&bgrp=g&smid=url-share
Ally, thank you for thinking of us all.
Thank you for posting this. It’s sickening to read, reminding us again of the savage beast that lurks. Think the history of pogroms and czarist Russia, Stalin, Putin, THEN think that Hitler learned how to treat his Jews from learning about American racism! In Episcopal catechism class I learned (fine print under the Ten Commandments): “…and the sins of the fathers will (?shall) be visited unto the fourth generation…”. It makes sense as I continue to learn history.
Thank you, Fern, for jumping in. Facts are the most important thing in forming our own opinion, and this situation is so complex. It's a genuine dilema with no good solution given both sides are determined to wipe out the other.
So sad and wrong.
I called my congressman yesterday with the message to pass Support for Ukraine NOW.
Alexander Vindman asks us all to call.
Thank you for the word.
Virginia, well put.
I’m not convinced that Hamas is interested in a “two state solution”.
Hamas, a terrorist organization, is not part of the solution.
They must be brought on board at some point or their terrorism will continue to destroy the lives of Palestinians and Israelis. And destabilize any plan for peace
They are not willing to come on board. They want to make Israel disappear. So now what?
My guess is that Hamas leadership and membership is not entirely lacking in the practical elements of self preservation, if nothing else. Having sacrificed Israelis and Palestinians, and awash in blood, Hamas terrorists have spotlighted the plight of Gazans , blamed it all on Israel, and brought world condemnation of the Netanyahu regime. This may be enough to abandon their quest for Mandatory Palestine and the obliteration of Israel.
What Hamas leaders may not realize is that their American sympathizers and allies may help reelect Trump. Which would be much worse for all.
Hamas is not included in the plan for postwar recognition of a Palestinian state.
Virginia, don't be too depressed. At least you don't live in Texas where, soon enough, there will not be any water.
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/31/texas-water-plan-reservoirs-climate-change/
Look on the bright side!!
Cheer up Brian, you know what they say?
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
And...
[Chorus]
Always look on the bright side of life
(Whistle)
Always look on the light side of life
(Whistle)
Some days I feel very hopeful, but as the destruction of Gaza continues, I feel sick as I did remembering Warsaw and Stalingrad. I wish us more civilized, not walking backwards to savagery.
"Everyone agrees on the two-state solution except Netanyahu and his fellow warmongers"
In 2017 Hamas accepted the idea of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, but without recognizing the statehood of Israel. I have not heard that they have changed that.
My sense is that Hamas and the Netanyahu regime are both opposed to two sovereign and geographically autonomous states.
Yes. Have they not both stated their desire to wipe out the other totally? Netanyahu said so and the 1988 Hamas charter does the same. The revised Hamas charter, 2017,doesn't seem to have changed that.
Virginia, the radical far right House members and anyone who is supporting death star is incapable of thinking about the big picture. They want to "win" at all costs. The House speaker likely thinks to that he has a special line to God who hasn't given him any lessons in foreign policy and the poisonous snakes he is trying to herd have already threatened to get rid of him as speaker.
No, everyone does not agree on the 2-state solution. Not Netanyahu, not many Palestinians (considering their “state” looks on official Israeli maps like someone scattered a handful of beans or marbles over the state of Israel), not even all American Jews. There was once a chance for two neighbiringvstates
(This comment above jumped away from me suddenly while I was trying to fix the iPhone word salad at the end of it.) There was once a chance for two neighboring states, but decades of tolerance for and complicity with Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory and other policies of Likkud governments on the part of US governments have created a map that is just an algorithm of disaster.
Oh, do I hate that. hit the v or the b instead of the space bar...
Is there anyone who hasn’t hit the wrong key, bar, spot? Know I’m clumsy, but cannot imagine that everyone doesn’t occasionally have a problem with our machines.
“Everyone agrees on the two-state solution” Funny. Back to the future. So intersectional. You get a star ;) Virginia, little hint. The Palestinians and Hamas don’t. Not now, not ever.
Do not equate 'the Palestinians' with Hamas. Do not equate 'the Israelis with the Netanyahu regime. And please do not act as allies of either warring faction. Act as allies of both Palestinians and Israelis who want to negotiate peace and take the path of truth and reconcilliation
Fat Chance. There seems no end to war mongers be it here there or there or there…how much money or people loss is too much…seems neither has value except to have more of the former and less of their latter ..those ‘theirs’ are being opposition. So dividing is the game for the gain of the former or the latter.
Sick Fucks indeed.
I certainly hope the intended destruction is understood by those coalitions.
Fat Chance
Thanks you Heather,
"so time for Congress to behave like grownups and pass the bills." Virginia, it's long past time.
Agreed. Just trying another push. Never know which one will work to move the stupids.
And these "funds" will come from sucking more money from other countries, adding to the Unpayable Debt that nobody wants to talk about. Vote for Joe "Dracula" Biden and the Vampire Liberals!
Taylor Swift is now my friend
She will now help Joe Biden win
The White House soon
Bill Katz, you bring up Taylor Swift.
I saw the Eras Tour movie twice. Taylor Swift's music contains hurt from violating men, men like Joe "penis finger" Biden (per Tara Reade) and Donald "penis finger" Trump (per Jean Carroll).
Compare the lyrics of this song by Taylor https://youtu.be/9eakEQSBR8o?si=7_ufMi7T8KdORl5p
with Natalie Imbruglia's cover of "Torn":
https://youtu.be/VV1XWJN3nJo?si=mZzSJFkJAZWTG2lX
Boo hoo Biden wins with Taylor’s help. And I’m writing a song about it. I’m not a Biden fan but compared to the ignorant monster he is running against, I’ll take it.
And what do I need to waste my time comparing lyrics for.
And I knew you were trouble… trouble…. Trouble when you walked in…
Go away now go away now go away now go away now
Oh… oh… oh… just go
Oh did I say now… go away now go away now go away now
Bill Katz,
Both songs are about rape.
Taylor's song, in general, gives an example of how women often avoid talking about the cold, hard facts of what happened. Tara Reade's story provides another example:
https://www.vox.com/2020/5/7/21248713/tara-reade-joe-biden-sexual-assault-accusation
John Schmeeckle: You are DISGUSTING!
But you don't find Biden's violation of Tara Reade to be disgusting. I used an anatomical phrase to describe what both Trump and Biden did.
Hahahahaha
Right.
You think Bill Katz is disgusting? Why?
Mary Baine Campbell!! OMG NO! John Schmemeeckle!!! Thank you for calling my attention to this -- have no idea how that happened.
Mary Baine Campbell: I've rectified the situation.
thx for the smile!
Blocking the tiresome Schmeekle.
How, just see report, which I have done.
Yes. How exactly?I too have reported.
I can tolerate different opinions, but not from Putniks. I avoid repub/putniks on tv as much as I can, but these cretins spoil the broth.
Click on his name. To the top right is 3 dots. I believe you must mute him first, then go back and block. It holds for about 1-2 days.
Reported to Substack Inc along with what I allege are Substack Inc's violations of Readers' contracts that could mediated under JAMS SF's confidentiality so Substack could get a private reading on their dwindling contractl defenses.
I asked their counsel to stipulate to Mediation per their very own Terms of Use under their own choice of California law.
I do it repeatedly and the idiot keeps showing up.
...said the dedicated Vampire Liberal, who doesn't want to be reminded where the money comes from.
Your money?
My money comes from my weekly paycheck as a truck driver. I drive through Georgia a lot, except for the southwest area.
Explains a lot about you
🙄
Earth III heard from - the land where the sky is green and the grass is blue.
Oh, you're talking about Moonbeam?
"It was all a bad dream spinning in your head":
https://youtu.be/jhat-xUQ6dw?si=MAsYPH3FLGLybu47
Good grief! Why don't you take your BS. somewhere else.
Because he gets attention here. He should only serve as reminder of what's out there.
Knocking on doors for candidates and listening to what people say is a good education of the range of our fellow Americans - and those are registered voters. Some doors you walk away scratching your head, some you step away from walking backwards. The majority of people are polite. Some are enlightening. And some are so heartening to have met at all that it makes the slog truly memorable.
Tamara Willigham Craige,
I suppose you'll sneer at this post too:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-2-2024/comment/48738269
Don’t let this Schmeck bother you. He’s just a poor little loser with no facts looking for some attention
🙄
I’m sorry sir you do not understand of what you speak.
Your not a cat person...are you John?
"Cat people":
https://youtu.be/m0ODoeBc04g?si=lAFR4yH4XkymA8bN
Here's some advice from Lucius:
https://youtu.be/4QSF8bgqgC4?si=cOeGb1D-ZBbBeyBf
And from 38 Special:
https://youtu.be/rTK7fIgoVn8?si=Ou_NFxEir7rFNOky
This song from Dido makes me think of the other side of the world:
https://youtu.be/_lrVymj9xHY?si=hJ5zubVe3auKzmHt
Haunting songs from Olivia Rodrigo
https://youtu.be/GlM6lcFbLSg?si=L2wIGFwVgs21L1NH
and Judy Collins (thanks Mom)
https://youtu.be/8L1UngfqojI?si=8_vDShPMcfXGNk2u
and Delerium
https://youtu.be/9w31cit2B1s?si=FBkj1qxFAqPrYJSW
and BOC
https://youtu.be/75bQlq4ewng?si=5GOyuG9OFMyhLCml
Johnson is defiant and is devoted to Trump. Hopefully Republicans can get him to cooperate.
Mike Johnson is way out of his depth, and he shows it every day.
HCR ignores the elegant statement of our Secretary of Defense. In decades of listening, I’ve heard nothing more tasteful, nothing more honest, nothing more meaningful. He apologized. He accepted accountability. He detailed his health and explained his reasons for speaking and for the quiet of his office, accepting his role and praising those that acted on their own, not at his behest. He explained the odds that affect Black vs white men and prostate cancer.
I love Secretary Austen. His leadership style offers a fresh perspective on leadership of the imperfect.
He is a good man, a warm, humble, humorous man of great integrity.
May his example teach America anew what President Abraham Lincoln sought at Gettysburg.
We are a good country, a good people at our best, and we err. To err is human. To forgive is divine.
Secretary Austin erred and he forgave today. He spoke the truth about his most personal life issues and an illness he has that threatens his life.
This Secretary demonstrates the wisdom of his President.
These two set the bar.
The world can be so hard on the wrong people. Sec Austin represents the best of what our country is all about.
It was a convenient distracting tool for those who seek them.
I can begin to imagine what Sec Austin’s days are like, to support democracy by helping Ukraine, organizing Allies/NATO/weapons procurement, containing the Middle East violence, preventing WW3, and has a routine prostate exam that turned into, “Hey we got a problem with your prostate ( that’s why we have check up exams with our docs) that we can fix as an outpatient right now, which then turned into a bigger problem and had to stay a few days to recover. Seems to me we need to give our SecDef the benefit of doubt and cut him some slack.
Ted, agree. Secretary's Lloyd James Austin III is honest. His personal elegance and integrity are a credit to our military, the president and the American people. The good people of America will pray for Secretary Austin and President Biden, two fine men in their 8th decade. We benefit from their courage, leadership, integrity, intelligence and decency. They are the best of America.
Sandy
Indeed we do.
I very much doubt a prostate cancer diagnosis was a distracting tool. What?
I think she means to say, media machine will post headlines for click bait vs fair reporting without final opinion judgements. Media presents the worse case to get clicks to pay their advertisers. They don’t get paid as much if it’s not so sensationalized.
I’m not sure the public understands how advertising metrics have changed given the internet competition. 1 click is a measurement which advertisers pay media in a hyper competitive constantly evolving “attention” market place/ economy. Our minds can’t grasp such a small micro second in time. It seems too small to be of any meaningful consequence.
Tool for the other side to pounce
Agree, I watched my husband, a very stoic man who was raised that showing emotion was for sissies, get the news that he has prostate cancer. Not just that, but that it was a very aggressive form of cancer. I understand Austens reaction. Humans do human things.
Really. He’s a man. He doesn’t want his prostate or his cancer discussed in public. As a WOCNurse and formerly of the ANC, I know how hard it is for men to address these issues, especially a General! Weakness is not in their domain. No, it wasn’t handled well. So get over it, America.
Not just men! I have/had a rare gynecological cancer. I do NOT discuss my cancer in specific terms with anyone except close friends and family. Most people just assume I had breast cancer. But I remember the days when that, too, was a taboo subject. My sympathy and compassion is with Sec. Austin.
“We” think we are owed the “truth,” about absolutely everything. We aren’t.
My step-mother went through something like that. I hope you are in the hands of a great surgeon and oncologist! My step-mother beat the odds! And I have tons of respect for The Cleveland Clinic, btw 😉.
Thank you, Dawna! My team at the James in Columbus is stellar. Despite my poor initial prognosis, I just hit the 2.5 year no evidence of disease milestone! I’m very happy for your stepmother and your family. Each success lifts all of us up and gives us hope.
That’s great news! They are getting SO much better at treatments and targeting of disease. It gives me a great sense of hope for all. Thanks!
Concur SB; we are so very fortunate.
Indeed we are .. Ted.
Austin delivered an exemplary speech. He received high praises from Lawrence O'Donnell the other night! The Rebs' call for his resignation have faded out on deaf ears. Personally i think this is an exaggerated story. Those "in the know" in his military administration were always fully informed. Not sure how this didn't routinely make it to the Oval Office.
What a difference between Austin, Milley and even Mattis, from the despicable Flynn.
Agree, but “HCR ignores…” isn’t fair. She wasn’t addressing the issue you mentioned. But you made your point well.
I listened to Austin's press conference several times on CSpan. In context and completely. And he may be 'all that' to you, but he is also a man who in a crisis put his personal feelings above his mission and above the protocols and procedures of his office. And actually taking responsibility for his profound dereliction and poor judgement would mean stepping down. Except Austin's dysfunction and bad action must be taken in context of today's worse Republican party. We cannot afford a confirmation process driven by the GOPMAGAGRU crowd.
To say Austin demonstrates the wisdom of the president is damning to the president.
Your remark reflects a narrow interpretation of the situation. You presume Austin is bereft the management skills that brought him to where he is.
Secretary Austin like any superior managers prepare for emergencies and ensure their staffs have full knowledge that reflect their principles. The 9/11 chaos of absent government in the midst of an emergency has created the realization that pre-ordained policy must be in place absent leadership.
Obviously the President must be satisfied with this and his executive ability is stellar.
I had supposed Austin’s decision was based on the ridiculous turmoil the gotcha Republican Press stirs with any opening in Biden’s administration.
"Secretary Austin like any superior managers prepare for emergencies and ensure their staffs have full knowledge that reflect their principles."
This may be true of Austin's performance in general. It certainly is not true, as he admits, in this case.
Austin's bumbling self justifications are unimpressive and it is necessary to ask what his 'taking responsibility' actually translates into. I am with the journalist who asked why Austin should be treated any differently from any other service member who had done what Austin did. A question Austin did not answer. The only answer is Republicans' intransigence would harm the national security more than Austin's has.
So lin....I am looking for that person you have in mind who has always made the correct decision. I am now impressed, after paying attention Republican shenanigans for the last two decades, with a person in public service who admits they made a mistake. Yes everyone 'should' arise above themselves...but do you?
Military strategical and tactical decisions are difficult and complex. And often made under dire conditions. There must be leeway in interpreting their relative success or failure. Austin had a relatively easy and simple decision to make. To follow protocol or not. He chose not to. It wasn't Republican shenanigans which forced Austin to, belatedly, admit his mistake. It was only because of public outcry and press scrutiny that Austin came forward. And besides having to make a public statement and try to spin sympathy - what content does his 'taking full responsibility' actually have?
Comparing the official acts of high ranking public officials to the actions of those who do not take those oaths of office is fallacious. There are different standards.
I agree....comparisons are fallacious (wow...what a word) in an ideal world. I'd like to hear what you have to say about Congressmen, their oaths of office and taking responsibility.
Amidst his failure, the command structure was in placed. DOD and American Policy went forward as planned. Not a pass, perhaps, IMHO. The guardrails were in place. The Secretary returned to duty.
If I understand you correctly. Yes a credit to a system which continued functioning despite Austin's failure.
Yes. My added thought is that this admin functions as a well-oiled team (I enjoy mixing metaphors) that doesn't require over scrutiny of details. A side-handed applaud. No hiccups. Austin made a personal bad decision. Responsibility stayed with him. Missions will continue. Biden's team is in place because of his leadership. He won't hit the big red button because of some age-related issue and all hell will not break loose. Can't be said of the other guy.
Military systems, obviously by necessity rely on spread decisions that rely on General Orders and instant application of set protocols.
Like any Military Leader Secretary Austin’s own Public Relations\ appearances are not the stellar performances the entertainment world has trained us to expect.
George C. Scott was a better General Patton than the original- right?
I know some people who post here believe that our every action and word are fully rational choices that must be held to account. After teaching about the consequences of stress overload on the body and mind, I am much more charitable about missteps by people who have demonstrated their good heart and mind. The proof is in their reactions, later, to those missteps. They can double-down, fabricate and distract (like TFG) or they can explain, apologize, and do better. Such individuals do not require punishment but rather support - while we watch their future words and deeds to evaluate that they do, indeed, do better. Just my two cents.
lin.. We disagree, totally.. I, too, have reviewed the press conference tape and film.
Thanks for pointing out the goodness
Austin is a corporate MIC tool, just like his boss.
Sad these B holes have found this sight
I like the sight on this site.
I think you meant site. And what part of Raytheon, don’t you understand?
You are correct about my misspelling. What does the intellectual research by Raytheon have to do with ignorant and incendiary commentary?
Nothing ignorant about it. You find it incendiary because of your ignorance about Austin and Raytheon. Do your homework.
Thank you for this excellent essay, Heather. Your writing is so clear and comprehensible. It's a pleasure to read. I think President Biden is doing exactly the right things by the actions he's taking. His words mean something: he means what he says. He will follow through; no empty words from him. I'm so glad he's our president. All of his experience stands him in good stead for unexpected crises.
I am thankful that Biden is President and the strike does not require the Congress approval. He should use the same logic of the US security to fund Ukraine.
Biden is just another typical American Empire president; pursuing global hegemony at the point of a gun.
https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/biden-says-the-us-does-not-seek-conflict
“It is a bit odd, then, that the US president announced the beginning of this new series of airstrikes with a statement which claims “The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world.” Conflict in the middle east is what the US empire does. The entire US empire is held together by endless conflict, especially in resource-rich regions where strategic control is necessary to retain planetary hegemony. The US empire is conflict.
Saying the US does not seek conflict in the middle east is like saying the Kardashians do not seek attention. It’s like saying Jeff Bezos doesn’t seek money. It’s like saying the Hamburglar doesn’t seek hamburgers. It’s kind of their thing. To make such a ridiculous claim while actively raining military explosives upon the middle east, in “retaliation” for an attack which the people you’re bombing didn’t even commit, is just extra icing on the cake of ridiculousness.
From Gaza to Iraq to Syria to Iran to Yemen, conflict in the middle east is the US empire’s bread and butter. The most murderous power structure on the planet continually paints itself as a poor little victim of any backlash against its abuses and as an innocent passive witness to the suffering it orchestrates, but nobody who’s involved in that many acts of violence has ever been interested in peace.”
How convenient for you to “forget” the context and history of this proxy war. It was trump and Netanyahu, WITH PUTIN’S CONSENT, who provoked this war by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem—against advice from all diplomatic sources. In exchange, AND ON THE SAME DAY, Putin formally invaded Crimea, even driving one of the trucks in the convoy. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL.
Perhaps "invade" isn't the right word for Crimea, where the predominantly Russian population welcomed the Russians.
Dawna is, as Lewis Black would say, confuuuused.
But she is, as noted by her proclivity towards all caps emphasis, enthusiastic in her confusion. To her credit, she called the Gaza genocide a proxy war; but that could have been more confusion on her part. We’ll need further commentary to pin that down.
Go ahead and try to bully me—if you don’t have anything more than innuendo and unfounded BS, you can take those capital letters and stick ‘em sideways. I can already tell you’ve reached the boundaries of your “education” on the matter.
Bless your heart, Dawna, it must be tough to think you’re being bullied when someone points out your ignorance, but then, that’s the mark of a subconscious lack of confidence in your own ‘understanding’ of the geopolitical realm.
I can already tell by the response to my all caps comments that you are quick to pull the ‘I am somebody’ defensive response, a sideways acknowledgment of your cognitive deficiencies, as it were.
You keep digging your hole here, and I’ll continue to point out the lunacy inherent in your shoveling technique. The fact that you blocked me shows where your boundaries lie; take your ball and go home.
Sometimes proxies have minds of their own, too.
And here we have an idiosyncratic fallacy of logic. . .
Troll, troll, troll
How convenient , thank you Dawna, that you are stuck in the past and do not see what is happening in the present. Your, and others refusal to hear and understand what is happening now is what gives fodder to our enemies. Which gives credence to a move towards fascism.
Living in the past weakens democracy...and is a refusal of a more humanitarian future.
Though I understand your itemization of the USs past sins....it clouds current opportunities and enables trumpet. I cannot stomach the idea of trumpets finger on our nuclear weapons, or overseeing the future of our environment, or future foreign policy or the destruction of our federal agencies (perhaps not perfectly) that served as the guardrail against trumpets fascism.
You think things were bad in the past... whoa boy...it can get genocidally, cataclysmically worse.
Try being specific. It wasn’t so long ago that tRump et al moved that embassy to Jerusalem despite the advice of professional diplomats. And Putin’s formal invasion of Crimea happened the same day—not a coincidence. Of course, tRump used this provocative move to appease his supporters among conservative and Orthodox Jews—the “liberal” Jews, instead, got a curse and a threat from Trump just this last Rosh Hashanah because they understood the implications. So, clarify yourself, because you and your disparaging “trumpets” make no sense. Furthermore, one sign of a poor, illogical argument is having to resort to Ad hominem fallacy. Your appeal carries no weight, Susan.
Dawna,
I have never before seen the argument that moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and Russia's re-absorbing Crimea were coordinated or the result of a quid pro quo. I think it's possible that one of them took advantage of the other to move. I haven't looked at the timeline details.
Well, do the reading and look up the deadlines. Just because YOU haven’t seen it actually counts for nothing.
If you know of a news source that argues what you say, then maybe it's more than just a conspiracy theory.
Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian journalist without credentials. She yammers with hyperbole and innuendo--and you are echoing it. Legitimate references involve factual reports from experts in their field.
Actually, I heard that the Hamburgler is worried about his cholesterol level.
And off on a tangent, I have to imagine that Biden's recent show of imperial might in Syria and Iraq is not unlike policeman George Orwell's predicament when he "just had to" shoot an elephant because all the Burmese villagers expected it.
America MUST rain retribution from the heavens if ill-placed American soldiers get killed, or we (and Biden) lose face and clout.
"Shooting an Elephant":
https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/shooting-an-elephant/
I’ve lost track of the number of times a Democrat has pushed or supported a stupid foreign policy action based on a fear that not doing so would result in them being labeled as ‘weak’ by a political opponent.
A significant "stealth" portion of our military aid to Israel consists of holding the border crossing between Iraq and Syria to block Iranian weapons and supplies from moving through.
I'll suggest that the Establishment pulled the plug on Trump in 2020 because he didn't follow through on his commitment to break Iran.
Biden is their Ukraine guy and our involvement there is winding down. They have to be calculating the benefits of throwing Biden under the bus and re-leasing the Oval Office to a chastened and wealth-stripped Trump, as long as he promises to gut Social Security and Medicare.
I think the establishment, both political and security state, pulled the plug on Trump shortly after he was inaugurated in ‘17, when both realized he was a loose cannon, and would require as much constant attention as would a toddler from a parent. You might be right about the political side (monied interests) side of the establishment; the security state side doesn’t give a crap about SS & Medicare, and still would have qualms about his shoot from hip unpredictability, see Syria.
Above both the political establishment and the security state are "the families." Ferdinand Lundberg's book "America's 60 Families" is good, but very old. More recent is "George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography." Bush was born into a family of high-level servitors of the Harriman family, involved with the Eugenics movement and Nazi military financing.
Bush was groomed to be an Establishment man at the center of power; he was both a congressman and CIA Director. Bill Clinton was a junior partner in Bush's "Contra" cocaine smuggling operation.
Joe Biden is just an Establishment minion without Family connections. Tiny Delaware, with all its corporate headquarters, is a suburb of Wall Street. They put a young guy (Biden) in the Senate where he stayed and rose to become a committee chairman. He's disposable, and might already be on his way out.
Indeed, Hiro.
Biden has just stupidly whacked a pair of hornets' nests, guaranteeing more American casualties as we deplete our store of munitions in reserve to bail out Netanyahu when he goes full on against Hezbollah.
Bloodthirsty vampires say: Vote for Bellicose Biden's Body Bags!!
Hahaha.
Better to be quiet and thought a fool than to be loud and confirm it.
Best to decline a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent. Don’t feed the trolls, unless you're very bored.
I suppose you'll mock this post, too:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-2-2024/comment/48738269
No—it was Netanyahu and Trump & Kushner’s (long-time, family friends of Netanyahu) who “whacked the hornet’s nest.” This is a proxy war that Biden inherited from the right wing, holier-than-thou voters who wanted the embassy moved to Jerusalem.
By the way, with "hornets' nest" I was referring to Biden's very recent missile strike on the territory of Syria and Iraq -- two countries that want our military occupation to end, but we refuse to leave.
John Schmeeckle -- It would be a good idea if you listened to the facts of those strikes, and why they were precisely and very carefully chosen!! Listen to something in addition to far right "news" and "commentary." It is all readily available.
He’s a troll and considers a wingnut from Australia as a legitimate reference.
Judith Smith,
You make a confusing referrnce to far right news. What on Earth are you talking about? My inference is that Biden warned the Iranians exactly where we were going to strike, to avoid Iranian casualties.
As opposed to your Putin loving Pukes?
The world must be 2 -dimensional cartoon for you.
Dawna,
Why would you say that? My views on a variety of issues are in my "notes" here:
https://substack.com/profile/85178460-john-schmeeckle/notes
How convenient for you to “forget” the context and history of this proxy war. It was trump and Netanyahu, WITH PUTIN’S CONSENT, who provoked this war by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem—against advice from all diplomatic sources. In exchange, AND ON THE SAME DAY, Putin formally invaded Crimea, even driving one of the trucks in the convoy. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL.
I answered your other post where you said the same thing:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-2-2024/comment/48745799
Oh, so Ukraine is not a sovereign nation? A great majority of US Citizens have German roots—does that make us a German nation? Russian policy of transplanting ethnic groups into regions is old news. Placing Germans into the Pale didn’t make the area German—oh, and much of that population emigrated to the US. . . That doesn’t make the states/country a domain of Germany.
p.p.s. I have said more about Ukraine and Russia on this thread from a couple days ago:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-31-2024/comment/48590602#comment-48619853?utm_source=activity_item
p.s. Crimea, predominantly Russian (ethnically) and a part of Russia for two centuries, got arbitrarily "transferred" to Ukraine by the Soviet leader Kruschev in the 1950s.
Dawna, perhaps you are unaware of the complicated history of border entanglements involving Ukraine and Russia in the Soviet era, starting in 1917.
Beyond that, perhaps you are already aware that, historically, Ukrainians and Russians are THE SAME PEOPLE.
Don't lose sight of the fact that MAGA is our Hamas, our ISIS, our Hezbollah. This is not the time to be clutching pearls and hugging dream catchers.
There are some distinct parallels there, aren't there.
While it’s aggravating to be drawn into these people’s game, any president who declined to respond with force would dismiss any hope of reelection.
Of course this decision has a political component. But it is much more than that. Being the Commander in Chief is tough. Imagine having to make these decisions. I am heartened by the Biden administration and the thought that the president has competent advisors.
Were it not for Republican dysfunction, disgraceful behavior, and Mike Johnson (Leonard Leo's legislative MiniMe) et al's agenda for an American clerical fascist dystopia, I'd say Congress should be formally part of this.
Marshall. Rafferty, a sad, good point. Looking forward to human evolution.
I shared a thought on the election in a reply to another reader:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-2-2024/comment/48736720
I'm very glad that the US made sure they were military targets we attacked, no civilian casualties. We need to stand firm, not careless
Yes, the critical point.
Yeah, because we’ve never said that before, and come to find out there were civilian casualties. We don’t care about civilian casualties, never have. We’re lobbing missiles in support of Israel, which obviously doesn’t care about civilian casualties either.
Everyone is anti-war, until the war propaganda starts.
John Kirby is a propaganda stooge.
I just looked it up, there is a "possibility" there may have been 16 civilian casualties, but there is no confirmation. I certainly hope no innocents were killed or injured, but I prefer to wait until we know one way or another before believing in possibilities.
Not about belief. I just look at our track record. Not pretty.
We bomb. We say we don’t target civilians. Civilians die. We lie or underestimate civilian casualties. Truth comes out later. No one cares. We bomb….
Rinse. Repeat.
Tom High: "Targeting civilians" is quite different from civilians being killed collaterally. The US does *not* "target" civilians.
Surely you jest. We’ve done that since Hiroshima.
We do that in our absurd ‘war on terror’ every chance we get. If we really cared about civilian casualties, we’d send a team of Seal Team assassins after every target we identify, but our casualties would result in public opposition, so we choose the sanitized route, wherein civilians are just some acceptable carnage from an air strike. If there is a scintilla of a chance civilians will die as a result of a drone strike, those civilians are most certainly targeted.
Ain’t a damn bit of difference, to the dead and their families, between being a target and collateral damage. If it makes you feel better about it to believe American propaganda, at least you’ve got lots of company.
https://twitter.com/codepink/status/1753549378353008833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1753549378353008833%7Ctwgr%5E9bcb1fa23d980674cb6ecf0cde390b7adf30b012%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fbiden-syria-iraq
Tom High: And what would you have had us do? Sit in a corner sucking our thumbs, "It's wrong wrong wrong to strike back?" Inarguably, any loss of human life is intolerable. I hate any war as much as most of the next persons. But the attack on us 2/2 demanded a response -- a "retaliation". I'm not normally a tit for tat, eye for an eye person. But in this case, it's different IMO.
Here's how the attack on Feb 2nd is described in Wikipedia (I'm doing this for my own benefit because my memory is very unreliable and important details are often lost) : "On 2 February 2024, the United States Air Force launched a series of airstrikes targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Iran-backed militia groups located in Iraq and Syria. The attack was launched in retaliation to a drone strike carried out by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeting US troops in Jordan the week before which killed three U.S. troops." [The Islamic Resistance is active in both Iraq and Syria.]
I cannot pretend or claim to know **anything** about war strategies. I can only go by what my gut tells me with some better-or-worse judgement thrown in (you're doing the same thing, unless you happen to have a PhD in warfare.)
By the way, slipping in that reference to Hiroshima was a bit over the top . The only apt comparison is that everyone (even this then-10-year-old) knew that something was going to happen with one of those atomic bombs being tested by J. Robert Oppenheimer, starting with Trinity. We just didn't know where or when. Everyone tuned into to their radios for news (which in those days was not 24/7). Waiting for whatever was to come -- a 'real' bomb to drop? Somewhere? My god it was a beyond-horrific experience, once (well, twice) in a lifetime, where the consequences of our actions were seen by the entire world. And thank Heaven, Earth and Humanity it hasn't happened since. The extraordinary loss of humanity. O.M.G.
So, I'll revise my comment (and please don't quibble with this -- just agree to disagree): The US in this latest strike in Syria and Iraq did not deliberately target civilians.
I am glad we responded, but now I’m kind of terrified.
Yes, this is definitely terrifying but at the very least, I feel some relief that we have an extremely capable administration in charge. The thought of a re-occupation of the WH by trump scares the living bejesus out of me. It is unimaginable the terror and collapse we would experience at home as well as on a global basis.
Indeed. Yes, indeed.
"Extremely capable"? Biden is stumbling toward World War III in defense of American imperialist military bases. He had to wait several days to counter-attack because it's hard to scrape up the munitions we used. Now our stocks are further depleted, as the flames of war spread through the Middle East, and we'll have trouble "getting it up" for the next round, unless we go nuclear against Iran, but maybe that's the plan.
The Biden administration is insanely suicidal and morally depraved.
Once again, Biden walks on water and is accused of being unable to swim.
The easiest role today is being a “Saturday Morning Quarterback!”
Vampire Liberals suck.
Mommie called - she wants her computer back little Schmeekle.
Can we just give up on Schmeeckle-the-Troll? He’s not worth the trouble; he has bupkis to offer in terms of a factual conversation.
Well done
Good grief! Take you BS somewhere else. No one here wants to hear your ridiculousness.
It's ever so much more comfortable with your head in the sand.
Hahahaha
Silly man has a sad. ☹️
Beth Cobb,
I suppose you'll mock this post, too:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-2-2024/comment/48738269
18th time you've posted this.
Liar.
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-2-2024/comment/48765865
Did anyone notice how Schmeeckle only uses a heathercoxrichardson post as a reference? Does he not read actual news reports, referenced materials & books? I’m trying to find his note re: Ancient Greek history, just for kicks and giggles. The current war in Israel is a PROXY WAR with Iran & Russia. Esoteric references of Ancient Greek battles don’t answer current events.
A proxy war with Iran, but not Russia. References to Athenian brutal domination of their allies can be easily found.
I agree with you.
Me, too.
'Over 800 Officials in U.S. and Europe Sign Letter Protesting Israel Policies (NYTimes)
The document was signed by government employees in 12 nations and E.U. institutions. Signers say their leaders’ policies could be contributing to war crimes in Gaza.' (NYTimes)
By Edward Wong and Matina Stevis-Gridneff
Edward Wong reported from Washington, and Matina Stevis-Gridneff from Brussels.
Feb. 2, 2024Updated 3:53 p.m. ET
'More than 800 officials in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union released a public letter of dissent on Friday against their governments’ support of Israel in its war in Gaza.
The letter is the first instance of officials in allied nations across the Atlantic coming together to openly criticize their governments over the war, say current and former officials who are organizing or supporting the effort.'
'The officials say that it is their duty as civil servants to help improve policy and to work in their nations’ interests, and that they are speaking up because they believe their governments need to change direction on the war. The signers say they have raised concerns through internal channels but have been ignored.'
“Our governments’ current policies weaken their moral standing and undermine their ability to stand up for freedom, justice and human rights globally,” the letter says, according to a copy obtained Thursday by The New York Times. It adds that “there is a plausible risk that our governments’ policies are contributing to grave violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes and even ethnic cleansing or genocide.”
'The Israeli military launched a bombing and ground campaign in Gaza after Hamas fighters invaded Israel on Oct. 7 and killed about 1,200 people while abducting about 240, Israeli officials said. More than 27,000 people in Gaza have been killed and nearly 2 million have been displaced since Israel’s offensive began, according to the health ministry in Gaza and United Nations officials.'
'The document does not include the names of signers because they fear reprisal, said one organizer, an official who has worked in the State Department for more than two decades. But about 800 current officials have given approval to the letter as it has quietly circulated among employees at the national level in multiple countries, the official said.'
'The effort reveals the extent to which pro-Israel policies among American, British and European leaders have stirred dissent among civil servants, including many who carry out the foreign policies of their governments.'
'About 80 of the signers are from American agencies, with the biggest group being from the State Department, one organizer said. The governing authority most represented among the signers is the collective European Union institutions, followed by the Netherlands and the United States.'
'National-level officials from eight other member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, as well as Sweden and Switzerland, have approved the letter, said another person familiar with the letter. Most of those supporters work in the foreign ministries of those nations.'
'The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.'
“The political decision-making of Western governments and institutions” over the war “has created unprecedented tensions with the expertise and duty that apolitical civil servants bring to bear,” said Josh Paul, who worked in the State Department bureau that oversees arms transfers but who resigned in October over the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s military campaign. Mr. Paul said he knew the organizers of the letter.'
“One-sided support for Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, and a blindness to Palestinian humanity, is both a moral failure and, for the harm it does to Western interests around the globe, a policy failure,” he said.
Robert Ford, a former U.S. ambassador to Algeria and Syria who resigned in 2014 over the Obama administration’s Syria policy, said he had never seen a cross-border dissent letter like this new one in three decades of working at the State Department.'
'He added that some diplomats had learned a lesson from the run-up to the Iraq War begun by President George W. Bush: that keeping quiet about objections to misguided policies or not going public with them when the stakes are high could contribute to a disastrous outcome.
“When war is looming that is very problematic on many levels, I can see why people are speaking out,” he said.'
'U.S. officials released a few similar letters and dissenting messages last fall. In November, more than 500 employees of about 40 U.S. government agencies sent a letter to President Biden criticizing his policies on the war. In that letter, the officials also did not reveal their names.'
'More than 1,000 employees of the United States Agency for International Development released an open letter along the same lines. And dozens of State Department officials have sent at least three internal dissent cables to Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.'
'Across the Atlantic, dissent among European officials has also broken through in the months since Israel’s military response in Gaza after the attack on Oct. 7.'
'In the European Union, which maintains a joint diplomatic corps known as the European External Action Service, as well as agencies dealing with humanitarian aid and development, hundreds of officials have signed at least two separate letters of dissent to the bloc’s leadership. Unlike the United States, the European Union does not maintain “dissent channels” for officials to formally register their disagreement with policy.'
'The 27 E.U. countries, and their joint institutions, have taken diverging stances on the war, but a majority of governments are largely pro-Israel.'
'Only a handful of E.U. nations — prominently Ireland, Spain and Belgium — have consistently called on their partners and the union to moderate support for Israel, push for a cease-fire and focus on Gazans’ suffering.'
'van der Woude, a former Dutch diplomat, said she wanted to speak out on behalf of the active civil servants who had signed the letter anonymously because they feared retribution for dissenting.'
'Ms. van der Woude, a conflict and peacekeeping expert who had served in the Dutch Foreign Ministry, including in its mission in Ramallah, in the West Bank, resigned in 2022 to protest her government’s policy. She has since been a prominent pro-Palestinian voice in the Netherlands.'
'Ms. van der Woude said that dissent in situations like the Israel-Hamas conflict, even among the ranks of civil servants who tend to work behind the scenes and take political direction from elected governments, was justified if the policies being adopted were seen as harmful.'
“Being a civil servant doesn’t absolve you from your responsibility to keep on thinking,” she said. “When the system produces perverse decisions or actions, we have a responsibility to stop it. It’s not as simple as ‘shut up and do what you’re told’; we’re also paid to think.” (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/us/politics/protest-letter-israel-gaza.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Sk0.6bpq.HGu_QGrZ84jH&bgrp=a&smid=url-share
Thank you for this posting. I hope our president is aware of the letter(s).
He's met with Heather twice thst I k ow of I expect he is. He actually reads and stuff.
If my memory serves me correctly, President Biden requested Heather Cox Richardson to come to the White House and interview him!! He seems to have a very high regard for her. I've been wondering if he consults with her more on a private base.
Those 800 are certainly well organized, but they lack the courage of their convictions in not signing their names. I suspect them of neoNazi type leanings. If they were asked, would they deny it? Could the 80 in the US be those planted in our administration by tfg during his 4 toxic years? If they are serious, they need to step forward.
Your assumption of 'neoNazi' backing for the letter has no basis from my readings. Please backup your claim if you can substantiate it. Thank you.
I agree, Fern. In fact, I think Biden needs (and secretly welcomes) this dissent in order to convince Nee-don't-wanto to stop his vicious murder of Palestinians.
The only thing that will stop Bibi is a legitimate threat to cut off military aid. Biden/Blinken refuse to go there, a big reason that this is an election year, and that announcement would create a firestorm of criticism, and Biden is a self proclaimed Zionist, both hurl-worthy reasons.
Biden/Blinken are playing the part of fools here, evil ones at that.
No Tom, not a fool, just a politician and leader with NO good choices, no choices which would avoid clear legitimate criticism from one quarter or another. So far, NO options have been promulgated which all would or could accept. The 2-state solution sounds like the closest one except that neither party to the conflict wants it nor will accept it.
No good choices, John?
Biden could use the Fulbright program so Americans could help schools around the world so students learning English could learn to see "others" as individuals in their cultures.
It's a choice.
We've chosen instead to keep academe in neutered silos, in group identity departments, in deference to dark money, so billionaires rule in consort with oligarchs, dictators, nationalists.
Standardized testing rules in almost all countries (not Finland). People are numbers, units, packageable. Computers do all the grading.
These are all choices, John.
Everyone requires the other side to be above reproach while we cut our side some slack.
Reading these comments makes me feel we need a political equivalent to the golden rule:
Say things about others in the way you would want them to say things about you.
In reality every case requires a separate assessment of right and wrong. Parts of the US have done grievous harm. Parts have done powerful good. We can’t judge the whole by the parts.
The same is true of Russia. Although the vicious parts appear to have thorough control.
We never know the whole story. I admire HCR because she brings a far-sighted perspective to events the same day.
There are three types of people who have a hard time with HCR: 1) partisans. 2) people who want a less complex or ambiguous world view. 3) people who have a particular issue in mind that they can’t let go. I try to pay attention to the third group.
You never fully know who’s in which group so I try not to take this seriously. But I like it when the commenters disagree.
Highly unlikely to be tfg "plants". Bob Ford joined the Foreign Service in 1985. Honest and honorable, serving for years in North Africa and the Middle East. And highly probable, like many of us, to be heartbroken by this whole mess.
Have any of those who produced these letters offered a viable alternative to current US and EU policy?
The Letter itself poses the alternative of their governments not supporting Israeli's conduct in its war as it pertains to the children and adults living and dying in Gaza.
FERN: thanks for this important share. The details are stunning.
Total change of subject: is the Edward Yong who’s listed as a writer the same person as Ed Yong who wrote “An Immense World?” I’m reading that right now for a book club and it really is a nice to feel awe and beauty for a change!
Marge, one of the reporters of this article is Edward Wong, not 'Yong'. Ed Yong the author of 'An Immense World' is a science journalist. Articles of his can be seen on Atlantic Magazine.
I misread
Thank you for staying up to bring this to us Heather. As always, clear and concise. I can sleep on that. The Pinapple Express is getting ready to stop in LA late tomorrow night. Batten down the hatches.
It’s howling in Maui!
According to Windy, you are on the tail of a tiger!
Please explain?
The atmospheric river. It is dumping massively on the West coast. The tail end is trailing over Hawaaii. Windy is a global weather tracking APP.
Thank you. I’m aware of the West Coast weather and have the excellent Windy app, but I didn’t know what “Tail of the Tiger”means. Pretty easy to guess though ! 😊
Windy has become my new adiction. Hurricane tracker and webcams all over the world? OMG, not enough hours in a day to even sleep!
Paia Bay was honkin' and massive surf a couple of days go. It looks nice out the now. I love my Windy web cams!
In Colorado, overnight, we just got an inch of rain. In February.
We have shown tremendous restraint and the risk of an even greater escalation of war in the Middle East is a real possibility and closer/scarier than ever, but a NY Times photo and caption: "Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry, the oldest active-duty unit in the Army traditionally known as “'the Old Guard,'” carefully returned the fallen troops to American soil." captures the justified reason for striking back.
I know Heather will include the judge's delay of trump's federal trial in its appropriate context but this really boils my blood. There are ZERO valid reasons for delaying any of trumps' trials. When the heck is our judicial system actually going to work?! https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/judge-will-delay-trumps-federal-trial-court-considers-presidential-imm-rcna137045
The judge had to delay because the Appeals Court has not returned a decision on Trump's presidential immunity "argument" that no president can every be prosecuted for any action/crime done while in office. The judge had no choice but to delay; the Appeals Court, on the other hand, has had a choice and has delayed their judgment.
Our judicial system has failed us.
I really don’t get why the Appeals court is sitting on this decision. Are they afraid?
On chump’s payroll.
My hope is that it is to so thoroughly debunk the idea of immunity for Trump that SCOTUS will pass on hearing it.
I think so--afraid and beholden .
Trump is merely stalling to push trials past the November election. It concerns me that so many in Congress,state legislators and other elected officials are complicit in this plan. Democracy is at stake!
Our government has been hijacked by fools and charlatans. So has this substack to some extent.
Jeri, there are fools and charlatans here, but I don’t believe they’ve hijacked us. We know who they are and we are quite capable of rational arguments with them. I’m just not sure we should always engage. They want us to (engage and get upset), but they won’t listen to anything we say, so what’s the point, really.
No engagement from me. We have no time to waste on provocateurs..
Actually, these responses don’t bother me. If they’re consistently out there or really nasty, I just pass them by rather than responding. I’d rather read them here than have them fester on sites I can’t bring myself to visit. If anything, they make me more secure in my beliefs. Sometimes, they make me think beyond my core beliefs and investigate further, which is a good thing IMHO, and decide whether they have value to me. I’m usually suspicious of ‘always’ or ‘never’ statements or those that provide no references.
Hopefully we all can accept and engage in what Joyce Vance refers to as “civil discourse.” We’ve been sorely missing that for years.
Maybe it's the definition of civil that I am misunderstanding. When I can't read anything that seems like more than a blurb from Putin, I give.
These are hijackers that can be ignored. The absence of replies to them defuses the spread of the virus
Dave, exactly!
'WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military launched an air assault on dozens of sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Friday, in the opening salvo of retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend.'
'The massive barrage of strikes hit more than 85 targets at seven locations, including command and control headquarters, intelligence centers, rockets and missiles, drone and ammunition storage sites and other facilities that were connected to the militias or the IRGC’s Quds Force, the Guard’s expeditionary unit that handles Tehran’s relationship with and arming of regional militias. And President Joe Biden made it clear in a statement that there will be more to come.'
'The U.S. strikes appeared to stop short of directly targeting Iran or senior leaders of the Revolutionary Guard Quds Force within its borders, as the U.S. tries to prevent the conflict from escalating even further. Iran has denied it was behind the Jordan attack.
It was unclear what the impact will be of the strikes. Days of U.S. warnings may have sent militia members scattering into hiding. With multiple groups operating at various locations in several countries, a knockout blow is unlikely.'
'Though one of the main Iran-backed militias, Kataib Hezbollah, said it was suspending attacks on American troops, others have vowed to continue fighting, casting themselves as champions of the Palestinian cause while the war in Gaza shows no sign of ending.'
“Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing,” Biden warned, adding, “let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.” He and other top U.S. leaders had been saying for days that any American response wouldn’t be just one hit but a “tiered response” over time.'
'National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the targets “were carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties and based on clear, irrefutable evidence that they were connected to attacks on U.S. personnel in the region.” He declined to detail what that evidence was.
The strikes took place over about 30 minutes, and three of the sites struck were in Iraq and four were in Syria, said Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Staff.'
'U.S. Central Command said the assault involved more than 125 precision munitions, and they were delivered by numerous aircraft, including long-range B-1 bombers flown from the United States. Sims said weather was a factor as the U.S. planned the strikes in order to allow the U.S. to confirm it was hitting the right targets and avoiding civilian casualties.'
'It’s not clear, however, whether militia members were killed.'
“We know that there are militants that use these locations, IRGC as well as Iranian-aligned militia group personnel,” Sims said. “We made these strikes tonight with an idea that there would likely be casualties associated with people inside those facilities.”
'Syrian state media reported that there were casualties but did not give a number. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 18 militants were killed in the Syria strikes.'
'Iraqi army spokesman Yahya Rasool said in a statement that the city of al-Qaim and areas along the country’s border with Syria had been hit by U.S. airstrikes. The strikes, he said, “constitute a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and undermine the efforts of the Iraqi government, posing a threat that will pull Iraq and the region to undesirable consequences.”
'Kirby said that the U.S. alerted the Iraqi government prior to carrying out the strikes.
The assault came ust hours after Biden and top defense leaders joined grieving families to watch as the remains of the three Army Reserve soldiers were returned to the U.S. at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.'
'Just Friday morning, Iran’s hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi reiterated earlier promises by Tehran to potentially retaliate for any U.S. strikes targeting its interests. We “will not start a war, but if a country, if a cruel force wants to bully us, the Islamic Republic of Iran will give a strong response,” Raisi said.'
'In a statement this week, Kataib Hezbollah announced “the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government.” But that assertion clearly had no impact on U.S. strike plans. Harakat al-Nujaba, one of the other major Iran-backed groups, vowed Friday to continue military operations against U.S. troops.'
'The U.S. has blamed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a broad coalition of Iran-backed militias, for the attack in Jordan, but hasn’t narrowed it down to a specific group. Kataib Hezbollah is, however, a top suspect.'
'Some of the militias have been a threat to U.S. bases for years, but the groups intensified their assaults in the wake of Israel’s war with Hamas following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage. The war has led to the deaths of more than 27,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and has inflamed the Middle East.'
'Iran-backed militia groups throughout the region have used the conflict to justify striking Israeli or U.S. interests, including threatening civilian commercial ships and U.S. warships in the Red Sea region with drones or missiles in almost daily exchanges.'
'Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said “this is a dangerous moment in the Middle East.” He said the U.S. will take all necessary actions to defend its interests and people, and warned, “At this point, it’s time to take away even more capability than we’ve taken in the past.”
As of Tuesday, Iran-backed militia groups had launched 166 attacks on U.S. military installations since Oct. 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, according to a U.S. military official. The last attack was Jan. 29 at al-Asad airbase in Iraq, and there were no injuries or damage.'
'The U.S., meanwhile, has bolstered defenses at Tower 22, the base in Jordan that was attacked by Iran-backed militants on Sunday, according to a U.S. official. While previous U.S. responses in Iraq and Syria have been more limited, the deaths of the three service members in Jordan crossed a line, the official said.' (AP)
Wow Fern! Thank you for posting what we know thus far. Getting it in front of us so we can take another look helps.
Fern, thank you for, once again, fleshing out the information that HCR has presented—and using the solid source Associated Press.
We cannot forget that Russia is watching.
Actually, eight-five plus (85+) strikes ( eastenr Syria & wester Iraq) starting at midnight 2/3 local time. Note, there were no strikes on the Lebanon border nor specifically at Hezbollah targets per AP, The Guardian & MSNBC
The r egion is a complex War theater with multiple proxies, local 'militias' & nation state players involved over a wide region
Thank You Fern.
I do not support Hamas in. any way. However, I think our level of support for Israel will get us into more trouble. Israel is committing atrocities in Gaza and has 300+ illegal settlements (settlements it promised not to create, too) in the West Bank and has made Palestinians second class citizens in a land that once was theirs. Israel has no interest in a two-state solution in which Palestinians would have legitimate sovereignty comparable to Israel's which, as we all know was arbitrarily created for them. We are paying the price for failing to create a sovereign Palestine at that time. If Israel's actions don't change, there will be no peace. It insane to keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
I am still in the dark as to why Biden, whom I support on almost all issues, save supporting Netanyahu’s war, continues to not set a limit. Driving a million civilians into a small confined area, and then bombing them, as we all know is a war crime. But we continue to sit on our hands while 27,000 mostly women and children have been killed. If we cannot see the damage this is wreaking across generations into the future, we are truly blind. Now the Israeli govt is planning to bomb Rafah. America must stand against this. Biden must stand against it much more strongly than he has.
Diplomacy, as Obama learned to his regret, is not about unilaterally 'setting limits.' It's about building coalitions. Which Biden and Blinken are doing. While moving the administration's position forward. For example in the UN where we have moved from opposing the call for a ceasefire, to abstaining on the call, to now joining the call for a ceasefire.
Instead of castigating Biden, American activists should unite in unrelenting pressure to call for a cessation of hostilities, increased aid to the people of Gaza, cuts in military aid to the Netanyahu regime, marginalization of both Hamas and the Netanyahu regime, and calls for sovereign geographically autonomous Israeli and Palestinian states.
As leader in chief of the USA, his voice and decisions matter. How long do the refugees in Gaza need to wait for us to say enough, “ no more $$ , no more support until you stop bombing civilians.”. Some tend to see only one solution to violence… more violence.
I am not castigating Biden. I am asking “why”? I have written the WH and my senators at least 20 times. How many more children need to die or lose their families before our leaders see that Netanyahu is not a champion of democracy, nor of Israel.
And what another commenter wrote, we are losing the young, and black and progressive votes. They will not forget. Why? Because they read the API, Times, Wash Post and see what is and has been happening. I’m not sure if it is age that neuters our hearts against the ending of young innocent souls, with no voice shouting “cease fire”. But young people haven’t lost their hearts and it is extremely difficult for them to reconcile Biden’s lack of urgency and his inaction, when even our democratic neighboring nations and the UN are calling for a ceasefire.
I will vote against Trump by voting for Biden. I write postcards encouraging voters to register and vote Blue.
But this does not answer my original question. And still the news reports more daily bombing.
In response to the Hamas atrocities of Oct 7, Netanyahu might have forgone a military response and called on the world to release the hostages. In response to Israel's assault on Gaza, Hamas might have put down their weapons and called on the world to constrain Netanyahu. Both these things were possible and preferable. Both sides chose slaughter. No one person, no one nation, can stop people from slaughtering each other until they tire of blood running through the streets. That was an Ugandan journalist's comment on Bosnia. It still holds. This may be the moment for Israelis and Palestinians.
Diplomacy cannot afford the indulgence in emotionalism. Although people's despair and disgust may drive diplomatic solutions. As I think is happening.
Policy making cannot afford the indulgence in politics. But neither can it disentangle itself. Certainly not here, not now. However politicians take note of protest. Although more strategic protest might be more effective.
Voting is not an individual exercise in personal expression. It is a joint exercise in uniting to take power. Anyone who does not vote for Biden will help elect Trump. Anyone who thinks a Trump administration will do better for Palestinians and Israelis than a Biden administration, is willing to sacrifice more lives to their own bile.
I doubt this will answer your cry from the heart. I did not understand what is involved in diplomacy until I spent time with a diplomat. Like the law, it is not just common sense or uncommon compassion. But it can mitigate the results of people's worst impulses. Eventually. Eventually this ends at the negotiating table, no matter how many bodies must be climbed over to get there.
ThankYou for all your good efforts and clear thinking, especially given the quandary you are in. I can only say I share both the work and the quandary.
Thank you Lin for your thoughtful reply.
I felt your comments deserved it.
I had wanted to mention some personal instances related to diplomacy.
I have had occasion recently to be working with the papers of Louisa Livingston Kennedy, the wife of Moorehead Kennedy a high ranking diplomat who was one of 52 Americans held hostage in Iran for over a year.
"A founder and the official spokeswoman of the Family Liaison Action Group, known as FLAG, Ms. Kennedy helped ensure that the plight of the hostages remained in the forefront of international consciousness. ..Observers remarked often on Ms. Kennedy’s articulate composure as she faced television cameras day after day. . .
In a television interview broadcast on Christmas Day in 1980, Ms. Kennedy quoted four lines from Shakespeare’s “Othello” that she said summed up her feelings toward her husband’s captors:
To mourn a mischief that is past and gone
Is the next way to draw new mischief on. ...
The robb’d that smiles steals something from the thief;
He robs himself that spends a bootless grief.""
In one interview, she was asked about anger. She replied that in the first days she was angry at everyone and everything, but that it wasn't useful to what she needed to do. In a letter she comments on other hostage families who were expressing their anguish in ways
which were understandable but not helpful. Noting that they had no experience in or with the diplomatic corps. (One mother of a young serviceman who just happened to be on guard duty that day, was planning to defy State Department recommendations by going directly to Iran to demand to see her son and gain his release.) In another letter, during a much earlier posting to Yemen, she writes home of beheadings at tennis courts nearby and includes photos her husband took from a window. Now her calm may be her character informed by her experience - personal and in the diplomatic corps. She came from the most eminent of New York Dutch and English colonial ancestors. The type of people Henry James and Edith Wharton wrote about. She studied theatre at Sarah Lawrence. But Kennedy's stance reminds me of my mother who had a very different and very demanding life. And who as a school child articulated for herself something she lived by her entire life: "If crying accomplished anything then I'd cry all day, but there is work to be done." She was a second generation American whose mother worked in a pencil factory and whose father worked on a train line and who herself started a life of full time work at 16, despite having been accepted at Hunter College the NYC college for women. Perhaps the public school equivalent of Sarah Lawrence or Barnard.
After being released, Mike Kennedy left the State Department and founded a peace institute "The World Center for the Study of Religion and International Affairs." I mention this also, the diplomat I knew had spent decades in 'first world' postings, eventually serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at two high profile embassies. Late in his career he was posted to Afghanistan at a particularly bad time even for that war torn country. Later he served at the US Institute of Peace. But he also retired early from the State Department to do volunteer work to better children's lives. Diplomacy is demanding work. If voting for Joe Biden gave us nothing else - and it has given us a profoundly competent administration with remarkable accomplishments - it has given us Anthony Blinken who also brings his personal experience of diplomacy to his professional office. (In my opinion, those demonstrators taking out their anger and frustration on him and his family are woefully misguided.) And here we are back to Iran. (I also suggest The Shahnameh or Persian Book of Kings, in the Dick Davis translation. In which a vizier suggests to a king, that rather than raze a municipality which would make people angry at the king, appoint an ignorant loudmouth
governor and let him destroy it. In keeping with America's enemies working to elect Trump. With the help of an American fifth column - The MAGA Right and The MAGA Left. Again.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/28/us/28kennedy.html
https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/1224/122448.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahnameh
Too little, too late. Biden could very likely lose the election over this.
As an American Jew, Zionist, and Progressive, I have protested each successively more antidemocratic and abusive Netanyahu administration. I write continually to newspapers, my congressional delegation, and the White House. The appropriation of Zionism by racist right wing religious extremists - AIPAC and the Evangelicals - is the worst thing to happen to Israel. As is the appropriation of Palestinian Liberation by antisemitic religious extremists such as Hamas and the Iranian regime.
It is our job to reelect Biden, no matter those Americans who cry antisemitism at any critique of Israeli policy and those who cry genocide at any support of Israel.
Too little, too late is a critique but not a strategy to move forward. The Biden administration is moving forward in the right direction.
Reelecting Trump will only do damage.
I agree and am writing my reps in House and Senate. I think Biden and all who are not taking a strong stand against Israel's slaughtering everybody are wrong, and putting us at greater risk of a larger war. We are also acting against our best interests by failing to give strong immediate support to Ukraine. Russia must be very happy with our foolish Republicans. I wonder if that is where dark money PACs are getting their money.
Please do not equate Israel with the policies of the appalling Netanyahu administration. Any more than you would equate the United States with the appalling policies of the Trump administration.
I
Unfortunately, Bibbi is calling the shots in Israel and must take the blame. Israel has grabbed land for at least 50 years and helped perpetuate its problems. I often traveled in Europe and elsewhere during the G W Bush and Trump their years and got tired of being asked what was wrong in the USA. We all got blamed for their policies and actions. There was/is no good answer and my opposition to them doesn't change the fact that we are behaving poorly in fight for liberal democracy at home and abroad.
Why is there no demand on Hamas to surrender? They were the attackers after all. And rockets continue to be fired from Gaza into Israel.
There is no demand on Hamas to surrender because the IDF is clearly intent on eliminating Hamas from the planet, irrespective of the dire and genocidally disproportionate cost. Even worse, our government is subsidizing this effort by continuing to provide Israel with munitions to do so.
As barbaric as Hamas' attack was, the Israeli response is far more barbaric and then some.
Our government has to respond. Degrading capability is a good strategy. Thank you for your perspective
Oh my gosh such a long week it feels like a month since last Friday. Hoping you get some good rest tonight.
I wish the world would learn Peace. I’m deeply saddened that the anti-war cliches and truths are just that: True. Will there ever be a time of World Peace? That is not a naive question. It is a hope for our children, our world. “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” Some say the peacemaker Gandhi spoke those words and some say not. No matter the source, think of the meaning. For a child in preschool or a country defending itself, and all in between.
President Biden: “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this: If you harm an American, we will respond.” It is that statement that is how a government responds. Deep sigh. Don’t ask me what I would do.
I've wondered the same all my life, having two warring older brothers. Finally I learned that diplomacy can be taught in preschool, and can set a mind map for life, a schemata. Traumatized toddlers don't make wise adult leaders. We will need an army of psychiatrists to undo the damage done to humanity by today's violence.
Vivian Gussin Paley’s book You Can’t Say You Can’t Play is arresting in its title, magical in its appeal, and inspiring in its message… [It] illustrates how the teacher’s art can attack the evil of exclusion at its childhood root. Now, Mrs. Paley, we need your help in weeding out the pernicious practices that afflict the adults of our exclusionary society.
—Derrick Bell, New York Times Book Review
Will there ever be a time of World Peace. Maybe when we are attacked by aliens, we will unite. But peace, such a foreign concept; although popular with the majority, roiling the waters is way easier. Requires only one stick.
I have wondered that myself, Jeri. If you have ever watched the original movie "Independence Day", that is its essential premise. It also does an interesting job of showing the "it is all good" vs. "it is all bad" mindsets of the population. My favorite scenes are 1: where the US, sends out by Morse code the solution to the problem, and it shows Japanese and Russian military receiving the answer, and 2, the most moving sight for me, Palestinian and Israeli fighter jets, side by side, agreeing to cooperate.
Favorite quote: "Mankind. That sure means something else today, doesn't it?"
No, I didn't see it. I remember telling that to a high school student who had to ask people that question for an assignment. Way long time ago. Surely I can find it on one of the five streaming services I subscribe to. Have to say that man is not kind today. Likely never was. Freud did say "Man is wolf to man," if memory serves.
It is one of my "go to" movies when I need entertaining. There are some great lines in it, and while the plot isn't super, it is a fun go.
While husband was so ill, I missed a lot. Time to catch up. I used to be a real movie fan.