Bill. I have had the good fortune to have some amazing neighbors a couple of real Uncle Toms. Tom Osborne and Tom Harkin.
My senior year in college Congressman Tom Harkin and his wife Ruth and daughter were our neighbors. Occasionally Tom would come outside and have a beer or two with us and chat. Little did we know what an impressive car…
Bill. I have had the good fortune to have some amazing neighbors a couple of real Uncle Toms. Tom Osborne and Tom Harkin.
My senior year in college Congressman Tom Harkin and his wife Ruth and daughter were our neighbors. Occasionally Tom would come outside and have a beer or two with us and chat. Little did we know what an impressive career he would have and his wife as well. They were just good neighbors to three college students living on a shoe string.
Years later, when we were living in Lincoln, NE, Dr. Tom Osborne would walk his dog in our neighborhood. He wasn't very chatty and we only had a couple of conversations -- and never about politics. He is a man of integrity and also religious but he never forced his religion or political views on anyone.
I have shaken hands with other Republican politicians over the years, a few of whom I would describe as swarmy.
When Chuck Hagel ran for the Senate in Nebraska he ran the only campaign I have ever witnessed that never said a negative word about his opponent. He toured Iraq with then Senator Obama and Obama even selected him as Secretary of Defense, which didn't work out well for either of them.
But, if you fast forward to 2015, the Party of Trump has replaced or turned most of the Republican politicians into sniveling sycophants that have done nothing for their constituents.
I would add to your comment regarding "politicians" who follow DT. They are only in it for personal power and know very little about governing FOR THE PEOPLE....ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THIS GREAT NATION!!!! They know little to nothing about building relationships that promote and protect world peace. They care nothing for those suffering under the harsh realities of existence in this world....with wars...with natural disasters....with a persons circumstances from just being birthed with physical or mental struggles.
President Joe Biden has a heart for everyone. He has lived a steady life of faith. The reality of that faith has been lived out in a personal life with personal struggles which he has met with wisdom, with love, with care that his actions will affect others, not just for himself.
President Joe Biden has shown himself to be a great American, from the depth of his soul, through his words...through his actions. We have been blessed to have him lead.
Kamala Harris has proven herself. She is and will be a great leader. We would not just be blindly giving her our support. Kamala Harris is deserving of our support. She rolls up her sleeves and does the necessary work.
Given the citizen schooling and testing immigrants have to go through to reach citizenship I bet many know more about our country and government than the average voter.
Gary, the most interesting thing about Joe Biden to me beyond his just general consideration is that he is willing to learn and grow over the years. His handling of the Clarence Thomas hearing was not well done, but over time he has learned about what sexual harassment can do and would not now permit it anywhere he has authority and sees what a poor outcome choosing Thomas has been. He came to the need to have same-sex marriage even before President Obama. While Biden gets better, Trump devolves.
For a couple of years, the far-right called Biden a "mess" and his Presidency "disastrous." They usually pointed to one issue -- row higher costs of stuff. They lumped food together as one category even though it's really meat and processed foods that have increased in price and not come back down. And they also point to the price of gasoline a commodity whose base price is determined world wide instead of within the US. Many states have taxed gasoline for various purposes, but like most taxes it is a regressive tax where the wealthier you are the smaller percentage of tax on gasoline you pay.
So Trump and his MAGAs have honed in on inflation and the traffic flow of migrants on the Southern border.
To your point, Biden was playing the long game with the economy and with the Southern border. Wage growth has outpaced the inflation rate by around 4% according to Paul Krugman of the NYTimes and Catherine Rampell of the WAPO. That's not great, but when you're coming back from the Trump recession of 2020, it's better than most economies expected.
Joe Biden has gained so much wisdom over the years as you point out. And Kamala, as smart as she is, doesn't have the wisdom of experience although she does have wisdom gained from being a person of color and a woman that most men don't have including Joe Biden. What Biden has done, is to build a team of the best and brightest who GET THINGS DONE. And what they have accomplished is truly amazing.
I read an African saying today, "When an elder dies a library burns to the ground."
President Biden still has 6 months left. Don't be surprised if he's still gets more done.
And, I believe, his decision to bow out makes him the greatest president ever, and, with Jimmy Carter, the two best men ever to occupy the White House.
Our current GOP Supervisor of Elections is a man of integrity and very well-respected in our community….except by the MAGA GOP who are trying to oust him.I’m now unable to vote in the primary as the MAGA ,who until recently was the only other SOE candidate, recruited a write-in candidate that effectively eliminates Dems and NPA/independents from the vote.
These races are so critical yet I find so many, including Dems, are tuned out. It all starts at the local level !!! GOTV
Voting should be an obligation of citizenship. Voting should be mandatory.
Then we would waste neither time nor energy or whether or not any citizen was entitled to vote. And we could cast our votes in a variety of ways such that everyone could do it conveniently - young or old, at home or away, of color or colorless.
Everyone! Everywhere!
And there would be consequences - both intended and not so much. L&B&L
When there is a conflict of interest between any two individuals or groups, there is one moral "treat others the way you would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot" principle. Ideally, both parties are adhering to that principle. Otherwise, one or both parties adopted the immoral "do unto to others before they do unto you" principle. And people who are not willing to take advantage of the short-term benefit of acting immorally have been drummed out of today's Republican party.
Gary, your two Toms and Chuck Hagel were adhering to the moral principle. So did a Republican politician from Maricopa County, Arizona. His name is Bill Gates. He ended up in therapy for PTSD caused by the treatment he received from MAGA protesting outside his home for the sin of refusing to break the law in Trump's favor in the 2020 election. Ref: The Axe Files podcast, E539.
To be wise is to understand that the small short-benefit of an immoral act has an enormous long-term cost, and the small short-term cost of a moral act has an enormous long-term benefit.
My prediction is that "long-term" is November, "enormous benefit" will be a landslide D victory, and that that will be the final nail in MAGA's coffin. My expectation is the delinquents will be drummed out, and then the grownups can take back what's left of the real Republican party.
If the Republican Party were to reconstruct (and that’s a big if) they will need to make their policies about people instead of profit and loss. Because profit at all costs has been their thing. A friend of mine talks about the job creators (meaning the corporate employers) as though they are a priestly class. In fact the GOP has been busy preserving kleptocratic and exploitive methods over taking care of the citizenry. Their altar has been the so called free market which they bail out and prop up over helping people obtain safe housing, food and water and other essentials. It is the U.S. version of a guillotine happening now. Off with their heads. The grownups of the GOP ran for their lives I guess.
Jesus of Nazareth taught his theory of moral sentiments in his words and actions documented in the Gospels. And then the people who believed in his theory created the movement we now call Christianity. To this day, there are people who bought the lie that Christianity is immoral. It is not. Instead, immoral people have been using Jesus’ name in vain, and they are giving Christianity a bad name.
Likewise, in his book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), Adam Smith taught how the same moral lesson applied in a different context. And then the people who believed in his theory created the movement we now call capitalism. To this day, there are people who bought the lie that capitalism is immoral. It is not. Instead, immoral people have been using the name capitalism in vain, and they are giving it a bad name.
In his book, Capitalism and Freedom, Milton Freidman used the words in the title of his book in vain (aka in selfishness), and that book is how the Republican party defines capitalism. As a child, I didn’t know much, but I knew the difference between right and wrong. And so, as a child, I knew more about Christianity, capitalism, and freedom than Milton Freidman, the entire 2024 edition of the Republican party, and six of the nine SCOTUS justices.
Have you watched Food Inc 2? They talk about the mergers and acquisitions that have occurred in the food industry resulting in 2 to 4 major players controlling 80-90% market share.
For instance, Walmart takes in 1 out of every 3 dollar spent on groceries in the United States. They control the price we pay for groceries in hundreds of markets where they are the only grocery store within 30-50 miles. They are actually an anomaly in that they have grown by bankrupting their completion never needing to purchase them.
When we lived in Rolla, MO Walmart did 70% of all retail business in town. Downtown Rolla was a ghost town with only a few mom & pop stores left, some restaurants and a couple of bars.
But Tyson, Perdue and a few others control the meat industry and they are making huge profits by colluding which used to be illegall.
I was in Berlin, NH the year he, Bill Clinton, and Kerry of Nebraska all ran for President. I got to listen to all of them speak in a small group setting and to meet them. They were all good candidates and Clinton impressed me as the best stand up speaker I had ever met outside a classroom. But I voted for Harkin. He was the coin I bit and was satisfied. Plain, honest, authentic, well intentioned, and convincing. No razzle dazzle.
Today, the choice between the parties is clear and could not be more critical. As the American Republic enters a new growth phase, it represents a stress test upon the knowledge, wisdom, and intentions of the American people, to see if they have the sense, the desire, and the will to survive as a nation, or whether they will vote for destruction and chaos. In that sense it is a test of the results of America’s commitment thus far to public education.
Since 1991, the quality of American political discourse has declined. Democrats at this point are just plain lucky to have K Harris to succeed Biden. In the future, they will need to find a way to find, develop, and promote leaders like Harkin, Clinton, and Kerry of Nebraska, (and Massachusetts). They will actually need to find a way to become a political party in the European sense, as opposed to a portion of the voting public with a loose presumed sense of identity.
In 2015, Senator Sherrod Brosn was making noise to possibly run. I’ve listened to him a few times. I think he is smart. He comes from the mid west. Heck even his name sounds presidential. But he didn’t move. But still in place.
We want to keep him, and Trump favored the candidate running against him, auto dealer Bernie Moreno. I don’t care for Moreno, but Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was running in the GOP primary for the Senate, and LaRose came in third and last.
Bill Clinton could charm a rattlesnake. He is an amazing speaker and just as good one on one I understand. Bob Kerrey, not so much. I heard him speak a couple of times and it was like listening to Joe Biden. The message was good, the delivery--not so much. His relationship with Debra Winger while he was Nebraska Governor had lips flapping all over the state.
Ah… but still a Tom. To enlarge the subject, I will take an unpopular stance and suggest that the ending post-colonial British devised the Belfor Declaration of 1917 which set Palestine as an official homeland for European Jews on lands already thriving with Arab Muslims. After decades of ethnic clensing Israel today after innumerable wars, is now facing its largest military event likely bringing in Iran and possibly Turkey who threatened Israel. If they carry out their protectionist threat, this could be the unraveling of NATO. The Belfor Declaration lite the flame. I am not antisemitic. Maybe kinda had to be with half of my family from Jewish culture.
The Balfour (so spelled) Declaration (1917) was crucial, but so was the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, in which the British and the French carved up the soon-to-be-extinct Ottoman Empire for themselves, and then of course the Treaty of Versailles.
P.S. Balfour didn't "set Palestine as an official homeland for European Jews." What it actually said was (I know it almost by heart but I'm looking it up anyway) "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country." It's worth noting that at when the declaration was issued, "existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine" made up about 93% of the population. They included many Christians and Jews as well as Muslims.
Furthermore, the British government did not “devise” the Balfour Declaration. Chaim Weismann was a brilliant organic chemist, the leader of the Zionist movement, a British subject, a key member of Great Briitain’s WWI industry mobilization task force, and…the “inventor” of cordite, smokeless explosives for artillery shells. And Chaim Weismann extracted the Balfour Declaration from the foreign office. Ever thereafter, the government and its successors sought to distance themselves from it, down play its significance, and almost pretend it had never been, in order to avoid its implications. And what could have been the reason for that ? Other than the danger it represented not only to them. but to prospects for war and peace in Europe, as a result of reactions to it in Germany and the elsewhere.
But anyway, I fail to see the connection between this subject and Tom Harkin.
Yeah, I didn't signal my turn. It had everything to do with his being a man of integrity from a first hand perspective and the fact that I forgot to mention that he was a Democrat. My bad.
It didn't serve them real well once the Mandate was in place either. However, the rise of Hitler made a "Jewish home" (which morphed into a "Jewish state") more urgent, especially since Britain, the U.S., and others weren't exactly open to mass immigration by European Jews. P.S. You may be overestimating Weizmann's influence, though it was indeed major. Also in play were the Christian Zionists, who were influential among the upper classes. They saw the return of the Jews to the Holy Land as a step toward the second coming of Jesus.
Netanyahu is a self-serving human being. A more decent human being would be building peace. He is trying to keep from being convicted of crimes he has committed.
He is trying to bring us further into his cruelty and chaos.
I have nothing against Israel or Jewish people anywhere...NOR do I hold hatred for people who have chosen to worship differently than I.
We MUST be serious about not being dragged into yet another conflict. Living peacefully together is a choice....it is hard work....just ask our diplomates....take a look at their exhausted faces...they are the real heroes!!!!
Agree. I though, recognize the natural aggression and desire to survive and proliferate at all costs, inherent in the human condition. Jews are no different than any other groups religious or national entities.
That is a complicated history. To all intents, there has not been a day of peace since the 20s, guerilla warfare by Jewish terror groups, counter terrorism on all sides. Remember that the UN finally decided to provide for Israeli nationhood, of course the territorial limits it tried to impose failed utterly, but also that for nearly 3 decades Israel was under existential threat, they just managed to outgun its Arab/Muslim opponents, aided and abetted by the USA.
Very well said Frank. All we can do today is look at those things objectively controlling prejudice while trying to see into those entities (I hesitate to call those creeps that)with hidden agendas. The Heritage Foundation, the Federalist's, etc. And, of course what has so subtly been stuck into us in this country since the 1930's. If this election goes right, we might just be on the verge of pulling out of that downhill slide. My hope.
A further comment, US is engaged in an almost bulletless civil war, the Jan 6th attack and the electoral certification maneuvers promoted by Trump being the first open breach against normal democratic processes.
Not a point here, but in the immediate lead up to the breakout of hostilities between foundling Israel, both sides had weapons purchasers in Europe buying whatever weapons they could scrounge. Apparently a package of a few hundred rifles purchased out of France (Paris?) made all the different to the Israelis in the initial fighting. So... not exactly just courtesy of ... and that reminds me a few weeks before the outbreak of civil war in Yugoslavia, i met an LA accountant who was just flying back from delivering funds for arms purchases for Croatians. I was taking photos out the plane window. Wore a black leather jacket, i recall. 1990
And he still is at 84 years old. His wife Ruth is also an amazing woman and a good prosecutor in her day.
I did mean to point out that he was a Democrat -- and also a man of integrity. I hated to see him step down, but I'm glad he did because he knew it was time.
If only his dim-witted replacement Joni Ernst would step-down. As they say in Iowa, she's as worthless as tits on a boar.
You do know Tom Harkin is an Iowa Democrat? He spent spent 4 distinguished decades in the House and Senate, retiring in 2014. Unfortunately his retirement opened the doors wide to a Republican take over of our once proud and beautiful state. Your narrative indicates a description of note worthy former as well as decent Republican Senators.
I know a woman who grew up in Scranton and knew the Biden and Casey families. Good decent people. Robert Casey Sr was treated poorly by liberal Democrats over what might now be considered common sense approach to abortion.
Bill. I have had the good fortune to have some amazing neighbors a couple of real Uncle Toms. Tom Osborne and Tom Harkin.
My senior year in college Congressman Tom Harkin and his wife Ruth and daughter were our neighbors. Occasionally Tom would come outside and have a beer or two with us and chat. Little did we know what an impressive career he would have and his wife as well. They were just good neighbors to three college students living on a shoe string.
Years later, when we were living in Lincoln, NE, Dr. Tom Osborne would walk his dog in our neighborhood. He wasn't very chatty and we only had a couple of conversations -- and never about politics. He is a man of integrity and also religious but he never forced his religion or political views on anyone.
I have shaken hands with other Republican politicians over the years, a few of whom I would describe as swarmy.
When Chuck Hagel ran for the Senate in Nebraska he ran the only campaign I have ever witnessed that never said a negative word about his opponent. He toured Iraq with then Senator Obama and Obama even selected him as Secretary of Defense, which didn't work out well for either of them.
But, if you fast forward to 2015, the Party of Trump has replaced or turned most of the Republican politicians into sniveling sycophants that have done nothing for their constituents.
Gary Loft,
I would add to your comment regarding "politicians" who follow DT. They are only in it for personal power and know very little about governing FOR THE PEOPLE....ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THIS GREAT NATION!!!! They know little to nothing about building relationships that promote and protect world peace. They care nothing for those suffering under the harsh realities of existence in this world....with wars...with natural disasters....with a persons circumstances from just being birthed with physical or mental struggles.
President Joe Biden has a heart for everyone. He has lived a steady life of faith. The reality of that faith has been lived out in a personal life with personal struggles which he has met with wisdom, with love, with care that his actions will affect others, not just for himself.
President Joe Biden has shown himself to be a great American, from the depth of his soul, through his words...through his actions. We have been blessed to have him lead.
Kamala Harris has proven herself. She is and will be a great leader. We would not just be blindly giving her our support. Kamala Harris is deserving of our support. She rolls up her sleeves and does the necessary work.
I would bet that most of DT's followers couldn't pass a citizenship test.
Nor could he.
Even though they were born in the USA. Probably most can't read!
Given the citizen schooling and testing immigrants have to go through to reach citizenship I bet many know more about our country and government than the average voter.
Yes, I totally agree abut your overview of Joe. He wasn't my first choice at the time, but he's been the best President of my lifetime.
Gary, the most interesting thing about Joe Biden to me beyond his just general consideration is that he is willing to learn and grow over the years. His handling of the Clarence Thomas hearing was not well done, but over time he has learned about what sexual harassment can do and would not now permit it anywhere he has authority and sees what a poor outcome choosing Thomas has been. He came to the need to have same-sex marriage even before President Obama. While Biden gets better, Trump devolves.
For a couple of years, the far-right called Biden a "mess" and his Presidency "disastrous." They usually pointed to one issue -- row higher costs of stuff. They lumped food together as one category even though it's really meat and processed foods that have increased in price and not come back down. And they also point to the price of gasoline a commodity whose base price is determined world wide instead of within the US. Many states have taxed gasoline for various purposes, but like most taxes it is a regressive tax where the wealthier you are the smaller percentage of tax on gasoline you pay.
So Trump and his MAGAs have honed in on inflation and the traffic flow of migrants on the Southern border.
To your point, Biden was playing the long game with the economy and with the Southern border. Wage growth has outpaced the inflation rate by around 4% according to Paul Krugman of the NYTimes and Catherine Rampell of the WAPO. That's not great, but when you're coming back from the Trump recession of 2020, it's better than most economies expected.
Joe Biden has gained so much wisdom over the years as you point out. And Kamala, as smart as she is, doesn't have the wisdom of experience although she does have wisdom gained from being a person of color and a woman that most men don't have including Joe Biden. What Biden has done, is to build a team of the best and brightest who GET THINGS DONE. And what they have accomplished is truly amazing.
I read an African saying today, "When an elder dies a library burns to the ground."
President Biden still has 6 months left. Don't be surprised if he's still gets more done.
Indiana gas tax is off the wall. Republicans don't raise taxes except on gas! I believe we have the highest!
And, I believe, his decision to bow out makes him the greatest president ever, and, with Jimmy Carter, the two best men ever to occupy the White House.
He was my first choice! Of course, I am 81 too!
Our current GOP Supervisor of Elections is a man of integrity and very well-respected in our community….except by the MAGA GOP who are trying to oust him.I’m now unable to vote in the primary as the MAGA ,who until recently was the only other SOE candidate, recruited a write-in candidate that effectively eliminates Dems and NPA/independents from the vote.
These races are so critical yet I find so many, including Dems, are tuned out. It all starts at the local level !!! GOTV
🚶♀️📲💲✍️🪧👕🛒
Voting should be an obligation of citizenship. Voting should be mandatory.
Then we would waste neither time nor energy or whether or not any citizen was entitled to vote. And we could cast our votes in a variety of ways such that everyone could do it conveniently - young or old, at home or away, of color or colorless.
Everyone! Everywhere!
And there would be consequences - both intended and not so much. L&B&L
It all starts at the local level. Get out the vote!!!
When there is a conflict of interest between any two individuals or groups, there is one moral "treat others the way you would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot" principle. Ideally, both parties are adhering to that principle. Otherwise, one or both parties adopted the immoral "do unto to others before they do unto you" principle. And people who are not willing to take advantage of the short-term benefit of acting immorally have been drummed out of today's Republican party.
Gary, your two Toms and Chuck Hagel were adhering to the moral principle. So did a Republican politician from Maricopa County, Arizona. His name is Bill Gates. He ended up in therapy for PTSD caused by the treatment he received from MAGA protesting outside his home for the sin of refusing to break the law in Trump's favor in the 2020 election. Ref: The Axe Files podcast, E539.
To be wise is to understand that the small short-benefit of an immoral act has an enormous long-term cost, and the small short-term cost of a moral act has an enormous long-term benefit.
My prediction is that "long-term" is November, "enormous benefit" will be a landslide D victory, and that that will be the final nail in MAGA's coffin. My expectation is the delinquents will be drummed out, and then the grownups can take back what's left of the real Republican party.
If the Republican Party were to reconstruct (and that’s a big if) they will need to make their policies about people instead of profit and loss. Because profit at all costs has been their thing. A friend of mine talks about the job creators (meaning the corporate employers) as though they are a priestly class. In fact the GOP has been busy preserving kleptocratic and exploitive methods over taking care of the citizenry. Their altar has been the so called free market which they bail out and prop up over helping people obtain safe housing, food and water and other essentials. It is the U.S. version of a guillotine happening now. Off with their heads. The grownups of the GOP ran for their lives I guess.
Jesus of Nazareth taught his theory of moral sentiments in his words and actions documented in the Gospels. And then the people who believed in his theory created the movement we now call Christianity. To this day, there are people who bought the lie that Christianity is immoral. It is not. Instead, immoral people have been using Jesus’ name in vain, and they are giving Christianity a bad name.
Likewise, in his book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), Adam Smith taught how the same moral lesson applied in a different context. And then the people who believed in his theory created the movement we now call capitalism. To this day, there are people who bought the lie that capitalism is immoral. It is not. Instead, immoral people have been using the name capitalism in vain, and they are giving it a bad name.
In his book, Capitalism and Freedom, Milton Freidman used the words in the title of his book in vain (aka in selfishness), and that book is how the Republican party defines capitalism. As a child, I didn’t know much, but I knew the difference between right and wrong. And so, as a child, I knew more about Christianity, capitalism, and freedom than Milton Freidman, the entire 2024 edition of the Republican party, and six of the nine SCOTUS justices.
Translation: Don’t buy the lie.
Have you watched Food Inc 2? They talk about the mergers and acquisitions that have occurred in the food industry resulting in 2 to 4 major players controlling 80-90% market share.
For instance, Walmart takes in 1 out of every 3 dollar spent on groceries in the United States. They control the price we pay for groceries in hundreds of markets where they are the only grocery store within 30-50 miles. They are actually an anomaly in that they have grown by bankrupting their completion never needing to purchase them.
When we lived in Rolla, MO Walmart did 70% of all retail business in town. Downtown Rolla was a ghost town with only a few mom & pop stores left, some restaurants and a couple of bars.
But Tyson, Perdue and a few others control the meat industry and they are making huge profits by colluding which used to be illegall.
I have hope in your prediction, James! Thank you for your thoughts.
Tom Harkin was a Democrat.
I was in Berlin, NH the year he, Bill Clinton, and Kerry of Nebraska all ran for President. I got to listen to all of them speak in a small group setting and to meet them. They were all good candidates and Clinton impressed me as the best stand up speaker I had ever met outside a classroom. But I voted for Harkin. He was the coin I bit and was satisfied. Plain, honest, authentic, well intentioned, and convincing. No razzle dazzle.
Today, the choice between the parties is clear and could not be more critical. As the American Republic enters a new growth phase, it represents a stress test upon the knowledge, wisdom, and intentions of the American people, to see if they have the sense, the desire, and the will to survive as a nation, or whether they will vote for destruction and chaos. In that sense it is a test of the results of America’s commitment thus far to public education.
Since 1991, the quality of American political discourse has declined. Democrats at this point are just plain lucky to have K Harris to succeed Biden. In the future, they will need to find a way to find, develop, and promote leaders like Harkin, Clinton, and Kerry of Nebraska, (and Massachusetts). They will actually need to find a way to become a political party in the European sense, as opposed to a portion of the voting public with a loose presumed sense of identity.
In 2015, Senator Sherrod Brosn was making noise to possibly run. I’ve listened to him a few times. I think he is smart. He comes from the mid west. Heck even his name sounds presidential. But he didn’t move. But still in place.
He said he could do more good as a Senator from Ohio. And I am blessed to be one of his constituents. And his name is Sherrod Brown.
Oops.
We want to keep him, and Trump favored the candidate running against him, auto dealer Bernie Moreno. I don’t care for Moreno, but Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was running in the GOP primary for the Senate, and LaRose came in third and last.
Yes, he is smart and also a good speaker.
Bill Clinton could charm a rattlesnake. He is an amazing speaker and just as good one on one I understand. Bob Kerrey, not so much. I heard him speak a couple of times and it was like listening to Joe Biden. The message was good, the delivery--not so much. His relationship with Debra Winger while he was Nebraska Governor had lips flapping all over the state.
Ah… but still a Tom. To enlarge the subject, I will take an unpopular stance and suggest that the ending post-colonial British devised the Belfor Declaration of 1917 which set Palestine as an official homeland for European Jews on lands already thriving with Arab Muslims. After decades of ethnic clensing Israel today after innumerable wars, is now facing its largest military event likely bringing in Iran and possibly Turkey who threatened Israel. If they carry out their protectionist threat, this could be the unraveling of NATO. The Belfor Declaration lite the flame. I am not antisemitic. Maybe kinda had to be with half of my family from Jewish culture.
The Balfour (so spelled) Declaration (1917) was crucial, but so was the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, in which the British and the French carved up the soon-to-be-extinct Ottoman Empire for themselves, and then of course the Treaty of Versailles.
P.S. Balfour didn't "set Palestine as an official homeland for European Jews." What it actually said was (I know it almost by heart but I'm looking it up anyway) "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country." It's worth noting that at when the declaration was issued, "existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine" made up about 93% of the population. They included many Christians and Jews as well as Muslims.
Thank you for the history lesson.I simplified it but yiu are correct.
Furthermore, the British government did not “devise” the Balfour Declaration. Chaim Weismann was a brilliant organic chemist, the leader of the Zionist movement, a British subject, a key member of Great Briitain’s WWI industry mobilization task force, and…the “inventor” of cordite, smokeless explosives for artillery shells. And Chaim Weismann extracted the Balfour Declaration from the foreign office. Ever thereafter, the government and its successors sought to distance themselves from it, down play its significance, and almost pretend it had never been, in order to avoid its implications. And what could have been the reason for that ? Other than the danger it represented not only to them. but to prospects for war and peace in Europe, as a result of reactions to it in Germany and the elsewhere.
But anyway, I fail to see the connection between this subject and Tom Harkin.
Yeah, I didn't signal my turn. It had everything to do with his being a man of integrity from a first hand perspective and the fact that I forgot to mention that he was a Democrat. My bad.
It didn't serve them real well once the Mandate was in place either. However, the rise of Hitler made a "Jewish home" (which morphed into a "Jewish state") more urgent, especially since Britain, the U.S., and others weren't exactly open to mass immigration by European Jews. P.S. You may be overestimating Weizmann's influence, though it was indeed major. Also in play were the Christian Zionists, who were influential among the upper classes. They saw the return of the Jews to the Holy Land as a step toward the second coming of Jesus.
Let me think about that for a moment — the connection. I think I’ll find one.
Indeed,I simply expanded on current topics.
Not to worry. It’s more important.
Bill Katz,
Netanyahu is a self-serving human being. A more decent human being would be building peace. He is trying to keep from being convicted of crimes he has committed.
He is trying to bring us further into his cruelty and chaos.
I have nothing against Israel or Jewish people anywhere...NOR do I hold hatred for people who have chosen to worship differently than I.
We MUST be serious about not being dragged into yet another conflict. Living peacefully together is a choice....it is hard work....just ask our diplomates....take a look at their exhausted faces...they are the real heroes!!!!
Agree. I though, recognize the natural aggression and desire to survive and proliferate at all costs, inherent in the human condition. Jews are no different than any other groups religious or national entities.
That is a complicated history. To all intents, there has not been a day of peace since the 20s, guerilla warfare by Jewish terror groups, counter terrorism on all sides. Remember that the UN finally decided to provide for Israeli nationhood, of course the territorial limits it tried to impose failed utterly, but also that for nearly 3 decades Israel was under existential threat, they just managed to outgun its Arab/Muslim opponents, aided and abetted by the USA.
Very well said Frank. All we can do today is look at those things objectively controlling prejudice while trying to see into those entities (I hesitate to call those creeps that)with hidden agendas. The Heritage Foundation, the Federalist's, etc. And, of course what has so subtly been stuck into us in this country since the 1930's. If this election goes right, we might just be on the verge of pulling out of that downhill slide. My hope.
A further comment, US is engaged in an almost bulletless civil war, the Jan 6th attack and the electoral certification maneuvers promoted by Trump being the first open breach against normal democratic processes.
Not a point here, but in the immediate lead up to the breakout of hostilities between foundling Israel, both sides had weapons purchasers in Europe buying whatever weapons they could scrounge. Apparently a package of a few hundred rifles purchased out of France (Paris?) made all the different to the Israelis in the initial fighting. So... not exactly just courtesy of ... and that reminds me a few weeks before the outbreak of civil war in Yugoslavia, i met an LA accountant who was just flying back from delivering funds for arms purchases for Croatians. I was taking photos out the plane window. Wore a black leather jacket, i recall. 1990
And he still is at 84 years old. His wife Ruth is also an amazing woman and a good prosecutor in her day.
I did mean to point out that he was a Democrat -- and also a man of integrity. I hated to see him step down, but I'm glad he did because he knew it was time.
If only his dim-witted replacement Joni Ernst would step-down. As they say in Iowa, she's as worthless as tits on a boar.
Still is.
You do know Tom Harkin is an Iowa Democrat? He spent spent 4 distinguished decades in the House and Senate, retiring in 2014. Unfortunately his retirement opened the doors wide to a Republican take over of our once proud and beautiful state. Your narrative indicates a description of note worthy former as well as decent Republican Senators.
I know a woman who grew up in Scranton and knew the Biden and Casey families. Good decent people. Robert Casey Sr was treated poorly by liberal Democrats over what might now be considered common sense approach to abortion.
you mean 2023?