Many various headlines about Kissinger today, but this one from Rolling Stone caught my eye, "Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America's Ruling Class, Finally Dies."
Many various headlines about Kissinger today, but this one from Rolling Stone caught my eye, "Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America's Ruling Class, Finally Dies."
Anne-Louise, agree 200%. We who have lived long enough know the facts. But we didn't know all of them. I was horrified at the man's deadly accomplishments that I didn’t know about--such as Kissinger being the one who brokered Nixon's extension of the Vietnam War, killing thousands more of my fellow soldiers and airmen. Americans!
best surgery ever. How I saw colors changed - everything was brighter. The cataracts make an ochre film which dulls everything. You'll be very happy to have it done.
I haven't. At my most recent eye app't, a year ago, my cadillacs were deemed relatively minor even though I've had 'em more than 20 years. (I'm very sensitive both to anything that's wrong with my body, and anything that's wrong with the engine in my car, the first symptom I ever perceived--at age 17--an ever so slight--would have been imperceptible to anyone else--loss of power after crossing the Mississippi at 2 in the morning, on my way from Cape Cod to Stanford, CA in the 8 year old '62 Falcon due to plaque buildup in the carburetor--a problem that came to a head towards the end of Wyoming, and had to be fixed in Salt Lake City. And that sensitivity has served me well.)
We both had cataract surgery some time ago. Since I didn't go for the expensive lenses, I still require glasses, but people should get the surgery as soon as the doctor says they need it.
Gus, I had Cataract surgery 13 months past should have done it couple years earlier. Easy recovery and great results. Mono vision lens implants are serving me well at age 79. Good luck and all best
My husband had lasic (spelling??) many years ago. Then he developed cataracts and had that surgery many years ago. Then about 3-4 years ago one of the retina lenses that they put in during the cataract surgery came loose and he couldn't see out of the eye. So then he had 2 TOTALLY unsuccessful surgeries to fix that. After that we went to a very good surgeon at the University of Michigan and he did another surgery to fix the problem caused by the first two unsuccessful ones. Unfortunately, about 6 months later his cornea started to deteriorate so he had a cornea transplant because he couldn't see. We knew it was a long shot and it didn't work. He is now blind in the eye, has unbelievably high pressure and often pain in the eye. After seeing a glaucoma specialist this week, and getting yet another set of drops to try, she suggested that if he continues to have the horrible pain in his eye, she would suggest removing the eye totally and replacing it with a glass eye...pick your doctor wisely. I think the first one my husband saw was clueless.
I had that surgery in both eyes 24 years ago ( at 54, one of Doc's youngest patients) and I've enjoyed perfect vision until just recently, and all I need are slightly corrective glasses - you will be so happy! And it was a relatively benign procedure. Blessings,
The surgery is not always easy. It’s not 100% perfect. Someone has to be in that small percentage. I’m one. I have dry eye and astigmatism. Evidently that combination can lead to complications. Do have the surgery by all means but also talk to your ophthamologist about what to do if you do have problems. Talk to your surgeon, too. Be prepared. I wish I had been forewarned.
I was one of those people who had problems. It took months to improve. I was still thrilled with the visual improvements. Now the pain is all gone and I can see. Since I have one eye that is far worse than the other, I was not a candidate for the bifocal lenses. I still need reading glasses. What I decided to do was have bifocal glasses with my reading prescription at the bottom and near clear at the top. With the top prescription, I can see better than 20/20.
Huh? I'm not sure what feed you're looking at because I'm seeing almost nothing but reports of "the human tragedies courtesy of the Israelis." What are you using for news?
Dr. Richardson's missive today, paragraph by paragraph, displays the seemingly unsolvable contradictions of this war -- regardless of any Israeli commitment to "minimizing civilian losses," so long as Palestinians wedded to violence embed themselves next to their neighbors while planning and launching attacks against Israel, those neighbors will have to die along with them when Israel counterattacks.
The bottom line is that the rocket, mortar, and terroristic attacks on Israelis must stop, permanently, and the Palestinians, hopefully with international help, will have to do the stopping without demanding prior conditions. Until that happens, Israel has little recourse but to thresh and concentrate those poor Palestinians, both the violent and their peaceful neighbors, into smaller and smaller areas.
Where is Palestinian leadership? Where is there a voice for these Palestinian victims? Obviously no one's listening to Blinken: “I made clear that before Israel resumes major military operations, it must put in place humanitarian civilian protection plans that minimize further casualties of innocent Palestinians.”
He also said that "They must avoid more displacement of citizens in Gaza and allow those already displaced to return as soon as conditions permit." Return to what?
The vast majority of Jews are against the Israeli government. IMO the only difference between it and Hamas is that Hamas struck first. Now we learn that Israeli Intelligence knew every detail of what Hamas was planning to do on October 7 and dismissed it as fantasy. Really? Could one of the most sophisticated Intelligence agencies in the world be so stupid? Or is it possible that they let it happen so they would have an excuse to destroy Hamas?
Likely that the vast majority of Palestinians are against the Palestinian (Hamas) government. Just like a majority of Americans don’t support chump. Elections are subject to all kinds of manipulation, it seems.
" IMO the only difference between it and Hamas is that Hamas struck first."
Hamas raped, tortured, murdered, and kidnapped civilians including babies, the elderly, and the disabled. Moreover, they did it gleefully, recorded it on their phones, bragged about it to their parents. They were so proud that they paraded their victims through the streets of Gaza--women with blood pouring out of their shorts--and the Gazans cheered.
And they said that they would do it again, and again, and again.
Israel was forced to strike back--needed to keep the pressure on so that they could force the return of their hostages. And it worked. Dozens of hostages have been returned so far.
Moreover is had to send a message to Hezbollah, the Houthis, as well as their supporter Iran, all of whom boast that their mission is to kill all the Jews in Israel. If Israel is perceived to be weak, that would encourage Iran and its proxies to strike.
In addition, the Israeli Defense Force uses targeted strikes-- they dropped millions of leaflets, made phones calls, texts, used WhatsApp to warn civilians to flee. Of course this also warned Hamas fighters as well.
Had the IDF not used targeted strikes, they could have killed at the rate that the Allies did in Dresden, when 25,000 Germans, mainly civilians, were killed in 3 days. Or the bombing of Tokyo, when 100,000 Japanese were killed in a single night.
Hamas estimates the number of dead so far is 14,000. Likely many are their own terrorists (they are not soldiers-- they blend in with civilians-- wear no uniform). Likely they exaggerate the number. We know there are casualties from their own misfired rockets.
And I also have to say that reading your statement,
" IMO the only difference between it and Hamas is that Hamas struck first." makes me physically ill.
I am getting tired of this one sided narrative of what's really going on with this war. Scholars concur that the Israelis have perpetuated a pressure cooker atmosphere with the way they treat the Palestinians. I saw this with my own eyes in the West Bank. The Israeli army also engaged in indiscriminate killing. Based on eyewitness testimonies and analyses of photos and videos Amnesty International is already calling for investigations of war crimes by the Israelis:
I believe that Hamas is a bit more responsible for Israeli deaths and injuries than the Palestinian civilians. And civilian deaths are up over 10,000 - mostly women and children. Somehow I doubt they were all terrorists.
I'm absolutely sure you're right that the vast majority of the inhabitants ("citizens?") of Gaza are horrified by what Hamas has done. But I don't see how anyone from the outside can tell them apart. Somehow, the Palestinians themselves will have to find a way to differentiate the violent from the peaceful.
There are also people in Gaza who are forced to work for Hamas against their will. But it's also true that Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth, and it is physically impossible for Israel to avoid slaughtering innocent people while ostensibly aiming for Hamas - and both Israel and the US know it. To claim to care about Palestinian lives is sheer hypocrisy. Israelis are precious, but Palestinians are called cockroaches in Israel.
Sorry, i was too focussed on American news showing personal suffering by families of hostages taken by Hamas, endless interviews, didnt explain that in my initial comment. I can't say ive seen much of that kind of personal rendering of Palestinians in the media. If I'm wrong, mea culpa.
No worries. Trying to form a coherent opinion on this horrid situation is like a Zen exercise, holding 10 contradictory notions in your mind, all at once, without emphasizing any of them.
Uh, Frank Loomer, lets not forget who started this current Middle East war. Yes, in the past Palestinians have sometimes gotten short shrift, and Netanyahu is a dreadful human being, but this war started with an absolutely brutal attack on Israelis, including women and children, including rape used as a weapon by Hamas on Israelis.
(And thank heaven this happened under Biden's presidency!)
Your parenthesized final statement is of immense importance. Imagine the bloodbath that would have ensued had tfg been in office. Not to say it isn’t already one, but Palestinian genocide would have been the end game had the orange clown circus been running the show.
Thank you for the title. I looked up the article and beneath the title it says:
"The infamy of Nixon's foreign-policy architect sits, eternally, beside that of history's worst mass murderers. A deeper shame attaches to the country that celebrates him"
I guess that about sums it up for Kissinger and for US of A.
In other news, NY Times reports that Israel received a report from an Israeli agent (a woman) who had observed a mock attack by Hamas very similar to a war plan that Israeli intelligence had obtained detailing Hamas' ultimate actual attack. Israel received this intelligence well before the actual attack.
Of course, she was ignored by Bibi and company, in spite of her speaking up after she was ignored.
Nice. A smart woman speaks up in a way that could have saved thousands and thousands of lives and prevented a war and THEN observes the mock invasion by Hamas and THEN?
Is completely ignored by Bibi and his NitWits. gift link below. Unbelievable.
Just finished a book about the women of the CIA—same situation with a group of female analysts and Bin Laden. No one would listen. Hysterical women, you know.
It just occurred to me: Maybe NitWitYahoo ignored her ON PURPOSE to enable Hamas to attack so he could then prosecute the "Final Solution" to the Palestinian problem?? Which, he does appear to have begun the first stage of.
Now that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a blockbuster Conspiracy Theory for you!
And just might be true, especially given that N. may be out as soon as the end of the current conflict is near or there's another major SNAFU in the Israeli defense operation.
Mike, I wouldn't be surprised at all. He needs to keep things stirred up because that criminal wants power and doesn't want to be held responsible for his criminal activity.
Maybe conspiracy, but it sure sounds not just possible but probable. Sad to say. I have a young Jewish business colleague who years ago thought she was going to spend her whole life working in Israel, but returned to the US because the racism in Israel against the Palestinians was unbearable to her.
I read somewhere that Hamas was created by Israel to undermine formation of the Palestinian Authority. A search for deeper insight turned up the following articles ...:
*****
New York Times report says Israel knew about Hamas attack over a year in advance
For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it's blown up in our faces
The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from
The Palestinian militant group has struggled to govern Gaza and remains committed to violently resisting Israel. Its surprise attack against Israel in 2023 threatens a wider conflagration in the Middle East.
ML, hysteria coming from the ancient Greeks where the women of Athens were never considered adults. It is really astounding what women were responsible for in terms of scientific studies, often to fall into oblivion, or have their work plagiarized by some male. And at age 80 with a reasonable intelligence, excellent education, and voracious reading, I still hear mansplaining.
Last year I spent the summer reading up on the history of misogyny, and it was quite an education especially when it still makes me see it all around me. "Hysteria" is an interesting term, it originates with the root word "hyster," which means womb or uterus.
Oh yes. It is an interesting word...we women are so emotional you know that we can't be leaders.... why is the image of Kavanaugh crying coming up for me. Unfortunately, most males are brought up to feel entitlement and we see the results of that all the time.
To this day, doctors (even female doctors) still treat women as being inclined toward hysteria and pat heads telling us our complaints are in our heads or just stress. It’s in their training as misogyny and sexism are passed down from their teachers. How many women have died from heart attacks and other diseases and disorders which could have been prevented if only the doctors listened without bias.
Women have it even worse in other cultures. Until recently, for example, women in Saudi Arabia went to prison for driving a car. In Iran, not wearing a headscarf will get you beaten up or even killed. And in many places, nobody will go to jail for killing a woman. Here in the US, there are still dinosaurs who call female college students "co-eds," a hoary old term for girls (and don't get me started on the persistent use of the term "girl" to describe adult women in western culture) in college and who were presumed to be there only to find a husband.
One of the worst aspects in misogyny is in health care. Here in the US we rank 55th in maternal deaths. Women are consistently the victims of income inequality because poverty is directly linked to sex, race and income. Poor Black and indigenous women are denied the care middle class white women take for granted.
I hope part of Blinken's conversation with Netanyahu includes plans for new elections in Israel asap. Bibi's endless - if occasionally interrupted - term as prime minister has proven disastrous for both Palestinians and Israelis and is a risk for the rest of us as well. And, it would not surprise me if Hamas's intentions - assuming he even knew what his intelligence services knew - were viewed by Netanyahu as an opportunity to enact a sort of "final solution" with regards to Hamas. Chilling to imagine such a scenario, reassuring that the US has influence enough to stop it if we aren't afraid to use it.
I hope it's not wishful thinking, but Blinken seems to be signalling that he knows all this and Netanyahu has no choice but to face election. If Blinken can pull that off...
He knows he will lose and he knows that clears the deck for his prosecution. Sound familiar? Millions must suffer so a megalomaniac can escape the punishment he so richly deserves? I hear echoes across the Atlantic.
How many years has his corruption conviction been around? will that be the same with trumpf? It has already been two years. Any of us would of been in jail and the key thrown away.
He won last time in spite of being under indictment, which is possibly where Trump came up with the same plan - Trump and Netanyahu have been friends for years. Here's the other Israeli criminal, Ehud Olmert, opining on the war:
Let's skip indulging in regional slurs. Not a good look, especially for someone from AZ. Trump is from New York, remember, and some of his most committed acolytes are from the NE as well.
They’re cut from the same cloth and are totally self-serving, thinking only of themselves and the risk of being held accountable for their crimes if out of office.
"the laws of war" . . . now there's an oxymoron for you. Thanks to Heather and the community she has built for the smart exchange of ideas that makes a difference to us all.
Look at all the smart women now warning us about Trump - Dr. Richardson, Liz Cheney, Cassidy Hutchinson, Marie Yovanovitch, Fiona Hill - yes, and some men like Adam Kinziger too. Will our country stand by and ignore them too?
Recall, most of the terrorists who participated in the 9/11 attacks were known by intelligence sources to have entered the US but those sources lost track of them!!
They enrolled in my college's aviation program. I encountered them standing in a group outside of our library. They looked at me with hate. I greeted them, not knowing that they were terrorists. No answer, Muhammad Attah was among them, so I'm told by the Admissions Director. He was not admitted. They never enrolled. They just went to learn how not to land.
I recommend a fabulously entitled book, "Skating on Stilts" by Stewart Baker. Sure, some intelligence sources knew of the entry of the terrorists into the U.S., but were largely prevented from acting on the information by the barriers we have in place to protect U.S. citizens from government surveillance. The upshot is that in this country we don't trust our own government not to hurt us, so we don't want to give it the tools necessary to protect us.
Mike, it is clear that Hamas was training in plain sight. Bibi and his minions were too busy grabbing power for themselves and supporting far right Jews in the West Bank and allowing them to study and exempted them from military duties that all Israelis must do. Also a woman who would have no status with the far right in Israel.
Thank you Mike; very interesting. I see the gang of young men on the jeep and think of our gangs in the U.S. - groups of disenfranchised men without hope, jobs, or purpose; angry and alone, who feel the sense of belonging and comradery when they find each other to the point that they will seek vengence and do anything for their group and their common cause. Terrorizing on the playground, in the neighborhood, at other countries. Humans start out with no hate or bias, and they are formed by their world. If only we could harness that energy and intent into more constructive action.
I tried to ask my daughter to acknowledge the arch of history bending forward despite the hideous actions of Kissinger prolonging the Vietnam War, bombing Cambodia, empowering Pinochet, all while arrogantly basking his public image as a Renaissance Man and Don Juan.
Understandably, she was unwilling to excuse the personal carnage of so many for the future realization of the greater good and forwarded the Rolling Stone article to me.
Thank god for the the humanitarianism of the young that continually presses for the here and now.
I woke up today to reporting that Netanyahu’s government knew of Hamas’ plans to attack Israel civilians, dismissed it and instead encouraged far-right extremists in the West Bank to act with a free hand so as to weaken the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority, strengthening his coalition and weakening calls for a two-state solution. The cynicism is shocking.
At hone, Trump is off the rails with authoritarian aspirations while promising to use the military to enforce his whims.
Is it any wonder that narcissists like Trump and Netanyahu rise to power when guys like Kissinger are lionized.
Paul, so Bibi supported Hamas to weaken the Palestinian Authority and now he’s encouraging lawlessness on the West Bank to further weaken them. Maybe Blinken can discourage him from his actions to sabotage work towards a two-state solution.
“Supported Hamas” seems to be overstated based on the facts in evidence and reporting I have seen.
He understands that Hamas would not gain international support in a negotiated two-state solution but the Palestinian Authority possibly could so he likely was more focused on the West Bank, promoting the interests of settlers, and weakening the PA.
He was preoccupied with holding together his far-right coalition to hold on to power, and arrogantly dismissed a threat identified by Israeli intelligence.
I am hardly well versed in Middle East intelligence but that’s my lay understanding of the facts.
Paul, I am far from an expert on Bibi and Hamas. Here are two articles that inform my understanding.
“The agreement between Hamas and Netanyahu that, after each round of fighting, Israel would allow funds from Qatar and elsewhere to flow back to Hamas. This was against the recommendation of much of his own security establishment. As has been seen, those funds were used by Hamas to build tunnels and stockpile weapons rather than build internal infrastructure for the people of Gaza “
“ For years, the various governments led by Benjamin Netanyahu took an approach that divided power between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank — bringing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to his knees while making moves that propped up the Hamas terror group.”
Robert Reich also wrote a detailed article about Kissinger and his war crimes. I knew some of it, but learned much more. I will read Rolling Stone’s article. Their headline is awesome.
I think Sec'y Blinken's comment on Kissinger, " “Few people were better students of history—even fewer people did more to shape history—than Henry Kissinger," was an example of masterful diplomacy. It sounds like a compliment...almost, and leaves it to the journalists to tell the details. Very different from his very specific telling of what is expected from Israel and Hamas. We are so blessed that it is he and President Biden in charge.
Terry, Kissinger passing is truly a world moment - ... full stop. His world history and political knowledge was unimpeachable. What was it, something like 12 U.S. presidents of different stripes sought his counsel; and how many others of various leadership positions; it would be a daunting task to enumerate, but shall be attempted and it shall be quite a number of tomes to come. However, you caught the same thing I did. I watched Blinken carefully when he delivered those remarks, both statements true. But he 'knew' more and had more within himself to say. I saw the small stutter pause, that I'm sure was "self restraint," though very brief, I caught it and said to myself, "Now that's diplomatic," and in the very next thought I heard my Dad's voice in my head saying, "Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary," which was his test for truth telling that he tried often to imbue me with.
"Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary,"...as a child welfare worker many years ago I saw this posted on many bulletin boards (yes, “bulletin boards”, that’s how old I am!)
I'm sure Dad didn't invent the thought, but he adopted it, and because of my nature to say whatever might cross my mind, he 'bulletin boarded' me, most often verbally, but alas sometimes with the bulletin board and handle, again owing to my nature. (lol)
Just as the ruling class celebrated Reagan, they celebrated Kissinger who seemed soulless and certainly valued some people's lives over others. Kissinger belongs in the ranks of warmongers and international criminals.
He was an "arms candy", kinda guy, though, in my opinion.
P.S., if you're wondering, and, I know that we're not related, but, I'd say that there's NO way that you should date a giant, POS, like that. No matter who he works for.
P.P.S., I, also, know that you punk kids don't listen. So, date, away, Babe. Date away.
We knew that when Nixon assumed office, it was the end of our revolution of progress most ushered in by LBJ who listened to his war hawks which ended with one term. The nation would surely have been better in a 2nd LBJ administration. The Chicago riots at the 1968 convention spelled doom for the democrats. A greater doom awaits in 2024.
What a different world if Reagan hadn’t also conspired with Iran to keep the hostages. Reagan was considered unelectable, much as Punkinhead was inconceivable. Both damaged this country profoundly.
I don’t think Jimmy Carter will survive to the new year, now that Rosalind is gone.
What a different world we might have had if he had stayed in office.
And how different a world may have developed if the US had not conspired to overthrow the Iranian government in 1953 I believe to install the Shah and the subsequent radical religious backlash which now follows into the present destruction of humans throughout the Middle East.
I'm gonna adopt! I have for years used "mutton head" and "chowder head" to use in place of more colorful metaphors when in either professional or polite company. Our housemate is from Maine, and self-identifies as a "chowdah head", so it's use as a sobriquet is now gone. Punkinhead it is, and it can either refer to a punk or a pumpkin.
Remember kennedy picked up Vietnam from the French, lbj continued with increasing the war effort, Nixon was left to pick up the pieces wanted bombing of Hanoi to force a peace, no chance of a win or breakeven by then. What would lbj have done? Moot point i bet. Vietnam tore American society apart.
And it sent many of our generation to the "left". I grew up in a "I like Ike" home. That was the last positive thought I ever had about Republicans. There's plenty of blame for Democrats, too. JFK was a naive victim of the Ridiculous Domino Theory. So was LBJ. But Nixon and Kissinger went so far into the dark side that their legacies of international progress and things like establishing the EPA are lost - in the dust of human incineration.
It is a testament to the human spirit that Vietnam and its neighbors have actually moved on from the horrors we perpetrated. Maybe someday the North and South of the US will figure that out.
I guess they thought if containment worked in Korea, Formosa, it would work in Vietnam too. Sadly, esp after WW2, Americans became indifferent to the huge scale of mortality and injury impressed upon local populations.
It’s documented that Nixon sent unofficial notice that he would offer better terms for peace to the North Vietnamese. Those dark, deceptive Shakespearian moments occur throughout human history and change such history for the worst. Yes LBJ inherited from Kennedy. They were all post-wwII generation who saw struggle purely between Communism verses the ‘Free World’ and how ignorant that seems today. Then in 2000, progressive hero Ralph Nader flush with self aggrandizement steps in as Green Party candidate for president and deprives Al Gore (remember President Gore?) and thereby changing the course of American history (Supreme Court appointments) for perhaps 50 years and maybe now permanently since we are hurtling toward right-wing authoritarian democracy if I may be so bold with new terminology. And as Plato once admonished: Tyranny follows Democracy.
Thanks, Bill. I often think of how different the world might be today, if the Supreme Court hadn't stopped the counting of the votes in Florida in 2000.
I think we can be sure that President Gore would have read his Presidential briefs - particularly the one reading "Bin Laden determined to strike the US."
And so the course of history might have been changed. No 9/11, no invasion of Afghanistan, no Iraq War......
Yes, I also often reflect on all those disasters that would have been averted with a Gore presidency. Additionally, with a president who understood the importance of maintaining environmental health, we might not be facing the current threat of catastrophic climate change.
At yes maybe no. All events are a continuum. All events influence each other. The golf war and stationing American troops on Saudi La d inspired bin Ladin. Our unmitigated support total green light support of the Jews of Israel inevitably lead to the catastrophe today. I don’t fault the Iranian supported Palestinians for sacrificing their own blood to turn the Middle East into an inferno. I gently very gently admonished an Israeli woman recently by noted that Isreal would win this battle but lose the war. No state ultimately care of loss of human life although they all make such claim. Although I am not Jewish per religious fanatics who tell me my mother wasn’t Jewish then neither am I and I say ‘Fuck You’ in reply.
Both the Democrats and Republicans teamed up against Nader to keep him from debating against Gore and Bush. I still contend Nader was the smartest person in my lifetime to run for President.
But, didn't the lady that died today have as much to do with Bush winning as Nader did.
Here's an academic article providing some detail on Operation Menu, the B52 saturation bombing of Cambodia for which Kissinger has been taking much heat here. You'd never get that impression from this story. I'm sure there's more out there on this though.
And this headline caught my eye at about 9 PM last night:
'Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago'
'A blueprint reviewed by The Times laid out the attack in detail. Israeli officials dismissed it as aspirational and ignored specific warnings.' (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
Why did HCR not include this in the Letter? I was not satisfied with the LFAA about Blinken's sermon to the world but, particularly to Israel, about the deaths and suffering of innocent
FERN, Mika & Joe of 'Morning Joe' (MJ) just interviewed author RONEN BERGMAN in segment A shortly after 7 am Eastern, while posting verbatim quotes from the devastating NYT article.
'MJ' previously interviewed EDWARD LUCE of the Financial Times who reported the IDF had their 'GAZA Brigade' deployed in the West Bank leaving the GAZA border unprotected. Luce also reported that Israeli "public trust" in their Prime Minister, Bibi, has sunk to 4%.
Right now, the HAMAS-Israel history over the last year is looking like one of the biggest intelligence failures since the Brits failed to uncover Kim Phelby in WWII & into the Cold War.
Bryan, your response prompted me to think of all the reasons for Israeli voters not to have reelected Netanyahu who '... has been serving as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is the chairman of the Likud party. Netanyahu is the longest-tenured prime minister in the country's history, having served for a total of over 16 years.' How has Netanyahu effected Israel? My thoughts go to American voters who may or may not reelect Donald Trump and the many crucial reasons that be belongs behind bars.
Yes, Helen, beyond what we have seen and, otherwise, learned of the deaths and suffering on the part of both Israelis and Gazans, and that it may have been avoided! The word CULPABLE came to mind right away: 'deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad'.
I read somewhere that Hamas was created by Israel to undermine formation of the Palestinian Authority. A search for deeper insight turned up the following articles ...:
*****
How and why Israel helped create Hamas?
Not many people are aware of the fact that it was Israel which had helped the creation of Hamas as a counter to PLO
For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it's blown up in our faces
The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from
The Palestinian militant group has struggled to govern Gaza and remains committed to violently resisting Israel. Its surprise attack against Israel in 2023 threatens a wider conflagration in the Middle East.
Ah, Kathleen, it is so good to see you. Peter shared the material you sent him, and he is grateful to participate in the silent vigil for peace.
I have been familiar with Netanyahu's strategy through different sources but did see the PBS Newshour that you linked. I may share it with a few others. While fury at Israel was to be expected, and Netanyahu's response was written in his bones, foresight does not soften the suffering and the deaths of children and adults caught in the evil deathtrap made of Gaza. I do not want to think and write more of this now.
It is time to hug you and thank for keeping the spirit and the light glowing.
I hear you Fern. I posted these somewhere on the blog yesterday ... may well provide insight as to how this dynamic plays out here in America - and maybe how to approach healing here and now ... take care - be well, ka
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow returns to Chicago Humanities to expose the shocking truth behind subversive attempts to undermine democracy and the inspiring tales of those who rose to challenge the insurrectionists.
*****
Rachel Maddow in conversation with Jacob Soboroff at Live Talks Los Angeles
Rachel Maddow discussing her book, "Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism," traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.
Her response to the last question is deeply inspirational.
*****
Books:
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism
Rachel Maddow (Author, Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher) – Oct. 17 2023
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.
*****
Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America by Steven J. Ross (Author)
October 24, 2017
The chilling, little-known story of the rise of Nazism in Los Angeles, and the Jewish leaders and spies they recruited who stopped it.
Many various headlines about Kissinger today, but this one from Rolling Stone caught my eye, "Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved by America's Ruling Class, Finally Dies."
Anne-Louise, agree 200%. We who have lived long enough know the facts. But we didn't know all of them. I was horrified at the man's deadly accomplishments that I didn’t know about--such as Kissinger being the one who brokered Nixon's extension of the Vietnam War, killing thousands more of my fellow soldiers and airmen. Americans!
I blamed Nixon alone for that all this time....
Excuse me, I was replying to Bonnie. Stage 4 cataracts, gotta have the surgery.
The surgery is life-changing. One of the best things I ever did.
Agree 100%. At 69, I am now seeing like a kid again, both near and far.
Me too, cataracts and cornea transplants! 78 here
Me too!
Gus, after surgery for stage 4 cataracts, you’ll be amazed at how bright the colors of your world will become.
best surgery ever. How I saw colors changed - everything was brighter. The cataracts make an ochre film which dulls everything. You'll be very happy to have it done.
Okay, you talked me into it! My opthalmologist has suggested it for years now.
Don’t put it off any longer!
Amazing how many of us have had cataract surgery! Me too!
I haven't. At my most recent eye app't, a year ago, my cadillacs were deemed relatively minor even though I've had 'em more than 20 years. (I'm very sensitive both to anything that's wrong with my body, and anything that's wrong with the engine in my car, the first symptom I ever perceived--at age 17--an ever so slight--would have been imperceptible to anyone else--loss of power after crossing the Mississippi at 2 in the morning, on my way from Cape Cod to Stanford, CA in the 8 year old '62 Falcon due to plaque buildup in the carburetor--a problem that came to a head towards the end of Wyoming, and had to be fixed in Salt Lake City. And that sensitivity has served me well.)
I had a 62 Falcon, bless you
Ha!
Mine was baby blue
We both had cataract surgery some time ago. Since I didn't go for the expensive lenses, I still require glasses, but people should get the surgery as soon as the doctor says they need it.
LOL
Get them taken care of and you will be able to see like you did when you were a child. Take it from one who had it done one year ago.
I can’t wait for mine. You go!
Gus, I had Cataract surgery 13 months past should have done it couple years earlier. Easy recovery and great results. Mono vision lens implants are serving me well at age 79. Good luck and all best
Ken, thanks for that encouraging word! Now I have to find a good local shop to do it, very soon....
My husband had lasic (spelling??) many years ago. Then he developed cataracts and had that surgery many years ago. Then about 3-4 years ago one of the retina lenses that they put in during the cataract surgery came loose and he couldn't see out of the eye. So then he had 2 TOTALLY unsuccessful surgeries to fix that. After that we went to a very good surgeon at the University of Michigan and he did another surgery to fix the problem caused by the first two unsuccessful ones. Unfortunately, about 6 months later his cornea started to deteriorate so he had a cornea transplant because he couldn't see. We knew it was a long shot and it didn't work. He is now blind in the eye, has unbelievably high pressure and often pain in the eye. After seeing a glaucoma specialist this week, and getting yet another set of drops to try, she suggested that if he continues to have the horrible pain in his eye, she would suggest removing the eye totally and replacing it with a glass eye...pick your doctor wisely. I think the first one my husband saw was clueless.
Collette, good advice--but scary!
I had that surgery in both eyes 24 years ago ( at 54, one of Doc's youngest patients) and I've enjoyed perfect vision until just recently, and all I need are slightly corrective glasses - you will be so happy! And it was a relatively benign procedure. Blessings,
All the best on the surgery, Gus Koch! I hope you're not driving until you've had it.
Still drive, maybe twice a week, only local and only during the day. Post office, drug store...
The surgery is not always easy. It’s not 100% perfect. Someone has to be in that small percentage. I’m one. I have dry eye and astigmatism. Evidently that combination can lead to complications. Do have the surgery by all means but also talk to your ophthamologist about what to do if you do have problems. Talk to your surgeon, too. Be prepared. I wish I had been forewarned.
I was one of those people who had problems. It took months to improve. I was still thrilled with the visual improvements. Now the pain is all gone and I can see. Since I have one eye that is far worse than the other, I was not a candidate for the bifocal lenses. I still need reading glasses. What I decided to do was have bifocal glasses with my reading prescription at the bottom and near clear at the top. With the top prescription, I can see better than 20/20.
Dont forget the far greater number of Vietnamese. You barely ifever hear the human Palestinian tragedies courtesy of the Israelis.
Huh? I'm not sure what feed you're looking at because I'm seeing almost nothing but reports of "the human tragedies courtesy of the Israelis." What are you using for news?
Dr. Richardson's missive today, paragraph by paragraph, displays the seemingly unsolvable contradictions of this war -- regardless of any Israeli commitment to "minimizing civilian losses," so long as Palestinians wedded to violence embed themselves next to their neighbors while planning and launching attacks against Israel, those neighbors will have to die along with them when Israel counterattacks.
The bottom line is that the rocket, mortar, and terroristic attacks on Israelis must stop, permanently, and the Palestinians, hopefully with international help, will have to do the stopping without demanding prior conditions. Until that happens, Israel has little recourse but to thresh and concentrate those poor Palestinians, both the violent and their peaceful neighbors, into smaller and smaller areas.
Where is Palestinian leadership? Where is there a voice for these Palestinian victims? Obviously no one's listening to Blinken: “I made clear that before Israel resumes major military operations, it must put in place humanitarian civilian protection plans that minimize further casualties of innocent Palestinians.”
He also said that "They must avoid more displacement of citizens in Gaza and allow those already displaced to return as soon as conditions permit." Return to what?
The vast majority of Jews are against the Israeli government. IMO the only difference between it and Hamas is that Hamas struck first. Now we learn that Israeli Intelligence knew every detail of what Hamas was planning to do on October 7 and dismissed it as fantasy. Really? Could one of the most sophisticated Intelligence agencies in the world be so stupid? Or is it possible that they let it happen so they would have an excuse to destroy Hamas?
Likely that the vast majority of Palestinians are against the Palestinian (Hamas) government. Just like a majority of Americans don’t support chump. Elections are subject to all kinds of manipulation, it seems.
" IMO the only difference between it and Hamas is that Hamas struck first."
Hamas raped, tortured, murdered, and kidnapped civilians including babies, the elderly, and the disabled. Moreover, they did it gleefully, recorded it on their phones, bragged about it to their parents. They were so proud that they paraded their victims through the streets of Gaza--women with blood pouring out of their shorts--and the Gazans cheered.
And they said that they would do it again, and again, and again.
Israel was forced to strike back--needed to keep the pressure on so that they could force the return of their hostages. And it worked. Dozens of hostages have been returned so far.
Moreover is had to send a message to Hezbollah, the Houthis, as well as their supporter Iran, all of whom boast that their mission is to kill all the Jews in Israel. If Israel is perceived to be weak, that would encourage Iran and its proxies to strike.
In addition, the Israeli Defense Force uses targeted strikes-- they dropped millions of leaflets, made phones calls, texts, used WhatsApp to warn civilians to flee. Of course this also warned Hamas fighters as well.
Had the IDF not used targeted strikes, they could have killed at the rate that the Allies did in Dresden, when 25,000 Germans, mainly civilians, were killed in 3 days. Or the bombing of Tokyo, when 100,000 Japanese were killed in a single night.
Hamas estimates the number of dead so far is 14,000. Likely many are their own terrorists (they are not soldiers-- they blend in with civilians-- wear no uniform). Likely they exaggerate the number. We know there are casualties from their own misfired rockets.
And I also have to say that reading your statement,
" IMO the only difference between it and Hamas is that Hamas struck first." makes me physically ill.
I am getting tired of this one sided narrative of what's really going on with this war. Scholars concur that the Israelis have perpetuated a pressure cooker atmosphere with the way they treat the Palestinians. I saw this with my own eyes in the West Bank. The Israeli army also engaged in indiscriminate killing. Based on eyewitness testimonies and analyses of photos and videos Amnesty International is already calling for investigations of war crimes by the Israelis:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/damning-evidence-of-war-crimes-as-israeli-attacks-wipe-out-entire-families-in-gaza/
I believe that Hamas is a bit more responsible for Israeli deaths and injuries than the Palestinian civilians. And civilian deaths are up over 10,000 - mostly women and children. Somehow I doubt they were all terrorists.
I'm absolutely sure you're right that the vast majority of the inhabitants ("citizens?") of Gaza are horrified by what Hamas has done. But I don't see how anyone from the outside can tell them apart. Somehow, the Palestinians themselves will have to find a way to differentiate the violent from the peaceful.
There are also people in Gaza who are forced to work for Hamas against their will. But it's also true that Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on earth, and it is physically impossible for Israel to avoid slaughtering innocent people while ostensibly aiming for Hamas - and both Israel and the US know it. To claim to care about Palestinian lives is sheer hypocrisy. Israelis are precious, but Palestinians are called cockroaches in Israel.
Yes thats true. I'm thinking thats harder than it appears to us on the outside of the issue.
Agreed and I read that the Hamas who are actually in Gaza are now hiding out in southern Gaza.
Is it Southern or Northern Gaza where they are telling civilians to go? Not that it matters at this point.
Sorry, i was too focussed on American news showing personal suffering by families of hostages taken by Hamas, endless interviews, didnt explain that in my initial comment. I can't say ive seen much of that kind of personal rendering of Palestinians in the media. If I'm wrong, mea culpa.
No worries. Trying to form a coherent opinion on this horrid situation is like a Zen exercise, holding 10 contradictory notions in your mind, all at once, without emphasizing any of them.
Another post I wish I could like 100 times.
Uh, Frank Loomer, lets not forget who started this current Middle East war. Yes, in the past Palestinians have sometimes gotten short shrift, and Netanyahu is a dreadful human being, but this war started with an absolutely brutal attack on Israelis, including women and children, including rape used as a weapon by Hamas on Israelis.
(And thank heaven this happened under Biden's presidency!)
Your parenthesized final statement is of immense importance. Imagine the bloodbath that would have ensued had tfg been in office. Not to say it isn’t already one, but Palestinian genocide would have been the end game had the orange clown circus been running the show.
Keep in mind what an Anti-semite tfg is.
Absolutely. Irony is his base is pro Israel but we all know he, personally, is not. One of 2,000 contradictions of the narcissistic hypocrite.
Exactly. We are just so damn lucky!!! Thank you.
I did think about the deaths of people in SE Asia as the result of the extension of the Vietnam War and also into neighboring countries.
Gus; Blaming Nixon primarily is appropriate because he was President, but it seems Kissinger was the awfulness architect.
That and so much more....
Bonnie,
Thank you for the title. I looked up the article and beneath the title it says:
"The infamy of Nixon's foreign-policy architect sits, eternally, beside that of history's worst mass murderers. A deeper shame attaches to the country that celebrates him"
I guess that about sums it up for Kissinger and for US of A.
In other news, NY Times reports that Israel received a report from an Israeli agent (a woman) who had observed a mock attack by Hamas very similar to a war plan that Israeli intelligence had obtained detailing Hamas' ultimate actual attack. Israel received this intelligence well before the actual attack.
Of course, she was ignored by Bibi and company, in spite of her speaking up after she was ignored.
Nice. A smart woman speaks up in a way that could have saved thousands and thousands of lives and prevented a war and THEN observes the mock invasion by Hamas and THEN?
Is completely ignored by Bibi and his NitWits. gift link below. Unbelievable.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-attack-intelligence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ck0.R_iH.Ee0NYLMVn544&smid=url-share
Just finished a book about the women of the CIA—same situation with a group of female analysts and Bin Laden. No one would listen. Hysterical women, you know.
It just occurred to me: Maybe NitWitYahoo ignored her ON PURPOSE to enable Hamas to attack so he could then prosecute the "Final Solution" to the Palestinian problem?? Which, he does appear to have begun the first stage of.
Now that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is a blockbuster Conspiracy Theory for you!
And just might be true, especially given that N. may be out as soon as the end of the current conflict is near or there's another major SNAFU in the Israeli defense operation.
Wouldn't surprise me, Mike.
Mike, I wouldn't be surprised at all. He needs to keep things stirred up because that criminal wants power and doesn't want to be held responsible for his criminal activity.
Maybe conspiracy, but it sure sounds not just possible but probable. Sad to say. I have a young Jewish business colleague who years ago thought she was going to spend her whole life working in Israel, but returned to the US because the racism in Israel against the Palestinians was unbearable to her.
I wish I were sure it weren't true, Mike S, but this is quite plausible. Thank heaven this happened during Biden's presidency.
Makes sense to me!
Where have you been. We all know Net. was warned by Jordan and Egypt.
I read somewhere that Hamas was created by Israel to undermine formation of the Palestinian Authority. A search for deeper insight turned up the following articles ...:
*****
New York Times report says Israel knew about Hamas attack over a year in advance
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-times-hamas-attack-israel-gaza-6088cad78f5e4153d671fe9b5b819308
*****
How and why Israel helped create Hamas?
Not many people are aware of the fact that it was Israel which had helped the creation of Hamas as a counter to PLO
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2302309/how-and-why-israel-helped-create-hamas
*****
For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it's blown up in our faces
The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from
https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/
*****
What is Hamas? What to know about its origins, leaders and funding
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-is-hamas-what-to-know-about-its-origins-leaders-and-funding
*****
The Israeli Right's Campaign to Delegitimize the Palestinian Authority Is How Hamas Will Win
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-11-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/the-israeli-rights-campaign-to-delegitimize-the-pa-is-how-hamas-will-win/0000018c-1294-dd2e-a5ae-d3dfde8c0000
*****
WHAT IS HAMAS?
The Palestinian militant group has struggled to govern Gaza and remains committed to violently resisting Israel. Its surprise attack against Israel in 2023 threatens a wider conflagration in the Middle East.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hamas
*****
What are the roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict?
Recent events are the culmination of a decades-long clash in the disputed region of the Middle East
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/09/why-israel-palestine-conflict-history
*****
What was Hamas thinking? For over three decades, it has had the same brutal idea of victory
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-conflict-endgame-1bfcc187d826596e78090ec6cbf6516c
*****
HOW NETANYAHU'S HAMAS POLICY CAME BACK TO HAUNT HIM - AND ISRAEL
The Israeli leader and Hamas are deadly enemies — and allies in opposing a 2-state solution
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-1.7010035
*****
History Illustrated: The story of Hamas and its fight for Palestine
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/10/11/history-illustrated-the-story-of-hamas-and-its-fight-for-palestine
*****
Peace - be well, ka
My 1st thought.
ML, hysteria coming from the ancient Greeks where the women of Athens were never considered adults. It is really astounding what women were responsible for in terms of scientific studies, often to fall into oblivion, or have their work plagiarized by some male. And at age 80 with a reasonable intelligence, excellent education, and voracious reading, I still hear mansplaining.
Last year I spent the summer reading up on the history of misogyny, and it was quite an education especially when it still makes me see it all around me. "Hysteria" is an interesting term, it originates with the root word "hyster," which means womb or uterus.
Oh yes. It is an interesting word...we women are so emotional you know that we can't be leaders.... why is the image of Kavanaugh crying coming up for me. Unfortunately, most males are brought up to feel entitlement and we see the results of that all the time.
To this day, doctors (even female doctors) still treat women as being inclined toward hysteria and pat heads telling us our complaints are in our heads or just stress. It’s in their training as misogyny and sexism are passed down from their teachers. How many women have died from heart attacks and other diseases and disorders which could have been prevented if only the doctors listened without bias.
Women have it even worse in other cultures. Until recently, for example, women in Saudi Arabia went to prison for driving a car. In Iran, not wearing a headscarf will get you beaten up or even killed. And in many places, nobody will go to jail for killing a woman. Here in the US, there are still dinosaurs who call female college students "co-eds," a hoary old term for girls (and don't get me started on the persistent use of the term "girl" to describe adult women in western culture) in college and who were presumed to be there only to find a husband.
One of the worst aspects in misogyny is in health care. Here in the US we rank 55th in maternal deaths. Women are consistently the victims of income inequality because poverty is directly linked to sex, race and income. Poor Black and indigenous women are denied the care middle class white women take for granted.
Yes, a mental illness in a woman was explained as her having a "wandering uterus". And one reporting incest was clearly psychotic.
Infuriating- what’s the title of the book? I’d like to read it
See below.
Don't forget the oil.
Frankly, nobody gives a shit, what anybody says, as long as the "Texas tea" flows.
Cheney flew the Saudis out, on 9-11. NOT the next day, mind you. He got them OUT! FAST!
P.S., Ms. Plame is not an hysterical woman. She said Nah-thing. What happened, to her? Savvy?
May I ask what book?
MLMinET Perhaps it was "Black Flags" by Joby Warrick?
No. The Sisterhood: the secret history of women at the CIA by Liza Mundy
I hope part of Blinken's conversation with Netanyahu includes plans for new elections in Israel asap. Bibi's endless - if occasionally interrupted - term as prime minister has proven disastrous for both Palestinians and Israelis and is a risk for the rest of us as well. And, it would not surprise me if Hamas's intentions - assuming he even knew what his intelligence services knew - were viewed by Netanyahu as an opportunity to enact a sort of "final solution" with regards to Hamas. Chilling to imagine such a scenario, reassuring that the US has influence enough to stop it if we aren't afraid to use it.
I hope it's not wishful thinking, but Blinken seems to be signalling that he knows all this and Netanyahu has no choice but to face election. If Blinken can pull that off...
Here's hoping.
Netanyahu is avoiding an election at all costs; he knows he will lose.
He knows he will lose and he knows that clears the deck for his prosecution. Sound familiar? Millions must suffer so a megalomaniac can escape the punishment he so richly deserves? I hear echoes across the Atlantic.
How many years has his corruption conviction been around? will that be the same with trumpf? It has already been two years. Any of us would of been in jail and the key thrown away.
He won last time in spite of being under indictment, which is possibly where Trump came up with the same plan - Trump and Netanyahu have been friends for years. Here's the other Israeli criminal, Ehud Olmert, opining on the war:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/10/16/ehud-olmert-q-a-00121787
Interesting how Politico thought the opinions of a corrupt politician and convicted criminal would be worth publishing.
Dovetails back to Nixon, Kissinger and Vietnam. (Tho merely to win re-election, not avoid prosecution. I'd say that's worse).
The news that Israel had Hamas’ battle plan but ignored it may be—I hope—enough to drive him out.
Same reason if chump wins next year, we will never have another one.
May we/they say the same about Donald Trump--and soon.
Craig,
Half of Amurca is PROUD of Donald Trump and profoundly so. Haes a rael maen doncha know?
it is more like 35% of America not half. that kind of sounded like a lametreet media analysis.
Yuk
(turns on Southern accent) Yep, but the boy ain't right the heed.
Let's skip indulging in regional slurs. Not a good look, especially for someone from AZ. Trump is from New York, remember, and some of his most committed acolytes are from the NE as well.
(Should have said something yesterday, but folks were all about indulging fat slurs).
Yup - and the "problem" with melonhead isnt his accent!!
They’re cut from the same cloth and are totally self-serving, thinking only of themselves and the risk of being held accountable for their crimes if out of office.
"the laws of war" . . . now there's an oxymoron for you. Thanks to Heather and the community she has built for the smart exchange of ideas that makes a difference to us all.
Look at all the smart women now warning us about Trump - Dr. Richardson, Liz Cheney, Cassidy Hutchinson, Marie Yovanovitch, Fiona Hill - yes, and some men like Adam Kinziger too. Will our country stand by and ignore them too?
It appears that it already has, but thankfully, it’s beginning to catch on!
Recall, most of the terrorists who participated in the 9/11 attacks were known by intelligence sources to have entered the US but those sources lost track of them!!
Even though, during their flight training (in Florida, as I recall), they expressed NO interest, in learning how to land a plane.
They enrolled in my college's aviation program. I encountered them standing in a group outside of our library. They looked at me with hate. I greeted them, not knowing that they were terrorists. No answer, Muhammad Attah was among them, so I'm told by the Admissions Director. He was not admitted. They never enrolled. They just went to learn how not to land.
I recommend a fabulously entitled book, "Skating on Stilts" by Stewart Baker. Sure, some intelligence sources knew of the entry of the terrorists into the U.S., but were largely prevented from acting on the information by the barriers we have in place to protect U.S. citizens from government surveillance. The upshot is that in this country we don't trust our own government not to hurt us, so we don't want to give it the tools necessary to protect us.
Yeah, but now we have our phones listening to our every word so they can send us the best advertising!
Too late, now, Pal.
Mike, isn't that the plot of Alien? Smart woman ignored, everyone dies.
"Dubya", and, his crew, are comparable. Almost, the same, in fact. I guess that about sums it up for the US of A, as well.
P.S., I, allays, forget about Dubya's old man, and, Ronnie. That's how bad Dubya was.
Mike, it is clear that Hamas was training in plain sight. Bibi and his minions were too busy grabbing power for themselves and supporting far right Jews in the West Bank and allowing them to study and exempted them from military duties that all Israelis must do. Also a woman who would have no status with the far right in Israel.
Thank you Mike; very interesting. I see the gang of young men on the jeep and think of our gangs in the U.S. - groups of disenfranchised men without hope, jobs, or purpose; angry and alone, who feel the sense of belonging and comradery when they find each other to the point that they will seek vengence and do anything for their group and their common cause. Terrorizing on the playground, in the neighborhood, at other countries. Humans start out with no hate or bias, and they are formed by their world. If only we could harness that energy and intent into more constructive action.
Thank you Mike for gifting this article by the NYT. Tragedy beyond measure that this agent was not listened to.
not unbelievable at all, if the way he got into power was the fear and aggression of others.
I tried to ask my daughter to acknowledge the arch of history bending forward despite the hideous actions of Kissinger prolonging the Vietnam War, bombing Cambodia, empowering Pinochet, all while arrogantly basking his public image as a Renaissance Man and Don Juan.
Understandably, she was unwilling to excuse the personal carnage of so many for the future realization of the greater good and forwarded the Rolling Stone article to me.
Thank god for the the humanitarianism of the young that continually presses for the here and now.
I woke up today to reporting that Netanyahu’s government knew of Hamas’ plans to attack Israel civilians, dismissed it and instead encouraged far-right extremists in the West Bank to act with a free hand so as to weaken the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority, strengthening his coalition and weakening calls for a two-state solution. The cynicism is shocking.
At hone, Trump is off the rails with authoritarian aspirations while promising to use the military to enforce his whims.
Is it any wonder that narcissists like Trump and Netanyahu rise to power when guys like Kissinger are lionized.
Paul, so Bibi supported Hamas to weaken the Palestinian Authority and now he’s encouraging lawlessness on the West Bank to further weaken them. Maybe Blinken can discourage him from his actions to sabotage work towards a two-state solution.
“Supported Hamas” seems to be overstated based on the facts in evidence and reporting I have seen.
He understands that Hamas would not gain international support in a negotiated two-state solution but the Palestinian Authority possibly could so he likely was more focused on the West Bank, promoting the interests of settlers, and weakening the PA.
He was preoccupied with holding together his far-right coalition to hold on to power, and arrogantly dismissed a threat identified by Israeli intelligence.
I am hardly well versed in Middle East intelligence but that’s my lay understanding of the facts.
Paul, I am far from an expert on Bibi and Hamas. Here are two articles that inform my understanding.
“The agreement between Hamas and Netanyahu that, after each round of fighting, Israel would allow funds from Qatar and elsewhere to flow back to Hamas. This was against the recommendation of much of his own security establishment. As has been seen, those funds were used by Hamas to build tunnels and stockpile weapons rather than build internal infrastructure for the people of Gaza “
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4268794-the-symbiotic-relationship-between-netanyahu-and-hamas/amp/
“ For years, the various governments led by Benjamin Netanyahu took an approach that divided power between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank — bringing Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to his knees while making moves that propped up the Hamas terror group.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/amp/
Mary, thank you for posting these articles
You’re welcome.
I finally had a chance to read your link. Thank you.
You’re very welcome.
Perhaps BiBi’s neighbor, and like minded savage authoritarian, MBS can send some of his persuasive assistants to relive BIbi of his pain!!
Yikes.. "Beloved by America's Ruling Class"
D4N - I know, right? Rolling Stone tells it like it is. Maybe that's a phrase we should all be using.
Robert Reich also wrote a detailed article about Kissinger and his war crimes. I knew some of it, but learned much more. I will read Rolling Stone’s article. Their headline is awesome.
That's my dream. It's my nightmare: To be...beloved...by America's ruling class.
AKA: "military industrial complex" and their cousins - the oiligarchs.
Let's call them what they are--robber barons. No one has to look up that term.
I think Sec'y Blinken's comment on Kissinger, " “Few people were better students of history—even fewer people did more to shape history—than Henry Kissinger," was an example of masterful diplomacy. It sounds like a compliment...almost, and leaves it to the journalists to tell the details. Very different from his very specific telling of what is expected from Israel and Hamas. We are so blessed that it is he and President Biden in charge.
Terry, Kissinger passing is truly a world moment - ... full stop. His world history and political knowledge was unimpeachable. What was it, something like 12 U.S. presidents of different stripes sought his counsel; and how many others of various leadership positions; it would be a daunting task to enumerate, but shall be attempted and it shall be quite a number of tomes to come. However, you caught the same thing I did. I watched Blinken carefully when he delivered those remarks, both statements true. But he 'knew' more and had more within himself to say. I saw the small stutter pause, that I'm sure was "self restraint," though very brief, I caught it and said to myself, "Now that's diplomatic," and in the very next thought I heard my Dad's voice in my head saying, "Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary," which was his test for truth telling that he tried often to imbue me with.
"Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary,"...as a child welfare worker many years ago I saw this posted on many bulletin boards (yes, “bulletin boards”, that’s how old I am!)
I'm sure Dad didn't invent the thought, but he adopted it, and because of my nature to say whatever might cross my mind, he 'bulletin boarded' me, most often verbally, but alas sometimes with the bulletin board and handle, again owing to my nature. (lol)
Just as the ruling class celebrated Reagan, they celebrated Kissinger who seemed soulless and certainly valued some people's lives over others. Kissinger belongs in the ranks of warmongers and international criminals.
I didn't read a single eulogy about Kissinger that didn't mention some of the dastardly deeds he committed.
About time the old fart died. The world is a better place without him.
How many Americans died in Viet Nam and Cambodia because of him?
War criminal and traitor indeed.
Problem is...we don’t learn anything!
If that doesn’t capture the essence of Kissinger’s legacy. Good and evil. Are we all capable of both, I would hope not, but…….
Where's the good in his legacy> I see only evil...
Power brings pussy. Kissinger said that. That doesn't seem so evil, to me. Just sayin'...
Power brings "arm candy". Whether there is good sex is an unknown.
Too late, now, to aks Kissinger, don't ya think?
He was an "arms candy", kinda guy, though, in my opinion.
P.S., if you're wondering, and, I know that we're not related, but, I'd say that there's NO way that you should date a giant, POS, like that. No matter who he works for.
P.P.S., I, also, know that you punk kids don't listen. So, date, away, Babe. Date away.
Not sure if you are assuming I am a "punk kid". I'm a senior.
I think he chose to marry women with whom he could have intelligent dinner conversation.
We knew that when Nixon assumed office, it was the end of our revolution of progress most ushered in by LBJ who listened to his war hawks which ended with one term. The nation would surely have been better in a 2nd LBJ administration. The Chicago riots at the 1968 convention spelled doom for the democrats. A greater doom awaits in 2024.
What a different world if Reagan hadn’t also conspired with Iran to keep the hostages. Reagan was considered unelectable, much as Punkinhead was inconceivable. Both damaged this country profoundly.
I don’t think Jimmy Carter will survive to the new year, now that Rosalind is gone.
What a different world we might have had if he had stayed in office.
And how different a world may have developed if the US had not conspired to overthrow the Iranian government in 1953 I believe to install the Shah and the subsequent radical religious backlash which now follows into the present destruction of humans throughout the Middle East.
I'm gonna adopt! I have for years used "mutton head" and "chowder head" to use in place of more colorful metaphors when in either professional or polite company. Our housemate is from Maine, and self-identifies as a "chowdah head", so it's use as a sobriquet is now gone. Punkinhead it is, and it can either refer to a punk or a pumpkin.
Punkinhead! : ()
Remember kennedy picked up Vietnam from the French, lbj continued with increasing the war effort, Nixon was left to pick up the pieces wanted bombing of Hanoi to force a peace, no chance of a win or breakeven by then. What would lbj have done? Moot point i bet. Vietnam tore American society apart.
It certainly did.
And it sent many of our generation to the "left". I grew up in a "I like Ike" home. That was the last positive thought I ever had about Republicans. There's plenty of blame for Democrats, too. JFK was a naive victim of the Ridiculous Domino Theory. So was LBJ. But Nixon and Kissinger went so far into the dark side that their legacies of international progress and things like establishing the EPA are lost - in the dust of human incineration.
It is a testament to the human spirit that Vietnam and its neighbors have actually moved on from the horrors we perpetrated. Maybe someday the North and South of the US will figure that out.
I guess they thought if containment worked in Korea, Formosa, it would work in Vietnam too. Sadly, esp after WW2, Americans became indifferent to the huge scale of mortality and injury impressed upon local populations.
Most historical accounts of the Vietnam War focus a lot on the hubris that America showed from the start:
"- We're the USA. See what we did to Japan and Germany.
- See how many "wins" we've had in many other nations since.
- We can accomplish in Vietnam what the French couldn't.
- Little gooks are no match for our military might.
- It doesn't matter that this will be jungle warfare and our enemy is far more deeply experienced at it than we are.
- It doesn't matter that they are fighting for their vision of what's best for THEIR nation.
- It doesn't matter that we won't be able to tell the soldiers from the civilians."
- No one will know if we use extremely brutal tactics."
It went on and on.
Have they?
Last sentence gave me a laugh, or did I choke…
It’s documented that Nixon sent unofficial notice that he would offer better terms for peace to the North Vietnamese. Those dark, deceptive Shakespearian moments occur throughout human history and change such history for the worst. Yes LBJ inherited from Kennedy. They were all post-wwII generation who saw struggle purely between Communism verses the ‘Free World’ and how ignorant that seems today. Then in 2000, progressive hero Ralph Nader flush with self aggrandizement steps in as Green Party candidate for president and deprives Al Gore (remember President Gore?) and thereby changing the course of American history (Supreme Court appointments) for perhaps 50 years and maybe now permanently since we are hurtling toward right-wing authoritarian democracy if I may be so bold with new terminology. And as Plato once admonished: Tyranny follows Democracy.
Thanks, Bill. I often think of how different the world might be today, if the Supreme Court hadn't stopped the counting of the votes in Florida in 2000.
I think we can be sure that President Gore would have read his Presidential briefs - particularly the one reading "Bin Laden determined to strike the US."
And so the course of history might have been changed. No 9/11, no invasion of Afghanistan, no Iraq War......
Yes, I also often reflect on all those disasters that would have been averted with a Gore presidency. Additionally, with a president who understood the importance of maintaining environmental health, we might not be facing the current threat of catastrophic climate change.
At yes maybe no. All events are a continuum. All events influence each other. The golf war and stationing American troops on Saudi La d inspired bin Ladin. Our unmitigated support total green light support of the Jews of Israel inevitably lead to the catastrophe today. I don’t fault the Iranian supported Palestinians for sacrificing their own blood to turn the Middle East into an inferno. I gently very gently admonished an Israeli woman recently by noted that Isreal would win this battle but lose the war. No state ultimately care of loss of human life although they all make such claim. Although I am not Jewish per religious fanatics who tell me my mother wasn’t Jewish then neither am I and I say ‘Fuck You’ in reply.
Ahhh the imponderable what ifs....
Thank you for mentioning Nixon’s evil act that cost so many lives, and Nader’s ego insanity that screwed all of us in 2000. I am still beyond pissed.
Both the Democrats and Republicans teamed up against Nader to keep him from debating against Gore and Bush. I still contend Nader was the smartest person in my lifetime to run for President.
But, didn't the lady that died today have as much to do with Bush winning as Nader did.
People forget what a lousy campaign Gore ran. It should have been open and shut!
Yes he was stiff. He should have been schooled to loosen up and tell a joke once in awhile.
And don't forget. McNamara's admiting that the Turner Joy incident was a lie to justify expanding the war in Vietnam by LBJ.
Here's an academic article providing some detail on Operation Menu, the B52 saturation bombing of Cambodia for which Kissinger has been taking much heat here. You'd never get that impression from this story. I'm sure there's more out there on this though.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://gsp.yale.edu/sites/default/files/walrus_cambodiabombing_oct06.pdf
And this headline caught my eye at about 9 PM last night:
'Israel Knew Hamas’s Attack Plan More Than a Year Ago'
'A blueprint reviewed by The Times laid out the attack in detail. Israeli officials dismissed it as aspirational and ignored specific warnings.' (NYTimes) See gifted link below.
Why did HCR not include this in the Letter? I was not satisfied with the LFAA about Blinken's sermon to the world but, particularly to Israel, about the deaths and suffering of innocent
children and adults in Gaza.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-attack-intelligence.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ck0.gsV1.QhnPOA5p9VNz&smid=url-share
FERN, Mika & Joe of 'Morning Joe' (MJ) just interviewed author RONEN BERGMAN in segment A shortly after 7 am Eastern, while posting verbatim quotes from the devastating NYT article.
'MJ' previously interviewed EDWARD LUCE of the Financial Times who reported the IDF had their 'GAZA Brigade' deployed in the West Bank leaving the GAZA border unprotected. Luce also reported that Israeli "public trust" in their Prime Minister, Bibi, has sunk to 4%.
Right now, the HAMAS-Israel history over the last year is looking like one of the biggest intelligence failures since the Brits failed to uncover Kim Phelby in WWII & into the Cold War.
Bryan, your response prompted me to think of all the reasons for Israeli voters not to have reelected Netanyahu who '... has been serving as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is the chairman of the Likud party. Netanyahu is the longest-tenured prime minister in the country's history, having served for a total of over 16 years.' How has Netanyahu effected Israel? My thoughts go to American voters who may or may not reelect Donald Trump and the many crucial reasons that be belongs behind bars.
Fern, this article is chilling.
Yes, Helen, beyond what we have seen and, otherwise, learned of the deaths and suffering on the part of both Israelis and Gazans, and that it may have been avoided! The word CULPABLE came to mind right away: 'deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad'.
Good word. Can apply to many, many people.
Hi Fern, I hope and trust you are well ...
I read somewhere that Hamas was created by Israel to undermine formation of the Palestinian Authority. A search for deeper insight turned up the following articles ...:
*****
How and why Israel helped create Hamas?
Not many people are aware of the fact that it was Israel which had helped the creation of Hamas as a counter to PLO
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2302309/how-and-why-israel-helped-create-hamas
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For years, Netanyahu propped up Hamas. Now it's blown up in our faces
The premier’s policy of treating the terror group as a partner, at the expense of Abbas and Palestinian statehood, has resulted in wounds that will take Israel years to heal from
https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/
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What is Hamas? What to know about its origins, leaders and funding
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-is-hamas-what-to-know-about-its-origins-leaders-and-funding
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The Israeli Right's Campaign to Delegitimize the Palestinian Authority Is How Hamas Will Win
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-11-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/the-israeli-rights-campaign-to-delegitimize-the-pa-is-how-hamas-will-win/0000018c-1294-dd2e-a5ae-d3dfde8c0000
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WHAT IS HAMAS?
The Palestinian militant group has struggled to govern Gaza and remains committed to violently resisting Israel. Its surprise attack against Israel in 2023 threatens a wider conflagration in the Middle East.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hamas
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What are the roots of the Israel-Palestine conflict?
Recent events are the culmination of a decades-long clash in the disputed region of the Middle East
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/09/why-israel-palestine-conflict-history
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What was Hamas thinking? For over three decades, it has had the same brutal idea of victory
https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-conflict-endgame-1bfcc187d826596e78090ec6cbf6516c
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HOW NETANYAHU'S HAMAS POLICY CAME BACK TO HAUNT HIM - AND ISRAEL
The Israeli leader and Hamas are deadly enemies — and allies in opposing a 2-state solution
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-1.7010035
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History Illustrated: The story of Hamas and its fight for Palestine
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/10/11/history-illustrated-the-story-of-hamas-and-its-fight-for-palestine
*****
Ah, Kathleen, it is so good to see you. Peter shared the material you sent him, and he is grateful to participate in the silent vigil for peace.
I have been familiar with Netanyahu's strategy through different sources but did see the PBS Newshour that you linked. I may share it with a few others. While fury at Israel was to be expected, and Netanyahu's response was written in his bones, foresight does not soften the suffering and the deaths of children and adults caught in the evil deathtrap made of Gaza. I do not want to think and write more of this now.
It is time to hug you and thank for keeping the spirit and the light glowing.
Salud!
I hear you Fern. I posted these somewhere on the blog yesterday ... may well provide insight as to how this dynamic plays out here in America - and maybe how to approach healing here and now ... take care - be well, ka
Here are some perspectives from Rachel Maddow:
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Rachel Maddow in Conversation with Kathleen Belew
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wvyzRCIWfVI
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow returns to Chicago Humanities to expose the shocking truth behind subversive attempts to undermine democracy and the inspiring tales of those who rose to challenge the insurrectionists.
*****
Rachel Maddow in conversation with Jacob Soboroff at Live Talks Los Angeles
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BffVswoyi7k
Rachel Maddow discussing her book, "Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism," traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.
Her response to the last question is deeply inspirational.
*****
Books:
Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism
Rachel Maddow (Author, Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher) – Oct. 17 2023
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.
*****
Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America by Steven J. Ross (Author)
October 24, 2017
The chilling, little-known story of the rise of Nazism in Los Angeles, and the Jewish leaders and spies they recruited who stopped it.
*****
That is extremely well put.
Yep!!
Written by Spencer Ackerman.
Scathing!
So many <<written about Kissinger.
Best simple analogy ever!
Did "Rolling Stone" specify Kissinger's war crimes?
Yes, in detail. Remember that it is an opinion piece; do your own fact-checking.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/henry-kissinger-war-criminal-beloved-by-americas-ruling-class-finally-dies/ar-AA1kKU6K