“[T]here are moments in this life…when the pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world. The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend.” So began President Joe Biden’s speech today about the attacks in Israel at “[t]he bloody hands of the terrorist organization Hamas—a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews.”
We have to get to the point of separating the nation/state of Israel from the religion of Judaism. To criticize Israel for years of the ignoring international norms by expanding their territory through force is not anti-Semitic. Palestinians understandably feel unseen after years of ignored security sanctions. That doesn’t change the fact the Hamas’ actions were horrific and can never be justified. But it’s time to hear Palestinian voices. If theocracy is wrong, it is wrong regardless of where it is manifest
We have to separate them. I am a follower of Christ, which means I believe that God created each of us in their own image and of equal worth, and I believe in Christ's teachings on love and acceptance. I do not believe in the patriarchal institutions and groups that dictate women's choices regarding childbearing and think women are second class citizens.
Not all of my Jewish friends support the far right nationalist parties in Israel, and many support an equitable solution for the Palestinians.
Not every religious Muslim believes in applying Shariah Law and applauds terrorism. Most want the freedom to pursue their lives in peace and to raise their children in a society where there is opportunity.
Biden was right to emphasize the need for Israel to adhere to the rule of law in warfare. That is exactly to the point of separating "those things" Hamas' goal is to provoke Israel into committing war crimes against the Palestinians. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has no concern for the Palestinians. It wants to stoke outrage among Israel's neighbors to widen this into a regional war.
Georgia, I am a "None". And yet I applaud your thinking. Not the God stuff. But the basic tenets of decency that you espouse. I don't care what religious philosophy or faith or "way" that a person embraces as long as we treat each other the way we would want to be treated. It's as simple as that. All the trappings of religion that distract from compassion, empathy and love of the Earth are why "Nones" and humanism are ascending. But there are fine people everywhere in every "faith" and in every region.
I follow your comments with great interest. You are wise.
Georgia, I, too, am a follower of Christ. I appreciate your post and heartily agree. The "Christian" nationalist fascists are not following the teachings of Christ. Christ preached caring for others; the fascists do not.
Georgia, in the case of Christians and Muslims you are literally advocating picking out the nice bits from fairly brutal Bronze age mythologies... and ignoring the rest.
In the case of Israel, the "far right nationalist parties" that you speak of, are actually in power, very much in power.
Yet it is American weapons that enable Israelis to commit these crimes and to continue to continue the apparent goal of flattening all of Gaza, regardless of how many innocent trapped civilians are crushed under the collapse. They have nowhere to escape.
This discussion has some flaws in it's understanding of the relationship of culture and religion. Judaism is not just a religion. Jews are a culture, hold a belief system that permeates our lives. We are a people. Even Reform Judaism has discovered that Judaism cannot be separated from Jews. Just like Judaism, Islam is a culture, religion and people. They make pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetimes to acknowledge this.
I can't speak for Christianity but it ses Catholicism is a culture, too.
Israel must be Jewish. It is intertwined with our culture, beliefs and religion. I believe in a two state solution, but who can Isreal negotiate with? Yes, the current government of Isreal is right-wing and has formed a coalition with the ultra Orthodox causing awful problems for secular Israelis as well as Arab Israelis. But they can be voted out. Isreal is a democracy. The Arab nations surrounding it are either monarchies or dictatorships. Palestinian rights are ignored in those countries. The goal of the various terrorist movements as written in their charters is death to all Jews in the Middle East. Until those statements are removed, how can there be peace?.
Rita, Israel believes in the rule of law. Currently 20% of Israel's population are Arab Israelis. Monsieur Abbas heads the Raam party, heavily influenced by The Muslim Brotherhood. Under Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Israeli right wing and left wing Israeli leaders, had formed a coalition team, and Arab lives improved a great deal, because they negotiated with the Muslim led Raam party. Arab countries on the other hand have no Jews living there. Jews during the 1948 war were forced to flee for their lives. It's time for Israel's neighbors to stop shedding crocodile tears for their Palestinian brothers and sisters. Neither Egypt nor Jordan have come forth to show their concern for the Palestinians' desperate plight and welcomed them into their countries, as Poland has done with their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Instead these countries view Palestinians as a migrant people as tRump and his crowd view migrants coming into the U.S.
Then you also believe the West Bank should no longer be partitioned, making way for more Jewish settlements?
There are an ~2+ million people living in Gaza. Let put a perspective on this for you and other readers. Israel does not have to fly into the The Gaza or send troops into it. It can rain destruction and death from its borders + 1 mile back from the borders with conventional weaponry.
Most are civilians and what the US would call collateral damage in Iraq during the US incursion. The blame of killing civilians is laid at Hamas feet with claims they are hiding amongst civilians. What toll should Gazans pay for Hamas living amongst them?
To put this into a US perspective for US citizens, take the city of Madison, Wisconsin and double+ the area of it from 67 square miles to 150 square miles. Cram seven or 8 times six times its population of 223,000 into it or ~13,000 people per each square mile (150 square miles) or 1 person for every ~2800 square feet or one person for every ~area 50 by 50 feet.
If you wish people to die? You do not need planes or missiles. It is not hard to believe civilians will not die in such a congested area when lobbing 155mm howitzers shells into their midst or dropping 500# bombs? The bursting radius of the shells exceeds the area per person. There is no escape. Gaza is little more than a walled in ghetto being brought into submission by war and economic starvation.
I’m curious if Trump has his fingers on the Hamas attack, with all of the classified intel he stole and opportunities to sell/give to his BFF Putin, who in turn gave it to Hamas and/or Iran.
Before the election General Milley feared Trump might start a war to stay in power. Milley tried to prevent that by staying in contact with his Chinese counterpart. Maybe Netanyahu, after seeing what happened to Trump’s coup attempt decided to take matters into his own hands to stay in power and was offered a solution. That’s how my mind works. And it tells me Putin is the baby driver.
It's complicated as Jesus also instructed Jews to not preach to the Gentiles. Matthew 10:5-7 KJV These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Some theologians, Richard, teach that when we say Christ Jesus was "fully human and fully divine," his human self had some things to learn. . . like not leaving gentiles out of the promise of God's love. We like to notice that it was a Greek woman (the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman in Mark 7:24–29) who helped Jesus see that he should help her by healing her daughter even though he called her a dog: "it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Because she responded saying (I'm paraphrasing) 'ok I'm a dog but even the dogs are allowed the crumbs from beneath the master's table,' Jesus relented. He was confronted with a reasoned argument and he learned.
Matthew 28:16-20 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated to them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Speaking as a religious Jew, it is very important to remember that Hamas and Isis are only a small fraction of the 1.8 billion Muslims in this world. Do not use the tiny part to judge the whole. We have seen in the Trump years how that leads to attacks on good people. Do not feed hate.
Also, it is a gigantic leap to go from condemning some or even much of the behavior of a government, to asserting that a country has no right to exist. That leap is too often made for exactly one country, Israel. We see again where that leads: 1200 of all ages dead and still counting, thousands severely injured, in one brutal attack. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms of the Israeli government. Israelis make them all the time. That is very different from saying or implying that this one country and its people have no right to exist. Do not feed hate.
Putin is making that argument, that Ukraine and Ukrainians have no right to exist. And China holds that view toward Taiwan and its people. But yes, historically that argument has been repeatedly directed at Israel and Jews.
Israel has a massive right to exist (as does Palestine) if not simply because it embodies one of the three major religions in the world. geographical significance plays an important part for Israel and Palestine.
Other countries, including the United States, of course also have a right to exist, but something special is happening in that part of the world where Judaism Islamism and Christianity have geographical ties.
Nation states must indeed play by certain rules, economic, social, environmental, etc to take care of their citizenry, and these rules require ethical and moral behaviors within their borders, and in their relationships to each other.
The days of a holy Roman empire, a British empire, a Russian empire, a Chinese, or eastern empire are over and must never be assumed by one country or another to inflict their views, on other countries, or the rest of the world.
The United States, by and for whatever reason is in a prime position to advance a moral,ethical and justifiable order of things on the rest of the world.
Or else we are going to obliterate whatever innocence is attempting to persist.
Their interpretation of what it means to practice Islam is the problem. There are several major Islamic groups just like there is a diversity of Jewish and Christian practices.
The fighters who murder civilians have been whipped up by Islamic fundamentalism, but many of the fighters work for Hamas because it’s the only job available. What drives the conflict in the Middle East is not who gets into heaven, but who has geopolitical power now. It’s a three way conflict between Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Civilians across the region suffer, some groups are more evil than others, but none of the governments involved are blameless.
"separating the nation/state of Israel from the religion of Judaism. To criticize Israel for years of the ignoring international norms by expanding their territory through force is not anti-Semitic".
Correct in my view, but, if one is more religious than me, Israel's violent push to rid itself of what it considers to be a heathen population (the Palestinians) is perfectly acceptable.
Once you get two really religious people together, there is bound to be a fight, because, after all, God is on their side. No reason to compromise when you are God's favorite.
What I would like to understand is why the Jews have chosen to detest Palestinians after the way Jews were slaughtered and imprisoned by the Nazis? I would hope that of all people there would be acceptance and kindness.....after all the Jews suffered. WHY do to others what you do not want done to yourself????
Of course, as I comment, I must also recognize that prejudice is something everyone of good will must battle against.
Emily, I have thought the same thing. After their extreme and unbelievable suffering, who do Israeli leaders want to do the same to another group of people? I think the average Israeli wants peace and fairness for Palestinians; it’s the leaders who must justify themselves who do not.
Thank you for noticing that the Israeli leaders mistreating Palestinians represent a minority of Israelis, just as the Hamas terrorist murderers represent a minority of Palestinians. There is a great deal of broad brushing going on, and it is not helpful.
Auden is great, but that's not statistically true. Most people who are abused as children do not grow up to be abusers. It's extremely important to make the distinction and identify those with a predilection for abuse early, because even born sociopaths' behavior can be mitigated with early intervention.
Traumatized people who feel weak and done to often try to reverse the power relation rather than eschew it. They create a fantasy of being so powerful no one can hurt them. But then that manic need for control takes on a life if its own. Hence ever more land must be taken, ever more must the others need for life and dignity be seen merely as anon-human obstacle. To”security.”
Israelis had to become militant in order to first establish their state and then to keep it. That is a huge change of perspective, and they have milennia of resentment to deal with. In crass, but not crude, terms - I got mine so get lost. Netanyahu knows this, of course, and is using it to maintain power, urged on by others who don't want peace.
The extreme views of the settlers in Israel would have them gladly kill Palestinians and Christians. I was surprised some of these extremists were actually arrested for spitting on the ground as a group of Christians visited Jerusalem before this recent attack took place.
I was in Israel in 2006 on a pilgrimage. The people I met there couldn’t have been lovelier. Our guide was Arab and resident (who could not vote but did pay taxes; he said he got along fine with his Israeli neighbors). The land was beautiful. So sad.
It becomes more complicated because the Netanyahu government is controlled by fanatical Jews who want to drive all Palestinians out of Israel with no concern about where they go. They, like the MAGA Party in the US, are angry, power hungry, racist, and incompetent.
I think it may fall under the theme of "epigenetics" or some similar change in DNA. When a group of people are attacked, ostracized, tortured and murdered for centuries, they become understandably sensitized. I married into a Sephardic family. They are peace lovers - actually, lovers of all. But when I hear the stories of their families - the persecution over the generations, I am amazed at their embrace of tolerance and their generosity of spirit. They could easily become vengeful haters. And it would be hard to argue with them about why. Fortunately, they rise to the level of consciousness you and I are looking for!
I think paranoia is something to be reckoned with. And sometimes it's based on real trauma. And I think if you have been taught (with evidence at hand) that you must kill or be killed, it's hard to embrace those who you think will assassinate you. Over generations that gets built into the gene pool.
I think an odd analogy would be the whites of the American South who have been taught that non-whites are inferior and are an enemy. An immersion of hate. A totally different scenario, but it's like hate and fear and violence put on auto pilot. Built into the DNA.
My "new" family has close relatives in Israel. They work to bridge the gaps between cultures. One is a teacher who brings Jewish and Arab kids together to understand each other's history and culture. She is fostering friendships between Jews and Muslims. There is a lot of that going on. Witness the demonstrations against Netanyahu's attempt to be a dictator.
And yet, the teacher's family includes three in the military. I trust that they will respond to this horrific attack with restraint and respect for civilians. But fight they must. Or perish. As has always been the case for Jews.
Bill, what you write about some southern whites is true—which makes it such a miracle that so many blacks are willing to give so many whites the grace of acceptance when they see a living heart.
No. I don't get it. You are talking about the Jews, but you might as well be talking about the Palestinians. Except for the gas chambers, the Palestinians have been kept in ghettos very much like their "imprisoners," the Jews. Yes, I agree with Emily and it's hard to understand why Israel doesn't see that.
Because Israel is no more unified and homogeneous than the US.
Emily is right. Extremist Israelis should have realized that imprisoning millions of people in a tiny piece of land and depriving them of the basics of life would result in disaster.
Hamas, ultra Orthodox Jews who steal land, ISIS, American Nazis, Taliban...all the same.
Bill, yes, have read about the long lasting effects of trauma not just expressed in a culture’s history/stories, but that it has a real inheritable impact. Did a quick ‘net search to refresh my memory & found this (among others): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5977074/
I skimmed the article you shared. I can truthfully say that depression and suicide are inherited within my family through my father's side. Circumstances in life can be received with feelings of deep hurt and helplessness and hopelessness. Usually everything is kept inside....not wanting to call attention to ones personal feelings or struggles. Large or many small traumas in life can bring these feelings into one's being.
The scientific article you shared gave physical evidence to the workings within.
Other than suicide ...... those who experience extreme trauma in life receive and "digest" it in many ways.
After war, many men and women are hugely successful, daring challenges they may have never attempted before. Many become hugely compassionate, working for peace and healing of relationships. Many may become successful in business endeavors. Some may choose medicine or some form of healing (mental/physical) from witnessing such physical and mental trauma....etc.
The article you shared is very important because it demonstrates the inner personal workings of our individual physical beings. This should allow for more compassion, understanding and for the encouragement we should make available to one another.
Emily, I hope the opposite is also true, that a loving, nurturing and expansive experiences to embrace of our ”humanness” also informs our DNA in the past, present and future and thus creates the best in us going forward.
Detest might be a strong word, but anyone who stands with Netanyah and his bellicose and vengeful words and actions is coming a little close to "detesting." Netanyahu is filled with hate, but he WAS elected....so???
I know many many Jews, being one myself. Not one of us “detests Palestinians” as you assert. You are speaking prejudice even as you intend to oppose it. Please take the time to speak with nuance.
Also, there is quite a history of atrocities committed by the Arab nations. Here is one paragraph: Although much is heard about the plight of the Palestinian refugees from the aftermath of the 1948 Israeli War of Independence and the 1967 Six Day War, little is said about the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were forced to flee from Arab states before and after the creation of Israel. In fact, these refugees were largely forgotten because they were assimilated into their new homes, most in Israel, and neither the United Nations nor any other international agency took up their cause or demanded restitution for the property and money taken from them. Legislation passed in the Knesset during 2015 designated November 30 as a day of recognition for Jewish refugees from Arab countries.https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-refugees-from-arab-countries.
The world and agencies like UNRWA keep the Palestinians down as a thorn in Israel’s side. Hamas teaches their children to hate Israelis. I have been in Gaza before it was returned. It is a paradise. Why are the inhabitants living in poverty and danger? Wsjabraham is correct. It could be a fantastic tourist destination.
For a group following a brilliant historian, has anyone followed the history? Here’s just one piece. In 2005, Israel left ( with great internal anguish ) land that had been legitimately won in a prior war. The land was Gaza. What they left were fully built communities, including hothouses. The people who took over trashed everything, but did not build any communities to replace them. Gaza has a beautiful shoreline on the Mediterranean. It could be so much. But the people in control do not choose constructive options. Instead, the majority of Gazans live in squalor and blame Israel for the failures of their own leaders. Israel is not blameless. But it is not acting in a vacuum.
One could go back much further than Ariel Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza. The Balfour declaration, a statement supporting a Palestinian homeland for the Jews by Lord Rothchild and Lord Arthur Balfour in a land called Palestine. In 1922 Churchill's British mandate over this land altered the boundaries of the homeland agreed upon by Rothchild and Balfour. The eventual Hashemite dynasty was to reside on what was called Transjordan. The land was severed by 80% to make way for this new country, in order to enlist their cooperation. Israel was reduced to the size of New Jersey or Connecticut. In 1922 the League of nations signed the agreement. However, peace was not to be achieved as hoped. At least 18 wars have been fought with its' Arab neighbors since then. Many American presidents tried and failed to broker a peace solution because Arafat despite getting 99% of everything he wanted and Mahmoud Abbas dismal failure, peace continues to be a pipe dream.
Paula, I am receiving true criticisms .....sorry for seeming to place all Jews together. One of my best friends growing up was Jewish....so I do realize that Jews are individual persons , not just a mass.....so sorry I offended.
I have many improvements to work on regarding my unintended, yet offensive communication. Thanks for calling me out!
Mike S: The tragedy of two peoples in one land may have a religious overlay for some but it is not fundamentally about religion. Neither Muslims nor Jews believe that everyone in the world has to follow their religion to be a valid human or a valid religious follower of what both will call the Gd of Abraham. Turning it into a religious dispute breeds exactly the violence you deplore. Based on your statements here, there are a vast number of Jews and Muslims who are more religious than you. As one of them, Jewish, there is no way Jewish religion justifies treating people badly (insert list here). Many religious Muslims would say the same about Islam. Please do not slander millions of people based on your observations of a small number of us.
This battle began when Abraham had two sons and treated one better than the other, Ishmael and Isaac.
Then along comes Jesus and his Gentile followers and expanded to other cultures. Powerful men became Christians. Then Christianity began antisemitism.
Then Hitler othered the Jews and many others killing roughly more than 12 million individuals total. The Christian guilt was huge because we turned the Jews back at the gate as they tried to flee Hitler. Christians created a problem by creating Israel. Not because they had a homeland but because we removed the rights of the people who were already there. Prior to that Jews returning to their homeland were immigrating. A better solution would have been to ensure their immigration could continue and that they were granted equal citizenship to those already there.
Now we have an even greater mess.
An authoritarian Israel in which many people are so angry they no longer care who they kill just like Hamas. Israeli citizens don't want security or safety. They want retribution. Cooler heads must prevail.
I am writing as a Jew who has visited Israel numerous times including working on a small progressive border kibbutz.
Israel has a responsibility to the Arab people in the occupied territories who are suffering due not only to Israeli indifference, but by the actions of the right-wing extremists in their government. The Right-Wing politicians are not even attempting to treat their Arab citizenry with dignity, they treat them like dogs. It is a travesty.
Gaza is the worst situation for the citizens did not choose Hamas, Hamas chose them. The everyday citizens would have only liked to live in peace but they needed the basic necessities that were blockaded off from them. Their situation was hopeless and Israel’s armed forces will come down on the Gaza citizens with terrible force for they do not value Arab lives either. They are only making a bad situation worse.
The IDF has failed to see the invasion coming, the Israeli government has failed to treat its Arab citizens and neighbors fairly and now there will be retribution for the humiliation of their failure in a shallow attempt to redeem themselves. Many are dying needlessly on both sides but we will not see the Israeli government owning up to being the cause of this bloodbath. It is the Israeli government and the right-wing zealot’s hands who are bloodied here. Eventually there will be some sort of uneasy truce, but there will never be any peace until Israel gives up the land it has seized and allow the Palestinians to live in peace and most important, prosperity. It will be a hard lesson to learn.
It has always been possible to critique Israeli government policy without being antiSemitic. It has been done, by many in Israel. In fact, Israeli jurists and those in the defense and intelligence services - often Jewish citizens on the front lines - have done so. Many on the Left outside Israel have done so - although they have been marginalized for supporting even the notion of an Israeli state for doing so.
Too often historical antiSemitic sentiment and habits of mind prevail among critics - as implicit bias and ideology. While cries of antiSemitism are the reflexive stance of apologists for Israeli injustice.
Mike, this describes exactly what my feelings are. I have a ton of friends now posting up their Israeli flags, "I Stand With Israel" slogans and calling me dreadful names when I point out that Hamas is not all Palestinians, and that the people of Palestine have been the victims of Israeli occupation for three generations (I'm talking about modern times here; the situation there in the cradle of the Abrahamic religions goes back much, much farther.)
Tying terrorism and religion to Terrorism is the same gross error the United States plunged into after 9/11.
Terrorists have no nationality or religion, they have developed searing hate and nurtured violence to perform absolutely evil acts that in themselves are pointless deprivals of life.
As a non-Jew who was raised to admire Israel for its determination to survive in the midst of adversity I can imagine this Hamas attack ignited retribution that will resemble terrorism.
But it’s a mistake to think the fervor will be religious. Protecting our families, communities and culture from violence is the social compact of being human beings.
But it doesn’t hurt to seek God’s blessing before we get revenge and smite our enemies hip and thigh.
Yes to all of this. And I do not envy Biden or anyone in the administration trying to tread the fine line between supporting Jewish survival while denouncing nationalistic oppression of Palestinians and other "non-Israelis" within Israel (for an eye-opener, look into how Mizrahi Jews, who were present in Palestine before Israel was reestablished, are treated by the current, mostly Ashkenazi Israeli government).
But nobody except the Palestinians themselves get to tell us who speaks for them.
Inconvenient fact: Palestinians are Semites. The DNA is the same, the religions are different. But with some people religion is everything. Even in the US. We hear constantly that Israel has the "right to exist." Saying that begs the question: is there a question? How many different "governments" have existed in the area called Israel over the millennia? Hundreds? Built one on top of another. How many bloody battles and genocides? Life goes on.
Oh, please. Antisemitism is what it is: Jew hatred. And to the antisemite, it makes no difference whether a Jew is observant or not. They all go into the gas chamber.
As for this history of the area now called Palestine, it has indeed had many governments: Jewish, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman, British, and now Jewish again. And as it happens, the Arabs are relative newcomers, having arrived in the seventh century AD, when they drove out the Byzantines. So if today the Jews were to claim ownership of the land they occupy by right of conquest, the Arabs did the same in their heyday.
Patrick, reading your comment reminded me of the Michener novel “The Source” which I read decades ago…can’t recall much of the story other than a vague takeaway that there was common ancestry in the distant pass. Found this study published in 2000….I had to double check the pub date because the lead sentence says as “fighting continues in the Middle East” (sigh)…anyway, here is the link:https://www.science.org/content/article/jews-and-arabs-share-recent-ancestry
Theoretically, one can be anti-Zionist without being anti-Semitic, but in actuality the two are almost always linked, if the first is not merely a cover for the other.
Well, when the theory is contradicted by the practice, there must be something wrong with the theory. As it happens, I've just written an article touching on this point:
I agree with you. Some of this is just soft-headedness, but that can be a (perhaps unconscious) cover for anti-Semitism. On the other hand, there are extreme Orthodox Jews who don't recognize the Israeli state.
Not even in theory, Jon, can you be one without the other. Zionist is the concept that Jews can have their own nation just like any other group of like-minded people. Since the Jews returned to Israel via the Mandate system, the return was completely legal and moral. To be anti-Zionist is to claim that Jews do not belong in their own land, and that's antisemitic.
Has it not occurred to you that we've just heard "Palestinian voices"? I see no evidence that Hamas is a tiny extremist faction whose terrorism is opposed by most Palestinian Arabs. On the contrary, it appears that the mass slaughter perpetrated in southern Israel by Hamas has delighted Palestinians. In Gaza City, the mob cheered and spat on the corpse of a young woman that was paraded through the streets. It makes one wonder what an independent Palestinian state stretching from "the river to the sea" would look like. The Islamic Republic of Iran, perhaps? The Taliban's Afghanistan? Nazi Germany?
Progressives are always calling Donald Trump a fascist. They compare him to Hitler. But if you want to get some idea what a Nazi Party rally was like, all you have to do is look at "anti-Zionist" demonstrations on American college campuses. And what Hamas did in southern Israel is exactly the kind of thing that the German Army, SS and police did in Poland and the USSR during World War Two. There's your fascism. There's your National Socialism.
This black-and-white attitude is the principal reason the people who live in the Holy Land will never be able to enjoy their lives in peace and security. Paul VI said, "If you want peace, work for justice." He did not say "send more guns".
The dreams of groups, parties and government exploiting violence for power and control are the worst nightmares of the people. When one small group dreams such dreams, their dreams condemn the rest of humanity to live the nightmares. The "War on Terror" was one such dream.
Sad to say, polarization based on irresolvable conflicts esp when one side has a perpetual disadvantage has had this outcome throughout history. Whatever the tortured history of Gazan Palestine, it couldn't have occurred without Israeli retrenchment, aiding and abetting in keeping Gaza an "open prison" without economic development. Recycling rage hasn't helped, and it's not just Gazens at the root of this.
Opening a corridor between Gaza and Egypt to facilitate an exit for the Palestinians and parking a US carrier battle group with more firepower than the combined next two nations on the planet to facilitate an orderly exodus is a "win-win", wouldn't you say? Plenty of room in that big Egyptian desert for them there Palestinians (they're used to getting along without a lot of water anyway) and a fair chunk of prime contiguous real estate now available for gentrification.
Are you serious, Lisa? No sane person could possibly condone what Hamas has done in Israel. On the other hand, as Mr. Loomer so eloquently pointed out with his statement "Whatever the tortured history of Gazan Palestine, it couldn't have occurred without Israeli retrenchment, aiding and abetting in keeping Gaza an "open prison" without economic development" it isn't the Palestinians that are at blame here. I am so repulsed by our politicians' knee jerk unqualified support of Israel (while at the same time condemning China for its human rights violations for example) that I can't begin to express it. The level of hypocrisy here is unspeakable. When you see those pictures of Gaza being pounded to dust on the 6 o'clock news, think about the fact that the weapons used were produced in the USA and provided, gratis, to Bibi.
Clifford Story, your comment, including the words of Paul VI, were reflected in my thoughts about the effects of Hamas' massacre of Israelis, and I've had a question.
‘…where will Gaza’s 2 million people go’?
It was also a question raised in the piece by Ishaan Tharoor with Sammy Westfall in The Washington Posts' newsletter, Today's WorldView. The piece is titled, 'The troubling analogies surrounding the new Israel-Hamas war'. I think that Ishaan Tharoor has provided a keen historical perspective and reflection about aspects of the years ahead for Israel, other countries in Middle East and powerful national leaders with a hand or fist in Middle East politics. A gifted link to the piece is below.
About half of the people, human beings, in the thin Gaza Strip are not adults. Another percentage are refugees from the 1948 War, 75 years ago. There have been 5 coalition governments in nation state of Israel in the last 3 years. The current government has leaders attempting to expand further into the West Bank while Netanyahu's is the subject of 3 corruption cases.
There are significant fault lines in the Jerusalem population as distinct from urban Tel Aviv & younger & modern Haifa. The resolution of the internal conflicts within Israel -- critically the end of Netanyahu's widely opposed effort to take over the independent Judiciary is a first step prior to the Israel-Hamas house-to-house, basement-to-basement War in Gaza.
Did the US make serious mistakes after 9/11? Fact Check: Yes.
Bryan, almost half of the population of Gaza is composed of children. My question holds, where does most of the population of Gaza go after Netanyahu's government has completed its military action there?
Thank you for sharing this. I think “Letters” should stick with commentary on US history . Disappointed in the hubris of venturing into areas that she herself has acknowledged having little expertise.
My take on today’s edition of the “Letters” is that HCR was discussing the historic speech that POTUS delivered in response to current events - not so much a deep dive into things outside her admitted wheelhouse.
Linda, You are an intelligent person. You cannot have failed to notice how intertwined most countries have become, and in so many different ways. Our economies, immigration, trade, climate change, & pollution, to name some examples. Also, the attacks on democracy have not been isolated to USA. The social media mis/disinformation attacks didn’t just help divide/affect Americans, it affected Australia, United Kingdom (Brexit, anyone?), Canada, etc. There is both coordinated effort and opportunists who joined forces for their own gain. America is not a closed, self-sufficient island. America also has influence with other countries, if it didn’t, Russia & China, for example, wouldn’t be working so hard to fracture us and get us out of their way. Heather Cox Richardson is right to address this. Also, I don’t remember seeing as many people complain about her writing about Ukraine...hmmm.
PS: Where are those who flee Gaza going to go and don’t you think Republicans are actively working on how to use it to their advantage? America has done this before, like in Central America.
Let Heather follow her instincts to include whatever information she feels is important.
Definitely different histories. Bias? Not sure. She’s admittedly less knowledgeable about the histories of that region so she may rely on what she reads in the news, which we know is biased even when they give the weather report. I just feel the situation deserves a mention here since America has publicly taken a stand and we won’t be unaffected by this. Perhaps she should put a disclaimer each time she writes about Israel & Palestine to warn the fellow uninformed.
An underlying theme in both countries as well as many others of persecution . Russia starved Ukrainians Among other acts of the "other" Jews have been persecuted in Ukraine for centuries. Look @ what is happening in South America & why so many are fleeing. It is a world wide theme of seeing "others" as a threat & needing to be exterminated or controlled.
Linda, it is Heather’s Letters, and she can write about anything she wants to. She does more research than any of us would ever do, and probably has more expertise than most of us. If you don’t like it, don’t read it.
Isn’t that one of the problems in the USA? Not reading opinion contrary to your own. And Heathers letters reach over 2 million people... a huge influence and good forum for discussion.
A "forum" is a place or a meeting and certainly a digital meeting place where ideas & views can be exchanged not "click bait".
I have substantial trial experience at taking a hard look at the so-called foundation, if any, of 'expert opinion'. Judges in CA have more authority now as evidentiary "gatekeepers" to exclude Junk Science & Blabber Points.
HCR has built a powerful digital Community which I deeply respect & we must all protect responsibly.
That discussion today is very informative and generally is respectful. Today is an excellent example. I am truly appreciating all the discussions here .
You are correct that she is a huge influence, and generally, I think that regardless of the subject of the letter, those who comment add information without resorting to propaganda.
HCR has acknowledged her expertise lies in US History. Having just finished listening to her new book, it shows us how much the US is intertwined with the rest of the world.
Yesterday she mentioned receiving hate mail from both sides. How can someone hate another person for reporting facts?
Heather has stated repeatedly in her videos and in-person appearances that as an historian she looks for the impact of news stories (of which there are blatantly obvious ones and others that are more obscure) that someone 150 years from now will be looking at how they impacted American history. This war, as well as that of Ukraine, very pointedly distinguish the different responses between US political parties and the historical perspective will be analyzed and written about for generations. In today's world, global events are intrinsically tied together and the U.S. sits on top of that pile.
In two videos that she did prior to the start of the book tour, Heather very clearly stated there are many subject areas she has limited-to-no knowledge. She has garnered much information and an education from those who are specialists and have provided her with an education in which she can put current events and their impact into American history perspective.
My husband is a collector of old newspapers and has a book by Todd Andrlik called "Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News". As Heather has said (and I paraphrase), there is a big difference between the training of journalists and historians. The former report on the events, the latter tell us why it matters.
Excellent, Janet! This comment should appear above Heather's daily posts every day as a reminder to its readers. This extremely popular Substack newsletter is an attempt to project into the future and determine what historians will see as important when they look back at our chaotic era and then reporting that perspecitve daily as if it were the news. That's an extremely challenging concept to convey to readers, especially on a daily basis. Sometimes she succeeds, sometimes not. But I enjoy the historical experiment - plus, her writing is superb! (HCR is a cultural phenomenon, not unlike Taylor Swift. And her basic idea got her there.)
Thank you Robert. Heather definitely has the gift to cull through the noise and direct what eventually will become history. She has saved my sanity and broadened my base of knowledge and education beyond what I ever could have imagined when I first started reading the "Letters". I also listened to her weekly videos which helped me immensely getting through the drudgery of weeding the gardens! :)
You're welcome, Linda. The US is very involved with Middle East Affairs and a generous contributor of money, intelligence, weaponry and other support to Israel.
This letter reads like a news report describing what POTUS, Sec of State Blinken and others said. I see no expression of opinion by HCR. Maybe you don't like what THEY said.
Tell that to Hamas. “Kill the Jews,” is certainly too black-and-white, as you put it. Hamas needs to find another slogan. Hamas started this round of futile killing and destruction, which feeds into the hands of Bibi and the hard-liners in Israel, who fail to differentiate between Hamas, a terrorist organization with a nasty mission, and the Palestinian people.
Yes, exactly. It is a small and limited mind that generalizes from a small group of extremists committing an outrageous crime for political reasons to fearing the entire population of people the extremists came from.
It also occurred to me how generic we speak, like about guns rather than specifics. President Biden was very wise in his speech differentiating between a terrorist & Palestinian people
I am not getting the Letters in my email for Sat & sun. Using Substack s app, I dont get the comments. I tried submitting a help with Substack but it did not seem to take. Are u having any issues?
No need to change slogans; that's precisely what Hamas wants and means. Hamas is not about helping their Palestinian kin get a state of their own. They're about killing every Jew in Israel so "Palestine" can be reclaimed as part of the 7th Century Islamic Caliphate that Islamic fundamentalists like Hamas want as tribute to Allah.
If Israel and the Palis tomorrow morning announced the new State of Palestine and both sides were delighted and would make it work, Hamas on Sunday would launch the next massacre in the (shrunken) Israel. Hamas wants it all.
The complicating factor is that Israel did not exist for 2700 years, it having fallen to the Assyrians in about 722 B.C. Palestine had existed as a separate entity since the time of the Roman conquest in the first century of our era.
It’s not a complicating factor, it is the problem. The fact that the people who cooked up this idea of a homeland for the Jews failed to do any monitoring of how the newly minted Israelis integrated themselves into the existing culture, either were stupid beyond belief, or they thought that having a constant source of conflict in a distant corner of the world was a good idea, which is stupid beyond belief. Ugh.
Jews lost sovereignty over their kingdoms in the Levant more than once--Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans. It doesn't means the Jewish PEOPLE disappeared. Far as I know, the Jewish population, even when many were exiled by conquerors, never disappeared. The population line never broke; Jews have lived continuously in their land in which their people were born since 1500 BCE, even if they were not sovereign over most of those years. That they regained sovereignty is the right of any people to buy into, move into, and become sovereign over a land, if they can. The Jews can and did: fair, square, morally, and legally.
So it's not a complicating factor or, as Notes says below, "the problem." Palestine had two primary populations: Muslims since the 600s CE, Jews since the 1500s BCE. When came time for the Mandate to hand conquered Ottoman territory to local populations for states of their own, Palestine's Jews were as entitled to one as every Arab nation that received one.
Jewish Palestinians took the half of Palestine offered them by the UN and created Israel. Arab Palestinians rejected their half and invaded Israel to steal both. They wound up holding their asses instead of their state, then 1967 came along, another Arab invasion, another Arab loss, and all of a sudden Israel owned it all.
It is extremely complicated and fraught with all kinds of emotion. I've read that in all likelihood a large number of the Muslims who lived in Palestine were originally Jews. I have not read enough to know how the animosity between Islam and Judaism developed. I do know, however, that the cruelty being exhibited by those in Hamas right now is beyond description. Just hearing about it has brought me to tears several times. I am reading about the fall of the Commanche Indians in Texas. The White Man had killed off their source of food and had taken over their land - violently. The Comanches hated the white man viscerally and some of what they did to captured white people was brutal and cruel. So, with respect to the current conflict in Israel and parts of the Middle East, there is no question but that the hate is visceral. The question is: need it be?
When I wrote the first comment in this thread, I was thinking of Biden's speech, and his black-and-white attitude. I quoted Paul VI because I've always liked the quotation, it certainly applies, and because Biden is a Catholic. The point I wanted to make is that Biden needs to work for justice, not further inflame the endless tit-for-tat cycle of violence. The policy of the U.S. has for decades been that of an enabler, encouraging one side to commit outrages, which then spurs the other side to respond in kind, and then the first responds to that, and so on. Biden has been wrapped up in that all his political life. It, and he, need to change.
I did not criticize anything Heather said, and I was thinking of what we do in the U.S., surely within the bounds of this blog. I'm disappointed that so much of the thread became consumed by the Israel vs. Palestinians argument. That, I agree, belongs in another blog.
There is a whole lot of grey in this black and white world. Unfortunately, shocking events tend to make political ‘leaders’ forget it, and they immediately use Manichaeism as their go to. Norman F. reminds us of some of the grey here:
Thank you Heather. I remain deeply concerned about the continuing suffering and loss of innocent life throughout the conflict.
"Performative nonsense" would be the best description I've heard of the GOP "leadership" -if it wasn't the cause of so much polarization, fear, and hate throughout America. Adversaries do not have to attack the United States directly, the GOP has become far more effective at weakening America for short-term political gain. It is unfortunate that far too few voters understand how this party continues to diminish any aspirations they may have toward a better future for themselves, their families, their communities, and future generations of Americans.
“A very large potion of my party really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.” The words of Mitt Romney to his biographer. Which to me pegs the question, what do they believe in as a citizen of these United States and what is it that they have in their mind’s?
We're they to agree it is performance, then 1st amendment rights protect them from prosecutions if only in that why should anyone believe or take serious some underlying intent that is really only part of a script based upon a story suggested by this original document titled The US Constitution. How dare we call into question their conscious intent when they are merely performing an artful story that might (or might not) be true?
Jim, that has been one of my constant "missteps" in both writing and typing since, I dunno, 3rd grade? "beople" for some reason has been in my life all that time. Switching from printing to cursive didn't change it, nor did switching from hand printed (my cursive is awful) to typed. Still "beople" for some bizarre reason, not peoble or beoble.
I thought I had a pretty good grasp on GOP tactics by now, BUT, I am reading Dr. Richardson's "Democracy Awakening" (her new book) and I had only a very partial historical understanding and political understanding of what the GOP is doing. AND I read her "To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party". I thought that was bad, but, it stops around 1980. Democracy Awakening sort of takes up where that book left off.
Her book is yanking my eyes open even further than those sore eyes already were. Unfortunately. Or, maybe fortunately. Definitely a book that will NOT make you feel comfortable, warm and fuzzy.
Indeed. "Democracy Awakening" is another important book. Every morning I begin my day with "Letters from an American", The Guardian, and a news aggregator (and copious amounts of coffee). Heather has been excellent in correlating current events with historical events, along with a wealth of citations to facts, evidence, and other important content. Should the American Experiment survive, it will be because of people like Professor Richardson helping to educate, inform, and engage society.
I read a biography of Sam Walton. He actually took pleasure in knocking out his competitors. I lived in a small town in Ohio at the time. When Walmart built on the edge of town with its "low" prices people flocked there. The vibrant downtown began to deteriorate, which hurt the whole town. This town had about 15,000 people and was the county seat of a rural farming county. Walmart's profits did not stay in that community like those of local businesses. A lot of Walmart shoppers don't understand that there's a cost to "low" prices.
I'm sure the Walton family not only enjoys the vast wealth they have accumulated, they also enjoy the irony that the most impoverished in America perpetuate poverty by shopping at Walmart -because in many smaller cities there are no alternatives remaining. The concept of poverty wages to concentrate wealth to the top is a major part of what the GOP will call a "free market", but what actually is the economic equivalent of a black hole in physics. Something that destroys everything near until it gains such mass it collapses upon itself.
It’s not just Walmart; it’s Wall Street. We live in an affluent suburb. We have now several grocery chains, two owned by Amazon. Another one, Albertsons, that swallowed up Safeway, Von’s, and Pavilions. Now Kroger ( our Ralph’s) is trying to buy up that chain which wii swallow most of the competition and chances of saving money. We’re in our Eighties and I still cook every day. I shop the grocery ads. There are so many that can’t afford their daily necessities just to add to the profits of the stockholders of these conglomerates.
-Every morning I begin my day with "Letters from an American"-
Not every day for me, but, as winter descends I read more and more in the mornings rather than get up and do work. Too dark now.
And, yes, I like Dr. Richardson's excellent writing and have learned a huge amount. But, it is easy for me to lapse into pessimism.
Yesterday I went to Walmart to buy a new tool box because my old metal toolbox that I kept when I left my farm in 1978 finally gave it up. Kinda depressing but I cannot keep it when it spills out every time I carry it now.
As I walked around I looked around. The simple act of observation is not comforting at all. In Walmart I get to see all of us in snapshot.
And, it is not clear to me, through that snapshot, that the Americans that I am with in Walmart will be able to underpin "Democracy" with their votes.
But, Walmart Americans are the mainstream. Low incomes, poorly dressed, hunched shoulders, apparently absent any muscle or sign of physical work and hair that has neither been washed nor combed in a while.
I looked rather like I was headed out to church by comparison of my American compatriots in Walmart yesterday and I had on a hugely faded pair of "Rustler" jeans and a faded flannel shirt (tucked into my belted pants). And, I combed my hair before I left the house. Even took a shower yesterday.
For the folks that I was with in Walmart, well, I am pretty sure they are NOT reading Dr. Richardson's letter every day.
BUT? THEY are the future of America, not me. I am 63. Most of those in Walmart yesterday were 30-40 years younger than me.
That is discouraging to be sure. Even prior to Barbara Ehrenreich’s book and insights into America’s poor and working poor, I used Walmart as an important case study about externalities. Amassing a vast fortune while paying workers poverty wages, they effectively shifted a percentage of labor costs to all of us.
While there is rising concern for alarm, I think it is incumbent upon all of us to help as many as we can understand why the American dream is being extinguished by the forces of greed and avarice. The generational economic despair is real. People are working harder for less while more wealth is heaped upon the obscenely wealthy and has been since Reagan.
We won’t bring everyone along, but I am optimistic about the mass of people in the political center. They know something is wrong and they are concerned and frustrated.
We need to make material accessible to them in a “Reader’s Digest” condensed fashion.
Your very snobbish, insulting description of people who shop at Walmart doesn’t belong here or anywhere besides your own home. It’s that kind of generalization that is the source of many of our societal problems. We live in California’s Orange County, due to my East Texas born husband have rental properties in Tyler, TX, visit a daughter in Omaha ( husband retired Marine officer), and son in Phoenix ( Vet.) in all those places we shop at local Walmarts because their prices are cheaper, their personnel are friendly, and their pharmacies are commendable. I know many who share your attitude, mostly those to whom money doesn’t really matter. It does to us only in the fact that we want to live within our means and be able to do things for our growing family ( second great-grandchild due Pearl Harbor day.) I also know MAGA types who dress beautifully, are educated, but ignorant and/ or selfish. Guess you hit a button, Mike.
Thank you for sharing Sue. Indeed, a good reminder to avoid generalizing. I know K-12 teachers who shop at Walmart, they have to buy their own supplies, and that is often the only place they can go to purchase in volume and afford to do so. And behind the scenes I believe the Walton families and foundations are working to weaken the public school system (at least that was the case many years ago when I looked into their practices).
While I am not wealthy by any sense of the word, I enjoyed a good career in technology, carefully studied the economic impact of Walmart upon society and as a result I think I’ve only been in a store in Phoenix once when I needed a belt for work clothes and nothing else was open. (And one other time at a protest in Northern California.)
I believe George was mostly referring to the presumed lack of education of his fellow shoppers. This lack, which is actively maintained by right-wing economic influence, does more to harm the protection of our democracy than anything else I can think of.
While my wife was in college at University Missouri Rolla, we experienced the destruction of several small retail businesses there. Walmart had just built a new "superstore" in Rolla and we witnessed one of the grocery stores wither and die as well as K-Mart. By the time my wife graduated in 1990, Walmart was taking in 70% of all retail dollars spent in the community and there was only a few stores open in the once thriving downtown.
Being the only place in town to purchase many items, there was actually a good cross section of the community represented when we would go there. But, your point is well taken.
Walmart is as evil as any corporation in America and the Walton heirs are flaunting their wealth. Nancy Walton Laurie recently purchased a $300 million yacht. And the Republicans thought it would help the economy to cut her taxes.
Mike, I've watched folks in Mal-Wart as well. It isn't as pronounced here as you describe it, but especially in the grocery section. When I was hanging with my Uncle Chuck (technically my wife's uncle; he was terminal with liver cancer and I was his psychological care giver) we'd go to Walmart to get a money order so he could pay his gas bill (he refused to have a checking account). He'd often go to the grocery section for very specific items that he couldn't get at the large, lower cost grocery store where he did the rest of his shopping. He always said "I hate being here, but I can't go to Albertsons until after my Social Security comes in". He was paid $1,634.00 per month.
George, your monings appear to be about 4 hours earlier than mine. LFAA and a short pot 'o coffee (3 cups, usually) are the start, then I scan some other sources.
I’m just starting Democracy Awakening after barely making it through To Make Men Free. The Republican Party's horrific and becoming more so. The ugliness of Newt at al, the stupidity of Reagan . And the breathless coverage of Israel’s newest war instead of focusing on what’s going on here…
I have no solution for Israel.
I do have one for us.
And nowhere had I heard of the wrestlers testifying against Gym Jordan.
It is very hard to read some of the writing from people like HCR, Thom Hartmann, Timothy Snyder, and others. The writing itself is excellent. The content makes me realize how fragile our democracy is, especially since we have people, like Charles Koch, who pay to manipulate the populace for their own benefit, namely profit. Some days I feel heartsick at the state of our affairs, but we have to continue to fight against the EVIL that is being promoted by those who would profit from it.
The evil is everywhere. It’s on a large scale with Chuck “Stalin’s baby” Koch. And on a small scale with people like my ex husband, a retired firefighter who very patiently and wickedly manipulated me and my daughter to try to accomplish my suicide.
Yeah, it’s hard to understand,
Jealousy, fear, and vengeance. These are the motivators, I believe.
Strive to cherish your own kindness and any you see. I also believe that in kindness, we draw it to ourselves,
George Polisner, your last sentence “It is unfortunate that far too few voters understand how this party continues to diminish any aspirations they may have toward a better future for themselves, their families, ...” strikes a chord. Few voters seem to understand that American prosperity depends on a robust education, health, infrastructure, and justice system available to ALL, and that the efforts of one party to destroy that system weaken us all.
Like many, we viewed and listened intently to President Biden’s speech re Hamas’s atrocities committed against civilians in Israel. Their depravity is hard for me to comprehend. It’s like a horror story from out of the Old Testament.
IMHO, it’s good for US to support the nation of Israel - and the Palestinian people. It’s good that Biden made the distinction between Palestinians and Hamas, and that he exhorted Netanyahu to play by the rules of war.
Meanwhile the Republican s***show in the House inhibits the US to respond to this crisis and Ukraine and the lingering budget crisis. Is this really why people elected these feckless Confresscritters?
It's hard to believe that the best choice for the next Republican speaker is a Democrat -- and it's not even close.
"There is no monopoly on common sense, on either side of the political fence,
We share the same biology, regardless of ideology;
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too"
Sting's famous words from back in the late 80s thaw leading to the breakup of the former Soviet Union evoke an odd admixture of the quaint and the prescient.
Fast forward to today, nearly forty years after he sang those words that should have been sung much earlier, and flip the protagonists/antagonists around a bit to the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and step back and think........
As I write, families in the previously placid southern part of Israel adjacent to Ashkelon are grieving and mourning for the loss of loved ones cut down viciously in the prime of their life and indeed, some in the infancy of their life, by gunman blinded by the hatred that only desperation combined with religious inflexibility can wield.
As I write, families in the densely populated open air prison that constitutes the Gaza Strip, anxiety and desperation ruling their days in the best of times, are now crouching beneath the lowest of their expectations in the worst of times, as the high priced missiles and artillery shells produced in the US of A for the "only democracy in the Middle East" rain hellfire and destruction upon them.
I hope the Islamist narcissists/I hope the Israeli supremacists LOVE THEIR CHILDREN TOO
"I hope the Israeli supremacists LOVE THEIR CHILDREN TOO"
I don't think there is much love on either side of the religious boundaries that demark "Palestinians" and "Israeli's". If there was love, we would not have spent our entire lifetime watching this Middle East Horror movie go on and on and on and on and on.
The incredible tragedy - and not only for the Palestinians, is that Wahhabism/Salafism has become the dominant version of Islam - think of what might have happened if Sufism had become the dominant! - Catholicism vs Protestantism ..it goes on.
As a history professor, you might include the 75-year history of oppression that is behind the Gaza uprising. Not to condone violence anywhere by anyone, but to give context to the frustration of the Palestinian young men in Hamas who have been prisoners for decades in what little was left of their own country.
How fitting that this happen near US Indigenous Peoples Day, when the parallel between Native Americans being destroyed by the Europeans (who were fleeing oppression in their own country...al la the Zionists after WW 2) is very apt to Hamas trying to take back their country stolen by the Zionists 75 years ago.
And now Israel has declared they will wipe out all Palestinians...the final solution...and ask questions later. Collective punishment is against every tenet of international law, but the Zionists in Israel and the US don't care about that. And PLEASE don't make the grave error of calling Israel a democracy, when it only benefits Jewish citizens and treats all others as less than them. May peace prevail.
It wasn't just Europeans that targeted Native Americans declaring it was "manifest destiny" to inhabit the entire country. It was Americans that slaughtered the Native Americans to steal their land. And Americans the killed black people across the South.
HCR's book - Wounded Knee broke my heart over and over again when she details the atrocities committed by the US Army under the direction of Benjamin Harrison and other Presidents after the civil war.
Yes, all that history is important. It is important to note that Hamas started this recent round of senseless killing. It is important to note that this plays into the hands of the increasingly extremist current Israeli government, which has responded predictably. What do you think is a solution in the here and now?
They don't have solutions, they only want to virtue signal and fall into the both sides trap. It's very easy to say just have peace for everyone when you aren't the person being affected. At this point in the conflict, I'm pretty sure that almost everyone has lost a family member at some point due to 75+ years of conflicts. The best option recently may have been the 2 state solution from Camp David, but I think that is probably off the table right now.
That oppression to which you refer CED was inflicted on the Palestinians by their own leaders, not by the Israelis. Read the history. The Paletinians were displaced by the UN, but they were offered assistance by the UN and later by Israel, to become and educated, healthy, and prosperous nation. Instead their leaders chose to herd them into "refugee" camps, which more closely resemble concentration camps so their leaders could purchase weapons. Like the MAGA crowd in the US, they were told all their woes were caused by the Israelis. It is Israel that has offered the Palestinian people gainful employment, not HAMAS.
What is it with men who seek control through force? Do some just like to kill women and children? Is it testosterone or did their god tell them to slaughter innocents? Are we men so ignorant that violence is our only answer. Reason never "wins" and I just don't get it
Ian, I appreciate you trying to take on some of the responsibility - but there is a very distinct difference between violent men and non-violent men and I think it's crucial to be able to understand and call out that difference. I've been researching and writing about violence against women and children for decades now. It's from 10% to 30% of men who are responsible for over 90% of the suffering. Men like you shouldn't be blamed for that violence, but we ALL have the responsibility to call out violent and abusive men. Men who aren't violent or abusive especially shouldn't shirk from that calling out. What society does instead is excuse and elevate violent men, and that's killing us all.
Donna, I'd go insane if I couldn't keep reminding myself of the difference. The men I know and keep close are fantastic human beings. The others need to be dealt with.
Lisa, there are. But statistically there is absolutely no comparison. Let's please not pretend that there is. It was not, and it has never been, the women doing the lynching and the raping. Deal with the violent men, and you've solved the problem of the violent women.
Barbarians do not think. They act upon their “feelings”. Hamas was an offshoot of the old PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) until the Iranians and Syrians started training them, then they became Isis and the Taliban combined. I cannot help but think about the horrors they are putting the captured civilians through. We are involved because Americans have been killed and taken as hostages.
A terrible breach occurred in Israel. The army and Netanyahu became too complacent. The Iron Dome can only do so much. It has been the magic weapon for decades. The Likud party members pushed and pushed the Palestinians until the dam broke. They are just as insane, just not brutal murderers of innocent people. I have first and second cousins in Israel. Haven’t spoken to them since 1997, after my dad died. I am trying to locate them now.
In Politico I am reading that President Zelenskyy of Ukraine is meeting with the EU to ask for support getting through the winter. He knows that the Hamas attack on Israel, and the ensuing war declaration from Netanyahu means a greater US military presence and support in the Middle East. It is an opening Putin will exploit. We know that Putin will want to bomb critical infrastructure so that Ukrainians spend a third winter without heat. I am again hoping it will be a mild winter, not that I want global warming to speed up, but we need to be conserving on fossil fuels as it is. Of course, Ukraine is not given a choice on this. Zelenskyy also wants weapons to protect his grain shipments. Letting up our support for Ukraine is dangerous as antidemocratic countries try to take over the world. It seems like a lot of people streaming to democratic countries from undemocratic ones do not necessarily embrace the democracy, just the freedom from poverty and perhaps the fighting that many undemocratic countries are engaged in in many places in the world. We need to have our full military and diplomatic corp to best be able to protect this country and our allies. Tommy Tuberville, and Paul Rand's blocking of these appointments should be circumvented by any means necessary.
Thank you for clarifying our position articulated by President Biden especially as it refers to the prioritization of collaboration with Egypt to protect innocent Palestinians from escalating violence both be Hamas and potentially by Bibi. Watching the evening news on tv I didn’t appreciate the distinction Biden was making. I’m feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the horrors revealed in this terrorism. That and the continuing gamesmanship of Repugs like Cruz and Santos …leave me speechless.
Below is an article from CNN on what today will bring in the quest for the Speakership if the Republicans vote to change their conference rules. The change in the Republican conference rules are designed to have the Speakership choice be limited to Jordan and Scalise by making it extremely unlikely that any Republican other than Jordan or Scalise will emerge. And that will insure maximum dysfunction and obstruction in Congress and likely a cut off in aid to Ukraine that Biden will have to work around.
The idea here is to make the choice between Scalise and Jordan a done deal before Democrats get to vote. The only hope then will then be that enough brave Republicans to be absent or to vote present to lower the threshold for Jeffries to be elected.
House GOP expected to debate rules change raising threshold to win nomination before going to floor
From CNN's Haley Talbot
House Republicans will gather behind closed doors at 10 a.m. tomorrow and are expected to debate and vote on a change to conference rules to raise the threshold to win the speakership nomination.
This is expected to take place before they proceed with the speaker selection process.
If adopted, the proposal would raise the threshold to win the nomination from a simple majority of the conference, which is 111 members, to a majority of the House — currently 217 with vacancies — before a House floor vote, per the amendment obtained by CNN.
Here’s how it would work: As detailed in the amendment, once a candidate gets a majority of the support from the conference, members vote by secret ballot for two rounds to try to secure the needed 217 votes. If that hasn’t happened, the third round is a manual roll call. If a candidate doesn’t get 217 after five rounds of voting, then new candidates (and candidates who have not dropped out) can emerge and be nominated by members.
The idea is to make sure that the internal squabbling happens out of public view, so the candidate can emerge from the conference with enough votes to be elected speaker on the first floor ballot. If successful, this could avoid a protracted floor fight like the one that occurred when Rep. Kevin McCarthy won the gavel after 15 ballots in January.
That means the candidate could only afford to lose four GOP votes before winning the conference nomination.
UPDATE: House Republicans rejected the conference rule change and went with a simple majority. They will nominate Scalise for Speak with 113 votes to 99 for Jordan in the Republican conference voting.
It is not clear when the full House will take the first vote on Speaker, but this looks like it may be back to many rounds as at least one Jordan backer has said he will never vote for Scalise.
I see this as a positive development because the Republicans could not get their act together and come in with a united conference and wrap this up in a single vote of the full House. . It also means that Hakeem Jeffries or a "moderate" Republican backed by Jeffries and all of the Democrats could be elected IF enough moderate Republicans are absent for the vote or twice as many simply vote present or 5 straight up vote for Jeffries (the least likely possibility).
That’s why they had a secret meeting this afternoon and only a little over 110 are for Scalise. Scalise already had a press conference and acted like he was speaker. Gawwwd...I hope not! Nor Jordan. Both would be disastrous.
Right now, one of my best friends who is a secular, but active cultural Jew, is very concerned about one of her daughter's best friend's, who is in Jordan. She and another Jewish friend are over with this young Jordanian-American woman's mother trying to provide comfort and support. Everyone I know in the USA, who is from either Israeli, or Palestine, and other countries in the region is extremely upset and worried by this renewal of war in the Middle East. My friends and neighbors who belong to Israel and Palestine (often with Jordanian passports so they can travel), tend to be more secular or moderate and get along together, which makes it harder to understand that this war is going on. I am glad that deescalation is being discussed. My head is reeling from Bucha to Be'eri Kibbutz. However, I am also shocked by the reminders of conditions for Palestinians in Gaza, who honestly have not been in my thoughts for a while. I remember when all of the Jewish settlers, largely from former Soviet countries settled in Israel, further squeezing the Palestinians out. Europe, which is notoriously anti-Semitic, whatever the official rhetoric is, displaced people from their countries and gladly sent them to Israel regardless of what effect this had on the Palestinian population. Their problems are gone. They do not have to accommodate the tension between Jews and Muslims that exists here in Europe if they can support Israel as being an independent state for the Jews. Israel from its inception in 1948 has been a convenience for European countries, and they perceive the Arab-Muslim populations there to be too weak to turn on Europe as a source of this settlement incursion.
As long as the fighting remains between Muslims and Jews it is not really Europe's problem, which considers itself Christian, even though it is filled with both Muslims and Jews, although many more Muslims.
Look at Ukraine. Look at France. Now, we can expect new peoples to come flooding into an already anti-Semetic, anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab Europe, which is increasingly voting for Christianity only as a way of life even as they are increasingly secular too. There is fear amongst Christians, just as there is fear amongst White Nationalists that they will not longer be able to dominate in places that they consider their home territory. As an atheist, I am struck by the way that religion is interpreted as an excuse for hatred and to foment war.
We do not however, need to look to Israel, or the middle east to find terrorism. We can start right here at home with the Republican party and Donald Trump, whose people practice terrorism in the US, and whose policies support terrorism all over the world. We need to name them for the terrorists they are. We have lots of people dying from their policies too. One brutal act, or systemic oppression, which kills more? Which gains more attention? We need to be clear headed about what is going on even as our hearts bleed for the violence and suffering people are being submitted to. We need to continue to have policies of deescalation and support of democracy around the world.
Appreciate and respect your contributions....thank you.
I am a Christian . Only because I was overcome and still am, by the personal love and forgiveness of Christ and the hope my faith allows me. Each day, because of this love and hope and forgiveness, I am encouraged to do likewise. Of course, I often fail ...but this love that holds me does not fail. I believe that we should do what we can to expand the love that clings to our very imperfect beings as we are able. There was a time I rejected God.
We need to be careful not to feed our prejudices...really to examine our lives. This includes listening and trying to receive criticism from those closest to us .....not easy!
As a Christian it is important to me that ones faith (or choice to choose no faith) be respected. In my opinion, it is wrong to exclude or be against someone because their spiritual life is different from ones own. True faith is ones own internal life....a spiritual life.
I have been a part of a cult, so I know personally the difference of true faith and going along with "The Leader".
For someone to tell you what you must believe or NOT be accepted is wrong. We have NO RIGHT TO DO THIS TO ONE ANOTHER!!!! The God who loved me to Himself is not concerned with numbers....He wants our love for Him to be genuine...otherwise, He continues to watch over us....His love is open .
I agree with you about what the Republican Party has sadly become. Our nation is weaker due to their selfish, self-serving choices. They really have a hold on people who attend church...this includes friends and family.
I respect your right to believe in your God and his word. The people I don't respect, are the so-called Christians who believe that hate and violence are acceptable behaviors.
The lessons Jesus teaches in the New Testament are mostly about loving and respecting your God, neighbors, family and yourself. Even though I am an atheist, I was raised in the church and try to treat others with respect regardless of whether they believe as I do.
I am a non-theist, and frankly believe that organized religion of whatever flavor is man's poor attempt to explain the unexplainable and to govern the conduct of groups of people for the common good. Where it has migrated to is atrocious. Why, oh why do people "kill in the name of God", if your God is so wonderful?
In my more charitable moments, I tend to believe that God is bigger than any religion can imagine (drawing on the fable of five blind men describing an elephant). In my less charitable moments, I wonder why someone needs an imaginary sky pilot to make them behave.
I am a non-theist, and frankly believe that organized religion of whatever flavor is man's poor attempt to explain the unexplainable and to govern the conduct of groups of people for the common good.
I like the way you put this. I too am appalled at people that "kill in the name of God." This makes no sense to me, no matter which religion we consider.
2. How can treasonous traitors like Cruz and Toobie (and especially Santos) not get censured or impeached. The line for impeachment is high crimes and misdemeanors. All 3 of these criminals, predators and grifters have gone WAY beyond the line.
3. I feel the worst for those poor Palestinians who have known nothing but war for 50+ years and now are being disenfranchised again. It ain't right and Joe should be standing behind them as much as the Jews. The equation is unbalanced.
"How can treasonous traitors like Cruz and Toobie (and especially Santos) not get censured or impeached."
William, because, for much of American history crooks and cranks have commonly graced the political scene with full support from?
Yep. Americans. Those who vote seem to naturally gravitate to those they can identify with.
So, what does the presence of of Cruz, Toobie and Santos as "representatives" in our Democracy say about Americans?
I would say that is the more important question. Because, in a Democracy, if the PEOPLE want crooks and liars as leaders, they can obtain them via voting.
Sadly, I have to agree with you Mike. One's vote says a great deal about them. Many similar votes say a great deal about a nation's moral compass, imo.
This was what concerned me so much after trump was voted in (albeit not by popular vote) in 2016. Known by many certainly in NYC & surrounding states as a "businessman"/ conman, grifter, cheat, lying, self aggrandizing, amoral, fake "reality" star. Yet he was embraced by a significant enough proportion of the voting populace, as he was promoted by his handlers like Bannon & Manafort. A D.C. outsider, who'd be a game changer in the beltway. And they worked the heck out of the forgotten by other candidates, Midwest & Southern "fly over" states. His handlers knew what evangelicals, tge poor & working poor wanted to hear. And the very wealthy, knew a " self dealer" like trump would make taxes very favorable to corporations, by deregulating the hell out of America, much like Reagan did. The campaign coffers filled. Thus he made it into the presidential seat.
Then the announcement that a member of his grifting family & the son in law, who was running the real estate development business of his convicted felon father to boot, would be advising him, as part of his administration. ( Visions of foxes in the proverbial chicken coop, not sugar plums, danced through my head, that December of 2016.)
To say my jaw was out of whack from dropping, the night it was announced he won the election over HC, to every day after he took the presidential seat, is a proverbial understatement. The fact that his mouth continues, with his threats, his lies, his input; that its still viewed as being as so significant; no gag order from any judge to stop him, & the media continues to hone in on anything he says or does, has me choking down my coffee, most mornings.
That a large enough minority, still tout his 4 years in office & his misdeeds, as somehow major accomplishments, leaves me gob- smacked most days.
Naturally, he's spoken about his support of Israel at a recent rally & that the U.S. must support Israel. But he doesn't leave it at that. He goes on to say that, " there's been no better president for Israel than me." He also made recent claims that the attack on Israel & the war in Ukraine "would never have happened if I were president." More grandiose claims that some swallow, " hook, line & sinker;" but in reality there is certainly no way of proving it. Typical grandiose trump claims, to a willing audience.
Not proud to admit, as I generally don't think this way about folks, but I keep hoping that those many " indulgent" cheeseburgers he's enjoyed over the years, work their " magic" to help to stop the "noise," sooner than later. In my state of Georgia, where he's been charged, along with 19 others, for various infractions of the election laws. ( In part, pertaining to attempting to ask for another 11k plus votes, to push his election here over President Biden's narrow margin in Georgia. ) Of course, he's posturing again. Threatening statements about our D.A. & judges, among others. Some naturally fearing for their lives and requesting protection, given death threats from the unhinged trump supporters.
As always, you know he's not going to take someone out, personally. But much like any mob boss, by his inflammatory & divisive comments, he hopes someone else will get " his message" & do his dirty work. It's his m.o. Ask his former attorney, Michael Cohen.
"One's vote says a great deal about them." I am with you, Bonnie. What trump said and did resonated with them. And now they have been revealed. Some people can overlook that about their family members and friends. I can't unknow it. For me the only way forward is if they express regret. Hasn't happened yet.
Ain't holding my breath for that to happen, MK. It goes back to the adage "when someone shows you who they are, believe them". Their vote for tfg is a vote against democracy and the USA.
Members of Congress cannot be impeached. They can be voted out by their constituents, censured, or, in extreme cases, expelled by the other members. But there's no Constitutional provision for impeaching a member of Congress.
And expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the members of the body. Think that's gonna happen to any of these obstructionists?
After the ignorant violent attack on Israel, almost certainly planned by Iran, after all missiles and guns do not appear from thin air, i have come to the opinion that whatever the mistakes of Israel, and there were many, they have the total right to protect their citizens from barbarism.
I only hope that the plight of Ukraine is not forgotten. McCarthy had an embryonic cartilaginous embryonic vertebra, singular, in keeping the government open but for some reason, collusion or whatever, Ukraine was deleted.
Given that the Iranian regime and the Puta are besties, I have to wonder about the timing.
Palestinian people are being used as human shields by Iran.
Without continuing support from the US Ukraine will struggle.
Anne, I am for supporting Ukraine until they are free from Putin's attacks and desire to control. Putin has enough land and people to rule over; Ukraine and her people want freedom to be their own sovereign nation....and so it should be!!!
Big E is just luring the EU and the US into his web of neo-Nazism. That’s exactly what he is, you know, a neo-Nazi. He revels in their teachings, don’t him fool you. I would really really like to see him unhand the site to someone neutral and see if they can’t save us.
Has anyone in power -- apart from isolated figures like Egypt's Sadat and warrior turned champion of peace Yitzhak Rabin, both murdered by fanatics for their courageous stand -- has anyone ever taken adequate account of the time factor in the perpetuation of evil?
When you read these words, do you even begin to see the immensity of the horror? Roots lost in time.
One thing is clear: those who planned and perpetrated 9/11 and today's assault on Israel acted and act in the very long term. Both were designed as infinitely more than what they seem -- these are not one-off aberrations, they are trigger mechanisms, their purpose, to set off a chain-reaction bomb.
Success or failure of this unimaginably vast strategic weapon therefore depends, not on the aggressor but on the victims, it depends on maximum shock producing immediate maximum reaction. Action unmediated by thought, entirely the product of vengeful rage.
In this sense, 9/11 succeeded beyond its planners' wildest dreams, thanks to such aberrations as the occupation of Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War. The long-term effect of Bush, Rumsfeld et al's so called "War on Terror" is the perpetuation and spread of chaos and terror. Abroad and at home in America.
Having written this, I fear that I may have wasted my time. I don't have the impression that, despite the noble labors of HCR and others to bring home to us the true, immediate, yet lasting relevance of history, western minds are capable of seeing beyond action/reaction. Like Pavlov's dogs.
I hope I am completely mistaken in this view.
It seems plain that the restoration of peace must depend on a very long-term perspective, stretching into the remote past and the distant future. Going deeper than the latest trauma.
The victory of peace must depend on the outlook and action of the bomb disposal squad -- not the fastest gun in the West.
And we, who now face an infestation of psychopaths, conmen, illusionists, the golems of Mammon, need to cleanse our space of these diseased influences if mankind is to survive.
Peter, when I was a young deputy working the jail, my training officer (aka coach) taught me this: If something draws your attention (in this description, it was a phone book--remember those--) look immediately beyond that to see if it is a distraction or an alert for people engaging in some nefarious activity.
I hope that the global "we" can move past the action/reaction that you describe, and look beyond the immediate actions.
It goes without saying that I am with you in this, Ally, but everything about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is deeply intractable. Those who planned the current assault did so in the knowledge that the IDF would exact maximum vengeance. They knew too that it would, in any case, be almost impossible to conduct a tightly targeted response without killing and maiming huge numbers of Gazan civilians, men, women, children. More martyrs for the cause. And even if civilians are allowed to escape, they knew that such a new diaspora would spread the thirst for new cycles of vengeance against Israel, against America.
Troubling are our ingrown Western thought patterns and the huge psychological blind spots built into our habit of sharply circumscribing problems—mere shards of reality—in isolation from their context, separating symptoms from their causes and setting out to eliminate said symptoms rather than healing the underlying disease. Thus, we fail to take due account of cultural distinctions and set out to circumvent essential factors like religion. In so doing, politicians and diplomats have made peace ever more unattainable. It is like planning to bring a big ship—Peace—into port while not only failing but refusing to chart the hidden reefs that make the task impossible.
Ally, the aspiration that we—what you call the global “we”—may move beyond tight cycles of action/reaction is not for now, it can come into its own only once this dreadful chapter lies behind us. All we can do now is pray for and actively imagine the better world for which we long. A world in which human dignity is inviolable and human beings are more than the pawns of “realists”.
*
There is in fact more that we can do. We need not be passive onlookers. Even if we are unable to influence the decisions of deciders, we can be witnesses, actively observing what we see, and not hiding the fact that we are looking and seeing.
I see a cat that has caught a bird. Cat sees me, sees me glaring at him. Even if I’m not near enough to shoo him away, his attention is distracted, he’ll release his prey. Many human beings will be like that cat. Others, like hellbeings, may make a show of sadism.
Even knowing too much of past horrors, even having lived close to a massacre of innocents only a few years ago, ten minutes on foot from this place where I am writing, to have to see once more what we have seen, above all, to have to see what is now coming. Heart cries out for peace, for life and for living together, for an end to the endless cycles of vengeance and hatred.
We have to get to the point of separating the nation/state of Israel from the religion of Judaism. To criticize Israel for years of the ignoring international norms by expanding their territory through force is not anti-Semitic. Palestinians understandably feel unseen after years of ignored security sanctions. That doesn’t change the fact the Hamas’ actions were horrific and can never be justified. But it’s time to hear Palestinian voices. If theocracy is wrong, it is wrong regardless of where it is manifest
As we have to separate Islam from Hamas and ISIS,,,
As we have to separate evangelicalism from Christianity
I would replace evangelicalism with Christo-fascism
Great idea, Georgia. Far more accurate. "Evangelical" means "good news." Christian Nationalism is not good news.
Amen
You can't separate those things - none of them.
That is the root problem
We have to separate them. I am a follower of Christ, which means I believe that God created each of us in their own image and of equal worth, and I believe in Christ's teachings on love and acceptance. I do not believe in the patriarchal institutions and groups that dictate women's choices regarding childbearing and think women are second class citizens.
Not all of my Jewish friends support the far right nationalist parties in Israel, and many support an equitable solution for the Palestinians.
Not every religious Muslim believes in applying Shariah Law and applauds terrorism. Most want the freedom to pursue their lives in peace and to raise their children in a society where there is opportunity.
Biden was right to emphasize the need for Israel to adhere to the rule of law in warfare. That is exactly to the point of separating "those things" Hamas' goal is to provoke Israel into committing war crimes against the Palestinians. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has no concern for the Palestinians. It wants to stoke outrage among Israel's neighbors to widen this into a regional war.
Georgia, I am a "None". And yet I applaud your thinking. Not the God stuff. But the basic tenets of decency that you espouse. I don't care what religious philosophy or faith or "way" that a person embraces as long as we treat each other the way we would want to be treated. It's as simple as that. All the trappings of religion that distract from compassion, empathy and love of the Earth are why "Nones" and humanism are ascending. But there are fine people everywhere in every "faith" and in every region.
I follow your comments with great interest. You are wise.
Georgia, I, too, am a follower of Christ. I appreciate your post and heartily agree. The "Christian" nationalist fascists are not following the teachings of Christ. Christ preached caring for others; the fascists do not.
Georgia, in the case of Christians and Muslims you are literally advocating picking out the nice bits from fairly brutal Bronze age mythologies... and ignoring the rest.
In the case of Israel, the "far right nationalist parties" that you speak of, are actually in power, very much in power.
Yet it is American weapons that enable Israelis to commit these crimes and to continue to continue the apparent goal of flattening all of Gaza, regardless of how many innocent trapped civilians are crushed under the collapse. They have nowhere to escape.
Jesus was a liberal Jew.
My husband blamed most wars on religion. Today I see what he saw.
I would not be as gracious. Christo-fascism and evangelicalism have a large overlap. Both are heavily dominated by Trumpism. Need I say more?
“Hear, hear,” I said, wearily. I’ve been using that term for some time now.
Only aplies to Evangelical Christians - but what concerns me is the fascistic authoritarianism of fundamentalist religions of all stripes!
Absolutely. Christo-facism is as far from Christianity as Trump is from the truth.
Totally agree
This discussion has some flaws in it's understanding of the relationship of culture and religion. Judaism is not just a religion. Jews are a culture, hold a belief system that permeates our lives. We are a people. Even Reform Judaism has discovered that Judaism cannot be separated from Jews. Just like Judaism, Islam is a culture, religion and people. They make pilgrimage to Mecca in their lifetimes to acknowledge this.
I can't speak for Christianity but it ses Catholicism is a culture, too.
Israel must be Jewish. It is intertwined with our culture, beliefs and religion. I believe in a two state solution, but who can Isreal negotiate with? Yes, the current government of Isreal is right-wing and has formed a coalition with the ultra Orthodox causing awful problems for secular Israelis as well as Arab Israelis. But they can be voted out. Isreal is a democracy. The Arab nations surrounding it are either monarchies or dictatorships. Palestinian rights are ignored in those countries. The goal of the various terrorist movements as written in their charters is death to all Jews in the Middle East. Until those statements are removed, how can there be peace?.
Rita, Israel believes in the rule of law. Currently 20% of Israel's population are Arab Israelis. Monsieur Abbas heads the Raam party, heavily influenced by The Muslim Brotherhood. Under Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, Israeli right wing and left wing Israeli leaders, had formed a coalition team, and Arab lives improved a great deal, because they negotiated with the Muslim led Raam party. Arab countries on the other hand have no Jews living there. Jews during the 1948 war were forced to flee for their lives. It's time for Israel's neighbors to stop shedding crocodile tears for their Palestinian brothers and sisters. Neither Egypt nor Jordan have come forth to show their concern for the Palestinians' desperate plight and welcomed them into their countries, as Poland has done with their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. Instead these countries view Palestinians as a migrant people as tRump and his crowd view migrants coming into the U.S.
Rita:
Then you also believe the West Bank should no longer be partitioned, making way for more Jewish settlements?
There are an ~2+ million people living in Gaza. Let put a perspective on this for you and other readers. Israel does not have to fly into the The Gaza or send troops into it. It can rain destruction and death from its borders + 1 mile back from the borders with conventional weaponry.
Most are civilians and what the US would call collateral damage in Iraq during the US incursion. The blame of killing civilians is laid at Hamas feet with claims they are hiding amongst civilians. What toll should Gazans pay for Hamas living amongst them?
To put this into a US perspective for US citizens, take the city of Madison, Wisconsin and double+ the area of it from 67 square miles to 150 square miles. Cram seven or 8 times six times its population of 223,000 into it or ~13,000 people per each square mile (150 square miles) or 1 person for every ~2800 square feet or one person for every ~area 50 by 50 feet.
If you wish people to die? You do not need planes or missiles. It is not hard to believe civilians will not die in such a congested area when lobbing 155mm howitzers shells into their midst or dropping 500# bombs? The bursting radius of the shells exceeds the area per person. There is no escape. Gaza is little more than a walled in ghetto being brought into submission by war and economic starvation.
Shooting fish in a barrel.
Condemn Hamas and go after them.
Israel use to be a Democracy. It's an Authoritarian State now.
Did Russia involve itself in Bibi’s election as it did in Trumps?
I’m curious if Trump has his fingers on the Hamas attack, with all of the classified intel he stole and opportunities to sell/give to his BFF Putin, who in turn gave it to Hamas and/or Iran.
Before the election General Milley feared Trump might start a war to stay in power. Milley tried to prevent that by staying in contact with his Chinese counterpart. Maybe Netanyahu, after seeing what happened to Trump’s coup attempt decided to take matters into his own hands to stay in power and was offered a solution. That’s how my mind works. And it tells me Putin is the baby driver.
I did not see the movie.
All religions are as flawed as the human beings who made them up.
It's complicated as Jesus also instructed Jews to not preach to the Gentiles. Matthew 10:5-7 KJV These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Some theologians, Richard, teach that when we say Christ Jesus was "fully human and fully divine," his human self had some things to learn. . . like not leaving gentiles out of the promise of God's love. We like to notice that it was a Greek woman (the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman in Mark 7:24–29) who helped Jesus see that he should help her by healing her daughter even though he called her a dog: "it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Because she responded saying (I'm paraphrasing) 'ok I'm a dog but even the dogs are allowed the crumbs from beneath the master's table,' Jesus relented. He was confronted with a reasoned argument and he learned.
Matthew 28:16-20 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated to them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And Judaism from racist fanaticism
Can one do that, separate Hamas and ISIS from Islam? Would they do what they do but for their belief in Islam?
Speaking as a religious Jew, it is very important to remember that Hamas and Isis are only a small fraction of the 1.8 billion Muslims in this world. Do not use the tiny part to judge the whole. We have seen in the Trump years how that leads to attacks on good people. Do not feed hate.
Also, it is a gigantic leap to go from condemning some or even much of the behavior of a government, to asserting that a country has no right to exist. That leap is too often made for exactly one country, Israel. We see again where that leads: 1200 of all ages dead and still counting, thousands severely injured, in one brutal attack. There are plenty of legitimate criticisms of the Israeli government. Israelis make them all the time. That is very different from saying or implying that this one country and its people have no right to exist. Do not feed hate.
Putin is making that argument, that Ukraine and Ukrainians have no right to exist. And China holds that view toward Taiwan and its people. But yes, historically that argument has been repeatedly directed at Israel and Jews.
You are correct, and it is pernicious every time.
Palestine and Palestinians also have a right to exist.
I agree.
Israel has a massive right to exist (as does Palestine) if not simply because it embodies one of the three major religions in the world. geographical significance plays an important part for Israel and Palestine.
Other countries, including the United States, of course also have a right to exist, but something special is happening in that part of the world where Judaism Islamism and Christianity have geographical ties.
Nation states must indeed play by certain rules, economic, social, environmental, etc to take care of their citizenry, and these rules require ethical and moral behaviors within their borders, and in their relationships to each other.
The days of a holy Roman empire, a British empire, a Russian empire, a Chinese, or eastern empire are over and must never be assumed by one country or another to inflict their views, on other countries, or the rest of the world.
The United States, by and for whatever reason is in a prime position to advance a moral,ethical and justifiable order of things on the rest of the world.
Or else we are going to obliterate whatever innocence is attempting to persist.
Thank you. Joan . Well said. I always appreciate your insight…
Their interpretation of what it means to practice Islam is the problem. There are several major Islamic groups just like there is a diversity of Jewish and Christian practices.
The fighters who murder civilians have been whipped up by Islamic fundamentalism, but many of the fighters work for Hamas because it’s the only job available. What drives the conflict in the Middle East is not who gets into heaven, but who has geopolitical power now. It’s a three way conflict between Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Civilians across the region suffer, some groups are more evil than others, but none of the governments involved are blameless.
And the economy of The Gaza is held captive by outside influence. There is also little space for 2 million residents there and to have an economy.
Is that possible?
I believe there are those Muslims who take the teachings of the Koran which embrace peace, welcoming and helping others and living in community.
True. And never going to happen.
Mike E.,
Home run post and writing. Thank you.
"separating the nation/state of Israel from the religion of Judaism. To criticize Israel for years of the ignoring international norms by expanding their territory through force is not anti-Semitic".
Correct in my view, but, if one is more religious than me, Israel's violent push to rid itself of what it considers to be a heathen population (the Palestinians) is perfectly acceptable.
Once you get two really religious people together, there is bound to be a fight, because, after all, God is on their side. No reason to compromise when you are God's favorite.
Mike S.
What I would like to understand is why the Jews have chosen to detest Palestinians after the way Jews were slaughtered and imprisoned by the Nazis? I would hope that of all people there would be acceptance and kindness.....after all the Jews suffered. WHY do to others what you do not want done to yourself????
Of course, as I comment, I must also recognize that prejudice is something everyone of good will must battle against.
Emily, I have thought the same thing. After their extreme and unbelievable suffering, who do Israeli leaders want to do the same to another group of people? I think the average Israeli wants peace and fairness for Palestinians; it’s the leaders who must justify themselves who do not.
Thank you for noticing that the Israeli leaders mistreating Palestinians represent a minority of Israelis, just as the Hamas terrorist murderers represent a minority of Palestinians. There is a great deal of broad brushing going on, and it is not helpful.
"it is not helpful". Understatement of the week.
I appreciate your insights here, Joan. Thank you. I do not follow any organized religion, I just try to be a good human.
It is good to tread carefully with words....in this case maybe more so than usual, and good to use a small brush.
Joan:
Yes, on the last few words.
It’s ALWAYS the leaders, isn’t it?
Here's what I see as the answer to your question, from W. H. Auden:
"I and the public know
What all schoolchildren learn:
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return."
--September 3, 1939 (poem)
Auden is great, but that's not statistically true. Most people who are abused as children do not grow up to be abusers. It's extremely important to make the distinction and identify those with a predilection for abuse early, because even born sociopaths' behavior can be mitigated with early intervention.
Traumatized people who feel weak and done to often try to reverse the power relation rather than eschew it. They create a fantasy of being so powerful no one can hurt them. But then that manic need for control takes on a life if its own. Hence ever more land must be taken, ever more must the others need for life and dignity be seen merely as anon-human obstacle. To”security.”
Security, national security, the great excuse of tyrants.
Israelis had to become militant in order to first establish their state and then to keep it. That is a huge change of perspective, and they have milennia of resentment to deal with. In crass, but not crude, terms - I got mine so get lost. Netanyahu knows this, of course, and is using it to maintain power, urged on by others who don't want peace.
The extreme views of the settlers in Israel would have them gladly kill Palestinians and Christians. I was surprised some of these extremists were actually arrested for spitting on the ground as a group of Christians visited Jerusalem before this recent attack took place.
I was in Israel in 2006 on a pilgrimage. The people I met there couldn’t have been lovelier. Our guide was Arab and resident (who could not vote but did pay taxes; he said he got along fine with his Israeli neighbors). The land was beautiful. So sad.
It becomes more complicated because the Netanyahu government is controlled by fanatical Jews who want to drive all Palestinians out of Israel with no concern about where they go. They, like the MAGA Party in the US, are angry, power hungry, racist, and incompetent.
Exactly.
And many are Americans originally.
Excellent assessment, Oaitw.
I think it may fall under the theme of "epigenetics" or some similar change in DNA. When a group of people are attacked, ostracized, tortured and murdered for centuries, they become understandably sensitized. I married into a Sephardic family. They are peace lovers - actually, lovers of all. But when I hear the stories of their families - the persecution over the generations, I am amazed at their embrace of tolerance and their generosity of spirit. They could easily become vengeful haters. And it would be hard to argue with them about why. Fortunately, they rise to the level of consciousness you and I are looking for!
I think paranoia is something to be reckoned with. And sometimes it's based on real trauma. And I think if you have been taught (with evidence at hand) that you must kill or be killed, it's hard to embrace those who you think will assassinate you. Over generations that gets built into the gene pool.
I think an odd analogy would be the whites of the American South who have been taught that non-whites are inferior and are an enemy. An immersion of hate. A totally different scenario, but it's like hate and fear and violence put on auto pilot. Built into the DNA.
My "new" family has close relatives in Israel. They work to bridge the gaps between cultures. One is a teacher who brings Jewish and Arab kids together to understand each other's history and culture. She is fostering friendships between Jews and Muslims. There is a lot of that going on. Witness the demonstrations against Netanyahu's attempt to be a dictator.
And yet, the teacher's family includes three in the military. I trust that they will respond to this horrific attack with restraint and respect for civilians. But fight they must. Or perish. As has always been the case for Jews.
Bill, what you write about some southern whites is true—which makes it such a miracle that so many blacks are willing to give so many whites the grace of acceptance when they see a living heart.
No. I don't get it. You are talking about the Jews, but you might as well be talking about the Palestinians. Except for the gas chambers, the Palestinians have been kept in ghettos very much like their "imprisoners," the Jews. Yes, I agree with Emily and it's hard to understand why Israel doesn't see that.
Because Israel is no more unified and homogeneous than the US.
Emily is right. Extremist Israelis should have realized that imprisoning millions of people in a tiny piece of land and depriving them of the basics of life would result in disaster.
Hamas, ultra Orthodox Jews who steal land, ISIS, American Nazis, Taliban...all the same.
But NOTHING justifies murder by anyone.
Excellent post Bill. Thank you for sharing.
Bill, yes, have read about the long lasting effects of trauma not just expressed in a culture’s history/stories, but that it has a real inheritable impact. Did a quick ‘net search to refresh my memory & found this (among others): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5977074/
Barbara,
I skimmed the article you shared. I can truthfully say that depression and suicide are inherited within my family through my father's side. Circumstances in life can be received with feelings of deep hurt and helplessness and hopelessness. Usually everything is kept inside....not wanting to call attention to ones personal feelings or struggles. Large or many small traumas in life can bring these feelings into one's being.
The scientific article you shared gave physical evidence to the workings within.
Other than suicide ...... those who experience extreme trauma in life receive and "digest" it in many ways.
After war, many men and women are hugely successful, daring challenges they may have never attempted before. Many become hugely compassionate, working for peace and healing of relationships. Many may become successful in business endeavors. Some may choose medicine or some form of healing (mental/physical) from witnessing such physical and mental trauma....etc.
The article you shared is very important because it demonstrates the inner personal workings of our individual physical beings. This should allow for more compassion, understanding and for the encouragement we should make available to one another.
Emily, I hope the opposite is also true, that a loving, nurturing and expansive experiences to embrace of our ”humanness” also informs our DNA in the past, present and future and thus creates the best in us going forward.
This Jew detests no-one due to their religious label. My heart is breaking for the innocent loss of life around the world.
I was too afraid to go to the local temple Sunday night where a peaceful service was planned to stand against this hatred.
Hugs to you. This is traumatic to all involved and you have my full support. Glad you are here.
Detest might be a strong word, but anyone who stands with Netanyah and his bellicose and vengeful words and actions is coming a little close to "detesting." Netanyahu is filled with hate, but he WAS elected....so???
I know many many Jews, being one myself. Not one of us “detests Palestinians” as you assert. You are speaking prejudice even as you intend to oppose it. Please take the time to speak with nuance.
Joan,thank you for pointing out my fault. I will work to think more about expressing myself in the future so as not to offend.
Thank you
Actually some of the far right ultraorthodox settlers do detest both Palestinians and Christians.
Some of them also detest their fellow Jews for not being faithful enough.
No doubt. I bet they really hate Rabbi Ysroel David Weiss who says Zionism is forbidden.
Now that is a nuanced comment, thank you.
Also, there is quite a history of atrocities committed by the Arab nations. Here is one paragraph: Although much is heard about the plight of the Palestinian refugees from the aftermath of the 1948 Israeli War of Independence and the 1967 Six Day War, little is said about the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were forced to flee from Arab states before and after the creation of Israel. In fact, these refugees were largely forgotten because they were assimilated into their new homes, most in Israel, and neither the United Nations nor any other international agency took up their cause or demanded restitution for the property and money taken from them. Legislation passed in the Knesset during 2015 designated November 30 as a day of recognition for Jewish refugees from Arab countries.https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-refugees-from-arab-countries.
The world and agencies like UNRWA keep the Palestinians down as a thorn in Israel’s side. Hamas teaches their children to hate Israelis. I have been in Gaza before it was returned. It is a paradise. Why are the inhabitants living in poverty and danger? Wsjabraham is correct. It could be a fantastic tourist destination.
For a group following a brilliant historian, has anyone followed the history? Here’s just one piece. In 2005, Israel left ( with great internal anguish ) land that had been legitimately won in a prior war. The land was Gaza. What they left were fully built communities, including hothouses. The people who took over trashed everything, but did not build any communities to replace them. Gaza has a beautiful shoreline on the Mediterranean. It could be so much. But the people in control do not choose constructive options. Instead, the majority of Gazans live in squalor and blame Israel for the failures of their own leaders. Israel is not blameless. But it is not acting in a vacuum.
Can land truly be “legitimately won” in a war? Does that not increase war?
Yes, it can be legitimate won in a war, and it's how the world was built.
Why do we think that owning land is legitimate?
What do you mean by ‘built’.
One could go back much further than Ariel Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza. The Balfour declaration, a statement supporting a Palestinian homeland for the Jews by Lord Rothchild and Lord Arthur Balfour in a land called Palestine. In 1922 Churchill's British mandate over this land altered the boundaries of the homeland agreed upon by Rothchild and Balfour. The eventual Hashemite dynasty was to reside on what was called Transjordan. The land was severed by 80% to make way for this new country, in order to enlist their cooperation. Israel was reduced to the size of New Jersey or Connecticut. In 1922 the League of nations signed the agreement. However, peace was not to be achieved as hoped. At least 18 wars have been fought with its' Arab neighbors since then. Many American presidents tried and failed to broker a peace solution because Arafat despite getting 99% of everything he wanted and Mahmoud Abbas dismal failure, peace continues to be a pipe dream.
sigh . . .
Don't aggregate all Jews to a single point of view.
Paula, I am receiving true criticisms .....sorry for seeming to place all Jews together. One of my best friends growing up was Jewish....so I do realize that Jews are individual persons , not just a mass.....so sorry I offended.
I have many improvements to work on regarding my unintended, yet offensive communication. Thanks for calling me out!
I'm quick, perhaps too quick. Emotions are running high. Thank you for accepting the criticism with such grace!
Mike S: The tragedy of two peoples in one land may have a religious overlay for some but it is not fundamentally about religion. Neither Muslims nor Jews believe that everyone in the world has to follow their religion to be a valid human or a valid religious follower of what both will call the Gd of Abraham. Turning it into a religious dispute breeds exactly the violence you deplore. Based on your statements here, there are a vast number of Jews and Muslims who are more religious than you. As one of them, Jewish, there is no way Jewish religion justifies treating people badly (insert list here). Many religious Muslims would say the same about Islam. Please do not slander millions of people based on your observations of a small number of us.
This battle began when Abraham had two sons and treated one better than the other, Ishmael and Isaac.
Then along comes Jesus and his Gentile followers and expanded to other cultures. Powerful men became Christians. Then Christianity began antisemitism.
Then Hitler othered the Jews and many others killing roughly more than 12 million individuals total. The Christian guilt was huge because we turned the Jews back at the gate as they tried to flee Hitler. Christians created a problem by creating Israel. Not because they had a homeland but because we removed the rights of the people who were already there. Prior to that Jews returning to their homeland were immigrating. A better solution would have been to ensure their immigration could continue and that they were granted equal citizenship to those already there.
Now we have an even greater mess.
An authoritarian Israel in which many people are so angry they no longer care who they kill just like Hamas. Israeli citizens don't want security or safety. They want retribution. Cooler heads must prevail.
Mom (God) loves me better than you!
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/10/west-bank-palestinians-hamas-humanity-israel
We do forget their reality
Hugh, thanks for sharing the Guardian article.
I am writing as a Jew who has visited Israel numerous times including working on a small progressive border kibbutz.
Israel has a responsibility to the Arab people in the occupied territories who are suffering due not only to Israeli indifference, but by the actions of the right-wing extremists in their government. The Right-Wing politicians are not even attempting to treat their Arab citizenry with dignity, they treat them like dogs. It is a travesty.
Gaza is the worst situation for the citizens did not choose Hamas, Hamas chose them. The everyday citizens would have only liked to live in peace but they needed the basic necessities that were blockaded off from them. Their situation was hopeless and Israel’s armed forces will come down on the Gaza citizens with terrible force for they do not value Arab lives either. They are only making a bad situation worse.
The IDF has failed to see the invasion coming, the Israeli government has failed to treat its Arab citizens and neighbors fairly and now there will be retribution for the humiliation of their failure in a shallow attempt to redeem themselves. Many are dying needlessly on both sides but we will not see the Israeli government owning up to being the cause of this bloodbath. It is the Israeli government and the right-wing zealot’s hands who are bloodied here. Eventually there will be some sort of uneasy truce, but there will never be any peace until Israel gives up the land it has seized and allow the Palestinians to live in peace and most important, prosperity. It will be a hard lesson to learn.
It has always been possible to critique Israeli government policy without being antiSemitic. It has been done, by many in Israel. In fact, Israeli jurists and those in the defense and intelligence services - often Jewish citizens on the front lines - have done so. Many on the Left outside Israel have done so - although they have been marginalized for supporting even the notion of an Israeli state for doing so.
Too often historical antiSemitic sentiment and habits of mind prevail among critics - as implicit bias and ideology. While cries of antiSemitism are the reflexive stance of apologists for Israeli injustice.
Mike, this describes exactly what my feelings are. I have a ton of friends now posting up their Israeli flags, "I Stand With Israel" slogans and calling me dreadful names when I point out that Hamas is not all Palestinians, and that the people of Palestine have been the victims of Israeli occupation for three generations (I'm talking about modern times here; the situation there in the cradle of the Abrahamic religions goes back much, much farther.)
Trump's "Abraham Accords" are a joke because they deliberately excluded Palestine.
Absolutely!!!
Tying terrorism and religion to Terrorism is the same gross error the United States plunged into after 9/11.
Terrorists have no nationality or religion, they have developed searing hate and nurtured violence to perform absolutely evil acts that in themselves are pointless deprivals of life.
As a non-Jew who was raised to admire Israel for its determination to survive in the midst of adversity I can imagine this Hamas attack ignited retribution that will resemble terrorism.
But it’s a mistake to think the fervor will be religious. Protecting our families, communities and culture from violence is the social compact of being human beings.
But it doesn’t hurt to seek God’s blessing before we get revenge and smite our enemies hip and thigh.
We need to separate ourselves from the primitive notion of religion and supernatural beings. It's hard to be rational with folks like that.
Yes to all of this. And I do not envy Biden or anyone in the administration trying to tread the fine line between supporting Jewish survival while denouncing nationalistic oppression of Palestinians and other "non-Israelis" within Israel (for an eye-opener, look into how Mizrahi Jews, who were present in Palestine before Israel was reestablished, are treated by the current, mostly Ashkenazi Israeli government).
But nobody except the Palestinians themselves get to tell us who speaks for them.
Another reason to listen to all of them.
Inconvenient fact: Palestinians are Semites. The DNA is the same, the religions are different. But with some people religion is everything. Even in the US. We hear constantly that Israel has the "right to exist." Saying that begs the question: is there a question? How many different "governments" have existed in the area called Israel over the millennia? Hundreds? Built one on top of another. How many bloody battles and genocides? Life goes on.
Oh, please. Antisemitism is what it is: Jew hatred. And to the antisemite, it makes no difference whether a Jew is observant or not. They all go into the gas chamber.
As for this history of the area now called Palestine, it has indeed had many governments: Jewish, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Ottoman, British, and now Jewish again. And as it happens, the Arabs are relative newcomers, having arrived in the seventh century AD, when they drove out the Byzantines. So if today the Jews were to claim ownership of the land they occupy by right of conquest, the Arabs did the same in their heyday.
Patrick, reading your comment reminded me of the Michener novel “The Source” which I read decades ago…can’t recall much of the story other than a vague takeaway that there was common ancestry in the distant pass. Found this study published in 2000….I had to double check the pub date because the lead sentence says as “fighting continues in the Middle East” (sigh)…anyway, here is the link:https://www.science.org/content/article/jews-and-arabs-share-recent-ancestry
Also in Moby Dick Ishmael ponders his role in the world that includes great events and Bloody clashes in Afghanistan.
Theoretically, one can be anti-Zionist without being anti-Semitic, but in actuality the two are almost always linked, if the first is not merely a cover for the other.
Well, when the theory is contradicted by the practice, there must be something wrong with the theory. As it happens, I've just written an article touching on this point:
https://unwokeindianaag.substack.com/p/days-of-shame
I agree with you. Some of this is just soft-headedness, but that can be a (perhaps unconscious) cover for anti-Semitism. On the other hand, there are extreme Orthodox Jews who don't recognize the Israeli state.
There are such Jews, indeed. But their opposition to Zionism is religious, not ideological, and does not embody antisemitism.
Yes. So in some cases anti-Zionists are not anti-Semites.
Not even in theory, Jon, can you be one without the other. Zionist is the concept that Jews can have their own nation just like any other group of like-minded people. Since the Jews returned to Israel via the Mandate system, the return was completely legal and moral. To be anti-Zionist is to claim that Jews do not belong in their own land, and that's antisemitic.
Except that there are some ultra-Orthodox who are anti-Zionist.
There certainly are, and as a Reform covert, they don't consider me a Jew! They are the exception that proves my rule, I suppose.
Has it not occurred to you that we've just heard "Palestinian voices"? I see no evidence that Hamas is a tiny extremist faction whose terrorism is opposed by most Palestinian Arabs. On the contrary, it appears that the mass slaughter perpetrated in southern Israel by Hamas has delighted Palestinians. In Gaza City, the mob cheered and spat on the corpse of a young woman that was paraded through the streets. It makes one wonder what an independent Palestinian state stretching from "the river to the sea" would look like. The Islamic Republic of Iran, perhaps? The Taliban's Afghanistan? Nazi Germany?
Progressives are always calling Donald Trump a fascist. They compare him to Hitler. But if you want to get some idea what a Nazi Party rally was like, all you have to do is look at "anti-Zionist" demonstrations on American college campuses. And what Hamas did in southern Israel is exactly the kind of thing that the German Army, SS and police did in Poland and the USSR during World War Two. There's your fascism. There's your National Socialism.
YES!!!
This black-and-white attitude is the principal reason the people who live in the Holy Land will never be able to enjoy their lives in peace and security. Paul VI said, "If you want peace, work for justice." He did not say "send more guns".
Thank you Clifford.
The dreams of groups, parties and government exploiting violence for power and control are the worst nightmares of the people. When one small group dreams such dreams, their dreams condemn the rest of humanity to live the nightmares. The "War on Terror" was one such dream.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/btselem-israel-gaza
Sad to say, polarization based on irresolvable conflicts esp when one side has a perpetual disadvantage has had this outcome throughout history. Whatever the tortured history of Gazan Palestine, it couldn't have occurred without Israeli retrenchment, aiding and abetting in keeping Gaza an "open prison" without economic development. Recycling rage hasn't helped, and it's not just Gazens at the root of this.
Opening a corridor between Gaza and Egypt to facilitate an exit for the Palestinians and parking a US carrier battle group with more firepower than the combined next two nations on the planet to facilitate an orderly exodus is a "win-win", wouldn't you say? Plenty of room in that big Egyptian desert for them there Palestinians (they're used to getting along without a lot of water anyway) and a fair chunk of prime contiguous real estate now available for gentrification.
Touch of irony there, right?
Hope so.
Are you serious, Lisa? No sane person could possibly condone what Hamas has done in Israel. On the other hand, as Mr. Loomer so eloquently pointed out with his statement "Whatever the tortured history of Gazan Palestine, it couldn't have occurred without Israeli retrenchment, aiding and abetting in keeping Gaza an "open prison" without economic development" it isn't the Palestinians that are at blame here. I am so repulsed by our politicians' knee jerk unqualified support of Israel (while at the same time condemning China for its human rights violations for example) that I can't begin to express it. The level of hypocrisy here is unspeakable. When you see those pictures of Gaza being pounded to dust on the 6 o'clock news, think about the fact that the weapons used were produced in the USA and provided, gratis, to Bibi.
And on the same morning I read LFAA and its calm and reasoned unfurling of Biden’s speech and surrounding issues, I also read this Popular Information post and remain in despair. https://open.substack.com/pub/popularinformation/p/charles-kochs-5-billion-tax-loophole?r=2xq6n&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Depressing and maddening.
Clifford Story, your comment, including the words of Paul VI, were reflected in my thoughts about the effects of Hamas' massacre of Israelis, and I've had a question.
‘…where will Gaza’s 2 million people go’?
It was also a question raised in the piece by Ishaan Tharoor with Sammy Westfall in The Washington Posts' newsletter, Today's WorldView. The piece is titled, 'The troubling analogies surrounding the new Israel-Hamas war'. I think that Ishaan Tharoor has provided a keen historical perspective and reflection about aspects of the years ahead for Israel, other countries in Middle East and powerful national leaders with a hand or fist in Middle East politics. A gifted link to the piece is below.
https://wapo.st/48LhM1D
About half of the people, human beings, in the thin Gaza Strip are not adults. Another percentage are refugees from the 1948 War, 75 years ago. There have been 5 coalition governments in nation state of Israel in the last 3 years. The current government has leaders attempting to expand further into the West Bank while Netanyahu's is the subject of 3 corruption cases.
There are significant fault lines in the Jerusalem population as distinct from urban Tel Aviv & younger & modern Haifa. The resolution of the internal conflicts within Israel -- critically the end of Netanyahu's widely opposed effort to take over the independent Judiciary is a first step prior to the Israel-Hamas house-to-house, basement-to-basement War in Gaza.
Did the US make serious mistakes after 9/11? Fact Check: Yes.
Bryan, almost half of the population of Gaza is composed of children. My question holds, where does most of the population of Gaza go after Netanyahu's government has completed its military action there?
Certainly not a "corridor" to Egypt a reverse exodus.
Egypt has closed its border to Gaza since 2007. They are protecting themselves against terrorism.
Confirmed closed by Jonathan Lemire on "Way to Early.".MSNBC this am
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this. I think “Letters” should stick with commentary on US history . Disappointed in the hubris of venturing into areas that she herself has acknowledged having little expertise.
My take on today’s edition of the “Letters” is that HCR was discussing the historic speech that POTUS delivered in response to current events - not so much a deep dive into things outside her admitted wheelhouse.
Linda, You are an intelligent person. You cannot have failed to notice how intertwined most countries have become, and in so many different ways. Our economies, immigration, trade, climate change, & pollution, to name some examples. Also, the attacks on democracy have not been isolated to USA. The social media mis/disinformation attacks didn’t just help divide/affect Americans, it affected Australia, United Kingdom (Brexit, anyone?), Canada, etc. There is both coordinated effort and opportunists who joined forces for their own gain. America is not a closed, self-sufficient island. America also has influence with other countries, if it didn’t, Russia & China, for example, wouldn’t be working so hard to fracture us and get us out of their way. Heather Cox Richardson is right to address this. Also, I don’t remember seeing as many people complain about her writing about Ukraine...hmmm.
PS: Where are those who flee Gaza going to go and don’t you think Republicans are actively working on how to use it to their advantage? America has done this before, like in Central America.
Let Heather follow her instincts to include whatever information she feels is important.
I don’t recall such clear bias in writing about Ukraine. Certainly a different history there.
Definitely different histories. Bias? Not sure. She’s admittedly less knowledgeable about the histories of that region so she may rely on what she reads in the news, which we know is biased even when they give the weather report. I just feel the situation deserves a mention here since America has publicly taken a stand and we won’t be unaffected by this. Perhaps she should put a disclaimer each time she writes about Israel & Palestine to warn the fellow uninformed.
An underlying theme in both countries as well as many others of persecution . Russia starved Ukrainians Among other acts of the "other" Jews have been persecuted in Ukraine for centuries. Look @ what is happening in South America & why so many are fleeing. It is a world wide theme of seeing "others" as a threat & needing to be exterminated or controlled.
What bias?
Linda, it is Heather’s Letters, and she can write about anything she wants to. She does more research than any of us would ever do, and probably has more expertise than most of us. If you don’t like it, don’t read it.
Isn’t that one of the problems in the USA? Not reading opinion contrary to your own. And Heathers letters reach over 2 million people... a huge influence and good forum for discussion.
A "forum" is a place or a meeting and certainly a digital meeting place where ideas & views can be exchanged not "click bait".
I have substantial trial experience at taking a hard look at the so-called foundation, if any, of 'expert opinion'. Judges in CA have more authority now as evidentiary "gatekeepers" to exclude Junk Science & Blabber Points.
HCR has built a powerful digital Community which I deeply respect & we must all protect responsibly.
That discussion today is very informative and generally is respectful. Today is an excellent example. I am truly appreciating all the discussions here .
You are correct that she is a huge influence, and generally, I think that regardless of the subject of the letter, those who comment add information without resorting to propaganda.
HCR has acknowledged her expertise lies in US History. Having just finished listening to her new book, it shows us how much the US is intertwined with the rest of the world.
Yesterday she mentioned receiving hate mail from both sides. How can someone hate another person for reporting facts?
Ask your question to any MAGA supporter; that's about all they do.
Agreed. But they are incapable of thinking for themselves. They can only parrot TFFG and far-right media.
People keep saying this. We might do better to give the MAGA credit for making their own decisions, and just being really really in error.
Heather has stated repeatedly in her videos and in-person appearances that as an historian she looks for the impact of news stories (of which there are blatantly obvious ones and others that are more obscure) that someone 150 years from now will be looking at how they impacted American history. This war, as well as that of Ukraine, very pointedly distinguish the different responses between US political parties and the historical perspective will be analyzed and written about for generations. In today's world, global events are intrinsically tied together and the U.S. sits on top of that pile.
In two videos that she did prior to the start of the book tour, Heather very clearly stated there are many subject areas she has limited-to-no knowledge. She has garnered much information and an education from those who are specialists and have provided her with an education in which she can put current events and their impact into American history perspective.
My husband is a collector of old newspapers and has a book by Todd Andrlik called "Reporting the Revolutionary War: Before It Was History, It Was News". As Heather has said (and I paraphrase), there is a big difference between the training of journalists and historians. The former report on the events, the latter tell us why it matters.
Excellent, Janet! This comment should appear above Heather's daily posts every day as a reminder to its readers. This extremely popular Substack newsletter is an attempt to project into the future and determine what historians will see as important when they look back at our chaotic era and then reporting that perspecitve daily as if it were the news. That's an extremely challenging concept to convey to readers, especially on a daily basis. Sometimes she succeeds, sometimes not. But I enjoy the historical experiment - plus, her writing is superb! (HCR is a cultural phenomenon, not unlike Taylor Swift. And her basic idea got her there.)
Thank you Robert. Heather definitely has the gift to cull through the noise and direct what eventually will become history. She has saved my sanity and broadened my base of knowledge and education beyond what I ever could have imagined when I first started reading the "Letters". I also listened to her weekly videos which helped me immensely getting through the drudgery of weeding the gardens! :)
You're welcome, Linda. The US is very involved with Middle East Affairs and a generous contributor of money, intelligence, weaponry and other support to Israel.
Fern! I know you only mistyped or, worse, that damn “autocorrect”: you’re, not your.
Thank you, MLMinET. Correction ahead. Crossing my fingers would jinx the operation.
The US sends a lot of money to Egypt, too.
This letter reads like a news report describing what POTUS, Sec of State Blinken and others said. I see no expression of opinion by HCR. Maybe you don't like what THEY said.
Respectfully, when you write the letters YOU can stick to US commentary. And 'she' has a name.
There is none so blind as he who will not see.
Tell that to Hamas. “Kill the Jews,” is certainly too black-and-white, as you put it. Hamas needs to find another slogan. Hamas started this round of futile killing and destruction, which feeds into the hands of Bibi and the hard-liners in Israel, who fail to differentiate between Hamas, a terrorist organization with a nasty mission, and the Palestinian people.
Like what happened after 9/11 to mosques. X ban on moslems . It is what I see my R congressional critters doing in their fb posts.
Yes, exactly. It is a small and limited mind that generalizes from a small group of extremists committing an outrageous crime for political reasons to fearing the entire population of people the extremists came from.
It also occurred to me how generic we speak, like about guns rather than specifics. President Biden was very wise in his speech differentiating between a terrorist & Palestinian people
Also , exactly. President Biden is very wise.
I am not getting the Letters in my email for Sat & sun. Using Substack s app, I dont get the comments. I tried submitting a help with Substack but it did not seem to take. Are u having any issues?
No need to change slogans; that's precisely what Hamas wants and means. Hamas is not about helping their Palestinian kin get a state of their own. They're about killing every Jew in Israel so "Palestine" can be reclaimed as part of the 7th Century Islamic Caliphate that Islamic fundamentalists like Hamas want as tribute to Allah.
If Israel and the Palis tomorrow morning announced the new State of Palestine and both sides were delighted and would make it work, Hamas on Sunday would launch the next massacre in the (shrunken) Israel. Hamas wants it all.
The complicating factor is that Israel did not exist for 2700 years, it having fallen to the Assyrians in about 722 B.C. Palestine had existed as a separate entity since the time of the Roman conquest in the first century of our era.
It’s not a complicating factor, it is the problem. The fact that the people who cooked up this idea of a homeland for the Jews failed to do any monitoring of how the newly minted Israelis integrated themselves into the existing culture, either were stupid beyond belief, or they thought that having a constant source of conflict in a distant corner of the world was a good idea, which is stupid beyond belief. Ugh.
I agree completely. And where else on earth has ancient history dictated modern land ownership? It is an absurd proposition.
Jews lost sovereignty over their kingdoms in the Levant more than once--Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans. It doesn't means the Jewish PEOPLE disappeared. Far as I know, the Jewish population, even when many were exiled by conquerors, never disappeared. The population line never broke; Jews have lived continuously in their land in which their people were born since 1500 BCE, even if they were not sovereign over most of those years. That they regained sovereignty is the right of any people to buy into, move into, and become sovereign over a land, if they can. The Jews can and did: fair, square, morally, and legally.
So it's not a complicating factor or, as Notes says below, "the problem." Palestine had two primary populations: Muslims since the 600s CE, Jews since the 1500s BCE. When came time for the Mandate to hand conquered Ottoman territory to local populations for states of their own, Palestine's Jews were as entitled to one as every Arab nation that received one.
Jewish Palestinians took the half of Palestine offered them by the UN and created Israel. Arab Palestinians rejected their half and invaded Israel to steal both. They wound up holding their asses instead of their state, then 1967 came along, another Arab invasion, another Arab loss, and all of a sudden Israel owned it all.
It is extremely complicated and fraught with all kinds of emotion. I've read that in all likelihood a large number of the Muslims who lived in Palestine were originally Jews. I have not read enough to know how the animosity between Islam and Judaism developed. I do know, however, that the cruelty being exhibited by those in Hamas right now is beyond description. Just hearing about it has brought me to tears several times. I am reading about the fall of the Commanche Indians in Texas. The White Man had killed off their source of food and had taken over their land - violently. The Comanches hated the white man viscerally and some of what they did to captured white people was brutal and cruel. So, with respect to the current conflict in Israel and parts of the Middle East, there is no question but that the hate is visceral. The question is: need it be?
When I wrote the first comment in this thread, I was thinking of Biden's speech, and his black-and-white attitude. I quoted Paul VI because I've always liked the quotation, it certainly applies, and because Biden is a Catholic. The point I wanted to make is that Biden needs to work for justice, not further inflame the endless tit-for-tat cycle of violence. The policy of the U.S. has for decades been that of an enabler, encouraging one side to commit outrages, which then spurs the other side to respond in kind, and then the first responds to that, and so on. Biden has been wrapped up in that all his political life. It, and he, need to change.
I did not criticize anything Heather said, and I was thinking of what we do in the U.S., surely within the bounds of this blog. I'm disappointed that so much of the thread became consumed by the Israel vs. Palestinians argument. That, I agree, belongs in another blog.
The Pope likely meant human rights, as well.
There is a whole lot of grey in this black and white world. Unfortunately, shocking events tend to make political ‘leaders’ forget it, and they immediately use Manichaeism as their go to. Norman F. reminds us of some of the grey here:
Finkelstein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv9XAebqHZY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G12Z0td-Nqo
Thank you Heather. I remain deeply concerned about the continuing suffering and loss of innocent life throughout the conflict.
"Performative nonsense" would be the best description I've heard of the GOP "leadership" -if it wasn't the cause of so much polarization, fear, and hate throughout America. Adversaries do not have to attack the United States directly, the GOP has become far more effective at weakening America for short-term political gain. It is unfortunate that far too few voters understand how this party continues to diminish any aspirations they may have toward a better future for themselves, their families, their communities, and future generations of Americans.
“A very large potion of my party really doesn’t believe in the Constitution.” The words of Mitt Romney to his biographer. Which to me pegs the question, what do they believe in as a citizen of these United States and what is it that they have in their mind’s?
It seems clear to me. They are about the concentration of wealth (and thus power). And use any means necessary to divide, weaken, and conquer.
So when they take the oath, they freely perjure themselves. Performance, nothing more.
We're they to agree it is performance, then 1st amendment rights protect them from prosecutions if only in that why should anyone believe or take serious some underlying intent that is really only part of a script based upon a story suggested by this original document titled The US Constitution. How dare we call into question their conscious intent when they are merely performing an artful story that might (or might not) be true?
"Fred," (points fat finger), "You're fired."
... and yes Jim, I know you meant “begs” as opposed to “pegs” ... shame on you for not closely proofreading ...
Jim, that has been one of my constant "missteps" in both writing and typing since, I dunno, 3rd grade? "beople" for some reason has been in my life all that time. Switching from printing to cursive didn't change it, nor did switching from hand printed (my cursive is awful) to typed. Still "beople" for some bizarre reason, not peoble or beoble.
... and I even noticed another one “potion” as opposed to “portion”; can’t recall if I copied the Romney quote or retyped it.
George,
I thought I had a pretty good grasp on GOP tactics by now, BUT, I am reading Dr. Richardson's "Democracy Awakening" (her new book) and I had only a very partial historical understanding and political understanding of what the GOP is doing. AND I read her "To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party". I thought that was bad, but, it stops around 1980. Democracy Awakening sort of takes up where that book left off.
Her book is yanking my eyes open even further than those sore eyes already were. Unfortunately. Or, maybe fortunately. Definitely a book that will NOT make you feel comfortable, warm and fuzzy.
Indeed. "Democracy Awakening" is another important book. Every morning I begin my day with "Letters from an American", The Guardian, and a news aggregator (and copious amounts of coffee). Heather has been excellent in correlating current events with historical events, along with a wealth of citations to facts, evidence, and other important content. Should the American Experiment survive, it will be because of people like Professor Richardson helping to educate, inform, and engage society.
I read a biography of Sam Walton. He actually took pleasure in knocking out his competitors. I lived in a small town in Ohio at the time. When Walmart built on the edge of town with its "low" prices people flocked there. The vibrant downtown began to deteriorate, which hurt the whole town. This town had about 15,000 people and was the county seat of a rural farming county. Walmart's profits did not stay in that community like those of local businesses. A lot of Walmart shoppers don't understand that there's a cost to "low" prices.
I'm sure the Walton family not only enjoys the vast wealth they have accumulated, they also enjoy the irony that the most impoverished in America perpetuate poverty by shopping at Walmart -because in many smaller cities there are no alternatives remaining. The concept of poverty wages to concentrate wealth to the top is a major part of what the GOP will call a "free market", but what actually is the economic equivalent of a black hole in physics. Something that destroys everything near until it gains such mass it collapses upon itself.
It’s not just Walmart; it’s Wall Street. We live in an affluent suburb. We have now several grocery chains, two owned by Amazon. Another one, Albertsons, that swallowed up Safeway, Von’s, and Pavilions. Now Kroger ( our Ralph’s) is trying to buy up that chain which wii swallow most of the competition and chances of saving money. We’re in our Eighties and I still cook every day. I shop the grocery ads. There are so many that can’t afford their daily necessities just to add to the profits of the stockholders of these conglomerates.
George,
-Every morning I begin my day with "Letters from an American"-
Not every day for me, but, as winter descends I read more and more in the mornings rather than get up and do work. Too dark now.
And, yes, I like Dr. Richardson's excellent writing and have learned a huge amount. But, it is easy for me to lapse into pessimism.
Yesterday I went to Walmart to buy a new tool box because my old metal toolbox that I kept when I left my farm in 1978 finally gave it up. Kinda depressing but I cannot keep it when it spills out every time I carry it now.
As I walked around I looked around. The simple act of observation is not comforting at all. In Walmart I get to see all of us in snapshot.
And, it is not clear to me, through that snapshot, that the Americans that I am with in Walmart will be able to underpin "Democracy" with their votes.
But, Walmart Americans are the mainstream. Low incomes, poorly dressed, hunched shoulders, apparently absent any muscle or sign of physical work and hair that has neither been washed nor combed in a while.
I looked rather like I was headed out to church by comparison of my American compatriots in Walmart yesterday and I had on a hugely faded pair of "Rustler" jeans and a faded flannel shirt (tucked into my belted pants). And, I combed my hair before I left the house. Even took a shower yesterday.
For the folks that I was with in Walmart, well, I am pretty sure they are NOT reading Dr. Richardson's letter every day.
BUT? THEY are the future of America, not me. I am 63. Most of those in Walmart yesterday were 30-40 years younger than me.
That is discouraging to be sure. Even prior to Barbara Ehrenreich’s book and insights into America’s poor and working poor, I used Walmart as an important case study about externalities. Amassing a vast fortune while paying workers poverty wages, they effectively shifted a percentage of labor costs to all of us.
While there is rising concern for alarm, I think it is incumbent upon all of us to help as many as we can understand why the American dream is being extinguished by the forces of greed and avarice. The generational economic despair is real. People are working harder for less while more wealth is heaped upon the obscenely wealthy and has been since Reagan.
We won’t bring everyone along, but I am optimistic about the mass of people in the political center. They know something is wrong and they are concerned and frustrated.
We need to make material accessible to them in a “Reader’s Digest” condensed fashion.
“We need to make material accessible to them in a “Reader’s Digest” condensed fashion.“
AMEN
Your very snobbish, insulting description of people who shop at Walmart doesn’t belong here or anywhere besides your own home. It’s that kind of generalization that is the source of many of our societal problems. We live in California’s Orange County, due to my East Texas born husband have rental properties in Tyler, TX, visit a daughter in Omaha ( husband retired Marine officer), and son in Phoenix ( Vet.) in all those places we shop at local Walmarts because their prices are cheaper, their personnel are friendly, and their pharmacies are commendable. I know many who share your attitude, mostly those to whom money doesn’t really matter. It does to us only in the fact that we want to live within our means and be able to do things for our growing family ( second great-grandchild due Pearl Harbor day.) I also know MAGA types who dress beautifully, are educated, but ignorant and/ or selfish. Guess you hit a button, Mike.
Thank you for sharing Sue. Indeed, a good reminder to avoid generalizing. I know K-12 teachers who shop at Walmart, they have to buy their own supplies, and that is often the only place they can go to purchase in volume and afford to do so. And behind the scenes I believe the Walton families and foundations are working to weaken the public school system (at least that was the case many years ago when I looked into their practices).
While I am not wealthy by any sense of the word, I enjoyed a good career in technology, carefully studied the economic impact of Walmart upon society and as a result I think I’ve only been in a store in Phoenix once when I needed a belt for work clothes and nothing else was open. (And one other time at a protest in Northern California.)
I believe George was mostly referring to the presumed lack of education of his fellow shoppers. This lack, which is actively maintained by right-wing economic influence, does more to harm the protection of our democracy than anything else I can think of.
While my wife was in college at University Missouri Rolla, we experienced the destruction of several small retail businesses there. Walmart had just built a new "superstore" in Rolla and we witnessed one of the grocery stores wither and die as well as K-Mart. By the time my wife graduated in 1990, Walmart was taking in 70% of all retail dollars spent in the community and there was only a few stores open in the once thriving downtown.
Being the only place in town to purchase many items, there was actually a good cross section of the community represented when we would go there. But, your point is well taken.
Walmart is as evil as any corporation in America and the Walton heirs are flaunting their wealth. Nancy Walton Laurie recently purchased a $300 million yacht. And the Republicans thought it would help the economy to cut her taxes.
What I want to know is were you able to find a new toolbox that wasn't made of plastic?
Mike, I've watched folks in Mal-Wart as well. It isn't as pronounced here as you describe it, but especially in the grocery section. When I was hanging with my Uncle Chuck (technically my wife's uncle; he was terminal with liver cancer and I was his psychological care giver) we'd go to Walmart to get a money order so he could pay his gas bill (he refused to have a checking account). He'd often go to the grocery section for very specific items that he couldn't get at the large, lower cost grocery store where he did the rest of his shopping. He always said "I hate being here, but I can't go to Albertsons until after my Social Security comes in". He was paid $1,634.00 per month.
George, your monings appear to be about 4 hours earlier than mine. LFAA and a short pot 'o coffee (3 cups, usually) are the start, then I scan some other sources.
I’m just starting Democracy Awakening after barely making it through To Make Men Free. The Republican Party's horrific and becoming more so. The ugliness of Newt at al, the stupidity of Reagan . And the breathless coverage of Israel’s newest war instead of focusing on what’s going on here…
I have no solution for Israel.
I do have one for us.
And nowhere had I heard of the wrestlers testifying against Gym Jordan.
Thank you Heather.
It is very hard to read some of the writing from people like HCR, Thom Hartmann, Timothy Snyder, and others. The writing itself is excellent. The content makes me realize how fragile our democracy is, especially since we have people, like Charles Koch, who pay to manipulate the populace for their own benefit, namely profit. Some days I feel heartsick at the state of our affairs, but we have to continue to fight against the EVIL that is being promoted by those who would profit from it.
The evil is everywhere. It’s on a large scale with Chuck “Stalin’s baby” Koch. And on a small scale with people like my ex husband, a retired firefighter who very patiently and wickedly manipulated me and my daughter to try to accomplish my suicide.
Yeah, it’s hard to understand,
Jealousy, fear, and vengeance. These are the motivators, I believe.
Strive to cherish your own kindness and any you see. I also believe that in kindness, we draw it to ourselves,
George Polisner, your last sentence “It is unfortunate that far too few voters understand how this party continues to diminish any aspirations they may have toward a better future for themselves, their families, ...” strikes a chord. Few voters seem to understand that American prosperity depends on a robust education, health, infrastructure, and justice system available to ALL, and that the efforts of one party to destroy that system weaken us all.
Thank you Heather.
Like many, we viewed and listened intently to President Biden’s speech re Hamas’s atrocities committed against civilians in Israel. Their depravity is hard for me to comprehend. It’s like a horror story from out of the Old Testament.
IMHO, it’s good for US to support the nation of Israel - and the Palestinian people. It’s good that Biden made the distinction between Palestinians and Hamas, and that he exhorted Netanyahu to play by the rules of war.
Meanwhile the Republican s***show in the House inhibits the US to respond to this crisis and Ukraine and the lingering budget crisis. Is this really why people elected these feckless Confresscritters?
It's hard to believe that the best choice for the next Republican speaker is a Democrat -- and it's not even close.
"There is no monopoly on common sense, on either side of the political fence,
We share the same biology, regardless of ideology;
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too"
Sting's famous words from back in the late 80s thaw leading to the breakup of the former Soviet Union evoke an odd admixture of the quaint and the prescient.
Fast forward to today, nearly forty years after he sang those words that should have been sung much earlier, and flip the protagonists/antagonists around a bit to the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, and step back and think........
As I write, families in the previously placid southern part of Israel adjacent to Ashkelon are grieving and mourning for the loss of loved ones cut down viciously in the prime of their life and indeed, some in the infancy of their life, by gunman blinded by the hatred that only desperation combined with religious inflexibility can wield.
As I write, families in the densely populated open air prison that constitutes the Gaza Strip, anxiety and desperation ruling their days in the best of times, are now crouching beneath the lowest of their expectations in the worst of times, as the high priced missiles and artillery shells produced in the US of A for the "only democracy in the Middle East" rain hellfire and destruction upon them.
I hope the Islamist narcissists/I hope the Israeli supremacists LOVE THEIR CHILDREN TOO
"I hope the Israeli supremacists LOVE THEIR CHILDREN TOO"
I don't think there is much love on either side of the religious boundaries that demark "Palestinians" and "Israeli's". If there was love, we would not have spent our entire lifetime watching this Middle East Horror movie go on and on and on and on and on.
Well said, Daniel, well said.
The incredible tragedy - and not only for the Palestinians, is that Wahhabism/Salafism has become the dominant version of Islam - think of what might have happened if Sufism had become the dominant! - Catholicism vs Protestantism ..it goes on.
Golda famously said peace would happen when Israel's enemies love their children more than they hate those of Israelis.
As a history professor, you might include the 75-year history of oppression that is behind the Gaza uprising. Not to condone violence anywhere by anyone, but to give context to the frustration of the Palestinian young men in Hamas who have been prisoners for decades in what little was left of their own country.
How fitting that this happen near US Indigenous Peoples Day, when the parallel between Native Americans being destroyed by the Europeans (who were fleeing oppression in their own country...al la the Zionists after WW 2) is very apt to Hamas trying to take back their country stolen by the Zionists 75 years ago.
And now Israel has declared they will wipe out all Palestinians...the final solution...and ask questions later. Collective punishment is against every tenet of international law, but the Zionists in Israel and the US don't care about that. And PLEASE don't make the grave error of calling Israel a democracy, when it only benefits Jewish citizens and treats all others as less than them. May peace prevail.
It wasn't just Europeans that targeted Native Americans declaring it was "manifest destiny" to inhabit the entire country. It was Americans that slaughtered the Native Americans to steal their land. And Americans the killed black people across the South.
HCR's book - Wounded Knee broke my heart over and over again when she details the atrocities committed by the US Army under the direction of Benjamin Harrison and other Presidents after the civil war.
It was and is just European monarchies, their god and property rights that target indigenous people.
Yes, all that history is important. It is important to note that Hamas started this recent round of senseless killing. It is important to note that this plays into the hands of the increasingly extremist current Israeli government, which has responded predictably. What do you think is a solution in the here and now?
They don't have solutions, they only want to virtue signal and fall into the both sides trap. It's very easy to say just have peace for everyone when you aren't the person being affected. At this point in the conflict, I'm pretty sure that almost everyone has lost a family member at some point due to 75+ years of conflicts. The best option recently may have been the 2 state solution from Camp David, but I think that is probably off the table right now.
That oppression to which you refer CED was inflicted on the Palestinians by their own leaders, not by the Israelis. Read the history. The Paletinians were displaced by the UN, but they were offered assistance by the UN and later by Israel, to become and educated, healthy, and prosperous nation. Instead their leaders chose to herd them into "refugee" camps, which more closely resemble concentration camps so their leaders could purchase weapons. Like the MAGA crowd in the US, they were told all their woes were caused by the Israelis. It is Israel that has offered the Palestinian people gainful employment, not HAMAS.
Thank you, Fay.
What is it with men who seek control through force? Do some just like to kill women and children? Is it testosterone or did their god tell them to slaughter innocents? Are we men so ignorant that violence is our only answer. Reason never "wins" and I just don't get it
Ian, I appreciate you trying to take on some of the responsibility - but there is a very distinct difference between violent men and non-violent men and I think it's crucial to be able to understand and call out that difference. I've been researching and writing about violence against women and children for decades now. It's from 10% to 30% of men who are responsible for over 90% of the suffering. Men like you shouldn't be blamed for that violence, but we ALL have the responsibility to call out violent and abusive men. Men who aren't violent or abusive especially shouldn't shirk from that calling out. What society does instead is excuse and elevate violent men, and that's killing us all.
Thank you, Alexandra, for defining this so clearly with your knowledge. It helps.
Donna, I'd go insane if I couldn't keep reminding myself of the difference. The men I know and keep close are fantastic human beings. The others need to be dealt with.
And there are violent women, too. The hateful screamers in the south during desegregation. MTG comes from such a past.
Lisa, there are. But statistically there is absolutely no comparison. Let's please not pretend that there is. It was not, and it has never been, the women doing the lynching and the raping. Deal with the violent men, and you've solved the problem of the violent women.
Barbarians do not think. They act upon their “feelings”. Hamas was an offshoot of the old PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) until the Iranians and Syrians started training them, then they became Isis and the Taliban combined. I cannot help but think about the horrors they are putting the captured civilians through. We are involved because Americans have been killed and taken as hostages.
A terrible breach occurred in Israel. The army and Netanyahu became too complacent. The Iron Dome can only do so much. It has been the magic weapon for decades. The Likud party members pushed and pushed the Palestinians until the dam broke. They are just as insane, just not brutal murderers of innocent people. I have first and second cousins in Israel. Haven’t spoken to them since 1997, after my dad died. I am trying to locate them now.
And why do some lack all compassion while others weep? Humans are a terrifying mix.
In Politico I am reading that President Zelenskyy of Ukraine is meeting with the EU to ask for support getting through the winter. He knows that the Hamas attack on Israel, and the ensuing war declaration from Netanyahu means a greater US military presence and support in the Middle East. It is an opening Putin will exploit. We know that Putin will want to bomb critical infrastructure so that Ukrainians spend a third winter without heat. I am again hoping it will be a mild winter, not that I want global warming to speed up, but we need to be conserving on fossil fuels as it is. Of course, Ukraine is not given a choice on this. Zelenskyy also wants weapons to protect his grain shipments. Letting up our support for Ukraine is dangerous as antidemocratic countries try to take over the world. It seems like a lot of people streaming to democratic countries from undemocratic ones do not necessarily embrace the democracy, just the freedom from poverty and perhaps the fighting that many undemocratic countries are engaged in in many places in the world. We need to have our full military and diplomatic corp to best be able to protect this country and our allies. Tommy Tuberville, and Paul Rand's blocking of these appointments should be circumvented by any means necessary.
Thank you for clarifying our position articulated by President Biden especially as it refers to the prioritization of collaboration with Egypt to protect innocent Palestinians from escalating violence both be Hamas and potentially by Bibi. Watching the evening news on tv I didn’t appreciate the distinction Biden was making. I’m feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the horrors revealed in this terrorism. That and the continuing gamesmanship of Repugs like Cruz and Santos …leave me speechless.
Is letting Gaza civilians escape to Egypt an early step in depopulating Gaza of their inhabitants?
Yup.
Below is an article from CNN on what today will bring in the quest for the Speakership if the Republicans vote to change their conference rules. The change in the Republican conference rules are designed to have the Speakership choice be limited to Jordan and Scalise by making it extremely unlikely that any Republican other than Jordan or Scalise will emerge. And that will insure maximum dysfunction and obstruction in Congress and likely a cut off in aid to Ukraine that Biden will have to work around.
The idea here is to make the choice between Scalise and Jordan a done deal before Democrats get to vote. The only hope then will then be that enough brave Republicans to be absent or to vote present to lower the threshold for Jeffries to be elected.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/house-speaker-race-10-10-23/index.html
House GOP expected to debate rules change raising threshold to win nomination before going to floor
From CNN's Haley Talbot
House Republicans will gather behind closed doors at 10 a.m. tomorrow and are expected to debate and vote on a change to conference rules to raise the threshold to win the speakership nomination.
This is expected to take place before they proceed with the speaker selection process.
If adopted, the proposal would raise the threshold to win the nomination from a simple majority of the conference, which is 111 members, to a majority of the House — currently 217 with vacancies — before a House floor vote, per the amendment obtained by CNN.
Here’s how it would work: As detailed in the amendment, once a candidate gets a majority of the support from the conference, members vote by secret ballot for two rounds to try to secure the needed 217 votes. If that hasn’t happened, the third round is a manual roll call. If a candidate doesn’t get 217 after five rounds of voting, then new candidates (and candidates who have not dropped out) can emerge and be nominated by members.
The idea is to make sure that the internal squabbling happens out of public view, so the candidate can emerge from the conference with enough votes to be elected speaker on the first floor ballot. If successful, this could avoid a protracted floor fight like the one that occurred when Rep. Kevin McCarthy won the gavel after 15 ballots in January.
That means the candidate could only afford to lose four GOP votes before winning the conference nomination.
Thank you, for clarifying.
UPDATE: House Republicans rejected the conference rule change and went with a simple majority. They will nominate Scalise for Speak with 113 votes to 99 for Jordan in the Republican conference voting.
It is not clear when the full House will take the first vote on Speaker, but this looks like it may be back to many rounds as at least one Jordan backer has said he will never vote for Scalise.
I see this as a positive development because the Republicans could not get their act together and come in with a united conference and wrap this up in a single vote of the full House. . It also means that Hakeem Jeffries or a "moderate" Republican backed by Jeffries and all of the Democrats could be elected IF enough moderate Republicans are absent for the vote or twice as many simply vote present or 5 straight up vote for Jeffries (the least likely possibility).
That’s why they had a secret meeting this afternoon and only a little over 110 are for Scalise. Scalise already had a press conference and acted like he was speaker. Gawwwd...I hope not! Nor Jordan. Both would be disastrous.
Right now, one of my best friends who is a secular, but active cultural Jew, is very concerned about one of her daughter's best friend's, who is in Jordan. She and another Jewish friend are over with this young Jordanian-American woman's mother trying to provide comfort and support. Everyone I know in the USA, who is from either Israeli, or Palestine, and other countries in the region is extremely upset and worried by this renewal of war in the Middle East. My friends and neighbors who belong to Israel and Palestine (often with Jordanian passports so they can travel), tend to be more secular or moderate and get along together, which makes it harder to understand that this war is going on. I am glad that deescalation is being discussed. My head is reeling from Bucha to Be'eri Kibbutz. However, I am also shocked by the reminders of conditions for Palestinians in Gaza, who honestly have not been in my thoughts for a while. I remember when all of the Jewish settlers, largely from former Soviet countries settled in Israel, further squeezing the Palestinians out. Europe, which is notoriously anti-Semitic, whatever the official rhetoric is, displaced people from their countries and gladly sent them to Israel regardless of what effect this had on the Palestinian population. Their problems are gone. They do not have to accommodate the tension between Jews and Muslims that exists here in Europe if they can support Israel as being an independent state for the Jews. Israel from its inception in 1948 has been a convenience for European countries, and they perceive the Arab-Muslim populations there to be too weak to turn on Europe as a source of this settlement incursion.
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/02/09/europes-jewish-population/
As long as the fighting remains between Muslims and Jews it is not really Europe's problem, which considers itself Christian, even though it is filled with both Muslims and Jews, although many more Muslims.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/11/29/europes-growing-muslim-population/
Look at Ukraine. Look at France. Now, we can expect new peoples to come flooding into an already anti-Semetic, anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab Europe, which is increasingly voting for Christianity only as a way of life even as they are increasingly secular too. There is fear amongst Christians, just as there is fear amongst White Nationalists that they will not longer be able to dominate in places that they consider their home territory. As an atheist, I am struck by the way that religion is interpreted as an excuse for hatred and to foment war.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/03/kate-cohen-atheism/
We do not however, need to look to Israel, or the middle east to find terrorism. We can start right here at home with the Republican party and Donald Trump, whose people practice terrorism in the US, and whose policies support terrorism all over the world. We need to name them for the terrorists they are. We have lots of people dying from their policies too. One brutal act, or systemic oppression, which kills more? Which gains more attention? We need to be clear headed about what is going on even as our hearts bleed for the violence and suffering people are being submitted to. We need to continue to have policies of deescalation and support of democracy around the world.
Linda,
Appreciate and respect your contributions....thank you.
I am a Christian . Only because I was overcome and still am, by the personal love and forgiveness of Christ and the hope my faith allows me. Each day, because of this love and hope and forgiveness, I am encouraged to do likewise. Of course, I often fail ...but this love that holds me does not fail. I believe that we should do what we can to expand the love that clings to our very imperfect beings as we are able. There was a time I rejected God.
We need to be careful not to feed our prejudices...really to examine our lives. This includes listening and trying to receive criticism from those closest to us .....not easy!
As a Christian it is important to me that ones faith (or choice to choose no faith) be respected. In my opinion, it is wrong to exclude or be against someone because their spiritual life is different from ones own. True faith is ones own internal life....a spiritual life.
I have been a part of a cult, so I know personally the difference of true faith and going along with "The Leader".
For someone to tell you what you must believe or NOT be accepted is wrong. We have NO RIGHT TO DO THIS TO ONE ANOTHER!!!! The God who loved me to Himself is not concerned with numbers....He wants our love for Him to be genuine...otherwise, He continues to watch over us....His love is open .
I agree with you about what the Republican Party has sadly become. Our nation is weaker due to their selfish, self-serving choices. They really have a hold on people who attend church...this includes friends and family.
I really appreciate your comments.
I respect your right to believe in your God and his word. The people I don't respect, are the so-called Christians who believe that hate and violence are acceptable behaviors.
The lessons Jesus teaches in the New Testament are mostly about loving and respecting your God, neighbors, family and yourself. Even though I am an atheist, I was raised in the church and try to treat others with respect regardless of whether they believe as I do.
I am a non-theist, and frankly believe that organized religion of whatever flavor is man's poor attempt to explain the unexplainable and to govern the conduct of groups of people for the common good. Where it has migrated to is atrocious. Why, oh why do people "kill in the name of God", if your God is so wonderful?
In my more charitable moments, I tend to believe that God is bigger than any religion can imagine (drawing on the fable of five blind men describing an elephant). In my less charitable moments, I wonder why someone needs an imaginary sky pilot to make them behave.
I am a non-theist, and frankly believe that organized religion of whatever flavor is man's poor attempt to explain the unexplainable and to govern the conduct of groups of people for the common good.
I like the way you put this. I too am appalled at people that "kill in the name of God." This makes no sense to me, no matter which religion we consider.
I appreciate your post here, Emily.
Ally, I love and respect each of you .
Thank you for your input and the links, Linda.
Thank you, Heather, for your balanced news today.
Morning, Lynell!
Afternoon, Ally!
Look for me tomorrow. I have an idea about what to do about Tuberville.
1. AOC/JEFFRIES - 2028
2. How can treasonous traitors like Cruz and Toobie (and especially Santos) not get censured or impeached. The line for impeachment is high crimes and misdemeanors. All 3 of these criminals, predators and grifters have gone WAY beyond the line.
3. I feel the worst for those poor Palestinians who have known nothing but war for 50+ years and now are being disenfranchised again. It ain't right and Joe should be standing behind them as much as the Jews. The equation is unbalanced.
"How can treasonous traitors like Cruz and Toobie (and especially Santos) not get censured or impeached."
William, because, for much of American history crooks and cranks have commonly graced the political scene with full support from?
Yep. Americans. Those who vote seem to naturally gravitate to those they can identify with.
So, what does the presence of of Cruz, Toobie and Santos as "representatives" in our Democracy say about Americans?
I would say that is the more important question. Because, in a Democracy, if the PEOPLE want crooks and liars as leaders, they can obtain them via voting.
And? They do.
Sadly, I have to agree with you Mike. One's vote says a great deal about them. Many similar votes say a great deal about a nation's moral compass, imo.
This was what concerned me so much after trump was voted in (albeit not by popular vote) in 2016. Known by many certainly in NYC & surrounding states as a "businessman"/ conman, grifter, cheat, lying, self aggrandizing, amoral, fake "reality" star. Yet he was embraced by a significant enough proportion of the voting populace, as he was promoted by his handlers like Bannon & Manafort. A D.C. outsider, who'd be a game changer in the beltway. And they worked the heck out of the forgotten by other candidates, Midwest & Southern "fly over" states. His handlers knew what evangelicals, tge poor & working poor wanted to hear. And the very wealthy, knew a " self dealer" like trump would make taxes very favorable to corporations, by deregulating the hell out of America, much like Reagan did. The campaign coffers filled. Thus he made it into the presidential seat.
Then the announcement that a member of his grifting family & the son in law, who was running the real estate development business of his convicted felon father to boot, would be advising him, as part of his administration. ( Visions of foxes in the proverbial chicken coop, not sugar plums, danced through my head, that December of 2016.)
To say my jaw was out of whack from dropping, the night it was announced he won the election over HC, to every day after he took the presidential seat, is a proverbial understatement. The fact that his mouth continues, with his threats, his lies, his input; that its still viewed as being as so significant; no gag order from any judge to stop him, & the media continues to hone in on anything he says or does, has me choking down my coffee, most mornings.
That a large enough minority, still tout his 4 years in office & his misdeeds, as somehow major accomplishments, leaves me gob- smacked most days.
Naturally, he's spoken about his support of Israel at a recent rally & that the U.S. must support Israel. But he doesn't leave it at that. He goes on to say that, " there's been no better president for Israel than me." He also made recent claims that the attack on Israel & the war in Ukraine "would never have happened if I were president." More grandiose claims that some swallow, " hook, line & sinker;" but in reality there is certainly no way of proving it. Typical grandiose trump claims, to a willing audience.
Not proud to admit, as I generally don't think this way about folks, but I keep hoping that those many " indulgent" cheeseburgers he's enjoyed over the years, work their " magic" to help to stop the "noise," sooner than later. In my state of Georgia, where he's been charged, along with 19 others, for various infractions of the election laws. ( In part, pertaining to attempting to ask for another 11k plus votes, to push his election here over President Biden's narrow margin in Georgia. ) Of course, he's posturing again. Threatening statements about our D.A. & judges, among others. Some naturally fearing for their lives and requesting protection, given death threats from the unhinged trump supporters.
As always, you know he's not going to take someone out, personally. But much like any mob boss, by his inflammatory & divisive comments, he hopes someone else will get " his message" & do his dirty work. It's his m.o. Ask his former attorney, Michael Cohen.
"One's vote says a great deal about them." I am with you, Bonnie. What trump said and did resonated with them. And now they have been revealed. Some people can overlook that about their family members and friends. I can't unknow it. For me the only way forward is if they express regret. Hasn't happened yet.
Ain't holding my breath for that to happen, MK. It goes back to the adage "when someone shows you who they are, believe them". Their vote for tfg is a vote against democracy and the USA.
And his son-in-law "fixed" the Middle East! And got $2B for his oh so successful efforts. Grifters gonna grift.
Perceptive
Yes to 1, 2 and 3.
Members of Congress cannot be impeached. They can be voted out by their constituents, censured, or, in extreme cases, expelled by the other members. But there's no Constitutional provision for impeaching a member of Congress.
And expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the members of the body. Think that's gonna happen to any of these obstructionists?
Nope
After the ignorant violent attack on Israel, almost certainly planned by Iran, after all missiles and guns do not appear from thin air, i have come to the opinion that whatever the mistakes of Israel, and there were many, they have the total right to protect their citizens from barbarism.
I only hope that the plight of Ukraine is not forgotten. McCarthy had an embryonic cartilaginous embryonic vertebra, singular, in keeping the government open but for some reason, collusion or whatever, Ukraine was deleted.
Given that the Iranian regime and the Puta are besties, I have to wonder about the timing.
Palestinian people are being used as human shields by Iran.
Without continuing support from the US Ukraine will struggle.
Anne, I am for supporting Ukraine until they are free from Putin's attacks and desire to control. Putin has enough land and people to rule over; Ukraine and her people want freedom to be their own sovereign nation....and so it should be!!!
EU warns Elon Musk over ‘disinformation’ on X about Hamas attack
Failing to moderate content such as fake news could incur fine of 6% of X revenues or EU blackout under new laws
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/10/eu-warns-elon-musk-over-disinformation-about-hamas-attack-on-x
Big E is just luring the EU and the US into his web of neo-Nazism. That’s exactly what he is, you know, a neo-Nazi. He revels in their teachings, don’t him fool you. I would really really like to see him unhand the site to someone neutral and see if they can’t save us.
Has anyone in power -- apart from isolated figures like Egypt's Sadat and warrior turned champion of peace Yitzhak Rabin, both murdered by fanatics for their courageous stand -- has anyone ever taken adequate account of the time factor in the perpetuation of evil?
When you read these words, do you even begin to see the immensity of the horror? Roots lost in time.
One thing is clear: those who planned and perpetrated 9/11 and today's assault on Israel acted and act in the very long term. Both were designed as infinitely more than what they seem -- these are not one-off aberrations, they are trigger mechanisms, their purpose, to set off a chain-reaction bomb.
Success or failure of this unimaginably vast strategic weapon therefore depends, not on the aggressor but on the victims, it depends on maximum shock producing immediate maximum reaction. Action unmediated by thought, entirely the product of vengeful rage.
In this sense, 9/11 succeeded beyond its planners' wildest dreams, thanks to such aberrations as the occupation of Afghanistan and the Second Gulf War. The long-term effect of Bush, Rumsfeld et al's so called "War on Terror" is the perpetuation and spread of chaos and terror. Abroad and at home in America.
Having written this, I fear that I may have wasted my time. I don't have the impression that, despite the noble labors of HCR and others to bring home to us the true, immediate, yet lasting relevance of history, western minds are capable of seeing beyond action/reaction. Like Pavlov's dogs.
I hope I am completely mistaken in this view.
It seems plain that the restoration of peace must depend on a very long-term perspective, stretching into the remote past and the distant future. Going deeper than the latest trauma.
The victory of peace must depend on the outlook and action of the bomb disposal squad -- not the fastest gun in the West.
And we, who now face an infestation of psychopaths, conmen, illusionists, the golems of Mammon, need to cleanse our space of these diseased influences if mankind is to survive.
Peter, when I was a young deputy working the jail, my training officer (aka coach) taught me this: If something draws your attention (in this description, it was a phone book--remember those--) look immediately beyond that to see if it is a distraction or an alert for people engaging in some nefarious activity.
I hope that the global "we" can move past the action/reaction that you describe, and look beyond the immediate actions.
It goes without saying that I am with you in this, Ally, but everything about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is deeply intractable. Those who planned the current assault did so in the knowledge that the IDF would exact maximum vengeance. They knew too that it would, in any case, be almost impossible to conduct a tightly targeted response without killing and maiming huge numbers of Gazan civilians, men, women, children. More martyrs for the cause. And even if civilians are allowed to escape, they knew that such a new diaspora would spread the thirst for new cycles of vengeance against Israel, against America.
Troubling are our ingrown Western thought patterns and the huge psychological blind spots built into our habit of sharply circumscribing problems—mere shards of reality—in isolation from their context, separating symptoms from their causes and setting out to eliminate said symptoms rather than healing the underlying disease. Thus, we fail to take due account of cultural distinctions and set out to circumvent essential factors like religion. In so doing, politicians and diplomats have made peace ever more unattainable. It is like planning to bring a big ship—Peace—into port while not only failing but refusing to chart the hidden reefs that make the task impossible.
Ally, the aspiration that we—what you call the global “we”—may move beyond tight cycles of action/reaction is not for now, it can come into its own only once this dreadful chapter lies behind us. All we can do now is pray for and actively imagine the better world for which we long. A world in which human dignity is inviolable and human beings are more than the pawns of “realists”.
*
There is in fact more that we can do. We need not be passive onlookers. Even if we are unable to influence the decisions of deciders, we can be witnesses, actively observing what we see, and not hiding the fact that we are looking and seeing.
I see a cat that has caught a bird. Cat sees me, sees me glaring at him. Even if I’m not near enough to shoo him away, his attention is distracted, he’ll release his prey. Many human beings will be like that cat. Others, like hellbeings, may make a show of sadism.
That last sentence.
Even knowing too much of past horrors, even having lived close to a massacre of innocents only a few years ago, ten minutes on foot from this place where I am writing, to have to see once more what we have seen, above all, to have to see what is now coming. Heart cries out for peace, for life and for living together, for an end to the endless cycles of vengeance and hatred.