I actually did not post the activities since I am not on TikTok...BUT! Here's one post that she did that speaks directly to what Republicans are trying to do to young people and their ability to vote:
Marlo, I have been somewhat confused by your metaphor "All hands in deck."
Having some nautical inclinations I have assumed you meant all hands ON deck as it would be difficult to sail a ship with all hands IN the deck. On the other hand (😉) as I do not play cards much, might you be referring to some demand in a card game?
See below about calling McHenry to implement Rank Choice Voting if he really believes in the democratic process. Anyone should be able to nominate who they wish and majority should win.
👍Call McHenry first (828) 327-6100 and (202) 225-2576. As Speaker Pro Tempore, it is his one function to see a Speaker is chosen. He can implement Rank Choice Voting.
“If they in any way believed in the democratic process, they would come to the floor, allow anyone to nominate who they will, and then take the vote and see who gets to a majority first. And stay there until there is a Speaker.”
I have called both numbers & left messages. I told him America was watching the House Republicans and him, as Speaker Pro Tempore.
He has the ability to implement a fair process that would get the job done. The House Republicans didn’t get their way (or rather Trump’s way) with McCarthy to shutdown the government; this is the next best thing.
So CALL and put pressure on McHenry to implement RCV which would end this fiasco in a day.
Praises for Abbas....another great leader....encouraging peace and aid for those in extreme need.
This conflict involves other, so called "leaders" who do not mind using the sufferings of their fellow human beings to gain power by creating disruption and by inflicting pain.
Rather than working together for the good of all in this world.... some cruel "leaders" choose to take away food and clean water disrupting the lives of men, women and children to gain personal power.....how sad...when we could simply talk with one another and find ways to work together. We as humans make it so difficult.
Thank you President Joe Biden and TEAM for working towards peace.
Thank you Emily for making this point. I do not think it can be put strongly enough. Barring a completely unforeseen event, President Biden will go down in America’s small pantheon of truly heroic, game-changing Presidents. In the era when the Republic was firmly established, only Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and now Joe Biden have brought light to true darkness.
Lincoln saved the nation in the ultimate deadlock over slavery. Had he served out his two terms and then become a sort of President emeritus, American history might have avoided the blackest moments of Reconstruction and the Jim Crow movement might have gotten a lesser hold. There are no guarantees there, but emancipating the slaves and steering the North to eventual victory are accomplishment enough.
By contrast Roosevelt did not end the Depression. World War II with its massive thirst for armaments and supplies did. However Roosevelt did something more important. He gave hope to a nation stuck in a terrifying morass. He established the modern welfare state, both a practical act and one that illuminated the principles of Christianity that America is so devoted to. He staved off Nazi and Communist attempted mobilizations of the American people. And he deftly led America through all of World War II.
I would personally love to include Lyndon Johnson in this very small pantheon of great leaders. What he accomplished was groundbreaking. But, like America, he got bogged down in Vietnam and that war has tarnished what could have been a sterling legacy.
And now Joe Biden. A month ago we were fretting over his low standing in the polls. Fox and other paragons of the MAGA Malevolence Misfits had been making progress on his supposed senility. There was a serious attempt to tie him to his son’s peregrinations by desperate Republicans. There were even strong rumblings from within the Democratic Party that a younger leader was needed.
After the events of the past two weeks, I hope that some people are feeling suitably abashed. The unthinkable has happened in Israel, an event so barbaric and fraught with the darkness of the human heart, has been influenced greatly, dare I say decisively by the words and actions of America’s President. To the outside world he has supported Israel with a passion that has overwhelmed the people. There has not been an ounce of equivocation. Israelis have reacted strongly, with gratitude and a seed of hope emerging from the blackness of their sorrow.
But I am certain that Biden has cajoled and strong-armed the Israeli leadership. One would have said this was a near impossible task, given the astonishing arrogance of the entrenched far right politicians in that country. There now seems to be a chance that an all out slaughter, borne of blood red rage, an event which would send the Middle East (perhaps the world) into desperate convulsions, may not be as bad as feared. Biden has forced Israel to consider the cost if they obey their worst instincts and this may save the region. It is obviously too early to say how this will turn out. But it looks like there’s a grain of hope.
Lincoln, Roosevelt, elements of Johnson’s Presidency. And now the unexpected hero - a subtle, experience, tough, and loving President.
This is not to say that there have not been other extremely good Presidents. But I can’t think of one who can measure up to the stature of the four I named.
And in the wings, where we can peek at them in bemusement as fancy strikes us, is a party that is failing in a spectacular way. What a foul for Biden.
Unserious people do unserious things. They break the crockery. They come to destroy, not realizing that that is the antithesis of good government. If they stick around long enough, they can do damage. Ultimately they soil themselves and slink off a stage much too big for their meager personalities and intellects.
FDR instituted many efforts to deal with the depression before Japan changed focus. He had terrific blowback from the start, including but not limited to the Coup of 1933. Give the man his due. LBJ was mislead by McNamara, and his efforts to end the war flumfloxed by Nixon. Repubs have always been on the other side of any efforts at helping the American people. Truman said it best. “Socialism is the epithet Republicans throw at any effort to help all the people. Close enough, and true
I’m in my 70s and I agree wholeheartedly. Eisenhower ran a stable administration that did nothing to alter the course of FDR’s progressive measures. (Unfortunately his VP was heavily involved with the Mafia, a predilection that would eventually lead to his downfall).
Generally Republicans governed and acted in opposition with reason and pulled Democrats back to the center. They were a useful opposition - a vital necessity in any democracy. But after 1980 the Republican swerve towards the uncompromising and dark side began taking America down the path that led to Trump. And that story did not end well.
Thank you for the Truman quote. Yet another medal for the haberdashery man from MO. Wondering for the first time how and why FDR selected him for VP. Was it that he understood who this rather uncharismatic senator was capable of?
I just want to reply to my own comment. It feels monstrously egocentric.
But just two points:
1.
No idea why the phrase “For a foul” sticks it’s irrelevant head up at the bottom. Sorry.
2.
Liz Cheney for Speaker. Yeah, yeah, I know - dream on. But what a marvelous act of demotion it would be for the Republican House to swallow hard and invite her back in.
Speaking as a veteran of the Vietnam War, I would not include LBJ on any list of great presidents. H.R. McMaster's account of how the Johnson Administration pushed America into a long and losing war in Southeast Asia tells the tale: "Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam."
The only thing I give LBJ any credit for was the Civil Rights Act. I blame him also for Vietnam as well as McNamara. Wife of Vietnam vet here. Thank you for serving in one of the worst wars ever, Thomas.
Eric, as always, your comments are wise and informed. After the constant drumbeat concerning Biden's age and "senility," including Scott Pelley's comments about how tired he looked, I've been buoyed by his stellar public comments and speeches. He is always careful to reiterate to Netanyahu and his authoritarian crew that restraint must be practiced in retaliation for Hamas's atrocities, and differentiating between Palestinians and Hamas, as well as broaching the need for a Palestinian state. I heard a commentator state that Biden is much beloved than is Netanyahu by the Israelis and polls much higher there than Netanyahu.
I truly hope that our crockery-breakers are eventually going to lose their noxious grip on our own country and we can once again attempt our quest to become a beacon for the good in this world, despite our frequent missteps, and in doing so perhaps Biden will rightfully regarded among our best statesmen.
In the beginning of your comments, you include Theodore Roosevelt. While Teddy's legacy included many laudable achievements, didn't you mean to say Franklin Roosevelt? His shortcomings of bowing to this country's antisemitism (which sadly still exists) and not rescuing more Jews during WWII do not overshadow his many achievements, which you so aptly pointed out.
The "entrenched far right politicians" currently in Netanyahu's coalition are despised and opposed by the majority of Israelis (my family there and Israeli friends included). A reckoning will come with this coalition when Israel is out of the dangers of the present horrible situation. For now, the sane and decent military leadership, as well as the folks who led the protests against Netanyahu's extremists, have turned on a dime to unite - volunteering in a myriad of ways to help their countrymen survive, to overcome the trauma that occurred on October 7, and insure it never happens again.
Meanwhile, I ask that, along with the strongarming by the US of Israel's leaders determined to destroy Hamas in Gaza, Egypt also be strongarmed, indeed shamed, into allowing a humanitarian escape route to get helpless Gazans out of the way, something Egypt has refused to do so far. Hamas has made Gazan's lives a living hell for many years and cares even less about what happens to them now in Israel's attempts to destroy these terrorists. In truth, Gazans need liberating from Hamas, much more than from Israel. If you don't believe me, I encourage you to read interviews done secretly, early in 2023, with Gazans - look for What's Life Like Under Hamas - whispered in Gaza". Egypt has plenty of space to set up temporary shelter for people wanting to escape, allowing Israel to do the job Egypt surely appreciates (Hamas = Moslem Brotherhood; put down already in Egypt), but dare not admit publicly, to avoid angering the "Arab street". Surely other nations would contribute to the cost of temporarily sheltering these people and rebuilding Gaza eventually. Money is already pouring in to help Gazans, but who knows if it won't land in the hands of Hamas?
If Egypt (and other Arab countries) truly support the Palestinian cause, it's time they show it by calling out Hamas and their ilk for the fanatical and violent leaders who are in the way of their ever being a Palestinian state next to Israel. Israel does not want to stay in Gaza; they just want peace on their borders, as they sought in 2005, when they left Gaza under Palestinian control. If not for the violent belligerence that persists with groups like Hamas, there would have been a Palestinian state begun years ago, a result of one of the many attempts Israel has made to achieve compromise. I know Israelis would still accept such. They can deal with their own extremists when the time comes - as they did in leaving Gaza - when Palestinians demonstrate they can be peaceful neighbors.
Thank you Laura. From what I read, truthful or not, both Egypt and Israel were arguing over how to inspect the trucks hauling the humanitarian aid from bringing in weapons for Hamas. That has been settled and the aid trucks are on their way. I just hope there is security for the truck convoy to prevent Hamas from stealing the aid and selling it for weapons, as has happened in the past. It is time for the Arabic world to disown these terrorists and protect the ordinary citizens. It is beyond obscenity that the Palestinians and others of Muslim religion should be forced to live in squalid poverty so their leaders can live the lives of elitists and their insane Jihadists can have all the weapons their ugly hearts desire. The Palestinians are humans, just like us and the Israelis. Get rid of those cruel Jihadists and there might be a chance for the real people to live peaceful and more prosperous lives. What happened 2 to 5 thousand years ago is done and gone. No matter what they promise, the trump's, de santis', jihadists cannot bring it back. Personally I'm glad of that fact.
I doubt that the women of Afghanistan would agree with you on the world-historical wonderfulness of Joe Biden, who left them them to the custody of the Taliban because he wanted kudos for “ending a war.” For that matter, I doubt that the families of the thirteen military members who got killed during Joe’s Afghanistan skedaddle would agree with you either.
It’s a fair point Thomas. My feelings on that are mixed. It was far past time for that war to end. The planning was, to be charitable, faulty to be sure. But Afghanistan has for centuries been intractable. On balance I think Biden made the correct decision. His intelligence reports on the strength and proximity of the Taliban were poor. Perhaps he could have waited longer to firm up matters. But on balance I do not think ending a 20 year war without some measure of cocking up could be expected.
Has that event entirely colored your assessment of Biden?
The United States was no longer fighting that war; there were fewer than 2,000 US ground troops in the country when Biden made his stupid decision simply to abandon Afghanistan. Not only did he pull the troops out, he halted all aid and logistical support to the Afghan armed forces. Then, when the predictable disaster occurred, he had the nerve to call it “the greatest airlift in history.”
It’s no coincidence that after that debacle, which remains a stain on this country’s honor, V. Putin decided to go ahead and invade Ukraine. And things just keep getting worse—thanks in large part to our president’s incompetence and poltroonery.
So yes, abandonment of Afghanistan does indeed color my assessment of Joe Biden.
I’m still not sold. First of all the war had gone on for a ridiculous length of time. It was pointless to prolong the agony any longer. Secondly America was still pouring oceans of money into Afghanistan. I remember reading that the US was supporting a “plywood army”. There was no future in continuing to do so and there was indeed a high cost. The Afghan Army was plagued by desertions. Frequently they weren’t getting paid. The US would have needed a surge in some sort to back the Army to keep out the Taliban. Who would have had stomach in America for a greater effort? The withdrawal was mishandled. American intelligence on the speed at which the Taliban would move was terrible. That’s certainly a “buck stops here” failure for the President to wear.
As for drawing a connection between Russia-Ukraine and the exit from Afghanistan, if Putin expected a weak response from the US. he got a rude shock. In a nuclear-armed world, Biden has gone up to the edge of what is possible in standing up to Russia. Given Russia’s abysmal invasion of Afghanistan, Putin in particular should have realized that the American withdrawal there was not exactly without precedent.
One last point - it’s been years since I last read or heard “poltroonery”. That made my day. :)
One of the points that was so important for President Biden to make in his personal meeting was that Israel should not make the same mistake as the U.S. did after the 9/11 attack. He was meeting Netanyahu on common ground of having been attacked. We reacted very wrongly. President Biden asked/urged/cajoled Netanyahu to act with restraint despite the horror and the grief.
Eric, you CAN edit your comments here, you know. Just look for the little ellipsis (3 dots) at the bottom right margin under your comment. Click on that and you'll see 2 possibilities, Edit or Delete. If you click on "Edit", your comment will be posted in a form so that you, and only you, can change, edit, add, delete phrases, whatever. When done, hit "Save" and voila it will reappear corrected! It's a handy feature so at least we can change things and not seem the victims of too many "brain cramps"!
Sone Michigan news from Anna Liz Nichols at Michigan Advance.
One (1) of the 15 Michigan Fake Electors, JAMES RENNER, has entered a Plea Agreement with the MIchigan AG. Details of Plea Ahrrement have not be nreported.
State evidence is admissible in Federal actions and in the GA RICO case.
Ann also reports a 2nd Fake Electors is being medically examined for mental capacity.
Thanks for good info. Please keep it coming. We all know someone who knows someone who is related to this in one way or another. Everyone in the state needs to learn the details-who was recruited? Who did the recruiting? Clearly the penalties for those who did the recruiting should be far more stringent than the penalties for those who cooperated, barring the one or ones who prove mentally incompetent, of corse.
And the aid trucks just started to get through! https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/21/israel-news-hamas-war-gaza-updates/
For anyone who could use a spot of uplift, Jessica is the queen of how to channel feelings of despair into hope--because "hope is an action verb!"
https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-1020-b4e
Agree wholeheartedly about Jessica and her website. She's a great speaker, too!
And Jessica is inviting to our younger generations with her TikTok videos!
Yes! Thanks to you, I just posted about her TikTok activities to Cynthia.
Can you post them here?
I actually did not post the activities since I am not on TikTok...BUT! Here's one post that she did that speaks directly to what Republicans are trying to do to young people and their ability to vote:
https://www.tiktok.com/@jesscraven101/video/7224257918844128555
❤️
EVERYONE should read this! Crucial! And then participate. CALL!! We need “ALL HANDS ON DECK”!
Then pass it on.
Marlo, I have been somewhat confused by your metaphor "All hands in deck."
Having some nautical inclinations I have assumed you meant all hands ON deck as it would be difficult to sail a ship with all hands IN the deck. On the other hand (😉) as I do not play cards much, might you be referring to some demand in a card game?
That was very clever and funny!
A friendly suggestion: re-tune your snarkometer. :-)
See below about calling McHenry to implement Rank Choice Voting if he really believes in the democratic process. Anyone should be able to nominate who they wish and majority should win.
All hands on dick?
That’s what Rachel Maddow said in Chicago on Thursday night! All hands on deck!
👍Call McHenry first (828) 327-6100 and (202) 225-2576. As Speaker Pro Tempore, it is his one function to see a Speaker is chosen. He can implement Rank Choice Voting.
“If they in any way believed in the democratic process, they would come to the floor, allow anyone to nominate who they will, and then take the vote and see who gets to a majority first. And stay there until there is a Speaker.”
~ Georgia Fisanick Substack.com
I have called both numbers & left messages. I told him America was watching the House Republicans and him, as Speaker Pro Tempore.
He has the ability to implement a fair process that would get the job done. The House Republicans didn’t get their way (or rather Trump’s way) with McCarthy to shutdown the government; this is the next best thing.
So CALL and put pressure on McHenry to implement RCV which would end this fiasco in a day.
Thanks Ellie Kona, that was the uplifting read I needed to start my day!
That’s really kind Ellie. Thank you.
Thanks for the good news, Jessica!
Praises for Abbas....another great leader....encouraging peace and aid for those in extreme need.
This conflict involves other, so called "leaders" who do not mind using the sufferings of their fellow human beings to gain power by creating disruption and by inflicting pain.
Rather than working together for the good of all in this world.... some cruel "leaders" choose to take away food and clean water disrupting the lives of men, women and children to gain personal power.....how sad...when we could simply talk with one another and find ways to work together. We as humans make it so difficult.
Thank you President Joe Biden and TEAM for working towards peace.
Thank you Emily for making this point. I do not think it can be put strongly enough. Barring a completely unforeseen event, President Biden will go down in America’s small pantheon of truly heroic, game-changing Presidents. In the era when the Republic was firmly established, only Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and now Joe Biden have brought light to true darkness.
Lincoln saved the nation in the ultimate deadlock over slavery. Had he served out his two terms and then become a sort of President emeritus, American history might have avoided the blackest moments of Reconstruction and the Jim Crow movement might have gotten a lesser hold. There are no guarantees there, but emancipating the slaves and steering the North to eventual victory are accomplishment enough.
By contrast Roosevelt did not end the Depression. World War II with its massive thirst for armaments and supplies did. However Roosevelt did something more important. He gave hope to a nation stuck in a terrifying morass. He established the modern welfare state, both a practical act and one that illuminated the principles of Christianity that America is so devoted to. He staved off Nazi and Communist attempted mobilizations of the American people. And he deftly led America through all of World War II.
I would personally love to include Lyndon Johnson in this very small pantheon of great leaders. What he accomplished was groundbreaking. But, like America, he got bogged down in Vietnam and that war has tarnished what could have been a sterling legacy.
And now Joe Biden. A month ago we were fretting over his low standing in the polls. Fox and other paragons of the MAGA Malevolence Misfits had been making progress on his supposed senility. There was a serious attempt to tie him to his son’s peregrinations by desperate Republicans. There were even strong rumblings from within the Democratic Party that a younger leader was needed.
After the events of the past two weeks, I hope that some people are feeling suitably abashed. The unthinkable has happened in Israel, an event so barbaric and fraught with the darkness of the human heart, has been influenced greatly, dare I say decisively by the words and actions of America’s President. To the outside world he has supported Israel with a passion that has overwhelmed the people. There has not been an ounce of equivocation. Israelis have reacted strongly, with gratitude and a seed of hope emerging from the blackness of their sorrow.
But I am certain that Biden has cajoled and strong-armed the Israeli leadership. One would have said this was a near impossible task, given the astonishing arrogance of the entrenched far right politicians in that country. There now seems to be a chance that an all out slaughter, borne of blood red rage, an event which would send the Middle East (perhaps the world) into desperate convulsions, may not be as bad as feared. Biden has forced Israel to consider the cost if they obey their worst instincts and this may save the region. It is obviously too early to say how this will turn out. But it looks like there’s a grain of hope.
Lincoln, Roosevelt, elements of Johnson’s Presidency. And now the unexpected hero - a subtle, experience, tough, and loving President.
This is not to say that there have not been other extremely good Presidents. But I can’t think of one who can measure up to the stature of the four I named.
And in the wings, where we can peek at them in bemusement as fancy strikes us, is a party that is failing in a spectacular way. What a foul for Biden.
Unserious people do unserious things. They break the crockery. They come to destroy, not realizing that that is the antithesis of good government. If they stick around long enough, they can do damage. Ultimately they soil themselves and slink off a stage much too big for their meager personalities and intellects.
Go, Joe.
For a foul
FDR instituted many efforts to deal with the depression before Japan changed focus. He had terrific blowback from the start, including but not limited to the Coup of 1933. Give the man his due. LBJ was mislead by McNamara, and his efforts to end the war flumfloxed by Nixon. Repubs have always been on the other side of any efforts at helping the American people. Truman said it best. “Socialism is the epithet Republicans throw at any effort to help all the people. Close enough, and true
Republicans have not "always been on the other side of any efforts at helping the American people"
Perhaps only those of us in our 70s and 80s can remember when that wasn't true, but it hasn't "always" been true.
I’m in my 70s and I agree wholeheartedly. Eisenhower ran a stable administration that did nothing to alter the course of FDR’s progressive measures. (Unfortunately his VP was heavily involved with the Mafia, a predilection that would eventually lead to his downfall).
Generally Republicans governed and acted in opposition with reason and pulled Democrats back to the center. They were a useful opposition - a vital necessity in any democracy. But after 1980 the Republican swerve towards the uncompromising and dark side began taking America down the path that led to Trump. And that story did not end well.
A lot of people/voters, like my family, my husband's family, were Republicans...when it was "respectable".....Not any longer.
We will never vote for a Republican for anything, not even Dog Catcher.
Goes way back though. I had no clue for decades. I’m an oldie, so Ike was my hero.
Ike would be repulsed by today's so-called Republicans.
It's really only since Newt Gingrich that the republican party has become a monolith for destruction.
Thank you for the Truman quote. Yet another medal for the haberdashery man from MO. Wondering for the first time how and why FDR selected him for VP. Was it that he understood who this rather uncharismatic senator was capable of?
I just want to reply to my own comment. It feels monstrously egocentric.
But just two points:
1.
No idea why the phrase “For a foul” sticks it’s irrelevant head up at the bottom. Sorry.
2.
Liz Cheney for Speaker. Yeah, yeah, I know - dream on. But what a marvelous act of demotion it would be for the Republican House to swallow hard and invite her back in.
Has anyone else thought of Michael Steele?
Any Republicans... think?
This "sentence needs to be fixed...I could not figure out anything.
"No idea why the phrase “For a foul” sticks it’s irrelevant head up at the bottom. Sorry."
Speaking as a veteran of the Vietnam War, I would not include LBJ on any list of great presidents. H.R. McMaster's account of how the Johnson Administration pushed America into a long and losing war in Southeast Asia tells the tale: "Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam."
https://www.amazon.com/Dereliction-Duty-Johnson-McNamara-Vietnam/dp/0060929081
The only thing I give LBJ any credit for was the Civil Rights Act. I blame him also for Vietnam as well as McNamara. Wife of Vietnam vet here. Thank you for serving in one of the worst wars ever, Thomas.
A great recommendation.
Eric, as always, your comments are wise and informed. After the constant drumbeat concerning Biden's age and "senility," including Scott Pelley's comments about how tired he looked, I've been buoyed by his stellar public comments and speeches. He is always careful to reiterate to Netanyahu and his authoritarian crew that restraint must be practiced in retaliation for Hamas's atrocities, and differentiating between Palestinians and Hamas, as well as broaching the need for a Palestinian state. I heard a commentator state that Biden is much beloved than is Netanyahu by the Israelis and polls much higher there than Netanyahu.
I truly hope that our crockery-breakers are eventually going to lose their noxious grip on our own country and we can once again attempt our quest to become a beacon for the good in this world, despite our frequent missteps, and in doing so perhaps Biden will rightfully regarded among our best statesmen.
In the beginning of your comments, you include Theodore Roosevelt. While Teddy's legacy included many laudable achievements, didn't you mean to say Franklin Roosevelt? His shortcomings of bowing to this country's antisemitism (which sadly still exists) and not rescuing more Jews during WWII do not overshadow his many achievements, which you so aptly pointed out.
The "entrenched far right politicians" currently in Netanyahu's coalition are despised and opposed by the majority of Israelis (my family there and Israeli friends included). A reckoning will come with this coalition when Israel is out of the dangers of the present horrible situation. For now, the sane and decent military leadership, as well as the folks who led the protests against Netanyahu's extremists, have turned on a dime to unite - volunteering in a myriad of ways to help their countrymen survive, to overcome the trauma that occurred on October 7, and insure it never happens again.
Meanwhile, I ask that, along with the strongarming by the US of Israel's leaders determined to destroy Hamas in Gaza, Egypt also be strongarmed, indeed shamed, into allowing a humanitarian escape route to get helpless Gazans out of the way, something Egypt has refused to do so far. Hamas has made Gazan's lives a living hell for many years and cares even less about what happens to them now in Israel's attempts to destroy these terrorists. In truth, Gazans need liberating from Hamas, much more than from Israel. If you don't believe me, I encourage you to read interviews done secretly, early in 2023, with Gazans - look for What's Life Like Under Hamas - whispered in Gaza". Egypt has plenty of space to set up temporary shelter for people wanting to escape, allowing Israel to do the job Egypt surely appreciates (Hamas = Moslem Brotherhood; put down already in Egypt), but dare not admit publicly, to avoid angering the "Arab street". Surely other nations would contribute to the cost of temporarily sheltering these people and rebuilding Gaza eventually. Money is already pouring in to help Gazans, but who knows if it won't land in the hands of Hamas?
If Egypt (and other Arab countries) truly support the Palestinian cause, it's time they show it by calling out Hamas and their ilk for the fanatical and violent leaders who are in the way of their ever being a Palestinian state next to Israel. Israel does not want to stay in Gaza; they just want peace on their borders, as they sought in 2005, when they left Gaza under Palestinian control. If not for the violent belligerence that persists with groups like Hamas, there would have been a Palestinian state begun years ago, a result of one of the many attempts Israel has made to achieve compromise. I know Israelis would still accept such. They can deal with their own extremists when the time comes - as they did in leaving Gaza - when Palestinians demonstrate they can be peaceful neighbors.
Thank you Laura. From what I read, truthful or not, both Egypt and Israel were arguing over how to inspect the trucks hauling the humanitarian aid from bringing in weapons for Hamas. That has been settled and the aid trucks are on their way. I just hope there is security for the truck convoy to prevent Hamas from stealing the aid and selling it for weapons, as has happened in the past. It is time for the Arabic world to disown these terrorists and protect the ordinary citizens. It is beyond obscenity that the Palestinians and others of Muslim religion should be forced to live in squalid poverty so their leaders can live the lives of elitists and their insane Jihadists can have all the weapons their ugly hearts desire. The Palestinians are humans, just like us and the Israelis. Get rid of those cruel Jihadists and there might be a chance for the real people to live peaceful and more prosperous lives. What happened 2 to 5 thousand years ago is done and gone. No matter what they promise, the trump's, de santis', jihadists cannot bring it back. Personally I'm glad of that fact.
Excellent, thank you. But I think you may want to edit the beginning of your comment to write FDR and not Theodore.
I doubt that the women of Afghanistan would agree with you on the world-historical wonderfulness of Joe Biden, who left them them to the custody of the Taliban because he wanted kudos for “ending a war.” For that matter, I doubt that the families of the thirteen military members who got killed during Joe’s Afghanistan skedaddle would agree with you either.
It’s a fair point Thomas. My feelings on that are mixed. It was far past time for that war to end. The planning was, to be charitable, faulty to be sure. But Afghanistan has for centuries been intractable. On balance I think Biden made the correct decision. His intelligence reports on the strength and proximity of the Taliban were poor. Perhaps he could have waited longer to firm up matters. But on balance I do not think ending a 20 year war without some measure of cocking up could be expected.
Has that event entirely colored your assessment of Biden?
The United States was no longer fighting that war; there were fewer than 2,000 US ground troops in the country when Biden made his stupid decision simply to abandon Afghanistan. Not only did he pull the troops out, he halted all aid and logistical support to the Afghan armed forces. Then, when the predictable disaster occurred, he had the nerve to call it “the greatest airlift in history.”
It’s no coincidence that after that debacle, which remains a stain on this country’s honor, V. Putin decided to go ahead and invade Ukraine. And things just keep getting worse—thanks in large part to our president’s incompetence and poltroonery.
So yes, abandonment of Afghanistan does indeed color my assessment of Joe Biden.
I’m still not sold. First of all the war had gone on for a ridiculous length of time. It was pointless to prolong the agony any longer. Secondly America was still pouring oceans of money into Afghanistan. I remember reading that the US was supporting a “plywood army”. There was no future in continuing to do so and there was indeed a high cost. The Afghan Army was plagued by desertions. Frequently they weren’t getting paid. The US would have needed a surge in some sort to back the Army to keep out the Taliban. Who would have had stomach in America for a greater effort? The withdrawal was mishandled. American intelligence on the speed at which the Taliban would move was terrible. That’s certainly a “buck stops here” failure for the President to wear.
As for drawing a connection between Russia-Ukraine and the exit from Afghanistan, if Putin expected a weak response from the US. he got a rude shock. In a nuclear-armed world, Biden has gone up to the edge of what is possible in standing up to Russia. Given Russia’s abysmal invasion of Afghanistan, Putin in particular should have realized that the American withdrawal there was not exactly without precedent.
One last point - it’s been years since I last read or heard “poltroonery”. That made my day. :)
One of the points that was so important for President Biden to make in his personal meeting was that Israel should not make the same mistake as the U.S. did after the 9/11 attack. He was meeting Netanyahu on common ground of having been attacked. We reacted very wrongly. President Biden asked/urged/cajoled Netanyahu to act with restraint despite the horror and the grief.
You mean Franklin, not Theodore, Roosevelt. Theodore did some good stuff, too.
Thank you so much. Brain cramp (unless this article had featured national parks creation. :)
Much appreciated.
Eric, you CAN edit your comments here, you know. Just look for the little ellipsis (3 dots) at the bottom right margin under your comment. Click on that and you'll see 2 possibilities, Edit or Delete. If you click on "Edit", your comment will be posted in a form so that you, and only you, can change, edit, add, delete phrases, whatever. When done, hit "Save" and voila it will reappear corrected! It's a handy feature so at least we can change things and not seem the victims of too many "brain cramps"!
The three dots to enter the edit screen works only on your own comments. If you click them on others', it will bring up the "Report" option.
Works best in "browser" setting
Yes! And the next best news of the day is that a judge finally threatened Trump with jail if he didn’t shut up and stop threatening everyone.
Sone Michigan news from Anna Liz Nichols at Michigan Advance.
One (1) of the 15 Michigan Fake Electors, JAMES RENNER, has entered a Plea Agreement with the MIchigan AG. Details of Plea Ahrrement have not be nreported.
State evidence is admissible in Federal actions and in the GA RICO case.
Ann also reports a 2nd Fake Electors is being medically examined for mental capacity.
Thanks for good info. Please keep it coming. We all know someone who knows someone who is related to this in one way or another. Everyone in the state needs to learn the details-who was recruited? Who did the recruiting? Clearly the penalties for those who did the recruiting should be far more stringent than the penalties for those who cooperated, barring the one or ones who prove mentally incompetent, of corse.
That was a beautiful summary Useful '.
Thanks, I think. Sorry for the typos.
No problem. I have to be careful on 'replys'as one cannot use the Edit Tool. Still very useful.
Yay, Michigan, Blue and Green!!