A Few Words on the Presidential Election, Part II

The United States Department of Commerce has a Bureau of Economic Analysis. They tell us that the average GDP from 1959 through 2002 was 3.4%. From 1929 through 2012 the average GDP was 3.3% How about under Obama? Not once did the GDP hit the average of either period, or even 3.0% for that matter. (For those interested: 2009-2.8%, 2010-2.5%, 2011-1.8%, 2012-2.8%, 2013-1.5%, 2014-2.4%, 2015-2.4%. And the first quarter of 2016 started with a lackluster 0.5%.)

But Obama says unemployment is way down to 5%. Well, yes, if we do not count the millions who have given up looking and no longer qualify for unemployment benefits. Then, it would be more like 10%. But Obama says he created 14.4 million new jobs since 2010, but that does not even cover the 15.8 million people who entered the labor market during the same period. (Data from the 4/29/16 Investor"s Business Daily.)

As the Wall Street Journal pointed out in their 4/29/16 editorial, we have had "the weakest economic expansion in the postwar era." Says the Journal: "Even the Great Depression saw a snap back to rapid growth from 1934-1936." More recently, there was a faster economic recovery after "the savings and loan collapse of the early 1990s."

In a sign of the low growth rate/chronic unemployment under liberal Democrat policies, middle-aged Americans are committing suicide at an increasingly disturbing rate. Writes Betsy McCaughey in the 4/27/16 IBD: "New Jersey used to have one of the lowest suicide rates in the nation, but it's shot up 13% in two years." Citing one suicide prevention source about that: "We've seen a wave of suicides that resulted from the financial crisis a little bit later than other parts of the country."

And, noting what should be obvious to everyone, McCaughey wrote: "It (the cause of the higher suicide rate) is not inequality, despite Bernie Sanders' rants. It's lack of growth and the Democratic Party's refusal to make growth a priority. People don't don't kill themselves because their neighbor has more money. They take their life when they can see no way to get a job, support their family and regain self-worth."

If Obama and the Democrats cared about economic growth and expansion and the creation of new jobs, we would not have the Affordable Care Act, Dodd-Frank, and multiple other new taxes and regulations. But Hillary will follow in Obama's footsteps. She believes, apparently, that raising the minimum wage will actually create new jobs, rather than stifle job growth. And Hillary has told us that she wants to shutter the coal industry.

But Hillary did a great job as Secretary of State, didn't she? No, she did not. She pushed for the overthrow of Qaddafi, resulting in another failed state in the region, and allowing for the growth of radical Islamic terrorist groups. She pushed the "reset" with Russia. Russia then took over the Crimea, invaded eastern Ukraine, and now threatens our military ships and planes with dangerous fly bys. When the US ambassador to Libya and other Americans were murdered by terrorists, she lied to the families and American people about some movie trailer being the cause. When caught in her lie when testifying before Congress, she gave us her famous: "What difference does it make?"

Then, of course, we have the email scandal (ignoring all the other scandals involving her and Bill). Obama, who again inappropriately stuck his nose into a pending criminal matter, recently said in an interview that he did not believe Hillary jeopardized national security. What a not so subtle message for his Attorney General. The FBI apparently has 147 agents working on the case. The Justice Department has granted immunity to the person on Hillary's staff who set up the private email server.

Hillary, like Obama and Bernie, wants to bring at least 100,000 Muslim refugees to the US. There will be little opportunity to vet them. So, I asked one liberal Jewish reader what Muslim country he would like to live in. Answer: none. I asked if he cares how many Muslims are brought here. Answer: yes. Finally, I asked if any country has been made safer for Jews as the Muslim population increases? Answer: no.

But, as the title to my 1/17/16 post indicates, the liberals have lost their instinct to survive. Will Obama have to pardon Hillary? Would an indictment or pardon deter liberal Democrats from voting for her? No more than the increasing anti-Semitism and hate crimes against Jews in the UK deter the liberals there from claiming that the problem is Islamophobia.

A Few Words on the Presidential Election, Part I

The Labour Party in the UK seems to be having a problem with anti-Semitism. (Bear with me and you will see a connection to our election.) Labour Party member, and former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, recently expressed his opinion that Hitler was a Zionist. Another Labour Party member posted on Facebook that "Israel is a terrorist state like ISIS." According to the Israeli ambassador to the UK, there are those on the left who are "in denial" about anti-Semitism. Labour is the left wing party in the UK.

Meanwhile, anti-Semitic hate crimes in Britain are up over the last two years, with a 50% increase in violent crimes. 2015 saw over a 25% increase from 2014 in anti-Semitic hate crimes; with over 1000 anti-Semitic incidents reported. One might think the Jews of the UK would be united against the increasing anti-Semitism. One would be wrong. 83 Jewish members and supporters of the Labour Party, in a letter to the Guardian, denied that there is a problem of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.

Those 83 wrote in their letter: "As Jews, we are appalled that a serious issue is being used in this cynical and manipulative way, diverting attention from much more widespread examples of Islamophobia and xenophobia in the conservative and other parties." So you see, those on the left who are in denial about anti-Semitism in the UK includes many Jews. And isn't their letter reminiscent of the way the mainstream media in the US made Muslims the victims after the 9/11 attacks?

I am reminded of Obama's first campaign for President, when we learned about Rev. Wright. Fellow Jews were willing to make excuses for the hate speech - the anti-Israel hate speech - of Obama's Pastor and mentor. It was simply a non-issue for them. And now, it is happening again.

One of the main advisers to both Bill and Hillary Clinton has been Sidney Blumenthal. Sidney's son Max has written extensively, and negatively, about Israel. Sidney has not disavowed his son's writings; in fact, he sent sent many of those articles on to Hillary. Max has compared Israel to the Nazis, has said Jews should move out of Israel, and has compared the Israeli Defense Forces to the Nazi's SS. Hillary was consistently impressed by Max's writings, with comments such as "Pls congratulate Max for another impressive piece. He is so good."

But left leaning Jews here will make the same excuses for Hillary that they did for Obama, and that left-wing Jews make for the UK's Labour Party. In a 2012 speech, Hillary referred to Israel's "lack of generosity" and "lack of empathy" towards and for Palestinians. She took on the role "designated yeller" - at Netanyahu. (As an aside, I would bet no other world leader had a "designated yeller" assigned by Obama.) In one phone call with Netanyahu, Hillary yelled at him for 45 minutes because Israel had the audacity to build in their capital city of Jerusalem.

Bernie Sanders is no better. He accused Israel of slaughtering 10,000 civilians in the last war with Hamas in 2014. He said Israel's military response to non-stop rocket fire from Gaza was "disproportionate," meaning Israelis should do nothing to defend themselves. The UN, and even Hamas, put the number of civilian casualties at between 1400 and 1500. Israel claims half of those were Hamas fighters in civilian clothes. But Bernie is always willing to think the worst of Israel.

Recently, 83 US Senators (51 Republicans and 32 Democrats) signed off on a letter to the Obama Administration in which they were seeking an increase in military aid to Israel, as part of a new 10 year memorandum of understanding. Bernie did not sign that letter. Bernie appointed Simone Zimmerman as his Jewish outreach coordinator. Here are a few words from Zimmerman: "Bibi Netanyahu is an arrogant, deceptive, cynical, manipulative asshole...Fuck you, Bibi...you sanctioned the murder of over 2000 people this summer." Zimmerman was referring to the war with Hamas, and demonstrating how she, also, does not believe Israel had the right to defend itself against the constant rockets launched from Gaza.

But, maybe, liberal Jews and the left in general are happy with Obama's economic leadership; policies that Hillary will follow and magnify. Let's take a look - in Part II.

Be Careful What You Say

The 4/8/16 Wall Street Journal reports on a story out of Marquette University. As we know, universities are no longer bastions of free speech. A teaching assistant told her class that same sex marriage was no longer subject to debate, and that "everyone agrees on this." One student objected, but to no avail. Rather, he was told that "there are some opinions that are not appropriate, that are harmful, such as racist opinions, sexist opinions..."

When the student continued to protest his right to express a contrary opinion, he was told: "...you can have whatever opinions you want but I can tell you right now, in this class homophobic comments, racist comments and sexist comments will not be tolerated." The problem, of course, is who gets to decide which comments are homophobic, racist or sexist. The other problem is that this TA is essentially telling students that "offensive" speech is not to be tolerated. However, the First Amendment says otherwise. The student then protested to a professor, who had the misfortune of speaking the truth - rather than adhering to the left-wing party line.

The professor wrote about the incident on his blog, asserting that the teaching assistant used "...a tactic typical among liberals now. Opinions with which they disagree are not merely wrong, and are not to be argued against on their merits, but are deemed 'offensive' and need to be shut up." The teaching assistant subsequently received emails which were described as "vicious" in nature. The professor has been suspended by the Dean, being told he could not return until he acknowledged his behavior was "reckless," and apologized to the teaching assistant.

Reckless? The professor did use the TA's name in his blog. But he also told the truth about the TA's politically correct, anti-free speech attitude toward teaching. The TA should be called out for the "everything" is settled approach to teaching. Every left-wing issue is settled: climate change, gay marriage, open borders, a "woman's right to choose." There can be no disputing the left-wing agenda, making the university today simply another element of the left's propaganda machine, along with the entertainment and news media.

In the same edition of the WSJ was a letter to the editor from a retired Brigadier General from the USAF. This Brigadier General sought a teaching position at an Ivy League school. After meeting with the school president, some deans and other staff, the Brig. Gen. was offered a teaching position. A short time later the faculty senate reversed the offer, and the Brig. Gen. was advised "there was no place on a liberal university faculty for a former senior military officer." Imagine that; a man who served his country, allowing these ivory tower prima donnas to maintain their freedoms, and their facade of separation from the country that gives them so much, was not deemed worthy enough to teach alongside them.

Yet another letter to the editor in the same edition of the WSJ said it best in describing what the left thinks of the right: "What isn't consistent with the stated aims of higher education are the goals of conservatives and libertarians, which are not in the interest of the vast majority of humankind, nor do they have a moral or ethical component." How many leftists actually believe this drivel? Conservatives are neither moral nor ethical? Not a single conservative value or policy benefits humankind? Not free speech, not freedom of religion, not capitalism - which has lifted more people out of poverty than any other economic system in history. Sadly, this writer may have little to fear, as we see below.

Two law professors at UC Irvine, Howard Gillman and Erwin Chemerinsky, wrote an opinion piece in the 3/31/16 LA Times, discussing their freshman seminar on free speech on college campuses. Wrote the two professors: "From the beginning of our course, we were surprised by the often unanimous willingness of our students to support efforts to restrict and punish a wide range of expression." But should they have been surprised by the unanimity against dissent; against "offensive" speech? Teens are constantly exposed to a media which is filled with the ideas expressed in the above paragraph. We know that college professors are overwhelmingly liberal, perhaps the same applies to high school teachers.

These two professors concluded that they were able to teach some of their students the significance of free speech, while some were unmoved in their willingness to shut down "offensive" speech. What is the real lesson? Given the total inundation of liberal ideology to which our youth are subjected, it seems to me that a significant amount of deprogramming is needed to counteract the pervasive brainwashing.

Liberal or Conservative?

I could easily do an entire post on the left wing propaganda permeating mainstream TV shows. But this latest example is too good to pass up. On a recent episode of "Quantico," some well armed gunmen attacked the FBI's training grounds, killing some agents. A US Senator, speaking to the trainees, claimed there had been 330 mass shootings in 2015. (Of course, it depends on how one defines mass shootings.) Then the Senator said this: "I am tired of this. And you should be too. You are being trained to carry a weapon, to respect the power of a gun, to understand that it is a privilege to be earned - not a right given to anyone..."

I wonder if those on the left even notice this type of subtle propaganda. It is, of course, a total lie - as the Supreme Court has, in fact, said there is a RIGHT to gun ownership. But this is the type of bias that is seen across both the entertainment media and the news media. It is pervasive.

According to Fox, the Food and Nutrition Service of the US Department of Agriculture has proposed a new rule dealing with food at schools. For schools that do not follow the sodium and calorie limits in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, and "persistently disregard" the lunch rules, they will be fined. This is akin to Eric Holder threatening schools across the country for excessively disciplining misbehaving (Holder meant black) children.

So I ask, does it even occur to a liberal to ask if local school lunches should be dictated by a federal bureaucracy? Are my friends on the left even aware of the ever growing behemoth that is the federal government? Or, do those people simply say if the goal is worthy, then so what if the feds are involved. So what if the feds preempt the states in what should be a local issue. And do those on the left ever ask if any branch of government should be involved, or is a child's lunch something that a parent gets to decide. Do you want the feds inspecting the contents of your refrigerator?

Senator Patrick Leahy was joined by 10 members of Congress in seeking an investigation into the cessation of military aid to Israel and Egypt. There is a statute that allows the US government to stop military aid to countries guilty of human rights abuses. Under current military rule, Egypt clearly has some issues. But Israel? Israel will kill terrorists in the act of committing terrorism. And, even if there are a few instances where a soldier is second-guessed about whether the shooting was necessary, there is no pattern of misbehavior by the IDF.

Not surprisingly, each and every one of the Congressmen and women joining Leahy, is a democrat. As is Leahy. Jonathan Tobin recently wrote a piece in Commentary magazine about the shift by Democrats away from supporting Israel. A companion article discussed the shift by Republicans towards support for Israel. This quote from Tobin is instructive: "...if the Democratic Party is divided it is between those who think pressuring Israel into suicidal concessions is for its own good and those growing voices on the left that support BDS and other measures intended to destroy the Jewish state altogether." Do my Jewish friends on the left get this - or will you keep voting Democrat?

With Scalia gone from the Supreme Court, the Court issued a 4-4 decision in the case of Friedrichs vs. California Teachers Association. The tie vote left the lower court holding in place, enforcing a California law. Some teachers who had not joined the union did not wish to pay the "fair share service fee" or "agency fee" that state law allows unions to collect from non-members. Those "fees" are equivalent to paying "dues." Many states have similar laws. In any event, the non-member teachers objected to having to pay the fees but lost in the lower court.

Not surprisingly, the four liberal justices saw no problem in allowing a union to take the money of someone who did not voluntarily sign up as a member. But those non-members benefit from the union negotiating pay increases and benefits. So what? Since when does a private organization that I do not belong to have a right to take my money? Do you come down on the side of liberty (as conservatives do), or tyranny (as liberals do)? Or, does the issue not even occur to you? This provides yet another example of the importance of not confirming a fifth liberal Justice to the Court.

The European Union is obsessed with what goes on in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). Now, the EU wants a list of all businesses operating in the West Bank, because the EU believes the land is being illegally occupied by Israel. Or, is the EU obsession based on anti-Semitism?

As pointed out in a recent article in the Jewish Press, Cyprus is actually a member of the EU, and Northern Cyprus has been illegally occupied by Turks since the Turkish invasion in 1974. Except for Turkey, the rest of the world considers Turkey's occupation to be illegal. So what, you say? How is it that the EU does not care about the illegal occupation of an EU member country, but is obsessed over what happens in a non-member state? How is it that the EU seeks what amounts to a boycott of Israel, while continuing relations with Turkey? Is there any possible explanation other than anti-Semitism? The same factor likely motivating the above-referenced Congress members.

I suggest to my liberal friends and readers, it is time to start thinking about issues beyond gay marriage and abortion. Or, will you support tyranny and anti-Semitism?

Yet More Insanity

I've said it before. Liberal ideology trumps brilliance; it interferes with one's ability to perceive the world accurately. In a 3/16/16 article by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. in the Wall Street Journal, he discusses Obama's economic policies. He quotes a Nobel Prize winner, Robert Lucas, as follows: "I thought he (Obama) was going to be more Clinton-like in his economics and politics. I was caught by surprise by how far left the guy is." Caught by surprise? How? Did Mr. Lucas sleep through 2008?

How many times did Obama say he wanted to "fundamentally" change America? Clinton never said that. What did Obama tell Joe the Plumber? "It's a good idea to spread the wealth around." Clinton did not say that. What about the man Obama called his "mentor," the radical left-wing Reverend Wright, famously known for his "g-d damn America" speech. Clinton did not attend a church with such a radical leader. So, how can Lucas say he was "caught by surprise?" No, like many Americans, he clearly was either not paying attention, or ideologically he could not perceive the world accurately.

In a story related by Caroline Glick, we learn of pro-Israel, Zionist, Jewish parents who sent their children to a local Jewish day school in Durham, North Carolina. Needless to say, they were rather shocked when their 5 year old came home and asked why the map of Israel hurts some people's feelings, and had to be taken down. It turns out that one teacher there was active in the anti-Israel BDS movement. Worse, the development director was aligned with various anti-Israel groups. The parents, of course, complained, but the Board President accused them of bigotry for opposing the Boycott-Divest-Sanction movement against Israel.

See how it works for the left? Any time you oppose them on any issue you are at least a "bigot," if not a "racist" and a "hater." The true haters are those who support the BDS movement against Israel, but have nothing to say about the treatment of Christians by the Palestinians. They have nothing to say about the treatment of women, gays, and other religions throughout the Muslim world. The true haters are the anti-Semitic BDS followers.

But it is always the same for the left. Oppose Obama's policies? You are a racist. Oppose gay marriage? You are a bigot, a homophobe and a hater. Oppose open borders? You are an anti-Latino racist and hater. Oppose gun control? You hate kids and want to see them killed. Oppose abortion? Clearly you hate women. And on and on it goes.

In a sad story out of Scotland, a Glasgow shopkeeper - a Muslim - was brutally stabbed to death. The police are investigating his killing as possibly being religiously motivated. No, he was not killed by a Christian; he was murdered by another Muslim. However, the murder occurred shortly the shopkeeper put on Facebook: "Good Friday and a very Happy Easter, especially to my beloved Christian nation." How many times has Obama told us that Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance?

I have to imagine that any rational person that heard about Lexi, the young girl in Santa Clarita, was heartbroken. You see, the government had to remove her from the Page family. The Pages have been acting as foster parents to Lexi for 4 years. They wanted to adopt her. They also have three of their own children. The problem was not abuse or mistreatment or neglect. No, you see Lexi is 1/64 (1.5%) Native American. Under a federal law, the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1974, Lexi apparently qualifies as Native American. So the government took her away from the family she has known for 4 of her 6 years.

Yes, I know she has had contact for the last three years with the family that is taking her in. But she is being moved to Utah, to live with a family who themselves are not Native American - but related by marriage to the Native American father. The father has a criminal record, and the mother has substance abuse issues, making them unfit to raise their daughter.

For new readers, I posted on January 31, 2016 "The Insanity Continues." My only question is, can we stop the insanity, or is it too late? Are our educational and media institutions so overrun by left-wing ideologues that an ill-informed public, reading only the New York Times or LA Times, has been so brainwashed into believing all the left-wing propaganda? Say it ain't so.

Hear No Evil, See No Evil

Brussels. Ankara. San Bernardino. Paris. Chattanooga. Garland, Texas. Moore, Oklahoma. Seattle. Boston. Buena Vista, N.J. Waltham. Mass. Warren, Michigan. Marquette Park, Illinois. Fort Hood, Texas. Little Rock, Arkansas. Irving, Texas. Denver, Colorado. Chapel Hill, N.C. Moscow. Madrid. London. Arlington, Virginia. New York City. Countless locations throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and other locales around the world.

All have been hit by either terrorist attacks or other killings in the name of Islam. Yet, we have a President who will not say "radical Islam" or "Islamic terror." Recall Obama told us that "ISIL (ISIS for everyone else) does not speak for Islam." Rather, ISIS consists of "thugs and killers." Well, yes - thugs and killers all motivated by the same Islamic ideology.

The day before the major attack on Paris, Obama told us that ISIS was "contained." After all, they were the "J.V." team. Obama's oft repeated goal was to "degrade and defeat" ISIS. Degrade? Clearly, Obama has never gotten too worked up over Islamic terrorists murdering innocents. He was on the golf course minutes after announcing the beheading of American reporter Daniel Pearl. The murders at Charlie Hebdo and the kosher Jewish market did not warrant his standing in unison in Paris with other world leaders.

Obama: "...there is a violent, radical, fanatical, nihilistic interpretation of Islam by a faction - a tiny faction - within the Muslim community that is our enemy, and that has to be defeated." (Obama interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, in the Atlantic magazine.) Tiny? I would say small to now moderate in size, and growing. Besides, what is the difference? If it is 40,000 and growing, with thousands more supporters, is not the real issue the impact they are having on the West and the rest of the world? They are changing the way we live. They are costing us billions of dollars in defense and counter-terrorism spending. Is that a "tiny" effect?

But not to worry. Obama tells us that "the odds of dying in a terrorist attack are a lot lower than they are of dying in a car accident..." After the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR spoke to an anxious nation before a joint session of Congress. "Yesterday, December 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan...No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory...I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire." An inspiring and motivating speech.

Now, imagine if you will, that Barack Hussain Obama was the President on December 7, 1941. Unlikely he would speak before a joint session of Congress and seek a declaration of war, as FDR did. I imagine Obama might give a radio address such as this: "I am here to tell the American people that, while 2,403 Americans were killed by some Japanese, it was done by a small number of the Japanese people. I ask that the American people not get too worked up and not live in fear. Let me remind you that the odds of dying from another Japanese attack are a lot lower than they are of dying in a car accident...After all, 32,914 Americans died in auto accidents in 1940, and we are on track for a total of 38,142 dying from auto accidents in 1941."

In that interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, Mr. Obama said something about human nature that is typical of leftists: "Look, I am not of the view that human beings are inherently evil. I believe that there's more good than bad in humanity. And if you look at the trajectory of history, I am optimistic." Well, I guess if we exclude the 20th century, maybe he can make that argument. Maybe. But the 20th century gave us Stalin and Mao and Hitler and Pol Pot, and the Great War and World War II and the killing fields of Cambodia. More recently, we had Rwanda, Sudan, and the sheer barbarism of ISIS wiping out Christian and other communities throughout the Middle East.

Are humans inherently evil? Clearly, humans are not inherently good. I do not know how many more examples Obama might need to understand that. Goodness needs to be taught, it has to be inculcated. People are more likely, by nature, to be selfish. And we have seen how little it takes for people to rationalize the most horrific murderous acts. Ordinary Germans were able to carry out the Holocaust. ISIS is able to convince young people that they should have but one goal in life - to kill infidels. Killing others as the only goal in one's life. But Obama can hear no evil and see no evil.

Sickening!

On March 8, Israel suffered terror attacks in Jerusalem, Petah Tikvah and Jaffa. An American citizen was murdered in one of the attacks. Taylor Force was a 29 year old graduate student at Vanderbilt University. He was a US Army veteran, having served in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist. His wife was also injured and is in critical condition.

State Department spokesman, John Kirby, said this: "The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today's outrageous terrorist attacks in Jaffa, Petah Tikvah, and Jerusalem, which tragically claimed the life of U.S. citizen Taylor Allen Force and left many others severely injured. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Taylor and all those affected by these senseless attacks, and we wish a speedy recovery for the injured. As we have said many times, there is absolutely no justification for terrorism. We continue to encourage all parties to take affirmative steps to reduce tensions and restore calm."

Sounds nice? It's a bunch of crap! Guess who's funding these Palestinian terrorists? You and I are. Our taxes help to fund the Palestinian Authority. Vice President Biden was in the Middle East at the time, not far from one of the attacks. In his meeting with PA President Abbas, he asked Abbas to condemn the attacks. Abbas expressed his condolences for the death of an American, but would not condemn the attacks. Of course not. Abbas encourages the attacks. And the US gives him hundreds of millions of dollars. So, we not only fund the s.o.b.'s who kill Israelis, but those who kill Americans as well.

Kirby "encourages all parties to take affirmative steps to reduce tensions and restore clam." What kind of lame comment is that? Palestinian terrorists are murdering Israelis (34 dead with hundreds injured since the third intifada began in September), and Israelis defend themselves, but you can always count on Obama and Kerry and the rest making the moral equivalency argument. Both sides need to reduce tensions? No, the Palestinians need to stop murdering Jews.

No surprise, therefore, that a Pew Research Center poll of Israelis conducted from late to 2014 to early 2015 found that 48% of Israeli Jews believe that Arabs should be either transferred or expelled from Israel. 46% disagreed with that. Imagine, however, if that same poll were to be conducted today, about 6 months into the current intifada. I would imagine well over half of Israeli Jews would agree on the expulsion of Arabs today. And why not? The attacks in Jerusalem, Petah Tikvah and Jaffa were all in Israel proper. Who wants to live with neighbors who have the goal of killing as many in your family as they possibly can? Only 10% of Israeli Jews believe that the PA is sincere in seeking a peaceful settlement. To which I would add: what's wrong with those 10%? Are they delusional?

In a 2013 Pew poll of American Jews, 30% said they were very emotionally attached to Israel, with 39% who said they were somewhat emotionally attached to Israel. As a reminder, most of these polls show about only 50% of Democrats support Israel over the Palestinians, whereas 80% or so of Republicans support Israel over the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Iran test fired two ballistic missiles with the following inscription on each, in Hebrew: "Israel must be wiped out." The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard said: "The 1240 mile range of our missiles is to confront the Zionist regime...Israel is surrounded by Islamic countries and it will not last long in a war. It will collapse even before being hit by missiles." And the Democrats in Congress, and generally, pilloried Netanyahu for speaking to Congress about the dangers of Iran getting nukes.

So, I find it sickening that our tax dollars go to those who murder Jews and Americans. It is sickening that we made a deal with Iran and released nearly $150 billion dollars to them, allowing them to buy advanced weaponry. It is sickening that the Democrats condemned Netanyahu for speaking the truth. It is sickening that today's Democrats barely support Israel by slightly over 50%. And it is sickening that not all American Jews have an affinity for the Jewish homeland. But that's just me.