In Memoriam

I shouldn't have to be doing this.  Not when I already did one earlier this year (see 3/4/23 post) about my friend Bob.  Bob was 72.  And Eliot was only 71.  Yes, Eliot had some health problems over the years, but he got them taken care of ...at The Mayo Clinic!  And he went for checkups regularly, always telling me that his lab numbers and blood pressure readings were excellent.  So when I arrived home yesterday at 4:30 pm, and my wife was waiting for me and said "sit down, I have some bad news - Eliot died," I was shocked.  I blurted out - "my Eliot?"  It couldn't be.  We just had breakfast together on November 4 at one of the local delis.  It couldn't be.  His health was good, too good for a presumed cardiac arrest.  Why would G-d take my dear friend, Eliot?  The tears started flowing, and have continued to flow on and off since.

We met 28 years ago when my family moved across the street from where Eliot and his family lived.  It was a wonderful cul-de-sac street with an endless supply of kids.  My wife and I contributed three kids to the street, but Eliot and his wife contributed five.  All boys.  The middle one of the five was the same age as our twins, and they all became fast friends, just as Eliot and I did.  He and I would stand out on the street and talk for hours and hours.  

Their youngest son would often knock on our door on a Saturday morning, asking if our twins were awake yet.  If I said "no," he'd say "that's okay" and then march right into our house.  He always assured me that his Mom knew he was coming over to our house.  She never did, and would eventually call asking if he was at our house.  Sometimes, the four adults would go out to dinner.  And we were soon invited to their annual New Year's Eve get together, with other friends of theirs.  I don't like driving late on New Year's Eve, but there wasn't much traffic walking across the street.  

Eliot was a sabra.  He was born in Israel.  But he grew up in New York.  He would tell me how he always worked.  As a young guy he would plow snow for people.  He always took the initiative to do something.  Later on, he took over the food flavor business that his father started.  He greatly expanded the business, working long hours in order to do so.  And he traveled...and traveled...and traveled.  He had millions of miles of air travel under his belt.  He flew nationally and internationally.  While the company headquarters was local, he opened other locations in North America.  And he went to trade shows in the US and around the world.  He would tell me "you can't expand the business without making the personal connections."  

Over the years as the business expanded, he would get offers from some of the large regional or national brands to buy his business.  But he never sold, hoping that one day one of his sons would take it over.  I don't know how much money Eliot had accumulated from his success, and I would never ask.  But if I were to guess, it would be well into the millions.  But you would never know it from talking to him.  He was never pretentious.  He dressed just like an average guy.  He was as down to earth as could be.  He and I shared the same values.

I don't know all the reasons he and his wife separated five years ago.  I know that my wife and I were quite upset over it.  They stopped hosting the annual New Year's Eve get togethers.  No more going out with the four of us.  He told me some things.  His wife told me some things.  But the reality is, as the saying goes, we don't know what might be happening behind closed doors in someone else's home.  As my Mom always told me if I was having a disagreement with someone, "there are three sides to every story.  There's your side, there's the other person's side, and there's the truth."   

While he was still living in the house locally, he also got an apartment in a suburb of Dallas.  But he would always let me know when he was back in town so that we could go to breakfast together.  At those breakfasts we would sit and talk for two to three hours or more.  There was never a lull in the conversation.  I will miss that so, so much.  I just don't understand why G-d had to take my friend Eliot.  May G-d bless his soul, and may his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.  

#$@%&#%!!!

No, that title is not a typo.  But I'm angry, and as I do not use curse words in the blog, that is the closest I can come to expressing my feelings.  Why am I so angry?  Other than the obvious...the leaders of Hamas tell us what they think and what they want to do.  Yet, the morons on the Left ignore all of that, repeat all the Islamist propaganda, and blame Israel for everything.  Let's take a look.

This is some of what I heard from the Hamas leadership.  They plan on repeating the atrocities of October 7 over and over and over again.  They want to kill all the Jews!  When the innocent people of Gaza die (the ones who do not support Hamas or cheer the deaths of Jews), Hamas tells us they are martyrs.  People die in every war anyway, they say.  And they claim that the people of Gaza are not their responsibility!  Hamas is the governing authority in Gaza, but the people are not their problem?  Those people are the responsibility of the UN, they say.  Everybody clear where Hamas stands?  I know my regular readers are, but what about people you know?  

So, following the atrocities committed on October 7, and given all the pro-Hamas protests around the country and the world, and given all the pro-Hamas protests and threats against Jewish students on college campuses, and especially given the actual statements of the Hamas leadership, we now have this.  An open letter was written by over 1800 "Jewish writers, artists and activists."  

"We are Jewish writers, artists, and activists who wish to disavow the widespread narrative that any criticism of Israel is inherently antisemitic."  That is stating the obvious - that any country may be subject to fair criticism.  But criticism of Israel after the events of October 7 has been mostly antisemitic.  But let's read on in this open letter to see what they really believe.  "Israel and its defenders have long used this rhetorical tactic to shield Israel from accountability, dignify the US's multibillion-dollar investment in Israel's military, obscure the deadly reality of occupation, and deny Palestinian sovereignty."  Wow!  So much to dissect there.  (To be clear, I selected this letter to comment upon because it is so indicative of Leftist thinking.  I could have just as easily taken almost any article or Op-Ed in the D-MSM.)

"Israel and its defenders" clearly does not include this group.  Jews who cannot bring themselves to support Israel, even at a time like this?  I am disgusted by these people.  "Dignify the US's multibillion dollar investment in Israel's military"...what morons!  The United States supports the ONLY democracy in the Middle East - Israel.  Israel has had to fight war after war for its very existence.  After the UN voted in November, 1947 to partition the British Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state, the tiny country of Israel declared its independence in May, 1948.  The next day the Arab world made war on the new country in an effort to wipe Israel off the map.  Was that Israel's fault also?  The Arabs were given a state!  Why didn't they accept it?  Who should the US support?  Iran?  Syria?  Do I have to name them all?  Where is the democracy in the Middle East outside of Israel?

Let's go on with this open letter.  "Obscure the deadly reality of occupation."  In 2005 Israel vacated Gaza, and at times had to forcibly remove some of the 9000 Israelis living there.  They left behind industrial greenhouses, which the people of Gaza promptly destroyed, because Jews made them.  Instead of building, they immediately started launching rockets into southern Israel.  Eventually they were able to smuggle in more advanced missiles, all aimed at Israel.  I wonder how these idiots would like to live under a constant barrage of rockets and missiles.  And what about Egypt?  The southern border of Gaza is with Egypt, an Arab state.  No questions about why the Egyptians aren't helping their fellow Arabs, other than allowing the passage of ever more missiles into Gaza?

The letter continues.  "Deny Palestinian sovereignty."  When Israel ended its war for independence, fought from 1948 to 1949, Israel won.  The tiny country survived.  Jews around the world celebrated the existence of the first Jewish state in 2000 years, and the only Jewish state in the world.  Israel did not control Gaza after the war ended in 1949 - Egypt did.  Israel did not control the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) after the war ended in 1949 - Jordan did.  In fact, Egypt and Jordan controlled those areas for nearly two decades - right up to the next war, the 1967 Six Day War.  Israel at that time captured Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights.  But why wasn't a Palestinian state created when Egypt and Jordan had total control of the land?  

Again, let's discuss the idea of Palestinian sovereignty.  How many times have they been offered a state, only to refuse.  We'll just skip over the Arab attacks on Jewish businesses and people in the mid to late 1930's in Mandatory Palestine, before Israel even existed.  The idea of Jews living in the Jewish homeland was something the Arabs never tolerated.  That should be a clue for the Leftists - they will not agree to a Palestinian state as long as Israel exists.  Got it?  But let's go forward in time.  In 1947, the UN voted partition of the Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state,  The Jews established the State of Israel.  What did the Arabs establish?  Anybody?  They declared war on Israel.  

Remember when Bill Clinton hosted Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, and PA leader Yasser Arafat.  After Clinton got Barak to offer the Palestinians a state, Arafat walked out on the President of the United States and returned to Ramallah to start the Second Intifada - when so-called suicide bombers blew up/murdered Jews on buses, in cafes, in malls and even at a Passover Seder.  

Remember in 2008 when George Bush hosted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA President Mahmoud Abbas?  Again, the US President assisted (pressured?) the Israelis to return land to the Palestinians for a state.  Once again, like his predecessor, Abbas left without agreeing to anything.  At what point in time will people believe this is NOT about land.  It is about a desire to kill all the Jews!  Hamas even says so!  (See the second paragraph of this post.)  And that, my friends, is a key difference (often stated in this blog) between liberals and conservatives - liberals let their beliefs dictate their reality, conservatives let reality dictate their beliefs.  (Although, I should change that to replace "liberals" who have remained classical liberals, with "Leftists.")

But, I need to be fair to the writers of this open letter.  They do condemn the attacks on the Jews in their open letter.  They do condemn antisemitism.  And, make no mistake, they are well educated people.  Just like the intellectuals in this country who supported Stalin in the 1930's.  Well educated people.  I also want to be clear that there were abuses carried out by Israel against Palestinians.  Sadly, that is what happens with wars.  And people tend to ignore the estimated 700-800,000 or more Jews who were displaced from Arab and Muslim countries after the founding of Israel.  Yes, some left voluntarily, but many were persecuted and expelled from those countries. 

What really bothers me the most is the timing of this "open letter."  I know there are leftwing Jews, and that some do not even believe that Israel should exist.  I understand that, like all Leftists, they will always categorize Israel as the "oppressor" and the Palestinians as the "oppressed."  After that, no further questions are asked.  But to draft such a letter after the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust?  It makes me so angry - hence the title of this post.    

(An afterword.  I have attended religious services at Chabad for years.  I have a great deal of respect for the five Chabad Rabbis that I know.  Following the teachings of the Rebbe, all the Chabad Rabbis teach that the Jewish people are one, and that Jews are commanded to love their fellow Jews.  So, I guess my question is - can I love them without liking them?  Can I love them and still think that they are leftwing morons?  Otherwise, I offer my apologies to these Rabbis, for whom I truly do have the greatest respect.)    

  

Some Voices From The Conservative Media

Michael Oren was the former Israeli Ambassador to the United States.  His 10/23/23 Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal is titled "Hamas Mortally Threatens Israel's Existence."  Contrary to the way Professor Myers minimized the threat to Israel from the Palestinians (Hamas), Oren asserts "if the conflict ends in stalemate or cease-fire, the terrorists will have gotten away with mass atrocities on Israeli soil.  We will never be secure from future onslaughts.  Tourism and foreign investment will vanish, and many Israelis will raise their children elsewhere." 

By the way, everyone notice how the D-MSM and others on the left and in the Democratic Party have been fretting about the displacement of the people in Gaza, because Israel warned them to get out of the way of their bombing.  I haven't seen the same concern about all the Israelis displaced from both southern Israel (because of the Hamas attacks) and northern Israel (from the attacks by Hezbollah).  Myers also ignored how Israelis in the much of the country are afraid of leaving their homes.  And, of course, he ignored the blow to the Israeli economy as a result of so much of the country being effectively shut down, or having to leave their jobs to serve in the IDF.

Walter Russell Mead is a regular commentator in the WSJ.  In his 10/10/23 Op-Ed, he wrote this:  "Hamas has done all it could to keep Gaza wretched while inculcating an ideology of genocidal rage."  And:  "...there is no doubt that Iran trained, supported, advised and equipped the killers."  How nice to see an Op-Ed with such clarity.  This opinion, of course, is directly to the contrary of the Biden Administration saying Iran was not directly responsible for the current attack by Hamas.  I get it.  Biden does not want to see a wider war.  But that statement was so obviously farcical, it was of no help whatsoever.  

Mead:  "As Winston Churchill said to Neville Chamberlain after Munich, 'You were given the choice between war and dishonor.  You chose dishonor, and you will have war."  (Recall Chamberlain agreed to concede the Sudetenland to Nazi Germany, in exchange for Germany not pursuing further territorial objectives.  Chamberlain announced "peace for our time."  Of course, that was short lived, with the Nazis next invading Poland.)  And here is, perhaps, the key point made by Mead, a point that is missed by the D-MSM Op-Ed writers:  "...the war must be won before peace can be built."  In just those few words, Mead spoke with the moral clarity so lacking in the leftwing commentators.  

Similarly, Jerome Marcus wrote in the 10/24/23 WSJ:  "Israel Needs Unconditional Surrender."  Marcus tells us that an unconditional surrender was exactly what the Allies demanded of Nazi Germany.  As Hamas shares the Nazi's goal of extermination of the Jewish people, the only acceptable outcome is an unconditional surrender.  Marcus:  "At the Potsdam Conference in the summer of 1945, the Allies agreed on a complete disarmament and demilitarization of Germany, the transfer of land from Germany to Poland and the Soviet Union, and the expulsion of German populations from the countries Germany had attacked.  The Allies also provided for 'de-Nazification - removing Nazis from positions of authority, eliminating Nazi political organizations, and the arrest and trial of war criminals."

Here is a question I would like to ask all of the leftwing, D-MSM commentators:  Why do you not believe in winning?  Does it somehow offend your sense of "fairness?"  Do you not want to make a judgment as to which side is "right?"  Whatever is going on with these leftwing opinion writers, one thing is clear - they are lacking in moral clarity.  Something that can only be found in conservative circles.  

Eugene Kontorovich writes in the 10/17/23 WSJ:  "The Siege of Hamas Is No War Crime."  While acknowledging that having civilian victims of war is a tragedy, he says:  "But if even unintentional harm to civilians constitutes illegal 'collective punishment,' as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called Israel's operations in Gaza, even defensive war is effectively precluded."  The result would be that Israel has to just sit back and take it.  Absurd.  Quoting the U.S. Defense Department law-of-war manual, Kontorovich says siege is a "legitimate" part of a lawful war.  

"Only starvation directed at civilians is prohibited," per the manual.  Kontorovich:  "This should be obvious:  An army need not help its enemy obtain provisions during a conflict."  Should be obvious, but it's not to the Left.  I believe Biden made a huge error in announcing that humanitarian aid would be sent to Gaza, without asking anything in return.  Here is what I would have said to Hamas, while simultaneously announcing it to the entire world:  "No one wants to see the civilians in Gaza suffer.  You, Hamas, are the governing authority in Gaza.  Aid will flow as soon as you release all the hostages.  Please tell the world what is more important to you - the welfare of your people or the holding of innocent hostages." 

Kontorovich:  "The evacuation of civilians is a standard measure to avoid humanitarian crises.  Israel has moved tens of thousands of its own citizens away from the area of the Gaza border.  (And, I would again add, from northern communities given the firing of rockets and missiles by Hezbollah.)  Hamas, by contrast, has ordered its civilians to stay put, presumably to increase the tally of civilian deaths for propaganda purposes."  That latter point is one that I have often stated, as the point needs to made repeatedly, because the D-MSM falls for the Hamas propaganda all the time.

As an example, Hamas said Israel targeted a hospital, killing 500 people, so the D-MSM dutifully reported that as fact.  (The story was false.)  But that is the leftwing media, taking the word of a terrorist organization, an organization that excels at propaganda.  The reality is that Hamas places their missile launchers and military facilities in or under hospitals, schools, mosques and the like.  They do so knowing that Israel will have to respond, resulting in civilian deaths.  I want to know why Arab and Palestinian Americans are not out protesting Hamas.  Why aren't they protesting the atrocities committed by Hamas?  Why aren't they out protesting the way Hamas has mistreated the people of Gaza 17 years?  And why aren't they protesting the way Hamas uses the citizens of Gaza as "human shields?" 

As one letter to the editor in the WSJ said:  "If the Palestinians want peace, they must have the courage to denounce terrorist activities.  It isn't Israel's fault that their entire infrastructure is being sacrificed in the defense of Hamas.  If they are going to embrace a group that calls for death to Israel, expect there to be painful consequences."  Got that everyone?   

Some Voices From The D-MSM (Democratic Mainstream Media Complex)

 Here is David Myers' (Professor of Jewish history at UCLA) Op-Ed in the 10/9/23 Los Angeles Times.  "The Palestinians do not pose a serious threat to the existence of Israel, but they can inflict grave damage on the Israeli body and psyche.  They are not going to disappear.  Nor are they going to surrender their claims to self-determination.  And they are not going to give up the fight against Israel's dehumanizing occupation of 56 years."  He goes on to state that Israel "cannot batter Palestinians into submission."

Notice the deft sleight of hand by subtly interchanging "Palestinians" for "Hamas."  Hamas does need to disappear.  There can be no peace when they have only one goal - the killing of all the Jews and thus the elimination of Israel.  This attack by Hamas was different from all prior ones.  Israel must make Hamas disappear, for the good of Israel, for the good of the people of Gaza, and for the overall good of the Middle East.  

Allow me to remind Professor Myers that Israel vacated Gaza in 2005.  Hamas then won the election in 2006.  Hamas has allowed no further elections.  Hamas could have built a thriving civil society, with the assistance of Israel and the US and some of the Arab countries.  Instead, since 2006 they have non-stop sent missiles and rockets flying into Israel.  

Here is a news article in the 10/26/23 New York Times, on page 8.  In the first paragraph we are told:  "Fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip have grown so dire that the U.N. agency that has helped feed, school and shelter Palestinians there for decades said Wednesday that it might have to start shutting down operations."  The U.N. agency referred to is UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.  

Do not expect anyone at the New York Times to ask why, of the millions of displaced persons (refugees) from around the world following WWII, only the Arabs of Palestine are still referred to as "refugees."  Do not expect anyone at the New York Times to ask why the UN has a special agency just for the Arabs who were displaced.  And definitely do not expect anyone at that paper to ask why the duly elected government (Hamas) has not been taking care of their people - the people of Gaza - since they were elected in 2006.  (Answer:  they spend all their money on armaments and cement and wiring in order to build miles and miles of tunnels into Israel, all with the goal of killing as many Jews as possible.  Much of the food and electrical power goes to Hamas fighters.)

In the 10/22/23 New York Times is this Op-Ed by Thomas Friedman:  "Israel Is About to Make a Terrible Mistake."  Here is Friedman's plan:  "We can help, we can even insist, that our Arab and European allies work to create a more effective, less corrupt and more legitimate Palestinian Authority in the West Bank that, after some transition in Gaza, could help govern there as well.  But not without a fundamental change in Israeli policy toward the authority and the Jewish settlers."  Notice the burden of doing something is always put on Israel.

Mahmoud Abbas was elected President of the PA in 2005, for a four year term.  But his term got extended "indefinitely."  Clearly, there is a problem with both Hamas and the PA.  What "transition" in Gaza?  Friedman talks about getting rid of the Hamas leadership.  It requires more than that.  All of their military infrastructure must be destroyed.  All of the Hamas armaments - missiles, rockets, mortars, machine guns, etc. - must be destroyed or confiscated.  Friedman says the US "can even insist" that our Arab and European allies work to create a better government for the Palestinians.  Yes, because the Arab governments all have such a positive record of creating free and democratic societies.  And the Europeans?  They probably think that Hamas can be persuaded to be a reliably peaceful entity.

Here is Nicholas Kristof in the 10/12/23 New York Times:  "...I'm appalled by the sympathy that some Americans and Europeans have shown for a misogynist and repressive terror organization like Hamas.  If you care about human rights, you want to see Hamas eliminated."  Yes!  He got that right.  But then he followed up with:  "Yet dismantling terrorist organizations can be harder than it looks, and can raise troubling moral questions about collateral damage."  And this is where Kristof is completely wrong.  

Turn to the next post for some voices from the conservative media, and a further discussion as to how these D-MSM commentators are getting it wrong. 

   

Today's Los Angeles Times: Jews Feel The Left "Let Us Down," After Hamas Attack

There could not be a more instructive article for my fellow Jews who are on the Left.  Per the Times, one Jewish person (age 31) said he was active in J Street in college.  J Street is a left-wing Jewish organization which, in this writer's opinion, does not seem to favor the existence of Israel.  Says the Times of this individual:  "He was shocked by how quickly friends mobilized for the Palestinian cause while failing to condemn the attack (that slaughtered over 1400 people)."  And this:  good people he never considered antisemitic suddenly seemed "supportive of Jewish genocide."

The article states that, in parts of the "far left" "significant air-time has been given to the view that Israel is a colonizing force and therefore violence against it is justified."  And we are told:  "Some have adopted the Hamas position that all Israelis are legitimate targets by virtue of being on land where Palestinians lived before Israeli statehood in 1948."  (The article also refers to Hamas "militants" rather than "terrorists," as much of the D-MSM also does.  But that's a topic for another day.)

Allow me to pause here for a few comments.  The article does not explain how modern day Israel came about; how the United Nations voted to partition the land of the British Mandate into a Jewish state and an Arab state.  The article does not mention that Jews have always lived on that land, for thousands of years, notwithstanding the fact that foreign conquerors often expelled large numbers of the Jewish people.  The implication is that all the land was Palestinian land, and the Jewish state only came about because of the Holocaust.  Never mind the Balfour Declaration of 1917, contained in a letter by UK Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild.  It was the British who controlled the land after the defeat of the of the Ottoman Empire in WWI.  And the Ottomans controlled the land before WWI for nearly 400 years.

The 1917 Balfour Declaration says, in pertinent part:  "His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people..."  Do not be misled by the name "Palestine," often considered a derivative of Philistine.  Yasser Arafat popularized the term "Palestinian" as a way to refer to the Arabs of Palestine.  Of course, Jews have long known the area as Israel, and Judea and Samaria.  Jews lived throughout the area known as "Mandatory Palestine," during the period of British control following the end of WWI up until the founding of modern day Israel in 1948.

The Times article goes on:  "But as a minority group that is by and large white, American Jews...have also struggled to find their place in the new hierarchy of identity politics, where racial categories have become short-hand for the oppressed and the oppressor."

Allow me a further comment.  Could there be a better example of the evil of "identity politics" than that expressed in the above paragraph?  Jews are white, therefore they must be oppressors, and therefore they must be dealt with by violence.  This focus on one's "identity," whether racial, ethnic or religious, ignores the most important characteristic of all - good values and morals.  Where is the morality of those who celebrate the deaths of innocent civilians, even little babies.

The article goes on to quote a young 22 year old Jewish graduate of NYU, who describes himself as a "socialist, progressive leftist."  Said this young man:  "The Palestinian people have exhausted all other options except for violence."  While not explicitly supporting Hamas, he does say "I do support violence as an answer to settler colonialism against oppressed people."  

My comment.  I would guarantee that this young man knows absolutely nothing about the history of the Middle East.  What he does know is the left-wing propaganda that his professors drilled into him.  Here is a question I would ask him:  Imagine, with all your left-wing and pro-Palestinian beliefs, that you found yourself in one of the border towns of Israel adjacent to Gaza.  Maybe visiting a grandparent.  As Hamas terrorists come into their home and start spraying bullets, what are your final thoughts?  Are you thinking:  "I'm so glad that my grandparents and I are about to be slaughtered?"  Are you wondering why they did not ask you if you sided with them before murdering you?  

You see, young man, you are no different from me - a conservative, pro-Israel Zionist.  No different because we are both Jews, which makes us worthy of being murdered.  Said one "progressive" Rabbi who often criticizes the Israeli government:  Antisemitism is so "embedded" in society, that "people cannot even see it."  And she said this telling comment:  "Our human ask is that people give a damn when we die."  Well, Rabbi, as we have seen with the pro-Palestinian rallies on our college campuses, and in cities throughout our country and throughout the world, many do NOT give a damn when Jews die.  How many gave a damn during the Holocaust?  And in case anyone needed a reminder, Jew haters in Sydney, Australia were heard shouting "gas the Jews."

My final comments.  I honestly do not know if any of these left-wing Jews understand that their party has become a leftist party.  It is not a liberal party.  It adheres to leftist ideas of identity politics, with one's identity telling us everything we need to know about someone.  It adheres to the idea of "intersectionality," as if every cause of the Left has equal merit.  But worst of all, it has removed one's ability to think, to reason, and to see right from wrong.  Many young Jews (as the man in the first paragraph) are now struggling with people they considered to be friends, but who have come out strongly for the Palestinians, with no condemnation of the atrocities committed by Hamas.

If you know me, I would always try to explain to people why they are wrong, why they have lost their humanity if they refuse to condemn even the murder of babies.  But if they persisted in their evil beliefs, they would never be friends with me again.          

This Is Now Our America, Part II

As readers know, I now refer to the mainstream media as the Democratic Party-Mainstream Media Complex, or D-MSM for short.  It pays to see what they are saying in today's America.  On the front page of today's Los Angeles Times, above the fold, is this story:  "Mideast war has campuses on edge."  The story continues on page 8, occupying the entire page.  It is not described as opinion or analysis.  Therefore, we are to take it as "news."  On the front page under the fold is this:  "Palestinians in Gaza scramble to evacuate."  It is continued on page 4.  On page one is also a picture of a young Palestinian said to be injured by an Israeli airstrike.  Let's talk about the main article, atop the fold.

We are told that over 1300 Israelis were massacred by Hamas "militants."  Many D-MSM news outlets refuse to refer to Hamas as terrorists.  But what do you call people who murder babies and children and unarmed civilians?  It is certainly not military conflict.  It is intended to terrorize the civilian population.  Earlier in the week, I was astounded by this front page headline in the LA Times:  "Israel, Hamas toll rises over 1100."  What?  Innocent and unarmed Israeli civilians are lumped together with Hamas terrorists?  The D-MSM does this quite often.  Such as when a bad guy shoots and kills two people for example, but then the police shoot him dead.  The headline will be "Three killed in shootout."  No!  It's two killed by a murderer, who was then shot dead by the police.  The criminals should never be equated with the innocent victims.  The same goes for terrorists.  But this is now America. 

Inside, we ae told that student groups across the country either criticized university administrators for not issuing sufficiently harsh statements condemning Hamas, or not condemning Hamas at all.  Palestinian students and groups wanted expressions of support for Hamas' actions.  I am reminded of when Representative Ilhan Omar made one antisemitic comment after the next, and the Republicans in the House tried to get a resolution passed condemning antisemitism.  But then Speaker Nancy Pelosi would only allow a generic type of resolution, condemning all discrimination and all hate.  Whereas many members of Congress knelt in the Capitol rotunda on behalf of George Floyd and black lives, no such special consideration could be given for Jewish lives.  

Here's something by the La F.U.E.R.Z.A. Student Association at Cal State Long Beach:  "WHEN PEOPLE ARE COLONIZED RESISTANCE IS JUSTIFIED."  How is it possible that so many young people are insensitive to the murder of babies even?  This is now America.  The National Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (which, by the way, just like Hamas, is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood) said the Hamas attack was a "historic win for the Palestinian resistance."  "Bears for Palestine," a Berkeley student group, called Israel an "apartheid regime," and per the paper claimed that Israel "has occupied Palestinian lands for decades, depriving more than 2 million Gazans of their human rights and basic necessities for the last 16 years."  Here's an idea.  Tell Hamas to lay down their weapons, accept Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, use all the money they get to build a civil society, and let's see what happens.  We don't need to see what happens if Israel lays down its weapons...we saw that firsthand on October 7.  A day when more Jews were murdered than at any time since the Holocaust.  

I certainly would have preferred if the article quoted more Jewish professors and Jewish organizations.  But the article ended with a very telling quote from a 22 year-old Jewish student who did not want to walk alone on campus, because she did not want interactions with students supporting the recent actions by Hamas.  "It's a lonely feeling for I think a lot of us, where you see people that you thought you were friends with and they're blatantly promoting what's happening."  

That is a question for all of America.  That is a question raised in "Are We At War With Islam?"  I am sure most have us have seen Rashida Tlaib, a member of Congress, refuse to condemn the murder of even Jewish babies.  Yes, some in the "Squad" have.  But what if people like Tlaib become so numerous in the country and in Congress, that all support for Israel would end.  Can you imagine funding Hamas?  Oh wait, we do fund UNRWA (The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), which operates in Gaza.  And Hamas controls Gaza.  It is past time to cease funding for UNRWA.  Why, 75 years later, after so many people were displaced from so many countries following the end of WWII (including hundreds of thousands of Jews from Arab countries) do we have a UN agency devoted to one group of "refugees."  Stop calling them refugees.  Stop saying "refugee camps."  It is nonsense.

I cannot end this post without discussing Iran.  Iran is frequently called the leading state sponsor of terrorism.  Hamas and Hezbollah would not be able to operate without Iran supplying both money and weaponry.  Why should Iran be able to walk away from this conflict unscathed?  

This Is Now Our America, Part I

A few preliminary comments.  Early on in the blog, I wrote a post called "Are We at War with Islam?  Part I."  It was posted August 29, 2010.  Another five parts followed.  I do suggest a reading of that post, which can easily be found on the web version by typing the title (without the Part I) into the search bar.  Also, before I get to the bad/sad news, I want to thank President Biden for continuing to support Israel.  (Yes, I am aware of the critics who say he should have gone much further.  But for now, as I always say, give credit where credit is due.)  The President has sent two aircraft carrier groups to the eastern Mediterranean.  He has been sending necessary war materiel to resupply Israel.  And, according to a former Israeli special forces operator, the Navy's Seal Team Six and the Army's Delta Force are already on the ground, assisting the Sayeret Natkal, Israel's premier special forces outfit, in order to assist in finding and extracting the hostages.  The search for hostages has delayed the ground invasion of Gaza.

It is beyond sad that here in America it has become difficult to call what Hamas did terrorism.  What other purpose could there be when they target civilians, including babies.  I saw online a picture of a little baby riddled with bullets.  I do not know how I will ever get that image out of my head.  Are we at war with Islam?  Just look at what is happening at college campuses across the country.  Just look at what is happening in major cities across the country, with so many rallying in support, not just for the Palestinians, but for Hamas.  (No one needs to email to tell that there are Muslims who support America and even Israel.  I know.  But their voices do not seem to be in the majority.)

At Harvard University, over two dozen student organizations signed off on this statement:  "We the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all the unfolding violence...today's events did not occur in a vacuum.  For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison...Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years."  Nothing like blaming the victim.

But let's break that down.  "The Israeli regime."  No, Israel has regular elections, like all democracies.  On the other hand, although Hamas won the election in Gaza in 2006, they have allowed no further elections.  Calling Gaza "an open-air prison."  This is how the radical Muslims and the Left use language as propaganda.  Somehow, in this "prison" Hamas has managed to build a huge military arsenal.  Money and weapons come from Iran.  Hamas has used tons of cement to reinforce their underground tunnels.  But this is a "prison."  Let me be clear, to the extent Gaza is a prison it is because of Hamas, not Israel.  Hamas rules with an iron fist.  Imagine using all that cement (and the accompanying electrical wiring and lights) to build infrastructure where businesses could thrive.  But, again, Hamas does not give a damn about the people of Gaza.  Their one and only goal is the destruction of Israel.

"Israeli violence has structured every aspect of Palestinian existence for 75 years."  Just like the phrase "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," this is where these student groups tipped their hand and demonstrated their true beliefs.  Modern Israel has existed for 75 years.  When the United Nations voted partition of the British Mandate in 1947, the Jews were given a tiny piece of land.  But even that was too much for the Arabs, as 5 Arab nations attacked Israel in May, 1948, the day after the Jewish people announced the establishment of Eretz Israel, their historic homeland.  The fact that Israel still exists today is something that these pro-Palestinian groups cannot accept.  They still refer to the establishment of Israel as the "Nakba," which means catastrophe.  "From the river (the Jordan River) to the sea (the Mediterranean) Palestine will be free" means there is no Israel.  Keep in mind that Harvard is considered the premier university in the country.  But this is America now. 

Here is a professor from Yale, another one of the top universities in the country.  "Settlers are not civilians.  This is not hard," so said Zareena Grewal.  Calling Israelis settlers, people who live in Israeli towns outside of Gaza and outside of the West Bank (in what is considered Israel proper) again shows their true belief - all of Israel is land occupied by "settlers."  In other words, Israel has no right to exist.  You know what is "hard" professor?  It is hard to imagine that anyone who considers themselves a civilized person is unable to condemn the murder of babies, children and unarmed civilians.  Here is more from this professor:  "Israel is a murderous, genocidal settler state and Palestinians have every right to resist through armed struggle, solidarity."  Yes, Palestinians have every right to pump a dozen or more bullets into a baby.  This is beyond sick - it is pure evil.  I could give plenty of additional examples of what goes on our universities.  But this is America now.  

For those of you who may have supported Black Lives Matter (which I never understood as they are racist and antisemitic), here is what Mediaite reported:  "Black Lives Matter chapters across the country are celebrating the terrorist attacks that have claimed hundreds of innocent lives in Israel."  At last count, over 1300 hundred were murdered by Hamas terrorists.  Here is the LA Chapter of Black Lives Matter:  "...resistance must not be condemned, but understood as a desperate act of self-defense."  When did the murder of babies and children come to be called "resistance?"

I don't want to make this post overly political. but facts are facts, and these are important facts.  According to a Gallup poll conducted in February of this year, Democrats were asked where their sympathies lie in the Middle East.  In the January, 2013, poll, only 19% (bad enough) said their sympathies lie with the Palestinians over Israel, whereas 55% chose Israel.  Fast forward 10 years to February, 2023, and 49% of Democrats said their sympathies lie with the Palestinians, with only 38% favoring Israel.  How did this happen?  It happened because many "liberal" Democrats simply went along with their party even after it was dominated by "leftists," who are decidedly not "liberal" in any way.  It happened because these leftists now dominate in our colleges and universities, and even in our public schools.  

My wife and I attended two stand with Israel events this past week, both sponsored by Chabad.  I was pleased to see the turnout.  I also saw large turnouts at synagogues, as seen on the nightly news.  I saw young people and old people.  I saw Reform Jews, Conservative Jews and Orthodox Jews.  I saw/spoke with politically liberal and politically conservative Jews.  And I saw Christians at these rallies.  All standing together, united, in support of Israel.  

I'll end with this.  Many of you may have seen scenes at airports around the country and around the world, where young Jews are trying to get flights back to Israel in order to fight for their country.  The only social media I am on is LinkedIn.  I saw a post (I do not recall the country) where an El Al (the Israeli airlines) plane was about to take off.  Every seat was filled, but there were more young people in the airport who wanted to fly back to Israel.  The Captain told the flight attendants to give up their seats.  Then, with even more wanting to get on the flight, the Captain ordered they may be permitted on the plane and be allowed to sit or lay down on the floor.  This brought tears to my eyes.  

The Jewish people, acting as one in support of Israel.  Am Yisrael Chai!  The people of Israel live!