Year End Reflections - Part II (The Evil of DEI)

The New York Times is not a fan of either Christmas or Chanukah.  Nevertheless, a front page article in the December 7 edition, is quite instructive.  The headline of the article is "A Divide Over Israel Frays American Families."  The discussion, not surprisingly, centers around Jewish American families.  And, while they have interviewed a number of young people, the focus is mostly on one family.  

The parents (boomers) moved from Madison, Wisconsin to Israel.  The divide over Israel between the parents and their daughter seemed to begin when the daughter became a grad student at UC Berkeley.  Big surprise.  At Berkeley, the daughter found her attitudes about Israel being challenged by "classmates and friends."  One friend pulled away from her over her ties to Israel.  Another criticized her for not being "vocally pro-Palestine," saying that she was on "the wrong side of history."  

As this Berkeley grad student  started reading materials by black feminist authors, it motivated her to think about "questions around power, privilege and whiteness."  Ultimately, she became pro-Palestinian.  And she reached this conclusion:  "I don't think the state of Israel should ever have been established.  It's based on this idea of Jewish supremacy.  And I'm not on board with that."  Clearly, she is on board with Arab Muslim supremacy.  I can't imagine a better example of the evil that has been taught and perpetrated by schools, universities, administrators, professors and college presidents (witness the 3 presidents of the most "elite" universities telling Congress that speech calling for the genocide of Jews might be within school policy - depending on the context).  That evil being taught is DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).  

When her father asked this Berkeley grad student why she did not condemn Hamas' brutal attacks on her social media, the reply was quite telling.  She wanted to know why her father did not "emphasize the historical context - the occupation and Palestinian displacement - that shaped the current war."  There's that word again - context.  As noted in Part I of Year End Reflections, the context is the fact that Israel exists.  That, in turn, apparently justifies the atrocities committed by Hamas.  

The article cites a poll by what is described as the "Democratic pollster GBAO Strategies."  The poll was just taken this November, of American Jews.  It found that 82% of those age 36 or older were in favor of Biden's support for Israel.  But only 53% of those age 18 to 35 supported Biden on his approach to Israel.

The authors of the article made this interesting admission:  "Most of the people interviewed for this article did not identify as Orthodox, a small segment of the American Jewish population who tend to have a stronger attachment to Israel than others do."  A shame that they did not interview any people from Chabad, an orthodox segment which also happens to be the fastest growing segment within Judaism.  They would gotten a much different take, as Chabad is very strongly pro-Israel.

Heather MacDonald had a very important Op-Ed in the December 7 edition of the Wall Street Journal.  It is titled "DEI Drives Campus Antisemitism."  MacDonald:  "The real issue on campuses isn't antisemitism but the anti-Western ethos that has colonized large swaths of the curriculum."  And, given the belief that "the West is built on white supremacism and oppression...Israel is cast as the Western settler-colonialist oppressor par excellence."  I would categorize these ideas as just another form of Marxism.  The oppressed working class proletariat (dark skinned) vs the bourgeoisie (whites).  

But here is the interesting thing.  With the ideas of DEI and intersectionality, MacDonald mentioned a discussion given at Cornell by a professor of Judeo-Islamic Studies.  The title of the lecture was "The Intersectionality of Antisemitism, Islamophobia and Racism."  MacDonald then tells us that the usual suspects at that intersection are "white supremacists, former Trump administration officials, evangelical Christians and white opponents of mass immigration from Muslim countries."  In other words, right wing "deplorables."  

MacDonald:  "None of these supposed oppressors play a significant role in pro-Hamas campus protests.  The actual protesters - Muslims, Black Lives Matter activists, Queers for Palestine, socialist groups and proponents of the anti-Israel boycott, divest and sanctions movement - went unmentioned in the lecture" at Cornell.  

Starting in 2010 and going through 2016, I wrote a six part post called "Are We At War With Islam."  If one looks around the Muslim world it is immediately obvious that Islamic rule of a country is contrary to Western notions of freedom and liberty.  And in this country, it is the Left that holds the same anti-Western views.  Views that lead them to be anti-American and anti-Israel.  Which is why you will see these leftwing groups marching with Palestinians in support of Hamas.  But none of these groups, Queers for Palestine for example, would actually want to live in a Palestinian controlled state.  There is one gay pride parade every year in the Middle East, and it is in Tel Aviv, Israel.  Good luck being openly gay in the Arab countries or Gaza.      

Year End Reflections - Part I

Hard to believe, but it's that time of year again.  One of the biggest stories of the year was, of course, the war started by Hamas against the Jewish people.  As more stories come out from some of the hostages, the atrocities that were committed makes it clear that Hamas is ISIS, and Hamas is the new Nazi Party.  The concomitant rise in antisemitism, on college campuses and in our city streets, has been quite disheartening.  

But tonight, this first night of Chanukah, my wife and I attended a community Menorah lighting put on by Chabad.  There was a large turnout - seniors, young people and all ages in between.  All to show that the Jewish people will not be cowed by the supporters of evil.  And how good to read about so many non-Jews saying they will be lighting a Menorah in a show of solidarity with the Jewish people.

In other news this year, former President Trump was indicted four times; indictments that were politically motivated.  Meanwhile the Democrat-Mainstream Media Complex (which I'll now refer to as D-MSMC) avoids, or excuses, the actual corruption allegations that involve the Biden family.  And the televised January 6 hearings, put on during prime time, had the sole purpose of destroying the Republican Party.

While Trump remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis remain strong contenders.  But they have a lot of catching up to do if they hope to beat Trump.  The early primaries may give us a clue as to who may be favored.  Will Biden run?  He says he is running because Trump is.  But who knows.  Kamala Harris is weak.  California Governor Gavin Newsom says he's not running, but seems to be doing everything to demonstrate he is.  And why not?  He wrecked San Francisco as Mayor, and got promoted to Governor of the State.  He wrecked the State, so maybe he gets promoted to President.

I had occasion to speak with two California Highway Patrol officers in Court today.  The State Police used to be responsible for security at state offices, but they merged with the Highway Patrol a long time ago.  We were discussing how the CHP is down by maybe 1000 officers, not good for the most populous state in the country.  I asked what the problem was - Sacramento?  No.  

I was told that far fewer people want to be law enforcement officers.  Who can blame them.  In many places there is little or no support from local or state political leaders.  Everything they do is second guessed, and may result in being sued or even incarcerated.  Besides, think what young kids are taught about cops.  The same problem exists for our Army.  Who wants to fight for a country that is racist, sexist, etc. etc. etc.  That's what many young kids and college students are taught.  

It is no accident that college students are often pro-Palestinian.  Arab money has funded Middle East Study Centers at schools across the country.  The Saudis have a long history of funding and publishing public school books.  But the Left in this country has the same perception of America and Israel and Western societies as do the Islamic countries and the Communist Chinese.  It is up to conservatives and classical liberals to gain back control of our education system.

There is clearly a long way to go, when the presidents of 3 of the most "elite" universities in the country, Harvard, MIT and UPenn, were unable to categorically state that calling for the genocide of the Jewish people would be a violation of school policy.  Each one said it would depend on the "context."  Really?  So, if someone called for the genocide of black people, they would say that might be acceptable, depending on the "context."  How about calling for the genocide of the LGBTQ community?  Would that depend on the "context?" 

Obviously neither would be acceptable to these university presidents.  So what's the "context" for Jews?  That the State of Israel exists, and calling for the destruction of that state and the killing of all the Jews there, a la Hamas, might make the "context" acceptable?  These 3 university presidents are despicable.  But there can be no clearer demonstration of the immoral and evil beliefs of the Left.  (I am not speaking of Classical Liberals.)    

In other news this year, the war against Ukraine by Putin continues.  As support for Ukraine diminishes in this country, I do hope that the Europeans step up.  Putin must not be allowed to win.  We have a new Speaker of the House.  I was not happy with the Republican infighting, and the display put on by Matt Gaetz.  Let's hope that new Speaker Mike Johnson, currently the top Republican in Congress, can unite the party, and lead us to success next November.  

Some Things Every American Should Know

It has been quite distressing to see all the pro-Palestinian and even pro-Hamas demonstrations on college campuses.  But it is not always an accident.  Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have contributed billions to our universities.  As has the Chinese Communist Party.  Anybody think they have an interest in instilling American or Western values.  Anybody think they are sending all this money our way just to be nice?  The CCP has established Confucius Institutes.  At Georgetown University they have the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian understanding.  Funded by the Saudis.  

The Department of Education reported that Arab sources donated about $8.5 billion to US colleges and universities between 1986 and 2021.  At least, that is what was reported by US schools.  And one site reports that "donors from Arab states have quietly made contributions to American universities to create centers and chairs to propagate their views.  The Arab lobby succeeded in hijacking the field of Middle East Studies and now has faculty across the country who use their positions to advance political agendas that are typically pro-Arab (often specifically related to the Palestinians), anti-Israel, and uncritical of radical Islam."  So guess what America's youth are being taught?  Nothing positive about Israel, the only Western style democracy in the Middle East.

Cornell, Stanford, UC Berkeley and University of Texas (Austin) all have relationships with the King Abdullah (former leader of Saudi Arabia) University of Science and Technology, with each getting $25 million or more over a five year period.  MIT, Harvard and Carnegie Mellon are also recipients of Arab largesse.  Qatar, a country that openly supports Hamas, has contributed billions to our academies.  

Let us not forget the professor at Cornell who referred to the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 as "exhilarating" and "energizing."  The brutal murder of unarmed civilians, even children and babies, was exhilarating and energizing for this professor.  Just how sick can it get.  

And we know that Leftist thinking which has infected the media and Hollywood and the Democrat Party, tends to support the anti-Israel narrative.  Here is former President Obama:  "What Hamas did was horrific, and there's no justification for it.  And what is also true is that the occupation and what's happening to Palestinians is unbearable."  After saying there was no justification for the atrocities committed by Hamas, Obama gave them a justification.  

Meanwhile, these young people, who likely know nothing about the history of the Middle East, who seem to not know what the Holocaust was, are getting increasingly brazen and threatening in their attacks on Jews.  The President of AIPAC (the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee) has a home in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles.  AIPAC is the largest pro-Israel lobbying group in the country.  Pro-Palestinian demonstrators vandalized his driveway, threw smoke bombs at his home, and carried a banner reading "Fuck UR holiday!  Baby Killer!"  

Meanwhile, a teacher at the Hillcrest High School in Jamaica Hills, Queens, NYC, had to hide inside a locked office for two hours.  Why?  After posting that she stands with Israel, "hundreds of teens stormed the hallways, where they chanted, waved Palestinian flags and screamed that the teacher needs to go."  (As reported by Fox News.)  The teacher has worked in the NYC schools for 23 years, and said she "was shaken to my core."  

But these threats and disruptions are not isolated incidents.  Pro-Palestinian protesters have taken over bridges in order to disrupt traffic.  They attempted to disrupt the 97th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  They defaced the White House gate.  They interfered with the operations at Grand Central Station in NYC.  The list goes on and on.  How soon before we see serious injuries and deaths.  (Of course, there was already the death of a Jewish man in Thousand Oaks, California, at the hands of a pro-Palestinian protester - a professor at a local college no less.)

Meanwhile, in a poll out this month, 37% of Jewish college students said they feel a need to hide their identity.  54% said they felt scared.  This is America in 2023.  But it made me think of the meme sent to me by my younger daughter the first weekend of this month, with the end of daylight saving time:  "Don't forget to turn your clocks back to 1938 Germany time this weekend."  November, 1938, was when the Nazis organized a series of what have been described as pogroms, resulting in the vandalism and destruction of Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues.  It came to be known as "Kristallnacht," the night of broken glass.  

I have often said that, outside of Israel, the United States has been the best country in the world for the Jewish people.  I don't want to think that we have set our clocks back to 1938 Germany time.  But it behooves all of us as Americans, Jews and non-Jews alike, to pay attention and to speak up and against the rise in antisemitism and outright Jew hatred. 

Progressive Thinking is a Threat to Israel, America and the World

Nicholas Kristof is a self-described progressive, and a regular Op-Ed writer for the New York Times.  He has even won two Pulitzer Prizes.  Unfortunately, he lacks moral clarity.  In the Sunday, November 12th edition of the paper's Opinion section, he had this article:  "President Biden, Please Do More to Build Peace."  So far, so good.  Everyone wants peace.  But at what cost?

Kristof:  "I'm fine with Israel taking out Hamas's military leaders or destroying tunnels in a surgical way, but not with it leveling large sections of Gaza..."  First of all, Israel does not give a damn about what you are "fine" with, Mr. Kristof.  Secondly, Hamas needs to be completely eradicated.  It is not enough to only take out their military leaders.  Their political structure cannot be allowed to continue to exist.  Otherwise, they will rebuild their military and Israel will be facing the same problems over and over and over again.  Nothing short of complete victory or an unconditional surrender by Hamas will solve the problem.

Kristof:  "Israel has a responsibility to value Palestinian lives even if Hamas doesn't."  Israel does more than any other country to protect civilians.  They make phone calls into Gaza to warn people.  They drop dud bombs on the roofs of building to warn people.  They drop leaflets out of airplanes to warn people.  Your premise is utter nonsense, Mr. Kristof.

Kristof:  "The Biden administration has already encouraged Israel to rachet its assault on Gaza several notches toward the surgical end by using smaller bombs and allowing humanitarian pauses."  This reminds me of a skit on Saturday Night Live years ago when a "reporter" was asking the "defense secretary" (may have been a Dick Cheney player) why smart bombs sometimes kill innocent people.  To which the Cheney player merely slapped the top of his head in disbelief.  But that "reporter" is Kristof.  

And just what does Kristof think happens with these "humanitarian" pauses?  Here is what I think happens.  Hamas regroups and rearms.  Hamas takes the humanitarian aid for themselves and their fighters.  They have already announced publicly that they are not responsible for the people of Gaza.  They believe the UN has that responsibility.  We know they use the people of Gaza as human shields, and then someone like Kristof falls for it and blames Israel when civilians die.  And just how "humanitarian" does Kristof think Hamas is?  They murdered civilians of all ages.  They raped women.  They took as hostages people of all ages.  

 Kristof:  "I'm skeptical that the Israeli Army can actually eradicate extremist forces from Gaza, so it seems to me that what's unfolding there now - with American complicity as we supply Israel with bombs and artillery shells - is neither militarily nor morally sustainable."  You're skeptical, Mr. Kristof?  I bet the leaders of the newly formed state of Israel, in 1948, were skeptical that they could defeat the five Arab armies that attacked them.  Israel was outgunned and outmanned.  But Israel won.  I bet Eisenhower had a healthy dose of skepticism about the chances of success on D-Day.  Maybe Kristof thinks the US should supply Hamas with an equal number of bombs and artillery shells in order to satisfy his mistaken sense of fairness.    

Kristof:  "Looking ahead, the next initiative must be a major push by Biden for an Israeli-Palestinian peace"... but "both sides lack credible leaders to get there."  What nonsense.  The Arabs of Palestine have been offered their own state numerous times,  Starting in 1947 when the UN voted to partition the British Mandate in Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.  They refused.  They have been offered a state numerous times since.  They refused.  They don't want a state as long as Israel exists.  They want all the land "from the river to the sea."  And you, a two time Pulitzer Prize winner, fall for all their propaganda.  

Here's Kristof's hope in the meantime.  The State Department should again declare the "settlements" to be in violation of international law.  And this gem:  "The United States could also abstain at the United Nations Security Council on a resolution calling for humanitarian pauses, instead of vetoing it as happened last time."  After all, "How many dead Gazan children are too many," Kristof asks.

So what are the common themes in all of Kristof's comments?  First, Israel is at fault, or at least equally at fault with Hamas.  Second, as is typical of leftwing "progressive" thinking, no demands are to made of the bad guys.  No, appeasement is the answer.  Appease them with more and more of these "humanitarian" pauses - because this Pulitzer Prize winner does not understand that such pauses are for the benefit of a terrorist organization.  

Third, these progressive leftists do not believe in winning wars.  Just imagine if Kristof had the ear of Roosevelt or Truman or Eisenhower?  Just take out the Nazis' military leaders, but allow their political structure to remain.  Allow the Nazis to remain in power?  What could go wrong there?  Well, Hamas has revealed themselves to be the new Nazis, slaughtering men, women and children and even babies for the sole reason that they are Jewish.  Hamas can no longer be allowed to exist.  Unfortunately, there will be civilian deaths in the meantime.  

And wouldn't it be nice if Kristof had any concern for the devasting impact October 7 had on the people of Israel.  1200 murdered.  240 taken hostage.  200,000 having to leave their homes in the south and the north as well, because Hezbollah joined in the fight.  The economic and psychological consequences of October 7 are of no apparent concern to Kristof, because "how many dead Gazan children are too many."  Here is the answer, Mr. Kristof - one is too many.  But that cannot deter Israel from doing what it must to defeat Hamas.  Were it otherwise, Israel would have to sit back and just accept attack after attack after attack.

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?