Way Past Time to Halt Netanyahu’s War

OPINION:

Way Past Time To Halt Netanyahu’s War

What is going on in Gaza is heartbreaking and it must stop.

OPINION: 

Way Past Time To Halt Netanyahu’s War

By D.S. Mitchell

 

Both Sides Of Their Mouths

With all the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Latino, and anti-POC rhetoric coming from the 2024 Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump, I was amazed to see the recent uproar from the Republicans over Chuck Schumer’s frontal attack on Benjamin Netanyahu.  Seriously, I mean seriously? I wonder how anyone from the right wing MAGA  crowd dares to even open their mouths.

Raise Up

Who are these hypocrites that now raise up on their hind legs and call Schumer an ‘Israel hater’ and even a ‘Jew hater’? Chuck Schumer is the highest elected person of the Jewish faith in this country and has given unrestrained support for the country of Israel for decades. But since Schumer’s anti-Netanyahu speech on the Senate floor ex-president Trump has been peppering his rally tirades and imbecilic tweets with attacks against Schumer as an ‘Israel hater’. Trump has said that any American Jew that votes for a Democrat should be ashamed.’ Remember, Trump  is the same guy who identified the Charlottesville Neo-Nazi Jew haters who rallied with torches, screaming “Jews will not replace  us,”  as “really fine people.”

Voices 

The labeling of an individual as “anti-Semitic” because they have the courage to question the correctness of supporting a government that denies human rights every day to Palestinians within their borders is wrong. We need to get past the idea that Israel is above criticism and condemnation for its actions. There is no reason for confusion. It is easy to separate the country of Israel from the religious philosophy of Judaism.  Israel is a government, no better or worse than any other. Well, maybe worse than many, would be a better description. At some point we must separate Judaism the religion from the political state of Israel. When Israel takes action, it takes action as a country, not as a religion.  The decisions it’s leaders  makes are not agreed upon by every citizen anymore than the citizens of America are consulted on important issues.  Currently, Israel is experiencing sharp divisions between left and the right political factions, just like in the United States. That division has allowed Netanyahu to cobble together a government of radical right wing extremists; and its these folks who are directing the war.

State of Confusion

Confused persons are attacking the most powerful elected Jew in the United States, Chuck Schumer, because he challenged Netanyahu’s war plan. The state of Israel is a fair target for criticism. Period, dot. Netanyahu’s government is pursuing  inhumane policies, and needs to be called out by everyone that sees this abomination. But criticism of him does not equate to anti-Semitism. But the winds are blowing against Netanyahu. Most Americans are outraged and disgusted at the suffering they are witnessing everyday on their TV, whether the observer be Jew or Gentile. I know I am, and so is every single person I have spoken to about the issue. Joe Biden is a good man. He needs to break with Netanyahu for no other reason than his own moral compass demands he do so.

An Apartheid State

Israel under “Bibi” Netanyahu is no place for the non-Jew. So, upfront the United States has been supporting an oppressive regime dehumanizing and disenfranchising the Palestinians on the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza for years. The Netanyahu Israel is, as far as Palestinians are concerned, an apartheid state, no different than the segregated south of the United States or South Africa of the 1900s.

Billion Dollar Support

The United States has supported the state of Israel since its inception in 1948.  The United States provides billions of dollars in aide to Israel every year. In fact, I would say the United States is and has been the spine of Israel for decades. It is the unwavering support of the United States, that has allowed Israel to wear big-boy pants and swagger around the Middle East waving U.S. made weapons in all directions.

Spoils of War

In 1967 Israel won a decisive victory in the Six Day War against an Arab coalition force led by Egypt.  In that conflict Israel took control of the Sinai Peninsula (which was returned to Egypt per the Camp David Accords in 1978), the West bank of the Jordan River, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. Despite fifty plus years of war and negotiation, Israel has refused to return to its pre-1967 borders.

Expansion Extremists

Israeli expansionists have opposed the return of the captured lands and have aggressively built Jewish settlements, in defiance of international law. In fact, last week; while U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, was in Israel the Netanyahu government insulted Blinken and the United States by announcing the biggest land seizure in the West Bank since 1993. It can only be described as an illegal land grab; “from river to the sea,” Netanyahu recently declared. Interestingly when the matter was brought up to Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, he said that, “soon Israel will be able to clear away all the rubble and develop miles of water front property.” Like I said earlier, this is one of the biggest land grabs in history, at an unimaginable cost of human life.

Believe Your Eyes

My question is; why shouldn’t we challenge the relationship of our government and that of Netanyahu? Since when is any foreign policy topic too sensitive to have a conversation about? My God, since 10/7, close to 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, more than 12,000 are believed to be children. Nearly every building has been demolished. There are no schools, there are no apartment buildings, there are no mosques. There is little doubt that Israel’s war against Hamas is a convenient excuse for genocide. Harsh words, but what else can a shocked world believe. It looks like the Palestinian’s are facing a 21st century  Holocaust.

Conclusion

The situation was untenable-unstable-and unsatisfactory long before the Israel-Hamas war. Until Palestinians gain equity in their own state taken from the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem there will be no real security for either side. Without a Palestinian state there will continue to be flareups between the parties. Joe Biden has said it multiple times. The answer is obvious, there needs to be a two state solution, nothing else makes sense.

 

GOP Eagerly Embraces Trump

EDITORIAL:

The GOP Embraces Trump

Trump is a criminal. He is dangerous man. Stop him.

EDITORIAL:

Corruption, Bigotry, and Intolerance 

The last thing America needs is another four years of Trump in the White House tweeting crazy ass nonsense 24 hours a day, indicting his enemies, attacking the media, and defaming private citizens from a seat in the Oval Office. Come on America, we are definitely better than this guy.

By D. S. Mitchell

 

The Last Thing America Needs

Donald J. Trump, the last thing America needs in public office, has seen his poll numbers skyrocket among Republicans, as his criminal indictments mount. Trump, the forever grifter, is making millions selling his mugshot on T-shirts. The Grand Old Party of Lincoln has collapsed. What we now have in its place is total acceptance of the unacceptable.  Gun packing white supremacists, torch carrying Neo-Nazi’s, vitriolic officials denying the obvious truth, Joe Biden won the election. When Republican politicians like Liz Cheney, and Mitt Romney can’t talk sense to these crazies, and instead leave the party to become unaffiliated voices; it just proves that today’s Republican Party is not the party of your father-or your grandfather; and certainly not Lincoln.

Against The Trump Plan 

When all the votes for the 2020 presidential election were counted, Joe Biden’s ballot tally totaled 81,283,098 votes, or 51.3% of the vote. Donald Trump only garnered 74,222,958 or 46.8% of the vote. Miscellaneous other candidates captured a meager 1.8% of the vote. In other words, Joe Biden, kicked Trump’s butt, besting the Mango Mussolini by over 7 million plus votes. Go Brandon!

In MAGA World, The Biggest Flag Wins

But, those numbers were obviously out of sync with Trump’s election plan. Trump demanded recount after recount, all the while inflaming his supporters, convincing them, falsely, that he was the victim of voter fraud, mostly in the black and brown big cities of the country.  Votes were counted and recounted and lawsuit after lawsuit brought by Trump challenging the election were dismissed. Everyone from the bloated and lawless Bill Barr to Cybersecurity Director Chris Krebs called Trump’s claims of voter fraud, “bullshit.” But, three years later, I still see signs proclaiming, “Trump Won!” usually accompanied by an oversized American flag.

On A Personal Note

I admit it, I’m angry. The MAGA election deniers have highjacked the American flag, as if it is their private property. Pre-MAGA I would fly the flag in front of my house every President’s Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day (my son’s birthday), the 4th of July, and Labor Day, I no longer display the flag on the above noted holidays, but instead I now keep my treasured flag in a drawer. The last thing I want is for anyone, at anytime, to assume I’m a Trumpie. I am furious that these MAGA lug nuts have so brazenly, as if they are the patriots, stolen the stars and stripes as decor for their civil disobedience. I am convinced these fake patriots are an existential threat to our democracy. It isn’t a far stretch to imagine Trump using armed militias to implement Bashar al-Assad tactics to hold on to power if he is ever returned to the White House.

As It Plays Out

Because of Trump’s lies, our country has grown even more painfully divided. Instead of the bloated orange fruit fly conceding the election, to Joe Biden, like every other loser before him has, Trump chose to create chaos, dissent, and mob violence. Authoritarians do that sort of thing, call the validity of elections into question. If Trump becomes the Republican nominee in 2024 I am sure we will see more armed election observers,  more lawsuits, more threats of violence, more white supremacist saber rattling, and more talk of Trump as a lifetime president.

Continue reading

Carlson In My Rearview Mirror

Tucker Carlson In My Rearview Mirror

Fox said goodbye to Tucker Carlson. Time will tell whether Carlson fades into oblivion like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly other past Fox rabble rousers.

Tucker Carlson In My Rearview Mirror

By D. S. Mitchell

 

$787.5 Million For Dominion 

The Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit cost Fox (News?) $787.5 million big ones. If it sounds huge, it is. In fact, it is by far the largest defamation settlement in the history of the planet. Prior to the Fox-Dominion case, the largest defamation payout was for $177 million, in a 2017 case between ABC News and Beef Products Inc., a South Dakota meat processing company.

Five Factors To Prove Defamation

Five factors must have occurred to prove defamation. 1.) Publication of false information. 2.) The person, or in this case entity, Dominion Voting Systems, was specifically identified by Fox and its commentators. 3.) The remarks had a negative impact on the person or the entity’s reputation. 4.) The information disseminated (by Fox) was false and they knew it was false (reckless disregard). 5.) The defendant (Fox) is at fault, having published the lie for public consumption.

What Exactly Did Fox Do?

First and foremost, Fox and its on-air crew (Carlson, Hannity, Ingraham, and multiple others) repeatedly lied to their viewers. Despite information to the contrary, day after day, night after night, they repeated the lies, claiming Dominion Voting Systems had switched or credited votes illegally to Joe Biden. An intoxicated, red faced, Rudy Giuliani, a mentally disturbed Sydney Powell, and that weirdo Pillow Guy were on Fox every night pushing the lie that Donald Trump had won the 2020 presidential election with zero pushback from the commentators.

Nasty Secrets Revealed

As the trial date drew near, the cable news airwaves were filled with jaw-dropping leaks of emails between the folks at Fox. The texts and emails from the king of bullshit, and Fox’s biggest star, Tucker Carlson, stunned me. The shock came when I realized this SOB was even more disgusting in real life than I had imagined possible.  Behind the scenes Tucker was like a rabid dog going after everyone from Donald Trump, to his boss, Rupert Murdoch.

‘Antifa Kid’

The large number, and the toxic content of Tucker’s emails were truly outrageous. In one particularly egregious email he “prayed” for the killing of a protester being attacked by a group of white supremacists. Now that is sick. On 1/7/2021 Carlson sent a text message to his producer telling him about his visceral response to the video. In the video three or more white men were filmed attacking an ‘Antifa kid.’  Carlson said he wanted the victim to be killed. After some thought Tucker decided that was ‘deeply wrong.’

Continue reading

Black History Is Everyone’s History

Black History Is Everyone’s History

The contribution of black Americans to this country is huge, and undeniable and deserves to be taught in American schools, north or south.

Black History Is Everyone’s History

Editor: As 2022 Black History Month ends it is important to acknowledge the contribution of black Americans to the arts, sports, science, technology, and innovation. Let’s celebrate their amazing contribution to our country and support the rights of all citizens to participate in the American Dream in all its promised dimensions.

By Wes & Anna Hessel

 A Black Mark Not On Our History

As Black History Month comes to a close, let us acknowledge those African Americans that have made a positive impact on the United States and the world.  We all recall as children eating peanut butter spread on crackers as we learned about George Washington Carver, but little other significant Black history has been taught in our schools.  African-American contributions to our society remain mostly hidden; not celebrated, or taught in schools.  Black history has little representation in curriculums, what a shame; it should be an integral part of  our education, just as it has been an integral part of life and history. History and culture of African-Americans needs to be taught, alongside other cultures, including the typical Western European WASP and Greco-Roman past. Nothing is done in isolation, certainly not improving the world.

Black History Is More Than A Month…

Founded by historian Carter G. Woodson to honor the attainments of black men and women, it originally began as a week-long celebration known as “Negro History Week” in February of 1926, a week in which the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass occurred.  Dr. Woodson was himself the son of a slave and although he did not begin his high school education until the age of 20, delayed by his need to earn a living in West Virginia coal mines, he went on to study at Berea College, the Sorbonne, and the University of Chicago.  He eventually earned his PhD at Harvard, only  the second African American to achieve this, his predecessor being none other than W. E. B. Du Bois.

Continue reading

The Powerful Words Of Dr. King

The Powerful Words Of Dr. King

Dr. MLK had powerful words for our society

The Powerful Words Of Dr. King

By Wes & Anna Hessel

 

The Great Doctor

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stands as the paramount leader of the civil rights movement.  There were many more alongside him, most notably the other members of the “Big Six”.  They were James Farmer, A. Philip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, and John Lewis.  But Dr. King, or MLK, as many refer to him, was the most visible light and lightning rod.

He Still Speaks To Us

His words continue to speak volumes today, calling us to continue the fight for what is right. Most particularly right now is the need to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.  That is the legacy that should be made to honor both these men who worked staunchly for what they believed.  Dr. King’s own family is calling for a hold on celebrating his day until these voting rights bills are made law.  In the meantime, we hear the echoes of MLK’s quotable phrases and speeches.

Continue reading

EDITORIAL: Flirting With Nazis Is Dangerous

EDITORIAL: Flirting With Nazis Is Dangerous

The dark days of the Nazi control of Europe led to the death of millions.

EDITORIAL:

Flirting With Nazis Is Dangerous

A Neighbor’s Nazi Experience

D. S. Mitchell

Martin Hartman is a tall slender man. His thinning white hair is brushed back, his jacket zipped against the winter wind, as he leans against his cane for support. There is a deep sadness in his eyes and a soberness in his demeanor. You can tell he has a story, and he wants to share it. Martin Hartman is my neighbor.

Martin was born in Holland in 1924. Prior to the Depression of the 1930’s, his family had owned a prosperous construction business. His family like many others had suffered during those economically depressed times, but by 1940, the 97-year-old said, the economy “had begun to turn around,” things were looking up he confirmed. The future looked promising.

There had been rumblings of war, but few took them seriously, after all WWI was a mere twenty two years in the past. No one could imagine the world once again plunging into conflict. The next few days would change his life and those of his friends and family forever. “I was 16. It was May 10, 1940. We heard bombing and saw planes. It was the German invasion, and the blitz was over in three days.” The squashing of Holland’s defenses was quick, but far from painless.

After the German invasion, they began barricading city blocks and then sweeping the apartments for young men to fill the military ranks due to troop loss. Hartman describes it, “Gradually Nazism crawled into Holland. Good people were killed, or sent to prison . . . Jews and ministers.”

Continue reading

OPINION: Gaza Unrest

Opinion: Gaza Unrest

AK 47's loved by American gun culture

OPINION: Unrest In Gaza

The Never Ending War

The current conflagration in Gaza is not unexpected. There has been at least 100 years of war in the region. Who knows where to start the story? Each war, no matter how long or short has added to the story. For convenience I will start in the early 20th century, during WWI.

By William Jones and D. S. Mitchell

Mandate For Palestine

The conflict has its origin back in the early 20th century. Palestine was being ruled by the Ottoman Empire. During WWI the Turks were defeated and the Empire collapsed, leading to the Mandate for Palestine, which gave Britain administrative control of Palestine and Transjordan. During this time, the majority of the inhabitants of this land were Arab, while the Jews were the minority.

Continue reading

We Share A Dream

Honor MLK today by doing something for someone else. Make today a day of service.

We Share A Dream

By Anna & Wes Hessel

Thank You, Dr. King…

We celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest and most humble human beings to ever live, Dr. Martin Luther King, a Godly man of peace and gentle warrior.  He selflessly championed for civil rights and worked to change the world into a better place.  Many hard won civil rights from that time have been attacked during the Trump administration but now with the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Dr. King’s legacy will continue to live on.  The Biden-Harris inaugural team has instituted a day of service to honor the remarkable Martin Luther King, Jr.

 The Son of a King

Born the son of a preacher man, Michael King, Jr., entered life in 1929 on January 15th in Atlanta.  His father, Michael, Sr., was himself the scion of a pastor.  Junior joined senior in 1934 on a sojourn through  Rome, Tunisia, Egypt, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, commissioned by the church the elder King pastored.  The final stop was in Berlin for the Baptist World Alliance’s international conference.

The Fight for Reform

There both Kings saw firsthand the spread of Nazi influence.  The BWA issued an official policy statement, saying, “This Congress deplores and condemns as a violation of the law of God the Heavenly Father, all racial animosity, and every form of oppression or unfair discrimination toward the Jews, toward coloured people, or toward subject races in any part of the world.”  Having visited sites in the German capital which were involved with the Reformation movement started by Martin Luther, Michael Sr. began to call himself, “Martin Luther King, Sr.” and renamed his son accordingly, making it official on junior’s birth certificate in 1957.

Growing Up Black

Junior had befriended a Caucasian boy before they both entered first grade, but because of their skin color difference, they went to separate (segregated) schools.  The white child’s parents a short time later then cut off contact between the two, citing race as the deciding factor.  When the younger Martin Luther went to his parents about the break, they sat him down to detail the slavery of blacks and resultant racism.  When confronted with all that had been perpetrated against people of color, MLK said later he became, “determined to hate every white person”.  His father and mother, though, taught junior that Jesus called for the love of everyone.

Continue reading

World On Fire

firefighters working to put out fires started during protests

WORLD ON FIRE

Trevor K. McNeil & D. S. Mitchell

Better Angels

Humans are complex. Neither angels nor devils, but something in between. As with many things it is a continuum. Abraham Lincoln understood this perfectly and touched on it when he referred to “the better angels of our nature.” As with human nature, so with human action. Which assists in understanding our history of civil disobedience. Particularly when it happens to turn ugly. Such as when legitimate protests based on genuine grievances turn into deadly riots.

Rebels With A Cause

Henry David Thoreau was a vocal abolitionist, anti-expansionist and a  conductor of the underground railroad. In 1849, Thoreau, an infamous proto-anarchist, published his essay “Resistance to Civil Government”.  “Anarchist” in this case meaning classical Anarchism. A political ideology that accepts rules, but opposes the notion of rules in a top-down coercive system, where using lethal violence, or the threat thereof, to keep the populace under control.  Thoreau advocated “resistance to an unjust state.” He said, “I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government”.  Thoreau said “the government that governs best is that which governs least.” Though notice the phraseology. Government. To govern. There being a vital difference between a government and an administration.

 Historical Perspective

America has a long, rich history of civil disobedience. “Fight the Power” being the unofficial national motto. Setting the American Revolution aside, one of the places this first came into focus was in lower Manhattan in 1863. From July 13th to July 16th, during the throes of the American Civil War, hundreds of citizens, many of them immigrants took to the streets to protest the draft that would send them to fight the Confederacy. What started out relatively peacefully soon grew into a large violent, three-day riot. In the end an estimated 120 people lay dead.

Continue reading

Guilt By Association

Guilt By Association

By Trevor K. McNeil

A Little Bit of History Repeating

History is more of a cycle than a straight line. Those who have looked at it closely recognize trends have a tendency to repeat. Themes and progress ebb and flow in the oceans of time. Sadly, there are some areas where the water is darker than others. One such dark spot in the ocean of time is the anti-Chinese sentiment in North America.

An Ill Wind

One of the more damaging aspects of coronavirus, aside from the death toll, is the misinformation being spread about it. One being the Anti-Chinese sentiment, fostered and fueled by President Trump and his surrogates. Attempting to redirect blame from his colossal mismanagement of the pandemic response Trump continues his attacks on China. Our boneheaded and close to illiterate president regularly promotes the idea that the virus “came from China.”

Historical Reference

Did it spread through China first? Yes. Do we know for a fact that it is where the virus originated? Hell no. In fact, the Chinese point an angry finger to the United States military. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is new and poorly understood. The prevailing theory is that the original carrier was a bat. I’m not sure if you’ve ever noticed, but bats fly. Over a fair bit of distance. As a historical reminder the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic did not originate in Spain, but rather Kansas and was spread by American soldiers.  Not that it matters anyway. The country of origin not nearly as important as how to stop the spread of SARS CoV-2 and cure the disease among those who contract it.

Continue reading