There is an excellent article by Karen Friedman Agnifilo who is an attorney and served as Chief Assistant District Attorney of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on the MeidasTouch Network https://www.meidastouch.com/
website. If you have a few minutes, it’s well worth reading.
Trump’s collection of disturbing and threatening videos, Truth Social Posts, etc…. Ending with Karen’s statement:
“Not only does Trump thumb his nose in the face of judicial authority making a mockery of the justice system, but he is also putting lives at risk!”
I cannot believe all the lies and disinformation and threats! It’s unbelievable what this guy has gotten away with and continues to get away with!
He alone has done more to harm our democracy and our country than anyone else in our history!
Trump has also exposed the worst of our society.
For the life of me I cannot believe he is still the leading candidate in the Republican Party. Our Freedoms are at risk of being destroyed by a minority of fascist members of our own government!
Support President Biden and his administration. They are working for the American people. While that other party can’t even elect a Speaker of the House! How PATHETIC!
Oct 16, 2023·edited Oct 16, 2023Liked by Robert Reich
Hate and or hatred is an attitude that dynamically destroys the character of the individual expressing the emotion. It's a personal form of poison that continually degrades one's sense of reality to a point where they become consumed with loathing the individual they house these negative feelings for. These people become so embroiled in their own negativity reason becomes something they simply won't listen to, making any connection leaning toward common ground an impossibility. Add a violent tendency to the mix and we have an explosive atmosphere similar what we just witnessed in Israel. Hate is driven by ignorance and misinformation, the only drug on hand to ease the symptoms is truth.
Dr. Reich, thanks for clarifying the mess we are in and reminding us of the best in us. President Lincoln’s words are still salient and should be a guide to what comes next.
I think after a couple of decades, when things were imperfectly normalized, the haters memorialized the worst in us. We are experiencing the consequences of their sh*t show now including their cowardly threats of violence. The answer is always to not allow such bad examples to rob us of our humanity. I include the warped miscreants as part of humanity, part of the whole. We have to be stalwart and generous of spirit. However, the right to self defense is a fundamental duty. For the sake of everyone, bullies should not prevail. The fourteenth amendment is a bookmark in history indicating that. We need to defend our constitutional rights and freedoms in our thoughts, words and deeds to keep them. You and the wise words of Lincoln remind us of our sacred duty to defend our democratic principles.
I feel myself becoming a Hater sometimes, and it scares me. I have trouble believing that the MAGA people and extremist republicans have anything to say worth listening to, or the ability to listen to reason or truth. I even sometimes hope tfg would please just die.
Thank you for reminding me that Hate is never justified nor is it ever healthy for anything, especially for the one who Hates. I am going to stop this right now and try not to give up on myself and the world.
I have been living in a very sad and lonely place since Trump was elected.
In the times in which we now live there is so much anger and hate it is difficult to not be caught up in the negativity that is all around us.
So, when I start to go down in spirit I stop. I listen to music, I sing, I bring positivity back to my psyche. It is all a choice at first. Then it re centers the mind and heart and helps bring me back on track to who I am and what I believe.
There will always be the forces of evil present because humans are imperfect that way. So just do what you can do whether that is a smile to a stranger, a contribution of time, talent or treasure.
Surround yourself with what makes you feel loved and positive and do what you can to foster the same outward into the world. It is not head in the sand thinking, it is affirming what you can generate into the world.
excellent perceptions and advice. except for myself and adult child, my family has gone MAGA. our dad is rolling over in his grave.
however, to survive mentally and emotionally, i am reclaiming past loves and passions - geology, nature, running water, the night sky, going back to the ocean, and reading an international array of fascinating writers of fiction.
a reminder: pessimism is the crowning glory of hate - stay away!
Every morning I look outside and see the huge beautiful tree in our yard where a family of cardinals lives(Launcelot and Guiniveere are the husband and wife)I feed my mother and son feline combo and watch them enjoy their am routine.I see the birds arriving outside my kitchen window waiting to be fed and I thank God for another day.Every day is the possibility of a miracle.
We need to undersand that our souls are finite vessels, only capable of holding a certain amount of emotion at any given time, and hatred, once seated, takes up a specific part of the space inside of us. Allowed to grow, it can and will take up more and more of that space, and as time goes by, it can sneak up on us before we know it, and indeed wind up dominating the space where the best of us, our goodness, compassion, our decency, once lived, our hatred squeezing the best of us to the side, and then, eventually, completely dominating, who we are .
So when we hate, every other part of our lives, suffer. Our relationships with everyone we encounter, including those with our spouses and extended families, our friends and neighbors, even our dogs, as well as our bosses, workmates, even people who we meet anew or simply pass on the street, all, are directly affected, and then diminished, and in many cases, even destroyed, by the fact that our hatred for anything or anyone at all, exists in our hearts and minds. Yes. Allowed to run rampant, your hatred for Republicans, or Democrats, or.. . Labradoodles, can indeed ruin, your marriage.
Thank you. I believe you are a wise person and absolutely correct about what Hate does to us. I have been giving a lot of thought to my feelings about those who I disagree with, and I have realized that it's not actually hate that I feel, but anger, frustration and bafflement. Mostly, I just can't understand them. Sometimes, I even pity them, because I don't think they can be happy. The Bible teaches us to love our enemies and to treat them with kindness....and that our kindness will cause them more pain than our cruelty ever could. In fact, it was either Jesus or Paul who said "treating your enemies with kindness is like heaping hot coals on their head"! I have always tried to be kind towards everyone, and I think if I were to meet any of those who so frustrate me I WOULD be kind to them! I am only "mean" in my own head, where it only hurts me. As a sufferer of major depression for most of my life, I have quite enough self inflicted pain. Thanks again Nathan! God bless you.
Well it sounds to me Paula, that you're more in touch with your inner you than an awful lot of people, and hatred is very different than anger, which is temporary, and serves us as relief valve if you will, a normal reaction to injustice, as long as we don't just stay angry because that is no better for us than staying hateful. I use it from time to time, alone in the car, I might scream at an idiot or two, and then get back to rational thought, a little more calm than before, and well, a little more rational.
And anyone who doesn't feel frustration with the Right right now, probably has a lot of reading to do.
As for kindness, I believe that it is built into our human selves, at birth. The trick is to not allow it to be overshadowed by less useful emotions. Again, we are finite vessels. Finding a balance, while eliminating problematic emotions, is beneficial to us.
Human beings, throughout our history, have been tribal. At some point, we came to understand that we were better, together; hunters were safer and more efficient, in groups; our less physically powerful tribal members, who perhaps didn't do well with hunting, stayed in camp doing things to support our hunters, cleaning and preparing food, maintaining shelters etc., so that our hunters could rest, and so, be better at hunting.
As such, we bettered ourselves, and made life easier for all. Its been shown by Archiologists that our earliest tribes learned compassion, by caring for injured, disabled and elderly tribal members, by examining ancient remains, which show that even very early on, we realized that all of us, had value, either through wisdom to be shared, or the carrying out of some sort of tasks that our healthiest members either couldn't carry out, or simply wouldn't; a disabled member might have been good at arrowhead making, or the like.
Point being, even when early men and women became physically useless, their tribal mates still fed them, cared for them, and so loving each other, treating each other with kindness, grew out of our needs to be with each other. Over the course of tens of thousands of years, those traits, love and kindness, have become instinctive, automatic. Then, laugh out loud, came politics.
I'm no stranger to depression, or self inflicted pain, myself. Twice in my life, I felt the need to "talk to someone", and sought out professionals. On both occasions, I was told that, "I rarely say this to my patients, but you need to be more selfish, and think more about your own life, and less about everyone elses'." etc., etc. I took that to heart, and wound up being a more well balanced person, and so more capable of helping others, which is a natural desire of mine, and, it seems to me, yours. Perhaps you might give that some thought yourself Paula. Trust that you will always be kind, because it is in all of our basic natures, a built in part of who we are as human beings, and maybe more so in yourself, than most. Many of course, are so screwed up that their inner kindness has been obliterated by hate, never to be seen again. Not you. You are good. Just go with that !
Our most destructive problem in this country right now, is ignorance. Strive to be calm in all situations, as you do whatever you can, to eliminate it. That is where you'll be your best, and the most valuable you, to both yourself, and our struggling country, our American, tribe.
MAY Our LORD ! , Cover YOU !, in HIS GRACE. Mercy, and Peace ! Paula! ( HATE, IS evils Game, to Over Take US ! and ' ROT ! Us !, ' , FROM, THE, IN side ! ,,,,,,OUT !) FAITH !, and LOVE !, Cover, a MULTITUDE ! of sin !! AMEN !
Me too, Paula. Gina’s advice works for me. Sometimes I take a break and just enjoy music or find an engrossing project or, rarely, watch TV. Billy the Kid on Amazon is pretty good.
I have been watching "West Wing", and it just amazes me that the series was written between 2000 and 2012(I believe), and it is so relevant to what is happening now....although not nearly as hatefilled as our climate is now. The rethuglicans are so incredibly evil, I see no way to overcome. I find the music of Ye Vagabonds and Manchester Orchestra calms me.
Thanks for the tip! I'm a kindle addict, so once I finish reading the news I get emailed to me, and reading and reacting to Robert Reich's post, I spend the rest of my day reading the most unrealistic fantasy, sci-fi and mysteries I can find! I am an invalid who is stuck in bed 95% of the time, so my tablet is my life-support....along with my precious cat, Mr. Peanut ❤ I quit all social media after trump, and the only streaming service I have is Prime. I have a TV, but never watch it. I will add Billy the Kid to my watch list!
All of the problems we face as a country in this moment are made immeasurably worse by the absence of a Speaker of the House of Representatives. We must fill that vacancy ASAP, and it must not be allowed to fall into the hands of a MAGA-aligned representative.
The only feasible solution is for a bipartisan coalition to support what Leader Hakeem Jeffries calls a "traditional Republican" for Speaker.
At www.FeathersOfHope.net we have just published a list of 23 selected Republican Representatives with their DC and District phone numbers. All are from districts where MAGA forces are not dominant. We are urging everyone to call them, asking that they break with extremism, join Democrats in a bipartisan coalition and elect a traditional non-MAGA Republican Speaker.
Problem is, Jerry, Republicans cannot come up with a credible leader in the House. Look at the criminals they have already tried to elect and the many in the shadows waiting to be nominated who are just as bad. At least most of the Republicans in the house seem smart enough to know who not to elect.
Jerry--The absence of a speaker isn't the entire problem. The structure of the leadership is. I can see no provisions made in the event the appointed speaker becomes absent. There should be a vice chair in the wings for just such an occasion. This is a measure the powers that be should implement, as you stated, ASAP.
Donald, I did not state that nor do I agree. The Speaker is elected, not appointed. And there is a provision for a temporary Speaker with limited powers to hold the office during any vacancy. Rep. McHenry is currently in that position.
As you say, there is no provision for a vice-chair to assume full power. I would argue that is as it should be. The alternative would introduce malign intrigue and undermine the Speaker's authority.
Jen--There is nothing wrong with loathing someone but to offer hatred in its stead only hurts you as a person. Keep right loathing, especially Trump, but shy away from the "H" word.
Donald—Years ago there was a TV show called “Homicide: Life on the Street” with a character Detective Munsch (sp?) played by Richard Belzer as having a wise, philosophical bent. My wife and I both reached for note pads when he said “Resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other guy dies.” Same goes for “hate.”
Thank you, Gina. I do. My religion is To Do Good. I am a positive person. That just shows you how much this man runs counter to everything I believe. My grandfather said a person should be judged mainly by their character. The Don has zero!
Right now, and always that is the best we can do always. And I think he runs counted to everything that any truly decent, kind person thinks and does and says. Keep the faith Brother!
I was saved from descending into hating Trump by a sermon on Bayard Rustin, the man who organized the “I Have A Dream” March. Rustin called for love in response to the virulent racist Mississippi Senator Eastland, and the way to love him was to take away his power.
Rather than hate, we can focus on taking away the power of those who systematically organize hatred. That includes FOX and right wing radio. The 71 year old Chicago landlord who stabbed the Muslim mother and fatally stabbed her six year old son, listened to conservative talk radio and became convinced of a jihad coming last weekend. I hope the boy’s family sues that talk radio station.
Jen !,, he NEEDS !,,, More PRAYER !, Then the Hebrews Enemy !....... " The PHAR0H !!!" ( Im suspecting ,,,, Reprobate HEART !! ) LORD !,,, ....HIave MERCY !)
Jen, Hate is a cancer. Do your best to move it to the side and just think carefully about what you think and say. You do not have to classify all things. You can just do what your heart and mind tell you is right and leave 'control' to others who are under that illusion.
Donald, you are so right about the way hatred works. Truth is the antidote, but it is or can be very painful and people don't want to deal with pain. The haters don't mind inflicting it on others, but become even more enraged if any hatred or truth is directed toward them. It is crazy but it has been part of humanity for quite some time and only vaccines of care, respect, patience, honesty, and courage can inoculate our children against hatred. Now, if only our media and religious institutions as a whole would start using the vaccines regularly, it could make a difference. We will also need help for anyone who starts to come out of the hate haze they have been living in. Forgiveness and reconciliation will have to be available to them so the hate habit does not return.
Ruth--It's sad but the have nots develop a strong dislike for the haves because of the things they own. Jealously breeds discontent which has the ability to fester into hatred. Religion teaches forgiveness, if there are so many religious people out there why isn't hatred waning?
That's an easy one, Donald. Hatred in our society and all through human history has such power because too many of those claiming to adhere to their religious precepts are merely using their religion as a shield for their nefarious actions.
Hatred of the 'other' by whatever epithet they conjure is the only religion to which they are faithful. Furthermore, the hatred they have experienced or been taught eventually seeps inward to become so painful that they must project it onto others for relief. Truth is certainly good medicine but like many drugs are not easily tolerated by those who need them.
Ilene--That's why it's so hard to swallow. To accept the truth may force some to understand they are less than they might have thought they were. To accept your own deficiencies can be a moral dilemma and extremely difficult for most to handle. Religion becomes their scapegoat, a blanket of forgiveness if you will. They are being told hate is OK as long as you are hating the correct people. Example in hand--Ham'as.
Yes, however we rationalize and analyze the fog of hatred that blurs our vision, it all comes down to a form of noisy mind control and is a tragic proof of how intimately connected is our collective consciousness that it doesn't take much to overwhelm us.
Ilene, we certainly are interconnected, and it is astounding how quickly anger, fear, resentment, and hatred can spread. I think of them as the modern 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. It is painful to think of the harm over time these 4 have caused. Toss in jealousy and things could seem hopeless. However, we can stand against the four. It does take strength and a ton of courage, but some people are doing it in the face of violent threats and they need to be celebrated. Hatred has been brewing in Israel/Palestine for decades and few there were willing to yell "enough!" Instead, they elected people to power who cared nothing for peace, living together. They just kept magnifying the words of a few in Palestine who said their goal was to wipe out Israel. Israel could have said, we get it that you hate us, but we are not going to hate back and we are working in good faith to build 2 states here so we can share prosperity and success. They released the 4 horsemen and as we see now, nothing good came of it. Everyone is suffering and there is plenty of blame to go around. Hatred corrupts and unless people work diligently to stop it and stomp it down, the corrosion will spread and no one wins. That is insanity! Why do we like insanity so much that we keep fostering it?
No matter how tightly Trump wraps himself in the American.flag he represents the antithesis of what our democracy stands for. - . hate and bigotry abound in his divisive rhetoric..
When people all across this land were dying from the pandemic he downplayed it . On Jan 6 he knew armed insurrectionists had.entered the Capitol, but delayed calling them off for 3 hrs. Notwithstanding all the hate, the lies, the 91 counts of. criminality surrounding him, tell me why anybody would vote for a man who has demonstrated he is willing to sacrifice lives so that he can retain power. This fact alone should disqualify him from ever holding public office again.
Betty--Trump is self absorbent and has absolutely no empathy for others. My abnormal psych professor would have had a field day discussing the abnormalities found in Donnie Boy during one of his classes. Having an inability to express any form of humor, that wasn't sick in nature, is another sign of a person in emotional distress. How this 1930s German throw back has reached the level he has in this country is a mystery to many, including myself.
The fact that he has oor nay have deep psychological problems doesn't make him any less dangerous, quite the opposite. If he is so lacking in empathy and compassion and thinks he is above the law and can do whatever he wants, he is a threat to our people and our democracy..
he ! is The 'AXSIS' wanaBE ! Party With Kim Jon Un !, Putin ! And ,, All The VACUUM HEAD Minnions, ! and " yes Mankind !, that march ! Toward the CLIFF ! of INIQUITY !"
Hate is driven by selfishness... selfishness causes you to place yourself and your worth above others. Making them 'less than' you and therefor justifying your hateful acts against them. Making them an 'other', makes them something other than, "thy neighbor" and therefore, unworthy of being treated "as thyself", or as an equal.
As a former educator I know that what Prof. Reich says and you say regarding hate is a physiological fact: hate is part of our "fight or flight" instinct: when we are fearful, leading to strong emotions (fear and hate are the strongest), our prefrontal cortex (logic center) shuts down. These autocrats are instinctively doing what they know will allow them more control over their followers.
Good leadership acknowledges the difficulty in problems but encourages paths to achieving solutions through cooperation, compromise, and creativity. President Biden is such a leader, along with his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and House, and a smattering of Republicans.
David--Your "Fight or Flight" response is directly related to the amount of adrenaline your body dumps into its blood stream when you are confronted with a life or death situation, or when you find yourself in the presents of a woman. Humor aside, we are so fortunate to have a leader like President Biden at a time like this, especially considering the alternative.
You are so right. We must hope the House comes to its senses and doesn't give power to the traitor Jim Jordan. That could be the death of our hope for governing. Trump is the puppeteer still.
Oct 16, 2023·edited Oct 16, 2023Liked by Robert Reich
What is even more disturbing is that elected representatives are taking marching orders from him. Which has effectively shut down the House of Representatives and hampering the US in doing the business of governing.
Cheerio ; Yes, the criminal fascist traitor is running our country from the back seat! We need to remove the 'Congress members' who betrayed their oaths of office by refusing to vote to certify President Biden's win. They were supporting the insurrection, instead of the Constitution, and are disqualified from holding office!
Hate can be divided by economics. A lot of hate in the world today is developed though lack of basic needs. We need to try walking more in the shoes of those who have struggles with food and housing.
Cheerio, yes, and why is it that fool has been allowed to have such a great influence? He has been indicted, warned to stop threatening people, and we've learned he is not nearly as rich as he told everyone he was. That should not in itself make a difference, but in this case, it is a symptom of an utter disregard for the truth and a genuine hatred of everyone who is not him and does not bow and scrape to his every whim. The hated don't know how much Trump despises them. Fortunately, most of us don't care that Trump is a hater, just that he does not get back into any office. He is a lazy fool who now has to depend on his handlers for everything since he can no longer even think for himself. Why would anyone want to follow a person like that??
Because their putrid orange fuehrer gives them 'right' to be 'loud and PROUD' of their hatred, and even encourages them to express it VIOLENTLY.
They LIVE and breathe to instill fear and terror in all 'others and libtards', and well as to intimidate, bully, threaten, and harass anyone who is not almost exactly like them.
I do find it all but impossible to not loathe those who believe that I do not have the right to EXIST merely because of the religion in which I was raised, even though I no longer even practice said religion (ironically, they also want to butcher me for NOT practicing ANY religion, or having any beliefs of a deity, theirs or otherwise).
I therefore cannot blame any of the 'others' whom these racist, fascist, evil bigots and Aryan/white supremacists also want to obliterate for WHATEVER differences they may have, which makes them 'inferior' in the haters' sick little minds.
I do NOT want to murder/obliterate these NAZIS (or Hamas, etc.), I just want to STOP them from doing so to me, and to any/all 'others', by any means necessary to accomplish such. ;)
@Ruth: "and why is it that fool has been allowed to have such a great influence?" It's because they are afraid of him. They're afraid for their political future and even the safety of their own families. They didn't intend to give away their power, but now they're trapped (from their limited point of view).
One of Trump’s favorite books was Mein Kampf a 1925 autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. It has long been known that Trump is a Hitler admirer. So, I think we can safely conclude Trump’s Hitler rhetoric is no accident. Remember when he said “ You can go to a banana republic and pick the worst one and you’re not gonna see what we’re witnessing now. Nobody has any idea where these people are coming from, and we know they come from prisons. We know they come from mental institutions, insane asylums. We know they’re terrorists. Nobody has ever seen anything like we’re witnessing right now. It is a very sad thing for our country. It’s poisoning the blood of our country. It’s so bad, and people are coming in with disease. People are coming in with every possible thing that you could have.”
His wife Ivana said Trump kept a book of Hitler's speeches next to his bedside. Trump has a reputation of eschewing books & not having enough of an attention span to get through his daily briefings. But if he never read another book, it's clear he was an avid reader of Hitler, who obviously inspired him, as is manifest in the speeches Trump gives.
Trump's Rosh Hashana message to Jews was very ominous: Hope you start making right decisions now, etc. and Have a nice day. Goggle it and see. How much did he already know about Hamas battle plans?
The classified Information on Israeli operations passed on by Trump to Russian government officials could've reached Iran, assisting Hamas in planning their brutal attack on Israel
Jaime, that’s exactly what I think. It was reported that some of the documents TFG stole included analyses of the military weaknesses of allies. The NYT said that Hamas had shown remarkable familiarity with Israel’s weaknesses. And at the same time, TFG made a point of publicly stating that Bibi had let him down (by acknowledging Biden won the 2020 election?)....DJT’s oh-so-subtle way of crowing about his revenge on Netanyahu. I can’t imagine this truth will ever be revealed but it should be. I can hardly believe that all Republicans would vote for this kind of foreign policy!
Yeah I agree. But I can’t believe 100% of the Repugnants would vote to have classified military information about Israel handed (even indirectly) to terrorists. This IS his retribution, but some red people must be shocked....
Love and hate are as joined at the hip as yin is to yang. Expecting to find one without the other is tantamount to attempting to find the theoretic magnetic monopole. For all the hate we see expressed, it's invariably in the name of loving something or someone - love of an Abrahamic fever dream, race, the nation, the family, the self, power, money, an idea, or even just winning a friggin' ball game. It's the worm in the apple of religious doctrine based on love. The passions of the heart should be treated very carefully, all the while our instincts scream at us to do otherwise. While people just >love< the passions of their hearts, the heart should simply advise them - not rule them. Otherwise, we tend toward generally destructive and self-destructive impulses in thought, word and deed. Pay close attention to how media attempts to hook pathos in selling a product or idea - and counts on consumer impulse. For example, ol' P01135809 hijacks the emotions that interfere with higher-order reasoning. Biden doesn't.
Do you wonder why there's so much hate in the world today? You might safely invert the question and ask how it is there's so much love in the world today. What's confusing you is that it's only the loving hatred that makes itself undeniably apparent.
Agree or disagree as you see fit, because that's how I see the problem as a septuagenarian and I'm a'stickin' to it - no matter what religious doctrine, harsh words, or insults might be hurled at me to the contrary!
A baseball team would be pointless if there were zero other teams to oppose. Likewise, when we (overly) identify with a particular religious or ethnic group, we automatically create a category called “others who are not us.” In contrast with that mind set, if we were to continually remind ourselves that our common humanity is more important than the superficial differences that divide us, then we’re more likely to experience peace and happiness. Wasn’t it Jesus who said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”?
True enough. But notice that what you're saying is not an emotional appeal. It's a rational appeal. Of course, we get back to the old notion that the ancient Greeks had 3 words for love. I might suspect that the notion of rationality was in its infancy at the time, in which "agape" was something like rationality. The appeal to recognize our common humanity is more to the principle of agape, which may be the rational idea of "the brotherhood of man" that get has historically gotten a lot of lip service, but few actually "believe" in, and fewer yet even understand. Of course, I consider knowledge and belief are another one of those pesky yin/yang propositions. Besides, a starving man only cares about his starvation. Volumes and volumes have been written on the question, and I'm a mere mortal taking a stab at the ideas.
Check out Paul Tillich’s 3-volume Systematic Theology. He spends hundreds of pages describing an approach to understanding the divine based on an “ecstatic” frame of mind. Tillich died in 1965 and was probably not influenced by the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s. But he did serve in WW1 as a counselor to soldiers in the trenches and suffered PTSD from his experiences. In my own experience, taking an LSD journey with people of “other” ethnic or racial groups reveals our common humanity and creates a lasting bond. LSD produces the kind of ecstatic experience that evidently greatly influenced Luther’s theology: I believe that Luther was an undiagnosed bi-polar theologian (do we know whether he ingested magic mushrooms?). To conclude, it’s my 1960s-determined contention that, as John Lennon wrote, we must “free our minds instead” if we’re to end division and hatred among groups and individuals.
👍 As far as Luther, perhaps the kind of rye rust involved with Salem. Definitely, the backing of German nobles that didn't "need no steenking pope" telling them what to do!
That a robust warrior class in Germany should resent send taxes to the effete ruling in Rome seems like a likely motivation to adopt Luther’s view of society, in which the local ruler chooses which church his underlings should belong to.
VOTE BLUE! VOTE FOR OUR DEMOCRACY? VOTE TO TAKE OUR DEMOCRACY BACK FROM TGE INSURRECTIONISTS AND FASCISTS!
The leading contender for Speaker of our House if Reps. considers himself to be like David Duke!!! Plus he, Jim Jordan, is also involved in fake elector scheme. Maybe his indictment is coming ... No wonder he and some other gop are so defensive of trumps indictments ... fear.
Thanks. I'm not sure where I read it. But, repubs are a bunch of deplorable insurrectionists out to weaken and obstruct our government. Democracy is not good enough for them. I think they are welcome to move to a Dictatorship of their choice and stop wreaking havoc in our country.
Even more pathetic that no Speaker of the House, perhaps, is that the so-called GOP would consider a serial liar, election denying political hack with not a scintilla of statesmanship, the... (gentle)man from Ohio who enables seditionists and is under a cloud of suspicion for turning a blind eye toward sexual abuse at his former employee, Ohio State University.
So much for avoiding the appearance if impropriety. The GOP endorses impropriety, hate and tribalism. That indeed is pathetic. An old Spanish proverb says "Pueblo idiota es seguridad del tirano." .. in essence a dumbass body politic gets the government it deserves...at it provided safety for tyrants.
Keith Olson ; Imagine if the Democrats held up our government and could not get it together to even agree on a speaker?! Of course, this is tfg's idea, to harm US. This is part of his coup. In a better designed rulebook, the Democrats should be able to take the reins!
If they have no speaker, I wondered why the other Party couldn't take the reins? For example, what if some deadly virus killed all of the other party, wouldn't someone need to take the reins? Maybe the smarter one who wore masks.
Well, in the repubs field, its a vote on the most deplorable person in the world, so that means nothing for the general election. We just have to keep working hard for all state and national elections.
Right on. If he flouts the gag order, throw his fat arse in the klink with the general population. Send an unmistakable message to neo-Fascists like him everywhere in this wounded nation.
DZK. The problem with the IDF YouTube is that it conflates all Palestinians with Hamas. Denying food, water and electricity to non-combatants will only increase the death, hatred and recruiting success of Hamas. This is the inevitable problem with declaring war on terrorist organizations. They wear no uniform, are not concentrated on military bases and thus are impossible to attack with surgical precision. Israel is in a very difficult position but if there is any possible was to assure the survival of innocent families.......
Marge, I think quagmire maybe the way to describe the position Israel is in. Hamas, as terrorist organizations seem to do, hides within and uses innocent civilians as shields. It is impossible for Israel to effectively attack, let alone destroy Hamas without massive casualties among innocent civilians. Hamas knows this and doesn’t care about that. They see it as a “win” for them, framing these deaths and horrors as “martyrs” and hoping that the world turns against Israel. Their clear stated goal is the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews. They well know (and as DZK did) I offer this as information, not endorsement that after the Holocaust and the failure of so many to stand up to Hitler, two vows were made: Never Again, and (paraphrasing) you kill one of us and we kill 10 (or is it 100) of you.
With all the tunnels and underground fortifications of Hamas, there is no way to obliterate Hamas without massive destruction above ground.
Israel is in more than a difficult position. The word “impossible” may closer to the reality.
I just watched idf and they are going after the tunnels. Already bombed and disabled entrance to three. I think they have to do it to kill the head of the snake, so to speak.
I simply posted it to clarify the Israeli position - not to affirm or deny it one way or the other. This just seemed like a good place to post it for discussion, and I only said it was worth the 90 seconds attention, to which with your reply is the first in said discussion. All war is a self-perpetuating hate-fest in the name of love for one's own.
It is a sad state of affairs when the rulers of the country are terrorists! Palestinians (non terrorists) are stuck with monsters stealing the aid they ought to get. And because the terrorists hide within them, who can know for sure. It's part of why the other Arab countries stay away from the mess. I mean, usually, if YOU declare war on your neighboring country, how could that country that YOU declared war on be responsible for YOUR well-being? It doesn't seem to go along with the whole war decision ... that YOU made. You don't want that country to exist, your goal in life is to kill everyone in that country, yet, they should turn around to ask if you have enough blankets for sleeping?
Well, Hamas is part of the Arab world. Why doesn't a single country want to help their Palestinian people? One answer is that they don't want cold blooded terrorist murderers enter their country. So, it turns out that the victim of their attack is not responsible for them. It is unfortunate that Hamas is the Palestinian government and that many innocent civilians have been victimized by Hamas government for years, both Israeli and Palestinian.
I think it's all part of a greater scheme that involves the paralysis in Congress - funding - and Ukraine. Of course, it seems to be Iran in the background - a Russian ally. I can't find the video from a guy who has a similar take, but he doesn't include Russia, but instead includes Saudi Arabia and China. Frankly, I'd say my view I express elsewhere in this discussion fails to include his quite convincing slant, but his fails to include mine. Put them together and it makes consistent geopolitical sense - to me, anyway! It's all about the timing of the attack - just when Russia is failing to achieve its objective and Congress is in disarray, which provided the perfect opportunity to launch an attack that was probably in planning for a long time. In short, I think Israel and Ukraine are two theaters of the same war - that the US hasn't quite caught on to that is happening.
I was thinking this very same thing. Not to sound paranoid, trmp's shoutout to Hezbellah reminded me of his call to russia for Hillary's e-mails. They magically appeared the next day. He may be revealing something about how corrupt he really is (someone else organizes it of course).
Just when Israeli war starts, no US leadership to approve urgent aid. The US is in a dangerous position and gop knows it.
BTW: In this case, >I< don't think you sound paranoid. I think you're experiencing the realization that there are a lot of questions a head on, straightforward view fails to answer - particularly if you start noticing the details surrounding the event, like the way the timing of the events unfold. Coincidence? I doubt it.
I believe Putin is close in contact with Iran (info from Ukraine friend). They want to rid the world of Democracy and be in charge of more countries. I heard today that Finland is in danger from Russia, next maybe? I don't think any of this is a coincidence, and believe that trmp needs to be thrown in jail ASAP as he likely has copies of many classified documents for sale, of course. That is what he was doing with the info. People in MSM need to get real and fast. He didn't use them for stationary, trmp is sneaky.
Call Rogers of Alabama and plead that he not support Jordan! Ask him to support Hakeem Jeffries who only needs 5 Republican votes. Jordan WILL shutdown the government!
I didn't know about this "President Biden told "60 Minutes" host Scott Pelley that while Hamas must be eliminated, Palestinians deserve a path to statehood, making an important distinction between the Palestinian people and Hamas extremists."
There was a huge Peace Now movement in Israel that supported Palestinians. If the Palestinians joined them in non-violent protest the world would have heard and supported them. But Hamas preferred violence that makes it impossible for Israeli to now march for peace. Hamas is holding Palestinians hostage and is using their suffering for its propaganda. Hamas is not supporting Palestinians. Their violence is guaranteeing Palestinians will die for nothing. The destruction of Gaza is because of Hamas. Israel isn’t pure, and Hamas makes them act violently. It is fully predictable that after Hamas attacks innocent Palestinians will die, and yet they keep doing it. Hamas crushes the Peace Movement.
It feeds the media story that Israel is the evil giant and THEY are why my people starve. They want other Arabs to join in the attack. Hate came before the land, which was actually given to them by the United Nations.
I am sure you are aware that there is a huge Palestinian peace movement. There was a peaceful March from the West Bank, and no militants, and no Hamas [this si the West Bank], and Israeli soldiers killed people in that peaceful protest. I can send links if you want. I do not like or justify what Hamas is doing but how do you deal with peaceful marches being treated in this manner? Therefore it appears that the responses from Israel are violent no matter what. These overwhelming responses lead to what? It certainly doesn't help peace or security
We have learned from the civil rights movement here and other nonviolent movements that they are not quick solutions but gain momentum overtime and can accomplish more than violence and terror. The images of marchers for peace are powerful. Images of dead children erase their potential of building.
How has Hamas ever supported the people they govern? Ther leaders are millionaires, especially Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh who made his millions by a 20% tax on goods coming into Gaza from Egypt. He watches his wars from the comfort of his office in Dohar, Qatar. Other leaders live in upscale Rimal, Gaza City. Donated international funds do not go to building infrastructure. For example, after their 2014 war with Israel, although large sums in foreign aid were delivered to Hamas specifically to reconstruct the grid, Hamas diverted the funds elsewhere and left the grid in its current condition. Funds are used for weapons & terror tunnels, not for the people. Hamas was elected in 2006 and no election has been held since. Most Palestinians are anything but happy and would likely prefer a return to Fatah.
group !! They Could CARE LESS, About Who Lives, OR Dies ! THEY,,,,,WANT TO LIQUIDATE ISRIAL ! ( JEWS !!) The "DAY!," is COMING, When ALL!, (YES! I said ALL !) NATIONS, Will BE, AGANST ISRIAL! Father GOD, Will THEN, Tell, His ONLY BEGOTTEN, " To HEAD DOWN !" and, . " CLEAN HOUSE !! " GLORY !!
If only terrorist Arab govt. run by Hamas and ones before it could not want to kill Jews. It's the reason PLO leader of Palestine couldn't sign the Peace Deal decades ago. If he had to allow Jews to exist at all, no deal. (note Jews wear no headscarves, for example).
Oct 16, 2023·edited Oct 16, 2023Liked by Robert Reich
Robert if you’d like a little respite from hate amongst politicians, I invite you to view the debate between the leaders of New Zealand’s two main political parties the centre left Labour Party and the centre right National Party. They differ on issues and policies but were an example that you can differ without being hateful. This Saturday night (Oct 14) National won so we have a new Prime Minister. And surprise surprise the outgoing Prime Minister conceded on Saturday evening (graciously accepted by the new PM) and did not falsely claim a rigged election.
Agree re the dignified graciousness of defeat by our out going Prime Minister Kenneth. And yet, as I read Robert's article, I was deeply concerned as I recognised some of the hate campagn tactics that were used by an incoming, American republican influenced politician. Sadly, the tactics of hate driven politics look a bit too familiar.
Thank you again, Robert, for embracing Palestinians and fairness while still grieving the atrocities of the terrorist attack on Israeli civilians. It’s unbelievable how many otherwise rational people have decided that it’s impossible to both grieve the attacks and also call for protection of Palestinian lives. And when others do demand a humane, measured response we are met with baseless, irrational insults of being antisemitic.
Hamas representing the majority of Palestinians is analogous to trump representing a majority of Americans! Unfortunately, that support increases in both minorities as people become more and more desperate!!!
Trump won ONE term in the White House. I do not believe that ascension will occur again, not for the degenerate efforts of himself and his cult. The majority of Americans love their country. Trump, etal. love only themselves.
Israel has revealed their “cards”. Their disrespect and disregard for humanity has not gone unnoticed. We Americans do not support terrorists nor do we support Apartheid. Without the 70+ years of US support, Israel as a nation wouldn’t exist. If they do not want to be chastised like a child, it’s time to pull up a chair to the grownup table. A two state solution is possible. Otherwise, there may come a time when they are no longer supported.
DM Sataari, I agree. Dr. Reich is logical, reasonable, and, most of all, compassionate. However, I think he would be too frustrated by the politics of it all. Besides, I admit to being selfish enough to want him to continue writing, speaking, and educating as many Americans as possible.
The suggestion has value and I agree that Robert can help get real liberals elected. His cartoon videos were really helpful to get me to grasp economic concepts.
I’ll add to Stephanie’s comment, and say that Dr. Reich does his homework, and he has just enough government experience to navigate the system, while still reforming it.
Watch Jeff Jackson, too, US House of Reps, Charlotte, NC. His letters from Congress and info videos are superb. I'm sorry he stood down from running for US senator for NC, when the Dem nominee was a person who had never held elective office and did minimal campaigning. Sad. She lost, of course.
I used to tell my kids that hate hurts the hater.It is a cancer that eats a person from the inside out,takes away joy and peace,and also love, compassion and empathy.It leaves bitterness and ugliness.
To forgive is divine,what forgiveness does is take a burden of guilt from an innocent and puts it on the guilty,and both religious and secular counselors advise people to forgive people who wronged them.It isn't to condone the guilty or the offense,but to heal oneself and help them to move forward in their lives.Nations should practice forgiveness,and try to heal the rifts.Disagreements happen,but instead of entrenching hate we can be compassionate.
Not one of us is perfect,but to condemn people for petty stuff like skin color,nationality,religion,gender,and the list goes on and on and on is damaging to every person and every society.Encouraging hatred hurts every one.Look at the horrific ends it causes,from Ukraine and the Philippines,to Isreal and Palestine,and right here at home.Nothing good, positive or useful comes from hate.Only pain and destruction.Remember what happened with Hitler?He tried to destroy an entire race because of hate.They did nothing wrong,but he decided this race did not deserve to exist.We all deserve to exist,we should consider it wrong of anyone to think that way.
We also shouldn't punish an entire race of people to punish a handful of wrongdoers.Find the culprits,punish them,leave everyone else in peace.
Hoping some of the craziness in our world settles down.
So must Israeli politics led by Netanyahu be held responsible for engendering fear and hate against Palestinians. Netanyahu it appears was at one stage of his life from Philadelphia, USA, and he does not embody much of the ideals of brotherly love, or as written on the Statue of Liberty. It appears Netanyahu adopts the attitude towards Palestinians of "I'm alright, the hell with you jack".
I have no doubt that the majority of American Jewish people whom I worked with, and for, and lived with in peace in USA abhor the behaviour of Netanyahu as much as they abhor the behaviour of Hamas Palestinians. There must be a two State agreement to stop this constant war and suffering. This cannot be a one-sided equation only.
An old friend with much wisdom who was a gynecolgist/obsterician posed a question to me after his retirement as follows "what is the hardest thing in the world". I could not answer him after many guesses. I was flabbergasted by the answer which I cite as follows; "the relationship between a man and a woman, they are totally different".
This is why DIVORCE in a court of law exists, so that both parties can continue to exist as man and woman.
Daniel, from my perspective, there needs to be a DIVORCE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, by means of an international tribunal with enforcement powers to arrest those who breach the agreement. Neither Netanyahu the alleged fraudster, nor Hamas alleged leader Deif, should be respectively running the household of Israel/Palestine.
Humans are the only animal that show these characteristics. We are supposedly the smartest species yet mankind is the only species that works against itself. Examples of this are what man in his infinite wisdom has created. Weapons to kill other humans, religions, plastic, etc…..
Thanks, Bob. I’m not sure I could’ve said it or explained the use of fear and hatred, nor the need to not stoke either, any better. I will share this writing in hopes it will spark understanding in someone, anyone in fear of or filled with hatred toward others. That they will see the destructiveness that divisiveness and negativity it’s causing them both physically and mentally. How it’s affecting their family and others around them. Life is hard enough without being lead by those who promote hate and fear to enrich their own unsatisfactory lives. We all must strive to to stop those who do. So, we can care for and help others in hopes of bettering all our lives. Use the negative energy to instead work together for a positive society in which we all thrive.
Akin to wishing just one MAGA tRump cultist might “see the light” when confronted with facts is why I wrote, “...in hopes it will spark understanding in someone, anyone...” Your comment is pretty much a “given” in today’s political climate that need not be said. Ya know, sometimes it’s best to be silent when you can’t be helpful or positive. Instead, you chose to point out the negative. Speaking of “point,” what was yours, besides stating the obvious? Maybe you felt the need to give an excuse to those looking for any reason not to wake up, rejoin reality and change for the better. If so, well done, my man.
Australia has just had a demonstration of hidden depths of hate and resentment by whites against our First Nation people. Most of the hate was stirred by far right wing politicians and especially by the Murdochracy of Rupert Murdoch which is working overtime in its drive to stir dissent and division among Australians. Since media ownership laws were eased we have seen a rise in fear mongering from the right via mainstream media. It was helped by the previous right wing government. Our current government must act to protect our egalitarian values. Australians must recognise that what is happening in the USA is only a breath away here too!
30 Americans died in the Hamas pogrom. 13 missing.
I've never been to Israel. For me, the old country is New Castle Pa, where we had so few Jews that all of us had to participate in the religion, although my family is not religious. .My brothers and I had bar mitvahs, but didn't attend Sunday school. My priorities were horses and golf.
As adults, after I left, my brother, a lawyer, became president of a synagogue, and because they had no money to hire a rabbi, gave sermons, officiated at funerals, etc. In retirement, he moved to Pittsburgh, where he attends services at the Tree of Life Synagogue, site of the massacre of 11 Jews.
My brother published a book of poetry. https://www.amazon.com/TREE-OTHER-POEMS-Jonathan-Solomon-ebook/dp/B0BZ1YP2GM According to the majority population in New Castle, despite our family's success, our existence was non-Anglo-Saxon and not Protestant, our whiteness only "honorary," and not of the kind that made America "great.
Today there is no Jewish congregation left in my home town.
For those of us who are Ashkenazi, the Hamas pogrom reminds of babushkas' tales how the Cossacks killed Jews indiscriminately. Now Chișinău, Moldova, Kishinev was the capital of the Bessarabia Governorate in the Russian Empire., In April] 1903, during the Easter Day pogrom, 49 Jews were killed, 92 were gravely injured, a number of Jewish women were raped, over 500 were less injured and 1,500 homes were damaged. American Jews began large-scale organized financial help, and assisted in emigration. The incident focused worldwide attention on the persecution of Jews in Russia and led Theodor Herzl to propose a Uganda Scheme as a temporary refuge for the Jews. Eventually, he became the head of Zionism. Israel became, out of necessity, the Jewish Homeland.
By that time, my family was living in New Castle. My dad was born ther in 1910. My mother 1914. My dad and 5 of my uncles served in WWII. My dad was wounded in North Africa, had frostbite at Monte Casino, Italy, I was born when he was there. After discharge he was in the reserves. He was the Commander of an American Legion post. I served also, in Vietnam, 1966 - 1967,
The Hamas pogrom has given antisemites an opportunity to express their venom. I am sorry to report that many unsuspecting people accept the white supremacist version. The pogrom is NOT justified. (that was a period,)
Historically, Jews have been scapegoated as a group that is defined as the “other.” With the conversion of the Roman emperors, Christianity became the sole established religion of the Roman Empire, and the early church fathers sought to establish Christianity as the successor to Judaism. The refusal of Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah was viewed as a threat to the Roman rulers and to Christianity. Since both religions came from the Old Testament, Christians sought to establish the validity of their new religion by claiming that it superseded Judaism.
As Jews were officially being ostracized6, certain bizarre fantasies about Jews arose in Northern Europe that foreshadowed the anti-Semitism of the 20th century. It was alleged7 that Jews had horns and tails and engaged in ritual murder of Christians. The latter allegation, referred to as “blood libel,” was devised by Thomas of Monmouth in 1150 to explain the mysterious death of a Christian boy. This theme recurs in English and German myths. In 1095, Pope Urban II made a general appeal to the Christians of Europe to take up the cross and sword and liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims, beginning what was to be known as the Crusades. The religious fervor that drove men, and later even children, on the Crusades was to have direct consequences for Jews. The Crusader army, which more closely resembled a mob, swept through Jewish communities looting, raping and massacring Jews as they went. Thus the pogrom—the organized massacre of a targeted group of people—was born.
When the crusaders git to the middle east, they treated the residents similarly. Jews fought with Muslim soldiers to defend Jerusalem against the Crusaders. Saint Louis University Professor Thomas F. Madden, author of A Concise History of the Crusades, claims the "Jewish Defenders" of the city knew the rules of warfare and retreated to their synagogue to "prepare for death" since the Crusaders had breached the outer walls. According to the Muslim chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi, "The Jews assembled in their synagogue, and the Franks burned it over their heads." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_and_the_Crusades
Jews still exist despite the Spanish Inquisition, and the Holocaust.
I have been promoting a two state solution to the pogrom. I support the two state solution. To do that, innocent Arabs should surrender to save themselves -- to the Palestinian Authority.
Even if the Palestinian version of the story were accepted, there is no moral basis to accept a pogrom. Hamas' military operation was aimed at innocent people. Reminds of similar “military” strikes at the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, at delis in Paris, Rome, at the Olympic team in Munich in 1972. Not much different than the murders of 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
When aid was given to Gaza, it was used to fund suicide bombers and munitions. The rockets' targets are indiscriminate.
Gaza has had self-determination since 2006. Their allies, like Iran could take care of all the social problems you describe but they send Hamas what they want -- more ammo.
In 1979, Edward Said, the famed Palestinian literary critic, declared himself “horrified at the hijacking of planes, the suicidal missions, the assassinations, the bombing of schools and hotels.” Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian American historian, called the suicide bombings of the second intifada “a war crime.” I'd try to mobilize (and empower) the Palestinian Authority like the UN peace mission in Lebanon. Establish safe areas within Gaza, but an airlift vis a viz the Berlin Airlift to safety if Jordan, Egypt, etc will permit them. When Hamas took control, chased out virtually all Arab Christians and Al Fatah, and in some cases liquidated them as "collaborators" with Israel. Residents will need to be protected.
When I was in the army we had the capacity to relocate villiges in a day.. Every unit has a table of operations and equipment that includes medical services, potable warter, tents etc.
When the settlements surrounding Gaza were vacated in 2006, Hamas refused to take advantage. This land is still available.
Daniel❤️I am overwhelmed with this information. I left the Catholic Church 6 months ago. I had been a practicing Catholic for 50 years . But then I realized, never did they speak to antisemitism , to LBGTQ COMMUNITIES, to what the REAL problems of the world are today. AND THEN! Tried to steer us into how to vote!!! I was and am done. My heart is with the Jewish people, and the helpless and faultless Palestinians who are going to perish. In American, hate has raged against Blacks, Native Americans, anyone who is not White Anglo-Saxon . I am white of German and Scottish heritage. WHO? Gave us a second chance? Hate, a terrible thing that will bring us all to ruin. Thank you for posting❤️
Connie Botke, becoming aware of being exploited is maddening and painful. But it is liberation also ----- a beautiful journey of picking and choosing what opinions/beliefs speak best to your heart. Try to keep your mind open. The world is your oyster. Also know, that there are many catholics who have journeyed and have became progressive catholics. Many blessings to you, no matter where your journey takes you.
I am female. And females can write infinite words & pages of the wrongs perpetrated against us. And so can every other group in the world except the WASPs. Sadly there is nothing exceptional about being persecuted. Revenge, retribution, an eye for an eye is the lamest but most used reason to mistreat other human beings. When we see revenge in a Mafia movie we know it is base. America is unique b/c we are all equal before the law - in theory. And still working on it. I own Merchant of Venice DVD starring Al Pacino. I rewatched recently. Since Shakespeare and before ... There’s nothing new under the sun.
May I just say again something I posted a few days ago: it is crucial for someone of your stature to make PUBLIC statements in support of a humane and measured response to the attacks, and accelerate the two state solution. When people in power are silent on this (or make only private pleas to Israeli officials) it gives carte blanche for Israeli powers to blow up lives indiscriminately. And it gives anti-Muslim bigots carte blanche to hate and kill, as we saw in Chicago. Government officials need to draw the line. Please, as you may have some sway with politicians, could you ask them to speak PUBLICLY about how Israel needs to respond surgically, not emotionally. That every life of a Palestinian is just as valuable as a Jewish life.
In my country a coming member of parliament gave up her seat because her party was not conscious of the history of the conflict around Palestine and Israel.
Problem is that she is right. Palestine was given away for the displaces Jew in Europe. The British felt guilty about the situation they created (Balfour declaration) and limited the immigration to 10.000 Jews into Israel. Leon Uris romanticised the period in "Exodus". The displaced Jews were not welcome in their land of origin: the houses they lived in were confiscated, and so on. There was no respect for their suffering, because an enormous reconstruction was ahead of them. So, please emigrate. The last concentrationcamp of displaced persons was closed in 1957.
So, a lot of neo-colonial guilt.
Is this consciousness necessary to cope with the war? It does not help very much.
May be the U.N. can be convinced that it should intervene with all the power it can bring.
And to do something about the hatred. In South Africa Mandela and Tutu started the Truth Commission to influence public opinion. This approach is not a panacea but ikt helped to overcome Apartheid. Despair is no solution.
The Belford D was to solve the Jewish problem: some Brits wanted Jews out of Europe in the same way the US proposed all Africans move to Liberia? There were a lot of Jewish bankers living in London who helped Brits who were struggling financially esp. those that opposed Hitler, Churchill for one. BP remember stands for British Petroleum. The Middle East is so named because of its physical location in the British empire & it’s boundaries are artificial boundaries made up by the Brits, hence the problems.
This is the same trap America fell into after 9/11. We wrapped patriotism into a vestige of hate, and Muslims suffered greatly. We saw a rise in hate crimes and deaths around the world. Americans and Muslims died, and in the end, nothing good came of it!
I watched liberal Americans last week cheer when innocent Israeli women and children were massacred. People were being brainwashed to think that Jews are not people, and now we’re seeing the same thing against Palestinians.
Somehow, many believe every Palestinian is responsible for the terror in Israel, and the same can be said, who think all Jews are responsible for Netanyahu’s and his far right government’s policies and crimes. Nothing could be further from the truth; but the dehumanization efforts begin; and hate is the end product.
I heard the President of Israel, Herzog, claim all Palestinians are responsible for the massacres; wrong! They are victims too. When we can no longer distinguish between the innocents on both sides, then Humanity is lost, and all is left is hate.
I truly hope Israel will not invade, because we’ve seen this movie before. Hamas attacks, Israel responds harder, and then implements even more draconian laws that strangle the Palestinian people. Rinse, lather, repeat!
And in the end nothing changes. Hamas grows stronger, not weaker and Israel responds in kind.
The definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result!”--Albert Einstein
Yes, this time will be different; lots more death and destruction that will make all of the past incursions seem tame. So I only question is, “and then what?”
My thoughts and prayers to all: Palestinians and Israeli’s alike. I have family in Israel and I am truly terrified for all.
Robert Jaffee, I am sorry for your pain at this time.
I agree with you. I separate those who water the seeds of violence from those who water the seeds of compassion. I wish no ill on anyone, but my heart breaks more for the suffering of the peaceful Israeli and Palestinian people who do not want violence anywhere.
I grew up in N. Jersey. My whole family fm NYC. I could always tell where there was a war by who my bar tenders & cab drivers were. Chatting w a cab driver on my way home late one night I asked: where are you from? Lebanon. Ms. Buzzed: who won that war? thinking how smart I am to know there’s a war. Cabbie turned around like he was going to slap me, stared long & hard at me and realized I was 20-something & clueless and said: nobody. Nobody wins a war. Everyone loses. Every family on both sides lost at least one family member- mother, father, sister, brother, child. Many lost more. And the war turned us all into murderers. I believe he was yelling: murderers. Talk about a sobering ride home. Israel may kill a lot of Palestinians. But many Israelis will be murderers: some will justify it & others will be forever harmed by becoming murderers. Is that a win? Does any mother want their child to become a murderer? What would Golda have done? We need experienced peace makers.
Nationalism essentially says: my country is better than yours; I must be better off than you are or else… etc. etc. etc.
We are not teaching the economic gospel that we cal all make it… even if it’s hard work… but if 1 or 2 percentages of the human race thinks - perhaps naively for the good of all - that they must own over 80% of all the wealth and income… then something is absolutely wrong and must be fixed. By us human beings… and the politicians are not politicians if they uphold the super rich and do their darnest to keep us enslaved.
Vittorio, JESUS STATED, ' LOVE ! , Your Neighbor ! ,, AS, YOURSELF !' IF ! Any, ,,,, in MANKIND Does Not, follow HIS PRECEPT,,,,,,,, I Will BE SORRY to SAY, ,,,,, "YOU !, are Following, ,,,, A PLASTIC ! jesus ! AMEN !!
Robert ! MANY Believers, Are Fervently PRAYING ! , For ISRAEL, And, Its 'Inherited Children',,, BECAUSE ! These !, ....ARE CHRISTS, BRIDE ! FAITH ! and Prayers! For Your Families SAFETY, and For YOU !! GOD BLESS !
I read your comment below. Excellent points. Well said. My only problem with the PA is they are weak and corrupt. Good luck getting Hamas to surrender to them. Hamas hates the PA almost as much as they hate Israeli’s. Hence, if Israel didn’t exist anymore, we’d see a civil war. And I’m sure ISIL and Al Qaeda, two well funded terror organizations, would gladly move in during all the chaos, and fill the power vacuum left by Israel.
Agreed, but they have little power in Gaza and it will never occur while Netanyahu is Prime Minister. He has deliberately been playing both sides against each other. Hopefully, there are new elections after this war ends, and new leadership emerges, willing to negotiate a two state solution.
But Netanyahu wasn’t PM then. He’s become radicalized. I used to think he was a voice of reason back in the 80’s, when he was ambassador to the UN. Something changed, perhaps right-wing money from the Armageddon evangelicals in the US...:)
There is an excellent article by Karen Friedman Agnifilo who is an attorney and served as Chief Assistant District Attorney of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on the MeidasTouch Network https://www.meidastouch.com/
website. If you have a few minutes, it’s well worth reading.
Trump’s collection of disturbing and threatening videos, Truth Social Posts, etc…. Ending with Karen’s statement:
“Not only does Trump thumb his nose in the face of judicial authority making a mockery of the justice system, but he is also putting lives at risk!”
I cannot believe all the lies and disinformation and threats! It’s unbelievable what this guy has gotten away with and continues to get away with!
He alone has done more to harm our democracy and our country than anyone else in our history!
Trump has also exposed the worst of our society.
For the life of me I cannot believe he is still the leading candidate in the Republican Party. Our Freedoms are at risk of being destroyed by a minority of fascist members of our own government!
Support President Biden and his administration. They are working for the American people. While that other party can’t even elect a Speaker of the House! How PATHETIC!
Hate and or hatred is an attitude that dynamically destroys the character of the individual expressing the emotion. It's a personal form of poison that continually degrades one's sense of reality to a point where they become consumed with loathing the individual they house these negative feelings for. These people become so embroiled in their own negativity reason becomes something they simply won't listen to, making any connection leaning toward common ground an impossibility. Add a violent tendency to the mix and we have an explosive atmosphere similar what we just witnessed in Israel. Hate is driven by ignorance and misinformation, the only drug on hand to ease the symptoms is truth.
Dr. Reich, thanks for clarifying the mess we are in and reminding us of the best in us. President Lincoln’s words are still salient and should be a guide to what comes next.
I think after a couple of decades, when things were imperfectly normalized, the haters memorialized the worst in us. We are experiencing the consequences of their sh*t show now including their cowardly threats of violence. The answer is always to not allow such bad examples to rob us of our humanity. I include the warped miscreants as part of humanity, part of the whole. We have to be stalwart and generous of spirit. However, the right to self defense is a fundamental duty. For the sake of everyone, bullies should not prevail. The fourteenth amendment is a bookmark in history indicating that. We need to defend our constitutional rights and freedoms in our thoughts, words and deeds to keep them. You and the wise words of Lincoln remind us of our sacred duty to defend our democratic principles.
I feel myself becoming a Hater sometimes, and it scares me. I have trouble believing that the MAGA people and extremist republicans have anything to say worth listening to, or the ability to listen to reason or truth. I even sometimes hope tfg would please just die.
Thank you for reminding me that Hate is never justified nor is it ever healthy for anything, especially for the one who Hates. I am going to stop this right now and try not to give up on myself and the world.
I have been living in a very sad and lonely place since Trump was elected.
Paula,
In the times in which we now live there is so much anger and hate it is difficult to not be caught up in the negativity that is all around us.
So, when I start to go down in spirit I stop. I listen to music, I sing, I bring positivity back to my psyche. It is all a choice at first. Then it re centers the mind and heart and helps bring me back on track to who I am and what I believe.
There will always be the forces of evil present because humans are imperfect that way. So just do what you can do whether that is a smile to a stranger, a contribution of time, talent or treasure.
Surround yourself with what makes you feel loved and positive and do what you can to foster the same outward into the world. It is not head in the sand thinking, it is affirming what you can generate into the world.
excellent perceptions and advice. except for myself and adult child, my family has gone MAGA. our dad is rolling over in his grave.
however, to survive mentally and emotionally, i am reclaiming past loves and passions - geology, nature, running water, the night sky, going back to the ocean, and reading an international array of fascinating writers of fiction.
a reminder: pessimism is the crowning glory of hate - stay away!
You are strong, and also a survivor.
My dad would also be rolling over in his grave. And I suspect shaking his head a lot.
We must all just focus on doing our best in this very trying time. The 60's was a piece of cake compared to what is going down now.
Lots more humans on the planet and maybe Mother is trying to shake some of them off since they just don't think!
It seems to me is is more about acting, rather than thinking first and then acting.
Watch the sun setting in the west,I always say,God painted that for us!
Thank you Gina. Love your suggestions!
Every morning I look outside and see the huge beautiful tree in our yard where a family of cardinals lives(Launcelot and Guiniveere are the husband and wife)I feed my mother and son feline combo and watch them enjoy their am routine.I see the birds arriving outside my kitchen window waiting to be fed and I thank God for another day.Every day is the possibility of a miracle.
It is all the beauty and the majesty of Nature that we need to focus on in times like these.
There is no other option that makes sense. So, keep up that practice.
We need to undersand that our souls are finite vessels, only capable of holding a certain amount of emotion at any given time, and hatred, once seated, takes up a specific part of the space inside of us. Allowed to grow, it can and will take up more and more of that space, and as time goes by, it can sneak up on us before we know it, and indeed wind up dominating the space where the best of us, our goodness, compassion, our decency, once lived, our hatred squeezing the best of us to the side, and then, eventually, completely dominating, who we are .
So when we hate, every other part of our lives, suffer. Our relationships with everyone we encounter, including those with our spouses and extended families, our friends and neighbors, even our dogs, as well as our bosses, workmates, even people who we meet anew or simply pass on the street, all, are directly affected, and then diminished, and in many cases, even destroyed, by the fact that our hatred for anything or anyone at all, exists in our hearts and minds. Yes. Allowed to run rampant, your hatred for Republicans, or Democrats, or.. . Labradoodles, can indeed ruin, your marriage.
That's not hyperbole folks. I'm not joking.
Thank you. I believe you are a wise person and absolutely correct about what Hate does to us. I have been giving a lot of thought to my feelings about those who I disagree with, and I have realized that it's not actually hate that I feel, but anger, frustration and bafflement. Mostly, I just can't understand them. Sometimes, I even pity them, because I don't think they can be happy. The Bible teaches us to love our enemies and to treat them with kindness....and that our kindness will cause them more pain than our cruelty ever could. In fact, it was either Jesus or Paul who said "treating your enemies with kindness is like heaping hot coals on their head"! I have always tried to be kind towards everyone, and I think if I were to meet any of those who so frustrate me I WOULD be kind to them! I am only "mean" in my own head, where it only hurts me. As a sufferer of major depression for most of my life, I have quite enough self inflicted pain. Thanks again Nathan! God bless you.
Well it sounds to me Paula, that you're more in touch with your inner you than an awful lot of people, and hatred is very different than anger, which is temporary, and serves us as relief valve if you will, a normal reaction to injustice, as long as we don't just stay angry because that is no better for us than staying hateful. I use it from time to time, alone in the car, I might scream at an idiot or two, and then get back to rational thought, a little more calm than before, and well, a little more rational.
And anyone who doesn't feel frustration with the Right right now, probably has a lot of reading to do.
As for kindness, I believe that it is built into our human selves, at birth. The trick is to not allow it to be overshadowed by less useful emotions. Again, we are finite vessels. Finding a balance, while eliminating problematic emotions, is beneficial to us.
Human beings, throughout our history, have been tribal. At some point, we came to understand that we were better, together; hunters were safer and more efficient, in groups; our less physically powerful tribal members, who perhaps didn't do well with hunting, stayed in camp doing things to support our hunters, cleaning and preparing food, maintaining shelters etc., so that our hunters could rest, and so, be better at hunting.
As such, we bettered ourselves, and made life easier for all. Its been shown by Archiologists that our earliest tribes learned compassion, by caring for injured, disabled and elderly tribal members, by examining ancient remains, which show that even very early on, we realized that all of us, had value, either through wisdom to be shared, or the carrying out of some sort of tasks that our healthiest members either couldn't carry out, or simply wouldn't; a disabled member might have been good at arrowhead making, or the like.
Point being, even when early men and women became physically useless, their tribal mates still fed them, cared for them, and so loving each other, treating each other with kindness, grew out of our needs to be with each other. Over the course of tens of thousands of years, those traits, love and kindness, have become instinctive, automatic. Then, laugh out loud, came politics.
I'm no stranger to depression, or self inflicted pain, myself. Twice in my life, I felt the need to "talk to someone", and sought out professionals. On both occasions, I was told that, "I rarely say this to my patients, but you need to be more selfish, and think more about your own life, and less about everyone elses'." etc., etc. I took that to heart, and wound up being a more well balanced person, and so more capable of helping others, which is a natural desire of mine, and, it seems to me, yours. Perhaps you might give that some thought yourself Paula. Trust that you will always be kind, because it is in all of our basic natures, a built in part of who we are as human beings, and maybe more so in yourself, than most. Many of course, are so screwed up that their inner kindness has been obliterated by hate, never to be seen again. Not you. You are good. Just go with that !
Our most destructive problem in this country right now, is ignorance. Strive to be calm in all situations, as you do whatever you can, to eliminate it. That is where you'll be your best, and the most valuable you, to both yourself, and our struggling country, our American, tribe.
Very, nice to meet you Paula ! You are a gem.
No joke. I will not forget your wise words.
: - ))
MAY Our LORD ! , Cover YOU !, in HIS GRACE. Mercy, and Peace ! Paula! ( HATE, IS evils Game, to Over Take US ! and ' ROT ! Us !, ' , FROM, THE, IN side ! ,,,,,,OUT !) FAITH !, and LOVE !, Cover, a MULTITUDE ! of sin !! AMEN !
Me too, Paula. Gina’s advice works for me. Sometimes I take a break and just enjoy music or find an engrossing project or, rarely, watch TV. Billy the Kid on Amazon is pretty good.
I have been watching "West Wing", and it just amazes me that the series was written between 2000 and 2012(I believe), and it is so relevant to what is happening now....although not nearly as hatefilled as our climate is now. The rethuglicans are so incredibly evil, I see no way to overcome. I find the music of Ye Vagabonds and Manchester Orchestra calms me.
Thanks for the tip! I'm a kindle addict, so once I finish reading the news I get emailed to me, and reading and reacting to Robert Reich's post, I spend the rest of my day reading the most unrealistic fantasy, sci-fi and mysteries I can find! I am an invalid who is stuck in bed 95% of the time, so my tablet is my life-support....along with my precious cat, Mr. Peanut ❤ I quit all social media after trump, and the only streaming service I have is Prime. I have a TV, but never watch it. I will add Billy the Kid to my watch list!
But you can and will go beyond because you recognize this.
Mary--Freedom and Democracy go hand in hand. Remove one and you lose the other. Lincoln saw that truth we should as well.
All of the problems we face as a country in this moment are made immeasurably worse by the absence of a Speaker of the House of Representatives. We must fill that vacancy ASAP, and it must not be allowed to fall into the hands of a MAGA-aligned representative.
The only feasible solution is for a bipartisan coalition to support what Leader Hakeem Jeffries calls a "traditional Republican" for Speaker.
At www.FeathersOfHope.net we have just published a list of 23 selected Republican Representatives with their DC and District phone numbers. All are from districts where MAGA forces are not dominant. We are urging everyone to call them, asking that they break with extremism, join Democrats in a bipartisan coalition and elect a traditional non-MAGA Republican Speaker.
Here's a link to the post:
https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/finding-republican-partners .
.
Problem is, Jerry, Republicans cannot come up with a credible leader in the House. Look at the criminals they have already tried to elect and the many in the shadows waiting to be nominated who are just as bad. At least most of the Republicans in the house seem smart enough to know who not to elect.
DO NOT !!, Hold !, Your BREATH !! ( IT !, could !, be ...... YOUR LAST !!) " A House, DIVIDED ! , WILL, NOT !!, Stand !!"
Jerry--The absence of a speaker isn't the entire problem. The structure of the leadership is. I can see no provisions made in the event the appointed speaker becomes absent. There should be a vice chair in the wings for just such an occasion. This is a measure the powers that be should implement, as you stated, ASAP.
MAGA is HATE
Donald, I did not state that nor do I agree. The Speaker is elected, not appointed. And there is a provision for a temporary Speaker with limited powers to hold the office during any vacancy. Rep. McHenry is currently in that position.
As you say, there is no provision for a vice-chair to assume full power. I would argue that is as it should be. The alternative would introduce malign intrigue and undermine the Speaker's authority.
.
And that we shall,I pray always'please help us preserve and protect our democracy"!
I’m sorry. I mostly hate trump and refuse to listen to the stupid who still adore him.
I also pity him for how he got the way he is. But it doesn’t prevent the loathing. He made himself.
Jen--There is nothing wrong with loathing someone but to offer hatred in its stead only hurts you as a person. Keep right loathing, especially Trump, but shy away from the "H" word.
Donald—Years ago there was a TV show called “Homicide: Life on the Street” with a character Detective Munsch (sp?) played by Richard Belzer as having a wise, philosophical bent. My wife and I both reached for note pads when he said “Resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other guy dies.” Same goes for “hate.”
Harry--I missed the program but the thought will be remembered. "Resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other guy dies." Great words, thanks.
I agree. I am by no means a hateful person, however, I can't help but hate Donald The Con Trump. He earned the hatred.
Try choosing to use your energy for the positive. Otherwise, him and people like him win.
Thank you, Gina. I do. My religion is To Do Good. I am a positive person. That just shows you how much this man runs counter to everything I believe. My grandfather said a person should be judged mainly by their character. The Don has zero!
Right now, and always that is the best we can do always. And I think he runs counted to everything that any truly decent, kind person thinks and does and says. Keep the faith Brother!
I was saved from descending into hating Trump by a sermon on Bayard Rustin, the man who organized the “I Have A Dream” March. Rustin called for love in response to the virulent racist Mississippi Senator Eastland, and the way to love him was to take away his power.
Rather than hate, we can focus on taking away the power of those who systematically organize hatred. That includes FOX and right wing radio. The 71 year old Chicago landlord who stabbed the Muslim mother and fatally stabbed her six year old son, listened to conservative talk radio and became convinced of a jihad coming last weekend. I hope the boy’s family sues that talk radio station.
Jen !,, he NEEDS !,,, More PRAYER !, Then the Hebrews Enemy !....... " The PHAR0H !!!" ( Im suspecting ,,,, Reprobate HEART !! ) LORD !,,, ....HIave MERCY !)
Yep. It is all about personal choice. It is always all about personal choice.
Attitude.
After 2 gag orders, he stands at the entrance of a jail cell,total warped ignorance.
Jen, Hate is a cancer. Do your best to move it to the side and just think carefully about what you think and say. You do not have to classify all things. You can just do what your heart and mind tell you is right and leave 'control' to others who are under that illusion.
Donald, you are so right about the way hatred works. Truth is the antidote, but it is or can be very painful and people don't want to deal with pain. The haters don't mind inflicting it on others, but become even more enraged if any hatred or truth is directed toward them. It is crazy but it has been part of humanity for quite some time and only vaccines of care, respect, patience, honesty, and courage can inoculate our children against hatred. Now, if only our media and religious institutions as a whole would start using the vaccines regularly, it could make a difference. We will also need help for anyone who starts to come out of the hate haze they have been living in. Forgiveness and reconciliation will have to be available to them so the hate habit does not return.
Ruth--It's sad but the have nots develop a strong dislike for the haves because of the things they own. Jealously breeds discontent which has the ability to fester into hatred. Religion teaches forgiveness, if there are so many religious people out there why isn't hatred waning?
That's an easy one, Donald. Hatred in our society and all through human history has such power because too many of those claiming to adhere to their religious precepts are merely using their religion as a shield for their nefarious actions.
Hatred of the 'other' by whatever epithet they conjure is the only religion to which they are faithful. Furthermore, the hatred they have experienced or been taught eventually seeps inward to become so painful that they must project it onto others for relief. Truth is certainly good medicine but like many drugs are not easily tolerated by those who need them.
Ilene--That's why it's so hard to swallow. To accept the truth may force some to understand they are less than they might have thought they were. To accept your own deficiencies can be a moral dilemma and extremely difficult for most to handle. Religion becomes their scapegoat, a blanket of forgiveness if you will. They are being told hate is OK as long as you are hating the correct people. Example in hand--Ham'as.
Yes, however we rationalize and analyze the fog of hatred that blurs our vision, it all comes down to a form of noisy mind control and is a tragic proof of how intimately connected is our collective consciousness that it doesn't take much to overwhelm us.
Ilene, we certainly are interconnected, and it is astounding how quickly anger, fear, resentment, and hatred can spread. I think of them as the modern 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. It is painful to think of the harm over time these 4 have caused. Toss in jealousy and things could seem hopeless. However, we can stand against the four. It does take strength and a ton of courage, but some people are doing it in the face of violent threats and they need to be celebrated. Hatred has been brewing in Israel/Palestine for decades and few there were willing to yell "enough!" Instead, they elected people to power who cared nothing for peace, living together. They just kept magnifying the words of a few in Palestine who said their goal was to wipe out Israel. Israel could have said, we get it that you hate us, but we are not going to hate back and we are working in good faith to build 2 states here so we can share prosperity and success. They released the 4 horsemen and as we see now, nothing good came of it. Everyone is suffering and there is plenty of blame to go around. Hatred corrupts and unless people work diligently to stop it and stomp it down, the corrosion will spread and no one wins. That is insanity! Why do we like insanity so much that we keep fostering it?
Because caving to insanity makes it easier to avoid and/ or delay reality, Ruth.
Ruth, the answer to your question lies in history.
In a word; agreed!
Adam--Finally!
Salutations mister!
Adam--Back at ya.
Adam--Does it mater if my name isn't Wilbur?
Where does “Wilber” the idea come from?
Simply Donald being Donald! Typical comment of his. The only "Wilbur" I know of was the owner of a talking horse, Mr. Ed, in a 1960s sitcom.
Hell if I know. I presume a cultural reference we both failed to catch. However, this will be revealed in the fullness of time. Lol.
No matter how tightly Trump wraps himself in the American.flag he represents the antithesis of what our democracy stands for. - . hate and bigotry abound in his divisive rhetoric..
When people all across this land were dying from the pandemic he downplayed it . On Jan 6 he knew armed insurrectionists had.entered the Capitol, but delayed calling them off for 3 hrs. Notwithstanding all the hate, the lies, the 91 counts of. criminality surrounding him, tell me why anybody would vote for a man who has demonstrated he is willing to sacrifice lives so that he can retain power. This fact alone should disqualify him from ever holding public office again.
Betty--Trump is self absorbent and has absolutely no empathy for others. My abnormal psych professor would have had a field day discussing the abnormalities found in Donnie Boy during one of his classes. Having an inability to express any form of humor, that wasn't sick in nature, is another sign of a person in emotional distress. How this 1930s German throw back has reached the level he has in this country is a mystery to many, including myself.
The fact that he has oor nay have deep psychological problems doesn't make him any less dangerous, quite the opposite. If he is so lacking in empathy and compassion and thinks he is above the law and can do whatever he wants, he is a threat to our people and our democracy..
Betty--Exactly..
Trump is a mob boss and a cult leader and has a penchant for strong arm tactics and inciting violenc
Betty--You obviously understand the degenerate we are dealing with.
he ! is The 'AXSIS' wanaBE ! Party With Kim Jon Un !, Putin ! And ,, All The VACUUM HEAD Minnions, ! and " yes Mankind !, that march ! Toward the CLIFF ! of INIQUITY !"
I think hate is also driven by fear. Fear of equality- fear of having less-zero sum limited beliefs.
Just saw an Israeli express hope for a “Belfast” moment when everyone decides that 75 years of hatred and violence is enough. ENOUGH.
Can we all agree that when everyone has enough and no need for more than their neighbor, we will have peace?
(It would also resolve the climate crisis.)
Technically love and hate both come from the neuropeptide oxytocin.
Aggression and violence are separate.
So are reasoning skills.
Have to stop with the good and evil nonsense. No soul, no free will.
Sapolsky’s Behave
SIMPLY !! " REPROBATE HEART !" ( SEARED !, With a Hot IRON !! )
James--When dealing with evil you can never have enough good.
The conditions for hate are in othering and fear, and hate shuts down empathy, relationship, and cognition. We stop learning when we start hating. MOSF 18.11: Abusive Power and Megalomania Perpetuate Racial, Cultural, Transhistorical, & Intergenerational Trauma (Part 2) https://eastwindezine.com/mosf-18-11-abusive-power-and-megalomania-perpetuate-racial-cultural-transhistorical-intergenerational-trauma-part-2/
Ravi--The whole thing stinks of Trump and the1930s Germany. And if you're speaking of Israel the whole thing stinks of Trump and Ham'as.
And for some that's the hardest pill to swallow.
Hate is driven by selfishness... selfishness causes you to place yourself and your worth above others. Making them 'less than' you and therefor justifying your hateful acts against them. Making them an 'other', makes them something other than, "thy neighbor" and therefore, unworthy of being treated "as thyself", or as an equal.
fy--Agreed.
As a former educator I know that what Prof. Reich says and you say regarding hate is a physiological fact: hate is part of our "fight or flight" instinct: when we are fearful, leading to strong emotions (fear and hate are the strongest), our prefrontal cortex (logic center) shuts down. These autocrats are instinctively doing what they know will allow them more control over their followers.
Good leadership acknowledges the difficulty in problems but encourages paths to achieving solutions through cooperation, compromise, and creativity. President Biden is such a leader, along with his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and House, and a smattering of Republicans.
David--Your "Fight or Flight" response is directly related to the amount of adrenaline your body dumps into its blood stream when you are confronted with a life or death situation, or when you find yourself in the presents of a woman. Humor aside, we are so fortunate to have a leader like President Biden at a time like this, especially considering the alternative.
You are so right. We must hope the House comes to its senses and doesn't give power to the traitor Jim Jordan. That could be the death of our hope for governing. Trump is the puppeteer still.
David--I have given that man the title of "The Piped Piper of Fools."
What is even more disturbing is that elected representatives are taking marching orders from him. Which has effectively shut down the House of Representatives and hampering the US in doing the business of governing.
Cheerio ; Yes, the criminal fascist traitor is running our country from the back seat! We need to remove the 'Congress members' who betrayed their oaths of office by refusing to vote to certify President Biden's win. They were supporting the insurrection, instead of the Constitution, and are disqualified from holding office!
That starts evidently with Jim Jordan.
If only! that would be great!
Hate can be divided by economics. A lot of hate in the world today is developed though lack of basic needs. We need to try walking more in the shoes of those who have struggles with food and housing.
Cheerio, yes, and why is it that fool has been allowed to have such a great influence? He has been indicted, warned to stop threatening people, and we've learned he is not nearly as rich as he told everyone he was. That should not in itself make a difference, but in this case, it is a symptom of an utter disregard for the truth and a genuine hatred of everyone who is not him and does not bow and scrape to his every whim. The hated don't know how much Trump despises them. Fortunately, most of us don't care that Trump is a hater, just that he does not get back into any office. He is a lazy fool who now has to depend on his handlers for everything since he can no longer even think for himself. Why would anyone want to follow a person like that??
Because their putrid orange fuehrer gives them 'right' to be 'loud and PROUD' of their hatred, and even encourages them to express it VIOLENTLY.
They LIVE and breathe to instill fear and terror in all 'others and libtards', and well as to intimidate, bully, threaten, and harass anyone who is not almost exactly like them.
I do find it all but impossible to not loathe those who believe that I do not have the right to EXIST merely because of the religion in which I was raised, even though I no longer even practice said religion (ironically, they also want to butcher me for NOT practicing ANY religion, or having any beliefs of a deity, theirs or otherwise).
I therefore cannot blame any of the 'others' whom these racist, fascist, evil bigots and Aryan/white supremacists also want to obliterate for WHATEVER differences they may have, which makes them 'inferior' in the haters' sick little minds.
I do NOT want to murder/obliterate these NAZIS (or Hamas, etc.), I just want to STOP them from doing so to me, and to any/all 'others', by any means necessary to accomplish such. ;)
@Ruth: "and why is it that fool has been allowed to have such a great influence?" It's because they are afraid of him. They're afraid for their political future and even the safety of their own families. They didn't intend to give away their power, but now they're trapped (from their limited point of view).
For anyone who wondered how Hitler was able to gain so many followers with hate & division, Hitler admirer Traitor Trump has shown us how.
One of Trump’s favorite books was Mein Kampf a 1925 autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. It has long been known that Trump is a Hitler admirer. So, I think we can safely conclude Trump’s Hitler rhetoric is no accident. Remember when he said “ You can go to a banana republic and pick the worst one and you’re not gonna see what we’re witnessing now. Nobody has any idea where these people are coming from, and we know they come from prisons. We know they come from mental institutions, insane asylums. We know they’re terrorists. Nobody has ever seen anything like we’re witnessing right now. It is a very sad thing for our country. It’s poisoning the blood of our country. It’s so bad, and people are coming in with disease. People are coming in with every possible thing that you could have.”
His wife Ivana said Trump kept a book of Hitler's speeches next to his bedside. Trump has a reputation of eschewing books & not having enough of an attention span to get through his daily briefings. But if he never read another book, it's clear he was an avid reader of Hitler, who obviously inspired him, as is manifest in the speeches Trump gives.
Trump's Rosh Hashana message to Jews was very ominous: Hope you start making right decisions now, etc. and Have a nice day. Goggle it and see. How much did he already know about Hamas battle plans?
The classified Information on Israeli operations passed on by Trump to Russian government officials could've reached Iran, assisting Hamas in planning their brutal attack on Israel
Jaime, that’s exactly what I think. It was reported that some of the documents TFG stole included analyses of the military weaknesses of allies. The NYT said that Hamas had shown remarkable familiarity with Israel’s weaknesses. And at the same time, TFG made a point of publicly stating that Bibi had let him down (by acknowledging Biden won the 2020 election?)....DJT’s oh-so-subtle way of crowing about his revenge on Netanyahu. I can’t imagine this truth will ever be revealed but it should be. I can hardly believe that all Republicans would vote for this kind of foreign policy!
You are thinking of the Republicans of the past. This gang is no relation.
Yeah I agree. But I can’t believe 100% of the Repugnants would vote to have classified military information about Israel handed (even indirectly) to terrorists. This IS his retribution, but some red people must be shocked....
Netanyahu had some large protests going on. I wonder how much he knew and when he knew it?
Laurie, I just tried to reply to you, but it seems to have disappeared. Did you happen to get it?
His, and his family's ties to the Saudis is also suspect, yes despite the reports of them supposedly trying to 'normalize' relations with Israel.
Love and hate are as joined at the hip as yin is to yang. Expecting to find one without the other is tantamount to attempting to find the theoretic magnetic monopole. For all the hate we see expressed, it's invariably in the name of loving something or someone - love of an Abrahamic fever dream, race, the nation, the family, the self, power, money, an idea, or even just winning a friggin' ball game. It's the worm in the apple of religious doctrine based on love. The passions of the heart should be treated very carefully, all the while our instincts scream at us to do otherwise. While people just >love< the passions of their hearts, the heart should simply advise them - not rule them. Otherwise, we tend toward generally destructive and self-destructive impulses in thought, word and deed. Pay close attention to how media attempts to hook pathos in selling a product or idea - and counts on consumer impulse. For example, ol' P01135809 hijacks the emotions that interfere with higher-order reasoning. Biden doesn't.
Do you wonder why there's so much hate in the world today? You might safely invert the question and ask how it is there's so much love in the world today. What's confusing you is that it's only the loving hatred that makes itself undeniably apparent.
Agree or disagree as you see fit, because that's how I see the problem as a septuagenarian and I'm a'stickin' to it - no matter what religious doctrine, harsh words, or insults might be hurled at me to the contrary!
A baseball team would be pointless if there were zero other teams to oppose. Likewise, when we (overly) identify with a particular religious or ethnic group, we automatically create a category called “others who are not us.” In contrast with that mind set, if we were to continually remind ourselves that our common humanity is more important than the superficial differences that divide us, then we’re more likely to experience peace and happiness. Wasn’t it Jesus who said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”?
True enough. But notice that what you're saying is not an emotional appeal. It's a rational appeal. Of course, we get back to the old notion that the ancient Greeks had 3 words for love. I might suspect that the notion of rationality was in its infancy at the time, in which "agape" was something like rationality. The appeal to recognize our common humanity is more to the principle of agape, which may be the rational idea of "the brotherhood of man" that get has historically gotten a lot of lip service, but few actually "believe" in, and fewer yet even understand. Of course, I consider knowledge and belief are another one of those pesky yin/yang propositions. Besides, a starving man only cares about his starvation. Volumes and volumes have been written on the question, and I'm a mere mortal taking a stab at the ideas.
Check out Paul Tillich’s 3-volume Systematic Theology. He spends hundreds of pages describing an approach to understanding the divine based on an “ecstatic” frame of mind. Tillich died in 1965 and was probably not influenced by the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s. But he did serve in WW1 as a counselor to soldiers in the trenches and suffered PTSD from his experiences. In my own experience, taking an LSD journey with people of “other” ethnic or racial groups reveals our common humanity and creates a lasting bond. LSD produces the kind of ecstatic experience that evidently greatly influenced Luther’s theology: I believe that Luther was an undiagnosed bi-polar theologian (do we know whether he ingested magic mushrooms?). To conclude, it’s my 1960s-determined contention that, as John Lennon wrote, we must “free our minds instead” if we’re to end division and hatred among groups and individuals.
👍 As far as Luther, perhaps the kind of rye rust involved with Salem. Definitely, the backing of German nobles that didn't "need no steenking pope" telling them what to do!
That a robust warrior class in Germany should resent send taxes to the effete ruling in Rome seems like a likely motivation to adopt Luther’s view of society, in which the local ruler chooses which church his underlings should belong to.
VOTE BLUE! VOTE FOR OUR DEMOCRACY? VOTE TO TAKE OUR DEMOCRACY BACK FROM TGE INSURRECTIONISTS AND FASCISTS!
The leading contender for Speaker of our House if Reps. considers himself to be like David Duke!!! Plus he, Jim Jordan, is also involved in fake elector scheme. Maybe his indictment is coming ... No wonder he and some other gop are so defensive of trumps indictments ... fear.
I think that was Steve Scalise. Unless they both compared themselves to Duke. Here is an explainer: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-story-behind-steve-scalise-and-david-duke-that-helped-end-a-bid-for-speaker/ar-AA1i8kv0?ocid=socialshare
Thanks. I'm not sure where I read it. But, repubs are a bunch of deplorable insurrectionists out to weaken and obstruct our government. Democracy is not good enough for them. I think they are welcome to move to a Dictatorship of their choice and stop wreaking havoc in our country.
Even more pathetic that no Speaker of the House, perhaps, is that the so-called GOP would consider a serial liar, election denying political hack with not a scintilla of statesmanship, the... (gentle)man from Ohio who enables seditionists and is under a cloud of suspicion for turning a blind eye toward sexual abuse at his former employee, Ohio State University.
So much for avoiding the appearance if impropriety. The GOP endorses impropriety, hate and tribalism. That indeed is pathetic. An old Spanish proverb says "Pueblo idiota es seguridad del tirano." .. in essence a dumbass body politic gets the government it deserves...at it provided safety for tyrants.
Keith Olson ; Imagine if the Democrats held up our government and could not get it together to even agree on a speaker?! Of course, this is tfg's idea, to harm US. This is part of his coup. In a better designed rulebook, the Democrats should be able to take the reins!
If they have no speaker, I wondered why the other Party couldn't take the reins? For example, what if some deadly virus killed all of the other party, wouldn't someone need to take the reins? Maybe the smarter one who wore masks.
Well, in the repubs field, its a vote on the most deplorable person in the world, so that means nothing for the general election. We just have to keep working hard for all state and national elections.
Yes, DT is thumbing his nose even at the weak judge imposing a weak gag order on him, rather than jailing him.
Right on. If he flouts the gag order, throw his fat arse in the klink with the general population. Send an unmistakable message to neo-Fascists like him everywhere in this wounded nation.
I think they are saving it all up for new charges to appear at his trial. They WILL have the last laugh.
An interesting statement from the IDF I just came across that's worth the 90 seconds attention required: https://youtu.be/kSqgGtWeTSE?si=U-N9k5DMVvVM4CLc
DZK. The problem with the IDF YouTube is that it conflates all Palestinians with Hamas. Denying food, water and electricity to non-combatants will only increase the death, hatred and recruiting success of Hamas. This is the inevitable problem with declaring war on terrorist organizations. They wear no uniform, are not concentrated on military bases and thus are impossible to attack with surgical precision. Israel is in a very difficult position but if there is any possible was to assure the survival of innocent families.......
Marge, I think quagmire maybe the way to describe the position Israel is in. Hamas, as terrorist organizations seem to do, hides within and uses innocent civilians as shields. It is impossible for Israel to effectively attack, let alone destroy Hamas without massive casualties among innocent civilians. Hamas knows this and doesn’t care about that. They see it as a “win” for them, framing these deaths and horrors as “martyrs” and hoping that the world turns against Israel. Their clear stated goal is the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews. They well know (and as DZK did) I offer this as information, not endorsement that after the Holocaust and the failure of so many to stand up to Hitler, two vows were made: Never Again, and (paraphrasing) you kill one of us and we kill 10 (or is it 100) of you.
With all the tunnels and underground fortifications of Hamas, there is no way to obliterate Hamas without massive destruction above ground.
Israel is in more than a difficult position. The word “impossible” may closer to the reality.
I just watched idf and they are going after the tunnels. Already bombed and disabled entrance to three. I think they have to do it to kill the head of the snake, so to speak.
Unless they destroy the tunnels. :-(
See above ... I suspected ... everyone expecting ground invasion.
I simply posted it to clarify the Israeli position - not to affirm or deny it one way or the other. This just seemed like a good place to post it for discussion, and I only said it was worth the 90 seconds attention, to which with your reply is the first in said discussion. All war is a self-perpetuating hate-fest in the name of love for one's own.
It is a sad state of affairs when the rulers of the country are terrorists! Palestinians (non terrorists) are stuck with monsters stealing the aid they ought to get. And because the terrorists hide within them, who can know for sure. It's part of why the other Arab countries stay away from the mess. I mean, usually, if YOU declare war on your neighboring country, how could that country that YOU declared war on be responsible for YOUR well-being? It doesn't seem to go along with the whole war decision ... that YOU made. You don't want that country to exist, your goal in life is to kill everyone in that country, yet, they should turn around to ask if you have enough blankets for sleeping?
Well, Hamas is part of the Arab world. Why doesn't a single country want to help their Palestinian people? One answer is that they don't want cold blooded terrorist murderers enter their country. So, it turns out that the victim of their attack is not responsible for them. It is unfortunate that Hamas is the Palestinian government and that many innocent civilians have been victimized by Hamas government for years, both Israeli and Palestinian.
Thank you for the link! The point could not have been clearer.
Some people seem to think that Israel is responsible for Hamas. But Hamas are terrorists and cold blooded murderers, plain and simple.
I think it's all part of a greater scheme that involves the paralysis in Congress - funding - and Ukraine. Of course, it seems to be Iran in the background - a Russian ally. I can't find the video from a guy who has a similar take, but he doesn't include Russia, but instead includes Saudi Arabia and China. Frankly, I'd say my view I express elsewhere in this discussion fails to include his quite convincing slant, but his fails to include mine. Put them together and it makes consistent geopolitical sense - to me, anyway! It's all about the timing of the attack - just when Russia is failing to achieve its objective and Congress is in disarray, which provided the perfect opportunity to launch an attack that was probably in planning for a long time. In short, I think Israel and Ukraine are two theaters of the same war - that the US hasn't quite caught on to that is happening.
I was thinking this very same thing. Not to sound paranoid, trmp's shoutout to Hezbellah reminded me of his call to russia for Hillary's e-mails. They magically appeared the next day. He may be revealing something about how corrupt he really is (someone else organizes it of course).
Just when Israeli war starts, no US leadership to approve urgent aid. The US is in a dangerous position and gop knows it.
BTW: In this case, >I< don't think you sound paranoid. I think you're experiencing the realization that there are a lot of questions a head on, straightforward view fails to answer - particularly if you start noticing the details surrounding the event, like the way the timing of the events unfold. Coincidence? I doubt it.
I believe Putin is close in contact with Iran (info from Ukraine friend). They want to rid the world of Democracy and be in charge of more countries. I heard today that Finland is in danger from Russia, next maybe? I don't think any of this is a coincidence, and believe that trmp needs to be thrown in jail ASAP as he likely has copies of many classified documents for sale, of course. That is what he was doing with the info. People in MSM need to get real and fast. He didn't use them for stationary, trmp is sneaky.
Exactly!
Light always conquers dark,you watch!!!
Keith, what is the title of the article? The link shows the whole headline page of the MTN
I’m sorry. I should have included the title. See below. And it has been updated
Will Judge Chutkan Gag Trump amid His Escalating Violent Rhetoric?
Trump was right when he said his supporters listen to him “like no one else.”
Karen Friedman AgnifiloOct 16, 2023
Call Rogers of Alabama and plead that he not support Jordan! Ask him to support Hakeem Jeffries who only needs 5 Republican votes. Jordan WILL shutdown the government!
I tried to find the article you mentioned but couldn't locate it. Thanks.
https://www.meidastouch.com/
So MTG agrees that Jan 6th was insurrection. It's a dangerous time if they are starting to let the cat out of the bag. Hope I am wrong.
Great fact-based news, not 24 hours of personal commentary and opinion. I go to them first for any law-related indictment news.
Dear Susan,
I hope this helps
Where is the final refuge of reality - other than a world class library where only the more immediate and deeper past are available to us ?
Thank you for these comments.
I didn't know about this "President Biden told "60 Minutes" host Scott Pelley that while Hamas must be eliminated, Palestinians deserve a path to statehood, making an important distinction between the Palestinian people and Hamas extremists."
IF Hamas did not support Palestinians who would?
No-one in the West (to my knowledge) have spoken out about Israel encroaching on their land.
There was a huge Peace Now movement in Israel that supported Palestinians. If the Palestinians joined them in non-violent protest the world would have heard and supported them. But Hamas preferred violence that makes it impossible for Israeli to now march for peace. Hamas is holding Palestinians hostage and is using their suffering for its propaganda. Hamas is not supporting Palestinians. Their violence is guaranteeing Palestinians will die for nothing. The destruction of Gaza is because of Hamas. Israel isn’t pure, and Hamas makes them act violently. It is fully predictable that after Hamas attacks innocent Palestinians will die, and yet they keep doing it. Hamas crushes the Peace Movement.
It feeds the media story that Israel is the evil giant and THEY are why my people starve. They want other Arabs to join in the attack. Hate came before the land, which was actually given to them by the United Nations.
I am sure you are aware that there is a huge Palestinian peace movement. There was a peaceful March from the West Bank, and no militants, and no Hamas [this si the West Bank], and Israeli soldiers killed people in that peaceful protest. I can send links if you want. I do not like or justify what Hamas is doing but how do you deal with peaceful marches being treated in this manner? Therefore it appears that the responses from Israel are violent no matter what. These overwhelming responses lead to what? It certainly doesn't help peace or security
We have learned from the civil rights movement here and other nonviolent movements that they are not quick solutions but gain momentum overtime and can accomplish more than violence and terror. The images of marchers for peace are powerful. Images of dead children erase their potential of building.
Why? What motivates them? Surely not just hate!
Sorry, hate, and money for bombs to kill what you hate.
How has Hamas ever supported the people they govern? Ther leaders are millionaires, especially Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh who made his millions by a 20% tax on goods coming into Gaza from Egypt. He watches his wars from the comfort of his office in Dohar, Qatar. Other leaders live in upscale Rimal, Gaza City. Donated international funds do not go to building infrastructure. For example, after their 2014 war with Israel, although large sums in foreign aid were delivered to Hamas specifically to reconstruct the grid, Hamas diverted the funds elsewhere and left the grid in its current condition. Funds are used for weapons & terror tunnels, not for the people. Hamas was elected in 2006 and no election has been held since. Most Palestinians are anything but happy and would likely prefer a return to Fatah.
Yes Wendy, HAMAS, is a PURE TERROR/HATE
group !! They Could CARE LESS, About Who Lives, OR Dies ! THEY,,,,,WANT TO LIQUIDATE ISRIAL ! ( JEWS !!) The "DAY!," is COMING, When ALL!, (YES! I said ALL !) NATIONS, Will BE, AGANST ISRIAL! Father GOD, Will THEN, Tell, His ONLY BEGOTTEN, " To HEAD DOWN !" and, . " CLEAN HOUSE !! " GLORY !!
If only terrorist Arab govt. run by Hamas and ones before it could not want to kill Jews. It's the reason PLO leader of Palestine couldn't sign the Peace Deal decades ago. If he had to allow Jews to exist at all, no deal. (note Jews wear no headscarves, for example).
Palestinian Authority. See my comments below.
Why were the UN not involved?
Too bad he didn't say it from the beginning.
Robert if you’d like a little respite from hate amongst politicians, I invite you to view the debate between the leaders of New Zealand’s two main political parties the centre left Labour Party and the centre right National Party. They differ on issues and policies but were an example that you can differ without being hateful. This Saturday night (Oct 14) National won so we have a new Prime Minister. And surprise surprise the outgoing Prime Minister conceded on Saturday evening (graciously accepted by the new PM) and did not falsely claim a rigged election.
Agree re the dignified graciousness of defeat by our out going Prime Minister Kenneth. And yet, as I read Robert's article, I was deeply concerned as I recognised some of the hate campagn tactics that were used by an incoming, American republican influenced politician. Sadly, the tactics of hate driven politics look a bit too familiar.
Thank you again, Robert, for embracing Palestinians and fairness while still grieving the atrocities of the terrorist attack on Israeli civilians. It’s unbelievable how many otherwise rational people have decided that it’s impossible to both grieve the attacks and also call for protection of Palestinian lives. And when others do demand a humane, measured response we are met with baseless, irrational insults of being antisemitic.
Ken Burns (filmmaker) pointed out that jazz legend Wynton Marslis once said in an interview that “one thing AND ITS CONTRARY can both be true.”
Hamas representing the majority of Palestinians is analogous to trump representing a majority of Americans! Unfortunately, that support increases in both minorities as people become more and more desperate!!!
Trump won ONE term in the White House. I do not believe that ascension will occur again, not for the degenerate efforts of himself and his cult. The majority of Americans love their country. Trump, etal. love only themselves.
I only HOPE you are correct...
Israel has revealed their “cards”. Their disrespect and disregard for humanity has not gone unnoticed. We Americans do not support terrorists nor do we support Apartheid. Without the 70+ years of US support, Israel as a nation wouldn’t exist. If they do not want to be chastised like a child, it’s time to pull up a chair to the grownup table. A two state solution is possible. Otherwise, there may come a time when they are no longer supported.
Remember South Africa?
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SPOT ON ! Lisa !..... ( FAITH !! )
So long as people understand that Hamas is actually the Palestinian govt., I can agree. Things are not quite so black and white.
See my comments below,
At this point I believe that Robert Reich should be President.
DM Sataari, I agree. Dr. Reich is logical, reasonable, and, most of all, compassionate. However, I think he would be too frustrated by the politics of it all. Besides, I admit to being selfish enough to want him to continue writing, speaking, and educating as many Americans as possible.
The suggestion has value and I agree that Robert can help get real liberals elected. His cartoon videos were really helpful to get me to grasp economic concepts.
I’ll add to Stephanie’s comment, and say that Dr. Reich does his homework, and he has just enough government experience to navigate the system, while still reforming it.
Watch Jeff Jackson, too, US House of Reps, Charlotte, NC. His letters from Congress and info videos are superb. I'm sorry he stood down from running for US senator for NC, when the Dem nominee was a person who had never held elective office and did minimal campaigning. Sad. She lost, of course.
Yes!
I used to tell my kids that hate hurts the hater.It is a cancer that eats a person from the inside out,takes away joy and peace,and also love, compassion and empathy.It leaves bitterness and ugliness.
To forgive is divine,what forgiveness does is take a burden of guilt from an innocent and puts it on the guilty,and both religious and secular counselors advise people to forgive people who wronged them.It isn't to condone the guilty or the offense,but to heal oneself and help them to move forward in their lives.Nations should practice forgiveness,and try to heal the rifts.Disagreements happen,but instead of entrenching hate we can be compassionate.
Not one of us is perfect,but to condemn people for petty stuff like skin color,nationality,religion,gender,and the list goes on and on and on is damaging to every person and every society.Encouraging hatred hurts every one.Look at the horrific ends it causes,from Ukraine and the Philippines,to Isreal and Palestine,and right here at home.Nothing good, positive or useful comes from hate.Only pain and destruction.Remember what happened with Hitler?He tried to destroy an entire race because of hate.They did nothing wrong,but he decided this race did not deserve to exist.We all deserve to exist,we should consider it wrong of anyone to think that way.
We also shouldn't punish an entire race of people to punish a handful of wrongdoers.Find the culprits,punish them,leave everyone else in peace.
Hoping some of the craziness in our world settles down.
EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING! You said is TRUE! Bless you Melissa🙏
Well spoken Melissa.
Thank you Mellissa your perspective. It does hit home for the worlds people.
So must Israeli politics led by Netanyahu be held responsible for engendering fear and hate against Palestinians. Netanyahu it appears was at one stage of his life from Philadelphia, USA, and he does not embody much of the ideals of brotherly love, or as written on the Statue of Liberty. It appears Netanyahu adopts the attitude towards Palestinians of "I'm alright, the hell with you jack".
I have no doubt that the majority of American Jewish people whom I worked with, and for, and lived with in peace in USA abhor the behaviour of Netanyahu as much as they abhor the behaviour of Hamas Palestinians. There must be a two State agreement to stop this constant war and suffering. This cannot be a one-sided equation only.
Netanyahu is not the only Jew in the world. The two state solution is viable, Do you accept that Israel has a right to exist> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_for_peace#:~:text=The%20name%20Land%20for%20Peace,of%20belligerency%20(Making%20Peace).
See my comments, below.
An old friend with much wisdom who was a gynecolgist/obsterician posed a question to me after his retirement as follows "what is the hardest thing in the world". I could not answer him after many guesses. I was flabbergasted by the answer which I cite as follows; "the relationship between a man and a woman, they are totally different".
This is why DIVORCE in a court of law exists, so that both parties can continue to exist as man and woman.
Daniel, from my perspective, there needs to be a DIVORCE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, by means of an international tribunal with enforcement powers to arrest those who breach the agreement. Neither Netanyahu the alleged fraudster, nor Hamas alleged leader Deif, should be respectively running the household of Israel/Palestine.
What you miss is that some Arabs are citizens of Israel. Inraeli Arabs have more civil rights than Arabs in any Moslem country.
Also Hamas is a criminal enterprise. Murderers.
Kids of divorced parents are the ones who pay. Imagine doing visitation in prison? Happens every day.
Not quite that simple. The Democratic Israeli government is not Netanyahu, and unlike Hamas, not a terrorist organization.
I agree with you John.
Indeed. I am one of those Jewish Americans. See my post above…
Mr. Reich is right about hate.
Love is progressive
Hate is destructive
Humans are the only animal that show these characteristics. We are supposedly the smartest species yet mankind is the only species that works against itself. Examples of this are what man in his infinite wisdom has created. Weapons to kill other humans, religions, plastic, etc…..
Thanks, Bob. I’m not sure I could’ve said it or explained the use of fear and hatred, nor the need to not stoke either, any better. I will share this writing in hopes it will spark understanding in someone, anyone in fear of or filled with hatred toward others. That they will see the destructiveness that divisiveness and negativity it’s causing them both physically and mentally. How it’s affecting their family and others around them. Life is hard enough without being lead by those who promote hate and fear to enrich their own unsatisfactory lives. We all must strive to to stop those who do. So, we can care for and help others in hopes of bettering all our lives. Use the negative energy to instead work together for a positive society in which we all thrive.
Not practical for the victim of hate.
Akin to wishing just one MAGA tRump cultist might “see the light” when confronted with facts is why I wrote, “...in hopes it will spark understanding in someone, anyone...” Your comment is pretty much a “given” in today’s political climate that need not be said. Ya know, sometimes it’s best to be silent when you can’t be helpful or positive. Instead, you chose to point out the negative. Speaking of “point,” what was yours, besides stating the obvious? Maybe you felt the need to give an excuse to those looking for any reason not to wake up, rejoin reality and change for the better. If so, well done, my man.
Australia has just had a demonstration of hidden depths of hate and resentment by whites against our First Nation people. Most of the hate was stirred by far right wing politicians and especially by the Murdochracy of Rupert Murdoch which is working overtime in its drive to stir dissent and division among Australians. Since media ownership laws were eased we have seen a rise in fear mongering from the right via mainstream media. It was helped by the previous right wing government. Our current government must act to protect our egalitarian values. Australians must recognise that what is happening in the USA is only a breath away here too!
A breath away, I pray for you, your people and all Sovereign r
So sad and sorry for your nation. So heartbreaking. New Zealand needs to be very vigilant with all the current threats surrounding Te Tiriti.
All Sovereign Rights of your people💕
Hate.
30 Americans died in the Hamas pogrom. 13 missing.
I've never been to Israel. For me, the old country is New Castle Pa, where we had so few Jews that all of us had to participate in the religion, although my family is not religious. .My brothers and I had bar mitvahs, but didn't attend Sunday school. My priorities were horses and golf.
As adults, after I left, my brother, a lawyer, became president of a synagogue, and because they had no money to hire a rabbi, gave sermons, officiated at funerals, etc. In retirement, he moved to Pittsburgh, where he attends services at the Tree of Life Synagogue, site of the massacre of 11 Jews.
My brother published a book of poetry. https://www.amazon.com/TREE-OTHER-POEMS-Jonathan-Solomon-ebook/dp/B0BZ1YP2GM According to the majority population in New Castle, despite our family's success, our existence was non-Anglo-Saxon and not Protestant, our whiteness only "honorary," and not of the kind that made America "great.
Today there is no Jewish congregation left in my home town.
For those of us who are Ashkenazi, the Hamas pogrom reminds of babushkas' tales how the Cossacks killed Jews indiscriminately. Now Chișinău, Moldova, Kishinev was the capital of the Bessarabia Governorate in the Russian Empire., In April] 1903, during the Easter Day pogrom, 49 Jews were killed, 92 were gravely injured, a number of Jewish women were raped, over 500 were less injured and 1,500 homes were damaged. American Jews began large-scale organized financial help, and assisted in emigration. The incident focused worldwide attention on the persecution of Jews in Russia and led Theodor Herzl to propose a Uganda Scheme as a temporary refuge for the Jews. Eventually, he became the head of Zionism. Israel became, out of necessity, the Jewish Homeland.
By that time, my family was living in New Castle. My dad was born ther in 1910. My mother 1914. My dad and 5 of my uncles served in WWII. My dad was wounded in North Africa, had frostbite at Monte Casino, Italy, I was born when he was there. After discharge he was in the reserves. He was the Commander of an American Legion post. I served also, in Vietnam, 1966 - 1967,
The Hamas pogrom has given antisemites an opportunity to express their venom. I am sorry to report that many unsuspecting people accept the white supremacist version. The pogrom is NOT justified. (that was a period,)
Historically, Jews have been scapegoated as a group that is defined as the “other.” With the conversion of the Roman emperors, Christianity became the sole established religion of the Roman Empire, and the early church fathers sought to establish Christianity as the successor to Judaism. The refusal of Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah was viewed as a threat to the Roman rulers and to Christianity. Since both religions came from the Old Testament, Christians sought to establish the validity of their new religion by claiming that it superseded Judaism.
As Jews were officially being ostracized6, certain bizarre fantasies about Jews arose in Northern Europe that foreshadowed the anti-Semitism of the 20th century. It was alleged7 that Jews had horns and tails and engaged in ritual murder of Christians. The latter allegation, referred to as “blood libel,” was devised by Thomas of Monmouth in 1150 to explain the mysterious death of a Christian boy. This theme recurs in English and German myths. In 1095, Pope Urban II made a general appeal to the Christians of Europe to take up the cross and sword and liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims, beginning what was to be known as the Crusades. The religious fervor that drove men, and later even children, on the Crusades was to have direct consequences for Jews. The Crusader army, which more closely resembled a mob, swept through Jewish communities looting, raping and massacring Jews as they went. Thus the pogrom—the organized massacre of a targeted group of people—was born.
When the crusaders git to the middle east, they treated the residents similarly. Jews fought with Muslim soldiers to defend Jerusalem against the Crusaders. Saint Louis University Professor Thomas F. Madden, author of A Concise History of the Crusades, claims the "Jewish Defenders" of the city knew the rules of warfare and retreated to their synagogue to "prepare for death" since the Crusaders had breached the outer walls. According to the Muslim chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi, "The Jews assembled in their synagogue, and the Franks burned it over their heads." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_and_the_Crusades
Jews still exist despite the Spanish Inquisition, and the Holocaust.
I have been promoting a two state solution to the pogrom. I support the two state solution. To do that, innocent Arabs should surrender to save themselves -- to the Palestinian Authority.
Even if the Palestinian version of the story were accepted, there is no moral basis to accept a pogrom. Hamas' military operation was aimed at innocent people. Reminds of similar “military” strikes at the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, at delis in Paris, Rome, at the Olympic team in Munich in 1972. Not much different than the murders of 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
When aid was given to Gaza, it was used to fund suicide bombers and munitions. The rockets' targets are indiscriminate.
Gaza has had self-determination since 2006. Their allies, like Iran could take care of all the social problems you describe but they send Hamas what they want -- more ammo.
In 1979, Edward Said, the famed Palestinian literary critic, declared himself “horrified at the hijacking of planes, the suicidal missions, the assassinations, the bombing of schools and hotels.” Rashid Khalidi, a Palestinian American historian, called the suicide bombings of the second intifada “a war crime.” I'd try to mobilize (and empower) the Palestinian Authority like the UN peace mission in Lebanon. Establish safe areas within Gaza, but an airlift vis a viz the Berlin Airlift to safety if Jordan, Egypt, etc will permit them. When Hamas took control, chased out virtually all Arab Christians and Al Fatah, and in some cases liquidated them as "collaborators" with Israel. Residents will need to be protected.
When I was in the army we had the capacity to relocate villiges in a day.. Every unit has a table of operations and equipment that includes medical services, potable warter, tents etc.
When the settlements surrounding Gaza were vacated in 2006, Hamas refused to take advantage. This land is still available.
https://twitter.com/hahussain/status/1712277203935760472?s=12&t=3aj0CFnc6OinEOS9i6cx5w&fbclid=IwAR3XKP8Ht8uxy9GD7943Ipl1VQ7pk9T4I9x5w9aiuwaXI7VvD-WagNvJvdQ
Daniel❤️I am overwhelmed with this information. I left the Catholic Church 6 months ago. I had been a practicing Catholic for 50 years . But then I realized, never did they speak to antisemitism , to LBGTQ COMMUNITIES, to what the REAL problems of the world are today. AND THEN! Tried to steer us into how to vote!!! I was and am done. My heart is with the Jewish people, and the helpless and faultless Palestinians who are going to perish. In American, hate has raged against Blacks, Native Americans, anyone who is not White Anglo-Saxon . I am white of German and Scottish heritage. WHO? Gave us a second chance? Hate, a terrible thing that will bring us all to ruin. Thank you for posting❤️
Connie Botke, becoming aware of being exploited is maddening and painful. But it is liberation also ----- a beautiful journey of picking and choosing what opinions/beliefs speak best to your heart. Try to keep your mind open. The world is your oyster. Also know, that there are many catholics who have journeyed and have became progressive catholics. Many blessings to you, no matter where your journey takes you.
Thank you🙏
Daniel, I have always like your posts. It is clear that you have put a lot of thought and research into this one. I agree with waht you have stated.
Sorry for the misspelling.
I am female. And females can write infinite words & pages of the wrongs perpetrated against us. And so can every other group in the world except the WASPs. Sadly there is nothing exceptional about being persecuted. Revenge, retribution, an eye for an eye is the lamest but most used reason to mistreat other human beings. When we see revenge in a Mafia movie we know it is base. America is unique b/c we are all equal before the law - in theory. And still working on it. I own Merchant of Venice DVD starring Al Pacino. I rewatched recently. Since Shakespeare and before ... There’s nothing new under the sun.
Shakespeare was an antisemite.
There are righteous WASPs. The sins of the parents are not in the DNA of the kids. Prejudice can be overcome.
Have to live in the present.
Thanks. Your history has the ring of plausibility to it.
May I just say again something I posted a few days ago: it is crucial for someone of your stature to make PUBLIC statements in support of a humane and measured response to the attacks, and accelerate the two state solution. When people in power are silent on this (or make only private pleas to Israeli officials) it gives carte blanche for Israeli powers to blow up lives indiscriminately. And it gives anti-Muslim bigots carte blanche to hate and kill, as we saw in Chicago. Government officials need to draw the line. Please, as you may have some sway with politicians, could you ask them to speak PUBLICLY about how Israel needs to respond surgically, not emotionally. That every life of a Palestinian is just as valuable as a Jewish life.
The two state solution remains viable but it takes two to tango. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_for_peace#:~:text=The%20name%20Land%20for%20Peace,of%20belligerency%20(Making%20Peace).
But this is a pogrom. See my comments below.
In my country a coming member of parliament gave up her seat because her party was not conscious of the history of the conflict around Palestine and Israel.
Problem is that she is right. Palestine was given away for the displaces Jew in Europe. The British felt guilty about the situation they created (Balfour declaration) and limited the immigration to 10.000 Jews into Israel. Leon Uris romanticised the period in "Exodus". The displaced Jews were not welcome in their land of origin: the houses they lived in were confiscated, and so on. There was no respect for their suffering, because an enormous reconstruction was ahead of them. So, please emigrate. The last concentrationcamp of displaced persons was closed in 1957.
So, a lot of neo-colonial guilt.
Is this consciousness necessary to cope with the war? It does not help very much.
May be the U.N. can be convinced that it should intervene with all the power it can bring.
And to do something about the hatred. In South Africa Mandela and Tutu started the Truth Commission to influence public opinion. This approach is not a panacea but ikt helped to overcome Apartheid. Despair is no solution.
My observation when in South Africa is that apartheid is still very much the reality although not named as such.
The Belford D was to solve the Jewish problem: some Brits wanted Jews out of Europe in the same way the US proposed all Africans move to Liberia? There were a lot of Jewish bankers living in London who helped Brits who were struggling financially esp. those that opposed Hitler, Churchill for one. BP remember stands for British Petroleum. The Middle East is so named because of its physical location in the British empire & it’s boundaries are artificial boundaries made up by the Brits, hence the problems.
This is the same trap America fell into after 9/11. We wrapped patriotism into a vestige of hate, and Muslims suffered greatly. We saw a rise in hate crimes and deaths around the world. Americans and Muslims died, and in the end, nothing good came of it!
I watched liberal Americans last week cheer when innocent Israeli women and children were massacred. People were being brainwashed to think that Jews are not people, and now we’re seeing the same thing against Palestinians.
Somehow, many believe every Palestinian is responsible for the terror in Israel, and the same can be said, who think all Jews are responsible for Netanyahu’s and his far right government’s policies and crimes. Nothing could be further from the truth; but the dehumanization efforts begin; and hate is the end product.
I heard the President of Israel, Herzog, claim all Palestinians are responsible for the massacres; wrong! They are victims too. When we can no longer distinguish between the innocents on both sides, then Humanity is lost, and all is left is hate.
I truly hope Israel will not invade, because we’ve seen this movie before. Hamas attacks, Israel responds harder, and then implements even more draconian laws that strangle the Palestinian people. Rinse, lather, repeat!
And in the end nothing changes. Hamas grows stronger, not weaker and Israel responds in kind.
The definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result!”--Albert Einstein
Yes, this time will be different; lots more death and destruction that will make all of the past incursions seem tame. So I only question is, “and then what?”
My thoughts and prayers to all: Palestinians and Israeli’s alike. I have family in Israel and I am truly terrified for all.
Robert Jaffee, I am sorry for your pain at this time.
I agree with you. I separate those who water the seeds of violence from those who water the seeds of compassion. I wish no ill on anyone, but my heart breaks more for the suffering of the peaceful Israeli and Palestinian people who do not want violence anywhere.
I grew up in N. Jersey. My whole family fm NYC. I could always tell where there was a war by who my bar tenders & cab drivers were. Chatting w a cab driver on my way home late one night I asked: where are you from? Lebanon. Ms. Buzzed: who won that war? thinking how smart I am to know there’s a war. Cabbie turned around like he was going to slap me, stared long & hard at me and realized I was 20-something & clueless and said: nobody. Nobody wins a war. Everyone loses. Every family on both sides lost at least one family member- mother, father, sister, brother, child. Many lost more. And the war turned us all into murderers. I believe he was yelling: murderers. Talk about a sobering ride home. Israel may kill a lot of Palestinians. But many Israelis will be murderers: some will justify it & others will be forever harmed by becoming murderers. Is that a win? Does any mother want their child to become a murderer? What would Golda have done? We need experienced peace makers.
BLESSINGS !!, added, to Your Prayers !, Mary ! PEACEMAKERS ! ,,,, and FAITH !
Agreed, and the cab driver was very wise. There are no winners in war; just varying degrees of losers.
Totally agree!
Justice for all must prevail.
Nationalism essentially says: my country is better than yours; I must be better off than you are or else… etc. etc. etc.
We are not teaching the economic gospel that we cal all make it… even if it’s hard work… but if 1 or 2 percentages of the human race thinks - perhaps naively for the good of all - that they must own over 80% of all the wealth and income… then something is absolutely wrong and must be fixed. By us human beings… and the politicians are not politicians if they uphold the super rich and do their darnest to keep us enslaved.
Vittorio, JESUS STATED, ' LOVE ! , Your Neighbor ! ,, AS, YOURSELF !' IF ! Any, ,,,, in MANKIND Does Not, follow HIS PRECEPT,,,,,,,, I Will BE SORRY to SAY, ,,,,, "YOU !, are Following, ,,,, A PLASTIC ! jesus ! AMEN !!
Robert ! MANY Believers, Are Fervently PRAYING ! , For ISRAEL, And, Its 'Inherited Children',,, BECAUSE ! These !, ....ARE CHRISTS, BRIDE ! FAITH ! and Prayers! For Your Families SAFETY, and For YOU !! GOD BLESS !
Note my suggestion, surrender to the PA, below.
I read your comment below. Excellent points. Well said. My only problem with the PA is they are weak and corrupt. Good luck getting Hamas to surrender to them. Hamas hates the PA almost as much as they hate Israeli’s. Hence, if Israel didn’t exist anymore, we’d see a civil war. And I’m sure ISIL and Al Qaeda, two well funded terror organizations, would gladly move in during all the chaos, and fill the power vacuum left by Israel.
Empower the PA so that they can resume the land for peace process. They outnumber Hamas 100 to 1 in the West Bank.
Agreed, but they have little power in Gaza and it will never occur while Netanyahu is Prime Minister. He has deliberately been playing both sides against each other. Hopefully, there are new elections after this war ends, and new leadership emerges, willing to negotiate a two state solution.
Likud had the same profile, if not worse than Netanyahu, believed the West Bank was Biblical Samaria, but did the deal with Sadat to get peace.
But Netanyahu wasn’t PM then. He’s become radicalized. I used to think he was a voice of reason back in the 80’s, when he was ambassador to the UN. Something changed, perhaps right-wing money from the Armageddon evangelicals in the US...:)
Right on! Hate takes a lot of energy and only breeds more hate. It's easier than tolerance, which demands reflection and is not automatic.
Always appreciate your analysis and advice. This time it went straight to my head & heart. Working for peace ✌️
☮️ in Sacramento
Yes Tova. Heart and head. But I choose to move my thoughts from my head to my heart. There is the clarity and the breath❤️
THAT IS !, The TRUE KEY! Connie ! ' The BREATH ! ' . " THE BREATH !, of LIFE !! " GLORY !