There is no question that the war in Gaza is ugly and brutal and the IDF has made mistakes but the presumption in the main stream media and progressive zeitgeist that it’s a genocide on the Palestinian people is simply not consistent with the facts. A genocidal military power ramps up casualties as it takes more territory and controls more of the population it’s attacking. A good example of this was the acceleration of the death toll during the Nazi genocide of Jews during WWII as they conquered more of Europe and sent Jews from those places to their death camps. Or consider what would have happened during Hamas’s October 7th genocide of Jews if the IDF hadn’t repelled them. If Hamas’s invasion of Israel had continued and expanded there is no doubt the death toll of Jews and the rate of Jewish casualties would have accelerated. But in Gaza the rate of civilian casualties has markedly decreased as Israel has taken control of greater territory and larger numbers of Palestinian civilians. As the field of battle has narrowed in Gaza there have been fewer and fewer unintended casualties. This is exactly the statistical opposite of what one would expect in a true genocide. Did Nazi’s allow millions of tons of food and humanitarian aide into Jewish ghettos and death camps? Do the present day photos of civilians in Gaza resemble the skeletal images of Jews we’ve all seen from the Nazi death camps? Or are we being shown Hamas propaganda photos of starving people in Yemen or of children with muscle wasting genetic disorders? If starvation in Gaza is real why are we being shown fake photos? Wouldn’t we be seeing the photos of millions of skeletal Palestinians after two years of starvation during this supposed “Israeli genocide”? The fact is the only genocide that has occurred in Israel in the last two years was the one committed by Hamas jihadists on October 7th 2023.
There’s a tone in your words that I find deeply disturbing. For the last sixty+ years I have read a library of books beginning with Anne Frank’s Diary when I was 14–
books about the holocaust and the establishment of Israel. Like many people of good will, I have spent sleepless nights tormented by humanity’s inhumanly. Your letter resurfaces my sadness because I see a level of arrogance that I find frightening. Time after time you casually dismiss and deny the suffering of Palestinians as some kind of ‘fake news.’ Why?
The crimes of Hamas are horrific as are the crimes of Netanyahu.
No excuses for anyone. Nobody wins a merit badge in this mutual slaughter. Sigh. It never ends. Jews were deliberately starved in concentration camps. Now Jews deliberately starve Palestinians in a concentration camp. Sigh. When will people stop running around the circular track?
Dr. Iris St. John, this is ultimately nihilistic behavior it seems. I agree with your premise. Also, I think fear of the 'other' that truly is 'no other' must be replaced with love and a desire to collaborate and achieve solidarity if our species is to survive. We must embrace diversity that is a part of Nature. I think you would find Dr. Iain McGilchrist's work of great, compelling interest.
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror…”~Rilke
"It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me. Though bereft of all visible sympathies, yet, as the most appalling object that the eye can behold, whiteness when divorced from kindred hues and coupled with any object terrible in itself, heightens that terror to the furthest bounds.”
God’s silence, nature’s indifference, beauty as annihilation. That is the Whale.
The Whale is not evil.
The Whale is scale.
The Whale is truth too vast to bear.
The whales whiteness is not innocence—it’s the void. The blank canvas onto which America projects its fears and hopes. It’s the whiteness of the flag before the stars and stripes. The whiteness of erased histories. The whiteness of purity codes and exceptionalism. It appalls because it reveals nothing and absorbs everything.
America is not evil. But it is enormous. Economically, militarily, culturally—it dwarfs the individual. Its systems are so large they become opaque. Like the Whale, they are not malicious, but they are terrifying in their indifference. The citizen, like Ahab, may rage against it, but the Whale does not flinch.
This is the American dilemma: to live inside a myth so large it cannot be grasped. The Constitution, the Dream, the Market—each a kind of Leviathan. And when these truths fail to deliver clarity or justice, the response is often not humility but obsession, denial, or violent pursuit.
Melville’s Pequod is a microcosm of America: diverse, industrious, myth-driven, and ultimately doomed by its captain’s monomania. Ahab’s pursuit of the Whale mirrors America’s pursuit of wealth and power—whether through war, wealth, or ideology. But the Whale does not yield. It does not explain itself. It simply is.
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
This is not mutual slaughter! What you don't understand is that Israel cannot ever afford to lose a war or skirmish. They are fighting with people in countries who don't want peace and don't want a truce and don't want any agreement. They want the complete obliteration of Israel and all its people- not some peace agreement- and if they overran the land and captured the territory, there would be an even greater holocaust! 200 million vs 8 million? Wasn't eliminating half the world's Jews enough in WWII? You want to leave the chanceof this happening again? Stop seeing this the way you do when Israel fights for survival.. Another thing, after the 6 day War- Israel captured the Gaza Strip but wanted to give it back to Egypt when they returned the Sinai- but Egypt refused to accept the Gaza strip and its people even though they are the same as Egyptians- and Jordanians. Their own people did not want them and Egypt fortified the opening to Egypt. In addition, those former Arabs who decided to leave the land of Israel (yes,it was the land of Israel)- who went to Jordan, were kept in refugee camps since 1967- yes- them and all their off-spring! If their own people would not accept them why is the burden on Israel- who only wanted to make peace? And how do you make peace with an enemy who only wants to destroy you?
Michal, it appears since Israel is nearly always at war that their culture is now wrapped in conflict. that is not a good position for a nation wishing to survive to be in. Making connections with neighbors as was done with Egypt could help, although Israel caused a rift with Egypt in its treatment of Gaza these past two years.
But Israel doesn't have the luxury of losing a war! It has very little territory- about the size of New Jersey- and it is surrounded by 200 million Arabs. It is not so much a situation of loss of a war, but its enemies want to obliterate Israel the country and all Israelis! It is Egypt that refused to take back Gaza- they clearly didn't want the people or land. Gaza was thrust upon Israel because Israel wanted peace with Egypt. There can never be peace there unless the Arabs begin to teach acceptance of Israel instead of hate. Have you ever seen their elementary textbooks? A group of Rabbis (myself included) sat down with an educator in the West Bank (we traveled inconspicuously in an Arab bus). She translated a text "If you have one Israeli dead and you shoot two more- how many are left alive" etc. She asked us for appropriate books and she began to translate them. This is only one instance. Children have to be taught not to hate or no truce or peace will ever last!
Michael, has it occurred to you that Israel has taken a position of war rather than diplomacy nearly throughout its entire lifespan? It is a national paranoia. Hamas is people desperate for something better, just like most organizations that get young people to commit atrocities, probably because young men are more susceptible to that kind of persuasion. Israel has so much more of everything than the Palestinians and when the have nots see the haves, it is hard to think "peace." had Israel helped the people of Gaza with the new farming techniques Israel uses and had agreed to a Palestinian state, they could have been trading partners of significance. It seems whenever Israel got a leader who wanted peace, he was killed or pushed out of office, so now Israel has a corrupt Netanyahu in power with his greedy buddies who want the land that belongs to someone else. Greed is strong with these ones. It is too bad the people of Israel are not standing up more forcefully to demand better. However the Israeli war against journalists in Gaza has kept most Israelis from knowing what is going on there. Then there is the weird thing about why the best intelligence network in the world didn't act on the warnings that Hamas was planning something big, and was supposedly totally caught offguard. I am not the only one who is wondering if they wanted a Hamas attack for an excuse to wipe out Gaza. I am guessing they needed something big, or the people wouldn't have wanted a genocide. Now, they can say "Oh the hostages!" or "they killed 1200 of our people" while forgetting that more than 65,000 Gazans have been killed, some children shot in the head by Israeli soldiers at close range. There are eyewitness accounts of this and worse atrocities that I don't even want to think about. Of course, the hostages are suffering because there is no food for anyone else either. Israel has targeted workers distributing food and other supplies as well as those waitingto receive the food. Those are not the actions of a civilized nation. Israel needs to just stop the war and the genocide! They will not be forgiven if they don't.
Ruth is on the right track here. However noble Israel is, or deems itself to be, it is nearly 100% dedicated to disruption. It's a bizarre neo-colonialism, anachronistic project. Before Hertzel organized the mindset, Jews and Arabs shared Palestine. It was okay, and perhaps even better than that for nearly everyone. The development of a principally Jewish state there was a wet dream of religious history: "Let's get a country of our own, and wall it off ideologically!" . "Damn the rightful residents and owners! We'll get the rich Westerners to buy it!." Makes me puke. And I am Jewish. And hardly self-hating.
You’re entitled to your opinion but the facts contradict your emotion based accusations against Israel. If Palestinians were Quakers would they be living behind fences and going through checkpoints in Israel? Facts are inconvenient but the facts are Palestinians have turned down a compromise Palestinian State plan five times while the Israelis have accepted it, albeit at times reluctantly, every time. Therefore the only responsibility for the suffering of the Palestinian people lies with their leaders and their fanatic genocidal ideology. A serial killer is responsible for his own suffering from a life sentence in prison. Do we free the serial killer from prison to murder again to end his suffering? No. Never Again.
I am not certain Bruce who you are addressing your comments to herein. I favor neither side but only the side of justice and the rule of law for all humanity.
Our present world order has entirely failed in this particular situation and it's shameful--we are globally complicit in allowing this type of activity to continue. We have the UN and international courts who make decrees without accountability. So here we sit on broken ground observing actions destroying civility. We hit bottom. Let's be honest about this for the sake of everyone.
I see that WE, the US, needs to take action. By that, I guess that means Trump. He and we, should stop sending weapons and we should make it clear to Bibi that we will NOT be supporting this path any longer. World leaders should probably step up to help negotiate the end of this. Trump has the power to stop sending the support
I guess sending suicide bombers, thousands of explosive missiles, and fanatic Islamic jihadists into Israel to torture, butcher, and rape women and children doesn’t count as far as you’re concerned. That’s the only reason non-Israeli Palestinians live behind fences and have to go through check points. They’re not free and they don’t have a state today because Arafat rejected an essentially 50/50 land split and Capital In East Jerusalem in 2000. While the Jews were dragged kicking and screaming by Clinton to actually agree. This whole bs about stealing land, Hamas jihad, and unending blood shed could have and should have been done 25 years ago if not for another refusal by Palestinians to take a win. That was the best deal you were ever going to get and refusing it has already cost tens of thousands of innocent lives. You want a free Palestine? Stop killing Jews and supporting Jihadists. Is that so hard!
Google the casualty rates in Gaza. They’re decreasing not increasing as Israel makes progress against Hamas. The opposite of what happens in a genocide. Then read “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict What Every One Needs to Know” by Dov Waxman. (An even handed history) and then read On Democracy and Death Cults by Douglas Murray, which is an indictment against Hamas, Iran and other jihadist backers including the Islamic Brotherhood that vow to eradicate Israel.
I would refer you to the several reports over the last month from Israeli (!) and international academic specialists in holocaust history & genocide, as well as 2 prominent Israeli human rights organizations, who outline the post-WWII accepted definition of genocide. Virtually every major national and itrnl news organization covered these events, In each case their statements noted that under all criteria of genocide, Israel's actions have met the definition of genocide. If you have integrity, I challenge you to refute - factually - their findings. Personally I think their conclusions come many months after the criteria have been solidly established. Add to that the 'Gaza Riviera' plan is reported as under serious pre-planning by Israel's govt, and being discussed formally in the last few days by the UN. How can you ignore the photos of skeletal children and UN-verified malnutrition deaths that have appeared in media across the entire world? Are you alleging these are fake? Sorry - so very angry I can't continue writing........
“Israel committing genocide in Gaza, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the world’s leading experts say,” blared this BBC headline and similar others in the international media.
Damning stuff. After all, who should know more about genocide than the “world’s leading experts” on the subject?
But, like most of the anti-Israel news appearing daily, it’s bogus. It turns out that, as HonestReporting board member Salo Aizenberg discovered, all you need to become a genocide scholar is to own a credit card. For a minimum of only 30 dollars, you can become one of the “world’s leading experts.” The IAGS is a fraud.
Oh for the goddess's sake!!! Reply on the substance, not some slur. If it is not a genocide, how can you defend the vitrual elimination of 70 % of Gaza's structures, destruction of water, electricity, sanitation infrastructure as targets of the military, dehumanizing descriptions by gov't leaders, - (all Palestinians are 'animals' who don't deserve to live is reminiscent of of Nazi hatreds) - explicit threats to eliminate Gaza and Palestinians. WTF do you read? See? Do you live in a bubble of ignoring or being ignorant of a factual and visible reality? Bogus? why? How? You've drunk the kool-aid, fellow
The underlying issues are Jewish supremacy and Palestinian dehumanization. Together they flower into mass murder—reactive on October 7, and proactive on the Israeli side and exponentially greater. Arguing over terms is a distraction from the human realities, whose fundamental fact is Israeli bad faith, criminality, and moral bankruptcy. Unfortunately, in world opinion, this tends to take all of Judaism with it, which is a cultural and spiritual crime of unimaginable proportions. Baldwin’s casuistry is merely a symptom of this morally vacuous corruption.
Joel, I, too am extremely distressed that Israel has been equated with Judaism. That is appalling. Also, I am concerned that in the US, people who are antisemitic to the core are accusing others of antisemitism and trying to force colleges and universities to give up their independence because there are supposed antisemites on campus. Alas, the antisemites are Trump, his entire toddler pool, and many Republicans around the nation. This is really painful because Jewish people do not now and have never deserved the hatred and hypocrisy.
The only reason Palestinians don’t have a state is the Palestinians themselves. They’ve turned it down at least 5 times including a nearly 50/50 land split and a capital in East Jerusalem in 2000. Thanks Yasser. I it’s the Palestinians who are Muslim supremacists and run apartheid governments. First how many Palestinians actually live in Israel as Israeli citizens? I think it’s like 2.9 million. How many Jews lived in Gaza? How many Jews live in the PA governed West Bank? For that matter how many Jews or other non-Muslims now live in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and the rest of the Middle East or North Africa? Talk about supremacy and apartheid!
Seriously? When all else fails Palestinian sympathizers with failed arguments routinely resort to and claim anyone who is objective is a paid shill. Truly pathetic.
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror…”~Rilke
"It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me. Though bereft of all visible sympathies, yet, as the most appalling object that the eye can behold, whiteness when divorced from kindred hues and coupled with any object terrible in itself, heightens that terror to the furthest bounds.”
God’s silence, nature’s indifference, beauty as annihilation. That is the Whale.
The Whale is not evil.
The Whale is scale.
The Whale is truth too vast to bear.
The whales whiteness is not innocence—it’s the void. The blank canvas onto which America projects its fears and hopes. It’s the whiteness of the flag before the stars and stripes. The whiteness of erased histories. The whiteness of purity codes and exceptionalism. It appalls because it reveals nothing and absorbs everything.
America is not evil. But it is enormous. Economically, militarily, culturally—it dwarfs the individual. Its systems are so large they become opaque. Like the Whale, they are not malicious, but they are terrifying in their indifference. The citizen, like Ahab, may rage against it, but the Whale does not flinch.
This is the American dilemma: to live inside a myth so large it cannot be grasped. The Constitution, the Dream, the Market—each a kind of Leviathan. And when these truths fail to deliver clarity or justice, the response is often not humility but obsession, denial, or violent pursuit.
Melville’s Pequod is a microcosm of America: diverse, industrious, myth-driven, and ultimately doomed by its captain’s monomania. Ahab’s pursuit of the Whale mirrors America’s pursuit of wealth and power—whether through war, wealth, or ideology. But the Whale does not yield. It does not explain itself. It simply is.
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Oh my God you’ve swallowed HAMAS’s propaganda whole without any critical thought. The UN Human Rights Council that just issued its genocide report has many anti-Israel members who have been condemning Israel for years. Multiple investigations have found that a number of individuals on the UNRWA payroll, particularly in Gaza, have ties to Hamas. The photo’s you’re referring to are Hamas propaganda. The NYT published an apology for misleading the public about the infamous picture it published showing a supposedly starving and emaciated child (who is actually suffering from a genetic muscle wasting disease) and other photos of starving children released by Hamas are from the famine in Yemen where Muslims have recently killed 400,000 other Muslims (that never made the news because no Jews were involved). Here are the facts against genocide in Gaza. Hamas is issuing phony pictures of starving children in Gaza. Why? Are there no actual photos of mass starvation in Gaza? Hamas thus far has commandeered an estimated 80-90% of the 1.2 million tons of food shipped into Gaza from Israel since the war started? Why? Egypt hasn’t let a single Palestinian victim of “genocide” cross into its safe territory even though it is a signatory to the UN Genocide Convention. Why? Israel has vaccinated 600,000 children in Gaza against st Polio in 2024-25? Did Hitler vaccinate his victims of genocide against any diseases? The rate of new casualties in Gaza have been steadily declining as Israel has been making progress against Hamas. A military power consolidating its victory that is actually committing genocide increases its killing rate, just the opposite of what is happening. Israel has said the minute Hamas lays down its arms, releases its hostages, and surrenders, the war and the fight that is harming civilians is finished. Does a military power bent on genocide say this? The only true genocide committed in this war was on October 7th 2023. The rest of the killing has been the result of a war to eliminate the jihadists who publicly promised to repeat Oct 7th over and over again. You are taking the side of jihadists who committed a genocide on innocent Jewish civilians, took 250 civilian hostages, and continues to use the Palestinian people and their civilian hostages as human shields and political cannon fodder. Your moral and factual blindness is astounding, you should be ashamed of your own gullibility and susceptibility to transparent anti-Semitic propaganda being manufactured and broadcast to the world by Hamas and its UN sympathizers.
don't listen to him...he's an Israeli-paid propagandist.....what a flaming piece of human garbage denying Israel's illegal occupation, genocide, mass starvation, mass murder, mass imprisonment of two million Palestinians.....Israel has murdered over 150,000 Palestinians..... over 25,000 children...blew the arms and legs off 15,000 children...."Bruce" is pure evil, just like Israel.
Let's try to keep this discussion as civil as possible. Remember many countries have their own version of MAGA and when the leadership of that country have an evil intent the MAGAts will follow. Are we sure that we can prevent Trump from pursuing genocidal "solutions"? He is proceeding to create ICE (Proud Boys) troops for this purpose. Is the current United Nation and/or World Court infrastructure suited to deal with this new world?
Do you have actual evidence that the invasion of Gaza is evolving to become a true genocide? Has Israel accelerated the pace of killing or starving civilians in Gaza as they take greater control of the territory? Or have the numbers shown the opposite? You of course have the right to your opinion but not the right to deny the facts.
Sorry Bruce but you better check your facts. Have you not seen the escalation of bombing runs made by Israel on the Palestinian population. There is nowhere for them to go for safety as mosques, schools and hospitals have been targeted along with the reporters who were reporting the facts (that Israel just does not want anyone to know about). The land of Palestinians has been being scooped up by Israel and Netanyahu has said that he wants to control all of Gaza and the West Bank. What more evidence do you need to be convinced that this is planned genocide perpetrated by an evil regime led by the man who hopes never to stop bombing as long as he is able to stay our of jail for his own crimes on the Israeli people. And not to be forgotten in all of this is the fact that the hostages will probably never return alive because if that were to happen there would no longer be reason to continue the decimation and havoc and genocide that he is now pursuing. Wake up and smell the coffee Bruce
Agreed. Lindsey Graham has made recent "cloaked" speeches, saying "plan B" will be used if "plan A" doesn't work regarding a seize fire and the hostages and people in GAZA. Many know who Graham supports currently. It's the guy who he called a "Kook" before he won. Just sayin'
Wow. That is an amazingly biased interpretation of the facts. Sounds exactly like Hamas propaganda. Just curious why you think Israel has bombed schools and hospitals? Could it have anything to do with the weapons being cached there?
where do you live? come on up out of those bushes bro....where do you live? I bet you live in Israel........you're paid to post such crazy fucking lies. Where do you live dickhead? I bet you cannot defend your claim personally.
OMG! Such tendentiousness! No two historical events are ever exactly alike, and it is either naive or bad faith to insist on close congruity as a condition for a particular categorization to divert attention from ugly, cruel, outrageous facts. This bad faith and bad logic is unfortunately all too characteristic of Zionist apologetics, which continues its relentless dehumanization of the Palestinians. Its subtext is that only Jewish lives matter, an odious belief in Jewish supremacy that has damned Israel and betrayed the humanitarian core of Judaism since Zionism’s beginning.
Genocide is not just a matter of opinion. It is very clearly defined in the Genocide Convention. It is not up for debate.
Experts on genocide — including those in Israel — agree (and have agreed since early 2024) that Israel is committing genocide. Supporting Israel in any way — economically, politically, militarily, or commercially — is complicity in the crime of genocide,.
What experts? The International Association of Genovide Scholars? You can become one of the “scholars” for $30.00 in an online credit card transaction. You should join this phony organization.
Nonsense. You are just spouting anti-Israel propaganda. Intentionality is a requirement for genocide under that UN Committee definition. The millions of tons of food aid, millions of leaflets dropped and phone calls made to warn civilians prove beyond doubt that Israel is and has been committed to saving not committing genocide on innocent Palestinians.
If you want to believe Israel’s hasbara, that’s your choice, but Netanyahu, Smotrich, and others have been crystal clear about the goal of eliminating the Palestinians. This includes annexing the West Bank. Israel’s occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem are all illegal according to rulings by the International Court of Justice.
Israel continues to move forward with its plans to establish ‘Greater Israel’, and have made clear that includes significant parts of Egypt east of the Nile, western Jordan, southern Lebanon, and SW Syria.
All their attacks on neighboring countries are gross violations of international law, war crimes. Israel is a terrorist rogue state.
Keep your head in the sand if you want but, to put it simply, you are wrong.
Bruce, who is urging your comments herein? Civilian casualties have decreased because so many have already been killed. Also, Bibi has allowed chaotic, interrupted food and humanitarian aid to distract from his ghoulish enterprise not because he's empathetic or compassionate--he's protecting himself since he is charged with criminality even prior to this awful situation.
I have seen too many skeletal images of Palestinians: not fake. So I ask you: who are you backing with your remarks and why? It seems you have a bias since you are not seeing the whole picture that most of the entire world is seeing. Joan
Why is Hamas posting images of starving people from Yemen and claiming they’re from Gaza? That tells you claims of mass street are propaganda. Look it up.
Seriously? Who am I backing? I’m backing Western Civilization and its values. Are we going to allow Israel to be eradicated by a Palestinian death cult bent on The genocide of Jews and other unbelievers? Do you know that Palestine’s Arabs directly collaborated with Adolph Hitler during WWII?
Peter, you history is fractured and warped. The leader of the Palestinian people, Hajj Amin Al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti no less, spent the war in Berlin, met personally with Hitler on November 28, 1941 and encouraged the Furher to exterminate European Jews. He then helped recruit Bosnian Muslims into the SS who wet on to mass murder Jews in Bosnia, Hungary, and Croatia. There is no way Zionists met with Hitler to do anything like this. Their participation in the Final Solution was to encourage Nazis to let the Jews leave Europe and emigrate to Israel. That is hardly the murderous collaboration you’re trying to falsely equate with Husseini’s rabid Jew hatred and genocidal actions.
Forget the word 'genocide' for a moment, and focus on the fact that Israel is on an an incredible murderous roll. Which the US government is -- all by itself in the world -- supporting. The debate over the word 'genocide' is a distraction.
I agree. The accusations of genocide against Israel always were just a propagandistic smear that obscured any objective evaluation of Israel’s response to the text book genocide that Hamas committed on Oct. 7th and proudly promised to repeat over and over again. Who then is qualified to judge the necessity and morality of Israel’s response to wipe out what was essentially an ISIS clone jihadist state in Gaza? Someone who knows asymmetrical warfare in a densely populated urban area where civilians are being used as human shields and hospitals and schools are being used as weapons storage depots that are connected to underground tunnels for jihadist terrorists. And that certainly is not who most Palestinian sympathizing progressives are who are screaming genocide.
if you believe Hamas will eventually be defeated, you're delusional. Hamas is an 'idea' not just an organization and every time another child or Mother dies in Gaza, a new Hamas soldier is recruited. You should be able to clearly visualize that in your own life if you are the Son; Father; Brother; or Uncle of someone indiscriminately killed in a bombing. Yes, Hamas started this and yes, Hamas embeds itself in the civilian population, but that population has allowed it happen just as it stood by and allowed hundreds of miles of tunnels to be built beneath their feet. Only the greater population of Palestinians can stop Hamas. Continued indiscriminate killing of civilians by IDF will not resolve this conflict; Netanyahu knows that and doesn't care.
Not according to the definition of the UN Committee on the Crime and the Punishment of Genocide. You need to look that up. Was the allied bombing of Dresden and the loss of German lives in WWII a genocide by your definition?
No Arab lands were confiscated before 1947. None. After Israel was attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq in a war of eradication. Israel won that war and expanded its territory to 78% of Mandatory Palestine including the western Part of Jerusalem. When you lose a war of aggression against you often lose territory.
DUMP AND IMPEACH TRAITOR , NAZIS , FELONS, PREDATORS ,AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE. YES CON REPUBLICONS, CLIMATE CHANGE IS DANGEROUS, REAL, DISRUPTIVE WORLDWIDE, COSTLY, AND PREVENTABLE. STOP DENYING CLIMATE CHANGE AND FACE THE SCIENCE . DUMP THE CON RTRUMP AND CRONIES. DEPORT RTRUMP'S WIFE AND RELATIVES. BOYCOTT NAZI MUSK AND NAZI RTRUMP. VOTE FOR DEMOCRACY AND THE FAIR DEAL, NOT THE RAW DEAL.
uuh, shooting people waiting in line for food? You may be right -- it runs far beyond genocide -- it's an effort to exterminate an entire civilization.
Your so called civilization in Gaza was a jihadist state that indoctrinated their children to grow up and become martyrs for Allah and kill Jews. It was not a “civilization” it was a death cult that spent billions of dollars buying and building explosive missiles and weapons of war and a subterranean infrastructure of militarized tunnels to support jihadists that was a big as the London Underground and the New York Subway System. By your lights were the head chopping ISIS Caliphate and Hitler’s Third Reich also “civilizations”? Gaza’s infrastructure deserved to be leveled because it was infested with terror tunnels, weapons, booby traps, and jihadist rats just waiting for the chance to wipe out as many Jews as possible. That’s the “civilization” Israel is destroying.
So the Israelis are lying while the head choppers of Hamas, allies of the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, and Iran, are telling the truth and they are sources you trust? Yeah, you’ve really got your head on straight.
Bruce, it is obvious you have no idea what you are talking about. I am guessing you are either a Zionist christian or Jew, and have fallen under the spell of the "Israel can't do anything wrong" approach to life. I used to think that too, until I read about what Israel had become over the decades. Now, they are a rogue nation, wanting to clear Gaza for their own purposes, like the Med Riviera or drilling for natural gas or something, of course after the Palestinians are gone. That is inhumane and really appalling, but greed makes men do almost anything; we see it in the US right now. I get it that Israelphiles need to believe in Israel's superiority, but they have come to use the techniques used on them by the nazis, on their neighbors in Palestine. So much for "never again." I guess that meant only "never again" done to THEM, not that they wouldn't use genocide against others. I hope the world will stand up to Netanyahu. There are many who are ready. I wish the US were ready to stop Netanyahu and his cronies.
You are completely wrong and a have been taken in by blatant lies and propaganda from Islamists and their Muslim sympathizers. When Palestinians and their supporters chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Do you understand this means they want the complete eradication of Israel? Most Israelis today are direct descendants of the 800,000 Jews who were ethnically cleansed and dispossessed of their properties in the Middle East and North Africa in the late 1940s and 1950’s. They are not just European colonizers. They do not have the right of return to Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt and other states in the region they got kicked out of, so exactly where should they go? The Palestinians want it all and they’ve turned down a two state solution many times while Israel has accepted it. And by the way I’m a non-Jew, raised Catholic but have been an atheist since age 12 when I realized religion was just made up. I also realize as an unbeliever I would be killed in Gaza, where they throw gays off buildings, and treat women as second class unequal citizens. The idea that the HAMAS jihadists will take over Israel or a Palestinian state and “liberate” the Palestinian people is a joke. They are the main oppressors of the Palestinian people, brainwashing them from childhood to kill Jews and become martyrs for their Islamic state. There isn’t a nickel’s worth of difference between HAMAS and ISIS and this is who you want to support in Israel’s war in Gaza? If so m, you are just one of Islam’s useful idiots in the West. I stand with Israel because I know they have every right to defend themselves from genocide by the jihadists who are leading the Palestinian people and using them as human shields and political pawns. Every thing Israel has done in this war is to defend its citizens from the war and terror machine HAMAS has built in Gaza.
Bruce, I am guessing it is easy for some people to look at what Israel is committing in Gaza as something other than Genocide, but alas, that is what it is. It is hard for me to believe probably the best intelligence operation in the world did not know that Hamas had planned a massive attack on Oct. 7th. Then, Netanyahu is claiming 65+ thousand Gazans killed, at least half civilians, (although I think it is a small portion that are Hamas) doesn't make up for Oct. 7th 1,200 Israelis killed. How many Gazans dead would do the trick? then there is the destruction of homes, farms, and just about everything else in Gaza, probably for Netanyahu's plan to take over Gaza and tern it into a resort of some kind for Israelis, of course. I get it that what the nazis and others did in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s was horrific beyond comprehension, but committing the same kinds of horrors on the Palestinians this time, by Israel is inexcusable! What has happened in Gaza should remind people of what happened in places like the Warsaw Ghetto, done by different entities, but with a similar result: starvation, murders, bombings, and more. My guess is what Israel is doing now is to prevent an uprising like what happened in Warsaw. We need a two-state solution. That is the only way to have peace, that is unless Netanyahu's genocide becomes complete, which is exactly what he and his band of EVIL want to happen.
You have been indoctrinated by HAMAS and anti-Israel Islamist lies and propaganda Why has Israel allowed and participated in transferring 1.2 million tons of food and millions of tons of drinking water into Gaza? Is that consistent with genocide? Why did Israel, with a baseline Polio vaccination rate of 98% among its already protected citizens, vaccinate 600,000 Palestinian children against Polio in 2024-25? Is that consistent with genocide? Why does Israel drop thousand of leaflets and call thousands of residents with warnings for innocent civilians to move out of combat areas before they bomb Hamas positions and staging areas? Under the UN Convention on Genocide all signatory nations are required to provide relief to citizens undergoing genocide. Egypt is a signatory to that agreement and has stubbornly kept its Gaza border shut to civilians who are begging to leave Gaza to escape the war. The U.S. and Israel have pressured Egypt to open it borders to save civilian lives to no effect because anti-Israel forces in Egypt are in cahoots with HAMAS to engineer the appearance of genocide in Gaza with as many casualties as possible. HAMAS, an Arabic acronym, that translates as “Islamic Resistance” whose co-combatant allies are “Islamic Jihad” and Hezbollah (which translates as “The Party of God”) are waging a genocidal jihad (holy war) against Israel and using the claims of stolen land and Palestinian oppression as an excuse. They don’t care one whit about the welfare or rights of the Palestinian people and use them as political cannon fodder and human shields. Should Israel be restricted to balancing the body count in a war where it’s avowed enemy has committed a true genocide against its people (Oct. 7th) and promised to repeat that attack again as often as possible? Especially given that its enemy is deliberately putting and keeping civilians in harms way as a tactic to fight and curry world-wide sympathy? Jihadists and those who support them are using the civilian death count in Gaza, that they themselves are maximizing, as a strategy to demonize Israel and wage a war of eradication on the Israeli state. Israel has agreed to a two state solution many times the Palestinians never have, they want it all from the river to the sea. When you ask Palestinians they will tell you the Israelis can’t stay there because they are occupying Muslim lands. The real opponents of the two state solution from 1948 onward have always been the Arab Muslims of the land.
What I see is GAZA children and adults being starved to death. It is a Crime Against Humanity, a deliberate Famine! Trump has previously said he wants it all cleared so he can build "a Riviera" along the GAZA Strip. While starvation is occurring as we speak and read, Trump is not even bringing GAZA up these days. Just sayin' and time will tell.
It’s been 2 years of millions being deliberately starved you say? So far how many have died of starvation? How long can 2 million people go without food without streets full of skeleton like survivors and hundreds of thousands dead? Your accusations of famine are ridiculous, the casualty figures themselves defy suvh nonsense.
It’s been 2 years and how many have actually starved to death of the two million in Gaza? How long can two million people live without food? Shouldn’t there already be a million dead people if there is really mass starvation? The casualty figures themselves defy the accusations of mass starvation.
Apache - I was waiting to see your name and tell you that I was sorry when I read the news about Graham Greene. Don’t know if the Six Nations Reserve did anything for him or if that was going to be his final resting place. He was an amazing man.
Apache, numerous people on this sub stack have questioned my surety that a new order is going to emerge from the current devastation wrot by Trump. Shortly after his inauguration, and he started announcing his policies and filling the White House with incompetent people in the cabinet, I felt that for sure it was the economy that was going to sink this whole administration.
That is why I have been encouraging people to have a look at the “Crisis and Transition” Substack. Here you will find essays and spirited discussion on what to do when the economic collapse occurs and why it is inevitable. Even Robert Reich has been pointing at this possibility for several weeks now, but no one other than the crisis and transition sub stack is engaged in a lively exchange of ideas of what can arise from the rubble of our current financial system and political system.
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror…”~Rilke
"It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me. Though bereft of all visible sympathies, yet, as the most appalling object that the eye can behold, whiteness when divorced from kindred hues and coupled with any object terrible in itself, heightens that terror to the furthest bounds.”
God’s silence, nature’s indifference, beauty as annihilation. That is the Whale.
The Whale is not evil.
The Whale is scale.
The Whale is truth too vast to bear.
The whales whiteness is not innocence—it’s the void. The blank canvas onto which America projects its fears and hopes. It’s the whiteness of the flag before the stars and stripes. The whiteness of erased histories. The whiteness of purity codes and exceptionalism. It appalls because it reveals nothing and absorbs everything.
America is not evil. But it is enormous. Economically, militarily, culturally—it dwarfs the individual. Its systems are so large they become opaque. Like the Whale, they are not malicious, but they are terrifying in their indifference. The citizen, like Ahab, may rage against it, but the Whale does not flinch.
This is the American dilemma: to live inside a myth so large it cannot be grasped. The Constitution, the Dream, the Market—each a kind of Leviathan. And when these truths fail to deliver clarity or justice, the response is often not humility but obsession, denial, or violent pursuit.
Melville’s Pequod is a microcosm of America: diverse, industrious, myth-driven, and ultimately doomed by its captain’s monomania. Ahab’s pursuit of the Whale mirrors America’s pursuit of wealth and power—whether through war, wealth, or ideology. But the Whale does not yield. It does not explain itself. It simply is.
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Hello David.... Thanks David... Orcas are not Melville' s Pequod... Seems that this is a Time of Dying for many USA Myths... Something New will emerge in this Land...
To Israelis Palestinian lives clearly matter which is why the casualty rates go down as soon as the Hamas jihadists are all killed in each area being liberated by the IDF. The only lives that aren’t worth saving in Gaza are the homicidal genocidal terrorists that have committed their lives to killing Jews and destroying Israel and their supporters and enablers. Read On Democracies and Death Cults by Douglas Murray if you can face what really happened on Oct 7th and what is going on now. Just say no and never again to a jihadist Palestinian state.
You forget which population in Palestine is being displaced by the east Europeans, since in the late 1900's, and ramping up to full speed now. Or is colonialism a great beautiful thing for you?
This is the great Eastern European Jew colonizer lie. The majority of Jews in Israel (70-80%) are the direct descendants of the 800,000 ethnically cleansed Middle Eastern and North African Jews (Mizrahi Jews) who were kicked out of their homes and countries of births in the 1940s and 1950s. Yeah, most Jews in Israel are not descended from Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews.
Well, this of course is also a gross distortion of the facts. Fact: 60-70% of the citizens of Israel today are Mizrahi Jews, descendants of the nearly 1,000,00 Middle Eastern and North African Jews who were ethnically cleansed from the Islamic world between 1948 and 1972 (the Jewish Nakba). Yeah, most Israelis have brown skin. Many of the Easter European Jews who were the original Zionists were slaughtered in WWII.
On all fronts, the s*it is really hitting fans all across America. Jobs down, inflation up, and the #RepubloFascist #ProSTRIFE agenda of crippling government services is starting to come home to roost.
I bring to your attn that not only the US population is suffering economic downturn , rising inflation and higher unemployment. Here in Canada the tariffs are having palpable effects - our own pm proposing awful austerity measures, which can only make matters worse. The hard fought-for brief economic upturn after covid was devastated by T's tariff impositions on Canada and the uncertainty of its dimensions in various sectors. This is also evident internationally. But I wager T goes to bed each night revelling in the raw power he is able to impose on the world. I'd say this, as much as financial ideology, is a major part of his imposition of the tariff regimes.
Barb - Our tariffs on you, and every other country, is hurting us too. We have to pay for them but this administration doesn’t get that. The Commerce Secretary has a company that is buying up the rebates and if the SC agrees with the lower courts that his tariffs are illegal then we have to pay back the money. The Commerce Secretary wins (and gets richer in the process) if this happens. So, yeah, this administration sleeps just fine while the rest of us suffer.
If you are suffering from rising prices be sure to let your representatives know that. A few words about tariffs: A 10-15% tariff on imports is not high enough to be protective; its rationale is to raise revenues for the treasury; it is a tax. A 30-50% tariff restricts trade but it may be necessary to protect domestic manufacturing. Trump's tariffs on countries with balance of trade imbalances are neither protective not revenue generating, because they restrict trade; they seem aimed at boosting the value of the dollar, thereby giving US lenders an advantage (good for US billionaires). His tariffs on timber, beef, and agricultural products, none of whom need protection, are a gift to long time Republican supporters; this is typical crony capitalism. They are all illegal, and they must be scrutinized by Congress. Make your voice heard!
Victor - I write them every single day. Last time I ever received replies to my correspondence was from Sherrod Brown. Now I don’t expect anything but I keep writing. Today was about the Covid vaccine. I qualify for it but my spouse and family do not unless we have to jump through hoops. I need them to get the vaccine so they don’t get me sick again or make my disability worse. Tomorrow I will write about how the USPS will face even more financial difficulties because they now tariff mail coming overseas and counties are halting their mail because no one has told them the steps needed to comply. The next day I might do something else but I make sure that tariff is a weekly topic.
Professor Reich, appreciate “it’s also our economy.” Here’s the turn: the damage isn’t a mystery. It’s tariff taxes plus chaos-as-governance, and both squeeze workers before headlines catch up.
Tariffs raise the price of parts, shipping, and food, so factories cut shifts or pass costs along while real wages lag. Because a trade war is a consumer tax by another name, and it drags demand right when families need relief.
Chaos does the rest: bullying the stats-keepers, moving goalposts, governing by stunt. Because when rules wobble, capital hoards cash, hiring slows, and the hurt concentrates on the lowest-paid and the most precarious.
For compact receipts I keep a running file at www.xplisset.com. No magic fix, just steady rules, lower junk tariffs, and a wage-first rebuild.
Cer1405151_123 - Just like they are trying to rebrand their big bill because they are suddenly realizing that the people don’t like it. Now they are thinking about calling it the family and workers bill or some crap like that. Call it whatever you want but it still sucks. It was designed to start happening After the midterms vote on purpose and it was designed to hurt the less fortunate while rewarding the rich.
Thank you. I needed to hear this. As I do everything in my power to support and save a young woman whom I love, who just graduated from college, who is now working with autistic kids. To save her from being deported. I need to be reminded that there is hope.
A Glass-1/8th-Full, Dr. Reich points to the "centrality of science and truth in a democracy".
In recent history the trump right-wing have systematically destroyed these key features of "good government" with utter hypocrisy and extreme prejudice. To name a few who know better with legal degrees from Ivy schools: DeSantis, Cruz, Hawley, Vance these clowns deliberately play to the presumed ignorance of their voters, talk their talk and play dumb for Ignoramus Rex as they deny science and truth. Thanks to O.M. Malloy for referencing this Salon article from 2022, featuring Dean Obeidallah and Andy Borowitz about dumbing down to citizens -
Great points! The headline-grabbing clowns of which you speak would not be candidates for #ProjectCarrot.
But there are dozens of House Republicans well outside the general public’s eye that might find reason to consider this. Some may be able to explain away their complicity with the threats that Trump and his minions posed.
But there are dozens of lines crossed to point to when rebranding as #ConstitutionalConservatives.
Frankly, I’m hoping that the hypocrisy on Epstein can be a timely trigger in that regard.
I expect that the hypocrisy on Epstein could blow the regime apart, but trump is so slippery and vindictive that it will be hard to swing even a few votes. The six trumpist members of the Wis. delegation to the US House are full blown sycophants. Republicans in Blue states may be the best options.
The government, when run by the Democrats -- who really do operate bi-partisan-like -- always works better & with better results -- than the econo-fascist Republican radical adventures in government.
A Glass 1/8 Full Perspective - According to him we will have to wait another year for all of the “beautiful palaces” to be built before he can comment on the jobs report. I’m assuming he was trying to say something about the commitment from companies saying that they will invest more money here and factories are now beautiful palaces. But when you invade a Hyundai factory and detain over 400 people that is sending the wrong message to these companies.
This month’s report is even worse than before he fired the BLM statistics woman so I wonder who is next? It has gone down almost every single month and he can no longer put the blame on Biden - although I am sure he will try. It is now His economy and he is destroying it. His failure of leadership and keeping his Day One promises was predictable but too many people believed his lies.
The same with the administration trying to take away our healthcare and vaccines (if we decide we want them). If people get sick they can’t work and if they can’t work they can’t afford the cost of living or healthcare and the government doesn’t get their piece of the pie. Who’s going to do the work in the beautiful palaces then?
Whether it’s a Hyundai factory or 1000-acre field, ICE invasions are giving plenty of House Republicans issues that they can be on the right side of, fighting Trump as #ConstitutionalConservatives, without betraying their core constituency. The phrase that I’m hoping they’ll use is #ProSTRIFE. The #TrumpMillerProject2025Cabal loves to create pain and suffering where there was none before.
A Glass 1/8 Full Perspective - Just read that an Oregon State Representative, who has been voting democrat for a little while, finally made the switch officially from republican to democrat. He said that he is tired of the performative games and that nothing is getting done for the people. He is right, it’s all games to them. So, that’s a start and hopefully there will be more to come. While they keep striking fear into people it’s interesting that our job numbers are going down as well. But this administration either doesn’t care or can’t admit when they are wrong. Pretty sure it’s both. Your last sentence is spot on.
What did we expect? It’s very sad to see us slipping into authoritarianism and the American dream crumbling in front of our eyes. The only way to get out of this is to remove them, I’m not sure how or when but the sooner the better the military needs to step up They’re supposed to be on our side.
Why would the military stick their necks out for cowardly people who won't stand up to traitors? The very traitors they elected to -- supposedly -- serve them in the lower house of Congress.
The military have the duty to defend the Constitution. It is an unconditional duty. Were the Supreme Court declare Trump in contempt of court, Congress would have to impeach him, and remove him as commander in chief,
If anyone else on this substack was heady with excitement this past week when the orange man was absent, I want you to know you were not alone! I had everything I could cross, crossed! I waited with baited breath every morning when I pulled up the news to see if he was gone. I know I should never, ever wish for another person's demise; however, I simply do not feel any guilt at wanting this POS gone! Out of our lives, minds and government! It was pure joy not having to read or see his ugly mug smeared everywhere! The Coffee Klatch was great today, Professor Reich and Mrs. Lofthouse! Thank you!
Peggy I would rejoice, because he's already killed 1/2 million ignorant followers who followed his "medical" advice during the pandemic. the devastation world wide because of his abolition of the USAID program will reverberate for decades. good riddance as soon as possible for the greater good. well, except then we get vance....
Paul, it's true that we will not like Vance either. I hope that the justices in the "lower courts" can get the message out that the Rule of law is King in this Republic when it is observed and it informs the verdicts in all cases. No more "shadowy" dockets. "Say what you mean and mean what you say", when handing down a judgement. It will go on your permanent record. it is getting more and more important every day. The whole world is watching, now that we can see.
I felt the same way Peggy, about the joy I felt in the lack of being assaulted by the orange nut case's latest stupid move or declaration. I have a friend from Iran, she married an American Christian, but her laid back loving version of Islam was shocked when I expressed joy at his possible demise. Well, she gasped when I said what I hoped might happen. She warned me that it hurts me,myself, to wish ill will on the cretin. But, damn, I did feel a boost in endorphins! I say: Karma, crankles, please hurry up and do your thing!!!!! Let us be able to get better.
From a medical science perspective, I see no indication of his demise but I do believe his thought processes are rapidly failing him and who knows what those behind the scenes know or are planning. It's cfreepy.
I take blessed peace and quiet whenever I can get it now-a-days, Catherine! I had so much hope. Oh well, I'll just work harder than ever as long as that orange POS is still in the White House! It is time for a national strike!
Peggy - I try not to assault my eyes and ears with T but now that you mention it I did find myself at a little more peace but couldn’t figure out why. However, his administration kept up with its own agenda so maybe that’s why I didn’t notice. Wish away, my dear. At least they can’t take that away from you.
My father had polio when he was 4 years old. Permanent loss of function of his left arm and permanent weakness in his right leg. The psychological effect this had on him for the rest of his life was staggering and was transgenerational. RFKjr has utterly no business been the head of HHS. As a physician, I find him reprehensibly sanctimonious and stupid. As Richard Feynman once commented, "The easiest person to fool is ones self."
My great uncle and s great aunt on both sides of my family had polio. I am 65 and it is within my memory the devastation polio causes. We have to get rid of this mentally unstable R Kennedy Jr. disaster. I don't understand why it seems he is purposely sabotaging our medical care. It isn't because he is incompetent; he is actively trying to hurt us . Deliberately. WTF?!!!!!
Elizabeth Marion Allen ; tRUMP chose him for a purpose, to "own the libs" :(He is a disabled Kennedy), and to destroy H.H.S. He wants to kill as many of us as possible and take any "savings" for himself. There is a reason that every cabinet member is distinctly disqualified for the job they are appointed to. He wants to destroy America, then carve it up with Putin and Kim Jon Un, and other obscenely wealthy tyrants. He has stated on National Television that he hates us, because we do not worship him.
I am convinced RFK, Jr. is not well from a behavioral view. This is governance malfeasance. But our country is nearly lawless now. I think courts need to step in regarding our crumbling healthcare system accelerated by RFK, Jr. The world must be looking at us with utter astonishment!
RFK Jr was appointed to HHS to do important business: destroying public health, and undermining confidence in the federal government its past directives and opinions. He is not an ignorant clown. He is an experienced lawyer and a mercenary. When he ran for office billionaire Tim Mellon financed his campaign.
Professor Reich and Heather Lofthouse: it looks like you are back at home, at least to film this latest coffee klatch. i am still trying to get a hardcopy of your book, and still trying to see/stream the film.
speaking of the shithole mess that the orange rapist is creating out of what once was the world's best economy ... did you know that the USA is now purchasing EGGS FROM RUSSIA?? seemingly, this is due to an avian flu outbreak
how wild is that?? and speaking of the ameriKKKan dream ... i never believed in it ... in fact, to find affordable housing, i had to LEAVE USA. just saying.
i wonder how much abuse & suffering the regime's cult is willing to endure for the sake of their dear leader? will they ever vote him out? will the (majority of voters) fence sitters who refused to vote at all (GAH!!) in the last elections finally do the right thing and vote?
and the bombing of the venezuelan fishing boat is a war crime -- definitely NOT peace prize-worthy!! -- "The fate of the residents of San Juan de Unare and nearby towns has heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela, two nations that now speak to each other in the language of war. The White House used its military force deployed in international waters, near Venezuelan territory, to launch a missile at the boat and kill the 11 people on board."
This was fantastic and uplifting 👏 I felt so low all week because of the regime disaster and blowing boats out of the water. The crude and rude flyover of the girls shattheir truth about abuse at the hand of epstein and the economic crisis. This klatch was much needed! ✌️
Thank you for such an entertaining discussion of the sad reality we are experiencing/watching right now, not just in your country, but across the world... You are totally right, we are the majority, and in the end will prevail, but we must believe that and organise! Oh, and Trump meditating... I laughed out loud...
Bob and Heather, I really REALLY needed this today. Thank you.
I have been ill with depression and fatigue for the last week. My daily routine of spending the morning reading the news and Substack, but only until noon - followed by doing the things that cheer me up and distract me - has fallen apart. I'm so exhausted by what is happening here in the Upside Down, I no longer have the energy to do anything that distracts me from the sturm und drang. I've been falling asleep in the afternoon, ffs! I'm only in my early 70's, but I feel older than my 99.5 year old mom.
But now I feel better, because your optimism is contagious, and because Heather's imitation of Robert Kennedy, Jr. made me laugh out loud!
Demented Donald Trump presidency and economy will will collapse with the economy will not collapse until after he’s out of office and he’ll still blame it on Joe Biden buy Treasury I bonds.
Venous insufficiency affects Donald Trump‘s brain, kidneys, and not just his ankles and feet.
Polls and exit polling are irrelevant. Once you are inside the election booth people vote the way they really feel.
Once a bully, always a bully.
Everything that the criminal Trump does is still based on his feeling as a ten year old of coming up short in the eyes of his father who saw the older son as his heir.
Just like Joseph Kennedy.
Kennedy’s oldest son died in action as a pilot in World War Two. Trump’s oldest son went on to be a commercial pilot who died as an alcoholic.
The path the second sons took could not be more different.
Everything the criminal Trump does is depressing.
I fear for the state of the Union in 2029.
Have as good of a weekend as possible. Be kind to yourself and others.
My husband and I are so looking forward to seeing The Last Class on Sunday afternoon at the Westdale Theatre in historic Westdale, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. We have your book Robert and will begin reading it soon. Thank you to you both for another great Coffee Klatch. 🇨🇦🍁
I so enjoyed Heather’s mimic of Robert Kennedy’s vaccine blurb. We could all use some laughter with the way things are going. A coffee klatch highlight!
"Everything That Trump Touches Dies", why would the Economy be any Different?...
Rick Wilson is awesome. Netanyahu is pure evil.
Mike,
There is no question that the war in Gaza is ugly and brutal and the IDF has made mistakes but the presumption in the main stream media and progressive zeitgeist that it’s a genocide on the Palestinian people is simply not consistent with the facts. A genocidal military power ramps up casualties as it takes more territory and controls more of the population it’s attacking. A good example of this was the acceleration of the death toll during the Nazi genocide of Jews during WWII as they conquered more of Europe and sent Jews from those places to their death camps. Or consider what would have happened during Hamas’s October 7th genocide of Jews if the IDF hadn’t repelled them. If Hamas’s invasion of Israel had continued and expanded there is no doubt the death toll of Jews and the rate of Jewish casualties would have accelerated. But in Gaza the rate of civilian casualties has markedly decreased as Israel has taken control of greater territory and larger numbers of Palestinian civilians. As the field of battle has narrowed in Gaza there have been fewer and fewer unintended casualties. This is exactly the statistical opposite of what one would expect in a true genocide. Did Nazi’s allow millions of tons of food and humanitarian aide into Jewish ghettos and death camps? Do the present day photos of civilians in Gaza resemble the skeletal images of Jews we’ve all seen from the Nazi death camps? Or are we being shown Hamas propaganda photos of starving people in Yemen or of children with muscle wasting genetic disorders? If starvation in Gaza is real why are we being shown fake photos? Wouldn’t we be seeing the photos of millions of skeletal Palestinians after two years of starvation during this supposed “Israeli genocide”? The fact is the only genocide that has occurred in Israel in the last two years was the one committed by Hamas jihadists on October 7th 2023.
There’s a tone in your words that I find deeply disturbing. For the last sixty+ years I have read a library of books beginning with Anne Frank’s Diary when I was 14–
books about the holocaust and the establishment of Israel. Like many people of good will, I have spent sleepless nights tormented by humanity’s inhumanly. Your letter resurfaces my sadness because I see a level of arrogance that I find frightening. Time after time you casually dismiss and deny the suffering of Palestinians as some kind of ‘fake news.’ Why?
The crimes of Hamas are horrific as are the crimes of Netanyahu.
No excuses for anyone. Nobody wins a merit badge in this mutual slaughter. Sigh. It never ends. Jews were deliberately starved in concentration camps. Now Jews deliberately starve Palestinians in a concentration camp. Sigh. When will people stop running around the circular track?
Dr. Iris St. John, this is ultimately nihilistic behavior it seems. I agree with your premise. Also, I think fear of the 'other' that truly is 'no other' must be replaced with love and a desire to collaborate and achieve solidarity if our species is to survive. We must embrace diversity that is a part of Nature. I think you would find Dr. Iain McGilchrist's work of great, compelling interest.
The Whale as god
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror…”~Rilke
"It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me. Though bereft of all visible sympathies, yet, as the most appalling object that the eye can behold, whiteness when divorced from kindred hues and coupled with any object terrible in itself, heightens that terror to the furthest bounds.”
God’s silence, nature’s indifference, beauty as annihilation. That is the Whale.
The Whale is not evil.
The Whale is scale.
The Whale is truth too vast to bear.
The whales whiteness is not innocence—it’s the void. The blank canvas onto which America projects its fears and hopes. It’s the whiteness of the flag before the stars and stripes. The whiteness of erased histories. The whiteness of purity codes and exceptionalism. It appalls because it reveals nothing and absorbs everything.
America is not evil. But it is enormous. Economically, militarily, culturally—it dwarfs the individual. Its systems are so large they become opaque. Like the Whale, they are not malicious, but they are terrifying in their indifference. The citizen, like Ahab, may rage against it, but the Whale does not flinch.
This is the American dilemma: to live inside a myth so large it cannot be grasped. The Constitution, the Dream, the Market—each a kind of Leviathan. And when these truths fail to deliver clarity or justice, the response is often not humility but obsession, denial, or violent pursuit.
Melville’s Pequod is a microcosm of America: diverse, industrious, myth-driven, and ultimately doomed by its captain’s monomania. Ahab’s pursuit of the Whale mirrors America’s pursuit of wealth and power—whether through war, wealth, or ideology. But the Whale does not yield. It does not explain itself. It simply is.
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” ~Yeats
This is not mutual slaughter! What you don't understand is that Israel cannot ever afford to lose a war or skirmish. They are fighting with people in countries who don't want peace and don't want a truce and don't want any agreement. They want the complete obliteration of Israel and all its people- not some peace agreement- and if they overran the land and captured the territory, there would be an even greater holocaust! 200 million vs 8 million? Wasn't eliminating half the world's Jews enough in WWII? You want to leave the chanceof this happening again? Stop seeing this the way you do when Israel fights for survival.. Another thing, after the 6 day War- Israel captured the Gaza Strip but wanted to give it back to Egypt when they returned the Sinai- but Egypt refused to accept the Gaza strip and its people even though they are the same as Egyptians- and Jordanians. Their own people did not want them and Egypt fortified the opening to Egypt. In addition, those former Arabs who decided to leave the land of Israel (yes,it was the land of Israel)- who went to Jordan, were kept in refugee camps since 1967- yes- them and all their off-spring! If their own people would not accept them why is the burden on Israel- who only wanted to make peace? And how do you make peace with an enemy who only wants to destroy you?
Propaganda that the ignorance and imperial mindset of Zionists keeps alive.
Not true! Please learn some history.
Michal, it appears since Israel is nearly always at war that their culture is now wrapped in conflict. that is not a good position for a nation wishing to survive to be in. Making connections with neighbors as was done with Egypt could help, although Israel caused a rift with Egypt in its treatment of Gaza these past two years.
But Israel doesn't have the luxury of losing a war! It has very little territory- about the size of New Jersey- and it is surrounded by 200 million Arabs. It is not so much a situation of loss of a war, but its enemies want to obliterate Israel the country and all Israelis! It is Egypt that refused to take back Gaza- they clearly didn't want the people or land. Gaza was thrust upon Israel because Israel wanted peace with Egypt. There can never be peace there unless the Arabs begin to teach acceptance of Israel instead of hate. Have you ever seen their elementary textbooks? A group of Rabbis (myself included) sat down with an educator in the West Bank (we traveled inconspicuously in an Arab bus). She translated a text "If you have one Israeli dead and you shoot two more- how many are left alive" etc. She asked us for appropriate books and she began to translate them. This is only one instance. Children have to be taught not to hate or no truce or peace will ever last!
Michael, has it occurred to you that Israel has taken a position of war rather than diplomacy nearly throughout its entire lifespan? It is a national paranoia. Hamas is people desperate for something better, just like most organizations that get young people to commit atrocities, probably because young men are more susceptible to that kind of persuasion. Israel has so much more of everything than the Palestinians and when the have nots see the haves, it is hard to think "peace." had Israel helped the people of Gaza with the new farming techniques Israel uses and had agreed to a Palestinian state, they could have been trading partners of significance. It seems whenever Israel got a leader who wanted peace, he was killed or pushed out of office, so now Israel has a corrupt Netanyahu in power with his greedy buddies who want the land that belongs to someone else. Greed is strong with these ones. It is too bad the people of Israel are not standing up more forcefully to demand better. However the Israeli war against journalists in Gaza has kept most Israelis from knowing what is going on there. Then there is the weird thing about why the best intelligence network in the world didn't act on the warnings that Hamas was planning something big, and was supposedly totally caught offguard. I am not the only one who is wondering if they wanted a Hamas attack for an excuse to wipe out Gaza. I am guessing they needed something big, or the people wouldn't have wanted a genocide. Now, they can say "Oh the hostages!" or "they killed 1200 of our people" while forgetting that more than 65,000 Gazans have been killed, some children shot in the head by Israeli soldiers at close range. There are eyewitness accounts of this and worse atrocities that I don't even want to think about. Of course, the hostages are suffering because there is no food for anyone else either. Israel has targeted workers distributing food and other supplies as well as those waitingto receive the food. Those are not the actions of a civilized nation. Israel needs to just stop the war and the genocide! They will not be forgiven if they don't.
Ruth is on the right track here. However noble Israel is, or deems itself to be, it is nearly 100% dedicated to disruption. It's a bizarre neo-colonialism, anachronistic project. Before Hertzel organized the mindset, Jews and Arabs shared Palestine. It was okay, and perhaps even better than that for nearly everyone. The development of a principally Jewish state there was a wet dream of religious history: "Let's get a country of our own, and wall it off ideologically!" . "Damn the rightful residents and owners! We'll get the rich Westerners to buy it!." Makes me puke. And I am Jewish. And hardly self-hating.
You’re entitled to your opinion but the facts contradict your emotion based accusations against Israel. If Palestinians were Quakers would they be living behind fences and going through checkpoints in Israel? Facts are inconvenient but the facts are Palestinians have turned down a compromise Palestinian State plan five times while the Israelis have accepted it, albeit at times reluctantly, every time. Therefore the only responsibility for the suffering of the Palestinian people lies with their leaders and their fanatic genocidal ideology. A serial killer is responsible for his own suffering from a life sentence in prison. Do we free the serial killer from prison to murder again to end his suffering? No. Never Again.
I am not certain Bruce who you are addressing your comments to herein. I favor neither side but only the side of justice and the rule of law for all humanity.
Our present world order has entirely failed in this particular situation and it's shameful--we are globally complicit in allowing this type of activity to continue. We have the UN and international courts who make decrees without accountability. So here we sit on broken ground observing actions destroying civility. We hit bottom. Let's be honest about this for the sake of everyone.
I see that WE, the US, needs to take action. By that, I guess that means Trump. He and we, should stop sending weapons and we should make it clear to Bibi that we will NOT be supporting this path any longer. World leaders should probably step up to help negotiate the end of this. Trump has the power to stop sending the support
The only serial killer is the one who keeps invading its neighbors houses, kills their children, torture its women and steal their properties.
I guess sending suicide bombers, thousands of explosive missiles, and fanatic Islamic jihadists into Israel to torture, butcher, and rape women and children doesn’t count as far as you’re concerned. That’s the only reason non-Israeli Palestinians live behind fences and have to go through check points. They’re not free and they don’t have a state today because Arafat rejected an essentially 50/50 land split and Capital In East Jerusalem in 2000. While the Jews were dragged kicking and screaming by Clinton to actually agree. This whole bs about stealing land, Hamas jihad, and unending blood shed could have and should have been done 25 years ago if not for another refusal by Palestinians to take a win. That was the best deal you were ever going to get and refusing it has already cost tens of thousands of innocent lives. You want a free Palestine? Stop killing Jews and supporting Jihadists. Is that so hard!
What is the origin of your facts?
Google the casualty rates in Gaza. They’re decreasing not increasing as Israel makes progress against Hamas. The opposite of what happens in a genocide. Then read “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict What Every One Needs to Know” by Dov Waxman. (An even handed history) and then read On Democracy and Death Cults by Douglas Murray, which is an indictment against Hamas, Iran and other jihadist backers including the Islamic Brotherhood that vow to eradicate Israel.
Bruce, could it be that you have a strong bias which makes it impossible for you to see others' points of view?
I would refer you to the several reports over the last month from Israeli (!) and international academic specialists in holocaust history & genocide, as well as 2 prominent Israeli human rights organizations, who outline the post-WWII accepted definition of genocide. Virtually every major national and itrnl news organization covered these events, In each case their statements noted that under all criteria of genocide, Israel's actions have met the definition of genocide. If you have integrity, I challenge you to refute - factually - their findings. Personally I think their conclusions come many months after the criteria have been solidly established. Add to that the 'Gaza Riviera' plan is reported as under serious pre-planning by Israel's govt, and being discussed formally in the last few days by the UN. How can you ignore the photos of skeletal children and UN-verified malnutrition deaths that have appeared in media across the entire world? Are you alleging these are fake? Sorry - so very angry I can't continue writing........
“Israel committing genocide in Gaza, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the world’s leading experts say,” blared this BBC headline and similar others in the international media.
Damning stuff. After all, who should know more about genocide than the “world’s leading experts” on the subject?
But, like most of the anti-Israel news appearing daily, it’s bogus. It turns out that, as HonestReporting board member Salo Aizenberg discovered, all you need to become a genocide scholar is to own a credit card. For a minimum of only 30 dollars, you can become one of the “world’s leading experts.” The IAGS is a fraud.
Oh for the goddess's sake!!! Reply on the substance, not some slur. If it is not a genocide, how can you defend the vitrual elimination of 70 % of Gaza's structures, destruction of water, electricity, sanitation infrastructure as targets of the military, dehumanizing descriptions by gov't leaders, - (all Palestinians are 'animals' who don't deserve to live is reminiscent of of Nazi hatreds) - explicit threats to eliminate Gaza and Palestinians. WTF do you read? See? Do you live in a bubble of ignoring or being ignorant of a factual and visible reality? Bogus? why? How? You've drunk the kool-aid, fellow
Right! Plus he never said where he lives like he was asked to do.
The underlying issues are Jewish supremacy and Palestinian dehumanization. Together they flower into mass murder—reactive on October 7, and proactive on the Israeli side and exponentially greater. Arguing over terms is a distraction from the human realities, whose fundamental fact is Israeli bad faith, criminality, and moral bankruptcy. Unfortunately, in world opinion, this tends to take all of Judaism with it, which is a cultural and spiritual crime of unimaginable proportions. Baldwin’s casuistry is merely a symptom of this morally vacuous corruption.
Joel, I, too am extremely distressed that Israel has been equated with Judaism. That is appalling. Also, I am concerned that in the US, people who are antisemitic to the core are accusing others of antisemitism and trying to force colleges and universities to give up their independence because there are supposed antisemites on campus. Alas, the antisemites are Trump, his entire toddler pool, and many Republicans around the nation. This is really painful because Jewish people do not now and have never deserved the hatred and hypocrisy.
The only reason Palestinians don’t have a state is the Palestinians themselves. They’ve turned it down at least 5 times including a nearly 50/50 land split and a capital in East Jerusalem in 2000. Thanks Yasser. I it’s the Palestinians who are Muslim supremacists and run apartheid governments. First how many Palestinians actually live in Israel as Israeli citizens? I think it’s like 2.9 million. How many Jews lived in Gaza? How many Jews live in the PA governed West Bank? For that matter how many Jews or other non-Muslims now live in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq and the rest of the Middle East or North Africa? Talk about supremacy and apartheid!
Bruce, what are you afraid of that you spew your words? Or are you beiing paid to broadcast them? Joan
Seriously? When all else fails Palestinian sympathizers with failed arguments routinely resort to and claim anyone who is objective is a paid shill. Truly pathetic.
Just a thought. Can you become a monster while chasing monsters.
The Whale as god
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror…”~Rilke
"It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me. Though bereft of all visible sympathies, yet, as the most appalling object that the eye can behold, whiteness when divorced from kindred hues and coupled with any object terrible in itself, heightens that terror to the furthest bounds.”
God’s silence, nature’s indifference, beauty as annihilation. That is the Whale.
The Whale is not evil.
The Whale is scale.
The Whale is truth too vast to bear.
The whales whiteness is not innocence—it’s the void. The blank canvas onto which America projects its fears and hopes. It’s the whiteness of the flag before the stars and stripes. The whiteness of erased histories. The whiteness of purity codes and exceptionalism. It appalls because it reveals nothing and absorbs everything.
America is not evil. But it is enormous. Economically, militarily, culturally—it dwarfs the individual. Its systems are so large they become opaque. Like the Whale, they are not malicious, but they are terrifying in their indifference. The citizen, like Ahab, may rage against it, but the Whale does not flinch.
This is the American dilemma: to live inside a myth so large it cannot be grasped. The Constitution, the Dream, the Market—each a kind of Leviathan. And when these truths fail to deliver clarity or justice, the response is often not humility but obsession, denial, or violent pursuit.
Melville’s Pequod is a microcosm of America: diverse, industrious, myth-driven, and ultimately doomed by its captain’s monomania. Ahab’s pursuit of the Whale mirrors America’s pursuit of wealth and power—whether through war, wealth, or ideology. But the Whale does not yield. It does not explain itself. It simply is.
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” ~Yeats
Oh my God you’ve swallowed HAMAS’s propaganda whole without any critical thought. The UN Human Rights Council that just issued its genocide report has many anti-Israel members who have been condemning Israel for years. Multiple investigations have found that a number of individuals on the UNRWA payroll, particularly in Gaza, have ties to Hamas. The photo’s you’re referring to are Hamas propaganda. The NYT published an apology for misleading the public about the infamous picture it published showing a supposedly starving and emaciated child (who is actually suffering from a genetic muscle wasting disease) and other photos of starving children released by Hamas are from the famine in Yemen where Muslims have recently killed 400,000 other Muslims (that never made the news because no Jews were involved). Here are the facts against genocide in Gaza. Hamas is issuing phony pictures of starving children in Gaza. Why? Are there no actual photos of mass starvation in Gaza? Hamas thus far has commandeered an estimated 80-90% of the 1.2 million tons of food shipped into Gaza from Israel since the war started? Why? Egypt hasn’t let a single Palestinian victim of “genocide” cross into its safe territory even though it is a signatory to the UN Genocide Convention. Why? Israel has vaccinated 600,000 children in Gaza against st Polio in 2024-25? Did Hitler vaccinate his victims of genocide against any diseases? The rate of new casualties in Gaza have been steadily declining as Israel has been making progress against Hamas. A military power consolidating its victory that is actually committing genocide increases its killing rate, just the opposite of what is happening. Israel has said the minute Hamas lays down its arms, releases its hostages, and surrenders, the war and the fight that is harming civilians is finished. Does a military power bent on genocide say this? The only true genocide committed in this war was on October 7th 2023. The rest of the killing has been the result of a war to eliminate the jihadists who publicly promised to repeat Oct 7th over and over again. You are taking the side of jihadists who committed a genocide on innocent Jewish civilians, took 250 civilian hostages, and continues to use the Palestinian people and their civilian hostages as human shields and political cannon fodder. Your moral and factual blindness is astounding, you should be ashamed of your own gullibility and susceptibility to transparent anti-Semitic propaganda being manufactured and broadcast to the world by Hamas and its UN sympathizers.
It can also just evolve into a genocide-- which is what's happening.
don't listen to him...he's an Israeli-paid propagandist.....what a flaming piece of human garbage denying Israel's illegal occupation, genocide, mass starvation, mass murder, mass imprisonment of two million Palestinians.....Israel has murdered over 150,000 Palestinians..... over 25,000 children...blew the arms and legs off 15,000 children...."Bruce" is pure evil, just like Israel.
Let's try to keep this discussion as civil as possible. Remember many countries have their own version of MAGA and when the leadership of that country have an evil intent the MAGAts will follow. Are we sure that we can prevent Trump from pursuing genocidal "solutions"? He is proceeding to create ICE (Proud Boys) troops for this purpose. Is the current United Nation and/or World Court infrastructure suited to deal with this new world?
Our international order has failed. We must rebuild it.
Because it is built by the powerful for the benefit of the powerful.
You may be right, Joan, because Russia and China are trying to rebuild it. Shame on Trump!
Exactly!
The GAZA Strip is up for grabs by greedy, unempathetic, pathetic, Bastards! Just sayin'
Kay,
Do you have actual evidence that the invasion of Gaza is evolving to become a true genocide? Has Israel accelerated the pace of killing or starving civilians in Gaza as they take greater control of the territory? Or have the numbers shown the opposite? You of course have the right to your opinion but not the right to deny the facts.
Sorry Bruce but you better check your facts. Have you not seen the escalation of bombing runs made by Israel on the Palestinian population. There is nowhere for them to go for safety as mosques, schools and hospitals have been targeted along with the reporters who were reporting the facts (that Israel just does not want anyone to know about). The land of Palestinians has been being scooped up by Israel and Netanyahu has said that he wants to control all of Gaza and the West Bank. What more evidence do you need to be convinced that this is planned genocide perpetrated by an evil regime led by the man who hopes never to stop bombing as long as he is able to stay our of jail for his own crimes on the Israeli people. And not to be forgotten in all of this is the fact that the hostages will probably never return alive because if that were to happen there would no longer be reason to continue the decimation and havoc and genocide that he is now pursuing. Wake up and smell the coffee Bruce
Agreed. Lindsey Graham has made recent "cloaked" speeches, saying "plan B" will be used if "plan A" doesn't work regarding a seize fire and the hostages and people in GAZA. Many know who Graham supports currently. It's the guy who he called a "Kook" before he won. Just sayin'
Wow. That is an amazingly biased interpretation of the facts. Sounds exactly like Hamas propaganda. Just curious why you think Israel has bombed schools and hospitals? Could it have anything to do with the weapons being cached there?
where do you live? come on up out of those bushes bro....where do you live? I bet you live in Israel........you're paid to post such crazy fucking lies. Where do you live dickhead? I bet you cannot defend your claim personally.
OMG! Such tendentiousness! No two historical events are ever exactly alike, and it is either naive or bad faith to insist on close congruity as a condition for a particular categorization to divert attention from ugly, cruel, outrageous facts. This bad faith and bad logic is unfortunately all too characteristic of Zionist apologetics, which continues its relentless dehumanization of the Palestinians. Its subtext is that only Jewish lives matter, an odious belief in Jewish supremacy that has damned Israel and betrayed the humanitarian core of Judaism since Zionism’s beginning.
Genocide is not just a matter of opinion. It is very clearly defined in the Genocide Convention. It is not up for debate.
Experts on genocide — including those in Israel — agree (and have agreed since early 2024) that Israel is committing genocide. Supporting Israel in any way — economically, politically, militarily, or commercially — is complicity in the crime of genocide,.
What experts? The International Association of Genovide Scholars? You can become one of the “scholars” for $30.00 in an online credit card transaction. You should join this phony organization.
And We the PEOPLE heard Trump state his designs for GAZA as a new "Riviera" after everyone is "removed" and the rubble is cleared.
Just sayin' it's Just a complete Horror.
Nonsense. You are just spouting anti-Israel propaganda. Intentionality is a requirement for genocide under that UN Committee definition. The millions of tons of food aid, millions of leaflets dropped and phone calls made to warn civilians prove beyond doubt that Israel is and has been committed to saving not committing genocide on innocent Palestinians.
If you want to believe Israel’s hasbara, that’s your choice, but Netanyahu, Smotrich, and others have been crystal clear about the goal of eliminating the Palestinians. This includes annexing the West Bank. Israel’s occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem are all illegal according to rulings by the International Court of Justice.
Israel continues to move forward with its plans to establish ‘Greater Israel’, and have made clear that includes significant parts of Egypt east of the Nile, western Jordan, southern Lebanon, and SW Syria.
All their attacks on neighboring countries are gross violations of international law, war crimes. Israel is a terrorist rogue state.
Keep your head in the sand if you want but, to put it simply, you are wrong.
Bruce, who is urging your comments herein? Civilian casualties have decreased because so many have already been killed. Also, Bibi has allowed chaotic, interrupted food and humanitarian aid to distract from his ghoulish enterprise not because he's empathetic or compassionate--he's protecting himself since he is charged with criminality even prior to this awful situation.
I have seen too many skeletal images of Palestinians: not fake. So I ask you: who are you backing with your remarks and why? It seems you have a bias since you are not seeing the whole picture that most of the entire world is seeing. Joan
Why is Hamas posting images of starving people from Yemen and claiming they’re from Gaza? That tells you claims of mass street are propaganda. Look it up.
Seriously? Who am I backing? I’m backing Western Civilization and its values. Are we going to allow Israel to be eradicated by a Palestinian death cult bent on The genocide of Jews and other unbelievers? Do you know that Palestine’s Arabs directly collaborated with Adolph Hitler during WWII?
No, but it’s an established fact that some of the key leaders of the Zionism movement did in fact collaborate with Germany.
Peter, you history is fractured and warped. The leader of the Palestinian people, Hajj Amin Al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti no less, spent the war in Berlin, met personally with Hitler on November 28, 1941 and encouraged the Furher to exterminate European Jews. He then helped recruit Bosnian Muslims into the SS who wet on to mass murder Jews in Bosnia, Hungary, and Croatia. There is no way Zionists met with Hitler to do anything like this. Their participation in the Final Solution was to encourage Nazis to let the Jews leave Europe and emigrate to Israel. That is hardly the murderous collaboration you’re trying to falsely equate with Husseini’s rabid Jew hatred and genocidal actions.
Forget the word 'genocide' for a moment, and focus on the fact that Israel is on an an incredible murderous roll. Which the US government is -- all by itself in the world -- supporting. The debate over the word 'genocide' is a distraction.
I agree. The accusations of genocide against Israel always were just a propagandistic smear that obscured any objective evaluation of Israel’s response to the text book genocide that Hamas committed on Oct. 7th and proudly promised to repeat over and over again. Who then is qualified to judge the necessity and morality of Israel’s response to wipe out what was essentially an ISIS clone jihadist state in Gaza? Someone who knows asymmetrical warfare in a densely populated urban area where civilians are being used as human shields and hospitals and schools are being used as weapons storage depots that are connected to underground tunnels for jihadist terrorists. And that certainly is not who most Palestinian sympathizing progressives are who are screaming genocide.
if you believe Hamas will eventually be defeated, you're delusional. Hamas is an 'idea' not just an organization and every time another child or Mother dies in Gaza, a new Hamas soldier is recruited. You should be able to clearly visualize that in your own life if you are the Son; Father; Brother; or Uncle of someone indiscriminately killed in a bombing. Yes, Hamas started this and yes, Hamas embeds itself in the civilian population, but that population has allowed it happen just as it stood by and allowed hundreds of miles of tunnels to be built beneath their feet. Only the greater population of Palestinians can stop Hamas. Continued indiscriminate killing of civilians by IDF will not resolve this conflict; Netanyahu knows that and doesn't care.
People taken from existence is genocide period.
The Nazis had their form or way of carrying it out and the IDF has theirs period.
Not according to the definition of the UN Committee on the Crime and the Punishment of Genocide. You need to look that up. Was the allied bombing of Dresden and the loss of German lives in WWII a genocide by your definition?
. . . still, stealing another people's territory by violence is fascism.
No Arab lands were confiscated before 1947. None. After Israel was attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq in a war of eradication. Israel won that war and expanded its territory to 78% of Mandatory Palestine including the western Part of Jerusalem. When you lose a war of aggression against you often lose territory.
. . . Israel the IMPaler.
DUMP AND IMPEACH TRAITOR , NAZIS , FELONS, PREDATORS ,AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE. YES CON REPUBLICONS, CLIMATE CHANGE IS DANGEROUS, REAL, DISRUPTIVE WORLDWIDE, COSTLY, AND PREVENTABLE. STOP DENYING CLIMATE CHANGE AND FACE THE SCIENCE . DUMP THE CON RTRUMP AND CRONIES. DEPORT RTRUMP'S WIFE AND RELATIVES. BOYCOTT NAZI MUSK AND NAZI RTRUMP. VOTE FOR DEMOCRACY AND THE FAIR DEAL, NOT THE RAW DEAL.
uuh, shooting people waiting in line for food? You may be right -- it runs far beyond genocide -- it's an effort to exterminate an entire civilization.
Your so called civilization in Gaza was a jihadist state that indoctrinated their children to grow up and become martyrs for Allah and kill Jews. It was not a “civilization” it was a death cult that spent billions of dollars buying and building explosive missiles and weapons of war and a subterranean infrastructure of militarized tunnels to support jihadists that was a big as the London Underground and the New York Subway System. By your lights were the head chopping ISIS Caliphate and Hitler’s Third Reich also “civilizations”? Gaza’s infrastructure deserved to be leveled because it was infested with terror tunnels, weapons, booby traps, and jihadist rats just waiting for the chance to wipe out as many Jews as possible. That’s the “civilization” Israel is destroying.
Thanks for the concise summary of Zionist propaganda.
So the Israelis are lying while the head choppers of Hamas, allies of the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, and Iran, are telling the truth and they are sources you trust? Yeah, you’ve really got your head on straight.
Bruce, it is obvious you have no idea what you are talking about. I am guessing you are either a Zionist christian or Jew, and have fallen under the spell of the "Israel can't do anything wrong" approach to life. I used to think that too, until I read about what Israel had become over the decades. Now, they are a rogue nation, wanting to clear Gaza for their own purposes, like the Med Riviera or drilling for natural gas or something, of course after the Palestinians are gone. That is inhumane and really appalling, but greed makes men do almost anything; we see it in the US right now. I get it that Israelphiles need to believe in Israel's superiority, but they have come to use the techniques used on them by the nazis, on their neighbors in Palestine. So much for "never again." I guess that meant only "never again" done to THEM, not that they wouldn't use genocide against others. I hope the world will stand up to Netanyahu. There are many who are ready. I wish the US were ready to stop Netanyahu and his cronies.
You are completely wrong and a have been taken in by blatant lies and propaganda from Islamists and their Muslim sympathizers. When Palestinians and their supporters chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Do you understand this means they want the complete eradication of Israel? Most Israelis today are direct descendants of the 800,000 Jews who were ethnically cleansed and dispossessed of their properties in the Middle East and North Africa in the late 1940s and 1950’s. They are not just European colonizers. They do not have the right of return to Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt and other states in the region they got kicked out of, so exactly where should they go? The Palestinians want it all and they’ve turned down a two state solution many times while Israel has accepted it. And by the way I’m a non-Jew, raised Catholic but have been an atheist since age 12 when I realized religion was just made up. I also realize as an unbeliever I would be killed in Gaza, where they throw gays off buildings, and treat women as second class unequal citizens. The idea that the HAMAS jihadists will take over Israel or a Palestinian state and “liberate” the Palestinian people is a joke. They are the main oppressors of the Palestinian people, brainwashing them from childhood to kill Jews and become martyrs for their Islamic state. There isn’t a nickel’s worth of difference between HAMAS and ISIS and this is who you want to support in Israel’s war in Gaza? If so m, you are just one of Islam’s useful idiots in the West. I stand with Israel because I know they have every right to defend themselves from genocide by the jihadists who are leading the Palestinian people and using them as human shields and political pawns. Every thing Israel has done in this war is to defend its citizens from the war and terror machine HAMAS has built in Gaza.
Bruce, I am guessing it is easy for some people to look at what Israel is committing in Gaza as something other than Genocide, but alas, that is what it is. It is hard for me to believe probably the best intelligence operation in the world did not know that Hamas had planned a massive attack on Oct. 7th. Then, Netanyahu is claiming 65+ thousand Gazans killed, at least half civilians, (although I think it is a small portion that are Hamas) doesn't make up for Oct. 7th 1,200 Israelis killed. How many Gazans dead would do the trick? then there is the destruction of homes, farms, and just about everything else in Gaza, probably for Netanyahu's plan to take over Gaza and tern it into a resort of some kind for Israelis, of course. I get it that what the nazis and others did in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s was horrific beyond comprehension, but committing the same kinds of horrors on the Palestinians this time, by Israel is inexcusable! What has happened in Gaza should remind people of what happened in places like the Warsaw Ghetto, done by different entities, but with a similar result: starvation, murders, bombings, and more. My guess is what Israel is doing now is to prevent an uprising like what happened in Warsaw. We need a two-state solution. That is the only way to have peace, that is unless Netanyahu's genocide becomes complete, which is exactly what he and his band of EVIL want to happen.
You have been indoctrinated by HAMAS and anti-Israel Islamist lies and propaganda Why has Israel allowed and participated in transferring 1.2 million tons of food and millions of tons of drinking water into Gaza? Is that consistent with genocide? Why did Israel, with a baseline Polio vaccination rate of 98% among its already protected citizens, vaccinate 600,000 Palestinian children against Polio in 2024-25? Is that consistent with genocide? Why does Israel drop thousand of leaflets and call thousands of residents with warnings for innocent civilians to move out of combat areas before they bomb Hamas positions and staging areas? Under the UN Convention on Genocide all signatory nations are required to provide relief to citizens undergoing genocide. Egypt is a signatory to that agreement and has stubbornly kept its Gaza border shut to civilians who are begging to leave Gaza to escape the war. The U.S. and Israel have pressured Egypt to open it borders to save civilian lives to no effect because anti-Israel forces in Egypt are in cahoots with HAMAS to engineer the appearance of genocide in Gaza with as many casualties as possible. HAMAS, an Arabic acronym, that translates as “Islamic Resistance” whose co-combatant allies are “Islamic Jihad” and Hezbollah (which translates as “The Party of God”) are waging a genocidal jihad (holy war) against Israel and using the claims of stolen land and Palestinian oppression as an excuse. They don’t care one whit about the welfare or rights of the Palestinian people and use them as political cannon fodder and human shields. Should Israel be restricted to balancing the body count in a war where it’s avowed enemy has committed a true genocide against its people (Oct. 7th) and promised to repeat that attack again as often as possible? Especially given that its enemy is deliberately putting and keeping civilians in harms way as a tactic to fight and curry world-wide sympathy? Jihadists and those who support them are using the civilian death count in Gaza, that they themselves are maximizing, as a strategy to demonize Israel and wage a war of eradication on the Israeli state. Israel has agreed to a two state solution many times the Palestinians never have, they want it all from the river to the sea. When you ask Palestinians they will tell you the Israelis can’t stay there because they are occupying Muslim lands. The real opponents of the two state solution from 1948 onward have always been the Arab Muslims of the land.
So, Israel is better than Nazis? LOL.
ID has made mistakes? What else do you have up your blood soaked sleeves?
What I see is GAZA children and adults being starved to death. It is a Crime Against Humanity, a deliberate Famine! Trump has previously said he wants it all cleared so he can build "a Riviera" along the GAZA Strip. While starvation is occurring as we speak and read, Trump is not even bringing GAZA up these days. Just sayin' and time will tell.
It’s been 2 years of millions being deliberately starved you say? So far how many have died of starvation? How long can 2 million people go without food without streets full of skeleton like survivors and hundreds of thousands dead? Your accusations of famine are ridiculous, the casualty figures themselves defy suvh nonsense.
It’s been 2 years and how many have actually starved to death of the two million in Gaza? How long can two million people live without food? Shouldn’t there already be a million dead people if there is really mass starvation? The casualty figures themselves defy the accusations of mass starvation.
Apache - I was waiting to see your name and tell you that I was sorry when I read the news about Graham Greene. Don’t know if the Six Nations Reserve did anything for him or if that was going to be his final resting place. He was an amazing man.
Hello Anon... Thank You... Graham Greene lives on in Memory, and He will be Honored for the Good Things that he did for the Image of the Indigenous...
Apache--Trump has the "Midas" touch in reverse, everything he engauges turns to shit.
Apache, numerous people on this sub stack have questioned my surety that a new order is going to emerge from the current devastation wrot by Trump. Shortly after his inauguration, and he started announcing his policies and filling the White House with incompetent people in the cabinet, I felt that for sure it was the economy that was going to sink this whole administration.
That is why I have been encouraging people to have a look at the “Crisis and Transition” Substack. Here you will find essays and spirited discussion on what to do when the economic collapse occurs and why it is inevitable. Even Robert Reich has been pointing at this possibility for several weeks now, but no one other than the crisis and transition sub stack is engaged in a lively exchange of ideas of what can arise from the rubble of our current financial system and political system.
https://crisistransition.substack.com/p/we-must-be-ready-to-fill-the-vacuum?triedRedirect=true
The Whale as god
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror…”~Rilke
"It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me. Though bereft of all visible sympathies, yet, as the most appalling object that the eye can behold, whiteness when divorced from kindred hues and coupled with any object terrible in itself, heightens that terror to the furthest bounds.”
God’s silence, nature’s indifference, beauty as annihilation. That is the Whale.
The Whale is not evil.
The Whale is scale.
The Whale is truth too vast to bear.
The whales whiteness is not innocence—it’s the void. The blank canvas onto which America projects its fears and hopes. It’s the whiteness of the flag before the stars and stripes. The whiteness of erased histories. The whiteness of purity codes and exceptionalism. It appalls because it reveals nothing and absorbs everything.
America is not evil. But it is enormous. Economically, militarily, culturally—it dwarfs the individual. Its systems are so large they become opaque. Like the Whale, they are not malicious, but they are terrifying in their indifference. The citizen, like Ahab, may rage against it, but the Whale does not flinch.
This is the American dilemma: to live inside a myth so large it cannot be grasped. The Constitution, the Dream, the Market—each a kind of Leviathan. And when these truths fail to deliver clarity or justice, the response is often not humility but obsession, denial, or violent pursuit.
Melville’s Pequod is a microcosm of America: diverse, industrious, myth-driven, and ultimately doomed by its captain’s monomania. Ahab’s pursuit of the Whale mirrors America’s pursuit of wealth and power—whether through war, wealth, or ideology. But the Whale does not yield. It does not explain itself. It simply is.
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” ~Yeats
Hello David.... Thanks David... Orcas are not Melville' s Pequod... Seems that this is a Time of Dying for many USA Myths... Something New will emerge in this Land...
Metaphor is the language that will raise us from the ashes. We are Dionysian today, Apollo has been cast aside.
Except MAGAISM!
Hello Farhad.... True... Thanks.... Isn't MAGAism a Disease?...
And why couldn’t the reverse be true?
To Israelis Palestinian lives clearly matter which is why the casualty rates go down as soon as the Hamas jihadists are all killed in each area being liberated by the IDF. The only lives that aren’t worth saving in Gaza are the homicidal genocidal terrorists that have committed their lives to killing Jews and destroying Israel and their supporters and enablers. Read On Democracies and Death Cults by Douglas Murray if you can face what really happened on Oct 7th and what is going on now. Just say no and never again to a jihadist Palestinian state.
You forget which population in Palestine is being displaced by the east Europeans, since in the late 1900's, and ramping up to full speed now. Or is colonialism a great beautiful thing for you?
This is the great Eastern European Jew colonizer lie. The majority of Jews in Israel (70-80%) are the direct descendants of the 800,000 ethnically cleansed Middle Eastern and North African Jews (Mizrahi Jews) who were kicked out of their homes and countries of births in the 1940s and 1950s. Yeah, most Jews in Israel are not descended from Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews.
Well, this of course is also a gross distortion of the facts. Fact: 60-70% of the citizens of Israel today are Mizrahi Jews, descendants of the nearly 1,000,00 Middle Eastern and North African Jews who were ethnically cleansed from the Islamic world between 1948 and 1972 (the Jewish Nakba). Yeah, most Israelis have brown skin. Many of the Easter European Jews who were the original Zionists were slaughtered in WWII.
On all fronts, the s*it is really hitting fans all across America. Jobs down, inflation up, and the #RepubloFascist #ProSTRIFE agenda of crippling government services is starting to come home to roost.
And #DiaperDon is feeling the ooze too…
I bring to your attn that not only the US population is suffering economic downturn , rising inflation and higher unemployment. Here in Canada the tariffs are having palpable effects - our own pm proposing awful austerity measures, which can only make matters worse. The hard fought-for brief economic upturn after covid was devastated by T's tariff impositions on Canada and the uncertainty of its dimensions in various sectors. This is also evident internationally. But I wager T goes to bed each night revelling in the raw power he is able to impose on the world. I'd say this, as much as financial ideology, is a major part of his imposition of the tariff regimes.
Barb - Our tariffs on you, and every other country, is hurting us too. We have to pay for them but this administration doesn’t get that. The Commerce Secretary has a company that is buying up the rebates and if the SC agrees with the lower courts that his tariffs are illegal then we have to pay back the money. The Commerce Secretary wins (and gets richer in the process) if this happens. So, yeah, this administration sleeps just fine while the rest of us suffer.
If you are suffering from rising prices be sure to let your representatives know that. A few words about tariffs: A 10-15% tariff on imports is not high enough to be protective; its rationale is to raise revenues for the treasury; it is a tax. A 30-50% tariff restricts trade but it may be necessary to protect domestic manufacturing. Trump's tariffs on countries with balance of trade imbalances are neither protective not revenue generating, because they restrict trade; they seem aimed at boosting the value of the dollar, thereby giving US lenders an advantage (good for US billionaires). His tariffs on timber, beef, and agricultural products, none of whom need protection, are a gift to long time Republican supporters; this is typical crony capitalism. They are all illegal, and they must be scrutinized by Congress. Make your voice heard!
Victor - I write them every single day. Last time I ever received replies to my correspondence was from Sherrod Brown. Now I don’t expect anything but I keep writing. Today was about the Covid vaccine. I qualify for it but my spouse and family do not unless we have to jump through hoops. I need them to get the vaccine so they don’t get me sick again or make my disability worse. Tomorrow I will write about how the USPS will face even more financial difficulties because they now tariff mail coming overseas and counties are halting their mail because no one has told them the steps needed to comply. The next day I might do something else but I make sure that tariff is a weekly topic.
Apache — that line lands man.
But lemme tell you, paychecks feel it first.
Professor Reich, appreciate “it’s also our economy.” Here’s the turn: the damage isn’t a mystery. It’s tariff taxes plus chaos-as-governance, and both squeeze workers before headlines catch up.
Tariffs raise the price of parts, shipping, and food, so factories cut shifts or pass costs along while real wages lag. Because a trade war is a consumer tax by another name, and it drags demand right when families need relief.
Chaos does the rest: bullying the stats-keepers, moving goalposts, governing by stunt. Because when rules wobble, capital hoards cash, hiring slows, and the hurt concentrates on the lowest-paid and the most precarious.
For compact receipts I keep a running file at www.xplisset.com. No magic fix, just steady rules, lower junk tariffs, and a wage-first rebuild.
On point -
so much is the same ole same ole but re-branded, disguised and or repackaged to pawn it off as something new.
Cer1405151_123 - Just like they are trying to rebrand their big bill because they are suddenly realizing that the people don’t like it. Now they are thinking about calling it the family and workers bill or some crap like that. Call it whatever you want but it still sucks. It was designed to start happening After the midterms vote on purpose and it was designed to hurt the less fortunate while rewarding the rich.
Absolutely 💯 💯
resist..🗣Resist..🎯 RESIST..🗽humanity, rationality and sanity will WIN💥
Cee1405151_123 - Sorry I misspelled your name in the last comment. :(
I hope it oozes all over him, A Glass-1/8th-Full Perspective! I want it to cover him completely and smother him!
Thank you. I needed to hear this. As I do everything in my power to support and save a young woman whom I love, who just graduated from college, who is now working with autistic kids. To save her from being deported. I need to be reminded that there is hope.
A Glass-1/8th-Full, Dr. Reich points to the "centrality of science and truth in a democracy".
In recent history the trump right-wing have systematically destroyed these key features of "good government" with utter hypocrisy and extreme prejudice. To name a few who know better with legal degrees from Ivy schools: DeSantis, Cruz, Hawley, Vance these clowns deliberately play to the presumed ignorance of their voters, talk their talk and play dumb for Ignoramus Rex as they deny science and truth. Thanks to O.M. Malloy for referencing this Salon article from 2022, featuring Dean Obeidallah and Andy Borowitz about dumbing down to citizens -
https://www.salon.com/2022/09/30/how-the-weaponized-ignorance-and-how-smart-people-acting-like-dopes-stay-in-power/
Great points! The headline-grabbing clowns of which you speak would not be candidates for #ProjectCarrot.
But there are dozens of House Republicans well outside the general public’s eye that might find reason to consider this. Some may be able to explain away their complicity with the threats that Trump and his minions posed.
But there are dozens of lines crossed to point to when rebranding as #ConstitutionalConservatives.
Frankly, I’m hoping that the hypocrisy on Epstein can be a timely trigger in that regard.
I expect that the hypocrisy on Epstein could blow the regime apart, but trump is so slippery and vindictive that it will be hard to swing even a few votes. The six trumpist members of the Wis. delegation to the US House are full blown sycophants. Republicans in Blue states may be the best options.
The government, when run by the Democrats -- who really do operate bi-partisan-like -- always works better & with better results -- than the econo-fascist Republican radical adventures in government.
True.
A Glass 1/8 Full Perspective - According to him we will have to wait another year for all of the “beautiful palaces” to be built before he can comment on the jobs report. I’m assuming he was trying to say something about the commitment from companies saying that they will invest more money here and factories are now beautiful palaces. But when you invade a Hyundai factory and detain over 400 people that is sending the wrong message to these companies.
This month’s report is even worse than before he fired the BLM statistics woman so I wonder who is next? It has gone down almost every single month and he can no longer put the blame on Biden - although I am sure he will try. It is now His economy and he is destroying it. His failure of leadership and keeping his Day One promises was predictable but too many people believed his lies.
The same with the administration trying to take away our healthcare and vaccines (if we decide we want them). If people get sick they can’t work and if they can’t work they can’t afford the cost of living or healthcare and the government doesn’t get their piece of the pie. Who’s going to do the work in the beautiful palaces then?
Whether it’s a Hyundai factory or 1000-acre field, ICE invasions are giving plenty of House Republicans issues that they can be on the right side of, fighting Trump as #ConstitutionalConservatives, without betraying their core constituency. The phrase that I’m hoping they’ll use is #ProSTRIFE. The #TrumpMillerProject2025Cabal loves to create pain and suffering where there was none before.
A Glass 1/8 Full Perspective - Just read that an Oregon State Representative, who has been voting democrat for a little while, finally made the switch officially from republican to democrat. He said that he is tired of the performative games and that nothing is getting done for the people. He is right, it’s all games to them. So, that’s a start and hopefully there will be more to come. While they keep striking fear into people it’s interesting that our job numbers are going down as well. But this administration either doesn’t care or can’t admit when they are wrong. Pretty sure it’s both. Your last sentence is spot on.
What did we expect? It’s very sad to see us slipping into authoritarianism and the American dream crumbling in front of our eyes. The only way to get out of this is to remove them, I’m not sure how or when but the sooner the better the military needs to step up They’re supposed to be on our side.
"the military needs to step up"
Why would the military stick their necks out for cowardly people who won't stand up to traitors? The very traitors they elected to -- supposedly -- serve them in the lower house of Congress.
The military have the duty to defend the Constitution. It is an unconditional duty. Were the Supreme Court declare Trump in contempt of court, Congress would have to impeach him, and remove him as commander in chief,
Excuse me. Got an appointment back on Planet Earth.
Exactly!
If anyone else on this substack was heady with excitement this past week when the orange man was absent, I want you to know you were not alone! I had everything I could cross, crossed! I waited with baited breath every morning when I pulled up the news to see if he was gone. I know I should never, ever wish for another person's demise; however, I simply do not feel any guilt at wanting this POS gone! Out of our lives, minds and government! It was pure joy not having to read or see his ugly mug smeared everywhere! The Coffee Klatch was great today, Professor Reich and Mrs. Lofthouse! Thank you!
Peggy I would rejoice, because he's already killed 1/2 million ignorant followers who followed his "medical" advice during the pandemic. the devastation world wide because of his abolition of the USAID program will reverberate for decades. good riddance as soon as possible for the greater good. well, except then we get vance....
Paul, it's true that we will not like Vance either. I hope that the justices in the "lower courts" can get the message out that the Rule of law is King in this Republic when it is observed and it informs the verdicts in all cases. No more "shadowy" dockets. "Say what you mean and mean what you say", when handing down a judgement. It will go on your permanent record. it is getting more and more important every day. The whole world is watching, now that we can see.
Paul, if we can get a majority in the Senate and House, Vance will be kept in check.
I felt the same way Peggy, about the joy I felt in the lack of being assaulted by the orange nut case's latest stupid move or declaration. I have a friend from Iran, she married an American Christian, but her laid back loving version of Islam was shocked when I expressed joy at his possible demise. Well, she gasped when I said what I hoped might happen. She warned me that it hurts me,myself, to wish ill will on the cretin. But, damn, I did feel a boost in endorphins! I say: Karma, crankles, please hurry up and do your thing!!!!! Let us be able to get better.
Absolutely, Elizabeth!
Glad with apprehension. Can't help but worry when things are too quiet. Calm before the storm?
From a medical science perspective, I see no indication of his demise but I do believe his thought processes are rapidly failing him and who knows what those behind the scenes know or are planning. It's cfreepy.
I take blessed peace and quiet whenever I can get it now-a-days, Catherine! I had so much hope. Oh well, I'll just work harder than ever as long as that orange POS is still in the White House! It is time for a national strike!
Peggy - I try not to assault my eyes and ears with T but now that you mention it I did find myself at a little more peace but couldn’t figure out why. However, his administration kept up with its own agenda so maybe that’s why I didn’t notice. Wish away, my dear. At least they can’t take that away from you.
Thanks, Anon!
What else would you expect from a man with more bankruptcies than actual accomplishments?
My father had polio when he was 4 years old. Permanent loss of function of his left arm and permanent weakness in his right leg. The psychological effect this had on him for the rest of his life was staggering and was transgenerational. RFKjr has utterly no business been the head of HHS. As a physician, I find him reprehensibly sanctimonious and stupid. As Richard Feynman once commented, "The easiest person to fool is ones self."
My great uncle and s great aunt on both sides of my family had polio. I am 65 and it is within my memory the devastation polio causes. We have to get rid of this mentally unstable R Kennedy Jr. disaster. I don't understand why it seems he is purposely sabotaging our medical care. It isn't because he is incompetent; he is actively trying to hurt us . Deliberately. WTF?!!!!!
Elizabeth Marion Allen ; tRUMP chose him for a purpose, to "own the libs" :(He is a disabled Kennedy), and to destroy H.H.S. He wants to kill as many of us as possible and take any "savings" for himself. There is a reason that every cabinet member is distinctly disqualified for the job they are appointed to. He wants to destroy America, then carve it up with Putin and Kim Jon Un, and other obscenely wealthy tyrants. He has stated on National Television that he hates us, because we do not worship him.
I am convinced RFK, Jr. is not well from a behavioral view. This is governance malfeasance. But our country is nearly lawless now. I think courts need to step in regarding our crumbling healthcare system accelerated by RFK, Jr. The world must be looking at us with utter astonishment!
RFK Jr was appointed to HHS to do important business: destroying public health, and undermining confidence in the federal government its past directives and opinions. He is not an ignorant clown. He is an experienced lawyer and a mercenary. When he ran for office billionaire Tim Mellon financed his campaign.
Professor Reich and Heather Lofthouse: it looks like you are back at home, at least to film this latest coffee klatch. i am still trying to get a hardcopy of your book, and still trying to see/stream the film.
speaking of the shithole mess that the orange rapist is creating out of what once was the world's best economy ... did you know that the USA is now purchasing EGGS FROM RUSSIA?? seemingly, this is due to an avian flu outbreak
https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/us-turns-to-russia-for-chicken-eggs-for-the-first-time-in-32-years-despite-sanctions-to-cripple-its-economy/amp_articleshow/123726523.cms
another weird thing (that i thought i'd never see), housing that is for sale FAR greater than the number of people looking to buy.
https://www.redfin.com/news/sellers-vs-buyers-price-impact/
how wild is that?? and speaking of the ameriKKKan dream ... i never believed in it ... in fact, to find affordable housing, i had to LEAVE USA. just saying.
i wonder how much abuse & suffering the regime's cult is willing to endure for the sake of their dear leader? will they ever vote him out? will the (majority of voters) fence sitters who refused to vote at all (GAH!!) in the last elections finally do the right thing and vote?
and the bombing of the venezuelan fishing boat is a war crime -- definitely NOT peace prize-worthy!! -- "The fate of the residents of San Juan de Unare and nearby towns has heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela, two nations that now speak to each other in the language of war. The White House used its military force deployed in international waters, near Venezuelan territory, to launch a missile at the boat and kill the 11 people on board."
https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-05/the-mystery-of-the-boat-pulverized-by-a-missile-in-the-middle-of-the-caribbean.html
oh, the rumour is that hawaii is also joining the west coast health alliance:
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/09/04/hawaii-to-join-west-coast-health-alliance-with-california-oregon-and-washington/
I got a notice from Inequality Media today that the copy of Coming Up Short that I ordered is in the mail. You might try there.
This was fantastic and uplifting 👏 I felt so low all week because of the regime disaster and blowing boats out of the water. The crude and rude flyover of the girls shattheir truth about abuse at the hand of epstein and the economic crisis. This klatch was much needed! ✌️
DITTO!
Thank you for such an entertaining discussion of the sad reality we are experiencing/watching right now, not just in your country, but across the world... You are totally right, we are the majority, and in the end will prevail, but we must believe that and organise! Oh, and Trump meditating... I laughed out loud...
The destruction of this nation that he has caused is enormous. The entire regime must come down.
Bob and Heather, I really REALLY needed this today. Thank you.
I have been ill with depression and fatigue for the last week. My daily routine of spending the morning reading the news and Substack, but only until noon - followed by doing the things that cheer me up and distract me - has fallen apart. I'm so exhausted by what is happening here in the Upside Down, I no longer have the energy to do anything that distracts me from the sturm und drang. I've been falling asleep in the afternoon, ffs! I'm only in my early 70's, but I feel older than my 99.5 year old mom.
But now I feel better, because your optimism is contagious, and because Heather's imitation of Robert Kennedy, Jr. made me laugh out loud!
I show up for intelligent analysis not to mention the amazing Heather Lofthouse.
Thank you folk.
Demented Donald Trump presidency and economy will will collapse with the economy will not collapse until after he’s out of office and he’ll still blame it on Joe Biden buy Treasury I bonds.
Venous insufficiency affects Donald Trump‘s brain, kidneys, and not just his ankles and feet.
Who is able to invoke the 25th amendment?
Polls and exit polling are irrelevant. Once you are inside the election booth people vote the way they really feel.
Once a bully, always a bully.
Everything that the criminal Trump does is still based on his feeling as a ten year old of coming up short in the eyes of his father who saw the older son as his heir.
Just like Joseph Kennedy.
Kennedy’s oldest son died in action as a pilot in World War Two. Trump’s oldest son went on to be a commercial pilot who died as an alcoholic.
The path the second sons took could not be more different.
Everything the criminal Trump does is depressing.
I fear for the state of the Union in 2029.
Have as good of a weekend as possible. Be kind to yourself and others.
Kind regards,
Richard M. Wolff
My husband and I are so looking forward to seeing The Last Class on Sunday afternoon at the Westdale Theatre in historic Westdale, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. We have your book Robert and will begin reading it soon. Thank you to you both for another great Coffee Klatch. 🇨🇦🍁
I so enjoyed Heather’s mimic of Robert Kennedy’s vaccine blurb. We could all use some laughter with the way things are going. A coffee klatch highlight!
I love this program, it is so inspiring ❤️