Nightmare in a sandbox.

Good Saturday morning, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. More coffee, please.

Last night I found out about the DOJ backed UN claim that UNRWA has complete immunity for any actions under the diplomatic statute of the organization. A complete travesty in line with its practice. Is it time to admit the UN is dead?

From history we learn it will probably take nothing short of a cataclysmic event to create a substitute for the United Nations. World War One created the League of Nations and World War Two the UN. Their legacies are not much encouraging either: WW2 was the League of Nations one. But what is the UN’s? Some would say the Cold War but it runs deeper. In a world truly gone MAD, as in Mutually Assured Destruction, the UN was the stage for MADness. That’s its legacy: madness.

As long as the world craziest leaders had a place where to bang their shoes on the lectern and a podium from which to legitimize their lunacy we would all be safer and peace would prevail. We witnessed many unimaginable things happen at the UN General Assembly but we shrugged and pretended it was the cost of freedom. Not a forum for three dimensional chess players but a sandbox for children to play without parental guidance.

Everybody wants to rule the world, right? Why not go crazy and let it happen, see what gives. Well, we are seeing it. We have for quite some time. The Cold War may be over but we still live in a MAD world.

* Okay, now I am having trouble deciding which song to use at the end of this string… Tears for Fears or Gary Jules?…

We’re running in circles and there’s no turning back. So the songs go and so do we. Nothing lasts for ever is a hard concept for children to grasp, especially when they run around and around in a MAD world.

* Okay, that didn’t help me make up my mind.

Perhaps that’s why many Muslims consider music to be Haram. But I digress. Or maybe not since we’re discussing madness.

Madness; the art of repetition with similar results. The perfect definition of what the United Nations became. The result is always the same, isn’t it? No progress at all, no courage, no initiative for fear of the alternative: assured destruction. So it came to be the institution created to deliver us from the cruelty of humankind turned out to be the ultimate manager of fear, in which billions are spent to maintain it.

“Be very afraid” should be the UN motto. That or “We can’t do that”. Anything to keep us where we are and feel good about it. But do we? Little by little we got used to it like getting used to the discomfort of an incurable disease and learn to live with its painful symptoms. That feeling has made us believe it is in fact incurable. What else can we do but endure it? False. It’s far from inevitable. We were just convinced it is. It’s not.

The delicate balance of power between those who have most of it is achieved by making it acceptable through the parading of all that is wrong in this world within the walls of that sandbox where everything unacceptable is possible and problems become solutions in themselves. Like the unruly spoiled children that wreak havoc inside the house are allowed to play in the sandbox exactly the same way not for their benefit but for the comfort of their parents. A theater of the absurd.

Absurdity is the name of the game, cards against humanity without sarcasm, lining up the steps of the assembly to congratulate a terrorist organization for finally getting a seat in the sandbox. It’s perfectly fine, nothing can go wrong. Nothing ever does. It’s exactly as it’s supposed to be. Maybe one day someone with diplomatic immunity smuggles a nuke inside a suitcase into the building and put us out of our misery. Perhaps that’s what it will take to open our eyes.

I grew up with this lie. I had so much hope for the United Nations and as a child, when it came to play soldier, I always picked a blue helmet. I watched the Swedish troops being stoned on television as they kept the peace without firing a single shot. I watched the children in Africa being fed and the ones in Asia vaccinated. I was sure it was working. It had to. And while I watched the televised feel good show put up for me I missed what was really going on.

I am not a child anymore. Now I know that when I was three years old UNRWA was funding the training of Palestinian Arabs to fight in the Vietnam War. The televised show no longer makes me feel good. My baby shot me down. Bang bang. It’s no longer a game. It never was. All I feel is disgust, frustration, anger. How did we let it get this bad? What were we thinking? We didn’t get taught to hate; we got taught to tolerate the intolerable and we learned the lesson well. We got numb.

September 11 wasn’t enough. Surprisingly we got even more numb. Then came October 7. There were no planes flying into buildings, no balls of fire. There was a slow, painful, excruciating display of cruelty and hate no amount of numbness could deal with. Except in the sandbox. The place built for accepting it and dealing with it the only way they know how: rewarding it in the usual appeasing way designed to pretend it will go away if only we look past it into the void.

I don’t know about you but I am sick and tired of this sandbox where we’re supposed to do what we do for real pretending it’s not. It is real. And it’s eating us alive. The only thing good out of this madness is we finally realize there is no turning back. We can only go forward from here. The question then becomes what the fuck are we waiting for and what are we going to do about it. Maybe start by not taking this shit anymore.

It’s hard to remain sane in this madness but we have to, somehow. Seems reasonable enough to be unreasonable in the face of what we were told reason means by UN standards. It’s time to get rid of our old feathers so new ones can grow and fly out of this sandbox where we are told nightmares are all we can dream.

It’s time to wake up.

Try and have a good weekend.

*

Link to “Mad World”, Gary Jules, Michael

Taking the trash out.

Good morning, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. More coffee, please.

We’re still processing “Beeper Tuesday” and the extraordinary strike Israel pulled off against the pager carrying Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon. Anytime terrorists are hit hard is a good time in my book and we sure can use the comic relief provided by agent Moti Rolah, though we are using dark humor in dark times.

I’ll take a targeted strike over carpet bombing, though, while the propal crowd raises their arms and cries “foul” just the same as if Beirute was nuked. Nothing shocking there. Of course at a time when opposition grows and the hostages are nowhere near getting home any initiative like this will be perceived as just another attempt at wagging the dog by Netanyahu and there’s truth to it but, as I said, any day terrorists suffer a blow is a good day.

The Lebanese government should actually hope for Israel to blow up all Hezbollah operatives in their country individually if that’s possible. It’s obviously not but that would help them a lot. This sophisticated action and the immediate flood of memes praising agent Moti Rolah’s daring work took over SM but something else happened yesterday that deserves our attention and it was not funny in the least.

I didn’t know who Maya Berry was until yesterday. She’s the Executive Director of the American Arab Institute which has in the past contributed to the recognition of MENA as a category in our census data and other positive contributions against discrimination but recently has expressed views that tarnish its reputation by endorsing positions widely perceived as antisemitic. Her connection to the Democratic Party is known and she has no personal record of extremist views herself.

Maya Berry’s fault is not that she proclaims the end of the Jewish State vocally but rather that she tacitly supported it by endorsing those who do. At least as far as my research can tell. In any case she was testifying before Congress yesterday in a hearing about the rise of hate crimes in the US. Like in other hearings where support for terrorist organizations and the call for violence against the Jewish people are involved it didn’t go well.

At these hearings there’s always a repulsive GOP member who “steals the show” and appeals to what should be common sense notions in the worst possible way, either because they represent the exact opposite of what they pretend to stand for or because they go off the deep end in their interventions. I remember Elise Stefanik during the hearings with University presidents about antisemitism on college campuses and now we got John Kennedy questioning Maya Berry on the rise of hate crimes.

Unlike Stefanik, whose fault was her maladroit questioning and representing the opposite of what she pretended to stand for, Kennedy went straight for the cucamonga approach. These days it makes perfect sense when questioning anyone about hate crimes to ask if they support terrorist organizations or organizations that provide cover for them. Regardless of who you are the answer should be easy: No. Next question. The fact Maya Berry didn’t answer that way says a lot.

She ended up saying she doesn’t support terrorist organizations but only after deflecting with a preamble of victimization intended to put the question against the favorite background used by terror apologists: Islamophobia. Again. Were John Kennedy a smart person he could have made it clear and scored points but being the complete ignorant douchebag he is he decided to brush Maya Berry off with the statement that became the image of that hearing.

No one is talking about what the purpose of the hearing was or what relevant information came from it. All that hearing did was to reinforce the notion Islamophobia is very much a thing and reinforce it’s use as an effective cover for those who wish to promote hate. Because instead of pointing out Berry’s unwillingness to firmly condemn terrorism Kennedy told her she should be wearing a trash bag over her head, in a hateful reference to ANY Muslim women head cover.

Maya Berry got a free pass and Islamophobia a big boost. That’s what happens when you have hate mongers assigned to determine the cause of hate crimes: more hate. This is why the advocates of radical Islam turn the perfectly acceptable religious practice of dressing with modesty into a problem where there’s none. We are all familiar with the comparisons between Catholic nuns and Muslim women, as if all Catholic women were bound for convents or supposed to walk around dressed as nuns.

The problem with women in Muslim society and the way they are treated has nothing to do with their religious apparel and everything to do with those societies inability to accept secularism and choice. There’s nothing wrong with choosing to dress in any particular way but everything wrong when you are expected to dress in a particular way and face penalties for not doing it. This is a symptom of how retrograde Islam is when compared to other religions.

Setting aside the type of dress most if not all other religions impose strict dress codes for those who choose a full immersion in that religion. For Catholics that’s a strict dress code for women who choose to become nuns, the other women of faith being expected some modesty when attending religious ceremonies, which in some cases involves covering their hair in church, and there are no penalties for women who choose not to dress accordingly, whether they are religious or secular.

Islam has a different concept. Not radical Islam, all Islam. In Muslim societies women are expected to dress with modesty to various degrees. In radical Islam they are forced to do so in more extreme ways: case in point Afghanistan. And this brings us to all the different types of Muslim head covers for women and the way they are used. We should be concerned about the mandatory nature of that custom in Muslim countries, since for the most part they are imposed and heavily penalized.

That’s obviously their problem, however, and all we can do is try to make them respect women and their choices. When it comes to the integration of Muslims in Western societies it does become a problem if these customs, regardless of their acceptance by women, involve going against our standards. We should have nothing against modesty in women’s clothing but we are repelled immediately by everyday face concealment as a norm. And this is where ignorance plays its part.

We have limits for tolerance when it comes to dress codes that cover both ends of the spectrum: your supposed to show your face in public and you’re not supposed to show your genitalia in public. Pretty reasonable assumptions. So the problem becomes the use of the extreme types of head covers: the niqab and the burqa. Other than that, any other type of modesty in dressing is just fine. Who cares how many layers of clothes anyone wears? I have no beef with magical underwear either.

But when you start telling Muslim women in our midst they should wear “trash bags” over their heads you lose all perspective and reason. If you want them to respect our ways in acceptable terms you must respect theirs in equally acceptable terms. I feel no discomfort seeing a masked woman because she’s a Muslim but because she’s not showing her face as a norm.

I have no problem with a kid knocking on my door covered with a blanket on Halloween either but I do if he walks around like that every other day and all the other kids are expected to do the same. We shouldn’t trivialize this matter to the point it’s okay to accept it due to the tolerance of religious beliefs but we can’t go on a rampage because Muslim women wish to cover their hair unless they are forced to. Anything else is just bigotry.

We have enough problems fighting radical Islamic views in our society, we don’t need to create false ones and certainly don’t benefit from reinforcing the idea we are as radical as them in dealing with Muslims who are not extreme and fit in just fine. Every time a “John Kennedy” pulls up a stunt like the infamous “trash bag” comment hate grows. Not reasonable opposition to other people’s beliefs infringing on our secular values, just ignorant xeno bashing.

These phobias spread like wildfire and make reasonable expectations turn to bigotry in a heartbeat. Don’t fall for it. All they do is to allow people like Maya Berry to hide their motives and keep pretending Islamophobia is THE thing to fear while allowing it to provide a warm blanket for the terror lurking within. The real problem is hiding in plain sight: xenophobia. The only solution is educating ourselves to cut through the BS and address it reasonably.

Have a good hump day.

Law at the kitchen table.

Good Voter Registration Day, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. Coffee!

Voting is your superpower. Vote every time you get a chance to, from School Boards to President. Make sure your registration is correct and you know where to vote. Never miss a primary so you can choose who will be on the ballot then vote for the chosen candidate even if it’s not the ideal one - the opponent is far worse. And every time vote BLUE. Up and down the ballot.

Help others to vote. Everyone you know needs to vote. Make sure they know their superpower too. This is it. 49 days left. We got work to do.

We understand the assignment and know the consequences of defeat. We’re not going back! 

That slogan is with us since day one of Kamala Harris campaign and it’s a reminder WE are the point of this election. We the people.

Women will in all probability decide this election so they can live without fear of becoming objects a step away from being denied ALL their rights in a world where men will decide everything for them but all of us, regardless of gender or age, will decide this election so we can have a better future. The abstractions are important to define our battle: love against hate; democracy against fascism; progress against stagnation. But it’s fundamental to point out what they represent.

How decisions come to be implemented in our democracy is the key. It’s not as complicated as it seems. Our three branches of government are all involved in the process and each is equally important but one of them is key and derives from how well the other two work: the Judiciary.

Locally you MUST vote for judges who uphold the rule of law fairly and without prejudice. You have a say in it so don’t waste it. It starts there.

One of those judges you get to choose may one day be chosen for higher offices and that choice is also yours to make as you vote for the person who nominates them and those who approve it. In the end, you have the superpower to choose every single federal judge and Supreme Court justice. We must reform the judicial system from the bottom up and to do that we don’t just need a president. We need a Congress. All the laws we need to improve and create depend on this.

Looking at the big picture you see how much trouble we’re in already. Take a look at what is happening in Florida with Judge Cannon. She’s on a fast track to replace Thomas or Alito in the Supreme Court if we lose this election and that is just one of the many judges like her waiting to be appointed to federal courts - especially appeals courts. The court system is the first thing any authoritarian seeks to subvert by turning it into the enabler of his/her authority.

That process started a long time ago and it has been exposed in all its ugliness since 2016. While we were all distracted by gas prices and other infamous “kitchen table” issues the GOP put in place the foundation for a complete take over of the Judiciary branch, that thing no one cared about but them. Well we sure care about it now. Is it too late? The fact I am writing about it tells you it’s not. It will be too late when we can’t talk about it anymore.

Behind every decision that affects our lives is a judge and behind every judge there is a political process. Judges are not Gods that just show up one day like they dropped from Olympus; they are the result of our decisions when we vote. By all means consider the issues you discuss around your kitchen table, if you have one, just make sure to include our Judiciary during brunch. We all depend on it.

Every democracy worthy of its name depends on the rule of law to exist and is as advanced as the rule of law permits it to be. It is supposed to help us progress without excess. It’s the one check without which all balance is lost. For many years we took it for granted and expected it to function without our engagement, as if it wasn’t up to us to determine how it works and who is in it. Now we see how much guilt we share in its undoing. And it’s not too late to fix it.

We are on the ballot this November. The reason we call it Roevember is because we must fix the rule of law in this country. So we can have one worth living in. Let’s give Harris the means she needs to fix it: a House majority AND a Senate majority. And don’t rest after that; make sure those we elect understand what they were elected for. We have a lot of work ahead and it doesn’t stop on November 5. It just starts there.

We’re not going back!

The warm blanket of hate.

Good morning, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. Black coffee helps.

Yesterday the GOP campaign got another gift with which to direct most people’s attention away from what really matters. Not that gun regulations don’t matter or crazy white people with guns don’t matter or fear mongering doesn’t matter, but this “assasination attempt 2.0” is as weird as it’s a distraction. So focus.

Just like the “pet eating Haitians” nonsense this “shrub assassin” deal is a short lived joke. Put aside all gun related issues it evokes and the pathetic state the Secret Service is in, it only stokes the flames of hate higher. So no joke. As expected this news eclipses a lot that is going on we should be paying attention to, making many of us wonder if that’s its purpose but we don’t need more conspiracy theories to waste time on.

Yesterday I mentioned how the spreading of hate for “the other” is hurting our urgent need to face the real problems affecting us, creating more layers on the already thick blanket of immunity bad actors hide under. Just as Hamas seeks credibility and vindication hiding in the hate directed at all Muslims so do their minions who hide among us. They go about doing their business and when caught quickly point out they’re just “victims of Islamophobia”.

Islamophobia is their warm blanket; it allows them to carry on untouched, protected by our tolerance and skewed notions of moral equivalence. But that’s not the only blanket that protects them. They are also encouraged by the antisemitism that keeps growing unchecked amongst us. And ignorance. Always ignorance. The very ignorant simps who had nothing to say when Egypt was occupying Gaza, Jordan occupying the West Bank or becoming a state on Palestinian land, for that matter.

I firmly believe their “ignorance” is fake. They know very well the Kingdom of Jordan was established on Palestinian land, but the Jordanians are not Jews so it’s perfectly fine. They even know the British created it, as many other Arab nations, but they’re not Jewish nations so it’s all good. They’re also aware of the existing conflicts among Arabs and the flagrant human rights violations in the Arab World but they’re not Jewish so it’s all good.

Saturday night, a University of Michigan student was attacked by six men. The reason for the aggression was the student is a Jew. They overheard him saying something to that effect, asked him if he was a Jew and when he replied in the affirmative they knocked him to the ground, spat on him and kicked him. For all they knew that kid could be against Netanyahu. No matter. He is a Jew. That’s the only reason they attacked him. Jewish parents are fearful of sending their kids to college.

They know what will happen to them, it’s no longer a possibility. It’s a certainty. Best case scenario they will endure a hostile environment where they will be forced to hear their fellow students call for their death; worst case scenario is a nightmare better left unmentioned. But they are “just Jews” so why bother. As long as the other kids are fine it’s all but a “nuisance”, a passing phase hardly worthy of mention in the news. And so it keeps growing.

Some Colleges started fighting back this year, banning Students for Justice in Palestine from campus, creating stronger rules and even penalizing those who use Zionism to target Jewish students. It’s a start but it’s not enough. The reason I know it’s not enough is that I can imagine what their reaction would be if instead of breaking Mezuzahs on Jewish students dorm room doors they were hanging nooses on the ones of black students; instead of “Zionist” they were using the “N word”.

I know what would happen if they were chanting “white power” and “white America” instead of “free Palestine” and “globalize the intifada”. They wouldn’t last 5 minutes on campus. Yet they keep tolerating calls for the eradication of Jewish organizations from campuses and even Jewish students. I am pleased some are starting to do something about it but it’s not enough. Allowing this to go on without punishment will only make it worse and normalize hate.

Where are the peaceful protests? Where are the people calling for peace and the end of violence? I tell you where: in every Jewish demonstration I have seen. While the so called “pro-Palestinian” protests call for the end of a nation and her people the Jewish demonstrations call for the return of the hostages and the end of war. And only one side calls for the end of Hamas and all radical Islamic terrorist organizations.

I am all for Colleges being places of discussion and exchange of ideas, that’s what they should be, but when that translates into shoving kids around, spitting on them and kicking them it’s time to put a stop to it in no uncertain terms. We are witnessing antisemitism in action and we can’t ignore it. Any university faculty or manager who ignores it is an accomplice. No excuses. Their inaction will lead to dreadful results I don’t even want to mention.

There’s a lot we are being distracted from right now but we must remain focused on what really matters. Among the most urgent is the steady rise of antisemitism in Colleges - because it presents a real danger to Jewish kids AND it’s the incubator for this kind of hatred all others come from. Keep it front and center, don’t look away and demand action. Before it’s too late.

Never Again.

FAFO

Good Thursday morning, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. Must have more coffee today.

There is a perception among many who are against Netanyahu’s war strategy in Gaza that denouncing it equals antisemitism. As if you can’t express any criticism about the war. They are outraged that their speech is being censored and their voices silenced. There’s a reason for it.

I talk about it all the time, from Bibi’s dreams of a theocratic Israel to his unwillingness to adapt his strategy to what should be the priority. With very few exceptions I was never mistaken for being antisemitic. The ones who called me that are on the fringes of the religious Zionist movement and are not voting for Kamala Harris, by the way. So why can I speak freely against the way Bibi is managing this war and they can’t?

Why can I mention the suffering of Palestinian Arabs without being called an antisemite and they can’t? Well, for starters I attribute the suffering of the Palestinian Arabs living in Gaza to Hamas. Let’s start there. On 9/11 a lot of those people were in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank celebrating the horror inflicted upon America and the West and on 10/7 they got to be a part of it. Many of the atrocities committed that day were executed by them.

Following the initial wave of Hamas terrorists on 10/7 many Gazans followed in their footsteps and were responsible for countless acts of terror against innocent civilians themselves. Many of them exulted in their streets as the ones involved in the attack returned with bodies and hostages, parading them for their viewing pleasure. By then it was a celebration and if there were any Palestinian Arabs in Gaza who were appalled by this I didn’t see any. I am sure there were some, though.

You can finally see them in the streets of Gaza demonstrating against Hamas, risking their lives and their families in the process but they aren’t many. The truth is most of the Arab population in Gaza support Hamas and are actively engaged in its efforts to destroy Israel. It’s safe to say most of them were taught to do so since they were toddlers. Failing to recognize this AND denounce it is part of the reason why those “pro-Palestinian” people are so upset they are being “cancelled”.

That’s another rich argument: for “cancelled” people they sure talk and write a lot. No one is cancelling them. What is happening to them, finally (and we need more of it), is their hatred is not being tolerated anymore. So that is one of the reasons they are treated differently than I am. Their disingenuous notion all Palestinian Arabs are good and peaceful people. They’re not. Admit that and your life will be much easier. Then there is the “Israel” approach.

Everything under the sun is “Israel’s fault” and everything Zionist is worse than Nazism itself. They have zero understanding of Zionism, they know nothing of its multiple political expressions and they ignore every single one of the 750,000 Israelis protesting Netanyahu’s government is a Zionist, “recruiting” them to their cause. Following well established propaganda guidelines they accuse those criticizing them of “cosplaying” the pain for Palestinian Arabs. Talk about projection.

They usually issue a short blanket statement about “the tragedy of 10/7”, condemning violence, and then proceed to declare “resistance is justified” and “death to Israel”. Oh, and to America as well. So who’s cosplaying what? Speaking of which there’s the matter of masking their identities during protests just like their pals in the Klan did. And that’s the other reason they are getting the cold shoulder treatment: they are not peaceful; they call for their own glorified genocide.

The reason these people are being targeted at last and feeling the heat is all of the above and more of the same. And when placed in the hard spot they carved for themselves they suddenly become “humble” and “victims”. They appeal to the “humanity” and “understanding” of those who stopped tolerating them in “heartfelt” declarations of “compassion”. They avoid the hateful rethoric they shout in the streets in their “common sense” letters of appeal. It’s not working.

They did not utter a word of compassion for the hundreds of hostages taken by Hamas or the ones they execute periodically. They embrace Tehran’s support and endorsement without a word for its people. They ignore every other ongoing conflict where Islamic fundamentalists are killing far more people than those who are killed in Gaza. And then they say “being pro Palestinian is not antisemitic”. Really?

They either spew hatred in the street, calling for the death of Jews, or barely help themselves to show it in their letters, calling for the condemnation of Israel. Occasionally they mention Bibi but they proceed to chant “from the river to the sea”. They also ignore Jordan and Egypt and not one of them organized ANY demonstrations when Jordanians and Egyptians were pounding Palestinian Arabs to dust while in control of Gaza and the West Bank.

The reason why they can’t express their “solidarity with the Palestinian people” without being called out as antisemites is because they recognize most Palestinian Arabs want Israel gone at the same time they pretend not to understand what that means. And that, my thriends, is antisemitism. Period. They are the ones “cosplaying pain” when they ask for help to keep their jobs, talk in national forums or not being thrown out of colleges.

That’s the price they pay for their intolerance when it becomes too extreme to be tolerated anymore. We will NOT tolerate it. They should show the courage of their convictions and accept the consequences for actions in defense of beliefs they wish to impose on us, along with their keffiyeh wrapped simps. They are the ones selectively showing pain for everyone but the Jews. They are the ones trying to push all those 750,000 protesting Israelis to the sea while using them as cover.

We’re not buying it. We see them. They are paying the price for their antisemitism and I hope it’s as high as possible. If they care about the Palestinian Arabs let them condemn Hamas; if they care about humanity let them demand the immediate release of all hostages; if they care for peace let them demand Iran to stop fomenting war. After they do that they will be able to protest Netanyahu without being called antisemites. Until that time they will be going through some shit.

So excuse me for not breaking a sweat when I call them out as the antisemitic pieces of shit they are and wish they find out what their fucking around got them. I suggest they should go enlist in one of the many “freedom fighter” organizations or go find jobs in Iran or Yemen or Afghanistan. Go on then and do Allah’s bidding. Until then do us all a big favor: vote for Jill Stein and shut the fuck up already. Enough.

Akharai!

Jerusalem is everyone’s.

Good Friday morning, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. Must have more coffee.

“Jerusalem is everyone’s.”

The truth on a small poster Hersh had in his bedroom. It has a homemade feeling to it. That was his belief but it didn’t matter to those who kidnapped and executed him. The more I learn about Hersh Goldberg-Polin the more he reminds me of my younger self. I am sure I am not the only one. Walk with me a little.

Above the Jerusalem poster there’s a globe and a print of Che Guevara. Just like in my old bedroom that doesn’t exist anymore… Demanding the impossible seems to be an ideal we both shared. I think of Hersh a lot, he was a great kid and I feel like we could have been friends. The tragedy of his death is overwhelming. Looking at that impossible idea, briefly made possible by enlightened rulers like Baldwin IV and Saladin, made me think of it as the essential question in the Holyland.

I have long advocated for Jerusalem as a free city, peacefully shared by all faiths and administered by their representatives from a true cosmopolitan secular perspective, with respect for all and no tolerance for extremism. Religions became the bane of our existence but they don’t have to be that way. When I make the case for secularism I always mention its respect for individual faith in all its forms except for the radical ones.

Nothing gives me more pleasure than to advocate for Israel and proclaim my Zionism while wearing my Che t-shirt. It really throws my friends out of balance and now that I have seen Hersh’s bedroom I feel even more amused by that notion we seem to have shared. Hersh was a truly good kid, an amazing kid whose life was cut short by those who refuse to share Jerusalem, as he wished to. I try to focus on his life rather than his death.

I understand why Rachel and Jon authorized the release of the video Hamas made of Hersh before they executed him. People need to look at it. We must not look away from the horror we are fighting against. We HAVE to look at it. That’s the reality we face: the radical intolerance for the other, regardless of what the other believes in. Hersh was killed by members of the people he spoke for and wished to live with; the worst among them. Just like most young people at the Nova festival.

Don’t believe for a minute there aren’t Palestinian Arabs who feel that way. We see them in the shattered streets of Gaza demonstrating for the end of Hamas rule; for the end of hate. Without our help they don’t stand a chance. They will be captured, executed and dragged through the streets leaving a cautionary trail of blood for those who think like them. That’s what these monsters do. They murder hope whenever hope shows up. Just like they did to Hersh.

The families of the murdered hostages are calling for Justice not revenge. They are calling for the end of Hamas and for peace because they know we can’t have one without the other. They are calling for new elections for the same reason the bravest of Palestinian Arabs are calling for Hamas to leave them alone. They all see clearly what the obstacles for peace are. So should we. Israel will find a way, they are a democracy. Gaza can’t do the same. They need help.

Our eyes are on the Arab world and how they react to this crisis and we shake our heads at the missed opportunity once again gone to waste, drowned in their common hatred for Israel. Denied by their fanatic belief Jerusalem belongs to them alone. During the years I studied the Arab Israeli conflict that one inescapable fact came to me again and again. Jerusalem. The Holy City praised in songs of faith and prayer as the one place on Earth we all belong.

Because if there is one city in this world that gathers all our hopes and dreams and promises of life eternal in whatever form we perceive it that city is Jerusalem. We belong to it and it belongs to no one. It’s the true realization of an ideal we share but are unwilling to conceive. Why must those who understand this be slaughtered on the altar of intolerance? Perhaps because like no others they hold the promise of a different tomorrow. Like Hersh did.

We watch as the best of us are taken away from life while so many monsters cling to it and dodge bullets and we wonder where God is in all this. Yet in each life consumed by hate there is a new promise to be fulfilled if we choose to see it. We must see it. And if we do, perhaps one day we will be able to live in peace with others and with ourselves. Perhaps then the impossible will come true and Jerusalem will be everyone’s at last.

Have a good weekend. 🕊️

Catching on fire.

A good hump day morning, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. Black coffee is good.

Back to my morning diagonal reading of SM, back to the feeling that something is wrong that isn’t being addressed. Same feeling I had before the last French elections. Same feeling I had when college students went on vacation. Same feeling I had when Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin were at the DNC. It’s not going away.

Now it’s Germany. I said it before: the inaction of liberal governments faced with the rise of radical religious movements is fueling the popularity of fascist ideologies all over Europe. Most people falling for these “saviors” aren’t fascist, they’re just scared and disappointed. They watch the places they live in being swarmed by all these extremists calling for the end of their country and don’t understand how that is acceptable. They played a part in it, though.

It’s not just about demanding the government they elected better immigration policies and the clear definition of those policies balancing the rights of everyone involved. Most of them were not paying attention when it started and it was “just about the Jews”. They thought it wasn’t about them too. They were wrong. It’s spreading like a wildfire and not just in Europe. Canada, Australia… And here at home, in the US. On October 7 I saw this coming.

We went from “Free Palestine” to “Democracy is the enemy” real fast. It’s everywhere and we are still not paying attention. In big countries with large populations like the US the threats posed by these movements aren’t affecting most people YET. We are still on the “it’s just the Jews” phase. Elsewhere it’s affecting a lot more people now and the reactions were predictable: when the liberals fail to oppose these extremists the “man in the street” turns to other extremists.

In a nutshell, when democracy fails fascism rises. The reason I like Democrats are embracing true patriotism at last is it combines liberal values that are essential for progress with core secular ones that define our Western culture. It all comes down to denying extreme ideologies a foot hold in our society, whether it’s fascism or religious fundamentalism we’re talking about. The main concern in this year’s election is women’s rights.

We can all agree that transforming our secular based society into some sort of Gilead ruled by Christian nationalists is bad. Why can’t we all agree that rooting for a Sharia law based society is also bad? One word: Islamophobia. The poor Muslims who turn themselves into human bombs have the right to blow us up. Inch’Allah. And God forbid we dare to establish a difference between those fanatics and most of Islam. That’s a “big mistake”. Islam is the future, not democracy.

Wait a minute… What was that? Not democracy? So these people calling for “global intifada” are saying democracy is done for and our salvation is a Islamic theocracy and you still think they’re just big mad about “the Jews”? You better wake up. Look at what’s happening today, as Jewish students are harassed on their way to school, in kosher restaurants, at their support institutions. And suddenly you are stopped in your way to work or to drop your kids at school at a checkpoint.

You roll your window down and you may even think that because you’re not Jewish you’re fine, but you’re not. Today’s password is “Free Palestine”, without which you’re getting your car windows smashed. Tomorrow’s password will be “Allahu Akbar”. You think I am kidding? Where do you think the right wing majorities in German elections come from? You think they all turned out to be Nazis in a day? They come from people being sick of tolerating these freaks.

Because it’s just not “the Jews” anymore. It’s them. They don’t recognize their neighborhoods anymore. They don’t recognize their countries anymore. The law means nothing anymore. They wake up and their streets are covered in garbage. Their monuments are covered in red paint. Their children are no longer safe going to school alone. They don’t feel safe anymore. They are aliens in their own homeland. Their government keeps telling them to be tolerant and suck it up.

So one day they turn on the TV and there’s this blonde woman talking about securing their fatherland and offering them a way out. And they take it. No question. Of course that woman is also telling them Ukraine is a lost cause and they should stop sending weapons to Israel but they look out their windows and their streets are covered in trash so who gives a fuck about Ukraine and Israel. Fuck that. Let’s clean up the streets.

That’s how it starts. It’s like watching a fire catching and thinking it’s just a nice heat source to keep our liberal feet warm. Then it spreads to the curtains and the furniture. Eventually the roof catches on fire and you go: uhoh. Yeah. The house is on fire. Hope you’re warm enough now. And on the other side, on the side of those who are being immediately affected by this fire, those whose feet are burnt already, it doesn’t get any better. Yes, I am talking about the Jews.

Those among them who started sounding the alarm from the very beginning and were dismissed as overreacting are now turning to their worst angels as well. Their better angels have let them down and they want to survive so they look for the easy way out. They turn to those who promise them what they want, who tell them what they wish to hear. And when they turn on their TVs there’s only one station that seems to understand their pain and report the truth. You got it: Fox News.

While practically every MSM news station is ignoring the renewed antisemitic push in our campuses Fox News talks about it every single fucking day. And they like it. Yes, they also push for the election of a nazi scumbag but they look outside their windows and they see the police escorting a mob flying Hamas flags and shouting “intifada revolution” so who gives a fuck. Let’s clean the streets first. Yeah. It’s survival. Most people aren’t fascists, there are no “Nazi Jews”.

But they are scared and angry. And they are fucking right. Unless the Democrats grow a spine and put out the fire that seems to be warming their feet before it catches on and burns the house down we are in for a very nasty surprise come November. Not because most Americans are fascists but because most of them are being divided between two opposing factions with one thing in common: disappointment. We cannot please Greeks and Trojans. Alone, neither is a threat. Together…

What concerns me is the combined result of voter suppression, voter depression, third party votes and the votes lost to the fascists through the inability to stand up against intolerance. We may be on the rise, we may have momentum but if we keep trying to appease everyone and allow this madness to continue we will have to deal with the combination of all those factors in November. I hope we can put this fire out now. I really do. We must not allow it to spread.

Antisemitism must NOT be tolerated. Religious fundamentalism must NOT be dismissed for delusional claims of Islamophobia. We have to stand up for what is right without fear and without hesitation. Now is the time. Before the fire gets out of control and we end up outside a burnt house in a street covered with trash with nowhere to go but into darkness. It doesn’t matter which. What matters is the light will be gone. Do not allow it. Do something.

We’re not going back!

A matter of faith.

Another sad day, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. It’s Monday. Coffee at last.

A matter of faith.

I watched Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s funeral this morning. As Rachel said, he’s finally free. We are not. Not as long as there are still hostages alive in Gaza. Not for us who have our hearts broken. When will we ever be free? For me, I don’t think I will feel free even when the last of them goes home.

Being free means above all living without fear. It means living in a world where happiness exists like the air we breathe, not something we feel in spite of it. When the air is poisoned with hate it’s hard to breathe, and hard to be happy.

I often go back to the West Wing and yesterday 9/11 came to my mind. The episode made as a response to that fateful day was “Isaac and Ishmael”. The sons of Abraham.

An exchange between a high school student and a White House official stayed with me. She was wondering how to live in a world of hate. How to keep going when you can be blown to pieces at any moment. A reality that sank in ALL American hearts after 9/11 for the first time.

“What do you call a society that has to just live every day with the idea that the pizza place you're eating in can just blow up without any warning?” - she asked. The response came immediately: “Israel.”

After 9/11 there was an effort to not target all Muslims for the extremist actions of a few. That particular episode of West Wing was part of that effort. Yet it tried, mirroring real life, to explain the dangers of said extremism, explicitly comparing Extremist Islam to the KKK, as movements within the Muslim and Christian faiths. That was a mistake. In retrospect, it was that notion that allowed for tolerance of the real extremists: fundamentalist Islamists and Christian nationalists.

The KKK is a minuscule part of the extreme right, mostly banned from openly manifesting itself. You don’t see huge KKK rallies identified as such. They merged into the neo-Nazi international movement and fascist ideology. The Islamic terrorists are extreme by definition. The difference between a peace loving Muslim and one that intends to provoke terror is in the word “terrorist”. When you refer to Islamic terrorism you are not stamping all Muslims as terrorists.

When you refer to Christian nationalism you’re not claiming all Christians are nationalists. And let’s be clear that religion based “nationalism” is just code for fascism, be it Christian or Muslim. And that’s what was missed after 9/11. The chance to make that distinction. The result was a warm blanket of tolerance towards fundamentalist Islam that persists to this day: the notion that their religion based nationalism is just “a cultural fact” we need to respect.

Democrats have fought having to admit that the fundamentals of Islam as applied to a society as well as to individuals from the dogmatic approach to the teachings of the Quran are not just as wrong as the same applied to the Bible, they are a reality in most of the Muslim World, especially among the Muslim Arabs. Take a look at what is happening right now in our streets and in our political discourse during the presidential campaign.

As a democratic campaign we are fighting against Project 2025 and its goal to turn this country into a “Christian Nation”. We find the promiscuity between Christian religion and state to be abhorrent. We know only one thing comes from it: fascism. And yet, many of the same people who are against this are demonstrating in the streets in favor of exactly that. It seems like if you trade Christian for Islamic that’s perfectly acceptable. Free Palestine, right? Go Iran.

Free Palestine should be to free them from the same threat that threatens us: religious fundamentalism. But that’s not what they are saying. Free Palestine is just code for destroying Israel. They don’t give a shit about Palestine. All these women “Palestinian influencers” living in NYC and the like who choose to wear religious clothes or Western fashion are hypocrites. None of them is rushing to buy a ticket to Palestine. They’re just fine where they are.

Just like after 9/11, after 10/7 the Democratic Party has the chance to get it right. Yes, denounce terrorism but above all make it clear that we do not tolerate religious fundamentalism of any kind. And, hello!, this goes for everyone, not just one religion. Sweden has already decided not to accept Muslim immigrants who practice religious fundamentalism. Good for them. If we are to live in a FREE society, a PLURALIST society, we cannot tolerate religious fundamentalism of any kind.

This goes for those who are already citizens and believe their faith allows them to exploit and hurt women and children because their faith “commands it”. Yes, Christians too. ALL religious freaks. Not just Muslims. But while some small religious groups keep the abuse within their tiny circles, and Project 2025 seeks to implement Gilead through elections, the rising Islamic fundamentalism has sharper claws that reach beyond their inner circles.

In a world where fundamentalism of all kinds is on the rise we must be aware that the right wing fascist drive is feeding on democracy's tolerance of ONE breed of fundamentalists: the Islamic. As long as we keep pretending stoning women to death is “just a cultural thing” we need to respect and don’t speak against it, as long as we make believe our Arab “allies” are “just normal” and that our fundamentalist Muslim neighbors are “just ordinary people” we are screwed.

If you are outraged by your Christian neighbor repulsive treatment of his wife you should not pretend your Muslim neighbor who does the same has “cultural excuses” and feel like if you speak up you’re Islamophobic. You’re not “Christian-phobic” when you stand up for the rights of Christian women. Islamophobia has, since 9/11, become a shield for Islamic fundamentalists. The only way to remove that shield is to expose it for what it is.

If we are to counter threats like the one posed by antisemitism we can’t just speak about what Christian nationalism really is; we have to expose Islamic fundamentalism as well. And in doing so make sure we are as harsh against one as we are against the other. They are the same. The only thing is one doesn’t come wrapped in explosive vests. Yet. And that makes all the difference, doesn’t it? The fact one religion taken to its extreme is nothing short of a death cult.

The Islamic world is made of billions of people who are still trying to leave obscurantism behind. We saw it in the Arab Spring. We see it in Iran. It is also made of millions who cling to it still and live in a perpetual state of hatred. They will need to figure it out just like we did in the Western world. We can help them. That help means embracing those who seek refuge among us from just that sort of fundamentalism but it means something else we can’t forget.

It means denying safe harbor to those who adhere to religious fundamentalism. Just like Sweden. These last days were a reminder of what that looks like; to live with that reality. What that hate really looks like and what it can do. We cannot allow it. We mourn the six lives cut short by that hate. May the memory of their lives be a blessing and help us understand what we are really fighting for. Right here as in Israel. Religious fundamentalism. God help us if we don’t.

Shalom.