Skepticart

Be appalled! Whether implicit or purposeful, the result is, and will continue to be, horrifying. The world changed on October 7th, 2023. Here’s what happened, accompanied by some thoughts on the future.

This past October, Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, which controlled the Gaza Strip, attacked Israel, brutally slaughtering 1200 civilians, most of them Israeli Jews. Israel responded by killing over 30,000 civilians, mainly residents of Gaza. Israel’s retaliation, originally viewed by most of the world as self-defense, has now spiraled to the point that Israel is viewed by other nations as a pariah state, engaged in indiscriminate shelling of innocent people. In turn, the American people, traditionally Israel’s strongest ally, have increasingly condemned Israel’s actions. By doing so, they have shaken up American politics and led Jewish communities world-wide to re-examine their own support for the Jewish state. As days go by, in fact, the Israel-Hamas war has become so caught up in internal politics in the United States and Israel respectively, the difficulty in securing a settlement short of continuing violence has proven near-impossible. Ahead for Gaza is more death and destruction, while Israel faces years of political turmoil, a non-functioning government, and a divided population.

The last time Israel and the United States faced such intense and troubling disagreement was in 1956, during the Suez war. There, too, the call was for Israel to disengage and seek a settlement. Pressure from the U.S., Britain and France, eventually forced Israel to concede. Today, that is far from likely. While the U.S. is engaged in a Presidential election that has domestic political ramifications emerging from the war in Gaza, Israel and Hamas cannot agree on a ceasefire that would include proposals setting-out a path to peace. Furthermore, Israel’s Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, is likely to lose power (and possibly secure a legal conviction on bribery charges), once the war ends. Gaza’s future, in the absence of a peace agreement, will be continued economic destitution, ongoing political turmoil, and horrendous violence.

In America, if Trump wins the Presidency, what’s good for the latter will become the key determinant of policy. A Biden win presents the only likelihood for international agreement towards support for the creation of a two state solution: Israel and an entity that secures Palestinian dignity, economic security and political and national rights. Unfortunately, these alternatives may be moot as it is a long way to the American election, and Israeli leaders are more divided than united on holding new elections unless forced to do so by the people of Israel, a possibility that seems currently remote.

If there is a way out of this dangerous crisis, only the U.S and willing allies are likely able to find a path for success. It is time for the United States to call a conference of select nations that could responsibly assist in securing an acceptable political solution for already involved parties and, especially, Israel and the Palestinians. Otherwise, continued war is likely. Making it even more difficult to secure sufficient American support to achieve an equitable peace settlement is Donald Trump’s war on American Jews who do not support him.

Asserting that Jews who “vote for the Democrats” in the upcoming elections are “anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, and anti-American,” Trump has partially moved the question of Israel’s future to a battle among American Jews, a path that will only complicate and delay securing an end to the violence already entangling Israel and the Arab world. If, in fact, the most important value in Judaism is the “preservation of life,” Jews must act positively to assist in ending the famine and violence in Gaza. Doing nothing while children die because Israel is not providing sufficient resources, is unacceptable. Strong public pressure on the Netanyahu government from Jewish communities worldwide to reduce the famine and civilian casualties in Gaza is a moral necessity. Yes, Hamas is the primary culprit, but Israel must not be an accessory to indiscriminate slaughter and rampant hunger. Despite what Trump and his murderous acolytes believe, being Jewish demands religious and personal accountability as well as justice.

For the international community, the United Nations and/or another appropriate body, must gather and lead a group of nations prepared to enter Gaza on their own in order to protect civilians and secure a cease-fire. Events and hubris are leading to political and personal disaster. Neither the U.S. nor the world can afford the calamity that another round of Donald Trump as American President would bring. Chaos in Gaza is adding to the likelihood of this happening. We must demand of our leaders that they speak loudly and truthfully about where we are headed. American fascism is an alternative that will only bring about more injustice, death and destruction. The Devil cannot become the victor.

American Jews have a choice to make and it is not solely between Democrats and Republicans. Rather, what they decide to do now regarding the substance and manner of their support for Israel will help determine the ongoing character of the Jewish State and, perhaps, its existential future. Except for the immediate period surrounding the establishment of Israel in 1948, decisions presently being undertaken by American Jewry have rarely been so vitally important.

Today, there has never been such an absence of support for Israel amongst the international community. Only the United States has been consistently advocating for Israeli policies and actions pertaining to the Gaza Strip since that area was used to launch a surprise attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists, slaughtering approximately 1200 Israelis on October 7, 2023. As of that date, approximately 30,000 Gazan civilians have died, most by indiscriminate Israeli shelling. The world’s reaction has been outrage against Israel, with tepid understanding of the factors responsible for the latter’s actions and its strategic predicament. Meanwhile, the wanton killing of innocent Arabs in Gaza, especially children, continues.

Since the end of the first World War, the United States was a reluctant participant in the struggle to establish a Jewish State in the Middle East. It was only in the aftermath of the Holocaust that a significant number of nations were ready to endorse the creation of a Jewish territorial entity that could assist in solving the problem of what to do with millions of homeless Jews seeking refuge in the aftermath of the murder of six million of their brethren by Germany and its World War II allies. Great Britain had been assigned responsibility by international entities to deal with the the search for a home for the displaced Jews. But, the British remained hesitant supporters of Jewish claims for resettlement in the territory known as Palestine, at the time primarily inhabited by Arab residents, some claiming continued occupancy for as long as the Jews. Thus, many Arabs and Jews turned to their respective religious “saviors” for spiritual guidance in finding an acceptable path on the way to securing their biblical homes. Clearly, all sides needed to search for more pragmatic partners. Yet, today, everyone has failed in their seemingly eternal quest to bring peace and security to the present occupiers of the land.

Following October 7th, an already tense relationship between Israel, the American government and American Jewry, became more problematic. Divisions among American Jews regarding Israel’s objectives vis-a-vis Gaza have also intensified. At the “progressive” end of the Jewish community are those calling for an immediate cease-fire by Israel and Hamas in Gaza. They have been joined by politicians on the left-wing of the Democratic Party, who are facing their own restive constituents. At the other end of the political spectrum are Orthodox Jews and religious nationalists, who remain decidedly against any concessions to the Palestinians. Evangelical Christians and a significant majority of Republican Conservatives share this perspective. Most of the international community is centered on the “Cease-Fire Now” side of the political spectrum. In Israel itself, Jews are deeply divided amongst these perspectives, but also seeking leaders that can provide security and a way out of this intractable conflict. No one has yet found a way to stop the killing in Gaza.

How does all this play-out in terms of Israel’s future and, especially, its relationship with the people and government of the United States? That remains a crucial, yet unanswered, question. With the United States remaining Israel’s key supporter, the more disagreements between the two nations, the more likely it is that American support for Israel will tumble further than it already has. This, in turn, has implications for foreign aid and other economic, military, and political benefits that Israel receives from the United States. Fortunately or otherwise, politicians, the media, academics, et al, pay close attention to how their relevant constituencies feel about the Middle East and, especially, the relationship between American Jews and Israel. Rifts between the latter two, consequently, rebound in the halls of Congress and throughout the body politic. Declining support for Israel is especially evident amongst younger Americans, including Jews. As already noted, the situation in Gaza has only widened that rift. Making matters worse, members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s governing coalition include religiously charged nationalists who share their views with religious blocs in the United States. Consequently, does an equitable solution exist for Israel, the Palestinians, and those engaged parties seeking a sustained peace?

The United States, England, France, Israel, Hamas, the Palestinians, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are the major players involved in trying to bring an end to the fighting in Gaza, a return of Hamas-held Jewish hostages to Israel and, ultimately, the creation of a Palestinian political entity that could secure real peace between Palestinians and Israel. Failure to do so may plunge the entire region into chaos and a wider war. Yet, despite some progress in negotiations, Israel’s Prime Minister, “Bibi” Netanyahu, is stonewalling in order to avoid being toppled from office by growing numbers of Israelis who blame him for the attack on October 7th, and Israel’s political and military failures since then. For Bibi, removal from office could force him to face prison-time should he be convicted as a result of his legal struggles.

At the same time, if American support for Ukraine continues to diminish, a new “Munich”(1938) is in the offing. Thanks to Donald Trump and his fellow appeasers in the Republican Party, a policy shift in this direction will lead America down a path that can only end badly. Trust in the U.S. will decline as we will again enter a Hobbesian world of every nation for itself. “America First” will become an isolated “Fortress America” with few friends and responsible partners. American decline will likely be preceded by Russian and Chinese aggression and an Israel and Ukraine whose respective security may depend almost solely on what they themselves can muster. Is this the reality we want for our children and grandchildren?

(This post was written prior to the horror of ongoing events in the Middle East beginning on October 7, 2023. Once I am personally comfortable in writing about what happened and why, I will do so. Thank you for your patience.)

Many of your friends and/or family probably maintain strong connections with the state of Florida. The weather is warm, taxes relatively low and the scenery tropical. Unfortunately, it is also home to an educational system confined by its own bigotry, and public officials with little in the way of common sense, professionalism, and progressive attitudes. Diversity is gradually being replaced by intolerance which, in turn, increases fear and racism among segments of the population. At the top of this growing pyramid of pending disaster is the state’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, a man who sounds like, and promotes policies similar to, the former Italian Dictator, Benito Mussolini. DeSantis wants to be president, yet behaves like an autocrat. Throughout his tenure in office, he has seeded his state with ideas and policies reminiscent of the Third Reich—Nazi Germany. Thus, one of the state’s pejorative new nicknames: the Fourth Reich.

During the Third Reich, the Nazis discriminated against, and eventually slaughtered, Jews, Gypsies, Gays, and others they considered incidental. DeSantis and his colleagues are directing their discriminatory policies primarily towards the LGBTQ community and, increasingly, Blacks. Negative comments from the Governor about Jewish financier, George Soros, has intensified the move towards making the name Soros a euphemism for the “evils” of “international” Jewry. Because the Governor needs Jewish electoral support, I presume they will remain only a shadow “enemy” for the foreseeable future.

Let’s reflect on some important historical facts: Hitler, and many other autocrats, first assumed power democratically. They were selected as leaders by their colleagues at the parliamentary level, or by voters at the ballot box. They were popular, in part, because they gave their colleagues and the voters what they sought—easy answers. Certain groups or individuals, (e.g. Jews or people of color), could be blamed for systemic problems, allowing them often to be solved by imprisonment or removal.

When DeSantis, et al ban books and the Nazis burned them, the result is the same: access to ideas and information about past history, certain behaviors, etc., are diminished. The Florida Governor and his colleagues even rely upon interpretations of religious doctrine and the Bible to justify their discriminatory actions. After all, didn’t The Jews “kill Christ” and the LGBTQ community are portrayed as Godly “abominations”?

In these cases, such leaders believe that “evil” lurks and must be ameliorated before society is destroyed by “un-Godly behavior.” To adequately deal with such problems, they insist that state intervention may be required.

Today, sadly, Florida and DeSantis are not unique in maintaining their malignant agendas. Tennessee, a state largely controlled by far-right Republicans, is on a similar path. Greg Abbott, the Texas Governor, is also moving his state in the same direction. Yet, thankfully, paths remain to advance enlightened, salutary policies, primarily by-way of the ballot box. But, fair elections require candidates that truly promote freedom and justice. That will only happen when more people get involved in the candidate-finding and nurturing process.

In sum, the evil in many of our states will require significant resources and efforts geared to make things right. False news had its day; autocrats have no place in America. Trump and his acolytes must be confronted now, and far into the future, with truth and justice promoted by the American people and their institutions. Otherwise, it may soon be too late.

Thank you to the much-missed Leonard Cohen for posthumously providing me from one of his songs, the title of this blogpost.

In his lyrics, Leonard has usually been right-on-target. He tells it like it is. In this song, he does it again. After all, it’s pretty dark out there already. Much of the world is and will-be suffering from the latest products of climate change: stifling air, severe storms, massive floods, millions of dead animals and burning forests. Yet, we’ve already received warning from scientists about all that, and they continue to caution that we are nearing the point of no return—it is an existential threat. Is anybody listening as the world darkens? ( FYI, the leading climate denier, who remains responsible for so many climate-destructive actions during his administration, is Donald Trump. He remains proud of what he has already done and promises us more.)

Meanwhile, the United States continues in a rapidly escalating move towards fascism and its political offshoot, authoritarianism. Trump has so many indictments against him, it is hard to keep count. His minions ignore his traitorous and criminal behavior and await his “Second Coming.” The former President is also a pathological liar, mafia-like leader of a network of individuals prepared to do his bidding regardless of how heinous and subversive the requests are. (Oh, I almost forgot his dinners with Neo-Nazis).

In cities throughout the country, violence rules as some on the left plead for “understanding” in the midst of this “bad behavior.” Meanwhile, politicians attempt to dictate to women how to manage their own bodies, and legalize what America’s children can and cannot read, watch, and listen to.

How do we bring in enough light to provide relief? First, whatever it takes to neutralize the MAGA Republicans (especially their leaders), should be attempted. Their ideas are out there and most definitely debatable. But, too many people don’t want to listen; the truth scares them as they begin to realize that, in most cases, they are the cause of their own despair. Instead, Americans are quick to declare that “people of color,” Jews, Muslims, and on-and-on, are the sources of their discontent. Of course, their own ignorance and hatred blinds them to reality.

If there remains any hope of moving beyond these loathsome individuals and blunting the cancers they spread into society, it can only come with better education. Unfortunately, our organized attempts to teach the truth are suffering their own attrition. Student test scores have declined dramatically, the best teachers are leaving the profession, and public education is severely underfunded. Yet, for the most part, as this crisis worsens, Americans bemoan and procrastinate and leave it for others to solve the problem. Consequently, what we have is proliferating ignorance and stupidity amongst growing segments of the population. Guns, instead of the proverbial apple are what students bring to the nation’s classrooms. Is it any wonder why conspiracy theories dominate the internet and mass media? Easy answers are what we seek as we attempt to escape from the freedom of having to decide on our own what to believe.

As the 2024 political season approaches, conditions should dictate a return to facts and reality. Educational standards must be revised so that courses of relevance to student lives are mandated (e.g. history, literature, languages, sociology and politics), to name a few. We can again feature less pertinent subjects as crises abate. We cannot survive in widespread ignorance and fallacy as inter-ethnic and inter-religious hatred prosper along with the chaos and violence they generate. Remember, it really is GETTING DARKER. Fixing the country’s educational system(s) is a major path to LETTING IN THE LIGHT. The existential threat is amongst us and, to paraphrase Bruce Springsteen, the “Darkness (is) on the Edge of Town.”

As a Ph.D. student seeking to secure a degree in Political Science, I was also facing the threat of being drafted into the U.S. Army during the timeframe that this country was fighting in Vietnam. Although the latter did not happen, I continued to think about justifications for being involved in the conflict. The basic premise, that America’s national security was at sake, was generally tough to maintain. Vietnam was far from our shores and our major enemies, the Soviet Union and China, were not directly involved. But, since I was spending my days at the UCLA library enmeshed in scholarly works about American foreign policy, I learned the importance of a U.S. assurance that those countries who were promised American protection from aggression, received what was offered. Not to do so, it was argued (and I agreed), could too easily result in a more chaotic and lawless world in which threatened countries would have to fend for themselves, unable to trust their friends and allies for protection. In essence, the credibility of the U.S. was at stake. Inevitably, should it falter, America could become the primary victim.

Today, much the same argument is offered about American involvement in protecting the Ukraine from continued Russian aggression. Despite reasoning to the contrary coming from the Trump/DeSantis wing of the Republican Party, there is no question in my mind that the threats to America and its allies are real and, if dismissed by decision-makers, would have a detrimental effect upon our national interest. China, for example, seems waiting for an opportunity to seize Taiwan, an offshore island off its coast. Home to the Chinese Republic, Taiwan’s security has been publicly linked to that of the U.S. on more than one occasion. Any invasion by Communist Chinese forces is fairly certain to be met by an American military response. From there, who knows how the situation might spiral?

Although the Ukraine is not yet a member of NATO, American security guarantees to its NATO/Eastern European neighbors could lead to a much wider European war involving NATO members in armed conflict with the Russians. In addition, existential threats to Israel from Iran, or to South Korea from its north, or significant violence in other parts of the world, could also test American resolve. A failure to respond to any corresponding aggression could significantly diminish American security by creating ad-hoc alliances and a free-for-all as threatened countries sought protection. Nuclear weapons, for now relied upon as weapons of last resort, would surely be viable options in such situations, especially by threatened countries already in possession of them.

While South Vietnam technically remained absent from America’s security umbrella until U.S. involvement massively escalated in the mid-to-late 1960’s, the French had been defeated there in the mid-1950’s by North Vietnamese and Southern insurgent forces. The U.S. entered the picture as a perceived security vacuum drove American policymakers into believing that China and the Vietnamese communists would threaten our Asian allies if we allowed South Vietnam to fall to its enemies. In this instance, the then recently fought Korean War was used as the most applicable historical analogy. But, by the early 1970’s, the lack of American will to prolong the Vietnamese conflict, with its thousands of casualties, was missing. Extended negotiations proceeded as it became convincingly clear that a loss of Vietnam would be unlikely to result in existential harm to the interests of the United States and its allies. Today, the situation resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is similar, yet distinctly different in terms of valid American security interests.

Europe, to no one’s surprise, has always been directly tied to American security. Two world wars, countless political/military confrontations, and a Cold War, validate its importance. The creation of NATO in 1949, and the formation of similar-type alliances worldwide (each embedded with mutual security guarantees), enhanced this reality. Consequently, once the Russians carried out this first land invasion in Europe since the end of World War II, it was inevitable that the United States would strongly react. While all sides, at least so far, have not indicated any realistic intention of using nuclear weapons, mistakes could happen, with a cataclysmic result. This alone makes the commitments of NATO and the U.S. impossible to ignore. Should any country misperceive our intentions, and global war ensues, you can surely believe that Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Tucker Carlson, et al, will be pushing each other aside as they attempt to enter the fallout shelters.

Over the last few weeks, the world has watched the United States’ apparent befuddlement over spy-balloons and, as yet, unidentified flying objects that have travelled over North America, eventually to be shot-down by the United States. While the Chinese took credit for the spy-balloon, no one claims ownership of the other devices. Of course, some Republican Members of Congress were quick to criticize the Biden Administration for delaying destruction of the objects until the military were able to determine that people on the ground would be safe, which was the benchmark for authorizing their removal.

At the same time we were all engaged in perusing the sky, many of us were watching the President deliver his State of the Union message. Again, the Republican disdain for the welfare of Americans was revealed. Despite lying about it to the American people, the truth readily became apparent: Republican Senators Rick Scott, Mike Lee, et al, were seeking to modify and/or destroy many of our entitlements—including Medicare and Social Security— when and if they secured full control of Congress. Despite their stonewalling and prevarication over the days following this “big reveal,” there was no way out for these phony “guardians of the public trust.”

While all this was going on, instead of dealing with the many domestic and foreign policy issues that need to be discussed, debated and decided, the Republican-led House was busy exploring the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop, who (or what?) is the real George Santos, finding dirt on President Biden, how real are “Jewish” Space Lasers, and so many other “important” matters of state. Based on this agenda, you would think that crime, gun control, police brutality, racial and economic inequality, the economy, Ukraine, China, etc, were all problems that require little or no attention. I guess I missed it when our immediate past President, that most “stable of geniuses,” solved what ails us. So, while awaiting the Republican Renaissance, I guess we should continue to watch the sky and hope that ET will soon come home and, perhaps, save us?

In 1921, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, founder and leader of the nascent Soviet Union, asked the question, “What is to be Done?” regarding the creation of a communist-led Soviet Union. He received many answers, some productive. Since my previous blog posting, “The Reprieve,” which reviewed the most recent elections in the United States and Israel, I have been repeatedly asked by readers to supply some suggested solutions to the problematic effects resulting from what recently happened at the ballot box in each country.

For Israel, its severe turn to the right will likely evolve into an authoritarian theocracy. Already, the right-wing secular and religious political parties that joined Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition have engendered uncertainty, fear, and significant protests regarding the adoption of policies intended to increase religious control of secular institutions and daily life. In turn, Israel’s Arab minority fears a new round of restrictions on their daily lives and Diaspora Jewry remains especially concerned about their rights as Jews under growing Israeli theocratic control. But, with the situation in Israel in flux, the only practical response by secular Jews is to use dollars and political influence to moderate change. Both sets of tools can be modified as conditions change.

In the United States, the situation is more demanding, requiring significant and speedy action. The turmoil in Congress, for example, as the House of Representatives tried to elect a Speaker, is indicative of how serious the problem is and how quickly we must respond. The Republican Party most resembles the proverbial “Gang that Couldn’t Shoot Straight,” but this situation is hurting them and democracy. From the perspective of marshaling the media, the business community and educational institutions, the American people must be awakened and respond to a continuing reality—the far right is promoting chaos for the sake of chaos and, as a result, may seek a strongman/dictator to restore order. Donald Trump is their primary candidate for strongman, but they would probably accept anyone who feeds their goals should the Orange Man falter.

In terms of the media, there is no acceptable reason for them to continue to provide Trump and his treasonous cohorts the limelight. Of course, the threats to democracy must be publicized, but that can be successfully accomplished without allowing the self-aggrandizement that we witness daily. Tucker Carlson, Sean Hanity, and their like must be circumscribed until the lies and hate cease.The American people should boycott their respective advertisers; that way, economics and potential profit would take care of the immediate problems of pernicious lying and the spreading of malevolent ideologies. Also, media that damages this country in this manner should have their public operating licenses challenged by the public. We must assure that those who are licensed to use public channels of dissemination are not permitted to harm the public(s) they serve. Britain has an enforceable “Official Secrets Act” that punishes those entities that are deemed to harm their country by circulating information to the public judged harmful to national security. We may require a suitable variant.

The American educational system was once the envy of the world. No longer. Public funding for education has not kept pace with demographics and test scores have declined dramatically throughout K-12 public school systems. Certainly, a measure of this decline is evidenced by the large number of Americans who ignore reality, including election deniers and the unschooled amongst us. This must change. Millions of dollars need to be directed towards teacher training and educator salaries in order to attract and keep the best of us. Also, without disparaging religious belief, education and factual truth must not continue to be sacrificed to fundamentalist beliefs, extreme censorship, and the denial of reality for political benefit.

Finally, American economic institutions, in part because of problematic Supreme Court decisions (e.g. Citizens United), must be circumscribed by limiting the amount of money that can be injected inject into the American political process by corporations and wealthy individuals. Unfortunately, for too many of these contributors, self-interest, enormous profits and high stock prices are more important than what is in the national interest of this country. Think about the oil industry and the extremely damaging effects it has had, and is having, on the world’s climate. Leaders of too many industries certainly know better when they fund some of the worst politicians imaginable. These individuals are not necessarily uneducated, but they are selfish, and power and profit are their primary goals. But again, in many ways, the consumer holds the keys to change. If we stop buying the products of those who damage the U.S. and its citizens, and protest these companies’ actions, major shifts in consumer behavior can occur.

In all the areas described above, lawlessness cannot become the public norm. Ignoring subpoenas, misuse of the Internal Revenue Service and the high levels of perjury committed by government officials, must all be stemmed. They remain a cancer on American democracy. This malignancy must be recognized as the threat it is and then excised.

Bold, creative and hardline policies and actions must be instituted to restore the health of the American political system. While risks must be taken, procrastination is even more dangerous. Time is not a luxury. The clock is ticking on our basic freedoms and American democracy.

If you are breathing a sigh of relief over the results of the recent American mid-term elections, don’t hold your breath too long. Democracy is still threatened, the Orange one has again declared he is a candidate for the Presidency, and the rest of the Republican Party appears ready to cause as much chaos as possible to the country. But there was good news and we should be thankful that enough voters were not fooled by the traitorous bunch we euphemistically call “Election Deniers.” Frankly, I prefer the term traitors.

While the news here was relatively good, in Israel, the “smart Trump,” Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu, has again claimed power, moving Israel ever-closer to the brink of becoming a theocratic nation that will continue to lose the support of American Jewry. As that continues to occur, overall political support will diminish, American aid will be reduced, and Israel will be treated, increasingly, as a state like any other. The end of the “special relationship” between the two nations will be evident, along with the onset of a failed state.

So far, in the two weeks since Election Day, neither Israel or the United States has completed its election cycle—Israel has yet to form a government and in the U.S. Congressional leadership has yet to be announced. But, political trends are emerging, and the future, for both countries, does not bode well for democracy and stability.

In Israel’s case, a theocratic autocracy will likely emerge. For the U.S., so long as Donald Trump and his most zealous supporters remain viable and visible components in the electoral process, hatred, violent rhetoric, and disunity are likely societal disrupters, inhibiting political healing and a return to democratic norms. Both countries face major challenges, but only one—Israel—is threatened existentially.

For Israel, if Bibi Netanyahu partners with its religious and secular right to form a government, democracy will be in immediate peril as will its status as a nation that upholds western oriented norms and traditions. Without those characteristics being present, Israel will culturally and politically begin to look more like its new found Middle Eastern friends (e.g. the United Arab Emirates and Morocco), than it does Britain and the United States. As that happens, Western Jewry will become a diminished, unreliable friend that is likely to reduce its financial and political support, along with its emigration, to the Jewish state. Such an end result is not an immediate reality, but it seems inevitable should theocratic and authoritarian tendencies persist long into the future.

In the United States, the 2022 mid-terms showed clear evidence of moving in the correct direction, away from fascism and chaos. Trump is, increasingly, looking over his shoulder as Presidential rivals increase. But, populist and fascist seeds remain embedded in the body politic. Unfortunately, much of their weeding-out will depend on what the Republican Party does towards shifting its behavior. If their leaders don’t act, the public and, especially the press, will need to assume outsize roles in restoring sanity to our country. If that doesn’t happen, our reprieve will be over, political tyranny will become reality, and democratic institutions will continue on their downward spiral. The time to act is now!!!!

Books are written, commentators comment, and the world debates: was the 2020 American Presidential election stolen?; is Putin telling the truth about Ukranian atrocities against Russians?; and on and on. Remarkably, perhaps the biggest lie of all—that Jews are responsible for killing Jesus Christ and therefore eternally damned—is rarely discussed or debated. Yet it is not historically difficult to prove that this lie has done more damage from the time of Christ, until present day, than any other.

Most of my readers are familiar with, at least, the broad historical outlines of the Pogroms against Jewish communities, the Crusades, and the Holocaust. Herein, the most ingrained roots of persistent anti-Israeli/anti-Jewish attitudes and actions can be found in the “Jews as Christ killer” canard. Today, one does not have to wander far to find that many of Donald Trump’s organized support groups, e.g. Q’anon, promote anti-Semitism as a core principle of their belief system. Also, whether in Latin America, Asia, Europe, or among far-right Evangelicals here at home, Jews are openly excoriated as seekers of world domination, bent on achieving power in a Christ-free world.

Certainly, individuals are not born to hate. Instead, anti-Semitism is often injected into the minds of children by way of religious institutions wherein church and mosque leaders use religious education and prayer sessions to promulgate hatred. Religious history and principles are purposely distorted to subvert religious tolerance and respect for the other.

When we peruse Hitler’s writings and speeches, references to Christ often appear. They were, in fact, used by the German leader–and so many others–as a catalyst to blame the Jews for whatever most ails the respective country and its citizenry. Today, this pattern continues. America’s far-right–religious or otherwise–may not be as explicit as Hitler was, but when they talk about bankers, or the Rothschilds and George Soros, they usually mean the Jews. References to Israel as “their” country (see Donald Trump), are used to spark dual loyalty questions regarding the American Jewish community.

How do we counter all this in a charged political environment wherein violent responses are becoming the norm? First, our political, civic and economic leadership must engage in serious and vocal denunciation of the hateful myths that are publicly disseminated. Second, at all levels of education and discussion, from elementary school thru Higher Education, facts must be separated from false versions of history and society. Massive resources must be funneled into such efforts before the lies become stated reality based upon continued repetition and purposeful distortion. The foundations of American democracy are at stake.

The title of this post is from a song written by Paul Simon, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. The lyrics are certainly not applicable to recent actions by Governors Abbott of Texas and DeSantis of Florida when they removed non-citizens from their states who were fleeing political and economic oppression. These people were loaded on buses and sent to the Northeast. The lyrical analogy does fit when we think about deeds precipitated by the Nazis in rounding-up Jews and other “miscreants,” and forcibly putting them on buses and trains. Their primary destinations: Concentration Camps wherein they were exterminated.

Other similarities abound: passengers included women and children and all were told they were headed to places other than where they were actually sent; then and now, the forced removals were designed to use individuals as political pawns with larger goals in mind—murder in the former case and tacit deportation in the other. Given the immigrant status of most of us, I am sure that Americans could relay other horrendous stories about their ancestors or their own arrival in America.

But the policies and procedures of the two Governors stand-out exactly because they so resemble a time many of our own relatives remember. Only five years ago, a certain ex-President used pejoratives in describing potential immigrants to this country based upon their ethnicity and religion.

And by the way, don’t forget what happened to our Native American and African population populations: the former were exterminated so primarily White Americans could settle on their lands, and the latter were forcibly seized in order to work as slaves in America. This is the record of “welcoming the immigrant” that American history tries to portray. Too much cruelty, shame and deception are, in fact, the sordid hallmarks of the American immigrant experience.

This border crisis is leaving too many victims in its wake. Yet, I do believe that open borders are a mistake: the hatred and political opportunism engendered by border violations is self-defeating. Letting people immigrate freely to our shores without restrictions violates common sense and makes a mockery of the law and its system of equal treatment for everyone. This only feeds the present crop of American racists and demagogues. Democrats and Republicans must modify their ambitions in pursuit of justice. A better America with law-abiding citizenry must be the goal. Historical analogies and poor outcomes are not on our side unless the political cowardice and racism stop now. I hope we can do better.