The issue of the Hamas attack on Israel and its response on Gaza is emotional. Disagree with one another all you want in the Comments. But please do not direct comments AT one another. We can be passionate and civil at the same time. If not, I will have no choice but to ban readers who attack other readers. Please, be civil.
For those who are not just making things up. For those who had some skepticism. Joe Biden's multiple, lengthy phone calls with Benjamin Netanyahu and his report to the United States and the world about those calls and about the United States position on Hamas as terrorists should put an end to claims that Biden himself is intellectually diminished. Joe Biden is taking on the most difficult task of combining encouragement with restraint, providing support and limitations to a political figure who has, in the past, been challenging, even dismissive toward him. Joe Biden is a leader for our times.
The thought of Trump dealing with these difficult and emotional issues absolutely horrifies me. I am grateful every day of my life for President Biden. He has exceeded all expectations.
As much as I try to put Trump completely out of my mind, I think that will be impossible until the next election has come and gone, and we are safely in the hands of President Biden again and a Democratic congress. May it come to pass.
Erica, in this times it might be helpful to be a little more explicit. Can we assume you are working to assure that Trump (TFG) doesn’t get re-elected?
I also think about how Jared was supposed to solve the situation...years ago.
(Sarcasm, in case it's not obvious.)
A REAL LEADER delegates.
Not only does tfg STILL claim "only I can fix it," but continues to demonstrate not only is he not qualified or capable, not only that he does not take into account multiple perspectives, but he does not want to DO WORK (just get in front of cameras and microphones), and his "solution" usually involves violent attacks on entire groups of people he himself looks down upon. Putin continues to serve as his template.
The world and its problems are very complex. Unfortunately most voters don’t understand the details and challenges of climate change , inflation, our countries debt impacts and a host of other issues and most media outlets don’t provide adequate coverage with understandable explanations. What President Biden doing with our foreign policy and alliances is fantastic but most people have no idea what he is actually doing because it’s complicated. There is a huge divide in this country between college educated voters and non college educated voters and as we address and face these issues education is becoming more important. Instead of challenging what books children read maybe we should focus on how to better educate our children to face the threats ahead.
Agree that education is critical and critical thinking should be taught long before college. While I am on board with you about education in general, I think it is mythical to suggest that "college educated" people have a better understanding of the world. Look at DeSantis and Cruz!
I'll take a plumber with a trade school education who graduated from the high school where I live any day over a Harvard grad who was raised in bigot land...or a "Christian college" grad who thinks they have the only religious view of value. Just sayin'...
I strongly agree. I'm the oldest of 8 college-educated siblings, but I'm the only one who identifies with progressive values. Several would likely vote for tfg for the third time! This reality underlines the critical importance of elementary, middle, and high school education in ALL subject areas.
As you explain here, Bill, emotional intelligence and basic integrity is far more important than a college education or advanced degree. What I see in President Biden is a great deal of what psychologists call “emotional intelligence.” The details of his conversations with Netanyahu bear that out. We are lucky to have him in office during these difficult and even outrageous times.
Actually, Bill, that's a very, very important point. There are lots of people in the trades and technical sectors like machinists, mechanics, and carpenters not to mention many in the healthcare fields who are very bright and thoughtful. I spent my entire summer with people who hadn't been to college but who were well-informed, thoughtful, and caring. They also had a tremendous amount of common sense which I see as utterly lacking in highly educated people like Hawley and Cruz. These folks also pay their taxes and absolutely must not be dismissed or overlooked. Thanks for raising this.
Thank you. Is there a high school course called "common sense"? Ha Ha. Should be.
I do not wish to demean a college education. Not my point, just to clarify.
What would be wonderful is if the US would learn from the successes achieved in other countries with regards to education. Countries that support and guide people to the employments you describe. But that's a subject for another day.
Good point Bill, we should stop talking eduction in the context of “college-not college” and focus on those critical thinking skills. That is to say, provide people with some common skills for life. Oh! Dear! Try to do that and someone might scream “common core,” with people screaming rather than thoughtfully entering into dialogue. It begins to feel like a circular, go no place tail chasing failure to grasp the essentials of eduction beyond capitalist/economic needs.
This thread began with stephen Berg making the excellent point that we should focus on better educating kids. For many, college is a place to grow the brain and expand a knowledge base. For me, it was boring beyond description. It was high school redux. Ugh. My buddy and I would often just skip classes and head down to the Village to enjoy the scene.
While attending college, I also worked in a department store. They recruited me into their "management training" program. At last, I would be learning real skills. And over the years, they taught me to be a merchant. I rose through the ranks - a new better job every couple of years. But in a few years, as the company grew, the training program began to look at only college grads to include. They had jumped on the elitist band wagon. I am grateful I have lived when I lived. Timing in life is everything.
This also directly relates to states’ efforts to weaken our public education, which we are facing real time in Texas as I write this. Regardless of decisions we make for our own children, for a multitude of reasons, strong, top quality public schools should be a much higher priority.
Hi, Michael. If you are able to get to the Josh Marshall link on Twitter, just scroll down from there. Although there are multiple posts from some outlets, the tweets under Josh Marshall's landing page are the curated sources.
Critical thinking skills, a moral values frame of reference for making decisions, and emotional maturity are unfortunately not a part of most college curricula. These are important life skills too many lack.
Yes! Stephen, you are correct. Unfortunately the education that a lot of people need will not magically happen before the 2023 or 2024 elections. We need an educated public/citizenry to participate in our democracy. To wit, we are seeing the results of people not understanding governance or the complexity of international diplomacy. Biden is doing an exceptional job yet I watch one of my FB family (albeit distant) posting support for Israel followed by stock posts of “close our borders.” To me this represents fear which closes minds to any effort to seek viable information, to question things with critical thinking. Stop! I do not say this to criticize others but to point to the challenge we have to reach people and come together with some common understanding to support the leadership President Biden is providing.
So, I think our challenge in this moment is to do whatever we can to get the message out, to push back on disinformation and lies. And concurrently we see a non-functional Congress. Let’s push Congress men and women to gain some renewed perspective and do right for the country, setting aside party. (Well, of course, I dream. But I am only asking for a hand full of sensible collaborators.)
The good news is that Robert, HCR, Jessica Craven and others are working overtime to provide us with the tools to meet the challenge in the moment.
Early in TFG’s administration I heard a PBS News Hour interview with a gentleman who pointed out “there is no equivalency in what the Rs and Dems” were doing and saying, acknowledging the very point you make. Yet, the press seems to report every day as though we are living in normal political times even as we are not. More to the point, every day, to this very moment, we are presented with every tweet or threat or outrage TFG offers, keeping our attention and that of his supporters focused on him. Think about it, isn’t there a saying that “there is no negative publicity.” I believe TFG knows that well and has played the press and us like a violin. Supporters hear and applaud, we cringe and try to counter. He remains the center of our attention. We are all made sick by this constant drum beat that has been all consuming to no one’s benefit, save perhaps him. What might fill the void if he was moved off stage and we started listening to one another or talking about the vast array of issues/critical concerns of our times?
1) We are extremely fortunate to have a President at this moment who both understands the vital importance of "the laws of war", and also has the personal moral authority to forcefully confront Mr. Netanyahu on the subject.
2) House Republicans remains bitterly divided. That Ken Buck (R-CO), a far-right Freedom Caucus member, is challenging election deniers demonstrates just how fractured the Republican conference is. It looks like no candidate for Speaker will have 217 Republican votes. That means Minority Leader Jeffries' proposal that Republicans join Democrats in a bipartisan governing coalition is becoming ever more likely. (Learn more here: www.FeathersOfHope.net )
Jerry, I so hope you are right. Ken Buck is one of three Republican representatives from Colorado. The other five are all Democrats. I am unfortunately in Boebert’s district; however, I’ve been paying attention to Ken Buck over the years; and although I have no alignment with his extremely conservative policies, he has a modicum of common sense that many other conservatives do not have. He even wrote an editorial in the Washington Post about the bogus impeachment inquiry, advising Republicans not to go through with it.
Buck is a staunch conservative in the same vein as Liz Cheney. He’s an NRA guy too and votes against gun control. But over the years he has often surprised me by not just falling in line with his colleagues. The fact that he voted “present” in the speaker selection, because neither Jordan nor Scalise would answer his question about whether they believe Joe Biden won the election, is one of those things he does every once in a while that surprises you. Also, his Republican colleagues from Colorado, Lauren Boebert and Doug Lamborn, were two of the “insurrectionists“ who would not certify the election results. Buck did certify them and I heard he chastised them for doing that.
Each night, when I think about the day’s events, I give thanks for Joe Biden’s leadership and integrity. I also give thanks for the tremendous team he has backing him up, especially Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan & Lloyd Austen due to their skill set in foreign affairs.
Stay alert. Think slowly and clearly. Pay attention and be aware of false information. Read Mr. Hubbell, Ms Richardson and the writers whom they suggest. Think about what they tell us. Keep the faith in democracy and the rule of law. Beware of fascist promoters talking in absolutes.
“As Joe Biden leads, Trump sows anti-Muslim hate, and House Republicans can’t get out of their own way.” This so exactly describes the country. Hate is a powerful force. It won’t be defeated unless we all work to do it; every day and every opportunity.
I continue to be grateful for the detail and scope of issues you address. Re the Hamas-Israel war, among its victims are those suffering in other active conflict zones, ie the Azeri ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Nagorno Karabagh, the Rohingya and Uighurs, Yemen, Ukraine, etc. The US and world press would do well to not allow one set of atrocities to obscure word of others. Nor, to not also report on the peace building efforts in each situation that can serve as models for others to adopt.
The US and world press would do well to not allow one set of atrocities to obscure word of others. Nor, to not also report on the peace building efforts in each situation that can serve as models for others to adopt.
That is a good point. I am out of my depth on US politics, but try my best. I am really out of my depth on Middle East politics, and beyond, that I am probably dangerous given my lack of knowledge. But I have recently begun to read Foreign Policy and The Economist to fill in my knowledge gaps. I will try to expand my coverage.
In this horrific week, you have, again, helped us see what is important in the deluge of events. Thank you. And thank heavens we have a true and skilled leader in President Biden.
Our little rag tag group of Kitchen Table postcard writers have sent about 1,000 postcards in four weeks to OH to get out the vote for the Reproductive Rights ammendment to the state constitution. Head down and do something is what I say in tears.
The “War against Civilians” whether in Israel , Palestine, Ukraine, Africa and more is intolerable in this day and age. Yet with the growing threats of authoritarianism combined with climate change and the GOP threaten the instability of the entire world and to think that the candidates for house leadership are two that spend their political careers in lies, misrepresentations and insurrection. It seems that the following week will be critical for democracy and global stability. Thank you Robert.
I keep wondering why no “moderate” Republican has had the guts (and skill) to offer himself/herself up as a candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
With regard to "We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law.' Yesterday I read (God knows where) that Israel cutting off water, electricity and other basic needs to Gaza which impacts all of the citizens, is actually against the International Rules of War. Did anyone else hear this? If so, Israel is not acting according to the rule of law.
I am not an expert on the rule of law, but it seems like depriving citizens of electricity and water is prohibited. . . . but there are exceptions to every rule, like "military necessity," "reciprocity," and "proportionality." I know it sounds horrific, but under the law of war, your conduct is evaluated, in part, by your opponent's conduct. As I said, I am not an expert. But putting aside whether it is a violation of the law of war, cutting off electricity and water is disproportionate and targets innocent people. As Biden said to Netanyahu, the US and Israel should not target innocent people.
As a physician, I’m particularly worried about their cutting off water. If water is truly not available, then mass deaths will follow soon. And three to four days into such a situation will be very difficult to reverse. Imagine in a war zone trying to distribute water to 2 million people!
You may be absolutely correct, but then why is it in the international rules of war? And quite frankly Israel has targeted innocent people for years in the way they treat the Palestinians altogether. It's Hamas that is the culprit here, not the entire Palestinian nation. Quite frankly this whole area has been a mess since Israel was formed about 75 years ago . And the US continues to pat itself on the back when they get the two sides to agree to some nebulous peace accord which gets dumped quite quickly. Killing each other doesn't solve anything, but when you have a militant force which bases its mission on some religious doctrine to wipe out Israel, it's pretty hard to get them to listen to compromise and reason. Go read what Wikipedia has to say about the State of Israel....it's absolutely mind boggling.
Gef, it comes from the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner:
“On 9 October, the Israeli authorities ordered a “full siege” of Gaza, shutting off electricity, water, food and fuel supplies. This risks seriously compounding the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the capacity of medical facilities to operate, especially in light of increasing numbers of injured.
“The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” the High Commissioner said.
It is unfortunate these facts get little coverage in the US press, with the exception being Democracy Now!
Hi, Sheila. can you post a link? i checked The Guardian and don's see a discussion or analysis of the legality of Israel's response. I do see the article about the Gaza power station running out of fuel. Is that what. you are referring to?
Hi Robert. Sorry for the delay. I am participating in an all-day forum and just saw your comment. I meant that The Guardian covers the issues of Palestinians/Israelis/war/politics overall quite well; I wasn't specifically referring to Mary S.'s remarks Here, specifically, is the opinion piece I had just read. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/11/israel-palestine-war-biden-zelenskiy.
I'm not even going to try to think about Trump dealing with it. I can't imagine he'd be able to do that. But I have to say it sounds like Biden is doing a better job than most past presidents would have been able to do. (Although most past presidents would have done a much better job than DT could have done.) But I think we're very lucky to have Biden.
I also like the way he's bringing Kamala Harris into this.
Although some things the UN Human Rights Commissioner says may occasionally have merit, many of the Commissioner’s previous statements have had little merit (to be kind). The UN’s so-called Human Rights Commission has been unrelentingly partisan – anti-Israel – while ignoring human rights abuses elsewhere (e.g., Russian atrocities).
Thank you! I am a news junkie, but I cannot bear to watch the barrage of one sided information about the current situation. Dead Palestinians are barely mentioned.
At this point, the lack of coverage may reflect the decision of news reporters to stay out of Gaza. From what I see, they are staying about 50 KM away from the war in Gaza. When, if(?), reporters enter Gaza, I suspect they will report on the effects on the civilian population. The press has never been shy about reporting critically on Israeli military operations. But it is too dangerous at the moment. A half-dozen+ UN workers have been killed in Gaza. (Per The Guardian). Obviously, they are non-combatants.
RE: “Biden clearly discussed his expectation that Israel would abide by the law of war notwithstanding the absence of reciprocity.” Good! Given Netanyahu‘s lack of respect for, and treatment of, Palestinians, Biden needs to keep him on a short leash as a condition of providing weapons. So glad the U.S. has Biden and not Trump as President in these perilous times.
I wept while watching the president’s speech. It showed a man who is wise, strategic and humane. Few presidents have suffered more personal tragedy. Why do we compare Biden to FDR? I think he should be compared to Lincoln. Lets not forget either that the US held an election in the midst of a civil war. Lincoln crushed it.
Oct 11, 2023·edited Oct 11, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I’ve been approached in my community where we organize postcarding through Seniors Taking Action, as well as actions through other local groups about what kind of a response we can have to the Israeli situation. Here is a list I developed this morning to stop feeling so helpless
Share or take actions:
1: Write to Senator Cruz and tell him to stop holding up the nomination for the Ambassador to Israel!
2: Write Senator Tuberville and tell him to stop holding up military appointments for all, but especially for those connected with the Middle East.
3: Write to senator Schumer and McConnell to tell them to change the rules so appointments are not hamstrung by petty politicians.
4: Write to your senators to tell them to help break the deadlock in their chamber.
4: Write to representatives in Congress to tell them to condemn the brutality and inhumanity of Hamas.
5: Reach out to your neighbors who are Jewish and or Arab or Palestinian and tell them you feel their pain.
6: Let’s start coming together to end this festering anti-semitism, anti-other sentiments that are destroying the fabric of our country.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!!
Ted Cruz is holding up the US ahaving an in-place ambassador to Israel. Tommy Tuberville is holding up the ordinary course advancement of over 300 senior military officers. And the middle East is a dumpster fire. Let's remember that the party throwing sand in the transmission of our country's defense and diplomacy is the GOP. Vote accordingly. And remember, neither of these guys has breakfast before they do a gut check with Trump, Fox, and Steve Bannon.
Let’s remember how dumb and anti-democratic are the rules that let idiots like Cruz and Tuberville exercise this degree of control over the running of government.
The issue of the Hamas attack on Israel and its response on Gaza is emotional. Disagree with one another all you want in the Comments. But please do not direct comments AT one another. We can be passionate and civil at the same time. If not, I will have no choice but to ban readers who attack other readers. Please, be civil.
For those who are not just making things up. For those who had some skepticism. Joe Biden's multiple, lengthy phone calls with Benjamin Netanyahu and his report to the United States and the world about those calls and about the United States position on Hamas as terrorists should put an end to claims that Biden himself is intellectually diminished. Joe Biden is taking on the most difficult task of combining encouragement with restraint, providing support and limitations to a political figure who has, in the past, been challenging, even dismissive toward him. Joe Biden is a leader for our times.
The thought of Trump dealing with these difficult and emotional issues absolutely horrifies me. I am grateful every day of my life for President Biden. He has exceeded all expectations.
Boy, am I with you on that one. As I watched the President's speech I tried not to imagine what would have happened with TFG at the helm.
As much as I try to put Trump completely out of my mind, I think that will be impossible until the next election has come and gone, and we are safely in the hands of President Biden again and a Democratic congress. May it come to pass.
Amen!!
I’m choosing to spend my time making sure it doesn’t happen!
Erica, in this times it might be helpful to be a little more explicit. Can we assume you are working to assure that Trump (TFG) doesn’t get re-elected?
I also think about how Jared was supposed to solve the situation...years ago.
(Sarcasm, in case it's not obvious.)
A REAL LEADER delegates.
Not only does tfg STILL claim "only I can fix it," but continues to demonstrate not only is he not qualified or capable, not only that he does not take into account multiple perspectives, but he does not want to DO WORK (just get in front of cameras and microphones), and his "solution" usually involves violent attacks on entire groups of people he himself looks down upon. Putin continues to serve as his template.
The world and its problems are very complex. Unfortunately most voters don’t understand the details and challenges of climate change , inflation, our countries debt impacts and a host of other issues and most media outlets don’t provide adequate coverage with understandable explanations. What President Biden doing with our foreign policy and alliances is fantastic but most people have no idea what he is actually doing because it’s complicated. There is a huge divide in this country between college educated voters and non college educated voters and as we address and face these issues education is becoming more important. Instead of challenging what books children read maybe we should focus on how to better educate our children to face the threats ahead.
Agree that education is critical and critical thinking should be taught long before college. While I am on board with you about education in general, I think it is mythical to suggest that "college educated" people have a better understanding of the world. Look at DeSantis and Cruz!
I'll take a plumber with a trade school education who graduated from the high school where I live any day over a Harvard grad who was raised in bigot land...or a "Christian college" grad who thinks they have the only religious view of value. Just sayin'...
I strongly agree. I'm the oldest of 8 college-educated siblings, but I'm the only one who identifies with progressive values. Several would likely vote for tfg for the third time! This reality underlines the critical importance of elementary, middle, and high school education in ALL subject areas.
Thank you, Jacque. We need to do a lot better educating our young people as well as adults who have been ignored.
… and the poverty of much American “higher” “education”
As you explain here, Bill, emotional intelligence and basic integrity is far more important than a college education or advanced degree. What I see in President Biden is a great deal of what psychologists call “emotional intelligence.” The details of his conversations with Netanyahu bear that out. We are lucky to have him in office during these difficult and even outrageous times.
Actually, Bill, that's a very, very important point. There are lots of people in the trades and technical sectors like machinists, mechanics, and carpenters not to mention many in the healthcare fields who are very bright and thoughtful. I spent my entire summer with people who hadn't been to college but who were well-informed, thoughtful, and caring. They also had a tremendous amount of common sense which I see as utterly lacking in highly educated people like Hawley and Cruz. These folks also pay their taxes and absolutely must not be dismissed or overlooked. Thanks for raising this.
Thank you. Is there a high school course called "common sense"? Ha Ha. Should be.
I do not wish to demean a college education. Not my point, just to clarify.
What would be wonderful is if the US would learn from the successes achieved in other countries with regards to education. Countries that support and guide people to the employments you describe. But that's a subject for another day.
I got a laugh out of "Look at DeSantis and Cruz!" (Cruz is a traitor to his country holding up critical nominations.)
Good point Bill, we should stop talking eduction in the context of “college-not college” and focus on those critical thinking skills. That is to say, provide people with some common skills for life. Oh! Dear! Try to do that and someone might scream “common core,” with people screaming rather than thoughtfully entering into dialogue. It begins to feel like a circular, go no place tail chasing failure to grasp the essentials of eduction beyond capitalist/economic needs.
This thread began with stephen Berg making the excellent point that we should focus on better educating kids. For many, college is a place to grow the brain and expand a knowledge base. For me, it was boring beyond description. It was high school redux. Ugh. My buddy and I would often just skip classes and head down to the Village to enjoy the scene.
While attending college, I also worked in a department store. They recruited me into their "management training" program. At last, I would be learning real skills. And over the years, they taught me to be a merchant. I rose through the ranks - a new better job every couple of years. But in a few years, as the company grew, the training program began to look at only college grads to include. They had jumped on the elitist band wagon. I am grateful I have lived when I lived. Timing in life is everything.
Excellent example of how education is not about sitting in a classroom but applying what you learn in the world we live in. Thanks for sharing.
“Critical thinking” skills?
How about simple common sense?
I’ll take common sense.
This also directly relates to states’ efforts to weaken our public education, which we are facing real time in Texas as I write this. Regardless of decisions we make for our own children, for a multitude of reasons, strong, top quality public schools should be a much higher priority.
re: 'List of sources" of Josh Marshall.
I get to Josh Marshall on Twitter, but don't find a list of sources. Please help.
Hi, Michael. If you are able to get to the Josh Marshall link on Twitter, just scroll down from there. Although there are multiple posts from some outlets, the tweets under Josh Marshall's landing page are the curated sources.
Critical thinking skills, a moral values frame of reference for making decisions, and emotional maturity are unfortunately not a part of most college curricula. These are important life skills too many lack.
Yes! Stephen, you are correct. Unfortunately the education that a lot of people need will not magically happen before the 2023 or 2024 elections. We need an educated public/citizenry to participate in our democracy. To wit, we are seeing the results of people not understanding governance or the complexity of international diplomacy. Biden is doing an exceptional job yet I watch one of my FB family (albeit distant) posting support for Israel followed by stock posts of “close our borders.” To me this represents fear which closes minds to any effort to seek viable information, to question things with critical thinking. Stop! I do not say this to criticize others but to point to the challenge we have to reach people and come together with some common understanding to support the leadership President Biden is providing.
So, I think our challenge in this moment is to do whatever we can to get the message out, to push back on disinformation and lies. And concurrently we see a non-functional Congress. Let’s push Congress men and women to gain some renewed perspective and do right for the country, setting aside party. (Well, of course, I dream. But I am only asking for a hand full of sensible collaborators.)
The good news is that Robert, HCR, Jessica Craven and others are working overtime to provide us with the tools to meet the challenge in the moment.
All good points but the media has to get the stories right and sometimes abandon fair and equal when none exists.
Early in TFG’s administration I heard a PBS News Hour interview with a gentleman who pointed out “there is no equivalency in what the Rs and Dems” were doing and saying, acknowledging the very point you make. Yet, the press seems to report every day as though we are living in normal political times even as we are not. More to the point, every day, to this very moment, we are presented with every tweet or threat or outrage TFG offers, keeping our attention and that of his supporters focused on him. Think about it, isn’t there a saying that “there is no negative publicity.” I believe TFG knows that well and has played the press and us like a violin. Supporters hear and applaud, we cringe and try to counter. He remains the center of our attention. We are all made sick by this constant drum beat that has been all consuming to no one’s benefit, save perhaps him. What might fill the void if he was moved off stage and we started listening to one another or talking about the vast array of issues/critical concerns of our times?
1) We are extremely fortunate to have a President at this moment who both understands the vital importance of "the laws of war", and also has the personal moral authority to forcefully confront Mr. Netanyahu on the subject.
2) House Republicans remains bitterly divided. That Ken Buck (R-CO), a far-right Freedom Caucus member, is challenging election deniers demonstrates just how fractured the Republican conference is. It looks like no candidate for Speaker will have 217 Republican votes. That means Minority Leader Jeffries' proposal that Republicans join Democrats in a bipartisan governing coalition is becoming ever more likely. (Learn more here: www.FeathersOfHope.net )
.
Jerry, I so hope you are right. Ken Buck is one of three Republican representatives from Colorado. The other five are all Democrats. I am unfortunately in Boebert’s district; however, I’ve been paying attention to Ken Buck over the years; and although I have no alignment with his extremely conservative policies, he has a modicum of common sense that many other conservatives do not have. He even wrote an editorial in the Washington Post about the bogus impeachment inquiry, advising Republicans not to go through with it.
Rep. Buck is often interviewed on TV. Your information is interesting and helpful. Thank you.
Buck is a staunch conservative in the same vein as Liz Cheney. He’s an NRA guy too and votes against gun control. But over the years he has often surprised me by not just falling in line with his colleagues. The fact that he voted “present” in the speaker selection, because neither Jordan nor Scalise would answer his question about whether they believe Joe Biden won the election, is one of those things he does every once in a while that surprises you. Also, his Republican colleagues from Colorado, Lauren Boebert and Doug Lamborn, were two of the “insurrectionists“ who would not certify the election results. Buck did certify them and I heard he chastised them for doing that.
I am enormously grateful for Joe Biden.
Each night, when I think about the day’s events, I give thanks for Joe Biden’s leadership and integrity. I also give thanks for the tremendous team he has backing him up, especially Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan & Lloyd Austen due to their skill set in foreign affairs.
That’s the wonderful thing about President Biden: He knows how to pick experienced, thoughtful staff and cabinet members.
Stay alert. Think slowly and clearly. Pay attention and be aware of false information. Read Mr. Hubbell, Ms Richardson and the writers whom they suggest. Think about what they tell us. Keep the faith in democracy and the rule of law. Beware of fascist promoters talking in absolutes.
I so appreciate your steady hand, Robert, especially this week. I appreciate everyone's comments as well.
“As Joe Biden leads, Trump sows anti-Muslim hate, and House Republicans can’t get out of their own way.” This so exactly describes the country. Hate is a powerful force. It won’t be defeated unless we all work to do it; every day and every opportunity.
I continue to be grateful for the detail and scope of issues you address. Re the Hamas-Israel war, among its victims are those suffering in other active conflict zones, ie the Azeri ethnic cleansing of Armenians from Nagorno Karabagh, the Rohingya and Uighurs, Yemen, Ukraine, etc. The US and world press would do well to not allow one set of atrocities to obscure word of others. Nor, to not also report on the peace building efforts in each situation that can serve as models for others to adopt.
Hi, Molly. Per your comment:
The US and world press would do well to not allow one set of atrocities to obscure word of others. Nor, to not also report on the peace building efforts in each situation that can serve as models for others to adopt.
That is a good point. I am out of my depth on US politics, but try my best. I am really out of my depth on Middle East politics, and beyond, that I am probably dangerous given my lack of knowledge. But I have recently begun to read Foreign Policy and The Economist to fill in my knowledge gaps. I will try to expand my coverage.
I am very touched by your response, Robert. I wish other journalists were so responsible/responsive!
With deep respect and gratitude,
Molly
In this horrific week, you have, again, helped us see what is important in the deluge of events. Thank you. And thank heavens we have a true and skilled leader in President Biden.
Our little rag tag group of Kitchen Table postcard writers have sent about 1,000 postcards in four weeks to OH to get out the vote for the Reproductive Rights ammendment to the state constitution. Head down and do something is what I say in tears.
The “War against Civilians” whether in Israel , Palestine, Ukraine, Africa and more is intolerable in this day and age. Yet with the growing threats of authoritarianism combined with climate change and the GOP threaten the instability of the entire world and to think that the candidates for house leadership are two that spend their political careers in lies, misrepresentations and insurrection. It seems that the following week will be critical for democracy and global stability. Thank you Robert.
I keep wondering why no “moderate” Republican has had the guts (and skill) to offer himself/herself up as a candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
With regard to "We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law.' Yesterday I read (God knows where) that Israel cutting off water, electricity and other basic needs to Gaza which impacts all of the citizens, is actually against the International Rules of War. Did anyone else hear this? If so, Israel is not acting according to the rule of law.
I am not an expert on the rule of law, but it seems like depriving citizens of electricity and water is prohibited. . . . but there are exceptions to every rule, like "military necessity," "reciprocity," and "proportionality." I know it sounds horrific, but under the law of war, your conduct is evaluated, in part, by your opponent's conduct. As I said, I am not an expert. But putting aside whether it is a violation of the law of war, cutting off electricity and water is disproportionate and targets innocent people. As Biden said to Netanyahu, the US and Israel should not target innocent people.
As a physician, I’m particularly worried about their cutting off water. If water is truly not available, then mass deaths will follow soon. And three to four days into such a situation will be very difficult to reverse. Imagine in a war zone trying to distribute water to 2 million people!
Not cutting off electricity would enable Hamas resistance to an impending Israeli invasion of Gaza.
I don’t know of any valid military reason for cutting off water.
You may be absolutely correct, but then why is it in the international rules of war? And quite frankly Israel has targeted innocent people for years in the way they treat the Palestinians altogether. It's Hamas that is the culprit here, not the entire Palestinian nation. Quite frankly this whole area has been a mess since Israel was formed about 75 years ago . And the US continues to pat itself on the back when they get the two sides to agree to some nebulous peace accord which gets dumped quite quickly. Killing each other doesn't solve anything, but when you have a militant force which bases its mission on some religious doctrine to wipe out Israel, it's pretty hard to get them to listen to compromise and reason. Go read what Wikipedia has to say about the State of Israel....it's absolutely mind boggling.
Gef, it comes from the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner:
“On 9 October, the Israeli authorities ordered a “full siege” of Gaza, shutting off electricity, water, food and fuel supplies. This risks seriously compounding the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the capacity of medical facilities to operate, especially in light of increasing numbers of injured.
“The imposition of sieges that endanger the lives of civilians by depriving them of goods essential for their survival is prohibited under international humanitarian law,” the High Commissioner said.
It is unfortunate these facts get little coverage in the US press, with the exception being Democracy Now!
Thanks, Mary. I will check out the statement.
Thank you for doing so, Robert. I’m interested to hear your thoughts.
This issue is covered pretty well in The Guardian if it matters.
Hi, Sheila. can you post a link? i checked The Guardian and don's see a discussion or analysis of the legality of Israel's response. I do see the article about the Gaza power station running out of fuel. Is that what. you are referring to?
Hi Robert. Sorry for the delay. I am participating in an all-day forum and just saw your comment. I meant that The Guardian covers the issues of Palestinians/Israelis/war/politics overall quite well; I wasn't specifically referring to Mary S.'s remarks Here, specifically, is the opinion piece I had just read. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/11/israel-palestine-war-biden-zelenskiy.
Next time, I will be more specific. Sorry.
It was also mentioned on last night’s PBS News Hour.
Thank heaven we have Biden telling Nitwityahoo that such is not permissible.
Biden is a godsend. Can you imagine Trump dealing with this crisis? It makes my head spin.
I'm not even going to try to think about Trump dealing with it. I can't imagine he'd be able to do that. But I have to say it sounds like Biden is doing a better job than most past presidents would have been able to do. (Although most past presidents would have done a much better job than DT could have done.) But I think we're very lucky to have Biden.
I also like the way he's bringing Kamala Harris into this.
I can imagine TFG dealing with this and the Ukraine crisis because he tells us. It would be horrific for all.
Thank you, thank you thank you.
Please understand the following:
Although some things the UN Human Rights Commissioner says may occasionally have merit, many of the Commissioner’s previous statements have had little merit (to be kind). The UN’s so-called Human Rights Commission has been unrelentingly partisan – anti-Israel – while ignoring human rights abuses elsewhere (e.g., Russian atrocities).
Thank you for this, Michael. I was not aware.
Agree!! Biden certainly has his work cut out for him if he expects to hold Netanyahu to any standard of decency.
Thank you! I am a news junkie, but I cannot bear to watch the barrage of one sided information about the current situation. Dead Palestinians are barely mentioned.
At this point, the lack of coverage may reflect the decision of news reporters to stay out of Gaza. From what I see, they are staying about 50 KM away from the war in Gaza. When, if(?), reporters enter Gaza, I suspect they will report on the effects on the civilian population. The press has never been shy about reporting critically on Israeli military operations. But it is too dangerous at the moment. A half-dozen+ UN workers have been killed in Gaza. (Per The Guardian). Obviously, they are non-combatants.
Thank you, Robert.
They are mentioned all of the time. Pictures and funerals are shown...
Depends on where you look.
RE: “Biden clearly discussed his expectation that Israel would abide by the law of war notwithstanding the absence of reciprocity.” Good! Given Netanyahu‘s lack of respect for, and treatment of, Palestinians, Biden needs to keep him on a short leash as a condition of providing weapons. So glad the U.S. has Biden and not Trump as President in these perilous times.
I wept while watching the president’s speech. It showed a man who is wise, strategic and humane. Few presidents have suffered more personal tragedy. Why do we compare Biden to FDR? I think he should be compared to Lincoln. Lets not forget either that the US held an election in the midst of a civil war. Lincoln crushed it.
Biden is comparable to both--in different ways.
I’ve been approached in my community where we organize postcarding through Seniors Taking Action, as well as actions through other local groups about what kind of a response we can have to the Israeli situation. Here is a list I developed this morning to stop feeling so helpless
Share or take actions:
1: Write to Senator Cruz and tell him to stop holding up the nomination for the Ambassador to Israel!
2: Write Senator Tuberville and tell him to stop holding up military appointments for all, but especially for those connected with the Middle East.
3: Write to senator Schumer and McConnell to tell them to change the rules so appointments are not hamstrung by petty politicians.
4: Write to your senators to tell them to help break the deadlock in their chamber.
4: Write to representatives in Congress to tell them to condemn the brutality and inhumanity of Hamas.
5: Reach out to your neighbors who are Jewish and or Arab or Palestinian and tell them you feel their pain.
6: Let’s start coming together to end this festering anti-semitism, anti-other sentiments that are destroying the fabric of our country.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!!
Found it...Thanks, Ilene.
Ted Cruz is holding up the US ahaving an in-place ambassador to Israel. Tommy Tuberville is holding up the ordinary course advancement of over 300 senior military officers. And the middle East is a dumpster fire. Let's remember that the party throwing sand in the transmission of our country's defense and diplomacy is the GOP. Vote accordingly. And remember, neither of these guys has breakfast before they do a gut check with Trump, Fox, and Steve Bannon.
Let’s remember how dumb and anti-democratic are the rules that let idiots like Cruz and Tuberville exercise this degree of control over the running of government.
And how impotent McConnell looks to let the senate and his country be twisted around by those two hateful, unpatriotic idiots.
Might as well mention Rand Paul and J. D. Vance too. They're both holding diplomatic appointments in the Middle East for unrelated reasons.