I am in Europe where the numbers are very different. In the USA there are 5-6 million jews and about 3-4 million Muslims. In Germany, the country where I am living right now, there are about 100-116,000 Jews and while the Palestinian community with around 100,000, the total Muslim community is more like 5.5 million. So, while the government may officially support Israel, and many of the pro-Palestinian protests have not gotten permission to convene, there is still huge support for the Palestinians in the Muslim community. Being pro-Palestinian is not seen as supporting Hamas, but supporting everyday Palestinians. I don't know what the everyday German thinks because most of the protests are made up of Muslims and maybe some leftist Germans. My daughter has an Israeli student and an American Jewish student in her classes in Berlin, and no one has even mentioned the conflict/war in class. With so many Ukrainians and Russians in her classes it seems to be a war free zone. France, a smaller country has around 5 million Muslims and 442-650,000 Jews depending on how you look at it. In any case, all proPalestinian protests are banned in France, but in both countries they are taking place. Hamas accomplished this rift that they wanted to effect, but will it eventually help the Palestinian people? Since Hamas is not just in Gaza, but has leaders in other countries, I don't think bombing Gaza will get rid of all of Hamas, so I don't know where this will lead. Apparently Hezbollah is in collaboration with Hamas. I feel like I am looking at the situation through a fog. I want a humanitarian solution that saves as many lives as possible and ends with peace in the region, but don't know how that can be brought about. I think our general lack of understanding of the Middle East necessitates our getting ambassadors into the region, and that Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are blocking them needs to be subverted. We also need our military appointments. It is ludicrous that we have sent ships to the region where they are in danger of being in battle, and there is no head of the navy. Tommy Tuberville should be thrown in prison for practicing treason as should Paul and Cruz too. They are traitors to our democracy and undermining our global security.
If you think of Hamas as the Palestinians' Taliban it becomes a bit clearer but unfortunately the future also becomes a bit clearer. The Taliban uses political and military mechanisms to control Afghanistan; Hamas does the same in Gaza. Hamas has local support or it could not succeed. So the Israeli goal of extinction of Hamas through killing is ludicrous. The US used trillions of dollars and 20 years to try to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban by killing but as soon as we left they were again back in power. Does Israel have that much money and time? No. Israel must change the political picture the Palestinians perceive with equality and cooperation if they are to succeed in peace. If they choose something else they will get continual on and off war. And our support of the war option becomes more ludicrous every day.
Your argument, Michael Tabony, has merit for the long term. But oin the short term, Hamas must be crippled, if only to make space for a peaceful evolution in the region.
And in the short term Israel must do everything possible to not encourage more Palestinians join Hamas. Israel will have to be exceptionally careful if they invade Gaza and they need to seek out and cultivate, with real change, Palestinians who want equality and peace. Israel is the real power here; Hamas is a joke compared to the Israeli military. And with the power comes the responsibility.
On German news ZDFheute Live, they discussed the potential ground war in Gaza and what is difficult about that for IDF. The tunnels are known by Hamas, and some of them are in people's homes, others in caves. The network is extensive reaching into Egypt and into Israel. Some are wide enough to drive vehicles in, others are narrow and all of this leads to danger to infiltrate. This just has the potential to blow up big. The US needs ambassadors. We are a powerful country, and hold a lot of weight. It is hard to do this without our military and diplomatic appointments. Just because the Republican party thinks life is like a Hollywood movie with the tough guy coming in, telling everyone what is what, blowing them away and winning. Real life is not like that. I heard that Israel is telling people expect 10 years of war. I do not see how Israel is a safe space for Jews if that is the case. Many Israeli's carry dual citizenship with other countries. It seems to me like we can anticipate more coming here, and to European countries considered more friendly. However, countries that perceive themselves as Christian do not seem like welcoming places for Jews or Muslims. So, numbers matter. I just don't know what the solution is, but one of them is that the USA needs to have ambassadors to Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. We have an ambassador in Qatar. Is that why they have been able to help negotiate hostage releases. So far it is now 4 people. A small number, but raises hopes. Diplomacy is important for saving lives.
What a wonderfully thoughtful and thought-provoking comment. Thank you. I agree with everything you have said. It is ordinary people who get stuck in the middle of this, many of whom will die. Then the rest of us in the middle will have to rebuild both relationships and infrastructure after the dust settles. So many lives were destroyed for no good reason. Terrorism is wrong. Period. Ends do not justify means. Corrupt authoritarian regimes look out for themselves, not civilians. Where was Bibi when the terrorists attacked? Maybe he was watching television like Trump did during the January 6 insurrection. Extremists like Tuberville, Paul, and Cruz are not helping anyone but themselves. They should be ashamed. My husband and I just sent donations for humanitarian aid and I am beyond frustrated that ordinary people have to mop up after fanatics and narcissists.
When they are calling for "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free." That's the dog whistle for wiping Israel (and Jews) off of the face of the earth. Further, Israel is just the first stop. Hamas/ISIS/Hezbollah want the western world gone and replaced with radical Islam. Or at least that's what their charter says. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
Are you sure it must happen? Republicans, especially chump, want the government shutdown now, primarily to shut down the efforts to hold chump legally accountable for his illegal and ruinous activities. But also as a “policy,” of sorts. According to Bannon, that is the goal. The cult agrees. How many others?
Robert is right, Jeri. There simply is no other way for this to end. No candidate can get 217 votes from Republicans alone.
You are also right, in that MAGA extremists are allies of the January 6 insurgents and "want to burn the whole place down," as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy said. The good news is that MAGA is a minority in the House, and last week they suffered a series of humiliating defeats.
The only feasible solution is for the majority of House members to form a bipartisan coalition that can elect a non-MAGA traditional Republican (to use Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' term).
Our network of ordinary citizens at Feathers of Hope continues to advocate for this solution by urging potential Republican allies to join such a coalition and marginalize MAGA extremists. Everyone is encouraged to help in this effort.
Mike Johnson who is election denying, anti-abortion, buddy of Trump's is in by a unanimous vote. It is truly terrifying what the Republican party has turned to as the party of Trump.
Let’s make this a taxpayer issue. Each congressperson is getting paid 174,000 (plus great benefits and has a 212,000 budget for aides. ). Over $436 a day!!!
Total is 75,690,000 in salaries.
They are doing nothing for the taxpayers and getting paid. Stop the pay and they will get to work fast (I’m sure).
Some of them depend on their salaries, I'm sure. Many do not, I am equally sure. People have brought up before the issue that Congress keeps getting paid during a shut-down, even though they are the ones who caused the shut-down. However, the answer seems to be that they are in a legally protected category where they must be paid, and if they say they're asking not to be paid, they are making some individual arrangement for their paychecks to temporarily go somewhere. Also, the House gets paid on the last day of the month, so depending on the timing of a shut-down, if it lasts less than a month, they won't even miss a pay day anyway! (Senate is paid twice a month.) I do like your calculations. I have wondered how much taxpayers pay for their staff. Then there is stuff like all the photocopies we see being waved around in committee members and enlargements of obscene photos that MTG finds fit to display. We pay for those as well. How much are taxpayers spending on revenge weaponization of committees because Republicans lost an election? I want that money back.
Exactly! Keeping the government closed is all part of the destruction of the administrative state. They are going to have a hard time not only choosing a new speaker nominee but they still have the same problem of the ticking time bomb in the rules allowing just one person to call for the speakership to be vacated. That was how they threw McCarthy out. Any new speaker they nominate will be subject to the same list of demands that doomed the last speaker.
Perhaps that problem of the Republican ‘ticking time bomb’ needs to be part of the battle cry going further in to 2024 : “ When Republicans win, we all lose” add “When Republicans win, we get hardwired into vacate speaker laws and chaos”.
Another reader came up with that last year… Robert Hubbell pointed it out. But… I use it all the time. Don’t get into fights or any discussion just respond with”When Republicans win, we all lose” and the responses are positive (for the. Dems)
As the House continues to fall into self-inflicted ruin since it needs a Speaker to function, the Republican'ts should be reminded of the role of the Speaker as stated succinctly in the House Practice Guide: "The Speaker's role as presiding officer is an impartial one, and his rulings serve to protect the rights of the minority." Among those rights is the right to serve the people who elected them. The only path forward is a bipartisan one, with a Speaker who understands that and works to get everyone in the boat rowing in the same direction instead of beating each other with the oars.
That's for sure, but it's why I suggest they read the guide. They need to use two hands to pull their heads out of their butts before the world spirals out of control because of their utter idiocy.
It's good to remind everyone what the Speaker's job involves. But it's clear that House Republicans are only thinking of their own petty squabbles, even as local and world politics have been heating up to a boil. Their incompetence and self-centered lack of concern for America and its citizens is stunning and they all deserve to lose their jobs.
I appreciate your down-to-earth description of what it would take to snap House Republicans back to reality. But I'm afraid it would also require a team of six Clydesdales attached to those "two hands" you mention, in order to make it happen.
Even if they do lose their jobs, it won't start until the beginning of 2025 except for a few who may choose a different avocation or have one chosen for them (e.g., by a judge or jury). We have to hope that they can find a team of Clydesdales in the meantime, and perhaps a big defeat on November 7, 2023 will loosen their sphyncters' holds.
I have people who still try to tell me MAGA stands for Make America Great Again, and would all Americans want that? Just replied to suck a comment on Facebook this morning. That is not what MAGA means anymore. It is its own “word” with its own ideology behind it, and it doesn’t mean a kindly worded phrase at all.
First off-- I remember finding this newsletter in he depths of the pandemic, prior to the 2020 election when the whole world seemed off and while I don't remember much, the core of the message was "it will be okay. The bad people will lose, the good people will win." And it very much helped me get through each day.
Feels like we are this point again, so thank you Robert. I am back to hearing "bad people lose, good people win as I read your daily missives.
Second-- and in s sort of similar vein As you see the images coming out of Gaza in the coming days and weeks, bear in mind that there are no Western reporters in Gaza. The few who are there are local stringers who provide news to Western media.
The Hamas terrrorists control every single word and image they say and shoot and film and if they don't like what is being said and filmed, it is not good.... Hamas is incredibly media savvy. Tthat means many of the photos and video scenes you will see are staged. That sometimes the "dead bodies" are not all actually dead bodies. That people are crying and shreiking on cue and repeating Hamas talking points on cue. That the numbes of dead and wounded are being reported by the terrorists, not an independent third party or a government entity with oversight. That a missile will hit a hospital and within minutes it will be a "fact" that it was an Israeli missile and that the number of dead was ascertained within that same 15 minute window. and also reported as fact.
Hamas s incredibly media savvy.
Which is not to say that terrible scenes will not unfold or that war is pretty. But just remember that one side is presenting a carefully scripted and edited version of events while the other is being reported on freely by CNN, The New York Times, The BBC and dozens of other western news organizations who have hundreds of people on the ground.
When I heard Yassar Arafat's chief legal council speak in Missoula he said something to the effect "this will be resolved in the court of public opinion." While using subtle anti-Semitic tropes about money he conveniently left out the unlimited funds of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab oil rich nations to support the PA, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
It's fascinating to watch the crazies shoot themselves so publicly, in the broad daylight that the Big Crazy brags has no consequences. Most of them are election deniers and they appear to have lost touch with reality across the board. They are forging a labyrinth without a way out.
There are now three parties in Congress: the Democrats, the remains of the pre-Trump GOP, and the Trump Party. It's time for the pre-trump GOP to become the junior partner in a coalition government that promotes the values they claim to still believe in.
Yes, I agree. And I would like to have Taylor Swift’s money and the looks and figure of Angelina Jolie. I am not sure even the remaining “sane“ Republicans are capable of this; they all live in fear of their constituents.
Gratitude...that is supposed to be one of the most powerful things for happiness and success.
So I ask "Should I be grateful for the 3 separate groups in Missoula that marched against Jews and were in favor of Palestine" over the weekend.
It was horrific. I drove past the Reform Temple and there were 20 white supremacists, all covered up, armed, and with their signs. "no refugees", "whites only", and "name that Jew."
At least there was a police presence.
And downtown there were 2 other demonstrations.
Missoula is my home. I have lived here for 46 years. Now my life is in danger. I will be carrying bear spray. I will have to pay for security around my house.
Is this America where I have to fear?
Is this America where I have to worry about the increase in attacks of anti-Semitism.
"You" people who dare compare Israel to the Nazis.
"You" people who dare talk about Israel committing genocide....
Let's talk about the Spanish Inquisition.
Let's talk about Czarist Russia. Under the Czars, Jewish men were conscripted into the army from age 15-45. So the villages were mostly women, boys, and old men. My great grandmother sent her children over to America one at a time. That is my maternal side.
The Palestinians turned down a 2 state solution. In 1948, Israel surrounded on all sides, fought for survival. I would say the Arabs were trying to commit genocide.
Hezbollah, in Lebanon, bordering Israel has 150,000 rockets. Potential Genocide. Syria, who gasses their own people, borders Israel.
Do not talk to me about Genocide.
What happened in Missoula over the weekend was horrifying. I am crying. This is not the America I grew up in.
Or am I naive and just seeing hatred that has been bubbling below the surface.
I want to thank the Missoula Police Department and the FBI for giving a heads up to the Rabbis that there might be a problem.
I want to thank my friends for looking out for me.
Ed, I am so sorry about this. I’m sorry for your pain and for all others living through this nightmare. I’ve visited Missoula a couple of times, and it always seemed like the most progressive and sane place in Montana, being embedded in a deeply red state.
We all need to take a deep breath just like Robert suggested. The Republicans quest for a speaker again defines who they really are. Most of the candidates who are running are election deniers and active MAGA supporters and the one viable candidate Emmer is being attacked because he is not 100% dedicated to Trump and MAGA. Republicans today don’t want a non MAGA speaker. I think it is perfectly clear that for us and our Democracy we need to focus on voter registration and turnout and give younger voters something to believe in and get behind. Our strength has to be in mobilizing a grassroots army and winning elections the old fashion way. Everything else is just noise.
Robert, I am not sure I see the inevitability of a coalition in the House. Instead, I see it as inevitable that the House returns to the status quo as it had been under McCarthy. Granted, that was nonfunctional, but Republicans seem to like it that way. One of the oft-repeated lines by House GOP members is that their constituencies elect them to prevent laws from being passed. To rational actors, that’s the definition of dysfunction, but to these people, it would seem to be the endgame.
I would also like to bring to everyone’s attention the horrific gerrymandered NC maps that will be voted on this week. NC is split 7-7 yet the NC legislature in secret created 2 maps…one gives Republicans 10-4 majority and the other 11-3. I guess they couldn’t create a 14-0 House majority for themselves. They pitted 2 Black US Rep against each other. They diluted the large Dem cities with rural etc This is all possible because a Dem Tricia Cauthen a lifelong Dem switched to Republican 3 months after she was elected to give NC House a 1 vote majority. NC is the poster child for gerrymandering. These maps were declared unconstitutional in 2022 and NC got 7-7 maps for one election cycle. So for 2024 they are back to their gerrymandered maps.
The Republicans intentionally drew maps to give themselves the advantage. My District 7 rep voted against certifying the election. He is not a performative election denier. David Lewis, a Republican former legislator, said when he helped draw 10 to 3 Republican maps that they could not figure how to give Dems just two districts. NC is purple, not deep red, but the egregious gerrymandering negates Democratic voters. The Republicans are literally making war on everything that helps ordinary folks who aren't rich, ESPECIALLY public education. Such a selfish group of people. As an NC voter, I despise the General Assembly, who gladly cheat people out of opportunities.
I live in NC and feel our pain. One interesting fact is young voters between 21 and 25 had voter turnout of about 25% and we need to get them to register and vote.
We keep on doing what is necessary: register voters, inform, support good candidates, governor pursues legal challenges, organize stronger political groups. The opposition does not have support from the majority of citizens. The extreme gerrymandering is the way they get control. And now they are doing more and more extreme governing. There are positive signs that better stronger grassroots will lead to recovery but this takes time.
The first time I became overwhelmed with the news (just Walter Cronkite or Huntley Brinkley because you couldn’t get the NYT in central PA) was during Vietnam. That news blackout lasted years for me. However, I became an obsessive newsie during Watergate and realized the importance of not shutting it off. However, on Wednesday I decided I need to take another news break--it’s just so relentlessly terrible and I’m starting to spiral. So on 72 hours notice I’m going to Antarctica for 3 weeks. No internet, no phone. Please try to have everything fixed by the time I’m back. If you can’t pull off world peace in that time, at least make sure 11 spending bills have been passed! Thanks for your continued efforts to make sense of it all.
Contempt for the law, wholesale disregard for the common good of the community which interferes with personal greed and power, and imposing violent solutions to enforce their demands are the fingerprints of criminal mobsters. Criminal organizations terrorize their community and prey on the population by provoking fear.
"Alliance with the aggressor" is a psychological concept that colludes to feel empowered by the aggressor and to avoid becoming a target of his rage. This capitulation is met with emotional numbing, relinquishing of independent thinking and passive subservience to the will of the aggressor.
The MAGA mobster's lieutenants have captured their voting district communities, convinced their constituents to forego the civil societal rules and our democratic processes to reap the false promises of a new and better social order.
The rule of law is being dismissed as a deep state contrivance to suppress this new revolution. The show down in the House is now a real time direct assault on our governing processes. The insurrection from within now holds the speakership hostage. No elected speaker stops governing completely while the gun to the head rules allows for continued chaos and upheaval unless the extremists' demands are met.
The only workable solution requires a bipartisan coalition with Democrats and willing Republicans to craft new rules and a compromise speaker. The MAGA merry-go-round will only inflict death with a thousand cuts.
I largely agree with you, but MAGA is the majority of their party now, the minority will have to find the courage to break away and I’m not sure how that happens.
The vote to remove Jordan was 112 to 86, indicating that in secret, many more Republicans were willing to push against MAGA. This opposition came after aggressive bullying was used to coerce the vote for Jordon.
As we face the immediate and active sabotaging our government functioning, the pressure is escalating for the 112 Republicans to face this inflection point in history and save our democracy.
The only alternative would be to elect Tom Emmers, the majority whip, who is a grownup and in Trump's crosshairs since Emmers voted to certify Biden's victory.
Just learned that Emmers played into questioning Biden's win. I revoke his grownup status. He is now relegated to spineless wimp contingency of the MAGA brigades
One of the actions I took over the weekend was to check up on someone who might be vulnerable target.
A lot of people don't realize that bigotry has collateral damage. If someone comes after me they put my neighbors at risk too. I would say the majority of my neighbors are good people.
People need to check out their own prejudices and values.
I think that it would make sense for Democrats in an act of 100% solidarity in the House to pull together perhaps 20 reasonably minded Republicans proposing Liz Cheney (or some other similar sort of person holding real American values while still allowing the Republican present majority to save face shy of trying to convince them to support Hakeem) as House Speaker quashing forever more the entirely unAmerican no-compromise pledge started by Tea Party sorts and get America back to its classic debate and balancing act between conservative and liberal ends of the spectrum and finding our magic in the middle. Doesn’t that make sense given the exigency of the moment and the growing claims of democracy’s ineptness being proven,out by this debacle in the minds of way to many gullible folks..?
Aren’t there but a few extremists and many more not so extreme not to mention all Dems. While I agree that the extremists threats of violence are indeed heinous, we Americans must not cower nor cave to same. It seems to me that we Dems must recognize the fact that this is no time to play politics but instead a time to convince those reasonably-minded Reps to join forces to save our democratically legislated constitutional republic in the face of bigoted autocratic aggression. It might take an act of partisan humility coupled with courage in the face of aggression - a triage moment of sort.
I agree, but there are many forces at play here. All you need to do is consider the fact that 200 House Republicans voted for Jim Jordan to know that there's a problem. Unfortunately, the voters gave the Republicans the majority, slim though it is, so the Democrats are limited in what they can do to right the ship. I have to believe that there are many discussions underway behind the scenes that are intended to break the logjam, but until the Republicans realize that bipartisanship and compromise are not four letter words, we'll be stuck in this morass. I'm hoping they get a shellacking in the election next month, and realize that the jig is up.
I feel pretty much the same. My thought in suggesting Liz is that it gives brave reasonably-minded Reps an opportunity to act so to begin righting the ship, with the help of Dems, in solidarity. Of course, we Dems and Indies must be willing to sacrifice some of our own short-term objectives for the good of turning the extremist tide and rekindling normalcy.
Yes, but they didn't respond well to Jordan’s intimidation. I think if the Dems nominate Cheney or maybe John Kasich, they might peel away some votes. Of course, the progressive caucus may balk, but it might be worth a try.
I'm afraid Liz Cheney is too tainted right now, but I think John Kasich would be excellent. I proposed him as a candidate last week. He was a member many years ago, and knows how things used to work, and I think he's respected on both sides of the aisle. I can't imagine that he'd want the job, though. I wonder how an outside Speaker would be compensated, since they're not members of the House.
And who in their right mind would want a job that at best, might last only one day with the current rule of vacating the chair? Think of the expense of moving to DC, setting up an office, acquiring staff, and then 24 or 48 hours later, having to undo all that.
Hamas should be squashed unmercifully and decapitated. Afterwards, I'd hope that a consensus would develop in support of Israel and moderate Palestinians and their Arab neighbors to get behind a two state solution with boundaries honored by both sides. That seems the only workable end-game to end the decades long cycle of Mideast violence. This means continuing settlement expansion would have to stop. Meanwhile, Putin is thrilled by the conflict.
I think you have part of that backwards. Israel must work with their neighbors and the Palestinians to either give the Palestinians equal rights as citizens of Israel or a viable two-state option without continual settlers stealing of Palestinian lands. Then and only then can Hamas "be squashed unmercifully and decapitated." With the present concentration camp situation that Gaza is Hamas gets too much support to be eradicated. The present Israel-directed violence against the Palestinians is just making more Palestinians willing to use violence in return. A race to the bottom.
I think you’re confusing long- term objectives with what might be accomplished in the short run. Hamas and others exploit West Bank settler malfeasance to their ends; but I think it’s at least as likely that their personal situations have greater influence. Perhaps Hamas can’t be totally eradicated; but perhaps they can be neutered enough so uncoercive (maybe honest?) governance can take hold in Gaza.
Do you know HOW many times Israel gave Palestinians that option? And each time they squandered it. So now Israel is doing what it needs to in order to survive. If this happened in the U.S. you would be SCREAMING at the government to do whatever was necessary to protect us.
Amazing statement. Please catch me up on the "many times Israel gave the Palestinians that option". All we get in our papers is stories about Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian lands, bulldozing their homes, and enhancing their poverty and hopelessness. I would love to hear about all the good things the Israelis are doing for the Palestinians.
I've never been even tempted to go to Israel. My mother, an ardent Christian, went twice in the last century and was very adamant after her second trip; she said she'd never go back because there were Israeli soldiers on every corner with machine guns. They scared her so much she didn't need the Palestinians to convince her to stay away from there. As far as I know none of my siblings or grown children have ever visited either. And as far as living next door to an open-air prison with 2.2 million inmates who may or may not be heavily armed. If I even considered such, I'd commit myself to the closest institution.
I did my screaming at my government for our foreign adventures that resulted in the killing of thousands, (millions) of southeast Asians and Middle Eastern Arabs. I never considered either group to be a danger to my democratic way of life so screamed at my government for their cruelty and inhumanity. Sure 9/11 had me angry but my government's response was ridiculous much like the killing spree the Israeli government is presently engaged in. When will they go back to doing good things for the Palestinians? Right now they just seem to be making future Hamas members. And the US government is wrong to be giving the Israelis additional weapons and what appears to be little guidance on how to use them. Do you realize this is exactly the opposite of what we're doing in Ukraine? We are restricting the weapons we give Ukraine and are being quite specific on their use. We sure have that backwards.
Hamas is a two-headed monster, when one head is chopped off the other regenerates and it continues. As long as there is Hamas/ISIS/Hezbollah, there is an ish chance in hell of a two-state solution.
I am in Europe where the numbers are very different. In the USA there are 5-6 million jews and about 3-4 million Muslims. In Germany, the country where I am living right now, there are about 100-116,000 Jews and while the Palestinian community with around 100,000, the total Muslim community is more like 5.5 million. So, while the government may officially support Israel, and many of the pro-Palestinian protests have not gotten permission to convene, there is still huge support for the Palestinians in the Muslim community. Being pro-Palestinian is not seen as supporting Hamas, but supporting everyday Palestinians. I don't know what the everyday German thinks because most of the protests are made up of Muslims and maybe some leftist Germans. My daughter has an Israeli student and an American Jewish student in her classes in Berlin, and no one has even mentioned the conflict/war in class. With so many Ukrainians and Russians in her classes it seems to be a war free zone. France, a smaller country has around 5 million Muslims and 442-650,000 Jews depending on how you look at it. In any case, all proPalestinian protests are banned in France, but in both countries they are taking place. Hamas accomplished this rift that they wanted to effect, but will it eventually help the Palestinian people? Since Hamas is not just in Gaza, but has leaders in other countries, I don't think bombing Gaza will get rid of all of Hamas, so I don't know where this will lead. Apparently Hezbollah is in collaboration with Hamas. I feel like I am looking at the situation through a fog. I want a humanitarian solution that saves as many lives as possible and ends with peace in the region, but don't know how that can be brought about. I think our general lack of understanding of the Middle East necessitates our getting ambassadors into the region, and that Rand Paul and Ted Cruz are blocking them needs to be subverted. We also need our military appointments. It is ludicrous that we have sent ships to the region where they are in danger of being in battle, and there is no head of the navy. Tommy Tuberville should be thrown in prison for practicing treason as should Paul and Cruz too. They are traitors to our democracy and undermining our global security.
If you think of Hamas as the Palestinians' Taliban it becomes a bit clearer but unfortunately the future also becomes a bit clearer. The Taliban uses political and military mechanisms to control Afghanistan; Hamas does the same in Gaza. Hamas has local support or it could not succeed. So the Israeli goal of extinction of Hamas through killing is ludicrous. The US used trillions of dollars and 20 years to try to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban by killing but as soon as we left they were again back in power. Does Israel have that much money and time? No. Israel must change the political picture the Palestinians perceive with equality and cooperation if they are to succeed in peace. If they choose something else they will get continual on and off war. And our support of the war option becomes more ludicrous every day.
Your argument, Michael Tabony, has merit for the long term. But oin the short term, Hamas must be crippled, if only to make space for a peaceful evolution in the region.
And in the short term Israel must do everything possible to not encourage more Palestinians join Hamas. Israel will have to be exceptionally careful if they invade Gaza and they need to seek out and cultivate, with real change, Palestinians who want equality and peace. Israel is the real power here; Hamas is a joke compared to the Israeli military. And with the power comes the responsibility.
On German news ZDFheute Live, they discussed the potential ground war in Gaza and what is difficult about that for IDF. The tunnels are known by Hamas, and some of them are in people's homes, others in caves. The network is extensive reaching into Egypt and into Israel. Some are wide enough to drive vehicles in, others are narrow and all of this leads to danger to infiltrate. This just has the potential to blow up big. The US needs ambassadors. We are a powerful country, and hold a lot of weight. It is hard to do this without our military and diplomatic appointments. Just because the Republican party thinks life is like a Hollywood movie with the tough guy coming in, telling everyone what is what, blowing them away and winning. Real life is not like that. I heard that Israel is telling people expect 10 years of war. I do not see how Israel is a safe space for Jews if that is the case. Many Israeli's carry dual citizenship with other countries. It seems to me like we can anticipate more coming here, and to European countries considered more friendly. However, countries that perceive themselves as Christian do not seem like welcoming places for Jews or Muslims. So, numbers matter. I just don't know what the solution is, but one of them is that the USA needs to have ambassadors to Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. We have an ambassador in Qatar. Is that why they have been able to help negotiate hostage releases. So far it is now 4 people. A small number, but raises hopes. Diplomacy is important for saving lives.
I particularly like your last line. Thank you?
What a wonderfully thoughtful and thought-provoking comment. Thank you. I agree with everything you have said. It is ordinary people who get stuck in the middle of this, many of whom will die. Then the rest of us in the middle will have to rebuild both relationships and infrastructure after the dust settles. So many lives were destroyed for no good reason. Terrorism is wrong. Period. Ends do not justify means. Corrupt authoritarian regimes look out for themselves, not civilians. Where was Bibi when the terrorists attacked? Maybe he was watching television like Trump did during the January 6 insurrection. Extremists like Tuberville, Paul, and Cruz are not helping anyone but themselves. They should be ashamed. My husband and I just sent donations for humanitarian aid and I am beyond frustrated that ordinary people have to mop up after fanatics and narcissists.
When they are calling for "from the river to the sea Palestine will be free." That's the dog whistle for wiping Israel (and Jews) off of the face of the earth. Further, Israel is just the first stop. Hamas/ISIS/Hezbollah want the western world gone and replaced with radical Islam. Or at least that's what their charter says. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp
Are you sure it must happen? Republicans, especially chump, want the government shutdown now, primarily to shut down the efforts to hold chump legally accountable for his illegal and ruinous activities. But also as a “policy,” of sorts. According to Bannon, that is the goal. The cult agrees. How many others?
Bannon has become the bull horn for Republicans and I keep wondering when he will serve his jail time on his conviction.
Robert is right, Jeri. There simply is no other way for this to end. No candidate can get 217 votes from Republicans alone.
You are also right, in that MAGA extremists are allies of the January 6 insurgents and "want to burn the whole place down," as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy said. The good news is that MAGA is a minority in the House, and last week they suffered a series of humiliating defeats.
The only feasible solution is for the majority of House members to form a bipartisan coalition that can elect a non-MAGA traditional Republican (to use Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' term).
Our network of ordinary citizens at Feathers of Hope continues to advocate for this solution by urging potential Republican allies to join such a coalition and marginalize MAGA extremists. Everyone is encouraged to help in this effort.
Learn more here: https://www.FeathersOfHope.net or www.jerryweiss.substack.com
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Mike Johnson who is election denying, anti-abortion, buddy of Trump's is in by a unanimous vote. It is truly terrifying what the Republican party has turned to as the party of Trump.
I don't think he will look good in orange, but who cares.
Maybe he an dye his hair to match.
Let’s make this a taxpayer issue. Each congressperson is getting paid 174,000 (plus great benefits and has a 212,000 budget for aides. ). Over $436 a day!!!
Total is 75,690,000 in salaries.
They are doing nothing for the taxpayers and getting paid. Stop the pay and they will get to work fast (I’m sure).
Some of them depend on their salaries, I'm sure. Many do not, I am equally sure. People have brought up before the issue that Congress keeps getting paid during a shut-down, even though they are the ones who caused the shut-down. However, the answer seems to be that they are in a legally protected category where they must be paid, and if they say they're asking not to be paid, they are making some individual arrangement for their paychecks to temporarily go somewhere. Also, the House gets paid on the last day of the month, so depending on the timing of a shut-down, if it lasts less than a month, they won't even miss a pay day anyway! (Senate is paid twice a month.) I do like your calculations. I have wondered how much taxpayers pay for their staff. Then there is stuff like all the photocopies we see being waved around in committee members and enlargements of obscene photos that MTG finds fit to display. We pay for those as well. How much are taxpayers spending on revenge weaponization of committees because Republicans lost an election? I want that money back.
Thank you for those statistics. I've been wondering how much taxpayer money is being wasted on these guys and gals. I've had it.
There is also money in the budget for them to have personal security, which has become a necessity since Mob Boss Trump has been running things.
Exactly! Keeping the government closed is all part of the destruction of the administrative state. They are going to have a hard time not only choosing a new speaker nominee but they still have the same problem of the ticking time bomb in the rules allowing just one person to call for the speakership to be vacated. That was how they threw McCarthy out. Any new speaker they nominate will be subject to the same list of demands that doomed the last speaker.
Perhaps that problem of the Republican ‘ticking time bomb’ needs to be part of the battle cry going further in to 2024 : “ When Republicans win, we all lose” add “When Republicans win, we get hardwired into vacate speaker laws and chaos”.
When republicans win, we all lose. Great bumper sticker. and so true
Instead, how about “*If* Republicans win …”.
if, indeed
Another reader came up with that last year… Robert Hubbell pointed it out. But… I use it all the time. Don’t get into fights or any discussion just respond with”When Republicans win, we all lose” and the responses are positive (for the. Dems)
Bet chump won't let them change it. But some are tired of his bullying threats. And never doubt that he is behind this whole fiasco.
As the House continues to fall into self-inflicted ruin since it needs a Speaker to function, the Republican'ts should be reminded of the role of the Speaker as stated succinctly in the House Practice Guide: "The Speaker's role as presiding officer is an impartial one, and his rulings serve to protect the rights of the minority." Among those rights is the right to serve the people who elected them. The only path forward is a bipartisan one, with a Speaker who understands that and works to get everyone in the boat rowing in the same direction instead of beating each other with the oars.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-HPRACTICE-108/html/GPO-HPRACTICE-108-35.htm)
Not how Republicans define it.
That's for sure, but it's why I suggest they read the guide. They need to use two hands to pull their heads out of their butts before the world spirals out of control because of their utter idiocy.
It's good to remind everyone what the Speaker's job involves. But it's clear that House Republicans are only thinking of their own petty squabbles, even as local and world politics have been heating up to a boil. Their incompetence and self-centered lack of concern for America and its citizens is stunning and they all deserve to lose their jobs.
I appreciate your down-to-earth description of what it would take to snap House Republicans back to reality. But I'm afraid it would also require a team of six Clydesdales attached to those "two hands" you mention, in order to make it happen.
Even if they do lose their jobs, it won't start until the beginning of 2025 except for a few who may choose a different avocation or have one chosen for them (e.g., by a judge or jury). We have to hope that they can find a team of Clydesdales in the meantime, and perhaps a big defeat on November 7, 2023 will loosen their sphyncters' holds.
Huge part of the problem is that Republicans take words that look familiar to everyone and then use them as if they come from a made-up language.
More than just words its concepts and half truths. Typical propaganda and it gets repeated every where
I have people who still try to tell me MAGA stands for Make America Great Again, and would all Americans want that? Just replied to suck a comment on Facebook this morning. That is not what MAGA means anymore. It is its own “word” with its own ideology behind it, and it doesn’t mean a kindly worded phrase at all.
They were never going to make America great only hate.
First off-- I remember finding this newsletter in he depths of the pandemic, prior to the 2020 election when the whole world seemed off and while I don't remember much, the core of the message was "it will be okay. The bad people will lose, the good people will win." And it very much helped me get through each day.
Feels like we are this point again, so thank you Robert. I am back to hearing "bad people lose, good people win as I read your daily missives.
Second-- and in s sort of similar vein As you see the images coming out of Gaza in the coming days and weeks, bear in mind that there are no Western reporters in Gaza. The few who are there are local stringers who provide news to Western media.
The Hamas terrrorists control every single word and image they say and shoot and film and if they don't like what is being said and filmed, it is not good.... Hamas is incredibly media savvy. Tthat means many of the photos and video scenes you will see are staged. That sometimes the "dead bodies" are not all actually dead bodies. That people are crying and shreiking on cue and repeating Hamas talking points on cue. That the numbes of dead and wounded are being reported by the terrorists, not an independent third party or a government entity with oversight. That a missile will hit a hospital and within minutes it will be a "fact" that it was an Israeli missile and that the number of dead was ascertained within that same 15 minute window. and also reported as fact.
Hamas s incredibly media savvy.
Which is not to say that terrible scenes will not unfold or that war is pretty. But just remember that one side is presenting a carefully scripted and edited version of events while the other is being reported on freely by CNN, The New York Times, The BBC and dozens of other western news organizations who have hundreds of people on the ground.
Edited to Add new NYT story on hospital bombing. Again, note who is providing stats ("Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry" as per NYT) and how staged the photos are. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/22/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-hospital-evidence.html
When I heard Yassar Arafat's chief legal council speak in Missoula he said something to the effect "this will be resolved in the court of public opinion." While using subtle anti-Semitic tropes about money he conveniently left out the unlimited funds of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab oil rich nations to support the PA, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
It's fascinating to watch the crazies shoot themselves so publicly, in the broad daylight that the Big Crazy brags has no consequences. Most of them are election deniers and they appear to have lost touch with reality across the board. They are forging a labyrinth without a way out.
Hopefully someone is paying attention
There are now three parties in Congress: the Democrats, the remains of the pre-Trump GOP, and the Trump Party. It's time for the pre-trump GOP to become the junior partner in a coalition government that promotes the values they claim to still believe in.
Yes, I agree. And I would like to have Taylor Swift’s money and the looks and figure of Angelina Jolie. I am not sure even the remaining “sane“ Republicans are capable of this; they all live in fear of their constituents.
Gratitude...that is supposed to be one of the most powerful things for happiness and success.
So I ask "Should I be grateful for the 3 separate groups in Missoula that marched against Jews and were in favor of Palestine" over the weekend.
It was horrific. I drove past the Reform Temple and there were 20 white supremacists, all covered up, armed, and with their signs. "no refugees", "whites only", and "name that Jew."
At least there was a police presence.
And downtown there were 2 other demonstrations.
Missoula is my home. I have lived here for 46 years. Now my life is in danger. I will be carrying bear spray. I will have to pay for security around my house.
Is this America where I have to fear?
Is this America where I have to worry about the increase in attacks of anti-Semitism.
"You" people who dare compare Israel to the Nazis.
"You" people who dare talk about Israel committing genocide....
Let's talk about the Spanish Inquisition.
Let's talk about Czarist Russia. Under the Czars, Jewish men were conscripted into the army from age 15-45. So the villages were mostly women, boys, and old men. My great grandmother sent her children over to America one at a time. That is my maternal side.
The Palestinians turned down a 2 state solution. In 1948, Israel surrounded on all sides, fought for survival. I would say the Arabs were trying to commit genocide.
Hezbollah, in Lebanon, bordering Israel has 150,000 rockets. Potential Genocide. Syria, who gasses their own people, borders Israel.
Do not talk to me about Genocide.
What happened in Missoula over the weekend was horrifying. I am crying. This is not the America I grew up in.
Or am I naive and just seeing hatred that has been bubbling below the surface.
I want to thank the Missoula Police Department and the FBI for giving a heads up to the Rabbis that there might be a problem.
I want to thank my friends for looking out for me.
Ed, I am so sorry about this. I’m sorry for your pain and for all others living through this nightmare. I’ve visited Missoula a couple of times, and it always seemed like the most progressive and sane place in Montana, being embedded in a deeply red state.
We all need to take a deep breath just like Robert suggested. The Republicans quest for a speaker again defines who they really are. Most of the candidates who are running are election deniers and active MAGA supporters and the one viable candidate Emmer is being attacked because he is not 100% dedicated to Trump and MAGA. Republicans today don’t want a non MAGA speaker. I think it is perfectly clear that for us and our Democracy we need to focus on voter registration and turnout and give younger voters something to believe in and get behind. Our strength has to be in mobilizing a grassroots army and winning elections the old fashion way. Everything else is just noise.
All good points. Send this to your Senators
Domestic terrorists in our House of Representatives, terrorists in the world. Violence never brings peace, only more violence.
Robert, I am not sure I see the inevitability of a coalition in the House. Instead, I see it as inevitable that the House returns to the status quo as it had been under McCarthy. Granted, that was nonfunctional, but Republicans seem to like it that way. One of the oft-repeated lines by House GOP members is that their constituencies elect them to prevent laws from being passed. To rational actors, that’s the definition of dysfunction, but to these people, it would seem to be the endgame.
I would also like to bring to everyone’s attention the horrific gerrymandered NC maps that will be voted on this week. NC is split 7-7 yet the NC legislature in secret created 2 maps…one gives Republicans 10-4 majority and the other 11-3. I guess they couldn’t create a 14-0 House majority for themselves. They pitted 2 Black US Rep against each other. They diluted the large Dem cities with rural etc This is all possible because a Dem Tricia Cauthen a lifelong Dem switched to Republican 3 months after she was elected to give NC House a 1 vote majority. NC is the poster child for gerrymandering. These maps were declared unconstitutional in 2022 and NC got 7-7 maps for one election cycle. So for 2024 they are back to their gerrymandered maps.
The Republicans intentionally drew maps to give themselves the advantage. My District 7 rep voted against certifying the election. He is not a performative election denier. David Lewis, a Republican former legislator, said when he helped draw 10 to 3 Republican maps that they could not figure how to give Dems just two districts. NC is purple, not deep red, but the egregious gerrymandering negates Democratic voters. The Republicans are literally making war on everything that helps ordinary folks who aren't rich, ESPECIALLY public education. Such a selfish group of people. As an NC voter, I despise the General Assembly, who gladly cheat people out of opportunities.
I live in NC and feel our pain. One interesting fact is young voters between 21 and 25 had voter turnout of about 25% and we need to get them to register and vote.
We keep on doing what is necessary: register voters, inform, support good candidates, governor pursues legal challenges, organize stronger political groups. The opposition does not have support from the majority of citizens. The extreme gerrymandering is the way they get control. And now they are doing more and more extreme governing. There are positive signs that better stronger grassroots will lead to recovery but this takes time.
The first time I became overwhelmed with the news (just Walter Cronkite or Huntley Brinkley because you couldn’t get the NYT in central PA) was during Vietnam. That news blackout lasted years for me. However, I became an obsessive newsie during Watergate and realized the importance of not shutting it off. However, on Wednesday I decided I need to take another news break--it’s just so relentlessly terrible and I’m starting to spiral. So on 72 hours notice I’m going to Antarctica for 3 weeks. No internet, no phone. Please try to have everything fixed by the time I’m back. If you can’t pull off world peace in that time, at least make sure 11 spending bills have been passed! Thanks for your continued efforts to make sense of it all.
Contempt for the law, wholesale disregard for the common good of the community which interferes with personal greed and power, and imposing violent solutions to enforce their demands are the fingerprints of criminal mobsters. Criminal organizations terrorize their community and prey on the population by provoking fear.
"Alliance with the aggressor" is a psychological concept that colludes to feel empowered by the aggressor and to avoid becoming a target of his rage. This capitulation is met with emotional numbing, relinquishing of independent thinking and passive subservience to the will of the aggressor.
The MAGA mobster's lieutenants have captured their voting district communities, convinced their constituents to forego the civil societal rules and our democratic processes to reap the false promises of a new and better social order.
The rule of law is being dismissed as a deep state contrivance to suppress this new revolution. The show down in the House is now a real time direct assault on our governing processes. The insurrection from within now holds the speakership hostage. No elected speaker stops governing completely while the gun to the head rules allows for continued chaos and upheaval unless the extremists' demands are met.
The only workable solution requires a bipartisan coalition with Democrats and willing Republicans to craft new rules and a compromise speaker. The MAGA merry-go-round will only inflict death with a thousand cuts.
I largely agree with you, but MAGA is the majority of their party now, the minority will have to find the courage to break away and I’m not sure how that happens.
The vote to remove Jordan was 112 to 86, indicating that in secret, many more Republicans were willing to push against MAGA. This opposition came after aggressive bullying was used to coerce the vote for Jordon.
As we face the immediate and active sabotaging our government functioning, the pressure is escalating for the 112 Republicans to face this inflection point in history and save our democracy.
The only alternative would be to elect Tom Emmers, the majority whip, who is a grownup and in Trump's crosshairs since Emmers voted to certify Biden's victory.
Just learned that Emmers played into questioning Biden's win. I revoke his grownup status. He is now relegated to spineless wimp contingency of the MAGA brigades
One of the actions I took over the weekend was to check up on someone who might be vulnerable target.
A lot of people don't realize that bigotry has collateral damage. If someone comes after me they put my neighbors at risk too. I would say the majority of my neighbors are good people.
People need to check out their own prejudices and values.
Thank you Alan, for your articulate support.
I think that it would make sense for Democrats in an act of 100% solidarity in the House to pull together perhaps 20 reasonably minded Republicans proposing Liz Cheney (or some other similar sort of person holding real American values while still allowing the Republican present majority to save face shy of trying to convince them to support Hakeem) as House Speaker quashing forever more the entirely unAmerican no-compromise pledge started by Tea Party sorts and get America back to its classic debate and balancing act between conservative and liberal ends of the spectrum and finding our magic in the middle. Doesn’t that make sense given the exigency of the moment and the growing claims of democracy’s ineptness being proven,out by this debacle in the minds of way to many gullible folks..?
Unfortunately, those twenty reasonably-minded Republicans are forced into hiding by their extremist brethren who threaten their lives and livelihoods.
Aren’t there but a few extremists and many more not so extreme not to mention all Dems. While I agree that the extremists threats of violence are indeed heinous, we Americans must not cower nor cave to same. It seems to me that we Dems must recognize the fact that this is no time to play politics but instead a time to convince those reasonably-minded Reps to join forces to save our democratically legislated constitutional republic in the face of bigoted autocratic aggression. It might take an act of partisan humility coupled with courage in the face of aggression - a triage moment of sort.
I agree, but there are many forces at play here. All you need to do is consider the fact that 200 House Republicans voted for Jim Jordan to know that there's a problem. Unfortunately, the voters gave the Republicans the majority, slim though it is, so the Democrats are limited in what they can do to right the ship. I have to believe that there are many discussions underway behind the scenes that are intended to break the logjam, but until the Republicans realize that bipartisanship and compromise are not four letter words, we'll be stuck in this morass. I'm hoping they get a shellacking in the election next month, and realize that the jig is up.
I feel pretty much the same. My thought in suggesting Liz is that it gives brave reasonably-minded Reps an opportunity to act so to begin righting the ship, with the help of Dems, in solidarity. Of course, we Dems and Indies must be willing to sacrifice some of our own short-term objectives for the good of turning the extremist tide and rekindling normalcy.
Yes, but they didn't respond well to Jordan’s intimidation. I think if the Dems nominate Cheney or maybe John Kasich, they might peel away some votes. Of course, the progressive caucus may balk, but it might be worth a try.
I'm afraid Liz Cheney is too tainted right now, but I think John Kasich would be excellent. I proposed him as a candidate last week. He was a member many years ago, and knows how things used to work, and I think he's respected on both sides of the aisle. I can't imagine that he'd want the job, though. I wonder how an outside Speaker would be compensated, since they're not members of the House.
And who in their right mind would want a job that at best, might last only one day with the current rule of vacating the chair? Think of the expense of moving to DC, setting up an office, acquiring staff, and then 24 or 48 hours later, having to undo all that.
Good point, and a reason for a good contract!
Hamas should be squashed unmercifully and decapitated. Afterwards, I'd hope that a consensus would develop in support of Israel and moderate Palestinians and their Arab neighbors to get behind a two state solution with boundaries honored by both sides. That seems the only workable end-game to end the decades long cycle of Mideast violence. This means continuing settlement expansion would have to stop. Meanwhile, Putin is thrilled by the conflict.
I think you have part of that backwards. Israel must work with their neighbors and the Palestinians to either give the Palestinians equal rights as citizens of Israel or a viable two-state option without continual settlers stealing of Palestinian lands. Then and only then can Hamas "be squashed unmercifully and decapitated." With the present concentration camp situation that Gaza is Hamas gets too much support to be eradicated. The present Israel-directed violence against the Palestinians is just making more Palestinians willing to use violence in return. A race to the bottom.
I think you’re confusing long- term objectives with what might be accomplished in the short run. Hamas and others exploit West Bank settler malfeasance to their ends; but I think it’s at least as likely that their personal situations have greater influence. Perhaps Hamas can’t be totally eradicated; but perhaps they can be neutered enough so uncoercive (maybe honest?) governance can take hold in Gaza.
That would be something to build on.
Do you know HOW many times Israel gave Palestinians that option? And each time they squandered it. So now Israel is doing what it needs to in order to survive. If this happened in the U.S. you would be SCREAMING at the government to do whatever was necessary to protect us.
Amazing statement. Please catch me up on the "many times Israel gave the Palestinians that option". All we get in our papers is stories about Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian lands, bulldozing their homes, and enhancing their poverty and hopelessness. I would love to hear about all the good things the Israelis are doing for the Palestinians.
I've never been even tempted to go to Israel. My mother, an ardent Christian, went twice in the last century and was very adamant after her second trip; she said she'd never go back because there were Israeli soldiers on every corner with machine guns. They scared her so much she didn't need the Palestinians to convince her to stay away from there. As far as I know none of my siblings or grown children have ever visited either. And as far as living next door to an open-air prison with 2.2 million inmates who may or may not be heavily armed. If I even considered such, I'd commit myself to the closest institution.
I did my screaming at my government for our foreign adventures that resulted in the killing of thousands, (millions) of southeast Asians and Middle Eastern Arabs. I never considered either group to be a danger to my democratic way of life so screamed at my government for their cruelty and inhumanity. Sure 9/11 had me angry but my government's response was ridiculous much like the killing spree the Israeli government is presently engaged in. When will they go back to doing good things for the Palestinians? Right now they just seem to be making future Hamas members. And the US government is wrong to be giving the Israelis additional weapons and what appears to be little guidance on how to use them. Do you realize this is exactly the opposite of what we're doing in Ukraine? We are restricting the weapons we give Ukraine and are being quite specific on their use. We sure have that backwards.
Hamas is a two-headed monster, when one head is chopped off the other regenerates and it continues. As long as there is Hamas/ISIS/Hezbollah, there is an ish chance in hell of a two-state solution.