The War of Ideas is here

For me, the satanic behaviour recorded by the perpetrators during the 7 Oct 2023 attack was not as shocking as the jubilant celebration of professors, students and other members of Academia in the USA.

It's unacceptable, it's outright antisemitism, witnessing the inability of fellow Americans to treat Jewish American citizens with the same respect, the same understanding given to Iranian-Americans, Russian-Americans, Chinese-Americans. 

There is an understanding that Russian/Chinese/Iranian/Syrian Americans are NOT responsible for the actions of a foreign government that is associated with their heritage.

Russian Orthodox churches, nor Syrian, nor Chinese nor Iranian gatherings are not blocked with violent protestors of the genocides and assorted atrocities committed by the Syrian, Chinese, Iranian or Russian military.

THAT is why the onslaught of violence and hate-speech directed at ALL Jewish Americans is antisemitic. Most of my family members have never been to Israel, are not affiliated with Israel and yet, they are now clumped into a group and targeted for attacks.

It was painful and disappointing that my child and I were subjected to swastikas and ugly caricatures of Jews by my neighbors, just days after thousands of people in Israel were raped, dismembered and murdered. Some of those people were my former students and friends. This was done to us while I was trying to digest all that grief. It was perpetrated by my child's classmate while his German-born mother looked on without remorse. That child was impacted by our reaction and apologized a week later. His parents, on the other hand, stopped speaking to us. Clearly their son has a stronger sense of humaneness than his parents do.

It never occurred to me that neighbors I considered friends could manifest an intense hatred towards me and my child - triggered by an attack on a diverse group of people located in Israel, regardless that the people who were killed in Israel were not only Israelis or Jews but the victims were of every race, religion and creed.

These former friends - friends I've known for decades - who reacted to the 7 Oct attacks by treating me with disdain, who asked of me what they would never ask of any other friend. So hurtful.

The silence of the Arab-Christians who found refuge in the USA is also confounding to me. Are they truly that terrified?

Arab-Christians have been targeted by the Iranian-backed proxies which have committed the persecution, forced-conversions, beheadings - the REAL GENOCIDE of 90% of Christians living throughout Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and all the way to Egypt.

As a child in 1975, my ex-husband and his family had to flee their home in Beirut because they were persecuted as Christians. Their stories are never broadcasted.

Syria's military targeted Syria's dhimmi (non-muslim) population, basically wiping out all Yazidi males and forcing the women and children into sex slavery (yes, you read that right), committing an actual genocide of Syria's 2,000 yr old Christian population. 

Syria's Christians WIPED OUT - over 1.3M Syrian Christians have been killed since 2012, more than the Armenian genocide of 1915. 

Where is the outcry across American campuses for the actual annihilation of the non-muslim population in the Middle East? The silence is unacceptable. Why doesn't the Media report these stories? 

The world is doing a massive disservice by NOT calling out the 50-year genocide, silencing and harming the majority of Muslims, Druze, Kurds, Assyrians, Coptics, Jews, Maronites and assorted others who simply want to live in peace.

Thomas Friedman wrote a 6-part piece called "War of Ideas" published in 2004 that clearly outlined what we have been witnessing over the past few decades.

There is hope. The UAE, Morocco and Bahrain are members of the Abraham Accords with Israel, united to maintain peace among each other and hopefully to spread throughout the region.

Like Thomas Friedman, I believe that if economic opportunities are shared among the region, sharing of education, scientific, medical, technological, agricultural knowledge and resources among the countries within the region, people may win the "War of Ideas".

I think that if people can see a path for a better life for their children: Freedom, Peace, Health, Prosperity, people will be inclined to shun hateful ideologies to ensure their children's future.

After the Iraq War, the USA blew a golden opportunity to help Iraq rebuild into a multifaceted republic, similar to what Lebanon had before the start of their civil war in 1975.

There is a entrepreneur who also sat in the Israeli knesset for a short spell, Erel Margalit. His vision of uniting the region with economic opportunities, especially in technology. He was cast aside to be replaced by the current terrorists and thugs that helped keep dictator Bibi in power.

We need to focus on the few but brave people who speak out the truth: No one is going to win in the Middle East until everyone can live safely there. 

Heroes

Growing up, I loved Batman. It was that cool mask, deep voice and all those gadgets. Superman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, the Hulk.... all together they do not add up to the heroes that my brother and my sister-in-law are in my eyes.

These are two regular folks living what seems like a regular life, but, they are super heroes.

Really.

When I was about 14, I remember reading this column by Erma Bombeck and for some reason, I cut it out and saved it over the years. Some of the wording and references are outdated, but the sentiments ring true. Now, today, I remembered it and so I dedicate this to my brother, Michael and my sister-in-law, Trish because they are living exemplary lives and are special parents:

The Special Mother

by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.
This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen?
Somehow I visualize God hovering over earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth; son. Patron saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter. Patron saint, Cecelia."
"Rutledge, Carrie; twins. Patron saint, Matthew."
Finally He passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."
The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God, "Could I give a handicapped child to a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."
"But has she patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it."
"I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has her own world. She has to make her live in her world and that's not going to be easy."
"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." God smiles, "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect - she has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps - "selfishness? is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a 'spoken word'". She will never consider a "step" ordinary. When her child says 'Momma' for the first time, she will be present at a miracle, and will know it!"
"I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice....and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side".
"And what about her Patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in mid-air.
God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."

Fidelity

Why is Tiger Woods apologizing to the public for cheating on his wife? It is absolutely ridiculous that any person other than his wife hear how he feels about what he does within his marriage. While we're on the subject, that goes for every public figure whose life has been dissected and served on a platter by the news vultures.

All these hypocrites blathering on for centuries about the sanctity of marriage, blah, blah, blah and in the same breath judging the actions of married folks. Whatever goes on between a husband and wife is strictly the business of that couple. Unless there is rape, torture or other forms of abuse going on, no one else has the right to comment. Not even their children, in my opinion.

This whole country went ballistic over former President Clinton's affair with his intern. The country was not at war, the information super highway was nicely underway, unemployment was at an all-time low, our finances were at an all-time, high.

Seriously, when two people go into a marriage, only the two of them decide where the boundaries are within every aspect of their marriage. No one else. If one of them breaks the rules that they have set up, that is also between them. No one else.

I don't care about Tiger Woods' marriage and I don't see why anyone other than his family should care. Perhaps 24 hrs News is just too much programming for the Media to handle and we need to find more newsworthy topics to cover or cut the hours of programming.

Neither Tiger Woods, nor John Edwards, no Bill Clinton nor any of these folks need to apologize to the public. That whole whine about, "Well-they-are-public-figures-and-I-trusted-them" is such a blathering, idiotic statement. Folks, they are public figures with private lives. Unless they are raping, torturing or other forms of abusing, stealing, killing or giving favors to these lovers that directly effect the public, this is no one's business but the people involved.

Hello, Mrs Robinson

Iris Robinson, the 60 year old former member of Parliament was forced to resign following her exposed affair with a 19 year old. All this hulabaloo about May-December romances when the woman is the older party reminds me of a Sophie Tucker joke:

"I bumped into my old beau, Ernie yesterday and he says to me, 'Soph' ('cause he always calls me Soph) He says to me, 'Soph, I'm now 80 years old and I found me a 20 year old lover. What do ya think of that?!!'"

"I says to him,'Ernie, I, too am 80 years and just as you, I've found me a 20 year old love. But let me tell you something, Ernie. Twenty goes into eighty a helluva lot easier than eighty goes into twenty!!!'"

That's all I'm saying.

Taboo Talk Exposed

A friend and I were recently discussing the loss of her son, Michael. Her baby died a few weeks before his due date. Technically a miscarriage in the 8th month. Her grief is something she still struggles with every day, even years after the event. What struck me most is her observation of how the majority of people around her deemed her abnormal/strange/crazy for wanting to talk about her loss. Talking about her loss made people uncomfortable. As if losing a pregnancy is not 'polite' social conversation.

I'm writing about this because my friend is not the only person to share this observation with me. Too many of my friends have struggled with the loss of their pregnancies, the loss of their babies and the ensuing societal ostracizing if they grieve out-loud. The common feeling was a sense of isolation, the feeling of guilt when they tried to express their grief to husbands, lovers, friends.

Another friend gave birth to a premature baby boy who only lived a few days. Friends and family commented to me that she was strange for carrying a photo of her dead child and wanting to talk about her experience, her feelings about her son's death. How is that strange, I wondered? So many years ago, I didn't know that mourning with my friend was preparing me to mourn for my own losses.

I know many who still struggle with their grief having lost their babies. The grief is especially hard because our society expects this grief to be private.

I'm raising this topic now as I struggle through my last miscarriage. This loss has me knocked down onto my knees, screaming. I don't care who finds me strange. Obviously, those who judge haven't walked in these shoes. Some of these pregnancies there was no sense of bonding, but like some others, during this last pregnancy there was an amazing bond between me and the soul to come, a connection to this life forming inside of me. There were dreams for this baby's future that will not be realized. There is an emptiness, the loss of not feeling her (yes her) which calls up a primal scream in me that can't be contained some days. It's been years of sometimes feeling her, getting a taste of her and then the disappointment and suppressed grief that has finally spilled out, demanding release.

I am grieving this life lost. I'm grieving this child that I will not hold, this child I felt growing in my body, who woke me in the middle of the night craving strange foods, stirring beautiful dreams. I saw her in my dreams running through orange groves, bouncing, giggling and so free-spirited. This child of mine is not to be. Right now, I am grieving that loss and the hopeless feeling of the loss of Motherhood.

I'm not comfortable writing this publicly, but maybe this will give others the insight to be more compassionate if G-d forbid they know someone who has gone through this or worse, if they personally experience this.

ISABEL KERSHNER

Published: December 13, 2009

Of course, it's impossible for anyone to tell a story objectively, even a news story has various perspectives. But, it's disappointing when a NYTimes writer blatantly downplays one side in order to push for specific sympathy.

Isable Kershner's story on a Mosque burning glossed over a very disturbing reaction from the local children.

She reported: "But Palestinian schoolchildren brought to demonstrate in Yasuf on Sunday shouted, “Khaibar, Khaibar ya Yahud,” evoking a legendary battle between the Prophet Muhammad and the Jews of the Khaibar oasis, who were forced to surrender."

Not accurate. Muhammad slaughtered all the jews of the Khaibar oasis. This brings a whole different perception on these schoolchildren. Synagogues and churches have been attacked often, but it would be bizarre to see Jewish schoolchildren chanting, "Death to the Christians/Muslims/Whites/Germans".

The attack on a place of worship is truly despicable. But the community's reaction is indicative of a deeper problem. Members of the Jewish religious community offered their condolences and extended their hand in unity against the perpetrators. Accepting this gesture would have been a step towards unifying people of the area. Instead, once again, the Palestinians rebuffed condolences and chose to wallow in martyrdom, refusing to accept a path towards reconciliation. They prefer to blame all Jews for the crime against their mosque. Hateful reactions is the norm. Unproductive, useless hate.

Where would the African-American Civil Right's Movement be if Dr Martin Luther King had cried out, "Death to the Whites" after the bombing of the Birmingham church? No, the Black leaders of the community found constructive ways to handle a vile, shameful episode in America's history and turned that moment around to become one of the most powerful milestones in the Civil Right's struggle.

Isable Kershner was perhaps trying to downplay the story out of fear of seeming too Jewish? Well, she came across as untruthful or worse, ignorant and too lazy to research her story accurately. In the meantime, the leaders of the Ysuf community wasted yet another opportunity to create a different, more fruitful dialogue in their region.

Grief

You're just walking along, minding your own business when out of nowhere, Grief strikes.

And Grief is nothing like her brothers and sisters: Despair, Anxiety, Depression and Anger.

Grief is the Queen of the tribe, honey.

She backhands you so hard, you wake up every morning (if/when you are able to sleep) and within seconds the realization of your loss comes ebbing back into your consciousness and you are hit again. And again. And again.

And again.

Ms. Thing is out for blood and she really doesn't take any prisoners. No mercy.

Why do we Humans have to experience this horrible emotion?

I don't know. But my own recent dance with the Queen has forced me to review my life: my choices, my priorities, my relationships - all of them with family, friends and lovers with some awareness that each of us have grieved or are grieving, at some point.

Brought down to my knees. This time I submit to her power and the scream is released. The tears flow unstoppably. The pain feels unbearable.

But then, just like a forest razed to the ground by fire, it happens. A small green sprouting forces its way through the burnt earth. Life.

Life has it's own energy, similar to that of gravity, pulling us up and pushing us forward. And the vicious battle wounds begin to heal. The scars will remain. We'll never be the same. But we endure.

11 Sept Remembered

Living overseas for the last few years has given me a greater appreciation for my home roots. September has always held that special feeling of soberness: End of summer, Back-to-School, the onset of the Jewish New Year & Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. Added to this is the anniversary of 11 Sept. Each year, I have found a very different way to commemorate the day.

Three years ago, I deliberately scheduled my return flight to NYC to land at Newark Airport on 11 September. It was my way of 'Taking Back the Day". Each of us experience this day in our own ways. One thing was clear on that day for me, amidst all the grief, pain and horror, every single person on Manhattan Island stood united and determined that day. We took care of one another in a very quiet, synchronized, compassionate manner. We each found our humanity and fully expressed loving-kindness towards one another that day.

I won't go into descriptions and stories, but each person who was present that day knows exactly what I mean. Even those who weren't there were bonded in prayers and well-wishing efforts. From the 18 wheelers that rolled in with supplies from Texas with hand-written signs on the sides that read, "Texas loves NY", to the volunteers that flew in from all over North America (Canada included) to help out, we were united in a true sense of Community. There was a businessman quietly weeping on the subway sometime that week and the man sitting next to him just put his hand on his shoulder for the duration of the ride. It was incredibly powerful to witness. It may not have had lasted forever, but it was healing to have experienced.

I wish that the horror of that day could have sobered up all humans to senselessness of the destruction of human lives around the world. I wish we could banish violence and hatred from our lives everywhere around the world. Forever. That is what I pray for most on each anniversary in memory of all those who perished that day.

Humane, Humanity, Humaneness

Alissa J. Rubin's nterview of a would-be mass-murder-suicide bomber named Baida gave me reason to shudder. And think.

Some friends were visiting me from Europe, a few weeks ago. During the course of their visit, one of them made a comment that I had heard from yet another European, regarding Palestinian mass-murder-suicide bombers. The wording isn't exact, but the thinking goes along the lines of, "Suicide bombers feel so desperate about their situation, they are willing to kill others and themselves." Which also seems to imply: If Israel removed the wall and treated Palestinians better, this would not happen,

I disagree with this line of thought, but normally prefer not to engage in a heated discussion regarding this issue.

Perhaps I should. Today, I want to address it. Clearly. I read two separate articles on an Imam suicide bombing in Gaza and the interview in Iraq.

There is never an acceptable excuse for a person or a society to condone, support or tolerate the act of mass killing of civilians. Yes, that goes for the American, Russian, Iranian, Israeli, Palestinian, Sudanese, British governments and all the other governments that sponsor attacks on civilians.

What bothers me about the Europeans who made these comments is that they both made this comment as if they can understand that people feel so despondent about being occupied by Jews that they encourage their sons, daughters, wives, husbands to blow themselves up as long as they murder others along with them.

I'm curious to know if these same Germans would have felt so comfortable applying this line of thinking if we change the nationalities and races in these scenarios.

My ex-husband's father was a wealthy man in Beirut, until 1975. Just because he is Christian he was forced to flee his homeland - losing their home and all of their financial assets. His home and assets were never recovered. Family and friends were murdered throughout the violent civil war. Although they have never received compensation for their losses, nor are they able to rebuild their lives in Lebanon, no one in that family has ever come to the conclusion that mass-murder-suicide bombing the muslim Lebanese or the Syrians is a logical response.

Because it isn't.

My father spent the first 10 years of his life in either concentration camps or Displaced Person Camps in Russia and Germany. The Nazis took our home, killed everyone except for my dad, his parents and 2 uncles. They raped, tortured, sterilized, tattooed and extracted gold & silver fillings from the mouths of everyone in my family and then gassed and burned their remains. After the war, some of the survivors who tried to return to their homes were murdered by gentiles occupying our homes. Although demoralized, despondent, grief-stricken and feeling quite helpless, still, no one in my family ever came to the conclusion that it would be alright to strap on explosives and blow ourselves up in a crowded German cafe or market.

I want to believe that this is just the thinking of extremists, but I am uneasy with the lack of outrage from the Arab and the Muslim community against mass-murder-suicide attacks.

Americans, Europeans, Israelis and various other communities freely and loudly condemn hate-crimes committed by their brethren. What is holding these people back from condemning these vicious hate crimes? Are Arabs & Muslims afraid to speak up? I know for a fact that many Arab Muslims find these acts deplorable. So, enough with the wall of silence, someone has to stir up a movement within the Arab and Muslim societies to show this as self-destructive, senseless and inhumane behaviour. We all know that there is no Heaven for murderers. All lives are precious and taking life is never the decision of Man.

Therefore, let's stop making excuses for despicably insane hate crimes, stop being afraid and speak up against these vile acts. It's never acceptable.

Here are the articles for both the cleric who blew himself up (killing 24 and injuring 150 Palestinians) and the Iraqi female mass-murderer-suicide-bomber-wanna-be:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3762066,00.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/magazine/16suicide-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=global-home

Shiney, Happy People

A woman stormed the stage at the annual Mortgage Bankers' convention and tried to handcuff Karl Rove in a Citizen's Arrest, charging him with Treason.

Wooo HOOOO!!! Looks like the People are waking up.

Yes. Treason. How does one go about filing the paperwork to impeach Bush for treason?

Let's string Bush, Cheney, Karl Rove, all up Texas Lynching style!

Yeeee HAW!

I think we understand how the French felt right before storming the Palace for King Louis XV's and Marie Antoinette's heads.


Georgie is probably not aware of the reasons that the French Revolution occured.

Well, the basic events leading up to the French Revolution were this:

King Louis had waged so many wars, France was practically bankrupt.

The King ran France into economic havoc AND the people lost their homes AND they were starving AND they were all getting sick without access to proper healthcare.

And the people were tired of being ruled by one family.

Hm. Sound familiar?