I cry for you, Israel.

Yesterday Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Ori Danino, Almog Sarusi and Alexander Lobanov were killed inside a tunnel in Rafah. Since the news broke I haven't been able to write anything about it except my thoughts are with their families, especially with Rachel and Jon's family for the loss of their beloved son and brother Hersh. It may sound unfair but it's how I feel because I came to know them so well over the past almost eleven months since October 7. I am sorry. May the memories of Hersh, Eden, Carmel, Ori, Almog and Alexander be a blessing and may their families find some peace in this unimaginable tragedy.

Those names will forever live in a broken corner of my heart, shattered into a million pieces. From the moment the IDF put out a more detailed statement a particular part of it haunted me. They mentioned the six hostages were killed just before they could reach them. I kept looking for more information. Jewish influencers with good connections in the Israeli government were repeating this particular detail in various forms and so did the IDF as they released further statements: "days before", "a few hours before", "moments before"... The final official source stated, based on first hand knowledge, they were killed "shortly before we reached them". This can only mean one thing.

It's a warm late Summer morning. I was sitting outside just now. There is a gentle cool breeze and the sun is shining through the trees. I look at the sky and think it's the same sky Rachel Goldberg is looking at. The sky Hersh couldn't see for 329 days. The sky he will never see again. I become aware of my breathing, how I hold my coffee cup, how the breeze feels on my skin. Life becomes ominous and unbearable. It's hard to breathe and hard to keep tears from falling. And I cry for you, Israel. I can't help it.

I try not to look at social media much but I am searching for news about the hostage families and reading other's grieving, heartbroken words. I inevitably run across other words, hateful words, bloodthirsty words. I block them. I lost count how many. I find the Goldberg-Polin family announcement of his funeral. Very few heartbroken words. "With broken hearts we part from our cherished son and brother Hersh, a child of light, love and peace." It will be tomorrow, September 2, at 4 pm. 29 Menachem Avenue. It is signed "Jon, Rachel, Leebie and Orly." Words don't come easy...

The image of Rachel collapsing over the lectern at the DNC, August 21, is burnt into my soul. Hersh was still alive. When Netanyahu paused the negotiations against the advice of the Israeli intelligence and the negotiators themselves to come to the United States in a despicable Public Relations stunt Hersh was still alive. When Rachel, Jon and the parents of other hostages gathered by the border with Gaza and screamed the names of their loved ones into the sky, three days ago, Hersh was still alive. Last Friday, when the Israeli Security Cabinet met by surprise at the request of Netanyahu, Hersh was still alive.

That meeting will live in infamy in the hearts of all who hoped to get the hostages home. The Times of Israel has it all documented here (click the link). It was August 30, on a Friday night. Hersh was still alive. The meeting transcripts are brutal. The objective was to include a new clause in the deal being negotiated with Hamas: the refusal to let go of the 14 Km (aprox. 9 miles) Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza's border with Egypt under any circumstances. Of the nine members present, only one spoke up: Yoav Gallant, the Defense Minister. “The significance of this is that Hamas won’t agree to it, so there won’t be an agreement and there won’t be any hostages released,” Gallant told the ministers.

The IDF, the Mossad, all the Israeli military and intelligence communities have been telling Netanyahu for a long time that the objectives they set out to achieve in Gaza were mostly completed and any loss due to a deal would be recovered if and when the need arose. Time and again, despite outlandish demands by Hamas, the people who actually put their lives at risk on the ground told Bibi to take the deal. They would handle the consequences. They were shut down every time. At the August 30 meeting, "Gallant told the ministers that their vote means that if Israel faces “two possibilities — either keeping the IDF deployed on the Philadelphi Corridor or bringing home the hostages — (they were) deciding to stay on the Philadelphi Corridor. "Does this seem logical to you?” Gallant asked. “There are living (hostages) there!” he exclaimed." (quote from The Times of Israel).

Shortly before they were reached, Hamas executed the six hostages with a shot to the head. No deal had been reached. The IDF got information on a tunnel and went in. Their job is to try and rescue the hostages. With unthinkable courage they brave the dark lairs where they may lose their lives to find the hostages still kept there. They almost made it this time but they weren't fast enough. I can't imagine what they felt as they ran into the six bodies. They've seen the photos; they knew who they were. The unbearable weight of that moment on their shoulders. Maybe if they made it a few minutes sooner... How do you live with that? And how do you keep fighting when the government you fight for keeps getting in the way of your objective? Not the stupid unattainable goal of "total victory" over Hamas, that's ridiculous; the real goal of rescuing the hostages by any means necessary.

 

They were alive a few hours ago. That's the truth. I have these words stuck in my throat that need to come out. Hamas doesn't want peace. They are the root cause of all this evil. Hamas murdered those six hostages. I know that, nobody needs to fucking remind me of that. What I also know is there was a real possibility of saving them, and who knows how many more if not all, and EIGHT votes to ONE (Gallant) the Israeli government decided to keep a stupid 9 mile corridor instead of trying to save them. The IDF stands ready to suffer anything to make up for any loss after the hostages are all home, but Netanyahu doesn't care. All the remaining hostages mean nothing to him. So fuck them all. Fuck Netanyahu and fuck Hamas and fuck anyone who thinks a delusional "total victory" is possible and worth all these deaths. I cry for you, Israel.

He Who makes peace in His heavens,

may He make peace for us and for all Israel.

Amen.

Note:
Comments on this blog are locked. This is but a reading platform linked to Threads. If you wish to reply with your thoughts, please do so on the Threads post that references this opinion piece. Thank you for reading.

For the People.

Kamala Harris for the people.
The DNC 2024 is complete. Four flawless days of complete joy celebrating the promise of America that we each hold in our hearts. Yesterday was day four and it was the perfect ending for this celebration of who we are and who we want to be. The endgame day. It did not disappoint.

There was this expectation that on the last day the ball would be knocked out of the park and I caught myself waiting for it right at the first pitch. It was taking forever! Where are the Chicks? Is Beyoncé coming? Who’s next? And then it hit me. It’s a long game. There are no miracles, no easy plays, no instant gratification. In the celebration of us the three previous days turned into a party made of unforgettable moments day four was like the final chapter we didn’t want to end.

The guest speakers were perhaps not as impressive as some in the previous days, although the crowd made some stand up as favorites, like Elizabeth Warren or Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly, always deserving of standing ovations and love. Special moments kept happening before our eyes in quick succession and there was something going on that slowly sank in. Along with the joy we feel we were being reminded of something.

Through the evening we watched ourselves on stage in the shoes of those less fortunate than ourselves who suffered and still suffer many of the circumstances we need to change. We were reminded of why change is so desperately needed. In the victims of abuse, of gun violence, of discrimination, all fiercely advocating for themselves and for us; showing determination and courage and, most of all, a way forward.

At the same time we felt their pain we felt their hope; their examples were stark reminders of what it is we’re fighting for. Yet even in their pain there was tremendous hope and staunch determination. And every time joy would surface. There was no Project 2025 book on stage. We were being reminded how bad things are even now, before its implementation. We’re fighting for the future much more than against the past. A past that did not start in 2016.

Every single thing that happened before VP Kamala Harris, our next President, set foot on that stage reminded us why we need a new way forward. That’s what happened last night. Many have their own views of who was the surprise guest that wasn’t announced; my view is the surprise guest was patriotism. It’s a feeling that has been growing in our souls for some time and one Kamala Harris made bloom. And like magic, at a packed DNC, this sea of flags appeared.

It was last evening’s surprise. Thousands of American flags waving with joy and hope and pride. The pride of being American. It wasn’t just another brilliant poke at the Christian white nationalists who had stolen the flag from us or at the repugnant turd that desecrates it every time he touches it. It was the reclaiming of our country and the one thing above all our flag stands for: Freedom. And it was a thing of beauty.

There was no need for special guests or surprise personalities. We were driving down the field not just to score a field goal at the end of the fourth. We were on our way for a touchdown. (See what I did there? The for… never mind.) When I realized that was what was happening my heart swelled again in anticipation of that play. It would be the ending of a perfect game that wouldn’t give us the trophy but open endless possibilities for tomorrow and all the hard games ahead.

And then, almost quietly at first, as if reassuring us that we really don’t need Beyoncé, the future 47th President of the United States appeared. And it was insane! The sheer joy we felt for those endless minutes and minutes of applause and cheering that seemed to echo across America as Kamala stepped up to the lectern calm and resolute will remain within us forever. It was time. This is what we’d been waiting for from day one. It reminded me of a simple thing.

I am a romantic fool and I will die one. What came to my mind was three words written on a paper napkin in a fantasy turned real: Bartlet for America. The America I love and learned to love more watching the West Wing. An ideal America I always knew was here but had only come close to in a screenplay. No more. It was right there. Not on the stage but all around it and beyond it, from sea to shining sea. America, sweet America, you know, God done shed his grace on thee.

It was real. Kamala Harris for the people. Not a minute spent on herself but lifting us up and filling our hearts as she’s always done. Five words maybe written on a paper napkin, somewhere, long ago, reaching the highest place on Earth. For America. For the people. I believe many who were still hesitant made up their minds last night. Not just because this woman made them believe in her but because she made them believe in themselves.

Kamala Harris accepted her nomination as the Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States with these words:
“On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with; people who work hard, chase their dreams and look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth; I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America.”
On behalf of all of us. For the people.

It is said this was one of the shortest acceptance speeches in US history. It was also, perhaps, the clearest, most sincere and heartfelt one. I can’t help but smile and paraphrase Stefon: this speech has everything! It had humility and pride, compassion and strength, love and fortitude, promise and commitment, hope and realization, dreams and opportunity, and complexity turned into clarity. We watched the personification of true power. Selfless power. Power of the people.

I felt like, for the first time in my life, the glory of days past was restored not in a person or a single action but in a promise. The promise that not only government but a nation of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. Kamala Harris delivered a pitch perfect speech at the very end of a pitch perfect convention and, once again, proved to ALL, at home and abroad, she is ready. Her clarity is her strength.

For decades democratic politicians have been accused, rightly or wrongly, of being elitist and talking down to people with long words and exhaustive concepts needing a protocol droid to decipher. Not anymore. Kamala Harris has the gift of clarity. As Lawrence O’Donnell would say, every time she says “let me be clear” she goes on to do just that: she is clear. Even a five year old understands exactly what she is saying. In today’s America that is a superpower.

The 2024 DNC ended with a touchdown but there was no spiking no ball. We need to put our heads down and get our game face back on. There’s a lot of work ahead until Nov 5. We got game and a dream team but none of that matters if we drop the ball. Don’t you dare drop it. Don’t you dare give it away. Don’t you dare doubting. Don’t you dare missing this opportunity. It comes once in a lifetime but as the Coach said: we got the ball. Let’s go win this thing!

We’re not going back!

[finis]

 

DNC 2024 Series:

Posted on Threads the day after. Hit links to go to blogpost.

 

Day One: Thank you, Joe.

Day Two: Roll Call.

Day Three: The Coach.

Day Four: For the People.

Note:
Comments on this blog are locked. This is but a reading platform linked to Threads. If you wish to reply with your thoughts, please do so on the Threads post that references this opinion piece. Thank you for reading.

The Coach.

This is it. Day 4.
I feel watching the DNC 2024 is like I am watching the Avengers saga for the first time running up to Endgame. Every episode just gets impossibly better. And today is Endgame day. Yesterday was just packed with raw emotion. Expected and unexpected emotion. Walk with me.

Music is a huge part of my life. I have a soundtrack that goes with it, as many of us do. I love the way it has always been there for the Democrats, not in a cringe way but in a joyful and beautiful way. So before I move on to other emotions I want to acknowledge that feature in this year’s DNC. From the awesome live band that plays the intros and outros AND performs covers with amazing talent to the DJ Cassidy Roll Call, from the recorded music to the live artists on stage.

Day three was no exception. Stevie Wonder chose the classic “Higher Ground”, a great choice among his stellar playlist. ““People keep on learning/Soldiers keep on warring/World keep on turning/’Cause it won’t be too long.” It can’t be too soon. The house went crazy but wait a minute, there was John Legend too, bringing none other than Sheila E to the stage! Wow! And I mean WOW! The minute she stepped on stage I knew Prince was coming. And we REALLY went CRAZY!

This DNC is a celebration. Some cynical voices would tell you conventions are marketing ops and to a degree they are. The difference with this one is that it’s a celebration of us. We are celebrating our newfound unity and purpose. A TikTok user I love, KJ Miller, defined it perfectly. This feeling we have reminds us of 2008 but it’s different. I was here for Obama that year, he was also a kid from modest origins rising up, but we were like in a transe of hope and History.

We were not in a personality cult but Obama made us look up to him and place our hope in him and the feeling HE would make history was inescapable. It was glorious but, like I mentioned a few days back on these threads, this time it feels different. And the reason is, as KJ Miller pointed out, that although Harris has that same aura of hope and history around her that feeling is not just about her. It’s about us. We are the cause for celebration and joy. She lifts US up.

Kamala and Tim are the vessels of our hopes and dreams and when they take the stage it’s like we are there with them. They are exactly like us. It feels like they look up to us and we feel this urge to not let them down, to deserve their trust. And yesterday it was Tim’s acceptance day. A day filled with talented, bright speakers, some young and some old, some on the way in, some on the way out, but all touched by that light that shines through this campaign. A light that comes from us.

We knew some of the orators, we expected some words and were pleasantly surprised by others. Our preferences made us smile a little wider or cringe just a bit to them and that’s okay. Let’s just say there were very few cringes and a whole lot of smiles. We are moving forward, my Thriends. To the old guard we say thank you for your service and good bye. Let’s leave it at that. On the younger, brighter side I loved Shapiro’s swagger and Buttigieg’s passion. They rock.

Like some are saying our bench is deep. Our future is bright. There is no limit. All we need to do is one thing: keep on voting. Not just this once. Every single time. If we do that one thing, that one simple, precious thing we will achieve so much. Together. Every day so far has been such a joy to watch and such an emotional roller coaster. For there are the things we dream of and fight for and then there are those we dread and battle. We are feeling both. Intensely.

The surprise of day three was a gut punch. I was not prepared for it, nor were the thousands at that arena in Chicago. When the announcer introduced Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin my heart just stopped for a second. I wasn’t ready. The applause… The standing ovation that went on for minutes as they took the stage and then, as the hands stopped, this chant that swelled and filled the house: “Bring them home.” Rachel broke down in tears, over the lectern, Jon gently pulling her back up.

That moment was lost as the cameras showed the crowd for exactly those few seconds, as if for some miracle the production foresaw it and spared that amazing woman the televised unimaginable grief that took over her for a few seconds. When they went back to her and her husband she was standing tall again as she had been for 320 days since her son Hersh was taken from life, herself and Jon, as she said. It was the first time such emotion was shared and viewed by millions. 320 days later.

Both Rachel and Jon delivered their remarks for their son and all the other 108 hostages still in the hands of Hamas, deep in the tunnels of Gaza. As he said, they may have been at a political event, but their cause is not political. It’s human. And he begged for an end of both the suffering of the hostage families AND the despair in Gaza. And the crowd was with them. And there was this moment when the applause roared again when the cameras focused on a face. One face on the screen.

It was the face of Ilhan Omar. I don’t know what others felt in those split seconds. I know what I felt. I felt I was looking at the face of hate. She could barely disguise her disdain and her sheer disgust at all those thousand of people applauding “the Jews”. Sorry Not Sorry. It’s what I saw on her face. Thank God it only lasted a few seconds. We have had enough of that. And then, with a voice that all her strength could muster, Rachel Goldberg called on her son.

“Hersh… Hersh, if you can hear us… We love you. Stay strong. Survive.” I was crying by them. Jon finished with the call we have been repeating for 321 days now: Bring Them Home! Thank you, DNC, for giving the hostages a voice. Not a political voice. A human voice. In contrast to this humanity, at the Loop, downtown, the chants of “death to America” and “killer Kamala” were faint but were there, as the “Make it great like 68” repugnant shit stains purposefully clashed with the police.

Last night was game night. The coach was up and for that we were ready! With his wife, Gwen, and his children, Hope and Gus, in the audience, Tim made a passionate acceptance speech during which he touched on familiar passages, among which his personal experience with IVF. We’ve heard it before but not like last night. We watched Hope and Gus tear up and witnessed the moment that boy stood up and pointed at his father, tears rolling down his face, and proudly said: “That’s my dad!”

Today I found out Gus is neurodivergent. And like so many of us let me make it clear to the fascist pigs out there: keep this kid’s name out of your fucking mouths, you pieces of shit. He’s off limits. Period. That emotion, those tears of joy, remained through Walz’s last words as he gave us the Coach pep talk we expected. We listened as if we were a bunch of kids in a high school, somewhere in America. And it hit us: no matter where in America. Anywhere.

Suddenly, I was back to my Friday night lights post a few days back. The Coach said: “We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball. We’re driving down the field. And, boy, do we have the right team.” We sure do coach! We fucking got this! Let’s get out there and leave it all on the field. We got just about 70 days. We’ll sleep when we’re fucking dead! Now let’s go win this thing!

We’re not going back!

[finis]

 

DNC 2024 Series:

Posted on Threads the day after. Hit links to go to blogpost.

 

Day One: Thank you, Joe.

Day Two: Roll Call.

Day Three: The Coach.

Day Four: For the People.

Note:
Comments on this blog are locked. This is but a reading platform linked to Threads. If you wish to reply with your thoughts, please do so on the Threads post that references this opinion piece. Thank you for reading.

Roll Call.

Day three of the DNC is here.
Last night everyone was waiting for the Obamas but I was more interested in the roll call. I did watch Michelle and Barack. And my favorite speech (and intro) was Doug’s. Let’s get into it.

Roll calls are my favorite part of any electoral convention. It shows me how each party rolls. The RNC’s was really bad; no really, it was pitiful. As for ours, well… I am still smiling. At first I was a bit concerned by the setup but even if I am not a sports fan the minute the Chicago Bulls intro started playing I knew it was game on. The only thing missing was a more eloquent chair, the guy was clearly not used to this kind of jazz but in the end he was okay.

I love roll calls because we get the picture of the whole country and the image of who we are. I love the enthusiasm in all its shades, from the shy ones to the exuberant ones to the glitches taken with a smile and a laugh (the cheeseheads had a rough time!) and there’s always that moment that brings it all together. You are thinking what I am thinking: Lil Jon. Turn down for what. Wowza! Georgia was on fire and it caught on.

We are many and one. No, we’re really many. If we ever get to a system where representation becomes more direct and eventually render the electoral college obsolete the Republicans will never win another election again, at least not in the decades it will take for them to shed their fascist skin off, if they ever will. Like Jesse Jackson said once, our country is not a blanket, it’s a quilt made of patches stitched together; and I would add with dedication and love.

It was impressive to watch that quilt being made in real time, vote after vote; one great nation in the making. We’re everywhere, from the bluest of states to the most conservative ones; all we need is a break and it’s in our hands to make it happen. Every state is in play. Every single one. For the first time since the end of World War Two everyone knows what fascism looks like. And this time it’s on the ballot. We will crush it.

The production of the DNC has been flawless so far and I was expecting another of those out of left field moments last night. I was not disappointed. The campaign had it timed just right and when the roll call was done and the votes counted and announced they went live to the packed Fiserv Forum arena in Milwaukee as Harris and Walz walked on stage. Just fucking wow. That’s where the RNC sorta happened by the way (wink, wink). Slay!

The dynamics of the Harris-Walz campaign are a thing of beauty. We so got them by the balls. And they know it and are getting more and more depressed. They don’t understand what’s going on. It’s just as I wrote when Harris became the candidate. We broke through their lines and threw them into complete chaos. They will never recover from this. They don’t know how. But there is a catch. One we cannot ignore.

The puppet masters may have not seen this coming but they planned for certain defeat long ago. They knew already the orange turd doesn’t have a chance, they just didn’t know it would be this bad for him. But they’re ready on our flanks. They had already saved their best units for this. The lines we broke and will defeat in Roevember are nothing compared to what awaits us on November 6. This is why it is so important to keep this momentum going beyond the election.

They’re at a complete loss right now. They still don’t get why the “honeymoon” keeps going as they start to understand it’s no fucking honeymoon. Each sign of the incoming doom that awaits them is taken with more desperate reactions that, while being distracting, are mainly pathetic and pitiful. I love watching them melt down as they freak out about Harris’ sharp salute. The badass swift downward movement as the arm breaks from the salute she does every time drives them nuts.

That’s what I meant when I wrote before Kamala Harris is a leader we can picture in full armor at the front of the ranks, not behind them. They see the contrast with “cadet bone spurs” and are terrified. They should be. But the wolves on our flanks are not impressed. They fight in the shadows and will hit us hard. We all know what’s going to happen on November 6. Delays, possible state interference, denials, court interference, you name it. It’s election denialism.

It’s their only hope but this time we’re ready on that front as well. Among our ranks are 10 times the number of lawyers we had in 2020, among which Marc Elias’ team. The fascists will give it their best denial shot and they will fail. But we can’t expect our legal corps to do all the work. We have to allow for their swift victory by doing what we’re supposed to do. Vote. Vote in numbers so big even the Supreme Court won’t dare to touch them. We have one job. We will not fail.

The DNC is our celebration and our motivation and it’s been outstanding in its unity drive. Every night I feel prouder of our country and what we can do together. Every sign, big or small, from Tim’s kids giving him bunny ears to Harris walking on stage unannounced, brings us closer together. It’s the opposite of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not like us”. They are exactly like us. All of us. Yesterday the moment that became obvious once more was Douglas Emhoff’s appearance.

His introduction was made by his son, Cole. It was complete with a well produced family video and touched all the right chords. Cole really hit it out of the park and Doug has good reason to be proud. As he recounted his love story, full of great moments and funny details, his daughter Ella was shown several times in the audience. The way she nodded in agreement when he mentioned Kamala’s “game on” face tells you it’s real. Yes, they’re just like us.

As far as the Obamas go, I was pleased to see Michelle outgrew her “when they go low…” phase. We’re fighting fascism here. It’s gloves off time, people. Barack was right, he’s probably the only guy stupid enough to speak after Michelle. A not so veiled nod to the fact it’s women’s time now. He’s right. I am glad he spent some time talking about Joe. It’s no secret that he wished for him to drop out but at least he tried to do it away from the limelight, as it should have been done.

There were two moments in his speech that stood out for me; a funny one and an unexpected one. Already his double entendre joke about “sizes” is all over the web. Good! He cracks me up every time. And then there was this cry out of the audience: “Yes, SHE can!” Yup. He smiled and repeated it. Like I said, it’s women’s time. His speech was impeccable as always. Seriously, good jokes aside, he reminded us this celebration is about the battle, not the victory.

We have a hard uphill fight in these next 72 days. Do not get distracted or over enthusiastic. Joy is good. Enthusiasm is needed. We got plenty of both. Let’s keep going and make sure we get this done right. Talk to everyone you can. Get them all out to vote. Do your part; donate your money or your time or both, it doesn’t matter how big or small. Like Michelle said: Do something. We got this. And we will slay. Zero doubt.

Come on! Forward! We’re not going back!

[finis]

 

DNC 2024 Series:

Posted on Threads the day after. Hit links to go to blogpost.

 

Day One: Thank you, Joe.

Day Two: Roll Call.

Day Three: The Coach.

Day Four: For the People.

Note:
Comments on this blog are locked. This is but a reading platform linked to Threads. If you wish to reply with your thoughts, please do so on the Threads post that references this opinion piece. Thank you for reading.

Thank you, Joe.

It’s August 20. Second day of the DNC.
Last night was special. Last night I only quoted the lines from Norah Jones’ “National Anthem” as Joe Biden recited them during his speech. It was the perfect ending to an evening full of great moments. There was a bitter part in his speech that touched me and that I knew would hurt.
So walk with me with an open mind.

The chosen speakers did not disappoint and for the most part the evening was a good start for the DNC. There were three key moments, in my opinion; the ones that brought the house down. The unexpected appearance on stage by Kamala Harris was unbelievable. The heartfelt speech by Hillary Clinton was pitch perfect. And Joe. We had been waiting for it. Yesterday, on my short good night post I called it flawless. Yet there was a moment that made my stomach turn.

Joe Biden is a better person than I or most of us will ever be. While the pro-Hamas simps were telling him to burn in hell and accusing him and Kamala Harris of being baby killers he chose to read the line someone wrote for him and that is today on Al Jazeera’s front page: “The protesters have a point.” Should he burn in hell, then? The point, for Joe and unfortunately for the Jewish people, is that Israel has a fascist government. But to the “protesters” the point is another.

To them, among who a reporter from The Free Press was hard pressed to find a single democrat, the point is Biden should burn in hell along with all Jews, the US should be destroyed along with Israel and democracy must die. That’s their point. The point that one White House speech writer managed to slip into a speech that will go down in History as the “I gave my best to you” speech for most but that for the Jewish people will be remembered as the “the protesters have a point” speech.

The President, the candidate for President and all the democrats in office will need to come to terms with the fact that these people who want them to burn in hell have no other point than to destroy democracy itself. At some point they have to realize that antisemitism does not live only in the Christian Nationalist ranks but also, and especially, in the far left regressive ranks who are as invested in the end of democracy as the neo Nazis.

While I understand why Joe Biden chose to read those lines, conscious of what the ones he tried to appease want for him, I wish he hadn’t. But that’s because I am not the President of the United States. If it were up to me, every single one of these pro-Hamas simps without US citizenship would be deported immediately. If it were up to me I would call them what they are: ignorant idiots doing Iran’s bidding. If it were up to me I would denounce Islamic fundamentalism for what it is.

I feel the pain of the Jewish community as they digest that fateful line. It makes them feel like they are alone and they, themselves, are all they got. That’s not true. Joe Biden had already deployed a strong air and naval military force to the Middle East to which the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group is being added. Israel will not face the Iranian threat alone. Far from it. To the diaspora Jews in the US, however, given the very real antisemitism they face, that’s not enough.

Most of them, like most of us, know the current Israeli government is a big part of the problem. While negotiations for the release of the hostages keep stalling one after another it has become apparent to all that neither Hamas nor Netanyahu have any interest in solving this situation. The IDF just recovered the bodies of six of the hostages from Gaza. There are only 109 left. Time is running out fast. That’s the reality.

And while most of us wish for peace, the return of the hostages and the removal of Hamas and other Islamic Jihad elements from the region, the mostly self identified “communists, marxists, anarchists” and other similar types “protest” for a ceasefire in the same breath they call for the destruction of Israel. It’s unfortunate that some White House romantic idiot speech writer doesn’t want to see it that way. Spelling it out with such dangerous ambiguity is a mistake.

Let me remind you this is not only about the vain effort to conciliate the need for the end of a war that wreaks havoc in the lives of many innocent people, as all wars do, with the need to get as many votes as possible in this election. It’s about the fundamentalists who wish to destroy our society who are NOT on the ballot except as third party candidates. Their point is not antisemitism alone. We’re next. That threat is as real as the one posed by Project 2025.

Sooner than later our democratic government will have to decide where does tolerance become a clear and present danger to our democracy and what to do about it. And they MUST admit and express clearly that threat does not come from the radical right alone. Our President is a good man. He is protecting Israel with the might of our military and so will Kamala Harris. To us, here at home, the time may be “inconvenient” but soon that same pragmatism must apply.

Many of us, indeed most of us, felt our hearts tighten as we witnessed our President on the DNC stage. I hope you watched it on one of the commentary free platforms and not the MSM, where most tried to cast their delusions onto his speech. Fuck them. Even that dreadful line that will be used against us will not take away Joe Biden’s moment. It was our moment too. We desperately needed to thank him. And we did.

Let’s remain together in this fight. We know the stakes and unlike those third party simps we know what needs to happen next. We will not let Biden’s sacrifice be in vain. We will not allow him to be portrayed as anything other than the good man he is. Better than most if not all of us will ever be. So I rise above the politics and the noise and I tell you my hope is unchanged. We will not be divided; we will defeat ALL those who wish us to burn in hell.

Tune out the naysayers and focus on what it is we are fighting against: to our right and to our left. Once you do, you will breathe easy again and be able to appreciate our President in all his consequence, honor and integrity. I trust him and give him the respect he deserves. In that light I wish to thank him once again for bringing us this far and opening the doors to a brighter future and the promise of America Harris and Walz represent.

We love Joe and We’re not going back!

[finis]

 

DNC 2024 Series:

Posted on Threads the day after. Hit links to go to blogpost.

 

Day One: Thank you, Joe.

Day Two: Roll Call.

Day Three: The Coach.

Day Four: For the People.

Note:
Comments on this blog are locked. This is but a reading platform linked to Threads. If you wish to reply with your thoughts, please do so on the Threads post that references this opinion piece. Thank you for reading.

It's been a longtime coming...

 

Top of the morning on this wonderful hump day to you, Threaders, Threadheads, and all in between. Coffee tastes exceptionally good today.

Yup. I still got a smile on my face. What a rush! Last night in Philly was fire! We are on our way to making History, Thriends. I feel it, you feel it and by God “they” feel it.
Game on.

The Temple University Liacouras Center was packed. With a capacity of 10,206 seated I think it’s safe to say we had close to 11,000 people attending, adding the floor, never mind outside. The atmosphere was magical and the campaign did a superb job at evoking the Eras Tour! The light bracelets, the arena lighting, perfect setup. The contrast with the fascist rally at the same location was jaw dropping. They could hardly fill the first ring and the top one was completely empty.

The crowds will get larger and pretty soon they’ll be considering a stadium for the closing rally before the election. One hopes! Philadelphia is the birthplace of freedom and perfectly matches the spirit of the Harris-Walz campaign (it feels good writing it for the first time! Harris-Walz!). Although, like most of us, I had my mind made up about going all in no matter who the VP pick turned out to be, I was skeptic of Tim. I even frowned (coughs) at his “weird” take, remember?

Now that the team is set I can tell you my fantasy picks, in order: Buttigieg, Shapiro, Gretchen. Yup. No Walz! Boy, was I in for a ride! This guy is a perfect wildcard! Yes, I know Josh is superb and his energy is off the charts; he was up for the call until the last second but he’s perfectly fine with Kamala’s choice and will help deliver Pennsylvania for sure. His introductory speech was spot on, complete with a reference to his faith. Philly loves him and he’s ready to serve.

I expected some blowback from more conservative Jewish sectors and some ball spiking from more “progressive” gentile ones but so far both are nearly invisible due to the massive wave of optimism and strengh Harris-Walz brought to the game. They said the words we have been using from the start and need to be said again and again: Promise; Hope; Freedom; and now Joy. There’s joy in this struggle to break away from a past we reject. We’re not going back!

We’re not going back! The battle cry of our movement. The chant that over and over filled the arena like no other. The call we answer every day and will keep alive when we go on fighting for the future we want after this initial victory that will allow us for nothing but time in which to make change happen. We know this. Watching the crowd in Philly, with so many young people in it, I realized from their TikTok posts they are finally starting to understand this is how it’s done.

They find themselves in these settings filled with a familiar energy and empathy and there’s more. There’s happiness. And suddenly they realize what they’ve been missing at the same time what was missing from the struggle meets that feeling. They’re not at a concert, they’re in a campaign rally and they are happy. Their joy in battle was deeply missed and we, the old guard, welcome them with open arms and big smiles. For their eyes are open now. They know too.

It’s a beautiful thing, watching this kind of love join the battle against hate. It’s exactly what we needed to reinforce our ranks. We are now stronger than ever and we are only getting better at this. So many of them don’t know first hand what we know, we who are old enough to have lived through fascism. Yet their young voices join ours in this one decisive chant: We’re not going back! They know. They are the key. They are the hope we carry in our hearts.

I know so many of them have been misguided and turned away from the path we must travel but we can show them why it is we must choose it. And they have a coach now. Tim Walz strikes so many right chords it’s almost unbelievable. Yes, he will be a master card in rural America; yes, he will be essential to show middle America what social democracy is all about… But above all he is the “old guy” young people can trust to empower them without condescension.

He’s the teacher that, like Kamala said, we all wish we’d had. The adult who treats young people as adults and shows them the power they have. That gives them the respect they deserve and doesn’t dismiss their dreams as folies. The one who encourages them to dream. How we have been missing someone like that in politics! And where has Tim Walz been all our lives? Well… He’s been right here.

Growing up in a Nebraska farm, helping his neighbors because his parents taught him his happiness depended on the common good. Doing is duty as a guardsman because there’s joy in the service to our country. Teaching our youth because there’s no higher aspiration than to educate our children. And serving us in Congress and in local government, selflessly. His imperfections are a reminder no one is perfect, even being so close to it. He’s truly the personification of humanity.

And he’s fun! I am glad I was not drinking anything when he came up with the “get off his couch” joke. Oh my fucking God! And the look on his face as he went “See what I did there?” was almost as priceless as the one on Kamala’s face when she did see it! What a knock out punch and delivered with such joy and ease. We found ourselves laughing our asses off and suddenly realizing what it was we were doing. We were breathing. We’re breathing again.

Bring it on. Say all you want about Harris and about Walz. Try to take away the Jewish vote, the suburban vote, the youth vote, the black vote, the women’s vote. Give it your best shot, you fascist pieces of dung. It won’t work. We’re unstoppable. We understand the assignment and we’re ready.
If I expected a swelling wave before yesterday I know now it’s inevitable. No. We’re not going back!

The sun is shining on America today as it hasn’t in a very long time. Go outside and feel it on your face. The warmth you will feel is the touch of hope. It’s a new morning. And we will make it last forever in our hearts. Know there’s a lot of work to be done and mountains to climb. We will climb them. Together.

And We’re not going back!

[finis]

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Comments on this blog are locked. This is but a reading platform linked to Threads. If you wish to reply with your thoughts, please do so on the Threads post that references this opinion piece. Thank you for reading.

Masks.

If you still had ANY doubts about the pro-Hamas protests in our campuses they are over now. SJP tells UC Santa Cruz, CA, to ban Hillel from campus. And if you had ANY doubts the IDF needs to go into Rafah they are over now too. Rockets from Rafah have been fired at Kerem Crossing, one of the humanitarian aid entry points to Gaza.

Fucking walk with me.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is a shell organization for Within Our Lifetime (WOL), the terrorist group led by 29 yo Nerdeen Kiswani, funded by at least one foreign organization that Germany and Israel have banned for allegedly working with or supporting Hamas, along with left wing American “philanthropists”, who profit one way or another from the chaos these groups were created to wreak on American society. SJP has been training radicalized students for months now.

 

They were never very clever about concealing their goals, but the crescendo did kind of work, starting with an “anti-war”, “ceasefire now” more consensual position, pretty trendy on College campuses, but quickly escalating to calls for the destruction of Israel as a nation. And that was the point, very soon after the protests started, at which the supposed “team Palestine” became “team Hamas”, and the protests turned from pro-Palestine to anti-Israel, from ceasefire to bomb Tel Aviv.

 

All nuance is gone, especially now that SJP is not trying to hide its ugly antisemitic head anymore. By including a ban on Hillel in their list of demands at California’s Santa Cruz University, which will no doubt be mirrored around the country in other universities, the students involved proved they are really protesting all things Jewish, and all Jews, declaring the real objective has always been Judenrein: the exclusion of Jewish people from society.

I keep reminding (or telling those who missed it) I was once president of my college Student Association, involved in similar protests, with police at the gates. Just like those who still try to be compassionate about these students and defend their right to free speech, I am 100% against outside police on campus, or even campus police interference, much less that of the National Guard. But this is not Kent State. Far from it. This is a trap laid out by a terrorist organization (WOL).

The vast majority of the students protesting fell for this trap. And now they are stuck. But are they? Can we really believe that the minute the chants went from “Free Palestine” to “Global Intifada”, and the slogans like “Defund, Divest” turned to “Gas the Jews”, they didn’t realized they had been tricked into defending Hamas? Can we really justify their cries of “Liars!” when confronted with real footage from October 7? Really? No. We cannot.

It’s all out in the open. It has been for quite some time. They became what they despise. I am 100% sure every single one of these students are against Nazism. No doubt. But they allowed the horse shoe to close, and now they are on the same side of those carrying torches in the night, chanting “Jews will not replace us.” It’s a textbook chaos agent play. But there’s no more hiding this. The evidence is overwhelming. Yet they persist. The madness expands.

Couple of days back I posted a video of little children in line, walking to school, chanting “Free Palestine”. They couldn’t be more than 5 or 6 years old. The fears of Nazi indoctrination at our schools have now a new form: a pure antisemitic form. How long before they start teaching children to tell on their parents for being “subversive”? How long before they start teaching them a good Jew is a dead Jew? You think I am kidding? I am not.

 

People affiliated with Jewish Voices for Peace are already claiming 5 year olds must be allowed to “speak their minds” and defend their right to fight for Palestine. FIVE YEAR OLDS. This is how it starts. We have already seen people with children at protests “for Palestine”. Pretty soon they will replace the open umbrellas with toddlers, to prevent police intervention. You watch. It won’t take long. You know why? Because once the mask is ripped from their faces, it’s over.

This is our fork on the road. This is when they start losing big time, and we see them for what they really are, and most of us go “fuck that!” This is when they are simultaneously more vulnerable and more dangerous. They got nowhere to run. So radicalization will grow exponentially, and so will their methods. It may take a month or a year or two, but make no mistake: if we don’t shut them down now we will start seeing some of these fucks in explosive vests, “inch’Allah”.

Watch carefully. At the same time they demand the ban of Hillel, the world’s largest, most inclusive Jewish campus organization, serving more than 140,000 students each year at 850 colleges and universities around the world, a mostly secular organization, they form rows and rows of people praying to Allah in the occupied campuses. No worries, right? This is perfectly fine: secular Jewish resources bad, religious Arab expansion good. What could possibly go wrong.

 

These protestors don’t want free speech protections, they want protection from spewing hate speech outside of controlled environments, where they can play the victim card when they break the law, something they can’t get away with in the outside world, in the streets where free speech, civil disobedience and protest belong, with all the consequences that come with it. They are nothing but cowards, afraid to show their faces, unwilling to take responsibility for their actions.

You need proof? Look no further than Princeton University. Their version of “occupy for Palestine” started, tents and all, list of demands, the works.

The university took one look at it and the response was swift: anyone willing to go along with that protest would be expelled at the end of day. The students shut themselves down five minutes later. Done. Zero conviction. Zero courage. Zero reason. If every college acted like that, this would not be a problem.

Princeton fucking rocks.

And spare me the fucking free speech spiel. None of those students are prohibited from taking to the streets and protest for whatever the fuck they want, from ceasefire now to banana free snacks. No one is curtailing their free speech. They just don’t want it, unless they get away with murder.

Fuck them. They are absolutely free to buy a couple gallons of gas and set themselves on fire. That’s exactly what they are doing, anyway, fighting for a global intifada, which would inevitably end them.

There is no question that a lot needs to change, that we need to build bridges between those who truly advocate for Justice for Israel and for Palestine. Hard choices need to be made on both sides if we are to reach common ground and move forward constructively. But DO NOT waste time trying to establish a dialogue with a hooded ghoul shouting “Death to Israel” at you. Fascism is not to be debated, it’s to be crushed. The same applies to antisemitism. Period.

Then there’s Rafah. And the hostages.

And fucking Netanyahu. One, two, three.

 

One: Rafah needs to fall. Hamas must be completely thrown out of the Gaza Strip. No question. Will the war against their terror be won? Nope. But the battle of Gaza can end in victory. That’s a huge improvement, for peace loving Israelis and Palestinians. Never forget peace sometimes comes in the wake of war. There’s no denying this.

Two: The hostage situation is more and more desperate. I don’t know what Hamas has decided on this last negotiation, in Egypt. Israel already declared via private channels the Hamas delusions of being allowed to rebuild their forces in the Strip will NOT be tolerated. They are all but defeated and are desperately trying to find a way out. Not gonna happen. And this is probably the last time a negotiated return of any hostages is possible. God help us all…

Three: Fucking Netanyahu needs to go. Now. The people of Israel is in the streets, demanding new elections and his accountability for the shitshow the response to the hostage crisis and the current war strategy has become. But do not think for a minute that if the most liberal Israeli government were to be elected tomorrow it would allow Hamas to remain in the Gaza Strip. That simply cannot happen, after October 7. It’s the HOW to do it that needs to change, but not just that.

There is a number four. The West Bank.

I wrote about this before. While all eyes are on Gaza, the Bezalel Smotrich inspired settlers are going out of control, clashing with IDF troops as they try to restore order. Why do you think Smotrich wants the IDF out of the West Bank and the establishment of his own religious radical militia in its stead? This is what most Israelis do not want. It’s a recipe for disaster and it only complicates the situation in Gaza. So there’s that.

Wake the fuck up, everyone. This is not easy, and it’s not as black and white as some would want you to believe, EXCEPT when it comes to pro-Hamas demonstrations. ANYONE defending Hamas, the exclusion of Jews from any part of our society, and the destruction of Israel is not anti-war, it’s antisemite. No discussion there. Be it on campus or in the street, pro-Hamas protests need to be crushed and their instigators punished as hard as possible. Enough!

Yom HaShoah starts today, at dusk.

Never forget the Holocaust. Never forget how it came to be. And never forget the millions who died alongside the Jews, whether in camps or as victims of the war Nazi Germany provoked. This isn’t just about the Jews, but today, as the sun goes down, remember their fallen. And stand up not just for them, but WITH them. It’s also for yourselves you are standing up for.

Shavua tov.

Am Yisrael Chai.

[finis]

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Comments on this blog are locked. This is but a reading platform linked to Threads. If you wish to reply with your thoughts, please do so on the Threads post that references this opinion piece. Thank you for reading.