"What unifies them is a vision of a fading America."
If America is "fading," it's due in no small part to Putin's hold on Trump's hold on the GOP's hold on the House's hold on Congress's hold on Biden’s attempts to prevent it.
“This is hard to understand, but the lessons of history are clear: Israel must strike back to keep the peace. A failure to re-establish deterrence will invite more attacks, and in the end, a more dangerous war.”
Sorry Steve, I respectfully disagree. To say “Israel must strike back to keep the peace is an oxymoron and counterproductive. Iran’s attack was an utter failure and we need to de-escalate.
If Israel attacks, it could start a regional war and the consequences will be devastating for the Middle East and for Europe and the US.
First off, Israel’s military is two-thirds a reserve army, navy and Air Force. They can’t afford a war of attrition against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and possibly Syria; it will destroy their economy which is the third largest after Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Western Asia with only 9 1/2 million people, compared to 85 million in Turkey and 35 million in Saudi Arabia. Their respective GDP’s are $2.4 trillion, $1.1 trillion and $600 billion (Israel).
Israel’s economy is mostly technology and service based; when half a million Israeli’s are called up for service, it will have a negative impact on their economy.
Additionally, if Israel responds then commodity prices will increase exponentially (especially oil and natural gas), at a time when most western economies are either in a recession, or on the cusp of a recession. If you think inflation is bad now in the US, it will only get worse.
Why is it your first impulse is to escalate the situation Steve? Israel attacked Iran first in Syria, killing seven high level Iranian officers. Forget the proxies, since Israel supports the MEK in Iran, which even America considers a terror organization and provokes Iran regularly by assassinating Iranian Nuclear experts and military and intelligence personnel.
I don’t disagree that Iran eventually should pay a price, but escalation right now will only make matters worse and help Netanyahu, and possibly even handing the presidency to Trump.
Netanyahu can’t be trusted. He screwed and disrespected Obama by addressing Congress without Obama’s knowledge, and telling them to oppose the JCPOA. How’d that work out for Israel? Iran now has enough enriched uranium to build several bombs, and could go nuclear at any time. The failure of the JCPOA also helped elect the most conservative Iranian government since the 1979 revolution.
Netanyahu also screwed the CIA and NSA after weaponizing Olympic Games, the virus known as Stuxnet after agreeing not to.
Bottom line, Netanyahu never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity; making matters worse.
Case in point: When Biden’s aides released to the media that Netanyahu was acting unreasonable and that the US supports a two-state solution, his response was to approve his right-wing government’s proposal to annex another 2,000 acres in the West Bank for more settlements. A true ally (sarcasm).
I support Israel but not with impunity, and it sounds like you believe that Israel should respond however it likes, which will and has always had bad outcomes for the US, while also straining our relations with our top European allies.
I know McCain is a hero of yours, but he was also a neo-con who never met a war he didn’t like. This isn’t the 20th century, and modern wars never achieve the desired outcome. Have we learned nothing from our overreaction to 9/11? Last I checked, our endless wars led to the rise of the Tea Party, and eventually Trump.
Make no mistake, Republicans don't give a damn about the Constitution. They flaunt their religious beliefs and say we must believe what they believe. There is no room for debate or compromise. The speaking in tongues may sound ridiculous to us but it is purposeful to reinforce their commitment to conform to a set of beliefs in an Old testament, vengeful God, who is Almighty. Republicans only believe in portions of the Constitution, never the whole. They pick and choose which parts they will follow so they can use it as a weapon against the rest of us who believe the whole document applies. Yes, we have a problem in Congress and there are instigators who ply their wares and sew division to further their un-american activities. They want to turn back the clocks so opinions they hold will be in the majority. Their opinions will never be in the majority no matter how far they turn back the clocks. It angers me because their ideas are as old as time and come from a deep rooted fear. A fear which they exploit and use to divide us into groups because that is where we are vulnerable when separated.
So yes there is no mistake, a house divided can not stand. That is why they do not believe in separation of Church and State. The speaking in tongues is gibberish to us but is needed to keep the true believers in line. They have convinced themselves that Russia and Putin represent a protector of Christianity. That is how far gone they have fallen to believe a dictator who believes in nothing but power could believe in a God. The only reason they they care anything about Israel is that they believe the rapture is near and the valley where it is supposed to happen is in the Middle East. These true believers want the destruction of Israel and the chaos it will create because in the chaos comes their salvation. Yes, true believers scare me not because they believe but because they are willing to see the world burn for their salvation.
So I mostly thought about Ukraine last night. It must have been so discouraging for the people of that country to see the aide and support for Israel (I get it) while they huddle in shelters. I felt shame and embarrassment. Will most likely be more of that feeling this week as we watch the House performance. Guess appliance week is being moved to another week.
Netanyahu has taken a play from the fascist play book. He was being indicted on corruption charges. He formed a coalition of the worst elements of the country to become the head of the country hoping the charges would go away. They didn’t. So his next step was to nullify the courts, that set off riots in the streets.
Hamas did him a favor and attacked Israel taking the spotlight off him. He would have otherwise been removed at head of state and ended up in prison.
Now he placed the survival of the country as risk so he won’t lose his job and go to prison.
This is exactly what Trump would do if elected again to office.
The world is watching in horror as over 33,000 innocent people are murdered, most of them women and children, while Israel continues its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. Its transparent effort to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching a starving population is reminiscent of similar events by Russia and Nazi Germany. Now Netanyahu’s desperate plan of self preservation is slowly dragging the United States into a widening conflict in the Middle East. The Holocaust was a horror beyond belief. The October 7 massacre by the terrorist group Hamas cannot go unpunished. The rise of antisemitism across the world must be exposed. But none of that absolves Israel from the humanitarian crisis it has caused in Gaza. I look forward to your insight on the state of our nation. But your unconditional support of Israel leaves me with one word. Why?
Speaking in tongues is what the Republikkkans do because they don't know how to speak in normal tongues ,and in not normal tones because they are totally and completely as deaf as a dead haddock !
Netanyahu‘s major stumble, like Trump’s neglect that caused catastrophic deaths in the US, has Israel surrounded by rockets and the threat to Jewish people’s sovereignty and integrity. Existing in the Middle East takes much more than arrogance and blind ambition. You need a leader with courage, generosity, character, and a clear, delicate, and enduring vision. Israel’s future depends on getting a leadership that will lead instead of scrambling after each catastrophic negligence. This is a harbinger of things to come again to the US if Trump were to return.
Steve, you're on the money as ususal. Do you see those women who keep looking around to see if anyone's going to come in and try to stop them? They know this is wrong! But then they turn all the predictable outrage of their actions into, "Oh! We stirred up a bunch of God-haters and aetheists!" This is how they obfiscate the real meaning of this heinous act on the State Seal, and confuse the poorly educated masses into misunderstanding the real meaning of their blasphemous acts
China is the real power propping up these destructive regimes. And the western countries that cannot live without cut rate price Chinese goods are responsible for making China rich and powerful. Ivanka Trump brand of goods are an example. China is the major artery keeping Putin, North Korea and Iran strong.
Thank you Steve. But Scripps--yeesh the shot clock thing in the lower corner is distracting. This ain't a sports show. Also if I ran Scripps, I'd put Steve on as much as he'd allow, so I don't get this usage unless they're paying him by the word and just can't afford it.
For me, I'm kind of glad Biden came out and said the US will not participate with Israel if they should choose to retaliate against Iran. When Israel decides to lob airstrikes into Syria to get some Hezbollah folks, they are only laying into the hands of the Iranians for an escalation. Israel now proven their air defenses are adequate to repel the Iranian air attack. The Israelis need to vote out Netanyahu in order to break the hold the far right in Israel has on its government where discussions with Palestinians regarding a two-state solution and stopping further settlements onto Palestinian land can commence. Netanyahu screwed up when he failed to secure Israel's border, letting Hamas do what it did on Oct 7th. And just like the US and it's far right "nazi" problem, saner heads must prevail in order to beat back this historical, self-destructive streak each of our nations have.
"What unifies them is a vision of a fading America."
If America is "fading," it's due in no small part to Putin's hold on Trump's hold on the GOP's hold on the House's hold on Congress's hold on Biden’s attempts to prevent it.
“This is hard to understand, but the lessons of history are clear: Israel must strike back to keep the peace. A failure to re-establish deterrence will invite more attacks, and in the end, a more dangerous war.”
Sorry Steve, I respectfully disagree. To say “Israel must strike back to keep the peace is an oxymoron and counterproductive. Iran’s attack was an utter failure and we need to de-escalate.
If Israel attacks, it could start a regional war and the consequences will be devastating for the Middle East and for Europe and the US.
First off, Israel’s military is two-thirds a reserve army, navy and Air Force. They can’t afford a war of attrition against Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and possibly Syria; it will destroy their economy which is the third largest after Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Western Asia with only 9 1/2 million people, compared to 85 million in Turkey and 35 million in Saudi Arabia. Their respective GDP’s are $2.4 trillion, $1.1 trillion and $600 billion (Israel).
Israel’s economy is mostly technology and service based; when half a million Israeli’s are called up for service, it will have a negative impact on their economy.
Additionally, if Israel responds then commodity prices will increase exponentially (especially oil and natural gas), at a time when most western economies are either in a recession, or on the cusp of a recession. If you think inflation is bad now in the US, it will only get worse.
Why is it your first impulse is to escalate the situation Steve? Israel attacked Iran first in Syria, killing seven high level Iranian officers. Forget the proxies, since Israel supports the MEK in Iran, which even America considers a terror organization and provokes Iran regularly by assassinating Iranian Nuclear experts and military and intelligence personnel.
I don’t disagree that Iran eventually should pay a price, but escalation right now will only make matters worse and help Netanyahu, and possibly even handing the presidency to Trump.
Netanyahu can’t be trusted. He screwed and disrespected Obama by addressing Congress without Obama’s knowledge, and telling them to oppose the JCPOA. How’d that work out for Israel? Iran now has enough enriched uranium to build several bombs, and could go nuclear at any time. The failure of the JCPOA also helped elect the most conservative Iranian government since the 1979 revolution.
Netanyahu also screwed the CIA and NSA after weaponizing Olympic Games, the virus known as Stuxnet after agreeing not to.
Bottom line, Netanyahu never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity; making matters worse.
Case in point: When Biden’s aides released to the media that Netanyahu was acting unreasonable and that the US supports a two-state solution, his response was to approve his right-wing government’s proposal to annex another 2,000 acres in the West Bank for more settlements. A true ally (sarcasm).
I support Israel but not with impunity, and it sounds like you believe that Israel should respond however it likes, which will and has always had bad outcomes for the US, while also straining our relations with our top European allies.
I know McCain is a hero of yours, but he was also a neo-con who never met a war he didn’t like. This isn’t the 20th century, and modern wars never achieve the desired outcome. Have we learned nothing from our overreaction to 9/11? Last I checked, our endless wars led to the rise of the Tea Party, and eventually Trump.
IMHO!
Make no mistake, Republicans don't give a damn about the Constitution. They flaunt their religious beliefs and say we must believe what they believe. There is no room for debate or compromise. The speaking in tongues may sound ridiculous to us but it is purposeful to reinforce their commitment to conform to a set of beliefs in an Old testament, vengeful God, who is Almighty. Republicans only believe in portions of the Constitution, never the whole. They pick and choose which parts they will follow so they can use it as a weapon against the rest of us who believe the whole document applies. Yes, we have a problem in Congress and there are instigators who ply their wares and sew division to further their un-american activities. They want to turn back the clocks so opinions they hold will be in the majority. Their opinions will never be in the majority no matter how far they turn back the clocks. It angers me because their ideas are as old as time and come from a deep rooted fear. A fear which they exploit and use to divide us into groups because that is where we are vulnerable when separated.
So yes there is no mistake, a house divided can not stand. That is why they do not believe in separation of Church and State. The speaking in tongues is gibberish to us but is needed to keep the true believers in line. They have convinced themselves that Russia and Putin represent a protector of Christianity. That is how far gone they have fallen to believe a dictator who believes in nothing but power could believe in a God. The only reason they they care anything about Israel is that they believe the rapture is near and the valley where it is supposed to happen is in the Middle East. These true believers want the destruction of Israel and the chaos it will create because in the chaos comes their salvation. Yes, true believers scare me not because they believe but because they are willing to see the world burn for their salvation.
Indeed.
Church and state.
Separate.
So I mostly thought about Ukraine last night. It must have been so discouraging for the people of that country to see the aide and support for Israel (I get it) while they huddle in shelters. I felt shame and embarrassment. Will most likely be more of that feeling this week as we watch the House performance. Guess appliance week is being moved to another week.
Netanyahu has taken a play from the fascist play book. He was being indicted on corruption charges. He formed a coalition of the worst elements of the country to become the head of the country hoping the charges would go away. They didn’t. So his next step was to nullify the courts, that set off riots in the streets.
Hamas did him a favor and attacked Israel taking the spotlight off him. He would have otherwise been removed at head of state and ended up in prison.
Now he placed the survival of the country as risk so he won’t lose his job and go to prison.
This is exactly what Trump would do if elected again to office.
The world is watching in horror as over 33,000 innocent people are murdered, most of them women and children, while Israel continues its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza. Its transparent effort to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching a starving population is reminiscent of similar events by Russia and Nazi Germany. Now Netanyahu’s desperate plan of self preservation is slowly dragging the United States into a widening conflict in the Middle East. The Holocaust was a horror beyond belief. The October 7 massacre by the terrorist group Hamas cannot go unpunished. The rise of antisemitism across the world must be exposed. But none of that absolves Israel from the humanitarian crisis it has caused in Gaza. I look forward to your insight on the state of our nation. But your unconditional support of Israel leaves me with one word. Why?
Speaking in tongues is what the Republikkkans do because they don't know how to speak in normal tongues ,and in not normal tones because they are totally and completely as deaf as a dead haddock !
Indeed.
Church and state.
Separate.
Netanyahu‘s major stumble, like Trump’s neglect that caused catastrophic deaths in the US, has Israel surrounded by rockets and the threat to Jewish people’s sovereignty and integrity. Existing in the Middle East takes much more than arrogance and blind ambition. You need a leader with courage, generosity, character, and a clear, delicate, and enduring vision. Israel’s future depends on getting a leadership that will lead instead of scrambling after each catastrophic negligence. This is a harbinger of things to come again to the US if Trump were to return.
Steve, you're on the money as ususal. Do you see those women who keep looking around to see if anyone's going to come in and try to stop them? They know this is wrong! But then they turn all the predictable outrage of their actions into, "Oh! We stirred up a bunch of God-haters and aetheists!" This is how they obfiscate the real meaning of this heinous act on the State Seal, and confuse the poorly educated masses into misunderstanding the real meaning of their blasphemous acts
Iran's retaliation is done. If its proxies continue to destabilize, take THEM out.
China is the real power propping up these destructive regimes. And the western countries that cannot live without cut rate price Chinese goods are responsible for making China rich and powerful. Ivanka Trump brand of goods are an example. China is the major artery keeping Putin, North Korea and Iran strong.
Thank you Steve. But Scripps--yeesh the shot clock thing in the lower corner is distracting. This ain't a sports show. Also if I ran Scripps, I'd put Steve on as much as he'd allow, so I don't get this usage unless they're paying him by the word and just can't afford it.
For me, I'm kind of glad Biden came out and said the US will not participate with Israel if they should choose to retaliate against Iran. When Israel decides to lob airstrikes into Syria to get some Hezbollah folks, they are only laying into the hands of the Iranians for an escalation. Israel now proven their air defenses are adequate to repel the Iranian air attack. The Israelis need to vote out Netanyahu in order to break the hold the far right in Israel has on its government where discussions with Palestinians regarding a two-state solution and stopping further settlements onto Palestinian land can commence. Netanyahu screwed up when he failed to secure Israel's border, letting Hamas do what it did on Oct 7th. And just like the US and it's far right "nazi" problem, saner heads must prevail in order to beat back this historical, self-destructive streak each of our nations have.
These 'Two-Minute Warnings' are so cool, Steve. Also, I cannot think of a more important topic!