The moral rot at America’s elite universities and the dogmatic ideologies that hold Americanism in contempt, cheer Hamas killers, crush dissent, destroy intellectual freedom and embrace division have been exposed. It is twisted. What has been exposed is the fruits of a generation of ideological indoctrination that has poisoned a generation of brittle college graduates, who combine arrogance, dogmatism, ignorance, intolerance and certitude into an absurd concoction of grievance-based performative nothingness. Somehow, the nation has failed them so completely and abandoned them so absolutely that they became prey for digital hustlers pushing algorithms that celebrate mass rape, child murder, human butchery and the firing of automatic weapons at point blank range into the genitals of young girls, mothers and grandmothers.
“What has been exposed is the fruits of a generation of ideological indoctrination that has poisoned a generation of brittle college graduates, who combine arrogance, dogmatism, ignorance, intolerance and certitude into an absurd concoction of grievance-based performative nothingness.”
Steve, I agree with these words; however, I believe you are applying them incorrectly. It sounds like you’re describing the evangelical churches, white nationalists, “right-wing” media and the MAGA mob.
Universities teach complex issues. History isn’t condensed into a few sentences and bumper stickers or slogans, like they teach in high school. It requires critical reasoning and nuance of complex issues and problems.
And it’s not indoctrination that is at issue. It’s that governments act contrary to their own belief system. We speak of equality, and morality, when our own government has hoodwinked us into morally bankrupt wars. We have supported brutal dictatorships, illiberal regimes and even provoked coups when it serves our interests.
Don’t blame colleges for teaching the truth. It’s society that lets us down. It’s our feckless leaders and media who regurgitate lies, and misinformation for their own nefarious purposes.
Do students react the same way many Americans do, when they recognize injustices? Of course! How is what has been happening on college campuses even in the same category as the J6th insurrection?
Who taught these people (MAGA) to hate America and democrats with such disdain that they were willing to overthrow a democratically elected government and install an authoritarian kleptocrat? Are colleges calling for the overthrow of our government? I don’t think so!
I believe your vitriol is directed at the wrong people. Yes, the anti-semitism on campus’s is horrendous. That said, the college students anger may be misplaced, but it’s because of years of neglect by the western world to protect Palestinians; allowing Netanyahu and his right-wing government to commit atrocity after atrocity, and for what? Their policies aren’t t making Israel safer. It’s because Israel wants to expand its territory and expel Palestinians from their land? The religious Jews and Netanyahu don’t even try to hide this fact. And America has been culpable and an enabler for Netanyahu’s draconian agenda. If you want to have an honest discussion of the facts, then let’s have at it. Yet, you make no distinctions between Hamas and the Palestinian people, as though they are a monolith group. You show no concern for the average Palestinian. Where is your moral compass?
You’d have to be blind not to even consider what has been happening to the Palestinians for decades. This is the college students emotional response to tyranny. We all succumb to this distortion of truth from time to time. 9/11 comes to mind, and it didn’t end well for anyone, including America.
So please stop making this about Israel and Hamas; that is a simplistic understanding of a complex issue. In the end, Palestinians are human beings and have the same right to self-determination as everyone else. And as an American Jew, we have a responsibility to uphold a higher moral standard for the most marginalized in society. Otherwise, our claim as a victim of hate and racism is nothing more than a lie.
And as H.L. Mencken once said, “complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers!”
Bottom line: it’s not indoctrination. Their emotional response is decades in the making, and while I disagree with their behavior, they aren’t completely wrong in wanting justice for Palestinians. Even a majority of Israeli’s want peace.
It would be more beneficial for all of us if you would at least touch on the issues, instead of immediately backing Israel with impunity. No country operates with anything other than their own interests at heart; and until there is a paradigm shift in thinking, these conflicts are inevitable; as are the outcomes.
Robert, Well said. I agree overall; and I am very disappointed with Steve’s unhinged and hateful rant impugning and condemning not just higher education, but an entire generation of young Americans.
Furthermore, Stefanik and the entire right-wing ecosystem have cynically taken a very complex debate and turned it into a caricature that they are easily and effectively using to further undermine “liberalism” and faith in liberal institutions, democrats, democracy, and everything else that they despise. And they can’t believe their good fortune that so many otherwise reasonable people in the center, like Steve, are losing their minds by drinking their poisonous cool-aide.
We, all of us, need to help people back from this this insidious drink, this ugly brink.
Well done. As a Reform Jew, I thank you for explaining relevant differences between the Israeli government and other Jews, etc. It’s extremely painful to be associated with Netanyahu et al. Strange but not so strange how our opinions would be the last Netanyahu would listen to yet many lump us all together in a demeaning fashion. I also believe that the “downfall” in education in the US begins long before college, when we first teach history and fail to teach civics and the truth. And we have no unifying service program either which might foster greater understanding of “the other” and facilitate an understanding as to why as a society we must help the downtrodden etc. There exists too many local school districts and home schooling without standards and sometimes with a Christian Nationalist agenda. In short our “educated” children are not always so educated and lack critical reasoning skills. I’m going on and on, but I really appreciate your assessment of current problems. Thank you.
Robert, Thank you for commenting. If I read you correctly, while not condoning recent behavior on college campuses, your perspective stems from your recognizing the notable endeavor among those involved with post-adolescents to promote a willingness, particularly in college classrooms, to confront the many credible ways, broadly speaking, of interpreting the world that emerge from divergent assumptions. Accordingly, we are observing behaviors among a population likely not ready to resolve the challenges such interpretations create in the course of a semester.
My point is to underscore, that if anyone has been remiss, it’s professors and administrators who, despite a handful of exceptions, have not afforded opportunities for college-wide forums aimed at fostering an appreciation of the inevitable discomfort in the pursuit of what is true.
I would agree with your comment wholeheartedly. I also think some of the disconnect is that it’s all the left-wing professors teaching their students to hate Israel, which is nonsense. Some might, but it’s not the majority.
Professors expose students to facts and different perspectives, and expect the students to use critical reasoning skills to disseminate the information accordingly. Another misconception is the belief that college students don’t have access to the internet, social media, other student opinions and other sources of information; all their knowledge comes from their studies and classes. Again, ludicrous!
Furthermore, I think the extent of the protests is overblown. We see hundreds of people protesting at Harvard. The undergraduate student body is approximately 7,200. Most people are not protesting at all.
Thirdly, this idea we can modulate speech is ridiculous. The Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue and ruled in favor of racists and fascists, time and again. Unless they make a direct threat to an individual, then hate speech, regardless how despicable, is legal. We could discuss whether changes need to be made, but “speech” laws would be a slippery slope, and easily used for nefarious purposes by bad government actors.
Lastly, it appears conservatives and even the MSM like to attack the “low hanging” fruit: elite universities.
I wonder what’s being taught at evangelical colleges and other religious institutions? They teach hate, racism, misogyny and misinformation daily; yet all we hear are crickets!
Bottom line: for years liberal colleges were being denigrated as places creating safe spaces for students. Conservative pundits would say they aren’t being taught about the real world where safe spaces and feelings don’t matter; kids are being taught to be wimps and complainers. How ironic, the same critics are now telling us American campuses need to be safe places....:)
Robert, While I appreciate your comment overall, I do want to comment on the matter of speech. In my view, central to education is fostering the recognition that intelligent and sincere people can have fundamental disagreements about complex matters, and that usually much more can be accomplished by trying to understand one another’s positions than by ignoring or dismissing them. Accordingly, I believe in the merits of letting conversation partners know that they are being listened to and respected even when being disagreed with or refuted. In my experience, when people genuinely feel listened to, they often, though not always, repay by listening.
I agree with this. In fact Dartmouth did in fact set up forums like you mentioned earlier and it alleviated a lot of the misconceptions and emotional responses by the students. And your right, dialogue goes along way to understanding people’s different perspectives and experiences.
Sorry I didn’t address it in the first response, but you are 100% correct and point taken...:)
Today we read that all three presidents were coached, prepped and prepared by the same $2500 an hour white shoe (kind of fitting) law firm.
I am as progressive as anyone on this blog, however, as much as I hate the fact that gop has found a way to whip academia to a pulp without the typical response from the left, it galls me to see many on the left twisting themselves like pretzels to rationalize the events of 10/7.
So with that considered there is no way to justify, mollify, condone the calling for the eradication of the Jewish people.
As I wrote recently had it been directed to any other group no matter how small those students and professors would have paid a price.
Well parried; nicely articulated and I must concur. Thank you for this objectivity in the face of too much visceral response and sympathy to one side only that has consumed most major media and political dialog.
Very well written. Thank you. I watched the hearing; from the heads of these Elite Universities . And the back and forth between them and Elise Stefanik . 1) I felt that those testifying needed to elaborate on their answers, they failed to do that. I also thought that this was little Miss Revenge Stefanik , taking this opportunity to get back at her Al ma mater, Harvard, for removing her from the Advisory seat . They did so, when she lied and continues to lie for trump, on the 2020 election being stolen. She was active behind the scenes in assisting Trump to overturn / and stay in power.
Elise is a Power hungry, aggressive witch. That being said..The Heads of MIT, PENN, And Harvard gave crappy crappy weak answers. WHY? (another good source on why we are here today, is Rachel Maddows book Prequel ..she goes into this in depth.) But, what Hurts my brain..is Elise Stefanik badgering those testifying - while at the same time - supporting Trump who's dad was KKK / Who called the Charlottesville tiki torch protestors - Chanting "jews will not replace us" VERY FINE PEOPLE - A trump who was endorsed by David Duke after that event. SO...if its not good for our SCHOOLS...why is it OKAY in our White House? its like this about everything "in politics" Why is Politics different than REAL LIFE? ..
Sadly as I watched the hearing / and I listened to their answers ..I found myself yelling at the TV saying ...AND,....AND...Yes, we must protect Free speech. But??? Threatening cannot continue ..whether its in schools / or its from a candidate eying another run for the White House. Calling Leticia james PEEK A BOO??? when he's dying to say JIG A .. COME ON !!
Well said, and I agree on Stefanik. However, I thought the hearings were nothing more than a spectacle and a sham. She asked yes and no questions and interrupted the answers, as is always the case with imbeciles. Complex issues can’t be answered with a yes or no. We learn nothing from this.
And yet the same people who carry water for the tangerine terrorist, have the audacity to question others about hate and racism? How quaint...:)
As I read the first paragraphs, I had to double check who had written them; the vitriol towards the universities sounded so similar to the right wing complaints about our “elitist” colleges. I’ve been seeing the pro-Palestinian rallies more simply: that they are a knee jerk response by young people in response to the first real horrors of war that they’ve ever seen. And there is truth in condemning Netanyahu as a right wing provocateur of violence. He is guilty as sin. Having lived during the anti Vietnam protests, I remember how easily led young people are, and I can’t help but suspect that there are “agents” now leading these rallies. Right wing agitators. I somehow doubt that anti Semitism has suddenly sprung out of nowhere on those campuses, especially now in a time of diminished interest in religion. The Jewish-Republican Coalition (which supports Trump and his minions) benefits greatly from public reaction to those protest rallies. I think it’s odd, that the previously anti Semitic right wingers (“there are good folks on both sides”, David Duke approved) are suddenly defending Israel. It’s well known that the Evangelical movement longs for the final conflict in the Middle East, an Armageddon, when Israel would be destroyed, and bring about the second arrival of the Messiah. Enlarging this war would fit their goal. How? By turning the world’s recent sympathy for Israel into hatred. Put simply, I smell a rat.
For his expected second term , Trump set up the Taliban to take over Afghanistan. He freed the 5000 Fighters, for what in return? It seemed pretty clear, that he had this set up that Taliban would take over Afghanistan- Since the Afghan, US trained "military" never fired a shot.They folded like a cheap beach chair on Labor Day. Was it for the Country's resources?
For His expected second term , Trump also was ready to Remove us from NATO, He would not have sent weapons to Ukraine..he was angry with Zelenskyy for Not announcing, "the appearance of an investigation into Joe BIden" Unarmed, with No US support/ Like trump withdrew from Syria allowing our allies the Kurds (who helped us defeat ISIS) be slaughtered by Turkey- Putin would have waltzed right in to Ukraine and it would have been an easy win.
For Trumps expected second term : He and Kushner, I believe made the arrangement with Netanyahu - that Gaza would be HIS. They distracted us with the Abraham accords, peace deals with countries that were not in conflict.. that Strengthened Israel ...but they did not put that much effort into crafting a Peace Deal with GAZA and the Palestinian people.
Kushner in public, belittled them, shamed them, attacked them verbally..A deal with the Palestinian people in GAZA would have been a Lot more work, than Lazy Kushner and his Lazy Father in Law , cared to take on. ANd who knows ..maybe Netanyahu said ..oh , just leave it to me.
There was a PLAN for all of these countries - (above) ..and I am not smart enough to figure out what the desired outcome would be.
I also preface this/ with, THAT Being anti Netanyahu and his warped policies ...does not make me Anti Jewish. Netanyahu is and indicted criminal . Who has been the longest serving prime minister in history. HE RIGS ELECTIONS> He also ATTACKS HIS JUDICIARY, who is holding him accountable. HE also has His stronghold on the israeli supreme court. SOUND FAMILIAR? We USA, send oodles of money to Israel. Their Technology surpasses ours.
BY LIGHT YEARS - They have a more sophisticated INTEL than we do. Their military is STELLAR.
Netanyahu - is also a pretty smart guy..And I do not believe he is friends with Biden.
BiBi knew this was coming / He was warned / Like trump is ignored his intel .. It took 5-8 hours for the STELLAR military to respond ..for any kind of help to be deployed. WHY?
WE are deaf, dumb and blindly supporting Netanyahu and Israels right to defend itself ...
with out asking questions ..why? NOW, the punishment on the Palestinian people is ...OVER KILL - when it appears that Netanyahu SAW this coming and DID nothing..He sacrificed JEWISH lives for this insane cruel war. ..He wants the LAND he wants to RULE ..no different than Putin.
“...but they did not put that much effort into crafting a Peace Deal with GAZA and the Palestinian people.”
Your comment is spot on. I’d elaborate a bit. They didn’t craft a peace deal for the Palestinians because 1). Kushner has no experience or understanding of the complex issues involved, and (2) he’s a conservative (orthodox) Jew, who agrees wholeheartedly with Netanyahu and his draconian policies. And (3) Trump is too stupid to understand or care, as long as he benefits financially; he’s a transactional actor. He cares as much about Israel as he does the US.
As for Afghanistan, I agree. The DOHA agreement was a surrender agreement. It didn’t involve the Afghan government, and as you’ve pointed out, Trump released 5,800 trained killers (Taliban and Al Qaeda) with American blood on their hands for nothing in return, except an agreement not to attack American troops.
That said, he also reduced troop levels from 25,000 to 2,500, making American presence in the country almost nonexistent before the withdrawal could take place. Bottom line: he set up the withdrawal for failure, regardless who was president. You can’t just withdraw and reinstate troops in days. It takes months of logistics to move large amounts of troops from one place to another, and that doesn’t include the time it takes to train the troops for the mission.
As for the Kurds? Never was there a greater betrayal of American Allie’s. What’s never said is that it was the Kurds who were mostly responsible for the death kneel of ISIS. They fought with only 2,500 American support troops and suffered great numbers of casualties to fight our war. And we abandoned them with prejudice.
And you’re right about Ukraine. They’d be part of Russia right now if Trump were in charge. Trump’s a petty vindictive ignorant, narcissistic sociopath who couldn’t care less about anyone but himself. He’s sell his own family for riches.
As for the Abraham Accords: agreed, they were a sham. Israel had peace with Jordan and Egypt and has working relationships with the gulf states for decades. As the adage goes in the Middle East and Central Asia: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Israel has been using Saudi airspace to attack Iran for over 15 years. No formal agreement existed, but the implications were clear. They don’t see Israel as a threat and their support of the Palestinians was no longer needed as a political football, since Hamas and Hezbollah are funded by Iran, which makes them a both a threat. Not to mention, Hamas is directly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, the same people who killed Sadat after making peace and now one of its founders is head of Al Qaeda (Ayman Muhammad Rabi az-Zawahiri).
Lastly, you’re right; we blindly support Israel, even though our support is a contradiction to our principles and democracy. I support Israel, but not the right-wing government. All support for any ally must come with restrictions; unconditionally support does Israel, nor us any favors. It only adds fuel to the fire, and enables Israel’s to execute its worst inclinations and policies by its most atrocious government actors.
Mr. Jaffee. These comments of yours are among the most impressive and intelligent and learned as I have read here in the past year. I know that criticism of Israel and its national behavior is not, by definition, anti-semitic, but it is easy for the two to become intertwined. Unfortunate, because it hinders reasoned discourse. I am very troubled by the information that Israel knew of Hamas intentions a year before the fact. I hate to think it, but Netanyahu deserves it, did his government ALLOW this to happen so they would have the excuse they have been seeking to flatten Gaza, regular harmless Palestinians, (not to mention Jewish victims), be damned? To loathe with all your heart the atrocious actions of Hamas is natural, but what is the comparable body count and still counting and I don’t have an anti-Semitic bone in my body? It makes one think of whatever private celebrations there were over 9/11 when it opened the doors to a feverishly desired war with Iraq. It is amazing what man will permit in order for his will to prevail. God could have done a much better job with humans. He had no business taking the 7th day off.
Shut your eyes and listen to the words of Edward Murrow .. forget about the writing you want to condemn so badly. If you have missed the message, listen to Mr Murrow once more. As a society we need to stop all of this bullshit that is separating us as individuals and families. Again if you have missed the message, listen once again to Edward R Murrow. My point is simply this, when I walk around my community and talk to friends and strangers we laugh and carry on as human beings joined at the hip. Most of us have the same goals in life although we may choose to use different words to express ourselves. None of the “wedge issues” are issues that can’t be solved. But we just want to swear at each other, allowing the “biggies” who are creating the wedge issues to continue separating us, meanwhile the issues just appear to get bigger and bigger. Again, if you find yourself disagreeing, go back and listen to Mr Murrow once again.
Did you notice in the article prefacing the broadcast that it gives stats of 90% of the country in 1938 had radios and listened on an average of 4 hours a day to them? It seems the country was hungry for news, discussion...and of course, music. This was all made possible by FDR electrifying rural areas. And we are limiting our children's screen time? Just a thought that popped up.
My heart is heavy with grief and despair after listening to Mr. Murrow's description of Buchenwald and description of its survivors. It is difficult for my mind to grasp the utter lack of humanity it took to get to a Buchenwald or Auschwitz. The lies told over and over again to desensitize the German citizens to let them believe this was acceptable behavior or the end justifying the means. It is unthinkable and utterly disgusting to think man could devolve so far to treat another human being or any living thing with such brutality and cruelty.
After listening to his broadcast I came back to your story about the Holocaust survivor and Adolf Eichmann's interviewer after his capture by Israel. Sorry, I can hear his name in my mind but do not wish to offend by misspelling it. However, his message is still clear that the only thing stopping this from happening again is democracy. Democracy is the great equalizer to authoritarianism and dictatorships. Without democracy brutality reigns Supreme. I look at the brutality of Russia and their unprovoked aggression towards their neighbors and the Chinese government's treatment of their Muslim minority population to see what is in store for anyone who dares to think differently from their dear leaders. You can also see the brutality to the North Korean people by its leader at night from space. It is like the world has blackout curtains drawn over their land. This is where lies and propaganda will bring you. It delivers only what the dear leaders wishes you to see or hear nothing more because you don't matter except to pay homage to the dear leader. This is what Trump wants us to become. He is enthralled by his warped perception of how a strong leader behaves. Another Holocaust awaits us with the loss of our democracy if we allow ourselves to be lied to or become indifferent to the truth. Please vote Blue and keep America strong and on our path of enlightenment.
I love the term “ predatory loan industry “. It perfectly describes the system which is creating a generation of indentured servants, burdened with a lifetime of ever growing debt.
I have the opportunity to teach all of my classes about the Holocaust. I play this for them, and I show the Allied film of the liberation of the Concentration Camps in Germany that was shown as an exhibit at the Nuremberg Trials. We read Ellie Wiesel’s book Night. I print out reports from the Einsatzgrüppen and read from them. I had the privilege of doing my undergraduate work at California State University, Northridge. His family were German immigrants to the US in the 1920s, he was 7 when they came to the US. He left college to join the Army and served as an intelligence sergeant and interpreter in the 82nd Airborne Division for the entire war. Afterward, he served as an interrogator and interpreter at the major Nuremberg Trial, and the subsequent trials conducted by the Americans there. I never forgot, and continued to learn and study.
I have been to Dachau more times than I can count, Bergen-Belsen, Flossenberg, and Buchenwald. I have also been to the T4 Euthanasia Center in Hadamar. Hadamar is in a small town northwest of Frankfurt in the in beautiful hills of Hessen. It is had to believe that a place in such an idyllic setting could be the place were gruesome experiments were conducted on inmates, and thousands of people, including infants were gassed because they were “life unworthy of life”, in other words, the physically and mentally disabled, those with birth defects, including the deaf, those who were called “feeble minded”, and more. The staff celebrated the 10,000th death by baking a cake. They also sterilized thousands of men. It is a horrific picture of a society gone wrong. I have been to Nuremberg and the courtroom where the trials were conducted. They have a museum about the Nazi crimes, as well as other war crimes and war crimes trials. It is worth visiting. I saw a picture of a very young Dr. Haeussler working with the staff. In Munich there is the “National Socialist Documentation Center”. It sits on top of where the Nazi Party headquarters, “the Brown House” was located. The documentation of the Holocaust there is amazing, in part because it devotes a floor to what happened in Munich, to show that everyone had to know what was happening, not just to the Jews, but to the slave laborers that were marched through the streets to the armaments factories that they worked. Munich is also the site of the Sophie Scholl and White Rose museum at the University of Munich. They were university students who resisted the Nazis by printing and mailing anti-Nazi pamphlets throughout Germany. Lastly, in Berlin there are the Wannsee House, where Reinhart Heydrich and 14 representatives of necessary government and party agencies met to coordinate the “Final Solution” of the Jewish Problem. It is a museum and study center now, and to stand at the table were these men, in a business meeting lasting just over an hour and a half organized the mass extermination of millions in the killing centers in Poland. Being relatively fluent in German, albeit with a Hessen and Bayern accent and dialect, I get a lot more out of these visits than many since so much of the material is in German, and because I can talk with the staff and curators of these museums.
I wish that I could teach everywhere, but at least I have the complete freedom to teach this, even interrupting the normal curriculum to do so.
No fan of the liar who questioned them, but their testimonies were abhorrent. Mobs chanting for the genocide of any group that includes their fellow students on school campuses is harassment. Clarifications by two of them were clearly disingenuous as donors prepare to close their wallets.
I have been horrified by the antisemitism on the political left, especially that expressed by university students. I shudder to think that we are reliant upon these people to help defeat MAGA at the ballot box.
There are two distinct and antithetical versions of history. One version is that Israelis have been the aggressors and oppressors. The other version is the truth: that Palestinians have consistently rejected peace, waged war, and then proceeded to lose those wars and suffer the consequences. I am shocked that disinformation on the left has proven just as pervasive as it has on the right.
For years, I've heard the criticisms of American universities: the lack of free speech, "wokeness", Marxism, etc. I disregarded it as MAGA claptrap. Turns out it wasn't. The reactions to October 7 from university students and administrators alike, before Israel had dropped a single bomb in retaliation, have laid bare these truths and shaken me to my core.
I am certain the MAGAs are going to capitalize on this division. Some of those right-wingers who marched on Charlottesville, like the National Justice Party, are indeed now showing up at anti-Israel rallies. They are not hidden, either. I'm sure our enemies abroad are trying to exacerbate the division. I also suspect the nature and timing of Hamas' attack was planned to have the greatest geopolitical impact.
So, yes, there are agents everywhere. But it is not just a problem with our youth. There are a lot of adults, including university professors, administrators, and left-leaning media. Sadly, even some Jews promulgate the Palestinian narrative. It is a deeply entrenched narrative that spreads easily through a kind of latent antisemitism that can include auto-antisemitism.
The Palestinian narrative is a false history of victimhood. It now has a gullible audience among the left, young and old, who unquestioningly sympathize with anyone claiming to have been oppressed.
There is an element of Marxism to this. Marxism is founded on the class conflict of bourgeois-versus-proletariat. Progressives today extrapolate that ideological template to any and all groups of oppressor-versus-oppressed. It is a false dichotomy. It's been taken to an absurd extreme by the progressives who, though ostensibly for gay rights, women's rights, and human rights, feel a kinship with Palestinians who throw gay people off rooftops and subjugate their women.
Unfortunately, it's not just the machinations of a few on the right. The left and right have both lost their minds. It's not just here in the U.S., either. European countries with increasingly large Muslim populations are dealing a pro-Islamist left there that is even more extreme. Australia, too. This is everywhere, and it is getting scary.
"The Hollow Men", post WWI , is relevant as it always was.
The Final Age is upon us, I think, and it is an age of the typical madness ...but, we the fortunate, can cluckingly stand back and watch as well-fed "observers". If we, Kevin-you and I- had been in the shoes of the Palestininians living in open air prisons for many decades, living in the squalor of a modern day apartheid level of conditions with no statehood,, do you not think it is possible that you or I would have chosen to die ? and thus, to be in Hamas ? Their cause is only a suicide mission, Kevin, for they always knew they can never beat the US and Israel's forces.
1. It's not an open-air prison when Gaza shares a large border with Egypt. 2. It's not apartheid when it's outside the border of Israel. 3. The Palestinians consistently and constantly reject statehood. 4. If I were an Arab stuck in Gaza, I would have tried to immigrate to Israel, become an Israeli citizen, and join the 2 million Arab Israelis who enjoy democracy, human rights, and religious freedom. Those are the Arabs and their descendants who did not wage war against the Jews in 1948, and who were allowed to live in peace in their homes. Those Arabs enjoy the highest quality of life of any Arab population in the Middle East. They are full citizens. They sit on the Israeli parliament and supreme court.
The virtual imprisonment of the Palestinians is a reality, is obvious to the world, , is life suffocating, and that, Kevin, is what is meant by open air-prison, one that is recognized as such--APARTHEID created by Israel-- by a large part of the world population..
Kevin, just being on someone else's border--like Egypt-- does not mean you are a free people with statehood. The PALESTINIANS ARE Israel's prisoners in a country called Gaza. Would you like to be there? They don';t want Zionists stealing their land, either...would you? Let me ask you, if that is not enough already to ask you--How much of the Gaza population lives on the border with Egypt? What pecentage?
2) IT IS APARTHEID for the Gaza strip and is entirely created by Israel.
Originally, in 1948, the arabs were evicted withoiut the average arab's permission , and had to move, unwillingly, by the hiundred of thousands, off their lands long occupied lands.
The statehood for Palestinians was always offered as a terribly discontiguous piece of land that allows no farmers to have a piece of their whole, own land,and without that, it is impossible to wotk efficiently, if at all. It breaks up the land needed for travel to get to marketsm and produce crops well.---that is what makes people them the prisoners to Israel, their DELIBERATE oppressor.
4) Are you saying that Israel welcomes Palestianians into their country?. That is rdiculous.
5) The arabs refuse Israel's right to own what was for generations THE LAND OF ARABS. they do not deny their right to exist somewhere else.
6) In all , you belief in the right wing as being the best side to be on...ANYTHING but "the left" There IS NO LEFT HERE!. In Europe, of course there is! and many parts of the world, and no one thinks twice about having the left as part of their societal fabric.. We are the empirical bastion of capitalsitic billionaires here who all stick together. We are right wing all the way down to our toes here.
You have anger against people like AOC and the squad and anyone not voting for Trump..
Well, sir, I am not in agreement. They are marvelous and exact;y what we need. They are our conscience.
The population distribution doesn't matter. Israel cannot physically imprison people within Gaza because Gaza shares a border with Egypt. I guess they'd still need a passport just like anyone else. Gaza is not part of Israel.
Again, it cannot be apartheid because, since 2005 and before the war, Gaza was Jew-free. Hamas was the de facto government. Was Hamas apartheid? Much worse. Islamist. Jihadist. Practitioners of sharia law. As I explained earlier, Israel is not racist. Israeli Arabs are equal citizens. No apartheid. Gaza is not part of Israel.
Actually, the truth of 1948 is that Israelis offered citizenship to any Arab who was willing to live in peace. About 160,000 Arabs remained in Israel after the war. Those who instead chose to fight subsequently lost the fight and were relocated to what would have been the Arab state had the Arabs accepted statehood. But hundreds of thousands of Arabs fled their villages because Muslim leaders encouraged them to flee. They urged people to not cooperate with the Jews. They promised them that Arab armies would come back and take back the villages. That didn't happen.
If you'll zoom out on a map, you'll see that the British Mandate included Jordan. Arabs got over 80% of the land. The Jews got 17.5% of the land, mostly either swamps or desert. The Arabs lost land when they started a war with the Jews... and lost. That's what happens when you start and lose wars. Maybe the Palestinians should stop waging war. Maybe their fortunes will change if they do.
I'm sure it's hard for a Palestinian to become an Israeli citizen. If that's not an option, maybe they should - I don't know - stop waging war and overthrow Hamas.
FYI, I am as anti-Trump as anyone can be. No, I'm not a fan of the Squad. Mostly, I'm opposed to the false Palestinian narrative they promulgate and that you evidently believe. I just don't think it's true.
Read Sophocles's "Ajax", Mr. Schmidt, and you will see that there was always a precedent and precurser to Buchenwald's horror, and also there were always swaths of Mankind who saw the horror and wailed in anguish, tearing their hair with clenched fists., speaking in chorus about the unimaginable misdeeds of mankind. Like Mr. Murrow. they understood the inftinite evil man can unleashed upon his fellow man. These are the greatest of playwrights and artists who warned us--they were the writers for the ORIGNAL "WARNINGS",- but whom we human always refuse to listen to.
I read only the best literature-- the eternal epics- so that I am kept in constant touch of what the glory of man could be and also what the infinite evil could be,.
I see only great films which will never die, like Larisa Shepitko's masterpiece on war and human choices for good or evil, "The Ascent".
Nonetheless, I am still shocked every day by fresh news of horrific new deeds in cruelty I could not have imagined, deeds which show man's infitnite capacity for cruelty to his fellow man.
Mr. Schmidt, you are providing excellent, comforting company to people like us, and those who read you often then write in this column. We wish you the best. Keep it up, Mr. Schmidt. We are the true believers in Goodness.
As always, Steve, you hit your target, but perhaps your target is not as small as you have made it. No people in their right minds would condone the atrocities committed by Hamas in this most recent attack on the people of Israel. I agree with you about that, as should every decent human on the planet. I also think that the Palestinians have a right to their own freedom, but not behind the banner of Hamas. How we are able to physically separate the two has become the trying issue. Perhaps annihilating Hamas is the answer, but impractical. As has been said before, when we make war on our enemies, we may defeat them today, but their children will still hate us later; sadly, the Jews will be fighting them and their progeny perhaps forever. In my mind, the problem with the "elite" universities is that they have been crippled by the "politically correct" concept that the U.S. Constitution and its ensuing amendments are not a standard by which to perform, but a crutch upon which to lean, to use when it fits some biased political ideology. When the Constitution was written, it assumed that the people ascribing to its precepts were endowed with some sense of morality and were educated enough to understand it...and had a little common sense. It has become evident that we are struggling to defend the Constitution from people, "a generation of ideological indoctrination", who have no understanding of what it takes to live in a society that has inherited the freedom to govern itself. They wear the Constitution like a shroud expecting that it will protect them from their own irresponsibility or defend them in their misapplied self-interest; that is not nor was it ever its purpose. This absolutely applies to many who profess to consider themselves "leaders" of this nation. If the university students have stepped over the boundaries of the First Amendment, then the universities should be trusted to act appropriately within their own structures. Having a McCarthy-esque inquiry into the actions of university presidents is not the prescription. Since the tragedy at Kent State, now more than fifty-three years ago, university leadership has learned to maintain its own standard of control without summoning the National Guard...so far. I agree with Mr. Jaffee's words in his response: "It's society that lets us down." I return to my earlier words in this comment about a moral and educated society.
Allowing Palestinians to voice opposition to Israeli policy (which is a genocide of their people) is NOT antisemitism. And they're not supporting Hamas in doing it.
“What has been exposed is the fruits of a generation of ideological indoctrination that has poisoned a generation of brittle college graduates, who combine arrogance, dogmatism, ignorance, intolerance and certitude into an absurd concoction of grievance-based performative nothingness.”
Steve, I agree with these words; however, I believe you are applying them incorrectly. It sounds like you’re describing the evangelical churches, white nationalists, “right-wing” media and the MAGA mob.
Universities teach complex issues. History isn’t condensed into a few sentences and bumper stickers or slogans, like they teach in high school. It requires critical reasoning and nuance of complex issues and problems.
And it’s not indoctrination that is at issue. It’s that governments act contrary to their own belief system. We speak of equality, and morality, when our own government has hoodwinked us into morally bankrupt wars. We have supported brutal dictatorships, illiberal regimes and even provoked coups when it serves our interests.
Don’t blame colleges for teaching the truth. It’s society that lets us down. It’s our feckless leaders and media who regurgitate lies, and misinformation for their own nefarious purposes.
Do students react the same way many Americans do, when they recognize injustices? Of course! How is what has been happening on college campuses even in the same category as the J6th insurrection?
Who taught these people (MAGA) to hate America and democrats with such disdain that they were willing to overthrow a democratically elected government and install an authoritarian kleptocrat? Are colleges calling for the overthrow of our government? I don’t think so!
I believe your vitriol is directed at the wrong people. Yes, the anti-semitism on campus’s is horrendous. That said, the college students anger may be misplaced, but it’s because of years of neglect by the western world to protect Palestinians; allowing Netanyahu and his right-wing government to commit atrocity after atrocity, and for what? Their policies aren’t t making Israel safer. It’s because Israel wants to expand its territory and expel Palestinians from their land? The religious Jews and Netanyahu don’t even try to hide this fact. And America has been culpable and an enabler for Netanyahu’s draconian agenda. If you want to have an honest discussion of the facts, then let’s have at it. Yet, you make no distinctions between Hamas and the Palestinian people, as though they are a monolith group. You show no concern for the average Palestinian. Where is your moral compass?
You’d have to be blind not to even consider what has been happening to the Palestinians for decades. This is the college students emotional response to tyranny. We all succumb to this distortion of truth from time to time. 9/11 comes to mind, and it didn’t end well for anyone, including America.
So please stop making this about Israel and Hamas; that is a simplistic understanding of a complex issue. In the end, Palestinians are human beings and have the same right to self-determination as everyone else. And as an American Jew, we have a responsibility to uphold a higher moral standard for the most marginalized in society. Otherwise, our claim as a victim of hate and racism is nothing more than a lie.
And as H.L. Mencken once said, “complex problems have simple, easy to understand, wrong answers!”
Bottom line: it’s not indoctrination. Their emotional response is decades in the making, and while I disagree with their behavior, they aren’t completely wrong in wanting justice for Palestinians. Even a majority of Israeli’s want peace.
It would be more beneficial for all of us if you would at least touch on the issues, instead of immediately backing Israel with impunity. No country operates with anything other than their own interests at heart; and until there is a paradigm shift in thinking, these conflicts are inevitable; as are the outcomes.
Robert, Well said. I agree overall; and I am very disappointed with Steve’s unhinged and hateful rant impugning and condemning not just higher education, but an entire generation of young Americans.
Furthermore, Stefanik and the entire right-wing ecosystem have cynically taken a very complex debate and turned it into a caricature that they are easily and effectively using to further undermine “liberalism” and faith in liberal institutions, democrats, democracy, and everything else that they despise. And they can’t believe their good fortune that so many otherwise reasonable people in the center, like Steve, are losing their minds by drinking their poisonous cool-aide.
We, all of us, need to help people back from this this insidious drink, this ugly brink.
Magdalena and Robert, well said. Thank you.
Well done. As a Reform Jew, I thank you for explaining relevant differences between the Israeli government and other Jews, etc. It’s extremely painful to be associated with Netanyahu et al. Strange but not so strange how our opinions would be the last Netanyahu would listen to yet many lump us all together in a demeaning fashion. I also believe that the “downfall” in education in the US begins long before college, when we first teach history and fail to teach civics and the truth. And we have no unifying service program either which might foster greater understanding of “the other” and facilitate an understanding as to why as a society we must help the downtrodden etc. There exists too many local school districts and home schooling without standards and sometimes with a Christian Nationalist agenda. In short our “educated” children are not always so educated and lack critical reasoning skills. I’m going on and on, but I really appreciate your assessment of current problems. Thank you.
Thank you and excellent points..:)
Robert, Thank you for commenting. If I read you correctly, while not condoning recent behavior on college campuses, your perspective stems from your recognizing the notable endeavor among those involved with post-adolescents to promote a willingness, particularly in college classrooms, to confront the many credible ways, broadly speaking, of interpreting the world that emerge from divergent assumptions. Accordingly, we are observing behaviors among a population likely not ready to resolve the challenges such interpretations create in the course of a semester.
My point is to underscore, that if anyone has been remiss, it’s professors and administrators who, despite a handful of exceptions, have not afforded opportunities for college-wide forums aimed at fostering an appreciation of the inevitable discomfort in the pursuit of what is true.
I would agree with your comment wholeheartedly. I also think some of the disconnect is that it’s all the left-wing professors teaching their students to hate Israel, which is nonsense. Some might, but it’s not the majority.
Professors expose students to facts and different perspectives, and expect the students to use critical reasoning skills to disseminate the information accordingly. Another misconception is the belief that college students don’t have access to the internet, social media, other student opinions and other sources of information; all their knowledge comes from their studies and classes. Again, ludicrous!
Furthermore, I think the extent of the protests is overblown. We see hundreds of people protesting at Harvard. The undergraduate student body is approximately 7,200. Most people are not protesting at all.
Thirdly, this idea we can modulate speech is ridiculous. The Supreme Court has weighed in on the issue and ruled in favor of racists and fascists, time and again. Unless they make a direct threat to an individual, then hate speech, regardless how despicable, is legal. We could discuss whether changes need to be made, but “speech” laws would be a slippery slope, and easily used for nefarious purposes by bad government actors.
Lastly, it appears conservatives and even the MSM like to attack the “low hanging” fruit: elite universities.
I wonder what’s being taught at evangelical colleges and other religious institutions? They teach hate, racism, misogyny and misinformation daily; yet all we hear are crickets!
Bottom line: for years liberal colleges were being denigrated as places creating safe spaces for students. Conservative pundits would say they aren’t being taught about the real world where safe spaces and feelings don’t matter; kids are being taught to be wimps and complainers. How ironic, the same critics are now telling us American campuses need to be safe places....:)
Robert, While I appreciate your comment overall, I do want to comment on the matter of speech. In my view, central to education is fostering the recognition that intelligent and sincere people can have fundamental disagreements about complex matters, and that usually much more can be accomplished by trying to understand one another’s positions than by ignoring or dismissing them. Accordingly, I believe in the merits of letting conversation partners know that they are being listened to and respected even when being disagreed with or refuted. In my experience, when people genuinely feel listened to, they often, though not always, repay by listening.
I agree with this. In fact Dartmouth did in fact set up forums like you mentioned earlier and it alleviated a lot of the misconceptions and emotional responses by the students. And your right, dialogue goes along way to understanding people’s different perspectives and experiences.
Sorry I didn’t address it in the first response, but you are 100% correct and point taken...:)
Thank you, Robert, for writing. I had Dartmouth in mind when I drafted my previous reply.
Well said and accurate
Conservatives hate liberal colleges because facts have a liberal bias.
Thou protest too much
Today we read that all three presidents were coached, prepped and prepared by the same $2500 an hour white shoe (kind of fitting) law firm.
I am as progressive as anyone on this blog, however, as much as I hate the fact that gop has found a way to whip academia to a pulp without the typical response from the left, it galls me to see many on the left twisting themselves like pretzels to rationalize the events of 10/7.
So with that considered there is no way to justify, mollify, condone the calling for the eradication of the Jewish people.
As I wrote recently had it been directed to any other group no matter how small those students and professors would have paid a price.
On that I think we can agree.
So with that considered there is no way to justify, mollify, condone the calling for the eradication of the Jewish people.
There's a difference between calling for eradication and actually eradicating the Palestinians.
Robert Jaffe, once again I agree with everything you say.
Thank you..:)
Well parried; nicely articulated and I must concur. Thank you for this objectivity in the face of too much visceral response and sympathy to one side only that has consumed most major media and political dialog.
Thank u Robert
"It sounds like you’re describing the evangelical churches, white nationalists, “right-wing” media and the MAGA mob."
No. Not at all. He is describing what you apparently subscribe to.
I knew when reading this that Steve was going to alienate part of his subscribers only united in Trump and working class hate.
And what hate do I subscribe to Frank? Please elaborate. Thanks!
Excellent. Thank you.
Very well written. Thank you. I watched the hearing; from the heads of these Elite Universities . And the back and forth between them and Elise Stefanik . 1) I felt that those testifying needed to elaborate on their answers, they failed to do that. I also thought that this was little Miss Revenge Stefanik , taking this opportunity to get back at her Al ma mater, Harvard, for removing her from the Advisory seat . They did so, when she lied and continues to lie for trump, on the 2020 election being stolen. She was active behind the scenes in assisting Trump to overturn / and stay in power.
Elise is a Power hungry, aggressive witch. That being said..The Heads of MIT, PENN, And Harvard gave crappy crappy weak answers. WHY? (another good source on why we are here today, is Rachel Maddows book Prequel ..she goes into this in depth.) But, what Hurts my brain..is Elise Stefanik badgering those testifying - while at the same time - supporting Trump who's dad was KKK / Who called the Charlottesville tiki torch protestors - Chanting "jews will not replace us" VERY FINE PEOPLE - A trump who was endorsed by David Duke after that event. SO...if its not good for our SCHOOLS...why is it OKAY in our White House? its like this about everything "in politics" Why is Politics different than REAL LIFE? ..
Sadly as I watched the hearing / and I listened to their answers ..I found myself yelling at the TV saying ...AND,....AND...Yes, we must protect Free speech. But??? Threatening cannot continue ..whether its in schools / or its from a candidate eying another run for the White House. Calling Leticia james PEEK A BOO??? when he's dying to say JIG A .. COME ON !!
Well said, and I agree on Stefanik. However, I thought the hearings were nothing more than a spectacle and a sham. She asked yes and no questions and interrupted the answers, as is always the case with imbeciles. Complex issues can’t be answered with a yes or no. We learn nothing from this.
And yet the same people who carry water for the tangerine terrorist, have the audacity to question others about hate and racism? How quaint...:)
Exactly right Robert.
Stefanik is the reason Johnson blurs out faces.
As I read the first paragraphs, I had to double check who had written them; the vitriol towards the universities sounded so similar to the right wing complaints about our “elitist” colleges. I’ve been seeing the pro-Palestinian rallies more simply: that they are a knee jerk response by young people in response to the first real horrors of war that they’ve ever seen. And there is truth in condemning Netanyahu as a right wing provocateur of violence. He is guilty as sin. Having lived during the anti Vietnam protests, I remember how easily led young people are, and I can’t help but suspect that there are “agents” now leading these rallies. Right wing agitators. I somehow doubt that anti Semitism has suddenly sprung out of nowhere on those campuses, especially now in a time of diminished interest in religion. The Jewish-Republican Coalition (which supports Trump and his minions) benefits greatly from public reaction to those protest rallies. I think it’s odd, that the previously anti Semitic right wingers (“there are good folks on both sides”, David Duke approved) are suddenly defending Israel. It’s well known that the Evangelical movement longs for the final conflict in the Middle East, an Armageddon, when Israel would be destroyed, and bring about the second arrival of the Messiah. Enlarging this war would fit their goal. How? By turning the world’s recent sympathy for Israel into hatred. Put simply, I smell a rat.
For his expected second term , Trump set up the Taliban to take over Afghanistan. He freed the 5000 Fighters, for what in return? It seemed pretty clear, that he had this set up that Taliban would take over Afghanistan- Since the Afghan, US trained "military" never fired a shot.They folded like a cheap beach chair on Labor Day. Was it for the Country's resources?
For His expected second term , Trump also was ready to Remove us from NATO, He would not have sent weapons to Ukraine..he was angry with Zelenskyy for Not announcing, "the appearance of an investigation into Joe BIden" Unarmed, with No US support/ Like trump withdrew from Syria allowing our allies the Kurds (who helped us defeat ISIS) be slaughtered by Turkey- Putin would have waltzed right in to Ukraine and it would have been an easy win.
For Trumps expected second term : He and Kushner, I believe made the arrangement with Netanyahu - that Gaza would be HIS. They distracted us with the Abraham accords, peace deals with countries that were not in conflict.. that Strengthened Israel ...but they did not put that much effort into crafting a Peace Deal with GAZA and the Palestinian people.
Kushner in public, belittled them, shamed them, attacked them verbally..A deal with the Palestinian people in GAZA would have been a Lot more work, than Lazy Kushner and his Lazy Father in Law , cared to take on. ANd who knows ..maybe Netanyahu said ..oh , just leave it to me.
There was a PLAN for all of these countries - (above) ..and I am not smart enough to figure out what the desired outcome would be.
I also preface this/ with, THAT Being anti Netanyahu and his warped policies ...does not make me Anti Jewish. Netanyahu is and indicted criminal . Who has been the longest serving prime minister in history. HE RIGS ELECTIONS> He also ATTACKS HIS JUDICIARY, who is holding him accountable. HE also has His stronghold on the israeli supreme court. SOUND FAMILIAR? We USA, send oodles of money to Israel. Their Technology surpasses ours.
BY LIGHT YEARS - They have a more sophisticated INTEL than we do. Their military is STELLAR.
Netanyahu - is also a pretty smart guy..And I do not believe he is friends with Biden.
BiBi knew this was coming / He was warned / Like trump is ignored his intel .. It took 5-8 hours for the STELLAR military to respond ..for any kind of help to be deployed. WHY?
WE are deaf, dumb and blindly supporting Netanyahu and Israels right to defend itself ...
with out asking questions ..why? NOW, the punishment on the Palestinian people is ...OVER KILL - when it appears that Netanyahu SAW this coming and DID nothing..He sacrificed JEWISH lives for this insane cruel war. ..He wants the LAND he wants to RULE ..no different than Putin.
“...but they did not put that much effort into crafting a Peace Deal with GAZA and the Palestinian people.”
Your comment is spot on. I’d elaborate a bit. They didn’t craft a peace deal for the Palestinians because 1). Kushner has no experience or understanding of the complex issues involved, and (2) he’s a conservative (orthodox) Jew, who agrees wholeheartedly with Netanyahu and his draconian policies. And (3) Trump is too stupid to understand or care, as long as he benefits financially; he’s a transactional actor. He cares as much about Israel as he does the US.
As for Afghanistan, I agree. The DOHA agreement was a surrender agreement. It didn’t involve the Afghan government, and as you’ve pointed out, Trump released 5,800 trained killers (Taliban and Al Qaeda) with American blood on their hands for nothing in return, except an agreement not to attack American troops.
That said, he also reduced troop levels from 25,000 to 2,500, making American presence in the country almost nonexistent before the withdrawal could take place. Bottom line: he set up the withdrawal for failure, regardless who was president. You can’t just withdraw and reinstate troops in days. It takes months of logistics to move large amounts of troops from one place to another, and that doesn’t include the time it takes to train the troops for the mission.
As for the Kurds? Never was there a greater betrayal of American Allie’s. What’s never said is that it was the Kurds who were mostly responsible for the death kneel of ISIS. They fought with only 2,500 American support troops and suffered great numbers of casualties to fight our war. And we abandoned them with prejudice.
And you’re right about Ukraine. They’d be part of Russia right now if Trump were in charge. Trump’s a petty vindictive ignorant, narcissistic sociopath who couldn’t care less about anyone but himself. He’s sell his own family for riches.
As for the Abraham Accords: agreed, they were a sham. Israel had peace with Jordan and Egypt and has working relationships with the gulf states for decades. As the adage goes in the Middle East and Central Asia: “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Israel has been using Saudi airspace to attack Iran for over 15 years. No formal agreement existed, but the implications were clear. They don’t see Israel as a threat and their support of the Palestinians was no longer needed as a political football, since Hamas and Hezbollah are funded by Iran, which makes them a both a threat. Not to mention, Hamas is directly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, the same people who killed Sadat after making peace and now one of its founders is head of Al Qaeda (Ayman Muhammad Rabi az-Zawahiri).
Lastly, you’re right; we blindly support Israel, even though our support is a contradiction to our principles and democracy. I support Israel, but not the right-wing government. All support for any ally must come with restrictions; unconditionally support does Israel, nor us any favors. It only adds fuel to the fire, and enables Israel’s to execute its worst inclinations and policies by its most atrocious government actors.
Mr. Jaffee. These comments of yours are among the most impressive and intelligent and learned as I have read here in the past year. I know that criticism of Israel and its national behavior is not, by definition, anti-semitic, but it is easy for the two to become intertwined. Unfortunate, because it hinders reasoned discourse. I am very troubled by the information that Israel knew of Hamas intentions a year before the fact. I hate to think it, but Netanyahu deserves it, did his government ALLOW this to happen so they would have the excuse they have been seeking to flatten Gaza, regular harmless Palestinians, (not to mention Jewish victims), be damned? To loathe with all your heart the atrocious actions of Hamas is natural, but what is the comparable body count and still counting and I don’t have an anti-Semitic bone in my body? It makes one think of whatever private celebrations there were over 9/11 when it opened the doors to a feverishly desired war with Iraq. It is amazing what man will permit in order for his will to prevail. God could have done a much better job with humans. He had no business taking the 7th day off.
God took the 7th day off because he's pro-union.
Maybe the union told him he had to.
Thank you and I agree with your perspective as well. So thank you...:)
What smells like a rat, looks like a rat, and has a long tail is most probably a rat. 🤷♂️
Thank you Linda Zak
Shut your eyes and listen to the words of Edward Murrow .. forget about the writing you want to condemn so badly. If you have missed the message, listen to Mr Murrow once more. As a society we need to stop all of this bullshit that is separating us as individuals and families. Again if you have missed the message, listen once again to Edward R Murrow. My point is simply this, when I walk around my community and talk to friends and strangers we laugh and carry on as human beings joined at the hip. Most of us have the same goals in life although we may choose to use different words to express ourselves. None of the “wedge issues” are issues that can’t be solved. But we just want to swear at each other, allowing the “biggies” who are creating the wedge issues to continue separating us, meanwhile the issues just appear to get bigger and bigger. Again, if you find yourself disagreeing, go back and listen to Mr Murrow once again.
Did you notice in the article prefacing the broadcast that it gives stats of 90% of the country in 1938 had radios and listened on an average of 4 hours a day to them? It seems the country was hungry for news, discussion...and of course, music. This was all made possible by FDR electrifying rural areas. And we are limiting our children's screen time? Just a thought that popped up.
My heart is heavy with grief and despair after listening to Mr. Murrow's description of Buchenwald and description of its survivors. It is difficult for my mind to grasp the utter lack of humanity it took to get to a Buchenwald or Auschwitz. The lies told over and over again to desensitize the German citizens to let them believe this was acceptable behavior or the end justifying the means. It is unthinkable and utterly disgusting to think man could devolve so far to treat another human being or any living thing with such brutality and cruelty.
After listening to his broadcast I came back to your story about the Holocaust survivor and Adolf Eichmann's interviewer after his capture by Israel. Sorry, I can hear his name in my mind but do not wish to offend by misspelling it. However, his message is still clear that the only thing stopping this from happening again is democracy. Democracy is the great equalizer to authoritarianism and dictatorships. Without democracy brutality reigns Supreme. I look at the brutality of Russia and their unprovoked aggression towards their neighbors and the Chinese government's treatment of their Muslim minority population to see what is in store for anyone who dares to think differently from their dear leaders. You can also see the brutality to the North Korean people by its leader at night from space. It is like the world has blackout curtains drawn over their land. This is where lies and propaganda will bring you. It delivers only what the dear leaders wishes you to see or hear nothing more because you don't matter except to pay homage to the dear leader. This is what Trump wants us to become. He is enthralled by his warped perception of how a strong leader behaves. Another Holocaust awaits us with the loss of our democracy if we allow ourselves to be lied to or become indifferent to the truth. Please vote Blue and keep America strong and on our path of enlightenment.
Hi Patrick, you sure get to the core with your excellent writing here. Thank you :-)
I love the term “ predatory loan industry “. It perfectly describes the system which is creating a generation of indentured servants, burdened with a lifetime of ever growing debt.
Steve,
I have the opportunity to teach all of my classes about the Holocaust. I play this for them, and I show the Allied film of the liberation of the Concentration Camps in Germany that was shown as an exhibit at the Nuremberg Trials. We read Ellie Wiesel’s book Night. I print out reports from the Einsatzgrüppen and read from them. I had the privilege of doing my undergraduate work at California State University, Northridge. His family were German immigrants to the US in the 1920s, he was 7 when they came to the US. He left college to join the Army and served as an intelligence sergeant and interpreter in the 82nd Airborne Division for the entire war. Afterward, he served as an interrogator and interpreter at the major Nuremberg Trial, and the subsequent trials conducted by the Americans there. I never forgot, and continued to learn and study.
I have been to Dachau more times than I can count, Bergen-Belsen, Flossenberg, and Buchenwald. I have also been to the T4 Euthanasia Center in Hadamar. Hadamar is in a small town northwest of Frankfurt in the in beautiful hills of Hessen. It is had to believe that a place in such an idyllic setting could be the place were gruesome experiments were conducted on inmates, and thousands of people, including infants were gassed because they were “life unworthy of life”, in other words, the physically and mentally disabled, those with birth defects, including the deaf, those who were called “feeble minded”, and more. The staff celebrated the 10,000th death by baking a cake. They also sterilized thousands of men. It is a horrific picture of a society gone wrong. I have been to Nuremberg and the courtroom where the trials were conducted. They have a museum about the Nazi crimes, as well as other war crimes and war crimes trials. It is worth visiting. I saw a picture of a very young Dr. Haeussler working with the staff. In Munich there is the “National Socialist Documentation Center”. It sits on top of where the Nazi Party headquarters, “the Brown House” was located. The documentation of the Holocaust there is amazing, in part because it devotes a floor to what happened in Munich, to show that everyone had to know what was happening, not just to the Jews, but to the slave laborers that were marched through the streets to the armaments factories that they worked. Munich is also the site of the Sophie Scholl and White Rose museum at the University of Munich. They were university students who resisted the Nazis by printing and mailing anti-Nazi pamphlets throughout Germany. Lastly, in Berlin there are the Wannsee House, where Reinhart Heydrich and 14 representatives of necessary government and party agencies met to coordinate the “Final Solution” of the Jewish Problem. It is a museum and study center now, and to stand at the table were these men, in a business meeting lasting just over an hour and a half organized the mass extermination of millions in the killing centers in Poland. Being relatively fluent in German, albeit with a Hessen and Bayern accent and dialect, I get a lot more out of these visits than many since so much of the material is in German, and because I can talk with the staff and curators of these museums.
I wish that I could teach everywhere, but at least I have the complete freedom to teach this, even interrupting the normal curriculum to do so.
Thank you for sharing this.
All the best and stay safe.
Steve Dundas
Thank you, Steve, for all that you do.
Steve
No fan of the liar who questioned them, but their testimonies were abhorrent. Mobs chanting for the genocide of any group that includes their fellow students on school campuses is harassment. Clarifications by two of them were clearly disingenuous as donors prepare to close their wallets.
Truth! We must face it and remember it! It's the VERY LEAST we can do. Thanks for sharing!
I have been horrified by the antisemitism on the political left, especially that expressed by university students. I shudder to think that we are reliant upon these people to help defeat MAGA at the ballot box.
There are two distinct and antithetical versions of history. One version is that Israelis have been the aggressors and oppressors. The other version is the truth: that Palestinians have consistently rejected peace, waged war, and then proceeded to lose those wars and suffer the consequences. I am shocked that disinformation on the left has proven just as pervasive as it has on the right.
For years, I've heard the criticisms of American universities: the lack of free speech, "wokeness", Marxism, etc. I disregarded it as MAGA claptrap. Turns out it wasn't. The reactions to October 7 from university students and administrators alike, before Israel had dropped a single bomb in retaliation, have laid bare these truths and shaken me to my core.
Yes, extremism is a problem of both the left and the right and needs to be monitored so it does not infect the center.
I’d appreciate it if you could read my previous comment, and tell me your thoughts.
Thanks for asking.
I am certain the MAGAs are going to capitalize on this division. Some of those right-wingers who marched on Charlottesville, like the National Justice Party, are indeed now showing up at anti-Israel rallies. They are not hidden, either. I'm sure our enemies abroad are trying to exacerbate the division. I also suspect the nature and timing of Hamas' attack was planned to have the greatest geopolitical impact.
So, yes, there are agents everywhere. But it is not just a problem with our youth. There are a lot of adults, including university professors, administrators, and left-leaning media. Sadly, even some Jews promulgate the Palestinian narrative. It is a deeply entrenched narrative that spreads easily through a kind of latent antisemitism that can include auto-antisemitism.
The Palestinian narrative is a false history of victimhood. It now has a gullible audience among the left, young and old, who unquestioningly sympathize with anyone claiming to have been oppressed.
There is an element of Marxism to this. Marxism is founded on the class conflict of bourgeois-versus-proletariat. Progressives today extrapolate that ideological template to any and all groups of oppressor-versus-oppressed. It is a false dichotomy. It's been taken to an absurd extreme by the progressives who, though ostensibly for gay rights, women's rights, and human rights, feel a kinship with Palestinians who throw gay people off rooftops and subjugate their women.
Unfortunately, it's not just the machinations of a few on the right. The left and right have both lost their minds. It's not just here in the U.S., either. European countries with increasingly large Muslim populations are dealing a pro-Islamist left there that is even more extreme. Australia, too. This is everywhere, and it is getting scary.
"The Hollow Men", post WWI , is relevant as it always was.
The Final Age is upon us, I think, and it is an age of the typical madness ...but, we the fortunate, can cluckingly stand back and watch as well-fed "observers". If we, Kevin-you and I- had been in the shoes of the Palestininians living in open air prisons for many decades, living in the squalor of a modern day apartheid level of conditions with no statehood,, do you not think it is possible that you or I would have chosen to die ? and thus, to be in Hamas ? Their cause is only a suicide mission, Kevin, for they always knew they can never beat the US and Israel's forces.
Men choose to die when there is no hope.
1. It's not an open-air prison when Gaza shares a large border with Egypt. 2. It's not apartheid when it's outside the border of Israel. 3. The Palestinians consistently and constantly reject statehood. 4. If I were an Arab stuck in Gaza, I would have tried to immigrate to Israel, become an Israeli citizen, and join the 2 million Arab Israelis who enjoy democracy, human rights, and religious freedom. Those are the Arabs and their descendants who did not wage war against the Jews in 1948, and who were allowed to live in peace in their homes. Those Arabs enjoy the highest quality of life of any Arab population in the Middle East. They are full citizens. They sit on the Israeli parliament and supreme court.
That's what happens to Arabs who choose peace.
The virtual imprisonment of the Palestinians is a reality, is obvious to the world, , is life suffocating, and that, Kevin, is what is meant by open air-prison, one that is recognized as such--APARTHEID created by Israel-- by a large part of the world population..
Kevin, just being on someone else's border--like Egypt-- does not mean you are a free people with statehood. The PALESTINIANS ARE Israel's prisoners in a country called Gaza. Would you like to be there? They don';t want Zionists stealing their land, either...would you? Let me ask you, if that is not enough already to ask you--How much of the Gaza population lives on the border with Egypt? What pecentage?
2) IT IS APARTHEID for the Gaza strip and is entirely created by Israel.
Originally, in 1948, the arabs were evicted withoiut the average arab's permission , and had to move, unwillingly, by the hiundred of thousands, off their lands long occupied lands.
The statehood for Palestinians was always offered as a terribly discontiguous piece of land that allows no farmers to have a piece of their whole, own land,and without that, it is impossible to wotk efficiently, if at all. It breaks up the land needed for travel to get to marketsm and produce crops well.---that is what makes people them the prisoners to Israel, their DELIBERATE oppressor.
4) Are you saying that Israel welcomes Palestianians into their country?. That is rdiculous.
5) The arabs refuse Israel's right to own what was for generations THE LAND OF ARABS. they do not deny their right to exist somewhere else.
6) In all , you belief in the right wing as being the best side to be on...ANYTHING but "the left" There IS NO LEFT HERE!. In Europe, of course there is! and many parts of the world, and no one thinks twice about having the left as part of their societal fabric.. We are the empirical bastion of capitalsitic billionaires here who all stick together. We are right wing all the way down to our toes here.
You have anger against people like AOC and the squad and anyone not voting for Trump..
Well, sir, I am not in agreement. They are marvelous and exact;y what we need. They are our conscience.
The population distribution doesn't matter. Israel cannot physically imprison people within Gaza because Gaza shares a border with Egypt. I guess they'd still need a passport just like anyone else. Gaza is not part of Israel.
Again, it cannot be apartheid because, since 2005 and before the war, Gaza was Jew-free. Hamas was the de facto government. Was Hamas apartheid? Much worse. Islamist. Jihadist. Practitioners of sharia law. As I explained earlier, Israel is not racist. Israeli Arabs are equal citizens. No apartheid. Gaza is not part of Israel.
Actually, the truth of 1948 is that Israelis offered citizenship to any Arab who was willing to live in peace. About 160,000 Arabs remained in Israel after the war. Those who instead chose to fight subsequently lost the fight and were relocated to what would have been the Arab state had the Arabs accepted statehood. But hundreds of thousands of Arabs fled their villages because Muslim leaders encouraged them to flee. They urged people to not cooperate with the Jews. They promised them that Arab armies would come back and take back the villages. That didn't happen.
If you'll zoom out on a map, you'll see that the British Mandate included Jordan. Arabs got over 80% of the land. The Jews got 17.5% of the land, mostly either swamps or desert. The Arabs lost land when they started a war with the Jews... and lost. That's what happens when you start and lose wars. Maybe the Palestinians should stop waging war. Maybe their fortunes will change if they do.
I'm sure it's hard for a Palestinian to become an Israeli citizen. If that's not an option, maybe they should - I don't know - stop waging war and overthrow Hamas.
FYI, I am as anti-Trump as anyone can be. No, I'm not a fan of the Squad. Mostly, I'm opposed to the false Palestinian narrative they promulgate and that you evidently believe. I just don't think it's true.
Where are the Murrows and Cronkites of today? We obviously need them more than ever. The guy who comes closest is Jake Tapper of CNN.
Read Sophocles's "Ajax", Mr. Schmidt, and you will see that there was always a precedent and precurser to Buchenwald's horror, and also there were always swaths of Mankind who saw the horror and wailed in anguish, tearing their hair with clenched fists., speaking in chorus about the unimaginable misdeeds of mankind. Like Mr. Murrow. they understood the inftinite evil man can unleashed upon his fellow man. These are the greatest of playwrights and artists who warned us--they were the writers for the ORIGNAL "WARNINGS",- but whom we human always refuse to listen to.
I read only the best literature-- the eternal epics- so that I am kept in constant touch of what the glory of man could be and also what the infinite evil could be,.
I see only great films which will never die, like Larisa Shepitko's masterpiece on war and human choices for good or evil, "The Ascent".
Nonetheless, I am still shocked every day by fresh news of horrific new deeds in cruelty I could not have imagined, deeds which show man's infitnite capacity for cruelty to his fellow man.
Mr. Schmidt, you are providing excellent, comforting company to people like us, and those who read you often then write in this column. We wish you the best. Keep it up, Mr. Schmidt. We are the true believers in Goodness.
As always, Steve, you hit your target, but perhaps your target is not as small as you have made it. No people in their right minds would condone the atrocities committed by Hamas in this most recent attack on the people of Israel. I agree with you about that, as should every decent human on the planet. I also think that the Palestinians have a right to their own freedom, but not behind the banner of Hamas. How we are able to physically separate the two has become the trying issue. Perhaps annihilating Hamas is the answer, but impractical. As has been said before, when we make war on our enemies, we may defeat them today, but their children will still hate us later; sadly, the Jews will be fighting them and their progeny perhaps forever. In my mind, the problem with the "elite" universities is that they have been crippled by the "politically correct" concept that the U.S. Constitution and its ensuing amendments are not a standard by which to perform, but a crutch upon which to lean, to use when it fits some biased political ideology. When the Constitution was written, it assumed that the people ascribing to its precepts were endowed with some sense of morality and were educated enough to understand it...and had a little common sense. It has become evident that we are struggling to defend the Constitution from people, "a generation of ideological indoctrination", who have no understanding of what it takes to live in a society that has inherited the freedom to govern itself. They wear the Constitution like a shroud expecting that it will protect them from their own irresponsibility or defend them in their misapplied self-interest; that is not nor was it ever its purpose. This absolutely applies to many who profess to consider themselves "leaders" of this nation. If the university students have stepped over the boundaries of the First Amendment, then the universities should be trusted to act appropriately within their own structures. Having a McCarthy-esque inquiry into the actions of university presidents is not the prescription. Since the tragedy at Kent State, now more than fifty-three years ago, university leadership has learned to maintain its own standard of control without summoning the National Guard...so far. I agree with Mr. Jaffee's words in his response: "It's society that lets us down." I return to my earlier words in this comment about a moral and educated society.
Did you ever consider you might be wrong?
Allowing Palestinians to voice opposition to Israeli policy (which is a genocide of their people) is NOT antisemitism. And they're not supporting Hamas in doing it.
These "open" essays of Steve's are meant to be seen by all..It's up to us, The Warning community to spread them far and wide..
Chilling...