Matt, I’m not committed to defending either political party. My mindset when it comes to politics is that I’m committed to the people who have to live with the consequences of their decisions.
Democrats should speak clearly when something is wrong, but the same standard must apply to Republicans, independents, donors, corporations, and government institutions. Accountability loses credibility when it changes based on who holds power.
Most Americans are trying to afford housing, food, healthcare, education, and a stable future while Washington keeps prioritizing partisan warfare, political theater, and self-preservation.
Speak up. Present evidence. Protect constitutional limits. Address corruption. Explain the solution. Then produce measurable results.
The country does not need another party victory lap. It needs public servants who remember that the people are the constituency, not the party....just my chime in still love bro! 💪🏽😎
Antisemitism is unacceptable period. It's like hating all Blacks for being black. In fact, hatred is, to paraphrase, like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die. In Christian ethics, to hate is to wish someone dead.
It's also wrong to hate all Palestinians. Or, all Muslims. Hate is not of God. We must all fight to eliminate from ourselves.
Right on Matt! Like our country, I can care deeply for the people; Isrealis, Palestinians, Jews, Muslims, etc., and have little to no respect for their leadership that has little regard for life.
How is anti-zionism really different from anti-semitism? If you're against Zionism you are against Jews having their traditional homeland. I don't deny Palestinians their homeland and I would be labeled a racist if I did. The same should apply to anti-zionists.
but what's the point of opposing a homeland for them? They did not steal the land the British surrendered it to them and they've been living on it for thousands of years. Anti-semitism is the reason.
I am a baby boomer. I remember eveything that's happened in this country since I came here in 1965 at age 7. I grew up in San Francisco. As a teenager, I read many, many books about the Holocaust even though I was raised a Catholic. I have always hated anti-semitism. And I have never understood why so many people around the world are anti-semitic.
But I have always being against Zionism and the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government. And I know that the Arab countries could have helped the Palestinians but chose not to.
I understand your concern about the perceived "growing" anti-semitism in this country. But I believe that those who blame all Jews for the plight of the Palestinians have always been anti-semitic. They are just Americans who now believe it's ok to be racist, anti-semitic, homophobic, misogynistic, etc.
This country was built on the shoulders of the Native Americans, Black slaves, Mexican farm workers, Chinese railroad workers, etc.
Jewish Americans are now experiencing in America what I, as a Latina woman, have experienced my whole life.
Originally Zionism meant Jews having a homeland. That is what it means to me. Right after WWII, Jewish survivors from Europe basically went to Israel or to the U.S., fleeing the continent where we were placed in concentration camps and in ovens. For the diaspora, it was the last straw, no matter what century, what country, same thing.
But the founding of Israel meant displacing Palestinians. This was never going to be voluntary displacement. In my view, the counties helping to set up Israel at that time should have established two-states right then, to protect both peoples.
That was the original sin of Israel, just like the original sin of the U.S., slavery, the settlement of this country, displacing native Americans, treatment of non-Europeans, etc.
Israeli citizens are protesting the current government, as U.S. citizens are protesting U.S. government here. US Jews would be part of that protest if we were citizens of Isreal. Many of us resent the implication that the current government represents how all Jews, or how Israelis think.
My definition of Zionism is simply that we have a homeland. It does not include the current government's leadership to continue to take Palestinians land, bomb and starve Palestinians. I do not appreciate people imposing their definition of Zionism on me.
There are too many people on the left in this country who are using the issue to gain power in the party, or votes for their campaign. If they wanted to really resolve the issue, their rhetoric would not be one of blaming AIPAC for everything (Jews control the money) and advocating to pull all support out of Isreal, or "from the river to the sea". That rhetoric will not solve anything there, because it leaves out all the other factors that will continue to make the situation progress catastrophically for Palestinians, to Donald Trump leveling the whole place and putting up a Trump resort.
It is not AIPAC, it is the entire corrupt U.S. campaign finance system at fault. Jewish money does not, I assure you, control the U.S. government. There are other entities supporting the dynamics there, particularly look at big oil. Ask Jimmy Carter what he tried to do when he was president. By the way, he was the only president to negotiate a peace deal, when he did between Isreal and Egypt. And by the way, Sadat was assassinated by his own people after those talks. And by the way, Carter warned us all against dependence on foreign oil, put solar panels on the White House, and Reagan took them down. And by the way, look into Iran and Reagan's complicity in Carter's losing to Reagan.
This is the reason that the conversation the way it is happening on the left is so horrible, not just because much of the wording on everything is antisemitic and not only because it amounts to culture war divisions within the party that may very well cost us the inability to take back the US house this year. It is completely horrible because people are arguing about how to define Zionism or whether Isreal is committing genocide, instead of looking at all of the factors that are causing this human tragedy and then deciding on a course of action to stop it.
There is way more I have thought about regarding the culture wars that now dominate our national discourse and within the Democratic ecosphere. The divisions in this country, the hatred and distrust between all identity groups, are making it impossible to govern ourselves. That is the purpose of authoritarians, because they come in and get elected with "I, alone, can fix it".
Here in Fla, they were so smart, they gerrymandered blacks and Jews, and the one congressional district left, the one little morsel they left us in Florida, predictably, is now a culture war within the Democratic Party between two of the major Democratic constituencies. The Republicans in Florida did that brilliantly.
I am at a loss to figure out how to get both groups, who really are suffering from cultural PTSD, scraped off of the ceiling to be able to use this to outsmart the Republicans and use it to galvanize and unify black and Jewish voters, as opposed to drawing up sides. It does not help that white, Christian, young, so-called progressives are feeding the simplistic culture war narrative.
Matt, I’m not committed to defending either political party. My mindset when it comes to politics is that I’m committed to the people who have to live with the consequences of their decisions.
Democrats should speak clearly when something is wrong, but the same standard must apply to Republicans, independents, donors, corporations, and government institutions. Accountability loses credibility when it changes based on who holds power.
Most Americans are trying to afford housing, food, healthcare, education, and a stable future while Washington keeps prioritizing partisan warfare, political theater, and self-preservation.
Speak up. Present evidence. Protect constitutional limits. Address corruption. Explain the solution. Then produce measurable results.
The country does not need another party victory lap. It needs public servants who remember that the people are the constituency, not the party....just my chime in still love bro! 💪🏽😎
Antisemitism is unacceptable period. It's like hating all Blacks for being black. In fact, hatred is, to paraphrase, like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die. In Christian ethics, to hate is to wish someone dead.
It's also wrong to hate all Palestinians. Or, all Muslims. Hate is not of God. We must all fight to eliminate from ourselves.
Right on Matt! Like our country, I can care deeply for the people; Isrealis, Palestinians, Jews, Muslims, etc., and have little to no respect for their leadership that has little regard for life.
How is anti-zionism really different from anti-semitism? If you're against Zionism you are against Jews having their traditional homeland. I don't deny Palestinians their homeland and I would be labeled a racist if I did. The same should apply to anti-zionists.
Myths of centuries-ago homelands
Yet Jews have been living there even after their expulsion so that claim is false.
It is completely different. Being an anti-Zionist does not mean that you hate Jews. Just like being anti-Nazi does not mean that you hate Germans.
but what's the point of opposing a homeland for them? They did not steal the land the British surrendered it to them and they've been living on it for thousands of years. Anti-semitism is the reason.
I am a baby boomer. I remember eveything that's happened in this country since I came here in 1965 at age 7. I grew up in San Francisco. As a teenager, I read many, many books about the Holocaust even though I was raised a Catholic. I have always hated anti-semitism. And I have never understood why so many people around the world are anti-semitic.
But I have always being against Zionism and the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli government. And I know that the Arab countries could have helped the Palestinians but chose not to.
I understand your concern about the perceived "growing" anti-semitism in this country. But I believe that those who blame all Jews for the plight of the Palestinians have always been anti-semitic. They are just Americans who now believe it's ok to be racist, anti-semitic, homophobic, misogynistic, etc.
This country was built on the shoulders of the Native Americans, Black slaves, Mexican farm workers, Chinese railroad workers, etc.
Jewish Americans are now experiencing in America what I, as a Latina woman, have experienced my whole life.
Welcome to Amerikkka.
Originally Zionism meant Jews having a homeland. That is what it means to me. Right after WWII, Jewish survivors from Europe basically went to Israel or to the U.S., fleeing the continent where we were placed in concentration camps and in ovens. For the diaspora, it was the last straw, no matter what century, what country, same thing.
But the founding of Israel meant displacing Palestinians. This was never going to be voluntary displacement. In my view, the counties helping to set up Israel at that time should have established two-states right then, to protect both peoples.
That was the original sin of Israel, just like the original sin of the U.S., slavery, the settlement of this country, displacing native Americans, treatment of non-Europeans, etc.
Israeli citizens are protesting the current government, as U.S. citizens are protesting U.S. government here. US Jews would be part of that protest if we were citizens of Isreal. Many of us resent the implication that the current government represents how all Jews, or how Israelis think.
My definition of Zionism is simply that we have a homeland. It does not include the current government's leadership to continue to take Palestinians land, bomb and starve Palestinians. I do not appreciate people imposing their definition of Zionism on me.
There are too many people on the left in this country who are using the issue to gain power in the party, or votes for their campaign. If they wanted to really resolve the issue, their rhetoric would not be one of blaming AIPAC for everything (Jews control the money) and advocating to pull all support out of Isreal, or "from the river to the sea". That rhetoric will not solve anything there, because it leaves out all the other factors that will continue to make the situation progress catastrophically for Palestinians, to Donald Trump leveling the whole place and putting up a Trump resort.
It is not AIPAC, it is the entire corrupt U.S. campaign finance system at fault. Jewish money does not, I assure you, control the U.S. government. There are other entities supporting the dynamics there, particularly look at big oil. Ask Jimmy Carter what he tried to do when he was president. By the way, he was the only president to negotiate a peace deal, when he did between Isreal and Egypt. And by the way, Sadat was assassinated by his own people after those talks. And by the way, Carter warned us all against dependence on foreign oil, put solar panels on the White House, and Reagan took them down. And by the way, look into Iran and Reagan's complicity in Carter's losing to Reagan.
This is the reason that the conversation the way it is happening on the left is so horrible, not just because much of the wording on everything is antisemitic and not only because it amounts to culture war divisions within the party that may very well cost us the inability to take back the US house this year. It is completely horrible because people are arguing about how to define Zionism or whether Isreal is committing genocide, instead of looking at all of the factors that are causing this human tragedy and then deciding on a course of action to stop it.
There is way more I have thought about regarding the culture wars that now dominate our national discourse and within the Democratic ecosphere. The divisions in this country, the hatred and distrust between all identity groups, are making it impossible to govern ourselves. That is the purpose of authoritarians, because they come in and get elected with "I, alone, can fix it".
Here in Fla, they were so smart, they gerrymandered blacks and Jews, and the one congressional district left, the one little morsel they left us in Florida, predictably, is now a culture war within the Democratic Party between two of the major Democratic constituencies. The Republicans in Florida did that brilliantly.
I am at a loss to figure out how to get both groups, who really are suffering from cultural PTSD, scraped off of the ceiling to be able to use this to outsmart the Republicans and use it to galvanize and unify black and Jewish voters, as opposed to drawing up sides. It does not help that white, Christian, young, so-called progressives are feeding the simplistic culture war narrative.
All ideas are welcome.
How do you feel about the term “genocide” used to describe what Israel is doing to Palestinians?