Israeli – Hamas War

 Israeli – Hamas War

 Forgotten, it seems, except by Israel, are the atrocities committed by Hamas during their attack on Southern Israel on Saturday, October 7^th, the Jewish sabbath.  Instead now, we have the Hamas cowards using hospitals or civilians as shields, and hiding in tunnels under hospitals in Gaza, or in little girl’s bedrooms.

 Lest the world forget, Hamas launched an unprovoked attack on Israel, and butchered upwards of 1400 unarmed civilian men, women, children and infants.  The pictures of burned and mutilated Israeli babies in their cribs make one’s stomach turn.

 But, in this upside-down, Marxist inspired world of oppressed and oppressor and residual anti-Semitism, the Israelis in Gaza reacting to the Hamas atrocities are the bad guys (the oppressors), and the Hamas butchers somehow became the good guys (the oppressed).

 Benjamin Netanyahu is no Moses or David, but he is a strong leader.

Educated in both Israel and the U.S. (MBA from MIT), Netanyahu has been a major figure in Israeli politics for nearly half a century.

He has coalesced Israel on a war footing, and is determined to eliminate Hamas as a military and political force in Gaza.

Any rational-thinking honest person will wish him and the Israelis “Godspeed”, and success against the Hamas butchers in Gaza.

 Ray Gruszecki

November 13, 2023

Protests and Anti-Semitism

 Protests and Anti-Semitism

 I am reasonably intelligent and politically astute and therefore normally aware of what is happening in the world, and why.

 I was a little taken aback to see massive anti-Semitic demonstrations and protests at universities and on city streets which were pro-Hamas, pro-Palestinian, and anti-Israel.  After the October 7 torture and butchery by Hamas of innocent Israeli men, women, children and infants; and the resultant Israeli reprisals against Hamas in Gaza, one would think that the world’s sympathies would be with Israel, rather than with their Hamas attackers.

 So, I set out to research and analyze what was happening.

 One thing that was immediately clear was the left-wing, activist nature of our colleges and universities, and even some of our secondary schools.  Tracking the history, this leftist cult of “oppressed and oppressor” derives from the Soviet communism that effectively died out in its original form, in much of the western world in the early 1990’s.  But Marxism did not disappear.  It morphed, gained philosophical respectability, and found a home in academia throughout many universities in the world.

 Much of the world’s activism emanates from this “oppressed vs oppressor” theme.  Feminism, race, gender, LGBTQ++, and a plethora of social issues relate to this “oppressed” mantra, including Israel as oppressor in Gaza, and Hamas as the oppressed.

 The other piece fueling these anti-Semitic protests, and any populist protest, is social media and the “follow the crowd” mentality of young people.  The “anti-something” or “pro-something” idea appears on Tik-Tok or Instagram or other social media (or is planted by Soros types), and we are “off to the races”.  The word spreads like wild fire, flash mobs are formed, and young people from New York to London to Tokyo are demonstrating at colleges, or in the streets.  

 So, it’s as simple as that.  Pretty much any idea can be transformed into massive populist protests using social media and taking advantage of “follow the herd” mentality.

 In this case, it is good to know about historical anti-Semitism, and about how Sykes-Picot defined the Middle East, and how Theodor Herzl founded and advanced Zionism, but this knowledge does not really explain why millions of young people throughout the world are demonstrating for Hamas, and against Israel.

 If I were a psychologist, I would probably diagnose a general societal malaise and proneness to gullibility.  Many people, including voters that define our country are ill-informed and easily led, even more so now with social media.  And, the “opinionators” know it and take advantage.

 In addition to the Israel-Hamas distortion being perpetrated on society, we have the myths that abortion and free college tuition are rights that somehow derive from the constitution.  Elections have, and will continue to reflect these lies and distortions.

 Ray Gruszecki

November 12, 2023

 

 

 

Antisemitism

 Antisemitism

 Why are there antisemitic demonstrations, not only at our brainless colleges, but also in streets across the world?  Were there not enough Jews killed by Hitler and the Nazis?  Rather than supporting the 1400 Israeli civilian men, women and children  tortured and butchered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, these deranged idiots are rallying in support of the terrorist butchers.

 I have lived and worked in Southern Lebanon in the mid 1960’s, in what eventually became “Hezbollah country”, after anyone in the Middle East who had a fight came to beautiful Lebanon and destroyed it.

 I worked with Lebanese Christians, Lebanese Moslems and Palestinians who were displaced when Israel was formed in 1948. 

I picked up some conversational Levantine Arabic from my time in Lebanon, which was interrupted by the 1967, Six Day War.

 Coincidently, my brother-in-law’s Ernie’s father, Karem, was born in Lebanon and came to America as a child.  Karem was like an uncle with whom I could practice my few words of Arabic, and Ernie was like a brother.

 So, my background with the Middle East is probably more complete than most Americans.  I have seen the poverty at the camps South of Beirut resulting from the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes.  I have also seen the anger, even back then, at Israelis and the westerners supporting them.

 I have also seen the results of antisemitism in the death camps of Dachau in South Germany, and Auschwitz in Southeastern Poland.  These reminders of how a modern Christian country can turn to unspeakable barbarity should never be forgotten.

 And yet, we have antisemitic demonstrations, renewing this ancient prejudice, across the world, and ostensibly across our institutions of higher learning.  It makes one wonder will humanity ever learn?

 Ray Gruszecki

November 4, 2023