Opinion Is The Medium Between Knowledge And Igonrance
I am not the biggest fan of thew state of Israel and now with this mash-up in Gaza I am told that I am antisemitic because I will not cheer lead for Israel.
Let me state here and now…I do not give on crap what or where they worship…my dislike has NOTHING to do with religion.
Can you understand that simple response?
My dislike goes all the way back to 1967 when Israel attacks an unarmed Navy vessel and murdered American sailors and was never held accountable.
I love it when some conservative has an argument about the poor and they will use their favorite meme….”pull themselves up by their own bootstraps” (if you ever see this then the person is most likely a conservative)
Is that good and sound advice?
It is a popular meme but it is not a look into reality.
In my Rich Habits Study, 41% of the 233 self-made millionaires I interviewed came from poverty. Conversely, in my Poor Group (128 people), 66% of them came from poverty. While those stats are revealing, they didn’t answer one question which has constantly plagued me – Out of the entire population of poor people, how many actually become rich? So I sought out some credible, third party data. In a 2013 Pew Charitable Trust Report on income mobility, I found the answer: 4% Here’s some of the data from that Pew Report:Why is it so hard for poor people to break free from poverty and become rich? If you listen to the experts, they would tell you that poverty is a very complex social issue with many moving parts, or factors, such as:
- Only 4% of the poor become rich.
- Only 17% of the poor rise to the middle-class.
- 70% of the poor remain poor.
https://www.savingadvice.com/articles/2024/04/10/10135052_only-4-of-poor-people-become-rich.html
The poor will mostly remain poor whether they have ‘bootstraps’ or not.
So when you hear some babbling about ‘boot straps’ and the poor please remind them that that particular meme is old and tired and has nothing to do with reality.
So I have written—so it is.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
For awhile now the term ‘Christian Nationalist’ has been making its way into our political conversations…..but what do these so-called ‘patriots’ really want for this country?
For me a lot of their ‘concerns’ are scary….
Over the past month, I’ve been speaking with people who describe themselves as Christian nationalists, with Christians who are vehemently opposed to that movement, and with those who seem to agree with its overall aims but dislike the term. Christian nationalism has become an umbrella term for people who generally agree that the American nation should be defined by a certain strain of Christianity, and who want to see the government take aggressive action to uphold the social mores that come from that. Christian nationalists overlap in their policy goals with the familiar, Christian right activists of previous decades, which means they often support policies that have long been mainstays of the Republican Party’s social agenda — restricting abortion access, adding more religion to public schools in various forms, banning federal support for gender-affirming health. But public statements from Christian nationalists, conversations with them, and their behavior when in power suggests less that they’re after a specific list of Christian-influenced policy items — instead, it is a broader approach to public life: one focused on obtaining power and using it to both instruct and shape the behavior of American society in accordance with specific, hardline interpretations of Christianity on which they believe the country was founded. The universe of Christian social conservatives who embrace Christian nationalism as a label is broad, and extends from more studied, experienced professionals like Trump-era acting OMB Director Russ Vought to a coterie of Ignatius Reilly-esque quasi-medievalist figures who theorize the eventual ascent of a “Christian Prince” to power.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/what-exactly-do-the-christian-nationalists-want Voters need to beat back this ‘movement’….they can best do this by reading the Constitution, if they are capable, learn what it says and what it means….I know that is asking a lot and probably will fall on deaf ears….I mean these same ‘people’ believe the eclipse will trigger human sacrifice….not the sharpest pencils in the box. Be Smart! Learn Stuff!~ I Read, I Write, You Know “lego ergo scribo”
When it comes to the Constitution most people know only bits and pieces….like the 2nd and of course the first amendment…..the freedom press, religion and the freedom to voice your opinion.
For this post, because all overs have been done to death, I want to go with the Freedom of the Press.
Freedom of the press gives individuals and organizations the right to express, publish, and share information, ideas, and opinions without fear of censorship or government interference. It does not cover things like defamation, hate speech, and incitement to violence.
Who controls the media (that includes the press)?
Today, their impacts are more felt in our online news intake and media consumption habits. 37 years ago, 50 companies control the media in America. Fast forward to 2011, American news outlets are controlled only by 6 powerful corporations. Back in 2018, Jim Morrison, a singer, songwriter, and poet, who served as the lead vocalist of the rock band, once said: “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind.”
He was right. Today, Americans think they have an unlimited variety of entertainment and media options right at their fingertips. But it is all a lie. This illusion of choice was fabricated by the media elites. In the early 90s before the mainstream adoption of the Internet, the media landscape used to be simple and straightforward. Today, 6 media giants control a whopping 90% of what we read, watch, or listen to.
Objectivity in journalism is an illusion created by the elite class to give the appearance of balanced news. However, there is no such thing as unbiased news. Journalists who work for these six corporations answer to their owners and ultimately serve their agendas.
(techstartups.com)
I bring this up because of the mash-up between HAMAS and Israel.
****Please comment of the freedom of the press and not what you think of the sides in this battle****
Now on to the grits and the gravy of this post….
Early in 2003, Ashleigh Banfield was a star in the making. A rising journalist at MSNBC, she covered the opening stages of the Iraq War. Before that, she’d made a name for herself covering the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath. Smart, pretty, highly skilled, she was heading nowhere but up. Until she gave an honest lecture on her experiences in Iraq and the Middle East on April 24, 2003.
I’ve written before about Banfield’s honest and heartfelt critique of Iraq war coverage in the U.S. mainstream media, which won her no friends at NBC News. In fact, the NBC brass sidelined and essentially exiled her. I recently reread her Landon Lecture at Kansas State University and realized NBC wasn’t just angry about her critique of mainstream media war coverage: they were likely even more incensed at how she humanized and empathized with Palestinians and other Middle Eastern peoples and groups, including organizations like Hezbollah.
If You’re a US Reporter, Anything but Rabidly Pro-Israel Coverage Is Dangerous to Your Career
The point is business dictates what journalists can report and the owners dictate the tone as well.
So is this really freedom of the press?
Not in my book.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
The US has always been a champion of democracy and human rights, right?
It is in the mission statement of the US State Department….and I quote….
The protection of fundamental human rights was a foundation stone in the establishment of the United States over 200 years ago. Since then, a central goal of U.S. foreign policy has been the promotion of respect for human rights, as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Supporting democracy not only promotes such fundamental American values as religious freedom and worker rights, but also helps create a more secure, stable, and prosperous global arena in which the United States can advance its national interests. In addition, democracy is the one national interest that helps to secure all the others. Democratically governed nations are more likely to secure the peace, deter aggression, expand open markets, promote economic development, protect American citizens, combat international terrorism and crime, uphold human and worker rights, avoid humanitarian crises and refugee flows, improve the global environment, and protect human health. The United States uses a wide range of tools to advance a freedom agenda, including bilateral diplomacy, multilateral engagement, foreign assistance, reporting and public outreach, and economic sanctions. The Department of State works with democratic partners, international and regional organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and engaged citizens to support those seeking freedom.
Lofty ideals, right? Too bad it is pure fantasy. We then must think about the word ‘democracy’….these days there are probably as many definitions for the term as there are hairs on my butt. Basically it is that the people have freedom to vote for the person that they want to have power over them and their families. So if the ‘will’ of the people should prevail that would be democracy. right? The people vote and the winner is the next leader to put it more simply. Lofty ideals….too bad it is BS. You would like to know why, right? These are a few of the democratically elected governments that the US overthrew for various reasons. Iran 1953–oil industry was scared they would lose their strangle hold on Iranian oil. Guatemala 1954–fruit production coup saved United Fruit and their profits. Congo 1960–worried Cuban incursion. Chile 1973–Mining concerns…. Just a few incidents where the voice of the people and their election of certain people was not adhered to by the US. There are others to be found here…. https://www.history.com/news/us-overthrow-foreign-governments Then there is the Ukraine thing….there is more there than we have been told…. https://responsiblestatecraft.org/maidan-ukraine/
The State Department’s website says that it supports and promotes democracy in a variety of areas:
Sadly all those high ideals go out the window when corporate profits are in doubt. We Americans may cherish democracy but not when profits may be threatened. Personally I think that if a people elect their government then we should respect that decision and learn to work with that government for the better of the people of the nation….not what is best for corporate bottom line. But if you still hold to the idea that the US is a standard bearer for democracy then you should look at what is happening around the world. I Read, I Write, You Know “lego ergo scribo”
That is the idea that Israel and Palestine can co-exist…..it has been a massive con for 60 years probably more. The “two-state solution” would create an independent Israel and Palestine, and is the mainstream approach to resolving the conflict. The idea is that Israelis and Palestinians both want to have their countries; Israelis want a Jewish state, and Palestinians want a Palestinian one. Because neither side can get what it wants in a binational state, the only possible solution that satisfies everyone involves separating Palestinians and Israelis.
In 1993 in Oslo, Norway….The Israelis and Palestinians came up with a deal…..or so everyone thought.
A more detailed historic perspective can be read here….
(But that assumes that someone would want to know the details and the where for’s)
Even Biden has lied to the public when he stated in a speech in October….President Biden mentioned the long-discussed two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. “As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution,” he said, per Variety.
He was lying….because just recently he had another view….
A State Department official speaking before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) urged the body not to order Israel to end the occupation of Palestine. The court is currently hearing arguments in a case that calls on Israel to end the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
The ICJ will hear arguments from more than 50 countries over six days. On the third day of the trial, State Department legal adviser Richard Visek argued to the ICJ that Israel needs to continue the occupation of Palestine for security reasons. “The court should not find that Israel is legally obligated to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from occupied territory,” Visek said.
“Any movement towards Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires consideration of Israel’s very real security needs.” He continued, “We were all reminded of those security needs on October 7, and they persist.”
Most sane people in the world are calling for a ceasefire and an end to the punishment of all Palestinians because Israel got attacked last October.
Then Biden Boyz stated outrage with a Gaza food convoy….
Gunfire that hit a United Nations food convoy on its way to northern Gaza earlier this month, causing the suspension of food deliveries to the region, apparently came from Israeli warships, CNN reports. Nobody was injured in the Feb. 5 strike but the truck’s contents, desperately needed wheat flour, were destroyed. The truck was one of 10 waiting for permission to proceed at an Israel Defense Forces holding point on the main route to northern Gaza. The rest of the convoy was denied entry. The UNWRA, the main UN agency providing food relief, shared photos on X showing damage to the truck. CNN reports that the truck was hit on the side facing the sea. Three Israeli warships were offshore.
Email correspondence shows that the relief agency had confirmed with the Israeli military that it could take the Al Rashid road to northern Gaza. “It’s really difficult to see how this could be a legal attack,” Janina Dill at Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, tells CNN. “At a minimum it would look like a very serious violation of international humanitarian law. Whether it’s also criminal then depends on questions of intent, which is something that needs to be established in a court of law.” A State Department spokesperson that the strike was “unacceptable” and the US has told the Israeli government there is an “absolute need for humanitarian workers to be able to safely distribute assistance.”
Unacceptable but okay with us type of thing….Israel is being allowed to do whatever it wants and the US just whitewashes all atrocities.
Time for Israel to come back to civilization and stop acting like the barbarians some are calling them.
Enough is enough!
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
I apologize for neglecting this blog but life has kicked me in the nuts and I had little time for my secondary site…..I will try to rectify that oversight….starting today.
An interesting topic….some seem to think that the poor remain poor because they want it that way….people like me have been disputing that claim for decades….and now someone has finally made a study of what is the cause….after about 50+ years it is explained simply instead of some confusing academic mumbo-jumbo.
Back in 1970, roughly 12.6% of the US population lived in poverty. In the 50 years since, the figure has remained remarkably constant—to graph it “amounts to drawing a line that resembles gently rolling hills,” writes Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond in the New York Times Magazine. Whether Republicans or Democrats were in charge hasn’t seemed to matter much. Desmond, in an article adapted from his new book on the subject, digs into the “baffling” mystery of why poverty has remained so intractable for so long. It’s not because we’ve stopped trying to fix it, or because the government has gotten stingier (the opposite is true), or because of the sometimes inefficient ways aid is delivered to recipients. “There are, it would seem, deeper structural forces at play, ones that have to do with the way the American poor are routinely taken advantage of,” writes Desmond.
“The primary reason for our stalled progress on poverty reduction has to do with the fact that we have not confronted the unrelenting exploitation of the poor in the labor, housing and financial markets,” he adds. Desmond details the related problems of low wages, high rents, predatory loans, etc., but he makes clear that he sees the issue as solvable. Again, this revolves around ending widespread exploitation. For example, “banks should stop robbing the poor and near-poor of billions of dollars each year, immediately ending exorbitant overdraft fees.” Payday lenders should be reined in, housing options should be expanded for the poor, and the minimum wage should rise. “Poverty isn’t simply the condition of not having enough money,” writes Desmond. “It’s the condition of not having enough choice and being taken advantage of because of that.”
Read his full story.
This shows that no matter the lame promises of politicians they are doing NOTHING to eliminate American poverty.
Your voting for a better life is getting you nowhere….try to break the ignorant voting habits and help find real solutions.
Peace Out, my friends.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Note: This is not necessarily about the current mash-up in Gaza just a few observations that I have made in my many years.
I would like to reiterate that I am NOT anti-Jew, personally I do not give a shit about their religious beliefs.
This post is more about the selective memories of the American people than it is about the current situation.
WARNING: This post may include some offensive language that may offend the sensibilities of some readers….so if you are easily offended then maybe this post is not for you.
The date is 04 November 1979….US ally Iran has had months of protests against the policies and tactics of the Shah and on this date Iranian students stormed the walls of the US embassy in Tehran breaching them and taking 52 Americans hostage which were held for 444 days until their release on 20 January 1981…..no causalities just hostages.
Since that fateful day Americans have despised anything remotely Iranian. (There so much more to that action than just a bunch of pissed off students)
To this day they, Iran, can do nothing right in the eyes of most Americans….for they are evil.
The date is 08 June 1967….during the 6 Day war when Israel was fighting against the combined forces of the Arab nations.
The US signit ship, USS Liberty, was patrolling in the Eastern Mediterranean….when suddenly the ship was attacked by Israeli jets and gunboats….the attack left 34 American sailors dead and 174 wounded.
Yet Americans ignore this murderous attack and support Israel in everything they do….why?
If you are interested, which you are not, I have a post the has articles about this attack….fucking read them and see what our good ally is capable of doing.
I to this day do not understand why Americans would rather ignore a barbaric murderous attack like the one Israel pulled on an American flagged unarmed ship.
A case of friendly fire? NO! This was no accident the cowards knew what they were attacking. There is NO excuse for this action or the cover-up to protect an ally….NO excuse!
We recently celebrated Veterans Day with the usual fanfare…all the thanks for your service and all….to me it is all just hollow gestures….for the ignoring the veterans of the USS Liberty diminishes all our vets and the American people are doing just that.
Of course the public can make excuses like ‘we did not know’ but that is a cop-out….they do not want to know….it is important to show support for Israel than to honor fallen veterans who were doing their duty and serving their country in a time of need.
What is it that drives so many Americans to blindly, yes I said blindly, support Israel in all they do?
I know the answer….do you?
Please do not try to excuse this away for there is NO excuse for the men they killed and injured…..none whatsoever.
Again I apologize for the vulgarity of my tone….but this is something I feel strongly about….which if you read any of the reference material can understand my tone.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
As the ‘war’ rages on in Gaza and the death toll just keeps rising….an Israeli lawmaker has a brilliant idea….Palestinian resettlement…..
Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel proposed the “voluntary resettlement” of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to other countries around the world in an op-ed for The Jerusalem Post published Sunday.
Gamliel said one option for Gaza’s future is to “promote the voluntary resettlement of Palestinians in Gaza, for humanitarian reasons, outside of the Strip.” She called for the “international community” to foot the bill for relocating Palestinians instead of funding the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
“Instead of funneling money to rebuild Gaza or to the failed UNRWA, the international community can assist in the costs of resettlement, helping the people of Gaza build new lives in their new host countries,” wrote Gamliel, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party.
Gamliel said she proposed a similar solution earlier in the war and noted it was gaining popularity among Israeli lawmakers. “I am gratified to hear that Members of Knesset from across the political spectrum, including both the coalition and opposition, have joined my Ministry’s initiative and declared their support for it,” she said.
a leaked document drafted by Gamliel’s Intelligence Ministry proposed pushing all 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza into Egypt, making clear the Netanyahu government is considering the complete ethnic cleansing of the Strip. But Egypt has refused to take in any Palestinian refugees, making Israeli officials seek other alternatives, such as Gazans being absorbed by the West.
(antiwar.com)
“Voluntary’? Yep by the barrel of a gun.
International community foot the bill? Typical of all these slugs they want us to pay for their crimes.
Finally, we see how well this sort of thing works….just look at the Japanese in WW2 and let’s not forget the American Native Americans….that was a success in well being for the NDN population.
Besides is that what they have done to the Palestinians already? I mean what would you call Gaza and the West Bank….reservations.
Then VP Harris weighed on the possibility or resettlement…..
Vice President Kamala Harris assured Egypt’s president on Saturday that the US won’t permit the redrawing of the Gaza Strip’s borders or the forced relocation of Palestinians. While reiterating US support for Israel’s “legitimate military objectives” in its attack on Gaza, Harris decried the toll there, CNN reports. “Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,” Harris said at a press conference in Dubai. “Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering, and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating. It is truly heartbreaking.”
Harris met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and other leaders of Arab nations while in the United Arab Emirates for the UN climate conference. She originally wasn’t scheduled to attend the event, and a chance to hold talks about the Israel-Hamas war was a main reason for the trip, per the AP. Harris took advantage of the gathering to also meet with leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Jordan in a speed round of diplomacy. She spoke by phone with the emir of Qatar. The emphasis in her discussions was on Gaza’s future.
In her press conference, Harris referred to the need to plan for what happens when the fighting stops. “There is a mutual desire to figure out how we are going to figure out and approach ‘the day after’ in ways that bring stability and peace to this region,” Harris said. Palestinian Authority security forces “must be strengthened to eventually assume security responsibilities in Gaza,” she said, adding that terrorists cannot be allowed to continue to threaten Israel, per the AP.
Seriously? You want me to believe that the US would do anything to stop such an action other than talk?
What will we do to stop it? Maybe refuse to have a bowl of matzo ball soup with the Israeli ambassador.
That would be all we could muster for we are pretty much a limp dick when it comes to Israel.
ROFLMAO!
You want me to believe the our lay-about Congress and executive branch will challenge Israel when hundreds of millions are spent on buying Congress’ loyalty?
Yes you read that right–I wrote hundreds of millions…..let’s look at the next election….
The powerful lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee is expected to spend nine figures in a bid to unseat over half a dozen progressive U.S. lawmakers who have been critical of Israeli human rights crimes in Palestine, Slate reported Wednesday.
Slate politics writer Alex Sammon wrote that “close watchers now expect AIPAC to spend at least $100 million in 2024 Democratic primaries, largely trained on eliminating incumbent Squad members from their seats.”
AIPAC Set to Spend $100 Million to Unseat Lawmakers Critical of Israeli Crimes
That is just one election and Israel has been buying loyalty for many decades.
But somewhere I thought there was a law against foreign governments from interfering in our elections…..oh my bad….it is Israel and they always get a free ride.
As always when Israel is involved there is crap on so many levels.
So I have thought, so I have written.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Note: I apologize for not posting here but situations and all just kept me focused on my primary blog, IST…..I shall try to do better here from now on.
I recently got an email from a person that served in the 9th Infantry Division, the unit I served with in Vietnam, saying that he and others were putting together a trip to Vietnam and would like it if I would accompany them as well.
My reply was short and sweet….NO! I visited that country twice ….do not want to do it a third time.
The email got me to thinking about war tourism.
I know many people like to re-enact and visit famous battlefields and such….but why? Most do not care one whit for history so what makes the ugliness of war so attractive?
I can understand to a point if you are a student in the field of Conflict Management or Political History….but to vacation with war is just stupid at least to me.
Any way there is a big industry in war tourism…Gettysburg, the Alamo, Battle of New Orleans, Normandy, Pearl Harbor, etc. etc., etc…..again….why?
War tourism, despite the contradiction in its name, refers to recreational travel to areas associated with past or current war zones. These destinations encompass active conflict zones, famous battlefields, war memorials, cemeteries, and museums. Sites of darker historical significance, such as prison camps, mass graves, and execution sites, even fall into this category. The motivations behind such travel are multifaceted, with educational and memorial purposes at the forefront.
While it may be challenging to comprehend the appeal of traveling to regions marked by devastation and conflict, war tourism is not new. It can be traced back to the 19th century, during wars like the Napoleonic, American Civil, and Crimean Wars. Early war tourists were observed visiting war-ravaged cities’ battlefields after the fighting had ceased. Onlookers would picnic at a safe distance from skirmishes and take home macabre souvenirs. Their motivations, it seems, ranged from morbid curiosity to a desensitization to death and suffering.
Another common motivation for war tourism is education and preserving collective memory. Students, scholars, and history enthusiasts often embark on tours of former battlefields, museums, and prison camps. Their primary goal is often to gain a deeper understanding of how wars have shaped a region’s history.
https://travelnoire.com/what-is-war-tourism
I do not agree that it is to educate and impart some sort of understanding among participants….like I stated earlier in this post….most could care less about the history behind the battle but rather some perverse sense of awe at the concept of death and destruction.
I visited many war sites but not out of fascination but rather to further my knowledge because in those days I was a grad student in Conflict and political history….did it help my understanding?
Not so much but it did throw some light on the myths that pop up around war.
So no I will not be going back to Vietnam for a ‘visit’…..I do not need healing, I do not want to heal, the war helped make me who I am and I will forever be grateful for that.
Any thoughts on war tourism?
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Gulf South Free Press 