October 18, 2023
The Republican caucus is a mess. Unlike the Democrats who seem to be able to vote unanimously on most issues despite some ideological differences, the Republicans cannot get their act together. Being Speaker for them is like trying to herd cats. Contrast what the Republicans are now doing with the relative ease that Hakeem Jeffries was voted in as minority leader, replacing Nancy Pelosi. Although Pelosi was an anathema to most Republicans, she was the unchallenged leader of the House Democrats. When she was challenged in her congressional races, it was always from the leftwho asserted that she was too moderate and not progressive enough! Jeffries is in the same mold. Although many on the right try to paint him as a socialist, in fact he is anything but. In New York, he has endorsed “moderate” democrats and encouraged them to run against those in the Democratic Socialists of America. He would like nothing better than the socialists to lose in state races and in particular in races for the House. It is clear that he does not care for Jamaal Bowman and would like to see him defeated. I have written previously of how the Democrats could enact certain parts of their agenda even with the Republican majority. All it would take would be seven defections from the Republicans and a unanimous Democrat vote. Given the mess in the Republican caucus I would not be shocked if Jeffries were made Speaker! Again if the Republicans are hopelessly divided, then a few defections would make Jeffries Speaker. So it is imperative that the Republicans get their act together and do it soon. The world is blowing up, The government shutdown is looming and the image in my mind is Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burns.
Hamas has committed an unspeakable evil. It targeted defenseless civilians for extermination. How anyone regardless of their feelings toward Israel could sympathize with this barbaric act is beyond me. Israel seems intent on destroying northern Gaza and to that end is forcing its 1 million Palestinians to evacuate to southern Gaza. What is striking is that Egypt and Jordan have closed their borders to the Palestinians. In fact, the only ones who want to accept refugees are members of the Squad. If fellow Muslims do not want Palestinian refugees, then neither should we.
If what I have read about Israel and gun control is correct then the Israelis are incredibly stupid. Israel has tough gun control laws. Less than 2 percent of Israelis are permitted to have guns. It would seem to me that all Israelis should have guns and that gun ownership should be mandatory in the settlements and close to the borders of Gaza and Lebanon to counter Hamas and Hezbollah. Apparently, the Israelis thought that their military could respond quickly to any threat and protect their citizenry. They were wrong. Why they didn’t have armed security at the music festival is beyond me. They need to rethink the security of their citizens who live so close to those that want to kill them. The only reason for such strict gun control is that they must fear their Muslim citizens. This is akin to the gun control laws under Jim Crow that were enacted to prevent southern blacks from owning guns.
Those who hate Israel constantly refer to it as an apartheid state. Apartheid is the name for southern Jim Crow laws in South Africa. Calling Israel “apartheid” is a strategic ruse intended to make Israel and its friends to waste time denying the accusation. It is like calling everyone a racist or using the terms like homophobe. Those who try to counter the charges are wasting their time and the name callers should be ignored. Defenders of Israel point to its Muslim citizens having the vote and being in the Knesset. However, if one looks at the Israeli actions on the West Bank, it is clear that their actions there are akin to apartheid. Nevertheless, isn’t it interesting that all the Muslim countries in the Middle East are apartheid themselves? All restrict the actions and liberties of non-Muslims and discriminate against them. Ignoring this is similar to those on the left favoring the Muslim nations which restrict women’s rights, persecute Christians and non-Muslims and are uniformly intolerant to the LBGTQ gang.
haroldblackphd.com 