First, I share thoughts about the Gophers vs. Michigan football game of this past Saturday on my "Morris Mojo" podcast. Here is the link:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brian1610/episodes/Gophers-crushed-by-Michigan-52-10-e2aal6o
People of my generation, the boomers, have had news thrust at us about Israel all our lives. A certain weariness builds up over this. Is the existence of Israel really so essential? I think the members of my generation would be relieved if it just came to an end.
Many of us tired of how the media has a consistent bias toward Israel. How Israel gets portrayed as the force for good automatically, sans truly sober analysis.
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| "world atlas" image |
Columnist Dave Barry got tired of the pattern of news coverage once. Every tidbit of conflict as with the suicide bombers got such headline attention. And it became prolonged. The media defines news as something we don't necessarily expect. We call it "man bites dog." Barry had enough at a certain point. Time after time, prominent headlines about violence directed at Israel.
To put this in earthy terms, is Israel more trouble than it's worth? I strongly believe it is. And I don't see Israel as having always been this angelic force, confronting the bad guys. Oh but "Israel is a democracy," we're told.
The whole concept of democracy has become dicey in our USA. Trump wanted to overturn it. He had so many compliant people behind him like our own congressperson here in western Minnesota. I mean, she bought into the basic Trump strategy of delay. Delay leading to what? Buy time to keep Trump in office, we can assume. So Michelle Fischbach made her big statement on January 6 in which she talked about "voting irregularities too voluminous to ignore."
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| Michelle Fischbach, District 7 |
Obviously Trump wants to assert himself as an autocrat. He wears this on his sleeve. No elections then? Well an election system would continue but with all sorts of impediments to true democracy. Elsewhere around the world this is called "sham elections." But Congressperson Fischbach would probably proclaim we truly have democracy. Make it a crime to bring food and water to someone standing in line a long time to vote? A crime? You know the kinds of things that Republicans can do.
Our elected leaders now have way too much of a knee-jerk tendency to support Israel. A recent news item suggested that our elected leaders are behind the times relative to the broad public. The broad public does not consider it so essential to thump our chests and "support Israel." It is taking time for the popular sentiment to influence the power brokers.
I do not feel that Israel has a "right to exist." I agree fully with the late Helen Thomas who despite her extreme skepticism about Israel, was right at the top for being a respected establishment journalist. Remember how she got to ask the first question at press conferences so often? Going back to Nixon. And how she should have been seen as a hero to the feminists. She did in fact build up some feminist cred - I would have lauded her - but she was no friend of Israel.
And I agree with what she said fully: she said the Jews of Israel should just "go home." She told them to "go back to Europe." Just filter out, go find your place, and then this tinderbox in the Middle East could recede to peacefulness.
I have always felt very sorry for the Palestinians. If the Palestinians could have their homeland restored, I think I would literally cry. The advocates for Israel have so often grated on me. I feel an annoyance like what Dave Barry expressed.
Israel supporters including a U of M attorney who was well-known at the time - last name of Rotenberg - outwardly protested the media's use of the term "suicide bomber." Rotenberg made some comments on TV. He should have been concentrating on his work for the U. The Star Tribune had a readers' ombudsman at the time who took pains to try to explain why "suicide bomber" was a rational and even suggested term. It took a mere ounce of common sense.
Obviously the Israel advocates can practically go mad when they take umbrage at something. Makes you suspicious about their whole cause. It is easy to see the Israelis as the "bad guys" in many instances.
So what did Rotenberg and others want to see in place of "suicide bomber?" Well, the suggested alternative, bought by Fox News, was "homicide bomber." OK that's juvenile - let's call a spade a spade. And what is Fox News? With Greg Gutfeld in their ranks, they are juvenile. "Homicide bomber."
Well of course the bomber has intentions of hurting and killing people. That's just understood. What makes the suicide bomber distinct is the person's willingness to take his own life. You would not expect that. So it's "man bites dog."
My generation wonders if we will leave this world having been relieved of the litany of Mideast conflict or Mideast turmoil stories. Israel is at the flashpoint. Why can't it just go away? The Jews of Israel can "go home." They can do this for their own safety.
Anti-Semitic? I barely know what it is based on. All ethnic groups have some popular images attached to them. I do know Jews are intelligent and driven people who value education. Hardly seems like liabilities. I guess they can go far in business or in their professions. Seems like the American way to me.
Mom told me once that so many Jewish people are highly intelligent because "they are a pure race." Is that really a pejorative comment? I don't think so. It means they are lucky I guess. But all of the stereotypes of Jewish people point to them having potential to accomplish a lot. Well congratulations.
I personally have great admiration of "Jewish intellectuals." I'd love to be able to pass myself off as one of them! I admire these people because they have a fine understanding of parody humor. Many people have trouble understanding such humor - you might say it goes over their heads. I think parody reveals a lot, gets to the essence.
Maybe Jews go out of their way to help each other. Well I imagine it's a common human trait of finding "your own" to be more relatable. I'd appreciate them not pushing me out of their circle.
So I'm not at all like Billy Graham and Richard Nixon whose anti-Semitic thoughts in connection to Hollywood entertainment got on tape. Jews are highly perceptive and analytical people in the entertainment business. They know what people want and give it to them.
Ah, network TV entertainment of the 1960s. Would be good for America to have a dose of that now. Compared to Greg Gutfeld.
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| Of course we love our UMM |
A friend needled me the other day about a suggested habit I have of complaining? I had thoughts to share in an emailed rebuttal.:
Was I a complainer a couple years ago when I expressed dismay at UMM having its big spring concert of choir and band in Alexandria with no repeat performance here? Was I that far out in left field for saying something about that? Or this past spring, when we had such a low-budget graduation ceremony? Was I just an irritating complainer? We're a four-year school with a music major, not like Crookston, and we can't have a band and/or choir for graduation? Well for many years we did, and it was super, and I guess we took it for granted.
No printed programs for graduation? Was I a "complainer?" You had to use your Smartphone? Is that a universal now? Even if it was, the printed program would be nice as a tangible souvenir. How can I in good conscience give money to UMM again? Can you rebut me on this?
UMM needs to end the free tuition thing for the Native Americans. If it's not based on an actual treaty, then the policy should end because of the Supreme Court wiping out affirmative action. If it's not ended, then it just shows the court's decision meant little - just words. Am I a complainer when I talk about the U president we had here for three years who just kept sending her resume around? There actually was a shake-up with the board of regents, if you read between the lines in the Star Tribune. Why did we need a shake-up? The legislature is supposed to keep an eye on these things. Is it even required to have a board of regents? Now we have an interim U president. Someone joked "we should just get a Paul Giel type and let the University run itself."
Was I a complainer about the UMM Homecoming concert? No current students, an outrageous $10 admission charge? Are you sure the $10 charge wasn't just a suggested free-will offering? Am I a complainer when I note that the University choir, Melissa Hanson's group from before, now appears dead? Laura kept it going in name only last year, I gather. The University choir (non-auditioned) concerts were once an "event" on campus. But UMM is no longer interested in doing dynamic things, if anything at all, because all these things "cost money," and UMM just wants to rake in money from people like me. I'm starting to think it's a scam. There was no charge for the University choir concerts and they attracted kind of a "raucous" student audience - that was fun. Gone with the wind. Again, we took it for granted.
First Lutheran needs to do the little things well to make sure we have a stable congregation with enough money coming in. Times have changed just unbelievably. But we should try to keep going. I'm not sure we even need a permanent minister. But the weekly service should be sharp. It was terrific to see Naomi Fynboh up there. I would have loved to stay on Sunday, but I thought "here we go again" with the mic problem. It never ends. And to think I took the trouble to shower and shave and put on a sportcoat. At least I looked good for my friends at DeToy's.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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