Next Draft - Bibi-ing There
One of the elements that makes the most complicated crisis imaginable even more complex is that, after suffering the worst intel breakdown and human tragedy in their country's history, Israelis are being led into a war by a leader whose anti-democratic judicial overhaul efforts had been protested against by citizens (including reservists) who, by the tens of thousands, took to the streets for months. BiBi Netanyahu also staffed a government with those more qualified to protect him than his country, and recently threatened to fire Defense Chief Yoav Gallant because he urged a pause to the judicial overhaul efforts. And that was before the security breach. Now BiBi has much less support than he did before. But he's still in power, and he's still running things. This is critically important to Americans for two reasons. First, as you can see from Biden's visit and America's rapid military buildup in the region, there is an extreme concern that this war, if not managed with the right strategy and determined humanity, could lead to a much wider war with many players getting involved, regardless of Biden's warning: "Don't." Second, Israel's current predicament serves as a clear warning to America as we deal with a completely unserious (to put it mildly) House Majority, unable to put forth a non-insurrectionist candidate for House Speaker, and one of our two political parties being led by a self-consumed, uninformed, treacherous, lunatic, who makes Bibi look like Abraham Lincoln. Yair Rosenberg in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The End of Netanyahu. "Benjamin Netanyahu has always known what he wants his political epitaph to be. 'I would like to be remembered as the protector of Israel.' ... Following the worst anti-Jewish violence since the Holocaust, that promise has been irrevocably broken. The myth that Netanyahu assiduously cultivated about his leadership stands exposed as a self-serving fiction, and he will be forever remembered as the security hawk who presided over the greatest security failure in Israeli history. He will never be elected prime minister again." And another key element of Bibi's leadership: "By his own admission, he purposely propped up Hamas as a counterbalance to the more moderate Palestinian Authority in order to keep the Palestinian public divided and prevent a negotiated two-state solution." 2The Wide Get Wider"The disparity highlights the inequality at the heart of American education: Starting very early, children from rich and poor families receive vastly different educations, in and out of school, driven by differences in the amount of money and time their parents are able to invest. And in the last five decades, as the country has become more unequal by income, the gap in children’s academic achievement, as measured by test scores throughout schooling, has widened." NYT(Gift Article): New SAT Data Highlights the Deep Inequality at the Heart of American Education. 3Growing Pains"In March, after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian President on war-crimes charges, Putin hosted Xi in Moscow, where they described relations as the best they have ever been. Clasping hands for a farewell in the doorway of the Kremlin, Xi told Putin, 'Right now there are changes—the likes of which we haven’t seen for a hundred years—and we are the ones driving these changes together.' Putin responded, 'I agree.'" Evan Osnos in The New Yorker: China’s Age of Malaise. "Party officials are vanishing, young workers are 'lying flat,' and entrepreneurs are fleeing the country. What does China’s inner turmoil mean for the world?" 4A La Tart"It was not long after Kellogg’s introduced the toaster pastry in 1964. But for several months one year (none of us can pinpoint the exact date), brown cardboard boxes arrived on our doorstep with an assortment of Pop-Tarts tucked inside. Strawberry. Raspberry. Brown-Sugar Cinnamon. We ate them all. After dinner. Sometimes hot, usually cold. With frosting and without." NYT (Gift Article): Confessions of a Pop-Tarts Taste Tester. (After reading this article, I realize I may have also been a Pop-Tarts taste tester, just an unofficial one...) 5Extra, ExtraDon't Everyone Speaker at Once: "House Republicans will hear Monday from nine lawmakers vying to be the next speaker of the House, with a candidate forum that ushers in a grueling day of voting Tuesday." (One question: Do you believe in election results?) House GOP speaker race balloons to nine candidates. 6Bottom of the News"In a seasonal business, you are gambling your livelihood every single year." The only thing scarier than entering a haunted house is owning one. Get a copy of my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store. |
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Down at the Crossroads
Monday, October 23, 2023
Middle East Heats Up, Trump Told to Cool Down
Traveling Salesman
Monday, October 23, 2023
Biden Goes to Israel, Hospital Bombed, Jordan's Speaker Quest
All the Rage
Monday, October 23, 2023
Biden in Israel, Jim Jordan Wrestles Fewer Votes
Topic Thunder
Monday, October 23, 2023
Campus Peace Plan, a Kraken the Case Against Trump
Tired of All the Winning
Monday, October 23, 2023
Yuval Noah Harari Explains it All, Weekend Whats, Feel Good Friday
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