Anti Semitism

Growing Migrant Crisis In America And Worldwide

With the growing climate change crisis worldwide, and the mistreatment of migrants, based on religion, race, and ethnicity, the world faces a massive crisis.

Not only in America with the Republican party do we have nativism rearing its ugly head, but also all over the globe, as migrants wish to escape horrendous economic and climate conditions and persecution in their homelands.

Men, women, and children are being rejected at borders after dangerous migrations, and also at sea, and the crisis will only grow in future years.

The idea that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott are showing disrespect toward migrants from left wing dictatorships, including Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and using them as political props is shocking and reprehensible!

This is a spiritual and moral crisis of massive proportions in Europe and worldwide, and reminds us of the crisis of Jews in Europe and antisemitism in World War II. The conflicts going on today in many nations, with politicians exploiting hatred and division, is very disturbing!

And now, the rise of Giorgia Meloni as the first woman Prime Minister in Italy, promoting the Fascism of former dictator Benito Mussolini, is yet another sign of the dangers facing migrants. The idea that exactly a hundred years after the rise of Mussolini and the Fascist Movement, we are seeing Fascism come to power again, is shocking.

And the fact that the Republican Party and Donald Trump are clearly Fascist oriented, and wish to promote authoritarian government, is a sign that much of the history of the first half of the 20th century may be repeating itself.

American democracy and worldwide democracy is in crisis, and basic decency and humanity is under attack!

Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania Republican Gubernatorial Nominee, Clear And Present Danger!

Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania, is seen as a clear and present danger, were he to be elected.

He is an extreme far right winger, promoting Christian nationalism, the idea that there is no separation of church and state, and he has embraced Q-Anon conspiracy theories.

Additionally, he was involved in the US Capitol Insurrection on January 6, 2021, and breached US Capitol police barriers, although claiming not being involved in assault and destruction.

He is Isamophobic, antisemitic, and homophobic, and has promoted September 11 conspiracy theories in the past.

Mastriano comes across as unhinged, and nine Pennsylvania Republicans have repudiated him as too extremist for them to support him, after he won the gubernatorial nomination with only 40 percent of the vote against multiple candidates more moderate than he is in his views.

He has only been a Pennsylvania State Senator since mid 2019, having spent his career in the military, reaching the level of Colonel in the US Army.

He opposed removal of Confederate monuments, and has been a bitter critic of COVID 19 Policies, including opposing masking, and promoting drug treatments that are shown to be sham.

Mastriano has made clear that if elected, he would appoint a Secretary of State who would only accept that the Republican Presidential nominee in 2024 won the state’s electoral votes, no matter what the popular vote demonstrates.

He is against any exceptions for abortion, including rape, incest, and life of the mother; and supports gun rights without restrictions; and is a major critic of the Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

Also, Mastriano has said his governorship, if elected, would be much more right wing conservative than Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, calling him an “amateur”!

Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro leads in polls, but every effort to prevent this right wing extremist from being elected must be mounted, as Mastriano’s election would be disastrous for Pennsylvania and American politics!

Political Violence By Trump MAGA Right Wing Against “RINOS”! American Fascism!

The Donald Trump MAGA right wing has declared war on so called “RINOS”, “Republicans In Name Only”, meaning those who oppose the extremism of Donald Trump.

So we have the “Proud Boys” terrorist group, which has now gained control of the Miami Dade Florida County Republicans, despite their having been involved in the January 6, 2021 Insurrection at the US Capitol.

We have Texas Senator John Cornyn, trying to promote some limited gun reform after the Uvalde, Texas Mass Murder of Children at an elementary school, being booed at the Texas State Republican convention over the weekend.

They adopted a Fascist authoritarian agenda, making the Texas Republican Party the most extreme right wing party in the nation.

We have Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw and his aides being physically attacked at the same state convention by “Proud Boys”, because he has been critical of Donald Trump.

We have courageous Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who is on the January 6 House Committee, having a death threat mailed to his wife, suggesting the murder of Kinzinger, his wife, and his young child.

We have former Missouri Governor and now candidate for the US Senate, Eric Greitens, putting out commercials against his Republican primary opponents, suggesting the use of violence, and emphasizing his own Navy Seal experience, and calling all of his opponents in the party “RINOS”.

The level of threats and violence and intimidation is horrifying, but it has been promoted ever since Donald Trump ran for and won the Presidency, and has escalated since the Presidential Election of 2020, as Trump continues to promote “The Big Lie”, that he won the election.

We are in a time when with the view that there should be no gun regulations to speak of, and the growing anger of extremists at Republicans who are not Trump supporters, as well as the increasing nativism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and anti semitism, the alarm over growing violence is multiplying.

This is American Fascism rearing its ugly head!

Social Justice 53 Years After Martin Luther King Jr’s Assassination

On this 53rd anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, it is sad that we see systemic racism still alive and popular among too many Americans.

The George Floyd murder trial; the Georgia legislation that puts voting rights under attack; the anti Asian attacks that have become so prevalent in the past year; the increased threat of domestic terrorism; and the continued attack on immigrants of all backgrounds are signs of the failure of social justice to make progress after King gave up his life in the quest for equity and fairness in society.

The Presidency of Donald Trump allowed people who promote racism, nativism, white supremacy, misogyny, antisemitism, Islamophobia to flourish, as Trump was George Wallace on steroids.

When Wallace ran for President in 1968 and won five states, 46 electoral votes, and 13 percent of the popular vote, it was shocking, but at least there was no way that Wallace could win the Presidency.

But a half century later, Donald Trump was able to gather the forces of hatred and win the Presidency, despite losing the popular vote by 2.85 million votes, and would go on to marshal his forces to promote undermining of American democracy, and continues to do so by promoting the lie that he won the Presidential Election of 2020, and inciting the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021!

So the commitment of Martin Luther King Jr. to human rights and social justice must continue with a new generation of committed leaders!

The Battle For The Soul Of The Republican Party Is In Full Swing As Trump Impeachment Trial Begins

The Republican Party is in its death spiral as the Donald Trump Second Impeachment Trial begins on Tuesday.

With only 5 Republican Senators supporting the move toward an impeachment trial; with only 10 Republican House members voting for the impeachment trial; with only 11 Republican House members supporting the action to take away the committee memberships of QAnon Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, it is clear that the battle for the soul of the party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and Reagan is in full swing.

Will the Republican Party allow Donald Trump to remain their “God”, their “Savior”, and continue to promote conspiracy theories, hate, nativism, racism, anti semitism, Islamophobia, and misogyny?

Will they follow the lead of Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Liz Cheney, Larry Hogan, Adam Kinzinger and other mainstream conservatives?

Or will they follow the lead of Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and others who promoted insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021?

We saw the disintegration of the Whig Party in 1854, with its replacement being the Republican Party, and we may be seeing the same situation as we had then in the 2020s, as the “Trump” wing of the party is a disaster that never ends!

Trump Proved Why He Is Unfit To Be President In Presidential Debate, So Just VP Debate And No More!

Donald Trump was a total disgrace in the first Presidential debate last evening!

He would not follow the agreed upon rules, not to interfere, and to stop interrupting when Joe Biden or moderator Chris Wallace were speaking. The moderator should have shut off Trump’s microphone when Biden was being allowed his two minutes to give an answer to a question.

He refused to condemn white supremacists, and refused to agree to concede if he is declared the loser, and encouraged his supporters, in such a circumstance, to provoke civil unrest.

He acted like a 2nd grader, and lied incessantly, and was totally rude and bullyish throughout the debate!

Donald Trump declared war on decency and democracy. He endorsed white supremacist terrorist groups, such as “Proud Boys”, which is anti Semitic, anti Islamic, anti gay and transgender, anti immigrant, and misogynistic, and provokes violence, with Trump promoting them going to the polls and “watching”, a guarantee of bloodshed and violence!

He acted very UnPresidential, as Joe Biden declared, and embarrassed all decent people, as no President or candidate in any debate has acted in such a manner in the history of Presidential and Vice Presidential debates!

Meanwhile, Joe Biden kept his cool, and acted very Presidential, doing a lot of shocked and laughing gestures at the shameful display of horrible behavior by the man child who is our disgraced 45th President! 🙁

One cannot imagine how Joe Biden will not gain much more support nationally, and hopefully, defeat Donald Trump in a massive landslide in November! And early post debate polls indicate Biden “won” the debate two to one!

The Vice Presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris one week from today should go forward, but the last two Presidential debates should be canceled, as America has seen enough, and there is nothing positive to be gained by Biden debating Trump again!

The Ugly Specter Of Anti Semitism, Anti Socialism, Homophobia, And Misogyny Alive In 2020 Presidential Campaign

The Presidential Campaign of 2020 is in full swing, and due to Donald Trump willing to do anything to undermine his potential opponents, the ugly specter of Anti Semitism, Anti Socialism, Homophobia, and Misogyny are alive, and will be part of the discussion for the next nine months.

The fact that Michael Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders are Jewish, and that Sanders is a self professed “Socialist”, which is NOT Communism in any sense, will be part of the upcoming political debate.

The fact that Pete Buttigieg is gay and has a husband is certainly to be part of the political debate, with hatred and prejudice existing among right wing evangelical Christians, conservative Catholics, and Orthodox Jews.

The fact that Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar are serious Presidential contenders will stir the misogynists who think women should only be in the kitchen and the bedroom, and not running for President or Vice President.

It is certain that the Presidential Election of 2020 will match others as the “dirtiest” campaign, including the Presidential Elections of 1828, 1860, 1896, 1912, 1928, 1948, 1968, and 2016!

Michael Bloomberg Makes It Official, But Does He Have Any Chance To Be The Democratic Nominee? NO!

Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg made it official finally, that he is running for President.

Worth $53 billion, the 8th wealthiest person in America, Bloomberg has begun a campaign where he expects to spend $37 million on ads immediately in the next few weeks, more than all of the other Democratic contenders combined.

Bloomberg is passing the Iowa Caucuses, New Hampshire Primary, Nevada Caucuses, and South Carolina Primary, and putting all of his emphasis on Super Tuesday, March 3, when fourteen states have caucuses and primaries, including the major states of California, Texas, Tennessee, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Virginia as the major states on that day.

Bloomberg will not be participating in any Democratic debates, or so it seems, as he does not register in the polls, and is unlikely to gain enough public support to qualify.

He is betting on his fame and public persona to take him to the Presidency, a highly arrogant and egotistical way of seeking the White House.

While he can be proud of some aspects of his 12 years of government experience governing the largest city in the nation, often called the second most difficult job in America, some of his policies were highly controversial.

Additionally, the fact that he is Jewish will make him a target of white supremacists, and the fact of his magnificent wealth turns most people off, as they do not wish to replace one supposed billionaire with a more qualified, but even much wealthier billionaire.

If somehow Bloomberg goes all the way to the Democratic nomination for President, he probably would have a better than even chance to be elected, but being nominated seems a very long shot, not worth betting one’s income or fortune!

The American Presidency And Racism Nothing New, But Donald Trump’s Comment Way Beyond The Pale, And Should Force His Resignation!

The American Presidency and racism is nothing new, but Donald Trump’s comment about Haiti and the continent of Africa being a “shit hole” is way beyond the pale, and should force his resignation as a moral and ethical disgrace!

We know that nine of the first 12 Presidents were slave owners.

We know that Andrew Jackson slaughtered native Americans, and forced thousands to Oklahoma, the disgraceful “Trail of Tears”, and condemned abolitionists and worked to prevent their literature from going through the US Mail.

We know that John Tyler and James K. Polk worked to expand slavery territory.

We know that Andrew Johnson was a white supremacist in a disgraceful way.

We know that Theodore Roosevelt was critical of the mass migration of Catholics and Jews (the “New Immigration”) to America, and did not care about racial discrimination in the South.

We know that Woodrow Wilson was a white supremacist, who segregated the nation’s capital by executive order and refused to give any honors for military service to African Americans, and looked at Japan and China as inferior nations.

We know that Franklin D. Roosevelt failed to take adequate action against the Holocaust that killed millions of Jews and others in World War II, and failed to move against racial discrimination, although his wife Eleanor did speak up and take whatever actions she could, as First Lady.

We know that Richard Nixon was antisemitic, and said biased statements against Jews and African Americans on the Watergate Tapes, which were recorded in the Oval Office.

We know there were other actions by Presidents which showed reluctance or refusal to take action against racism and antisemitism.

But Donald Trump, by his public utterance yesterday, and so many other statements and actions before he became President, and since he became President, is the most vile racist of them all, including his wish to deport tens of thousands of Haitians, Salvadorans, and Hondurans, and his lack of concern about the horrible damage done to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands during the hurricane season.

For that, Donald Trump will go down as the bottom of the list of all of our Presidents, and we MUST work to get him out of office before he does much more damage beyond what he has done!

Could Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Or Bernie Sanders Have Won In 2016?

President Barack Obama has opined that had he been able to run for a third term, which is forbidden by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution since 1951, that he would have defeated Donald Trump.

That brings to mind the issue whether if Vice President Joe Biden had been the nominee, whether he could have won over Donald Trump.

And also, the issue arises whether Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders had overcome Hillary Clinton in delegates, could he have won.

The gut feeling of this author and blogger is that either Obama or Biden would have been able to win enough additional support to overcome the Clinton deficit in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and also possibly in Florida and Ohio as well.

On the other hand, this author feels that Bernie Sanders, despite his inspiring campaign and support from millennials, and seen as the protest candidate as much as Donald Trump to many, would NOT have won, and the reasons are sad and unpleasant.

Sanders being Jewish, although he is not at all religious in any sense, would have worked against him, as anti Semitism is still an ugly reality in America.

Also, the fact that Sanders calls himself a Socialist, although far from scary or terrifying in reality, would likely have been used by Donald Trump against him, as Trump actually did call Sanders a “Communist” once or twice during campaign rallies, and the ignorant, clueless people who backed Trump would not be intelligent enough to understand the difference, and that Sanders is more like a Scandinavian Socialist from Norway or Sweden, and is no danger in any sense to American traditions.

So the best judgment of this author is that Obama or Biden could have won, but not Sanders.