Among the many virtues of democracy is the ability to openly criticize those in power without fear of persecution or death.
Recently Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the decision to do a mass overhaul of the country’s judicial system. In response, millions took to the streets to protest the move and the concern that the right is taking control of the government. Yesterday, it was a segment on WNYC‘s The Brian Lehrer Show.
This is democracy in action. This is the voice of the average citizen who disapproves of the actions of those in power and speaks loudly. Unlike other nations (cough, Iran, cough) in which protesters are jailed, tortured, and killed, there is no such action from the military.
The only thing that I disagree with was the reporter’s statements about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict (which is another topic for another time).
If I was advising Bibi, I would tell him to think long and hard about continuing on the path he is on. If he values his position and the voters who (again) put him in power, he would not listen to a minority whose beliefs differ from the rest of the population.
P.S. The video below speaks for itself in regard to the lies that the Palestinians tell themselves and the rest of the world.
Many of the Jews protesting Netanyahu in London were calling for peace with Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the anti-Zionists protesting Netanyahu were calling for Israel's destruction. pic.twitter.com/rCAPyH1ZTw
— Israel Advocacy Movement (@israel_advocacy) March 28, 2023
When one nation forces occupation on the other, there are two choices: stay silent and hope that you live to see freedom. The other is to fight against the occupier, knowing full well what the consequences could be.
Pam Jenoff‘s new novel, Code Name Sapphire, was published last month. Hannah Martel is on the run from Nazi Germany. After losing her fiance during a pogrom, she hopes that the ship she is on will take her to America and freedom. But it is sent back to Europe ( a la SS St. Louis). With nowhere else to go, she lands in Brussels and moves in with her cousin Lily and Lily’s family.
Instead of laying low, she returns to her previous resistance work, hoping that this will be her ticket out. Joining the group known as Code Name Sapphire, she meets its leader, Micheline, and Micheline’s brother, Matteo. When a mistake causes Lily’s family to be arrested and put on the list for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah has to choose. She can continue with her resistance work or find a way to undo the damage of her error.
Jenoff does it again. Her narratives are powerful, human, and compelling, and speak to the complications that war creates. One of the things that spoke to me was the perceived comfort that Lily believed was hers. Knowing what we know now, it was merely a smoke screen that temporarily delayed the inevitable.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.
Code Name Sapphire is available wherever books are sold.
P.S. It is beyond disgusting that once more, the Republican Party appropriates history to fit their needs.
As a Michigan Jew with family who was murdered in Auschwitz, I find this comparison horribly offensive. The Michigan Republican Party should apologize to the Jewish community and educate itself on the Holocaust. Oh, and there were Jews who used guns to kill Nazis. https://t.co/yodeVCxrph
Social media may seem innocuous. It is an opportunity to expand your world, connect with other people, etc. But like anything in life, there is a downside.
After nearly a year of speculation, Elon Musk announced that he had finally purchasedTwitter. One of his aims with the platform is to ensure that free speech continues to be the raison d’être of the site. He also plans to limit permanent bans of those who have been considered to be problematic (he who shall not be named among them). By the way, Kanye West‘s account has already been reinstated.
The question is, do those who truly believe in free speech and democracy jump ship or stay and fight?
It’s understandable why many have considered leaving if they have not done so already. The signs are already pointing to the website possibly becoming a right-wing shithole.
But what I think we have to remember is that the ultimate power is in our hands. If we stay and continue to speak up, we can show Musk that he is not the all-powerful deity that he thinks he is. It also comes down to advertisers. That’s the only way the company makes money. At the end of the day, if we, the users stay, that will hopefully show Musk that he cannot allow Twitter a free for all.
Which is why I intend to stay.
P.S. If you want to follow me, you can do so at Writergurlny.
White privilege is a serious problem, both in the historical sense and in our modern era. The idea that one’s skin tone dictates our opportunities or lack thereof is, unfortunately, in 2022, a problem that we are still wrestling with.
Earlier this week, there was a debate on Twitter as to whether or not Anne Frank had “white privilege“. The person who made this statement is either uneducated about the Holocaust or is deciding to twist the historical facts to fit their own perspective.
"Anne Frank had white priviledge" is the biggest piece of dog shit I've read ever. Scum.
Of course, she was white. As were all of the millions of Ashkenazi Jews who were murdered by the Nazis and their co-conspirators. Their skin color meant shit, they were only seen as the other because they were Jewish.
This assertion spits on the memory of Frank and is a harsh reminder of why the Holocaust must not be forgotten.
May Anne’s memory be a blessing and may we truly for once, learn from the past. Z”l.
In my experience, the mark of a mature adult is one who knows (or at least tries) to keep their mouth shut when they lack knowledge on a particular subject.
“Stop. It’s a fake religion created by a psychopath,”
First of all, it is a holiday, not a religion. Second of all, this is classic MTG behavior. Instead of doing a little research (or a simple Google search), she opened her mouth and shit spewed out.
I am convinced that there are some members of the Republican party who says outrageous things, knowing the attention they will receive from such statements. Instead of doing the job they were hired to do, they distract the public from the fact that they are unwilling or unable to complete their legislative responsibilities. In any other profession and any other industry, they would have been fired a long time ago. But because these people are in the position they are in, they can act with impunity and still retain their office.
The only thing that makes me feel better in all of this bullshit is that one of Green’s Twitter account is permanently suspended.
The purpose of the news is to share the events of the day. It’s not supposed to induce a WTF moment.
On Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges. While two men are dead and a third must live with the trauma of being shot, Mr. Rittenhouse will be returning to his family. This is the problem with the justice system in America. Jacob Blake was assumed to be guilty simply because of his skin color and not even given the opportunity of a fair trial.
Last week, Arizona Representative Paul Gosar published what can only be described as a heinous video on his Twitter account of killing AOC and then attempting to do the same to the President. After he was censured by the House, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthydefended Gosar.
If the Representative from Arizona had any other job, not only would he have been fired immeditately, but he might have also been sued. But because he is in Congress and a very right-leaning Republican who still stands with you know who, he gets away with it.
We don’t have to always agree with one another. That is the beauty of the nation and what she stands for. But when we threaten to hurt or kill one another, either on the internet or in person, there MUST be consequences.
That is, unless you align politically in a certain direction, where violence and destruction are the norm when you don’t get your way.
P.S. If the men who are accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery are acquitted, the response may likely be ten times more than the response to George Floyd‘s murder last year.
When it comes down to it, politics is about two things: messages and action. One can say the right things, but without acting on what has been said, nothing gets done.
I am a lifelong Democrat. My first major election was the 2000 Presidential election in which George W. Bush ran against former Vice President Al Gore. For the last twenty-ish years, I have voted mostly along party lines. But that does not mean that I can’t or won’t speak when I feel the need. The problem with today’s Democratic Party is not the message. They just finally passed the Infrastructure Bill, for G-d sake. The problem is how the message is being presented. Instead of hearing that our young children will be educated, our seniors will be provided for, and our roads will be maintained, the only thing we are being told is the cost.
There were three recent elections that exemplified this issue. In my hometown of New York City, former police officer, and current Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams won handily against activist Curtis Sliwa in the Mayoral election. Truth be told, Adam’s win was not a complete given, but generally accepted that it was the obvious outcome. NYC is, for the most part, politically blue. It was not a surprise that Sliwa lost.
Across the river, current New Jersey Governor Phil Murphywon his Gubernatorial election against Jack Ciattarelli, but only by a narrow margin. Down south, the shock that Republican Glenn Youngkin was proclaimed the winner in the VirginiaGubernatorial election rippled across the nation. His opponent, Terry McAuliffe lost because instead of focusing on kitchen table issues, he spent his time on you know who. Youngkin won because he mostly repudiated the former President and spoke to the everyday problems that voters are dealing with.
While this is happening, the Republicans are making mountains of out molehills. With the announcement that children ages 5-11 are now eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine, the powers that be reached out to the people at Sesame Street. Via Twitter, Big Bird is encouraging young children to get the shot.
I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.
Ms. @EricaRHill even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!
Ted Cruz, in his usual unhelpful way, decided to attack this most beloved of characters. Instead of remembering the 760,000 Americans who have died from the virus, he is opening the door for even more of us to lose our lives. When will he get it through his extra thick skull that the only way to stay alive and return to normal is to be vaccinated?
There is no doubt that the American political scene is nothing short of a shit-show. Until we get our heads out of our asses and do what needs to be done, it will continue to be a shit show.
P.S. How is Paul Gosar still in Congress when he posted a video in which AOC is killed and the President is attacked? He doesn’t have to agree with her, but he crossed the line with the suggestion of violence.
Once upon a time (the 1980’s and early 1990’s to be specific), Bill Cosby and his family sitcom, The Cosby Show was everywhere. He was America’s TV dad, breaking boundaries and telling stories that we all could relate to, regardless of skin color.
Cut to nearly 40 years later; Cosby was a felon, found guilty of sexual assault. But as of yesterday, he was released from prison due to the accusation that his due process rights were violated.
Adding fuel to the fire, his TV wife, Phylicia Rashad initially supported him by the following tweet on Wednesday:
“FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!”
By Thursday, it had been retracted and replaced with another tweet.
I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth. Personally, I know from friends and family that such abuse has lifelong residual effects. My heartfelt wish is for healing.
This is why the #Metoo movement exists. To make sure men like Cosby are given their day in court and then locked in jail for the rest of their natural lives. While I understand that Rashad and Cosby have been friends and colleagues for years, she should not be excusing his behavior. She should be calling him out on what he did and standing by the victims.
As a response to her initial tweet, Howard University, where Rashad is a Dean of the College of Fine arts, has received complaints from students, parents, and potential students. Honestly, I don’t blame them. By condoning him, she sends the message that these kinds of act are not just acceptable, but those found guilty will get just a slap on the wrist.
When it comes to rape and sexual assault, we have finally reached the place in which the victims are believed and the perpetrators get what is coming to them. Bill Cosby’s release is not just wrong and disgusting, it is a cold reminder why we still need #Metoo.
The accusation of war crimes is not to be taken lightly. The problem is that the phrase can be co-opted to misrepresent the truth in a conflict.
During a recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Oliver towed the media line and continued to spread the same old lies about the Israel/Palestine conflict. I could show the video, but I would like to be able to sleep tonight. Normally, I love John Oliver. He presents the news in a way that includes much needed common sense but a few drops of comedy.
But on this subject, I cannot stomach the lies he and other media outlets/personalities have shared. Nor can I be silent.
For the rest of this post, I am going to let author, actress, and activist Noa Tishby speak. She is far more eloquent on than I could ever be.
Thank you @Variety and @Malinasaval for covering this crucial statement. Israel is a democracy, Hamas is a lunatic genocidal terrorist organization who’s committed to districting the single consistent democracy in the Middle East. #freegazafromhamashttps://t.co/W10reMN0f8
The accusation of sedition is a serious one. It is not to be taken lightly or without being unaware of the consequences of what is being said.
Back in 1918, the Sedition act of 1918 was enshrined as law. In a nutshell, it is described as follows:
“Willfully utter, print, write, or publish any disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language about the form of the Government of the United States”
I think most Americans would say that the so-called “protest” (aka riot) that happened on Wednesday afternoon is more than enough to strongly consider the allegation of sedition. Not just for you know who, but for his enablers, and those who stormed into the Capitol building hoping to overturn the results of the election.
Randy Rainbow release his new video this afternoon. Entitled “SEDITION! – A Randy Rainbow Parody“, it is a take-off on the song “Tradition” from the musical Fiddler on the Roof.
I have said many times that Rainbow is a genius. This time, I have no choice but to get on my figurative knees and bow down to this man. After the chaos and destruction, it is clear that changes must be made. It is also clear that we cannot just sweep what has happened under the rug. We need to face it head-on, take a good look in the mirror, and learn from our mistakes.
Happy Friday.
P.S. If there is one bright spot, it is that you know who has been permanently banned from Twitter.
Writergurlny 
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