Begin with hope:
It’s Friday…
And on Fridays we dance 💃 🕺
🎥 Masaka Kids Africana
pic.twitter.com/5iF0yrMfXB— Jessi 💫 (@its_jessi_grace) October 13, 2023
- Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit asks a pertinent question about Hamas and babies.
- Infidel753 runs down a few generally missed facts about the terrorist attack from Hamas.
- Green Eagle spent some time as a resident of Israel and has personal observations.
- Nan’s Notebook goes Biblical, exploring possible religious justifications for geographic claims in the Middle East.
- At The Moderate Voice Jason Streck wants Israel to be careful in responding to Hamas monstrosities and avoid the temptation of committing war crimes of its own.
- North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz suggests that the only place to stand in the Israeli‑Palestinian violence is in opposition to violence and terrorism no matter the source.
Key imperative:
The only thing good people can do in living nightmares like we’re witnessing right now, is to mourn the disparate nature of the suffering.
Key reactive:
We should condemn terrorism wherever it shows up.
We should decry brutality whatever its source.
My thought:
Pastor Pavlovitz’ prescription requires untangling and simplifying to avoid both‑side equivalence.
In this case:
Any good cause, no matter how good, does not mitigate the pure evil of a terrorist attack.
- In The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser, pacifist Bruce takes both‑sides to a new level, while considering whether Hamas is evil.
War is evil. It is never justifiable.
Both sides, in fact all sides, in war are evil.
Hamas is evil.
Israel is evil.
We are evil.
Because peace is good.
- Vixen Strangely sees Republicans who see the Hamas attack as “a great opportunity”, and watches Senator Tim Scott, the one with a rep as a nice guy, make a clumsy attempt to put the Great Opportunity into dirty practice.
- Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson seems to have little patience with Republican disinformation:
"Biden admin wanted Israel to stand down after the attack."
"Israel has a right to defend itself and its people – full stop." – Joe Biden
I am not a fan of Biden on foreign policy, but his statement was a clear endorsement of Israel defending itself, not standing down. https://t.co/u3uPfC0kqJ
— James Wigderson (@jwigderson) October 8, 2023
And even less with Republican prayers for political violence:
Remember the other day when I posted that at least Trump supporters aren't demanding human sacrifices? I may have been premature about that. https://t.co/oPd0r6GhMN
— James Wigderson (@jwigderson) October 8, 2023
- Tommy Christopher has the CNN reaction as mr Trump calls out Never Forget!. Except it isn’t in reference to the Holocaust or to the terrorist attack, but rather to Netanyahu’s lack of personal loyalty to Trump.
- Mike Lindell (MyPillow) could have become famous as the latest Come Back Kid, fighting his way up from gambling and cocaine addiction to running a successful nationwide business.
But sometimes a personality flaw can mutate into other destructive behavior, like latching onto a disastrous conspiracy cult run by a con artist.
tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors seems unsympathetic as poor Mike becomes a very poor, pretty much broke, Mike.
- In Hackwhackers, a reporter pouring through a mountain of court filings notices an interesting entry. The feds say they have discovered Trump’s reason for stealing those top, top, very, ultra secret documents.
- Georgia Prosecutor Fani Willis, ready to tie Donald Trump and all his co‑conspirators into a RICO case, has already made Congressman Jim Jordan (um…the possible next Speaker), look foolish as he tries to interfere.
The Palmer Report has the repeat performance as Willis educates Jordan again on Congressional jurisdictional limits. This time, it gets politely brutal:
Key hard nose:
Now Willis firing back with a publicly released letter in which she not only rips Jordan a new one, but also reminds Jordan that if not for the speech and debate clause, she’d be prosecuting him for obstruction.
- Frances Langum has reactions as the Fox channel goes all Jim Jordan for Speaker.
- News Corpse finds Marjorie Taylor Greene, currently Shadow House Speaker, has published her Tweeted (or ‘X’ed – who the hell knows any more) manifesto and helpfully translates from MAGA to standard English.
- We thought it would be Jim Jordan, but Andy Borowitz reports the new GOP candidate for Speaker of the House will be a Republican intern named Zach.
Key quote:
“This is gonna be dope,” he said.
- jobsanger gets help from Drew Goins (WaPo) in making the case. When it comes to rebuilding the GOP, Congressional Republicans are halfway there.
- In Letters from an American, noted historian Heather Cox Richardson provides context to Republican legislative chaos during international crises.
Key parallel:- House Republicans spent another week not bringing themselves to elect a Speaker.
- Senate Republicans can’t bring themselves to tame one Senator who is sabotaging National Security.
- Senator Tommy Tuberville attacks the entire US military, blocking promotions, so former CIA Director Michael Hayden jokes that Tommy should no longer be considered part of the human race.
M. Bouffant at Web of Evil has a collection of links to the story, as self‑described very tough pro‑military Tommy reports Hayden to police as threatening his life.
- Iron Knee at Political Irony compares how those on the left and right view their political leaders.
- There’s preemptive both‑sides reporting, then there’s this:
driftglass explores a Washington Post thought piece blaming Illinois Democrats for Republican extremism. Then it gets worse.
- CalicoJack in The Psy of Life has figured out how we can save democracy.
Has to do with voting or something.
Oh my! The something part is kind of cool!
- Author John Scalzi at Whatever reminds everyone in Ohio that early voting has already started for two important issues. If all goes well, the ballot:
- keeps busybodies out of other people’s uteruses
- generally legalizes marijuana use
- A fifteen year campaign by right‑wingers to take over local school boards has most recently devolved into a single fringe group. PZ Myers says that, in Minnesota, Moms for Liberty is having a tough time with local folk.
- @whiskeywhistle98 carefully considers a pro‑gun argument against gun‑free zones.
- Data is not the plural of anecdote, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan liked to point out.
Still, the reaction at a Florida grocery is encouraging, as staff and customers learn that Scottie and his partner are married.
- Libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara takes on the Migration Crisis with a largely mainstream analysis.
An aging population in Europe and the US creates an economic need for migrants.
Economic deprivation in countries of origin adds an additional push.
Authoritarian rule creates a refugee crisis.
So Michael’s solution:
…substantial Capitalistic freedom powered by extensive fossil fuels use.
Yup. That’s his advice: Make sure the world uses more gas.
- Legal expert Imani Gandy looks into Brazil’s universities and sees a country where racial quotas in higher education get great results.
- In acknowledgement of what has been Columbus Day and, more recently, is celebrated as Indigenous Peoples Day, SilverAppleQueen goes back several decades to A People’s History of the United States.
Historian Howard Zinn examined original writings by European explorers on their first impressions on first meeting Native Americans.
Wonderfully friendly, peaceful, generous, and strong.
Will make excellent slaves.
- MadMikesAmerica considers the relationship of my more conservative Christian brethren with women, and suggests it may be inspired by a version of Jesus that has little to do with the Jesus we find in scripture.
- Dave Dubya has a lot of wishes based on a simple idea: if your religion makes you hate someone, you need a new religion.
- Author and comedian Sarah Cooper has a thought on the unity of spirituality:
Ugh every time I watch this I think, but the Bible *would also* come back because it has come back and does come back in a million different forms. Judaism, Christianity, all religions tell slightly different versions of the same story. And books about human nature, even novels,…
— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) October 6, 2023
Her hilarious, and insightful, new book is available on-line. - YellowDog Granny has a few insights on adulthood, character development, and swear jars.
- Mark Waulberg (No, not Mark Wahlberg, the other Mark) teaches us that everyone has a claim to fame:
- Cato Institute’s Julian Sanchez objects to a scam:
This seems, to put it mildly, way the hell outside the boundaries of an advertisement any minimally responsible company would agree to run. At best, it’s a scam. At worst, a few morons might take it seriously and panic. What gives @YouTube ?
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) October 10, 2023
And has an award-winning reaction:I mean, how many does one guy really need?
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) October 10, 2023
- Must be someone voted in by us hippy libtards:
At The Onion, Senator Darkness calls for a thousand year of reign of blood.
- Clickbait satirist Reductress provides helpful advice on how to drink water, even though it doesn’t contain 28 grams of sugar.
- Dave Columbo has one hell of a memory:
– Podcasts that may still apply –
Calling this horrific invasion “a great [political] opportunity”, and desperately throwing accusations at Biden in the hope that something sticks, are pure examples of American narcissism — the attitude that events overseas only matter insofar as they can be used for cheap point-scoring in American domestic politics. The same goes for those who sit here at a safe distance from the conflict and pontificate about what Israel shouldn’t do in response to the atrocities, in order to avoid offending the delicate “moral” sensibilities of Americans who are in no danger of being gang-raped or butchered by barbarians. It is despicable.
Any blood shed in the Gaza Strip is on the hands of the savages who used it as a launching pad for these horrors, and then skulked back behind Gazan civilians to use them as human shields.