Every so often I log onto my own blog to see what I wrote
and when I wrote it. I also check, for purposes of ego, the number of hits that
the blog has gotten. If my blog was a book it definitely would not be a best
seller, but seeing 6666 hits to date – that is an ego builder. Then I recalled
that I am just three months shy of doing this for five years. Still, I am flattered
by the attention.
The bug to write something comes the night before I sit down
to write as a result of the bug in my ear. I have passed up on the
opportunities to write about specific subjects of the day because I felt that I
could not so them any justice – I didn’t know enough to write about them. Some
subjects, even though I was lacking, I still wrote about the as I was emotionally
charged with the matter.
ISIL comes to mind. They are horrifying beings. They are not
human. Not since the Holocaust has any group been so terrifying, so cold, so
uncaring so, inhuman, so off the track of compassion as these miserable
creatures and the people they inspire to do like acts in different places. They
seem to be winning a war but losing the sympathy for their program, whatever
that is. Maybe the Middle Eastern countries will get mad enough to take this
cancer out of existence. So far they only react when it becomes local to them.
For example, Egypt just got angry over the beheading of their people in Libya.
Jordan reacted when a Jordanian pilot was executed by fire. When will the
Saudis step up? When will Lebanon step up – this is their fight. But most of
these governments support the terrorism. They claim it is private money that
supports them.
Now we have the problem of Iran. I watched Jon Stewart react
to the speech given by the Israeli Prime Minister. He illustrated, through
archived videos, that the PM is always crying wolf. Every year for the past
nine years or more, Iran “is just one year away from getting the bomb.” Yes,
Iran has threatened the State of Israel and the United States. Is it true
intention or bloviating? The Israeli Prime Minister also called for us to
invade Iraq. When Saddam is gone the Middle East will change. AND DID IT
CHANGE!
We had no good reason to go to Iraq and get more than 5000
young Americans killed and even more maimed or psychologically injured. Even in
retrospect there is still no good reason for our Iraqi invasion. In a few days
I am leaving for Vietnam. Vietnam, where 56,000 plus young Americans lost their
lives and even more maimed or psychologically injured. What does the Israeli PM
want? Another 50,000 or more young Americans to lose their lives over something
that has not been proven. Remember the WMDs?
History told us he and ‘W” were wrong on Iraq. I believe
that Bibi believes what he is saying. Israel is in the middle of a very hostile
area. They live with the possibility of death and annihilation every day. I love Israel and have visited the county
many times. The Israeli people are unique in the way they handle the day to day
threat. They are strong and the PM wants to preserve the state and protect his
people. I get that. How many times can you cry they are a year away from the
bomb?
In his speech he gave no new ideas as to work with this problem.
He slapped my president in the face, poked him in the eye and doing so tried to
diminish the strength of our Commander in Chief. He belittled the effort to
work with Iran. As I said when George Bush stood on the rubble of the World
Trade Center on 9-12-91, “he is not my guy, but he is my president.” Bibi has no political standing in MY
country. He is scared but he has been
consistently wrong.
I am an American Jew – in that order. Were I a citizen of
another country I am not sure that I could express my self regarding Israel the
way I do. I love Israel and want to preserve it, nurture the country, support
the country, protect the country, but I cannot put the jeopardy of the U.S. in
harms way to do that.
Having my grandchildren become Bah or Bat Mitzvah in Israel
would be a blessing beyond words. But to have them face being in a war just a
few short years later because of the fear of Iran by Bibi, that would break my
heart.
I have a blue pushke in my house as I have had since I can
recall – even before the State of Israel was born. But I live here. To have a
foreign leader come to my country, insult my president is too much. And he did
it knowing that the invitation was a political maneuver by a weak Speaker of
the House. The weakest I have ever seen. He is no leader, a good haircut and
strange tan does not a leader make.
What is the answer? I have no idea. I do now that I have
seen enough body bags as a result of bad decisions of our leadership. Iraq and
Vietnam come to mind. Do we need another bad decision because Bibi says so? Or
because McCain wants to go to war? Or because the ultra right wing wants to go
to war? Thank powers to be that we have a civilian as our Commander In Chief.
The right is always talking about what the Founding Fathers wanted. Why can’t
they wrap their head around that the CIC is not a general?
I just read a rhetorical question in the Jewish Journal “are
you still happy with Obama?” Yes, the body bag count is way down, the market is
way up and the U.S.is the economic leader of the world.
That is my take, you decide.
