"Men were always rotten, but the world was once beautiful" - E.G. Robinson's character Sol in "Soylent Green". (1971)
"I like my fellow human beings but humanity just pisses me off." - my wife (last year today)
"This war will end when they have run out of virgins in the jihadist paradise." - Me (today)
Writing and talking and hoping about the end of this conflict is fine but will not get us where we need to go. I am all for revolution; the revolution of the people of Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, who want to get out from under the oppressive yoke of the jihadists. But the only way that this war will end in Israel's favor is when enough bombs are dropped on enough of the proper heads to make it happen. Go IDF! Save Israel! Maybe in the process we will get our collective heads out of our collective buttinskis and save ourselves.
(Sorry for the typos above. It got posted before I could correct them or complete my thought.)
The more recent Muslims immigrants ,
who come here as economic refugees, never grew up being persecuted for their faith. On the contrary, they were inculcated with it, including its intolerances. That is why you can have young Muslims in Michigan chanting “Death to America”. That is why you can have Students for Justice in Palestine calling for the end of the American system and democracy to be replaced by a caliphate . And no one is willing to call this out because they are afraid to being accused of Islamophobia. Even more frightening is that people like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are kowtowing to this group to get their vote.
I can never give up. There are lots of people who practice Islam and our valued members of society. But it’s the radicals we always have to worry about. They have the most potential to drive a very, very destructive agenda. And all Americans - including Muslim Americans, who want to live in peace-will suffer for it.
One of the great things about United States is that it civilized Christianity. By that I mean Christians of all denominations have given up on the idea that they need to spread their faith violently. They have learned to live in peace with those who’s interpretations of Christianity different from their own. This, of course, being in contrast to the many wars fight in Europe between Prada and Catholics, the idea that you needed to purify your faith through inquisitions, and the need to, conquer new territories in order to spread the faith.[This is not universal Christianity was forced on Native Americans to great degree.)
I had hope that somehow America would civilize Islam. I thought that living in a democratic country would help Muslims modify their practical faith in that they would live their faith but with tolerance towards others. my experience with Muslims through the 1990s was always positive and it seemed that those who immigrated to America were happy to strive to achieve the American dream.
That seem to have changed. With the emergence of C AIR, who to their own members spouse, the ideals of the Muslim brotherhood, this is change radically.
Alas, in our fast-changing and complex world, good and evil/ right and wrong can no longer be intuitively understood. Neither the golden rule nor the 10 Commandments provide a framework for figuring out long-standing conflicts and complicated social and political matters. To make matters worse, our fast-decreasing attention spans make it almost impossible for us to think through complex matters. This forces people to make moral decisions based on ideological preferences (Koranic Law, Social Justice, Anti-Colonialism, Marxism, Feminism etc.) The Pro-Palestine fervor is merely the first manifestation of mass political hysteria- others are on their way.
Well done. "Weak appeasement strategy" says it. We are, or have become isolationist in our tendencies. We have forgotten how appeasement worked for the Axis in WW2. The civilized must be able to switch from enlightened values, to a warrior state, and back again fairly easily That is one challenge. It isn't easy but we've done it before. Hopefully we will do it again, before it's too late.
Cynical old man, a Jewish Agnostic Humanist says "faith in humanity" is nonsense. Sometimes the outcome is good and the good guys win and sometimes the good guys lose. Civilizations come and go. Good beats evil on occasion and evil beats good on occasion. You want to have faith in humanity, then get in there and fight for what you believe in and hope it works out the way you want.
The antisemtism and pro Hamas sentiment that test you faith in humanity did not just happen overnight and it certainly doesnt have to remain but it will take action to change the course of events and not faith in humanity.
In closing, I loved the essay because you really showed how people can be manipulated to the point where bad is good and good is bad. I share your feelings of disappointment and frustration and hopefully we will overcome this distortion of truth.
In fighting to survive against those who savagely seek to destroy us and our way of life, we have been forced to destroy them and to take their lives.
No wonder the clarity of our youth is corrupted — in this world there remains no innocence nor inner-sense in which they can find comfort.
And I guess we older realists will have to find solace in the acceptance that only when we have succeeded to doing to them what they are determined to do to us, we will actually be ceding to them the ‘win’ they so insanely and uncompromisingly seek.
What an odd place to preserve our last ember of humanity.
You had me at the last sentence of the second paragraph, dear (while I'm processing WHAT just hit me here -- with the underlying, very real threat involved). Thank you for reinforcing that it really IS standard theology (before the cries of "you're overreacting" can begin). I'll be following you closely while fighting to get out of here to a neighboring state G-d willing. Appreciate you a LOT.
My faith in humanity has always been tested! From the absolutely crazy Holocaust as sacrifices to fictional aliens, to American crimes against humanity in Latinamerica during the so-called Cold War!
From Germany's "Thule Society" responsible for the Holocaust, with Shitler as mouth piece, to
America's "QAnon" that believes the same crazy conspiracies as Thule, with Trumpanzee as mouth piece!
The "progressives" ie, marxists have dehumanized Israelis and Jews. As hard as it is to comprehend they actually do believe that the slaughter and rape of innocent Israelis and Jews including babies and children is justified on the false premise that they are "colonizers" and "occupiers". That is what those signs "by any means necessary" at rallies allude to. Jewish liberals must stop trying to rationalize the behavior of these monsters and come to terms with the fact that the people they thought were their political allies are not well-intentioned and ill-informed, they are pure evil. The so-called "progressive" movement is a demonic, inhumane movement.
Belief in mankind is a mistake because man can rationalize anything and everything If you believe in God there are moral absolutes such as good and evil
Only a couple of years ago, Progressives raised the cry for #WomenLifeFreedom. I was one of them, and it was heartbreaking when the women of Iran lost and were forced under the boot of the Islamist Republic of Iran and the world abandoned them. Now with absolute certainty that they are doing right, many of these same activists who championed Iranian women are supporting the very people who victimized them. I understand OK, you hate Jews, you want Israel wiped off the face of the earth, and you can't possibly be antisemitic because you found an As a Jew who said that Jews are evil, OK, fine, I can understand that. What I can't understand is how you can fight for Iranian women one year and the next year turn and fight for their oppressors.
During the Orwellian “Digital Age” of Neo-Babel’s Global Village all global-e-commerce merchandise, including the souls of men, must be digitally-marked with the identification number (SS#; SIN#) of the Marxist Beast’s Socialistic Security System. Mentally engraved within their hearts’ consciousness (the forehead’s memory) and embedded within their hand-held credit card is the digital name of the Marxist UN Beast. No man can legally buy, sell, engage in the cashless global-e-commerce, obtain a drivers license, a bank account, a passport or be hired for employment without being branded for life with the Beast’s SS#. From cradle to grave the digitally-marked souls of Neo-Babylonians are happily enslaved as dependent-wards, held captive within the Marxist Beast’s Socialistically-Secured Global Village.
Uncle Sam’s Social-Secured citizens are indoctrinated to proudly lay down their patriotic lives in militant defense of licentious Lady Liberty’s Masonic Constitution. Under God’s strong delusion they democratically bow their idolatrous hearts, in a worshipful corporate pledge of allegiance, before the Masonic Statue of Columbia’s sacred image—“Old Glory” (see Daniel 3:16). They are brainwashed chattel, not unlike beef cattle that permanently bear their master’s digital name stapled to their ear. Contently chewing their cud, these deluded beasts fatten up in the eugenic ‘security’ of the slaughter-house feedlot. Oblivious to the holocaust that awaits their numbered souls, they are like the Third Reich’s ghettoized Jews who were numbered, showered, and thrown into Auschwitz’s ovens.
I think you may have a typo in the sentence about the Rabbi without a Temple - DOES NOT? Or am I misunderstanding the context, syntax or something? I think I know what you mean.
I have a couple of quotes for you.
"Men were always rotten, but the world was once beautiful" - E.G. Robinson's character Sol in "Soylent Green". (1971)
"I like my fellow human beings but humanity just pisses me off." - my wife (last year today)
"This war will end when they have run out of virgins in the jihadist paradise." - Me (today)
Writing and talking and hoping about the end of this conflict is fine but will not get us where we need to go. I am all for revolution; the revolution of the people of Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, who want to get out from under the oppressive yoke of the jihadists. But the only way that this war will end in Israel's favor is when enough bombs are dropped on enough of the proper heads to make it happen. Go IDF! Save Israel! Maybe in the process we will get our collective heads out of our collective buttinskis and save ourselves.
I agree with you Richard. As Douglas Murray said, “There is a time for peace, and a time for war”
Yes, Ecclesiastes 3: 8, always true and now more than ever.
(Sorry for the typos above. It got posted before I could correct them or complete my thought.)
The more recent Muslims immigrants ,
who come here as economic refugees, never grew up being persecuted for their faith. On the contrary, they were inculcated with it, including its intolerances. That is why you can have young Muslims in Michigan chanting “Death to America”. That is why you can have Students for Justice in Palestine calling for the end of the American system and democracy to be replaced by a caliphate . And no one is willing to call this out because they are afraid to being accused of Islamophobia. Even more frightening is that people like Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are kowtowing to this group to get their vote.
I can never give up. There are lots of people who practice Islam and our valued members of society. But it’s the radicals we always have to worry about. They have the most potential to drive a very, very destructive agenda. And all Americans - including Muslim Americans, who want to live in peace-will suffer for it.
One of the great things about United States is that it civilized Christianity. By that I mean Christians of all denominations have given up on the idea that they need to spread their faith violently. They have learned to live in peace with those who’s interpretations of Christianity different from their own. This, of course, being in contrast to the many wars fight in Europe between Prada and Catholics, the idea that you needed to purify your faith through inquisitions, and the need to, conquer new territories in order to spread the faith.[This is not universal Christianity was forced on Native Americans to great degree.)
I had hope that somehow America would civilize Islam. I thought that living in a democratic country would help Muslims modify their practical faith in that they would live their faith but with tolerance towards others. my experience with Muslims through the 1990s was always positive and it seemed that those who immigrated to America were happy to strive to achieve the American dream.
That seem to have changed. With the emergence of C AIR, who to their own members spouse, the ideals of the Muslim brotherhood, this is change radically.
Thank you, Kelli, this is heartfelt.
Alas, in our fast-changing and complex world, good and evil/ right and wrong can no longer be intuitively understood. Neither the golden rule nor the 10 Commandments provide a framework for figuring out long-standing conflicts and complicated social and political matters. To make matters worse, our fast-decreasing attention spans make it almost impossible for us to think through complex matters. This forces people to make moral decisions based on ideological preferences (Koranic Law, Social Justice, Anti-Colonialism, Marxism, Feminism etc.) The Pro-Palestine fervor is merely the first manifestation of mass political hysteria- others are on their way.
https://open.substack.com/pub/villageidiotstudio/p/the-problem-with-good-people?r=2pal6b&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Well done. "Weak appeasement strategy" says it. We are, or have become isolationist in our tendencies. We have forgotten how appeasement worked for the Axis in WW2. The civilized must be able to switch from enlightened values, to a warrior state, and back again fairly easily That is one challenge. It isn't easy but we've done it before. Hopefully we will do it again, before it's too late.
I hope so too. Thanks Robin.
Cynical old man, a Jewish Agnostic Humanist says "faith in humanity" is nonsense. Sometimes the outcome is good and the good guys win and sometimes the good guys lose. Civilizations come and go. Good beats evil on occasion and evil beats good on occasion. You want to have faith in humanity, then get in there and fight for what you believe in and hope it works out the way you want.
The antisemtism and pro Hamas sentiment that test you faith in humanity did not just happen overnight and it certainly doesnt have to remain but it will take action to change the course of events and not faith in humanity.
In closing, I loved the essay because you really showed how people can be manipulated to the point where bad is good and good is bad. I share your feelings of disappointment and frustration and hopefully we will overcome this distortion of truth.
papa j
In fighting to survive against those who savagely seek to destroy us and our way of life, we have been forced to destroy them and to take their lives.
No wonder the clarity of our youth is corrupted — in this world there remains no innocence nor inner-sense in which they can find comfort.
And I guess we older realists will have to find solace in the acceptance that only when we have succeeded to doing to them what they are determined to do to us, we will actually be ceding to them the ‘win’ they so insanely and uncompromisingly seek.
What an odd place to preserve our last ember of humanity.
You had me at the last sentence of the second paragraph, dear (while I'm processing WHAT just hit me here -- with the underlying, very real threat involved). Thank you for reinforcing that it really IS standard theology (before the cries of "you're overreacting" can begin). I'll be following you closely while fighting to get out of here to a neighboring state G-d willing. Appreciate you a LOT.
Please stay safe 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you. For me, safety and risk mitigation ARE primary values. Appreciate your and others' prayers as well.
My faith in humanity has always been tested! From the absolutely crazy Holocaust as sacrifices to fictional aliens, to American crimes against humanity in Latinamerica during the so-called Cold War!
From Germany's "Thule Society" responsible for the Holocaust, with Shitler as mouth piece, to
America's "QAnon" that believes the same crazy conspiracies as Thule, with Trumpanzee as mouth piece!
The "progressives" ie, marxists have dehumanized Israelis and Jews. As hard as it is to comprehend they actually do believe that the slaughter and rape of innocent Israelis and Jews including babies and children is justified on the false premise that they are "colonizers" and "occupiers". That is what those signs "by any means necessary" at rallies allude to. Jewish liberals must stop trying to rationalize the behavior of these monsters and come to terms with the fact that the people they thought were their political allies are not well-intentioned and ill-informed, they are pure evil. The so-called "progressive" movement is a demonic, inhumane movement.
I agree Laura. You just have to ask them and they will tell you.
Belief in mankind is a mistake because man can rationalize anything and everything If you believe in God there are moral absolutes such as good and evil
Only a couple of years ago, Progressives raised the cry for #WomenLifeFreedom. I was one of them, and it was heartbreaking when the women of Iran lost and were forced under the boot of the Islamist Republic of Iran and the world abandoned them. Now with absolute certainty that they are doing right, many of these same activists who championed Iranian women are supporting the very people who victimized them. I understand OK, you hate Jews, you want Israel wiped off the face of the earth, and you can't possibly be antisemitic because you found an As a Jew who said that Jews are evil, OK, fine, I can understand that. What I can't understand is how you can fight for Iranian women one year and the next year turn and fight for their oppressors.
During the Orwellian “Digital Age” of Neo-Babel’s Global Village all global-e-commerce merchandise, including the souls of men, must be digitally-marked with the identification number (SS#; SIN#) of the Marxist Beast’s Socialistic Security System. Mentally engraved within their hearts’ consciousness (the forehead’s memory) and embedded within their hand-held credit card is the digital name of the Marxist UN Beast. No man can legally buy, sell, engage in the cashless global-e-commerce, obtain a drivers license, a bank account, a passport or be hired for employment without being branded for life with the Beast’s SS#. From cradle to grave the digitally-marked souls of Neo-Babylonians are happily enslaved as dependent-wards, held captive within the Marxist Beast’s Socialistically-Secured Global Village.
Uncle Sam’s Social-Secured citizens are indoctrinated to proudly lay down their patriotic lives in militant defense of licentious Lady Liberty’s Masonic Constitution. Under God’s strong delusion they democratically bow their idolatrous hearts, in a worshipful corporate pledge of allegiance, before the Masonic Statue of Columbia’s sacred image—“Old Glory” (see Daniel 3:16). They are brainwashed chattel, not unlike beef cattle that permanently bear their master’s digital name stapled to their ear. Contently chewing their cud, these deluded beasts fatten up in the eugenic ‘security’ of the slaughter-house feedlot. Oblivious to the holocaust that awaits their numbered souls, they are like the Third Reich’s ghettoized Jews who were numbered, showered, and thrown into Auschwitz’s ovens.
I think you may have a typo in the sentence about the Rabbi without a Temple - DOES NOT? Or am I misunderstanding the context, syntax or something? I think I know what you mean.
Amen, thank you!