Misguided children on these campuses that don’t even understand what they’re promoting. Shame on their parents for their lack of respect for human life and liberty. First and foremost, we are all children of God. We all deserve respect from conception forward. My prayers go out to all of them. It makes me sick.
(Thx Barry for your courageous writing. Keep up the fight.)
Yes, the parents deserve shame for not teaching timeless values and turning over the education of their children to Marxist hucksters without having first instructed them at home.
"we are all children of God" and yet this "western world" did nothing when Israel has been killing Palestinians, taking their land, destroying their homes, cutting of energy and water. Why is this "Western world" not talking about 27tons of medical aid being held on Palestinian border by Israel. Or about 20 thousand victims of Israeli bombing. Yes, Hamas is a terrorist organisation that did a horrible thing but it's Israel - A COUNTRY - that is murdering innocent civilians. Imagine if USA had started bombing middle east after 9/11 because a terrorist group from there murdered their citizens.
Guess what. Hamas invaded Israel. Started a war. So they got a war. War isn’t pretty. But no sovereign country would have a terror org next door to it. Hamas is responsible for this war and did embedding itself deliberately in civilian populations
Permission granted! And what a surprise to see my note at the bottom of this moving essay. The concept of a common heritage of freedom in God is one that is forming rapidly in my consciousnesss - started by reading The Magna Carta of Humanity by Os Guiness and reinforced by Lane and now solidified into a clarifying paradigm by your essay. Very powerful and moving. We who treasure liberty and self responsibility before God are one and the same people. An attack on them is an attack on us. End of.
Barry, once again you have not only “separated the wheat from the chafe”, but have exposed the kernel of the grain for all to see (if they choose). I began to shed tears while reading this essay. Passes the intellect and arrives at the Soul. Thank you
Dec 21, 2023·edited Dec 21, 2023Liked by Barry Brownstein
Been bee-hind on readin' my stacks but wuz so heartened ta read this Barry--it really hit home fer me!
So many've our famblies embraced America ta have freedom! Freedom ta worship, make a livin', set down "roots" an' make famblies--an' contribute to society (sure'nuff in an "over-respresented" way guilty-as-charged (ha ha) cuz we all grew up hearin' "do somethin' " don't just sit on yer tuchis an' grouse--make it better! Sometimes of course makin' it better makes it worse--I dunno, did all the "mot" neocons start out evil? Wuz Heinz K. a genocidal rat from the git-go? Duz "Admiral Rachel" (?!) have any qualms 'bout promotin' that children be maimed or wuz "he" raised ta be indifferent ta such harms? Wish I knew--but I do know havin' lived--(ssssh!) more n' a half century now--that most--most most most--'ve us are good people--mensches even...
I did not grow up with the things "they" are sayin' bout us--"they" who appear to state they know "us" better than we know ourselfs (?!). How come we end up in their crosshairs? We exclusively?!
Most've us grew up Torah "Chews" but "they" tell us we only know Talmud & Kabbala--nu? From Talmud I know nearly gornischt!--that wuz fer the highly respected "eggheads" an' Talmud wuz just "arguments" not "rules ta live by" (these eggheads included the rabbinical scholars in my fambly that came here with 2 schekels an'a samovar--not much else an' had ta sell vegetables ta feed the fambly...3 later went to Harvard--now a bastion of anti-"chewish" rhetoric). From Kabbala I knew even less! Never wuz it mentioned my entire upbringin'--you'll laff but I only heard 'bout it when Madonna (I'm notta fan) took it up. I guess the rare spilled salt an the rare "kenehora" were vestiges of a few ol' superstitions but nobuddy tol' me that my entire childhood--never heard it at temple neither. I also didn't walk under ladders or step on cracks in the sidewalk--didn't mean I'd gone over ta the dark side, sheesh!
So what "they" say about us--that they know how we think (we plot! we covet! we steal an' overthrow!) is pure banana oil! "They" tell us we are evil / corrupt/ the cause of everythin' bad in the world (hangnails, failin' cities, the "trannie" movement-oy)--but truth is, we "chews" are on all sides--the loudest yellers against this baloney too! Many many of us on these "stacks" tryin' ta shout out ta the rafters, warnin' folks--helpin' folks, right? I feel bad fer what I read in the comments--it's ugly!
Oh an' ye cain't bring up Lenin or Marx without 'em shoutin' at ya "Jews Jews Jews" ruined our whirled. WE are the cause of the deaths of all the Germans an' Russians. Don't git me started about what they call the "holohoax" (I grew up 'round many survivors--they warn't whistlin' Dixie an' they didn't tatoo numbers on their arms ta be trendy either!).
"They" tell us we don't foller the 10 Commandments (no credit fer most've us tryin'!) an' they believe we got "kicked outta" The Promise Land" forever fer bein' sinners--greedy an' profligate an' so on. Really? D'ya see this stuff too Barry? Duz it get yer goat too? Gits mine--an' I'm mad it's a "scapegoat" ... a poor "only kid" right?
WHAT do we do?
My grannie wuz right--"it could happen again." She kept canned goods (ancient tuna! delmonte peaches in syrup!) like the next war wuz 'round the bend. Now, it's "heppenin' " More'n half my fambly changed names after Father Coughlin coughed up a lotta anti-Jewish bile on the airwaves. Today, fer the first time in my life (havin' left NewYawkShitty--pardon the pro-fan-itty), we are all livin' in the boonies where the groceries don't have the "passover aisle"--we are now stranded--safer but notta lansman in sight! When I see what's bein' said 'bout "us"--I feel that my shoutin's gotta stay anonymous (I've posted 'bout this--an' plan ta do more...) Here in this strange place we're callin' home we made sure the menorah wuz not visible from the winda. We try ta fit in...
I'm grateful my gran'parents an' fambly that went thru WWII ain't alive ta see this day or they'd all be havin' heart attacks! (lol, they already all had high blood pressure!)
Not sure if you venture inta the "warzone" sites but I do--I muscle thru Unz & Maklow. I feel like readin' stuff on these innertubes is walkin' thru a landmine (no longer "mine" either!)--everywhere hate against "us"--or they say (quite absurdly), OH "only" the "Zionists" are evil--so it 't'ain't anti-semitic as Zionists aren't even Jews. Have ya heard that'un?! My lord. If ya show sympathy fer Israel or the people of Israel (not all've 'em are so keen on NetAn'Yahoo) yer the devil incarnate! We are told we "chews" as havin' no connection to Israel (apart from wantin' the valuable real estate), that we are all "Mossad" an' are behind every regime overthrown, every assassination, all the drug/weapon/child traffickin'--in brief, we are all "Jeffery Epstein"--an' now they're sayin' that if we American Jews wanna stay here we need to denounce Israel, put fists up fer Palestine-as-Hamas (not the Palestinians who are ethnically Arab---but the entire River ta the Sea thing--an' we must stop "over-representin'" ourselfs--in polly-ticks, in education, in entertainment (in the industry "we" founded...).... I mean the list goes on--wanderin' on the web is like a struggle session! Barry, I found 'bout yer stack on Lew Rockwell but some'a the stuff he shares is all the above an "WORSE"--whod'a thunk? Libertarians too--it's hate on steroids...
I read the "comments" even on seemin'ly sane conservative sites (eg. Paul Craig Roberts...oy)--I wince when I hear tell we all worship at the "Synagogue of Satan." (Never heard've it 'till I was long an adult--seems they're popular in Iowa now..) But I read whut folks 're sayin' so I know--this is where we are "at"... this is what "decent folks" now think've us. It saddens me greatly an' I worry 'bout my dear daughters--now, here, where they don't "tell" anyone.... It's a risk ta tell... 'Been there, seen it myself as a little squirt. Friends back in NYSeize tell their kiddos ta tuck the star 'o david inta their shirts, ta not wear the yalmuke--an' one friend whose daughter is in high school in Washington Hts--they hired private security--there were threats. It's a "shonda"-- As Gloria Gaynor said, "I Will Survive" but it ain't purdy-- I feel lucky ta have experienced the American Dream--Jewish Lit Class in high school even! knishes on the corner! Norman Lear, Mel Brooks..... Wha' heppened?!
Sorry fer the over-long comment--as ye kin see, quite a lotta tsuris (from Soros too--egads!)
Oh, one quibble, ya seem ta agree that language aide this is so:
"Like Americans, they have no common ancestry, no common religion or political philosophy, no common appearance, habits, manners or customs. They have no nationality nor common language."
NIX.
We DO have common ancestry--nearly all modern day chews are related on the father line that goes back ta ancient israel--for sephardim, they also share genetics on the mama line which also goes back ta ancient Israel--fer (we) ashkenazis, we are are related to just four (four!) mamas from Germany--I gotta post about this stuff... many studies (12 to be specific!) No Khazars! That's bunk too!
We do share a common religion--some practice it strictly, others less so--but most've it is very much the same! I met kids in college from other states--their temples, my temples, same songs, prayers, an' even the summer "camp songs" were the same!
No common appearance?! Half the time even us regular "Joes" kin tell but back in the city 'round succhis time the young Hasidim that traipse 'round midtown kin pick "us" outta every crowd-- it's amazin'... not even Dinah Shore an' Lauren Bacall could'a fooled 'em.... jus' sayin'...
Habits? manners? (work work work an' guilt if ya don't "honor yer mother" enuf?--playin' piano 'er violin? homework first, baseball later? 'cmon!) Manners--they better be good! (We an' the Italians also gesture a LOT!)
Customs? None? Even us "more" cultural "chews" got customs--some seem silly--the bagel fer Sunday brunch--WQXR playin' in the background--others serious. Even if we are "lax" about worship, we still sit shiva an' we still "feel" the pain of the world (whuther 'er not it's "us" that folks think is behind it).
It's freedom--an' much MUCH more!
So the way forward is...? (I fer one wish I knew!)
The current awful events and appalling polarised reactions globally have prompted me to write an essay today (my first for a long time), which goes back to something I started several years ago:
Thank ye Barry, inform myself I shall! I know the "confusing" Jan Halper Hayes talks 'bout such things (not fractally tho') an' is even "trackin' " them--trends in beliefs, in hopefullness, in disbelief / doom, an' more... not sure how Israel fits in her calculations but I tend ta believe that documented cycles aside, most politically based thought cycles (imo) are contrived, orchestrated, an' "run" like scripts!--not the natural ebb & flow like weather (when not monkey'd with!) --I miss "real" weather too! If we got rid'a the WHO & the WEF, Davos, etc. it'd be a step in the right direction ta edge out 20 years of "determinism"-- an' it might save human beans a heap of misguided carnage too... Anywho, I'll take a look!
Simply means that social mood runs in repeating cycles from extreme optimism to extreme pessimism. We are a long way from the bottom but I don't believe in determinism and so there is hope. This is dated but gives an overview: https://youtu.be/DZlH56Bemog?si=7aTILDF3Z-fjaEOI. As I said my own thinking is less deterministic.
Aw, thank ya Barry! That humor an' wisdom are bein' tried now mightily tho'--hard to keep cheerful (I do my best!) in the face've this stuff--makes me sad my darlin' daughters have ta see it. I imagined we were past it... (now I see whut "past it" meant!--say it fast as in "those past-its!"--we're back where we started an' then some!)
Nope, no fond mem'ry of them Delmonte peaches either--always consumed on cottage cheese, dab'a sour cream if we had it! -- but I have ta give 'er credit ta my gran fer bein' the original prepper! She'd say "enjoy while you can" but "it could happen again, ya never know" so "make like a boyscout an' "be prepared." Most of us were not... an' remain unprepared... in every way, mentally too!
So I now see, sadly, that hate doesn't die, it just blends inta the wood-work for a time but a spritz've "Lemon Pledge" brings it back out in stark relief. The a-social "injustice warriors" mindlessly cheerin' for the destruction of Israel (an' all who live there) is the Lemon Pledge--toxic, stinky, sprayed indiscriminately an' stinks like the dickens. Who'd a thunk?
I'm in the dumps thinkin' that we'll be writin' about this stuff for a long time but mebbe yer right? --Let's jus' hope we keep the fast-dissolvin' "Freedom" ta speak our minds 'er type 'em out, a precious gift ta us all in this now censored sphere that feels more like the Sunday comics with good guys an' bad guys bein' touted in 3 color dot matrix print.
An' yup, sadly Rockwell an' so many others have taken sides an' I'm not seein' one iota of nuance there... Watch the woodwork!
I just learned've this well-spoken British "gent" new ta substack but I'm likin' whut he sez 'bout Israel an' also 'bout Jewish values-- rings right true ta me! it's measured, nuanced--holdin' all parties to the standards of humanity (an' ta the "Torah" Judaism I know). Ya may find it so fer you too so here ya go:
Heartbreaking - insanity - what next? World war three?
For what it's worth:
OUR TRANSFORMATION TRANSFORMS OUR WORLD AND IN TURN, THE WORLD
We find peace in transcending our beliefs, opinions, judgments, and knowledge.
Each of us experiences reality either:
Via our unseen relationship with Thought (capital T) hidden behind the veil of our conditioned thinking (small t) – our lifelong accumulation of beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge -
Or:
We see our relationship with Thought from seeing into The Realm of Possibility and, thereby, understanding the relationship between Thought and its form - our thinking.
And:
In Seeing that our thinking creates our reality, we become free from the grip of our accumulation. We see through the illusion of our beliefs, opinions, judgments and knowledge, all of which make our life - our world - the world - the way it is - for us individually.
So it is:
Within The Realm of Possibility, we see the solution to the core problem that ails us individually and humanity as a whole.
It follows:
From within that state of awareness, we see through the illusion of our accumulation – the realm of impossibility – to the solution – seeing that we think and recognise that what we think from our conditioned mind, without self-awareness, is the source of our problems - of all human-created problems.
The outcome:
Once we awaken, we continue to look toward the Realm of Possibility and the yet-to-be-seen, contributing with kindness, understanding, wisdom and common sense to the greater good.
Yes:
We transform from experiencing an unforgettable feeling of kindness and understanding to a heightened sense of wisdom and common sense in our relationship with others and the world. These four innate qualities experienced within The Realm of Possibility from that day forward influence our lives and enable us to support the common good.
As a result:
We are free from our archaic beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge. We see innocence – that every human being is doing the best that they can see or see to do.
Consequently:
What exists in the world still exists, but we understand its source - our nightmares made real from living out our indoctrinated worldview, with some of us willing to kill and fight to the death for that illusion.
In summary:
We transcend our sense of division and separation by seeing the illusionary nature of how we create reality by seeing into The Realm of Possibility. We transform into contributors to a world at peace. No longer a victim of our thinking, feelings and behaviour emanating from our accumulation – our egoic world – we live in peace – reflecting The Realm of Possibility.
yup, an' what we have "here'bouts" is not analogous, I know -- plus I never liked the comparison ta S. Africa neither... I hear ya that we cannot walk in their shoes an' figger out how "ugly" a country needs ta git ta root out the rot in the bottom of the tooth (tho' the civilians of Gaza are not exactly prodigal sons like in yer example). Gotta mention tho (Ron Paul even spoke on it) that Hamas wuz funded / fomented by Israel--bad move fer sure in retrospect... Of course the USA duz this all the time--funding baddies ta take out a desired target always comes back at'em an 'bites 'em where they sit tho! Fer sure there ain't no playbook, but some stuff they'ze doin'--denyin' food, water, basic services ta civilians doesn't sit right with me -- even if they wuz Nazis (jus' follerin' orders...) ...they'ze still humans which is why there are rules of war (BB Gun sez they ain't humans...ugh! his rhetoric is painful fer me ta hear, they may be amoral, viscious--lotta good adjectives there--but yet, they are human). I know they cain't always avoid civilian casualties--indeed we'ze lucky we don't have ta make sich decisions..but I see even Jewish lives bein' wrongly sacrificed in this "show"--his own people "othered" so it all plays inta the bigger picture -- First the jab-mandates, green passes, personal data all "sold"--NSA on steroids there--an' then the Hammurabi tactic an' "friendly fire"--so I feel that "BB Gun" is not a friend of the Jewish people (secular or "frum")--he doesn't have his pulse on the scenty-mints of his own citizens. I think he answers ta some very ruthless globalists that are behind the scenes--no proof of it but he acts "self-" destructively... all hard ta fathom
Also, as ye know, Churchill wanted that war (they got America ta join) but the Nazis were never destroyed, that's all a nice story in the his-story books--truth is, there wuz more Paperclips welcomed here on the gubbamint dime than refugees let in! There wuz no "real" deNazification--more like a luxury relocation I'm sad ta say, tho Canada an' GB did the same (meanwhile American famblies struggled ta make ends meet an' lost their sons ta boot).
All that said, I'd venture the humanity of Germans in the press wuz (ultimately) near-denied by all "proper-gander"--I've seen them war films--WWI wuz Babies on Bayonettes bunk, WWII had it's own story line--an' don't git me started 'bout the Japanese...the internment camps, etc. So de-humanizing people--an' NetAnYouhoo is doin' it now--ends up back'firin'...
Like you, I gotz no answers but I'm not so sure that Bibi ain't ta Israel whut Obama wuz (is still...) to the USA--I'll cast the first stone an' wish the people of Israel had sum'buddy better ta unite an' protect 'em! Meanwhile, we gotta pray this mess doesn't undo near-75 years of statehood--whatta mess, right?
Oh I agree with ya that the survival of Israel is now in the balance--I think if NetAn'Yahoo stepped down 'fore it's too late the country'd gain back a lotta good will lost under 'im...his rhetoric is ugly an' not (imo) "very Jewish" at all but folks internationally equate him with the nation. Kinda like puttin' a Wolverine in charge of a restaurant an' tryin' ta convince customers it's safe ta eat there... Bibi is like a BB gun but twice as dangerous! 'Tween killin' citizens with the clot shots, then imposin' the Green Pass (ironically like the yellow star) an' de-humanizing ordinary "Palestinian citizens"* by lumpin' 'em all in with Hamas (no nuance that man... an' did'e kill Rabin?)--I jus' think that pullin' down a tyrant may buy time fer Israelis ta bounce back (lordy I hope so!)
*yup I know they voted in Hamas but even if Hamas uses civilians as canon fodder (our thoroughly Modern Milley Terry duz too) I think the optics of de-humanizing ANYONE are bad an' what that sounds like ta me--is just plain wrong...ethically speakin'--tho' I know bupkis about war... just'sayin'...
I also blame the ADL fer doin' a 360 from it's foundin' principals as it's sewn ill will fer Israel (an' all Jews!) the world over--boy who cried wolf too often got eaten, nobuddy wuz willin' ta come help 'im--a good tale fer these tryin' times I think!
Daisy, I'm glad I have to make no decisions about how Israel should fight this war.
"I think the optics of de-humanizing ANYONE are bad." Agreed and not just the optics but bad for the dehumanizer too.
Yet that spiritual truth still gives no guidance about the appropriate response.
Let me give a less-charged example.
Your 16-year-old son is a thief and an addict. What do you do? Even out of the most loving space, very hard corrective action may emerge (or not.)
Again, I don't have to deal with Hamas or that 16-year-old.
Hamas are savages yet the essence of their humanity can never be lost. Again, that spiritual truth offers no guide for behavior.
History does teach that the Nazis had to be destroyed militarily, before denazification was possible. Did Churchill have to deny the humanity of the Germans to say "we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches,..."? I don't think so.
Interestin'--we human beans are always tryin' to tease out logic, trends, cycles, even dialectics! (eg. 'splainin' "his-story" via formulas like thesis-antithesis--synthesis yadayada). But as ya said, less forecastable (hope so!) an' it goes without sayin' that it all works better in retrospect!
Folks seen ta always see clear cycles retroactively (not faultin' human nature ta do so--but they gotta own that it's purdy fallible)--kinda goes with hindsite bein' 20-20 but that's cheatin'! Predictin' is far harder. Apart from planned cons (like tellin' folks the polar ice caps iz gonna melt so fast the wouldn't be an arctic by 2012!)--many forecasts / predictions fall so short they're invisible by the time the date comes 'round...
Best way ta see what's comin' is ta foller the money--when it dries up... minds change... War (sadly) is yet profitable to Mister Global & Co.... includin' what's goin' down in the Middle East--the "misched up mindset" sadly "comes with the territory"--gotta look at ports, "fossil" fuels, The Crown... all that stuff's gotta git stuffed inta that crystal ball :-)
It's psychopaths v 99% of morally capable people who just want to live their lives in peace.
while the devastating effects and injustices brought about by globalized capitalism and associated militarism largely remain unchallenged by the masses and stay firmly in the background.
The Economic Strategy of American Empire is the key role of maintaining dollar
hegemony and the importance of the petrodollar to US global dominance.
US war campaigns have, among other things, protected the US dollar from abandonment, destroyed nations seeking sovereignty from US dominance, we have seen certain countries face a bombardment of sanctions and hostility in an attempt to destroy energy-producing centres that the US does
not control.
Psychopaths exist in all demographics and are not contained to a single creed, colour or political ideology. There are a few insane power obsessed people constantly creating destabilisation and trying to syphon power.
Andrew, We may disagree about the percentage of people who choose to be morally capable but I agree with you about the divide. I wrote this in a 10/16 post: "The great divide is not between Muslims and non-Muslims. The great divide is between those who respect the brotherhood of man and those obsessed with hatred."https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-great-divide-is-between-those
We also disagree about capitalism, yet I appreciate your frustration about foreign policy.
Barry, thanks for your considered reply to my partial rant, I always appreciate your replies.
Thanks for the link to the great divide article, I am in the process of reading The Discovery of Freedom, and love the quotes about brotherhood of man. I do agree with you about capitalism it wasn't the correct word to use there.
I would love to get your thoughts on this article, as I think there a definite aspects of this playing out.
Misguided children on these campuses that don’t even understand what they’re promoting. Shame on their parents for their lack of respect for human life and liberty. First and foremost, we are all children of God. We all deserve respect from conception forward. My prayers go out to all of them. It makes me sick.
(Thx Barry for your courageous writing. Keep up the fight.)
Thanks, Chris.
Yes, the parents deserve shame for not teaching timeless values and turning over the education of their children to Marxist hucksters without having first instructed them at home.
Makes me sick too.
"we are all children of God" and yet this "western world" did nothing when Israel has been killing Palestinians, taking their land, destroying their homes, cutting of energy and water. Why is this "Western world" not talking about 27tons of medical aid being held on Palestinian border by Israel. Or about 20 thousand victims of Israeli bombing. Yes, Hamas is a terrorist organisation that did a horrible thing but it's Israel - A COUNTRY - that is murdering innocent civilians. Imagine if USA had started bombing middle east after 9/11 because a terrorist group from there murdered their citizens.
Guess what. Hamas invaded Israel. Started a war. So they got a war. War isn’t pretty. But no sovereign country would have a terror org next door to it. Hamas is responsible for this war and did embedding itself deliberately in civilian populations
Permission granted! And what a surprise to see my note at the bottom of this moving essay. The concept of a common heritage of freedom in God is one that is forming rapidly in my consciousnesss - started by reading The Magna Carta of Humanity by Os Guiness and reinforced by Lane and now solidified into a clarifying paradigm by your essay. Very powerful and moving. We who treasure liberty and self responsibility before God are one and the same people. An attack on them is an attack on us. End of.
Steven, I appreciate your helpful framing of my essay. Os Guiness is new to me. I see he is very prolific and deserves my attention. Thank you.
Barry, once again you have not only “separated the wheat from the chafe”, but have exposed the kernel of the grain for all to see (if they choose). I began to shed tears while reading this essay. Passes the intellect and arrives at the Soul. Thank you
Wow, Vincent. I'm touched and honored to read your note. Thank you!
Been bee-hind on readin' my stacks but wuz so heartened ta read this Barry--it really hit home fer me!
So many've our famblies embraced America ta have freedom! Freedom ta worship, make a livin', set down "roots" an' make famblies--an' contribute to society (sure'nuff in an "over-respresented" way guilty-as-charged (ha ha) cuz we all grew up hearin' "do somethin' " don't just sit on yer tuchis an' grouse--make it better! Sometimes of course makin' it better makes it worse--I dunno, did all the "mot" neocons start out evil? Wuz Heinz K. a genocidal rat from the git-go? Duz "Admiral Rachel" (?!) have any qualms 'bout promotin' that children be maimed or wuz "he" raised ta be indifferent ta such harms? Wish I knew--but I do know havin' lived--(ssssh!) more n' a half century now--that most--most most most--'ve us are good people--mensches even...
I did not grow up with the things "they" are sayin' bout us--"they" who appear to state they know "us" better than we know ourselfs (?!). How come we end up in their crosshairs? We exclusively?!
Most've us grew up Torah "Chews" but "they" tell us we only know Talmud & Kabbala--nu? From Talmud I know nearly gornischt!--that wuz fer the highly respected "eggheads" an' Talmud wuz just "arguments" not "rules ta live by" (these eggheads included the rabbinical scholars in my fambly that came here with 2 schekels an'a samovar--not much else an' had ta sell vegetables ta feed the fambly...3 later went to Harvard--now a bastion of anti-"chewish" rhetoric). From Kabbala I knew even less! Never wuz it mentioned my entire upbringin'--you'll laff but I only heard 'bout it when Madonna (I'm notta fan) took it up. I guess the rare spilled salt an the rare "kenehora" were vestiges of a few ol' superstitions but nobuddy tol' me that my entire childhood--never heard it at temple neither. I also didn't walk under ladders or step on cracks in the sidewalk--didn't mean I'd gone over ta the dark side, sheesh!
So what "they" say about us--that they know how we think (we plot! we covet! we steal an' overthrow!) is pure banana oil! "They" tell us we are evil / corrupt/ the cause of everythin' bad in the world (hangnails, failin' cities, the "trannie" movement-oy)--but truth is, we "chews" are on all sides--the loudest yellers against this baloney too! Many many of us on these "stacks" tryin' ta shout out ta the rafters, warnin' folks--helpin' folks, right? I feel bad fer what I read in the comments--it's ugly!
Oh an' ye cain't bring up Lenin or Marx without 'em shoutin' at ya "Jews Jews Jews" ruined our whirled. WE are the cause of the deaths of all the Germans an' Russians. Don't git me started about what they call the "holohoax" (I grew up 'round many survivors--they warn't whistlin' Dixie an' they didn't tatoo numbers on their arms ta be trendy either!).
"They" tell us we don't foller the 10 Commandments (no credit fer most've us tryin'!) an' they believe we got "kicked outta" The Promise Land" forever fer bein' sinners--greedy an' profligate an' so on. Really? D'ya see this stuff too Barry? Duz it get yer goat too? Gits mine--an' I'm mad it's a "scapegoat" ... a poor "only kid" right?
WHAT do we do?
My grannie wuz right--"it could happen again." She kept canned goods (ancient tuna! delmonte peaches in syrup!) like the next war wuz 'round the bend. Now, it's "heppenin' " More'n half my fambly changed names after Father Coughlin coughed up a lotta anti-Jewish bile on the airwaves. Today, fer the first time in my life (havin' left NewYawkShitty--pardon the pro-fan-itty), we are all livin' in the boonies where the groceries don't have the "passover aisle"--we are now stranded--safer but notta lansman in sight! When I see what's bein' said 'bout "us"--I feel that my shoutin's gotta stay anonymous (I've posted 'bout this--an' plan ta do more...) Here in this strange place we're callin' home we made sure the menorah wuz not visible from the winda. We try ta fit in...
I'm grateful my gran'parents an' fambly that went thru WWII ain't alive ta see this day or they'd all be havin' heart attacks! (lol, they already all had high blood pressure!)
Not sure if you venture inta the "warzone" sites but I do--I muscle thru Unz & Maklow. I feel like readin' stuff on these innertubes is walkin' thru a landmine (no longer "mine" either!)--everywhere hate against "us"--or they say (quite absurdly), OH "only" the "Zionists" are evil--so it 't'ain't anti-semitic as Zionists aren't even Jews. Have ya heard that'un?! My lord. If ya show sympathy fer Israel or the people of Israel (not all've 'em are so keen on NetAn'Yahoo) yer the devil incarnate! We are told we "chews" as havin' no connection to Israel (apart from wantin' the valuable real estate), that we are all "Mossad" an' are behind every regime overthrown, every assassination, all the drug/weapon/child traffickin'--in brief, we are all "Jeffery Epstein"--an' now they're sayin' that if we American Jews wanna stay here we need to denounce Israel, put fists up fer Palestine-as-Hamas (not the Palestinians who are ethnically Arab---but the entire River ta the Sea thing--an' we must stop "over-representin'" ourselfs--in polly-ticks, in education, in entertainment (in the industry "we" founded...).... I mean the list goes on--wanderin' on the web is like a struggle session! Barry, I found 'bout yer stack on Lew Rockwell but some'a the stuff he shares is all the above an "WORSE"--whod'a thunk? Libertarians too--it's hate on steroids...
I read the "comments" even on seemin'ly sane conservative sites (eg. Paul Craig Roberts...oy)--I wince when I hear tell we all worship at the "Synagogue of Satan." (Never heard've it 'till I was long an adult--seems they're popular in Iowa now..) But I read whut folks 're sayin' so I know--this is where we are "at"... this is what "decent folks" now think've us. It saddens me greatly an' I worry 'bout my dear daughters--now, here, where they don't "tell" anyone.... It's a risk ta tell... 'Been there, seen it myself as a little squirt. Friends back in NYSeize tell their kiddos ta tuck the star 'o david inta their shirts, ta not wear the yalmuke--an' one friend whose daughter is in high school in Washington Hts--they hired private security--there were threats. It's a "shonda"-- As Gloria Gaynor said, "I Will Survive" but it ain't purdy-- I feel lucky ta have experienced the American Dream--Jewish Lit Class in high school even! knishes on the corner! Norman Lear, Mel Brooks..... Wha' heppened?!
Sorry fer the over-long comment--as ye kin see, quite a lotta tsuris (from Soros too--egads!)
Oh, one quibble, ya seem ta agree that language aide this is so:
"Like Americans, they have no common ancestry, no common religion or political philosophy, no common appearance, habits, manners or customs. They have no nationality nor common language."
NIX.
We DO have common ancestry--nearly all modern day chews are related on the father line that goes back ta ancient israel--for sephardim, they also share genetics on the mama line which also goes back ta ancient Israel--fer (we) ashkenazis, we are are related to just four (four!) mamas from Germany--I gotta post about this stuff... many studies (12 to be specific!) No Khazars! That's bunk too!
We do share a common religion--some practice it strictly, others less so--but most've it is very much the same! I met kids in college from other states--their temples, my temples, same songs, prayers, an' even the summer "camp songs" were the same!
No common appearance?! Half the time even us regular "Joes" kin tell but back in the city 'round succhis time the young Hasidim that traipse 'round midtown kin pick "us" outta every crowd-- it's amazin'... not even Dinah Shore an' Lauren Bacall could'a fooled 'em.... jus' sayin'...
Habits? manners? (work work work an' guilt if ya don't "honor yer mother" enuf?--playin' piano 'er violin? homework first, baseball later? 'cmon!) Manners--they better be good! (We an' the Italians also gesture a LOT!)
Customs? None? Even us "more" cultural "chews" got customs--some seem silly--the bagel fer Sunday brunch--WQXR playin' in the background--others serious. Even if we are "lax" about worship, we still sit shiva an' we still "feel" the pain of the world (whuther 'er not it's "us" that folks think is behind it).
It's freedom--an' much MUCH more!
So the way forward is...? (I fer one wish I knew!)
Daisy, It's good to have you, your humor and your wisdom back.
"Delmonte peaches in syrup!" No fond memories of that. Lol!
I didn't know I was at Lew's site. You're right his site seems to have issues with Jews.
And yes, why all the hatred and the embracing of all that opposes freedom?
Sadly, we will be writing about that for a long time.
Love this
As ever, thank you Barry.
The current awful events and appalling polarised reactions globally have prompted me to write an essay today (my first for a long time), which goes back to something I started several years ago:
https://medium.com/@ptm8354/an-abridged-history-of-heaven-hell-co-544df008cdc2
Peter, Thank you for the kind words and for sharing your terrific essay.
Thank ye Barry, inform myself I shall! I know the "confusing" Jan Halper Hayes talks 'bout such things (not fractally tho') an' is even "trackin' " them--trends in beliefs, in hopefullness, in disbelief / doom, an' more... not sure how Israel fits in her calculations but I tend ta believe that documented cycles aside, most politically based thought cycles (imo) are contrived, orchestrated, an' "run" like scripts!--not the natural ebb & flow like weather (when not monkey'd with!) --I miss "real" weather too! If we got rid'a the WHO & the WEF, Davos, etc. it'd be a step in the right direction ta edge out 20 years of "determinism"-- an' it might save human beans a heap of misguided carnage too... Anywho, I'll take a look!
Robert Prechter's work is about natural cycles. Although they seem to exist they are, imo, less forecastable that Bob thinks.
oh golly! never heard of "fractal cycles" but that's not good "nooze!" (I sure hope yer wrong on that one!)
Simply means that social mood runs in repeating cycles from extreme optimism to extreme pessimism. We are a long way from the bottom but I don't believe in determinism and so there is hope. This is dated but gives an overview: https://youtu.be/DZlH56Bemog?si=7aTILDF3Z-fjaEOI. As I said my own thinking is less deterministic.
Aw, thank ya Barry! That humor an' wisdom are bein' tried now mightily tho'--hard to keep cheerful (I do my best!) in the face've this stuff--makes me sad my darlin' daughters have ta see it. I imagined we were past it... (now I see whut "past it" meant!--say it fast as in "those past-its!"--we're back where we started an' then some!)
Nope, no fond mem'ry of them Delmonte peaches either--always consumed on cottage cheese, dab'a sour cream if we had it! -- but I have ta give 'er credit ta my gran fer bein' the original prepper! She'd say "enjoy while you can" but "it could happen again, ya never know" so "make like a boyscout an' "be prepared." Most of us were not... an' remain unprepared... in every way, mentally too!
So I now see, sadly, that hate doesn't die, it just blends inta the wood-work for a time but a spritz've "Lemon Pledge" brings it back out in stark relief. The a-social "injustice warriors" mindlessly cheerin' for the destruction of Israel (an' all who live there) is the Lemon Pledge--toxic, stinky, sprayed indiscriminately an' stinks like the dickens. Who'd a thunk?
I'm in the dumps thinkin' that we'll be writin' about this stuff for a long time but mebbe yer right? --Let's jus' hope we keep the fast-dissolvin' "Freedom" ta speak our minds 'er type 'em out, a precious gift ta us all in this now censored sphere that feels more like the Sunday comics with good guys an' bad guys bein' touted in 3 color dot matrix print.
An' yup, sadly Rockwell an' so many others have taken sides an' I'm not seein' one iota of nuance there... Watch the woodwork!
"Who'd a thunk?" I sure didn't see this coming but social mood does seem move in fractal cycles and we might be in for 20 years of more of insanity.
I just learned've this well-spoken British "gent" new ta substack but I'm likin' whut he sez 'bout Israel an' also 'bout Jewish values-- rings right true ta me! it's measured, nuanced--holdin' all parties to the standards of humanity (an' ta the "Torah" Judaism I know). Ya may find it so fer you too so here ya go:
his stack:
https://stiffnecked.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-three-declarations
here's the declaration:
https://www.ourjewishvalues.org.uk/
Thanks, Daisy.
You're more optimistic than I am. Who will people in Israel negotiate with? Just a rhetorical question. I sure wish I had an answer.
Hamas's mission in life is to kill Jews. And the Palestinian educational system teaches this death cult mission.
Israelis feel for good reason that their survival as a nation is threatened. And I find it hard to make the case they are wrong.
I sincerely hope you are right and I am wrong.
Yes, you are correct; we are all children of God.
Dear Barry
Thank you.
Heartbreaking - insanity - what next? World war three?
For what it's worth:
OUR TRANSFORMATION TRANSFORMS OUR WORLD AND IN TURN, THE WORLD
We find peace in transcending our beliefs, opinions, judgments, and knowledge.
Each of us experiences reality either:
Via our unseen relationship with Thought (capital T) hidden behind the veil of our conditioned thinking (small t) – our lifelong accumulation of beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge -
Or:
We see our relationship with Thought from seeing into The Realm of Possibility and, thereby, understanding the relationship between Thought and its form - our thinking.
And:
In Seeing that our thinking creates our reality, we become free from the grip of our accumulation. We see through the illusion of our beliefs, opinions, judgments and knowledge, all of which make our life - our world - the world - the way it is - for us individually.
So it is:
Within The Realm of Possibility, we see the solution to the core problem that ails us individually and humanity as a whole.
It follows:
From within that state of awareness, we see through the illusion of our accumulation – the realm of impossibility – to the solution – seeing that we think and recognise that what we think from our conditioned mind, without self-awareness, is the source of our problems - of all human-created problems.
The outcome:
Once we awaken, we continue to look toward the Realm of Possibility and the yet-to-be-seen, contributing with kindness, understanding, wisdom and common sense to the greater good.
Yes:
We transform from experiencing an unforgettable feeling of kindness and understanding to a heightened sense of wisdom and common sense in our relationship with others and the world. These four innate qualities experienced within The Realm of Possibility from that day forward influence our lives and enable us to support the common good.
As a result:
We are free from our archaic beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge. We see innocence – that every human being is doing the best that they can see or see to do.
Consequently:
What exists in the world still exists, but we understand its source - our nightmares made real from living out our indoctrinated worldview, with some of us willing to kill and fight to the death for that illusion.
In summary:
We transcend our sense of division and separation by seeing the illusionary nature of how we create reality by seeing into The Realm of Possibility. We transform into contributors to a world at peace. No longer a victim of our thinking, feelings and behaviour emanating from our accumulation – our egoic world – we live in peace – reflecting The Realm of Possibility.
Amen to your wisdom!
yup, an' what we have "here'bouts" is not analogous, I know -- plus I never liked the comparison ta S. Africa neither... I hear ya that we cannot walk in their shoes an' figger out how "ugly" a country needs ta git ta root out the rot in the bottom of the tooth (tho' the civilians of Gaza are not exactly prodigal sons like in yer example). Gotta mention tho (Ron Paul even spoke on it) that Hamas wuz funded / fomented by Israel--bad move fer sure in retrospect... Of course the USA duz this all the time--funding baddies ta take out a desired target always comes back at'em an 'bites 'em where they sit tho! Fer sure there ain't no playbook, but some stuff they'ze doin'--denyin' food, water, basic services ta civilians doesn't sit right with me -- even if they wuz Nazis (jus' follerin' orders...) ...they'ze still humans which is why there are rules of war (BB Gun sez they ain't humans...ugh! his rhetoric is painful fer me ta hear, they may be amoral, viscious--lotta good adjectives there--but yet, they are human). I know they cain't always avoid civilian casualties--indeed we'ze lucky we don't have ta make sich decisions..but I see even Jewish lives bein' wrongly sacrificed in this "show"--his own people "othered" so it all plays inta the bigger picture -- First the jab-mandates, green passes, personal data all "sold"--NSA on steroids there--an' then the Hammurabi tactic an' "friendly fire"--so I feel that "BB Gun" is not a friend of the Jewish people (secular or "frum")--he doesn't have his pulse on the scenty-mints of his own citizens. I think he answers ta some very ruthless globalists that are behind the scenes--no proof of it but he acts "self-" destructively... all hard ta fathom
Also, as ye know, Churchill wanted that war (they got America ta join) but the Nazis were never destroyed, that's all a nice story in the his-story books--truth is, there wuz more Paperclips welcomed here on the gubbamint dime than refugees let in! There wuz no "real" deNazification--more like a luxury relocation I'm sad ta say, tho Canada an' GB did the same (meanwhile American famblies struggled ta make ends meet an' lost their sons ta boot).
All that said, I'd venture the humanity of Germans in the press wuz (ultimately) near-denied by all "proper-gander"--I've seen them war films--WWI wuz Babies on Bayonettes bunk, WWII had it's own story line--an' don't git me started 'bout the Japanese...the internment camps, etc. So de-humanizing people--an' NetAnYouhoo is doin' it now--ends up back'firin'...
Like you, I gotz no answers but I'm not so sure that Bibi ain't ta Israel whut Obama wuz (is still...) to the USA--I'll cast the first stone an' wish the people of Israel had sum'buddy better ta unite an' protect 'em! Meanwhile, we gotta pray this mess doesn't undo near-75 years of statehood--whatta mess, right?
Oh I agree with ya that the survival of Israel is now in the balance--I think if NetAn'Yahoo stepped down 'fore it's too late the country'd gain back a lotta good will lost under 'im...his rhetoric is ugly an' not (imo) "very Jewish" at all but folks internationally equate him with the nation. Kinda like puttin' a Wolverine in charge of a restaurant an' tryin' ta convince customers it's safe ta eat there... Bibi is like a BB gun but twice as dangerous! 'Tween killin' citizens with the clot shots, then imposin' the Green Pass (ironically like the yellow star) an' de-humanizing ordinary "Palestinian citizens"* by lumpin' 'em all in with Hamas (no nuance that man... an' did'e kill Rabin?)--I jus' think that pullin' down a tyrant may buy time fer Israelis ta bounce back (lordy I hope so!)
*yup I know they voted in Hamas but even if Hamas uses civilians as canon fodder (our thoroughly Modern Milley Terry duz too) I think the optics of de-humanizing ANYONE are bad an' what that sounds like ta me--is just plain wrong...ethically speakin'--tho' I know bupkis about war... just'sayin'...
I also blame the ADL fer doin' a 360 from it's foundin' principals as it's sewn ill will fer Israel (an' all Jews!) the world over--boy who cried wolf too often got eaten, nobuddy wuz willin' ta come help 'im--a good tale fer these tryin' times I think!
Daisy, I'm glad I have to make no decisions about how Israel should fight this war.
"I think the optics of de-humanizing ANYONE are bad." Agreed and not just the optics but bad for the dehumanizer too.
Yet that spiritual truth still gives no guidance about the appropriate response.
Let me give a less-charged example.
Your 16-year-old son is a thief and an addict. What do you do? Even out of the most loving space, very hard corrective action may emerge (or not.)
Again, I don't have to deal with Hamas or that 16-year-old.
Hamas are savages yet the essence of their humanity can never be lost. Again, that spiritual truth offers no guide for behavior.
History does teach that the Nazis had to be destroyed militarily, before denazification was possible. Did Churchill have to deny the humanity of the Germans to say "we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches,..."? I don't think so.
Interestin'--we human beans are always tryin' to tease out logic, trends, cycles, even dialectics! (eg. 'splainin' "his-story" via formulas like thesis-antithesis--synthesis yadayada). But as ya said, less forecastable (hope so!) an' it goes without sayin' that it all works better in retrospect!
Folks seen ta always see clear cycles retroactively (not faultin' human nature ta do so--but they gotta own that it's purdy fallible)--kinda goes with hindsite bein' 20-20 but that's cheatin'! Predictin' is far harder. Apart from planned cons (like tellin' folks the polar ice caps iz gonna melt so fast the wouldn't be an arctic by 2012!)--many forecasts / predictions fall so short they're invisible by the time the date comes 'round...
Best way ta see what's comin' is ta foller the money--when it dries up... minds change... War (sadly) is yet profitable to Mister Global & Co.... includin' what's goin' down in the Middle East--the "misched up mindset" sadly "comes with the territory"--gotta look at ports, "fossil" fuels, The Crown... all that stuff's gotta git stuffed inta that crystal ball :-)
It's not Arabs v Jews
Christians v Muslims etc.
It's psychopaths v 99% of morally capable people who just want to live their lives in peace.
while the devastating effects and injustices brought about by globalized capitalism and associated militarism largely remain unchallenged by the masses and stay firmly in the background.
The Economic Strategy of American Empire is the key role of maintaining dollar
hegemony and the importance of the petrodollar to US global dominance.
US war campaigns have, among other things, protected the US dollar from abandonment, destroyed nations seeking sovereignty from US dominance, we have seen certain countries face a bombardment of sanctions and hostility in an attempt to destroy energy-producing centres that the US does
not control.
Psychopaths exist in all demographics and are not contained to a single creed, colour or political ideology. There are a few insane power obsessed people constantly creating destabilisation and trying to syphon power.
Andrew, We may disagree about the percentage of people who choose to be morally capable but I agree with you about the divide. I wrote this in a 10/16 post: "The great divide is not between Muslims and non-Muslims. The great divide is between those who respect the brotherhood of man and those obsessed with hatred."https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-great-divide-is-between-those
We also disagree about capitalism, yet I appreciate your frustration about foreign policy.
Barry, thanks for your considered reply to my partial rant, I always appreciate your replies.
Thanks for the link to the great divide article, I am in the process of reading The Discovery of Freedom, and love the quotes about brotherhood of man. I do agree with you about capitalism it wasn't the correct word to use there.
I would love to get your thoughts on this article, as I think there a definite aspects of this playing out.
https://ponerology.substack.com/p/evil-only-comes-where-its-invited