I totally agree (as usual) with Mr. Hartmann. That's why I think it is far past time that America steps in now and forcefully with the Ukraine crisis and punch the bully Putin in the face, nuts, guts, etc...
I don't want a WWIII, but we need to stop standing by and watch children die in Ukraine and Gaza.
Putin and Netty are bullies and only standing up to them will stop these bullies and we need to do it now.
We have to let Zelensky hit back, and hard. The charges by Putin that Ukraine using US weapons means the US is attacking him are bogus. Putin gets his weapons from Korea {yeah, he might pay for them, but so what … if he can make up a bogus story, so can we … Sigh. This gets tiresome …}.
But Zelensky needs to be able to prosecute these battles for the best outcome for his country.
Dave my first instinct is to agree with you. Putin is indeed a bully and the aggressor.
While Netanyahu is a despicable, anti human and criminal, and a bully, the aggressor, those who are responsible for the death in Gaza are the leaders of HAMAS, who has used them, and hostages as human shields.
There were six, now there are three, and at least one, Yahya Sinwar, is cowardly hiding in the tunnels, after he joyously rained down hell on the Jews.
Now they are shooting hostages in the back of the head, when the IDF tries to rescue them
HAMAS is run by bullies, who terrorized their own people, and refused to have elections.
There was one election, HAMAS won and then pulled a Trump and cancelled all future elections..
HAMAS will subject every one of it's people to death, to achieve it's goal of cleansing the unholy land of Jews.
Blame HAMAS Dave, not Netanyahu for the death of Gazans,
Blame Netanyahu, the Israeli right, and the settlers, for the troubles in the west bank and the ongoing terrorism, inflicted by both Muslim and Jew on each other.
Gish gallop takes its name from the creationist Duane Gish, who frequently challenged biologists to debates about evolution. His tactic consisted of talking fast and with confidence, bombarding opponents with falsehoods, non-sequiturs and enough cherry-picked factoids to confuse the audience. Scientists debating him faced the challenge of sifting half-truths from outright lies and finding the right evidence to refute them systematically, all within the few minutes allowed in response. Which effectively meant that when the bell went off, the Gish gallop left the scientist “stumped” and Gish declaring victory for creationism. Such a spectacle leaves the audience less informed than they were before the debate, all at the hands of a debater whose only goal is to discredit their opponent and “win” the debate.
Lets dissect those stats. Half of the dead are HAMAS and Islamic Jihad fighters.
And of course they are counted by HAMAS as such, because they well know Americans and the west are inflamed by numbers.
Now as regards 20,000 for six. Not so fast, First the six were shot in the back of the head, cold bloodedly, by HAMAS, . HAMAS also executed and raped in cold blood, 1200 infants, toddlers, women, elderly and disabled in cold blood, an act of remediated terrorism and then took as many as they could carry back to Gaza as human hostages, banking on the belief that since Israel freed 1,000 Islamist terrorist for one soldier that they would have over 200 bargaining chips, they miscalculated
Is the attack on Gaza solely for revenge. I think not
HAMAS in it's own words
Hamas senior leader Ismail Haniyeh, commenting on the loss of civilian life in Gaza on October 26, 2023: “The blood of the women, children and elderly […] we are the ones who need this blood, so it awakens within us the revolutionary spirit.”
Ismail Haniyeh in 2020: He explained that Hamas rejects ceasefire agreements by which, “Gaza would become Singapore,” preferring to remain at war with Israel until a Palestinian state is established from the River to the Sea: “We cannot, in exchange for money or projects, give up Palestine and our weapons. We will not give up the resistance... We will not recognize Israel, Palestine must stretch from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea.”
Hamas official, Hamad Al-Regeb in an April 2023 sermon: He prayed for “annihilation” and “paralysis” of the Jews whom he described as filthy animals: “[Allah] transformed them into filthy, ugly animals like apes and pigs because of the injustice and evil they had brought about.” Al-Regeb also prayed for the ability to “get to the necks of the Jews.”
Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Saleh Al-Arouri in an August 2023 interview: He expressed Hamas’ desire for “total war” with Israel: “Therefore, we are convinced that if a total conflict begins, the airspace and seaports of this entity will be shut down, and they will not be able to live without electricity, water, and communications.”
Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi (Hamas representative in Lebanon) in an October 12, 2023 TV show laid out Hamas’ expectation that it would be Israel that would sue for peace and indicated that a ceasefire is part of Hamas’ overall strategy, but said that he was not at liberty to say what exactly Hamas has planned for the next step after a ceasefire. He also stated that October 7 had achieved its intended purpose of landing “a blow to the normalization (of relations between Israel and Arab countries).”
Hamas member, Ghazi Hamad on October 24, 2023: “Israel is a country that has no place on our land […] because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation.” (October 24, 2023, LBC TV (Lebanon)). He also vowed to repeat the October 7 attacks “time and again until Israel is annihilated,” and expressing a desire to “sacrifice martyrs” (referring to Gazan civilians) for Hamas’ ideological aim of destroying Israel.
In a speech before the International Union of Muslim Scholars in Doha on January 9, 2024, Ismaeel Haniyeh, chairman of Hamas's political bureau, called the October 7 massacre the “advanced [battle] front of the Ummah.” Calling for “financial jihad” (donations to Hamas) and “jihad of the teeth” (physical jihad), he asked the international audience, “Who wishes to invest in building the jihadist generation to liberate Jerusalem and to unite the blood of the Ummah with the blood of the people of Gaza, Jerusalem, and Palestine on the land of Palestine for its liberation and the liberation of Jerusalem?”
Statements by Hamas officials also make clear the terrorist organization’s disregard for the loss of civilian life not only in Israel but also in Gaza.
Hamas senior leader Khaled Mashal stated on October 19, 2023 that he views the current loss of civilian life in Gaza – brought about by Hamas' strategy of using human shields – as essential: “No nation is liberated without sacrifices... In all wars, there are some civilian victims. We are not responsible for them.”
Israael has no choice but to decapitate HAMAS, and HAMAS is using it's own people and hostages as human shields.
What would you do, if some terrorists, invaded your home, killed some of the family and fled to a "safe zone", using your family and innocents as human shields.?
Sit down over bread, cheese and burgers and talk it out? Give up your home to the terrorists?
The Israeli PEOPLE are putting the lie to Bibi’s claim that his way is the only way, and he really wants to get hostages back
Yes, Hamas attacked and brought on this round of fighting — it was horrendous and evil and HAMAS deserved to pay for it.
The entire population of GAZA is NOT Hamas.
A little clarity is needed. Hamas is never going to be erased, since it is an ideology that can continue to attract new people to its side. But its forces have been decimated and most of its leaders killed.
Along with decimating the population of Gaza and its infrastructure. Hamas used the Palestinian people as “human shields,” and Israel shot right through those shields and decimated them to get at the soldiers behind them.
There’s plenty of nasty stuff to point at about who did what to whom — and even more, if you go back farther than the attack on Oct. 7 and analyze the Israeli-Palestinian relationships down through the decades.
Feuds are like that. Gordian knots to unravel.
People need to find a way to STOP it … there are negotiators on the ground trying to make that happen.
Bibi is not one of them.Nor is Sinwar … But why should THEY have the only call? They are not in it for the people of Israel or Palestine….
Also, Biden needs to stop sending bombs to Israel. He's done it before in May of 2021 after Israel bombed Gaza for 11 days killing over 100 Palestinians including 66 children. Two days later a ceasefire was announced. Why not now?!
He restrains Zelensky — He needs to restrain Bibi, but I’m not sure it’s possible. The U. S. wants to be sure Israel CAN defend itself in all legitimate ways … What Bibi is doing to Gaza, though, is not righT. It MUST stop. Negotiators are trying to get a deal, and Bibi and Hamas are resisting …
Your response and justification for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is to cite hateful statements made by Hamas regarding Jews? Yes, the crimes committed by Hamas are heinous, but not all Palestinians are Hamas. Israel is also bombing babies, civilians, aid organizations etc. What would you do if a group came onto your land, claimed it and built settlements on it, and then built walls around it? Sit down over bread, cheese and burgers and talk it out? IMHO the Israeli's need to remove themselves from occupied territories and there needs to be a two state solution before any real talk of what's fair and what is not.
Give me a break. My response is not justification for anything. It is simply a statement of fact. That HAMAS rained down hell on the Gazans and are using them as human shields.
I Know that not all Gazans are HAMAS, but I also know that HAMAS is cold bloodely using them as human shields and don't give a fuck about them.
I will not get into the who is to blame, the chicken or the egg thing with you.
I can point out anti Jewish pogroms when the land was under Ottoman rule.
Hamas senior leader Ismail Haniyeh, commenting on the loss of civilian life in Gaza on October 26, 2023: “The blood of the women, children and elderly […] we are the ones who need this blood, so it awakens within us the revolutionary spirit.”
By the way have you thought through a two state solution.
Really. Do you really think that a Palestinian state on the West bank and separated by Israel to Gaza will bring peace? Do you.
What is going to happen is that one or more organizations from the state of Palestine will launch attacks on the state of Israel, and Israel will retaliate by declaring war, and it will happen, because the Arab Muslims can't help themselves, you see the Jews are defiling the sacred soil upon which the Haram al Sharif and al Aqsa mosque sit.
That and any land over which the flag of Muhammd flew is considered forever to be Muslim. Spain better be looking in the rear view mirror.
Are you sure there isn't a tad of left wing antisemitism. The straight line of radical left and radical right has been bent into a horseshoe, gratis HAMAS.
What a spectacle watching Leftists and proud Boys standing on opposite sides of the quadrangle hollering Fuck Biden.
And you don't see that by the bleeding heart fans of HAMAS and FATAH.
I am still trying to digest that banner "Feminists and Queers for Palestine"
Neither would last 24 hrs in Gaza or the West bank, or in a Muslim country, of which there are 57.
The women might, so long as they didn't object to wearing a bee keeper suit in the heat or not being able to travel without a male escort, if only a young son.
Or being killed for the crime of being raped, because you couldn't produce 4 male witnesses (accomplices) to the rape, so you would be adjudged an adultress. Iran stones adultresses., and hangs girls who won't wear the hijab.
Adult women have to wear the chador, (Iranian version of Arab abaya, only unlike in Palestine and Saudi Arabia it comes in colors.
The men who are holding sway over Iran impose such strictures on their society — yes, for sure. Much as the Taliban does on Afghanistan. The PEOPLE of the country — without the power to resist — are of more mixed ideas. I remember what Iran was like before the Ayatollahs came back … We never should have destabilized that country and installed a regime we preferred, because when they threw over the Shah’s regime, they went WAYYYYYY over into religious fundamentalism of a specific type — {not ALL Muslims hold with the rigid ISIS types … but, yes, a whole hell of a lot do …}.
I think in THIS country — the U.S. — we had all better remember that an open and democratic society CAN fall victim to religious extremists, and Christianity has its own extremists, don’t kid yourselves …. They may not want women to walk around with sheets covering them, but they do have some other ideas I dislike almost as much.
We had better look to our own issues, as well. Spain ain’t the only one …
BS. That number is suspect as are the facts. The way to have ended it was to incorporate other Sunis like the Saudis and Jordanians....do a deal with them....except they want nothing to do with Hamas because Hamas is a proxy for Iran. Qatar was never an honest broker.
Meanwhile 7 AMERICANS not released. Got to cut Biden a break. We are not at the table.
Ah, Thom, good commentary … So many of us are holding on to the tenuous thread of Harris and Walz finally giving DJT what-for. Figuratively, electorally, but hitting him where it hurts — in his ego.
The bullies of capitalism have bulldozed our democratic government like a Gaza school building, and now we have to rebuild and restore it. Can Harris and Walz push back against corporate power to bring back the middle class, and with it, our central role in a more perfect union? I hope so.
They are bullies. Bullies are weak. That’s why they bully people who are unable for one reason or another to stand up to them. When they go up against someone who is actually “strong” they fail.
Immaturity and insecurity play a big role in the behavior of bullies. Trump's interaction with women is almost childlike ... not in a good way. Putin, perhaps more mature, lives in a totalitarian world that might destroy him if he lets go. Netanyahu's arrogance is his bulwark against loss of face in the world. And that supreme bully, Elon Musk, has insinuated himself in so many areas of essential life (space, cars, batteries, etc.) that he has become a tyrant, drunk on his own power. I do like the "kick in the nuts" concept. Whatever works to destroys these giant egos.
It took him a while, but Musk went from hero to zero when we finally got a good look at who he really is. He has blown-up Xitter just like many of his rockets. Seems to be a firm believer in his genius. It doesn't take a genius to ruin people's lives---it just takes a bully. Thom nailed that in this Report.
Kick 'em where it hurts works for me. Some version of wealth taxes is one way to deflate Musk, Trump, and the oligarchs. If Harris/Walz wins and we give them the whole Congress, we should absolutely go for it.
Whoo-hoo! Watch THEM squirm and cry for a change. No doubt they will threaten to leave the country. Is that a bad thing? We should try to figure out how to take away their citizenship if they do; they are into that sort of thing. Turn-a-bout is fair play.
We should absolutely go for it is a nice thought, I'll believe it when I see it. Harris is already committing to appointing a Republican to her Cabinet. Dem's always bending backwards to be seen as the Good Guys.
That has become a "tradition" and gesture of goodwill. Let's take a breath. I think it will be one of the Republicans that oppose Trump. Adam Kinzinger comes to mind for Veterans Affairs Secretary. He was a military pilot. Also has a civilian hero medal for saving a woman during a knife attack. Truth-teller; she is not going to get advise from a liar. Also, the current Secretary isn't even a veteran.
This is a popular subject today. Many of us have personal experiences. Scapegoating works.
Thom: Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know exactly — from long years of experience — how to take on bullies and, odds are, Trump won’t know what hit him when he steps onto the debate stage next week.
After a reader on Reich said Trump uses a "maniacal form of un-argument" and attached some supporting literature, I said,
Hopefully, Kamela grew up in Oakland, where the "dozens" are part of socialization if not in the curriculum, and knows how to "dis".....
She also is a trial lawyer and has a stage presence. I was exposed to my dad, who was a lifetime prosecutor, who developed a sixth sense how to sway a jury. Also took courses. Most of us do not have "it:. But she put in the time........
I set out a list of stuff. But "the play's the thing," to quote the bard. HRC did not know that she could have turned on Trump when he stalked her.... and the election outcome would, to any reasonable degree of probability have changed.
Clap when interrupted. ---For further emphasis stomp while clapping. -- Raise the arm and hand in a stop sign, "fingers extended and joined" as we used to say in the military. ---Use a pregnant pause. ----Maybe a pointed fickle finger of fate. --- I relied on the "T" sign, like I was calling time out in a basketball game. Crossed arms -- delay of game.
For those unfamiliar with the term "playing the dozens" it originated in the inner city, where kids leaned to inure themselves from insults and degrading comments. An example is "yo Mama wears combat boots", 40 years ago that was an insult, not so today, Being able to handle insuls, keep ones cool and hit back harder was a social survival skill, then and now.
Trump is going to hit them with Gish Gallop tactic, if you watch Bill Maher or right wing guests on talk shows, you are familiar with the tactic.
Gish gallop takes its name from the creationist Duane Gish, who frequently challenged biologists to debates about evolution. His tactic consisted of talking fast and with confidence, bombarding opponents with falsehoods, non-sequiturs and enough cherry-picked factoids to confuse the audience. Scientists debating him faced the challenge of sifting half-truths from outright lies and finding the right evidence to refute them systematically, all within the few minutes allowed in response. Which effectively meant that when the bell went off, the Gish gallop left the scientist “stumped” and Gish declaring victory for creationism. Such a spectacle leaves the audience less informed than they were before the debate, all at the hands of a debater whose only goal is to discredit their opponent and “win” the debate.
I’m reading your book on Oligarchs. It is a great read and gives historical background that is much needed. Today’s article dovetails with the concept of many mental health practitioners that Trump is very sick and that a portion of Americans have caught his illness. Thank you for your continued research and tying it in with our current events.
It’s obvious the GQP has turned into a party of naked misogyny. Just take a look at their convention where they trotted out old WWFs from the 80s and other misogynistic has-beens. They also played “It’s a Man’s World” as their theme song. It’s weird and gross.
JD Vance or whatever his name is a dumpster fire of misogyny.
Those who have watched a movie in a theater, where the bully gets his due—“The Karate Kid”, “Billy Jack”, eg.—have experienced the spontaneous reaction of the audience as it erupts in cheers and shouts of joy as we watch the scene unfold. Perhaps the upbeat tone and the exuberance being generated by the Harris-Walz campaign is the theatrical equivalent of watching Trump finally getting his ass kicked.
Trump’s nephew wrote that Donald’s behavior growing up was “I want what I want when I want it,” and “That’s not fair!” He victimizes others then claims he’s the victim. Twisted man twisting America!
Bullies when met with countervailing force will cry out that they are being bullied, that they are victims.
Trump is a bully, at least 48% of America identifies with him, are exalted when he bullies. That means that 48% of America are bullies. I pity the children that this people have in and under their control, be their progeny ,or students, and that goes double for victims of religious brainwashing.
No need to read. You are so good, straight forward. Thank you! Vote blue. Fuck von trump and his gang of retrigrad liars, fake christians and loonies. He is the devil, the supreme conman, racist and fascist. Hitler 2.0. Forza Kamala
One exemplar of chronic and habitual bullying? Some Southerners vis-a-vis anyone. Blacks. Vietnamese. Handicapped. Old folks during COVID. Northerners. Catholics. Jews. Moslems. Sub-continent Indians Homosexuals. Trans people. Indigenous people. Hispanics. Patriotic Americans. Et al.
Everyone, Everywhere, All the time. That's why the end of "Easy Rider" was so effective.
A subset behave like the weekly murdered bully on "Murder She Wrote."
I really debated commenting here. This is almost too personal for me. I was bullied as a little kid—fat, slow, bad at sports, not remotely cute. In second grade in the Fifties, living in a huge apartment complex in Arlington, Virginia with dozens of other Boomers, one of the most popular kids constantly ridiculed and tormented me. At that time, you could buy these small BB machine guns from ads in comic books. So one day, as I was going up the entry steps to our building, he came up, yelled my name, and started shooting me with the damn thing. He walked toward me walking the BB’s up my chest toward my face. I had on a heavy coat so they did not hurt, but the look on his face told me he was going for my eyes. I was, by chance, carrying a toy rifle (gun culture was big post WWII II as well). It has a 3-inch metal sight. Instinctively, not even knowing which end was up, I whacked him over the head with it. The sight went all the way in. There were two girls with him and lots of kid’s watching, so nothing happened to me. Walking home from school some months later he happened to walk by being supported by his two sisters. He was apparently brain-damaged. They yelled “Look what you did to our brother!” I said nothing, just walked on. But it really bothered me even though I had no choice in the moment in my own mind as it all happened so fast.
Plus, afterward, my career Navy Dad reassured me. His words have never left me. He said never start a fight if you can avoid one. But if you can’t,if the other guy hits you with his fist, grab a brick; if he has a brick, get a knife; if he has a knife, find a gun. But if you fight, fight to survive and to win. He had black belts or the equivalent in judo and jiu-jitsu, was an expert marksman, and was in naval counterintelligence most of his career as an officer.
The second bullying incident I remember was life-changing for me. In fifth grade I was still the same fat, uncoordinated, unattractive, unpopular kid, made worse because I had finally gotten glasses and had become an academic star. I was crewcut, always, per my Dad’s requirements. This one kid whose name I remember but will not say kept running behind me, pulling hairs out of the area near the nape of my neck, then running away laughing as he knew I could not catch him. The last time he was a tad too slow. I caught his arm, swung him around and punched him. He took one swing at me, hit my chest to no effect but that my mind went black. I knocked him down, jumped on him and started hitting him in the face over and over again as hard as I could. It took several kids, our huge bus driver and our janitor to pull me off of him. Again, too many witnesses for me to get in trouble—but he never came back to that school.
I realized then that I had a dangerous temper. I resolved never to let anyone cause it to trigger again, and it hasn’t, despite two other severe tests. Because when they happened I was old enough to kill somebody. But I have stepped in to protect other people from physical or verbal intimidation over the years, and always stood up to the rare bullies I encountered in the work place. As a business trial lawyer I delighted in beating the shouting, raging, arrogant types I sometimes encountered by always being calm while their antics annoyed and alienated judges. In my career, I never lost a case to one. And never lost my temper, either.
So seeing the MAGAts does two things for me. It brings up my own temper, and reminds name how bad bullies are, and that they are truly cowards. That is why we must stand up to them, determined to beat them but not be them. Onward to a blue November!
Great article about your life and thank God for the grace of seeing clearly your choices to not respond to others bullying ways again. You listened to your conscience and souls direction for your life
I totally agree (as usual) with Mr. Hartmann. That's why I think it is far past time that America steps in now and forcefully with the Ukraine crisis and punch the bully Putin in the face, nuts, guts, etc...
I don't want a WWIII, but we need to stop standing by and watch children die in Ukraine and Gaza.
Putin and Netty are bullies and only standing up to them will stop these bullies and we need to do it now.
We have to let Zelensky hit back, and hard. The charges by Putin that Ukraine using US weapons means the US is attacking him are bogus. Putin gets his weapons from Korea {yeah, he might pay for them, but so what … if he can make up a bogus story, so can we … Sigh. This gets tiresome …}.
But Zelensky needs to be able to prosecute these battles for the best outcome for his country.
Darn good point Mr. OBrien. Perhaps we should claim North Korea is responsible for the attack on Ukraine.
Dave my first instinct is to agree with you. Putin is indeed a bully and the aggressor.
While Netanyahu is a despicable, anti human and criminal, and a bully, the aggressor, those who are responsible for the death in Gaza are the leaders of HAMAS, who has used them, and hostages as human shields.
There were six, now there are three, and at least one, Yahya Sinwar, is cowardly hiding in the tunnels, after he joyously rained down hell on the Jews.
Now they are shooting hostages in the back of the head, when the IDF tries to rescue them
HAMAS is run by bullies, who terrorized their own people, and refused to have elections.
There was one election, HAMAS won and then pulled a Trump and cancelled all future elections..
HAMAS will subject every one of it's people to death, to achieve it's goal of cleansing the unholy land of Jews.
Blame HAMAS Dave, not Netanyahu for the death of Gazans,
Blame Netanyahu, the Israeli right, and the settlers, for the troubles in the west bank and the ongoing terrorism, inflicted by both Muslim and Jew on each other.
Bullies use the Gish Gallop tactic. I see them as guests on Bill Maher, and guests as panelist and TV shows: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trumps-weird-debate-strategies-come-from-creationist-tactics/
Gish gallop takes its name from the creationist Duane Gish, who frequently challenged biologists to debates about evolution. His tactic consisted of talking fast and with confidence, bombarding opponents with falsehoods, non-sequiturs and enough cherry-picked factoids to confuse the audience. Scientists debating him faced the challenge of sifting half-truths from outright lies and finding the right evidence to refute them systematically, all within the few minutes allowed in response. Which effectively meant that when the bell went off, the Gish gallop left the scientist “stumped” and Gish declaring victory for creationism. Such a spectacle leaves the audience less informed than they were before the debate, all at the hands of a debater whose only goal is to discredit their opponent and “win” the debate.
I respectfully disagree. 40,000 dead for six guys?! It's called genocide.
https://zeteo.com/p/ceasefire-truth-naomi-mehdi?utm_source=substack&publication_id=2325511&post_id=148277913&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=false&r=2g7cs&triedRedirect=true
Lets dissect those stats. Half of the dead are HAMAS and Islamic Jihad fighters.
And of course they are counted by HAMAS as such, because they well know Americans and the west are inflamed by numbers.
Now as regards 20,000 for six. Not so fast, First the six were shot in the back of the head, cold bloodedly, by HAMAS, . HAMAS also executed and raped in cold blood, 1200 infants, toddlers, women, elderly and disabled in cold blood, an act of remediated terrorism and then took as many as they could carry back to Gaza as human hostages, banking on the belief that since Israel freed 1,000 Islamist terrorist for one soldier that they would have over 200 bargaining chips, they miscalculated
Is the attack on Gaza solely for revenge. I think not
HAMAS in it's own words
Hamas senior leader Ismail Haniyeh, commenting on the loss of civilian life in Gaza on October 26, 2023: “The blood of the women, children and elderly […] we are the ones who need this blood, so it awakens within us the revolutionary spirit.”
Ismail Haniyeh in 2020: He explained that Hamas rejects ceasefire agreements by which, “Gaza would become Singapore,” preferring to remain at war with Israel until a Palestinian state is established from the River to the Sea: “We cannot, in exchange for money or projects, give up Palestine and our weapons. We will not give up the resistance... We will not recognize Israel, Palestine must stretch from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea.”
Hamas official, Hamad Al-Regeb in an April 2023 sermon: He prayed for “annihilation” and “paralysis” of the Jews whom he described as filthy animals: “[Allah] transformed them into filthy, ugly animals like apes and pigs because of the injustice and evil they had brought about.” Al-Regeb also prayed for the ability to “get to the necks of the Jews.”
Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Saleh Al-Arouri in an August 2023 interview: He expressed Hamas’ desire for “total war” with Israel: “Therefore, we are convinced that if a total conflict begins, the airspace and seaports of this entity will be shut down, and they will not be able to live without electricity, water, and communications.”
Ahmad Abd Al-Hadi (Hamas representative in Lebanon) in an October 12, 2023 TV show laid out Hamas’ expectation that it would be Israel that would sue for peace and indicated that a ceasefire is part of Hamas’ overall strategy, but said that he was not at liberty to say what exactly Hamas has planned for the next step after a ceasefire. He also stated that October 7 had achieved its intended purpose of landing “a blow to the normalization (of relations between Israel and Arab countries).”
Hamas member, Ghazi Hamad on October 24, 2023: “Israel is a country that has no place on our land […] because it constitutes a security, military, and political catastrophe to the Arab and Islamic nation.” (October 24, 2023, LBC TV (Lebanon)). He also vowed to repeat the October 7 attacks “time and again until Israel is annihilated,” and expressing a desire to “sacrifice martyrs” (referring to Gazan civilians) for Hamas’ ideological aim of destroying Israel.
In a speech before the International Union of Muslim Scholars in Doha on January 9, 2024, Ismaeel Haniyeh, chairman of Hamas's political bureau, called the October 7 massacre the “advanced [battle] front of the Ummah.” Calling for “financial jihad” (donations to Hamas) and “jihad of the teeth” (physical jihad), he asked the international audience, “Who wishes to invest in building the jihadist generation to liberate Jerusalem and to unite the blood of the Ummah with the blood of the people of Gaza, Jerusalem, and Palestine on the land of Palestine for its liberation and the liberation of Jerusalem?”
Statements by Hamas officials also make clear the terrorist organization’s disregard for the loss of civilian life not only in Israel but also in Gaza.
Hamas senior leader Khaled Mashal stated on October 19, 2023 that he views the current loss of civilian life in Gaza – brought about by Hamas' strategy of using human shields – as essential: “No nation is liberated without sacrifices... In all wars, there are some civilian victims. We are not responsible for them.”
Israael has no choice but to decapitate HAMAS, and HAMAS is using it's own people and hostages as human shields.
What would you do, if some terrorists, invaded your home, killed some of the family and fled to a "safe zone", using your family and innocents as human shields.?
Sit down over bread, cheese and burgers and talk it out? Give up your home to the terrorists?
The Israeli PEOPLE are putting the lie to Bibi’s claim that his way is the only way, and he really wants to get hostages back
Yes, Hamas attacked and brought on this round of fighting — it was horrendous and evil and HAMAS deserved to pay for it.
The entire population of GAZA is NOT Hamas.
A little clarity is needed. Hamas is never going to be erased, since it is an ideology that can continue to attract new people to its side. But its forces have been decimated and most of its leaders killed.
Along with decimating the population of Gaza and its infrastructure. Hamas used the Palestinian people as “human shields,” and Israel shot right through those shields and decimated them to get at the soldiers behind them.
There’s plenty of nasty stuff to point at about who did what to whom — and even more, if you go back farther than the attack on Oct. 7 and analyze the Israeli-Palestinian relationships down through the decades.
Feuds are like that. Gordian knots to unravel.
People need to find a way to STOP it … there are negotiators on the ground trying to make that happen.
Bibi is not one of them.Nor is Sinwar … But why should THEY have the only call? They are not in it for the people of Israel or Palestine….
Also, Biden needs to stop sending bombs to Israel. He's done it before in May of 2021 after Israel bombed Gaza for 11 days killing over 100 Palestinians including 66 children. Two days later a ceasefire was announced. Why not now?!
He restrains Zelensky — He needs to restrain Bibi, but I’m not sure it’s possible. The U. S. wants to be sure Israel CAN defend itself in all legitimate ways … What Bibi is doing to Gaza, though, is not righT. It MUST stop. Negotiators are trying to get a deal, and Bibi and Hamas are resisting …
Your response and justification for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is to cite hateful statements made by Hamas regarding Jews? Yes, the crimes committed by Hamas are heinous, but not all Palestinians are Hamas. Israel is also bombing babies, civilians, aid organizations etc. What would you do if a group came onto your land, claimed it and built settlements on it, and then built walls around it? Sit down over bread, cheese and burgers and talk it out? IMHO the Israeli's need to remove themselves from occupied territories and there needs to be a two state solution before any real talk of what's fair and what is not.
Give me a break. My response is not justification for anything. It is simply a statement of fact. That HAMAS rained down hell on the Gazans and are using them as human shields.
I Know that not all Gazans are HAMAS, but I also know that HAMAS is cold bloodely using them as human shields and don't give a fuck about them.
I will not get into the who is to blame, the chicken or the egg thing with you.
I can point out anti Jewish pogroms when the land was under Ottoman rule.
Hamas senior leader Ismail Haniyeh, commenting on the loss of civilian life in Gaza on October 26, 2023: “The blood of the women, children and elderly […] we are the ones who need this blood, so it awakens within us the revolutionary spirit.”
By the way have you thought through a two state solution.
Really. Do you really think that a Palestinian state on the West bank and separated by Israel to Gaza will bring peace? Do you.
What is going to happen is that one or more organizations from the state of Palestine will launch attacks on the state of Israel, and Israel will retaliate by declaring war, and it will happen, because the Arab Muslims can't help themselves, you see the Jews are defiling the sacred soil upon which the Haram al Sharif and al Aqsa mosque sit.
That and any land over which the flag of Muhammd flew is considered forever to be Muslim. Spain better be looking in the rear view mirror.
Are you sure there isn't a tad of left wing antisemitism. The straight line of radical left and radical right has been bent into a horseshoe, gratis HAMAS.
What a spectacle watching Leftists and proud Boys standing on opposite sides of the quadrangle hollering Fuck Biden.
The antisemitic card. Right. I agree to many comments that you have made on this forum, but I respectfully disagree with you on this.
Here is the history Deja vu. 2014 all over again. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/05/gaza-palestinians-tortured-summarily-killed-by-hamas-forces-during-2014-conflict/
And you don't see that by the bleeding heart fans of HAMAS and FATAH.
I am still trying to digest that banner "Feminists and Queers for Palestine"
Neither would last 24 hrs in Gaza or the West bank, or in a Muslim country, of which there are 57.
The women might, so long as they didn't object to wearing a bee keeper suit in the heat or not being able to travel without a male escort, if only a young son.
Or being killed for the crime of being raped, because you couldn't produce 4 male witnesses (accomplices) to the rape, so you would be adjudged an adultress. Iran stones adultresses., and hangs girls who won't wear the hijab.
Adult women have to wear the chador, (Iranian version of Arab abaya, only unlike in Palestine and Saudi Arabia it comes in colors.
The men who are holding sway over Iran impose such strictures on their society — yes, for sure. Much as the Taliban does on Afghanistan. The PEOPLE of the country — without the power to resist — are of more mixed ideas. I remember what Iran was like before the Ayatollahs came back … We never should have destabilized that country and installed a regime we preferred, because when they threw over the Shah’s regime, they went WAYYYYYY over into religious fundamentalism of a specific type — {not ALL Muslims hold with the rigid ISIS types … but, yes, a whole hell of a lot do …}.
I think in THIS country — the U.S. — we had all better remember that an open and democratic society CAN fall victim to religious extremists, and Christianity has its own extremists, don’t kid yourselves …. They may not want women to walk around with sheets covering them, but they do have some other ideas I dislike almost as much.
We had better look to our own issues, as well. Spain ain’t the only one …
BS. That number is suspect as are the facts. The way to have ended it was to incorporate other Sunis like the Saudis and Jordanians....do a deal with them....except they want nothing to do with Hamas because Hamas is a proxy for Iran. Qatar was never an honest broker.
Meanwhile 7 AMERICANS not released. Got to cut Biden a break. We are not at the table.
Ah, Thom, good commentary … So many of us are holding on to the tenuous thread of Harris and Walz finally giving DJT what-for. Figuratively, electorally, but hitting him where it hurts — in his ego.
Let’s hold that good thought.
The bullies of capitalism have bulldozed our democratic government like a Gaza school building, and now we have to rebuild and restore it. Can Harris and Walz push back against corporate power to bring back the middle class, and with it, our central role in a more perfect union? I hope so.
We need better language to describe them. "Alpha male" and "strongman" are misnomers at best, more like myths.
They are bullies. Bullies are weak. That’s why they bully people who are unable for one reason or another to stand up to them. When they go up against someone who is actually “strong” they fail.
@GG. We are "naked apes" like other primates. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Naked_Ape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_YIalcqKWk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vI2DRBhb4s
Law of the Jungle.
I like stupid lunatics?
Immaturity and insecurity play a big role in the behavior of bullies. Trump's interaction with women is almost childlike ... not in a good way. Putin, perhaps more mature, lives in a totalitarian world that might destroy him if he lets go. Netanyahu's arrogance is his bulwark against loss of face in the world. And that supreme bully, Elon Musk, has insinuated himself in so many areas of essential life (space, cars, batteries, etc.) that he has become a tyrant, drunk on his own power. I do like the "kick in the nuts" concept. Whatever works to destroys these giant egos.
It took him a while, but Musk went from hero to zero when we finally got a good look at who he really is. He has blown-up Xitter just like many of his rockets. Seems to be a firm believer in his genius. It doesn't take a genius to ruin people's lives---it just takes a bully. Thom nailed that in this Report.
Kick 'em where it hurts works for me. Some version of wealth taxes is one way to deflate Musk, Trump, and the oligarchs. If Harris/Walz wins and we give them the whole Congress, we should absolutely go for it.
Whoo-hoo! Watch THEM squirm and cry for a change. No doubt they will threaten to leave the country. Is that a bad thing? We should try to figure out how to take away their citizenship if they do; they are into that sort of thing. Turn-a-bout is fair play.
Xitter pronounced Shitter.
We should absolutely go for it is a nice thought, I'll believe it when I see it. Harris is already committing to appointing a Republican to her Cabinet. Dem's always bending backwards to be seen as the Good Guys.
That has become a "tradition" and gesture of goodwill. Let's take a breath. I think it will be one of the Republicans that oppose Trump. Adam Kinzinger comes to mind for Veterans Affairs Secretary. He was a military pilot. Also has a civilian hero medal for saving a woman during a knife attack. Truth-teller; she is not going to get advise from a liar. Also, the current Secretary isn't even a veteran.
Sues daily stack says, the 3 richest Americans own more than the bottom 50% of Americans? 9/3
This is a popular subject today. Many of us have personal experiences. Scapegoating works.
Thom: Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know exactly — from long years of experience — how to take on bullies and, odds are, Trump won’t know what hit him when he steps onto the debate stage next week.
After a reader on Reich said Trump uses a "maniacal form of un-argument" and attached some supporting literature, I said,
Hopefully, Kamela grew up in Oakland, where the "dozens" are part of socialization if not in the curriculum, and knows how to "dis".....
She also is a trial lawyer and has a stage presence. I was exposed to my dad, who was a lifetime prosecutor, who developed a sixth sense how to sway a jury. Also took courses. Most of us do not have "it:. But she put in the time........
I set out a list of stuff. But "the play's the thing," to quote the bard. HRC did not know that she could have turned on Trump when he stalked her.... and the election outcome would, to any reasonable degree of probability have changed.
Clap when interrupted. ---For further emphasis stomp while clapping. -- Raise the arm and hand in a stop sign, "fingers extended and joined" as we used to say in the military. ---Use a pregnant pause. ----Maybe a pointed fickle finger of fate. --- I relied on the "T" sign, like I was calling time out in a basketball game. Crossed arms -- delay of game.
Exactly - there are many ways. Turn on the aggressor.
For those unfamiliar with the term "playing the dozens" it originated in the inner city, where kids leaned to inure themselves from insults and degrading comments. An example is "yo Mama wears combat boots", 40 years ago that was an insult, not so today, Being able to handle insuls, keep ones cool and hit back harder was a social survival skill, then and now.
Trump is going to hit them with Gish Gallop tactic, if you watch Bill Maher or right wing guests on talk shows, you are familiar with the tactic.
Gish gallop takes its name from the creationist Duane Gish, who frequently challenged biologists to debates about evolution. His tactic consisted of talking fast and with confidence, bombarding opponents with falsehoods, non-sequiturs and enough cherry-picked factoids to confuse the audience. Scientists debating him faced the challenge of sifting half-truths from outright lies and finding the right evidence to refute them systematically, all within the few minutes allowed in response. Which effectively meant that when the bell went off, the Gish gallop left the scientist “stumped” and Gish declaring victory for creationism. Such a spectacle leaves the audience less informed than they were before the debate, all at the hands of a debater whose only goal is to discredit their opponent and “win” the debate.
Maybe using Laugh Tracks like the ones used in comedy shows when Trump starts speaking 'Gish' would be good. :)
I’m reading your book on Oligarchs. It is a great read and gives historical background that is much needed. Today’s article dovetails with the concept of many mental health practitioners that Trump is very sick and that a portion of Americans have caught his illness. Thank you for your continued research and tying it in with our current events.
I'll second that. Thank You, Thom!
It’s obvious the GQP has turned into a party of naked misogyny. Just take a look at their convention where they trotted out old WWFs from the 80s and other misogynistic has-beens. They also played “It’s a Man’s World” as their theme song. It’s weird and gross.
JD Vance or whatever his name is a dumpster fire of misogyny.
Those who have watched a movie in a theater, where the bully gets his due—“The Karate Kid”, “Billy Jack”, eg.—have experienced the spontaneous reaction of the audience as it erupts in cheers and shouts of joy as we watch the scene unfold. Perhaps the upbeat tone and the exuberance being generated by the Harris-Walz campaign is the theatrical equivalent of watching Trump finally getting his ass kicked.
Ah, but that movies reflected reality. All of the villains of history, were bullies.
Trump’s nephew wrote that Donald’s behavior growing up was “I want what I want when I want it,” and “That’s not fair!” He victimizes others then claims he’s the victim. Twisted man twisting America!
Complete summary of a psychopath in a sentence, Cephas. Bully and whine till you get or can steal what you want.
OMG...this is SO true!!
Bullies when met with countervailing force will cry out that they are being bullied, that they are victims.
Trump is a bully, at least 48% of America identifies with him, are exalted when he bullies. That means that 48% of America are bullies. I pity the children that this people have in and under their control, be their progeny ,or students, and that goes double for victims of religious brainwashing.
No need to read. You are so good, straight forward. Thank you! Vote blue. Fuck von trump and his gang of retrigrad liars, fake christians and loonies. He is the devil, the supreme conman, racist and fascist. Hitler 2.0. Forza Kamala
One exemplar of chronic and habitual bullying? Some Southerners vis-a-vis anyone. Blacks. Vietnamese. Handicapped. Old folks during COVID. Northerners. Catholics. Jews. Moslems. Sub-continent Indians Homosexuals. Trans people. Indigenous people. Hispanics. Patriotic Americans. Et al.
Everyone, Everywhere, All the time. That's why the end of "Easy Rider" was so effective.
A subset behave like the weekly murdered bully on "Murder She Wrote."
I really debated commenting here. This is almost too personal for me. I was bullied as a little kid—fat, slow, bad at sports, not remotely cute. In second grade in the Fifties, living in a huge apartment complex in Arlington, Virginia with dozens of other Boomers, one of the most popular kids constantly ridiculed and tormented me. At that time, you could buy these small BB machine guns from ads in comic books. So one day, as I was going up the entry steps to our building, he came up, yelled my name, and started shooting me with the damn thing. He walked toward me walking the BB’s up my chest toward my face. I had on a heavy coat so they did not hurt, but the look on his face told me he was going for my eyes. I was, by chance, carrying a toy rifle (gun culture was big post WWII II as well). It has a 3-inch metal sight. Instinctively, not even knowing which end was up, I whacked him over the head with it. The sight went all the way in. There were two girls with him and lots of kid’s watching, so nothing happened to me. Walking home from school some months later he happened to walk by being supported by his two sisters. He was apparently brain-damaged. They yelled “Look what you did to our brother!” I said nothing, just walked on. But it really bothered me even though I had no choice in the moment in my own mind as it all happened so fast.
Plus, afterward, my career Navy Dad reassured me. His words have never left me. He said never start a fight if you can avoid one. But if you can’t,if the other guy hits you with his fist, grab a brick; if he has a brick, get a knife; if he has a knife, find a gun. But if you fight, fight to survive and to win. He had black belts or the equivalent in judo and jiu-jitsu, was an expert marksman, and was in naval counterintelligence most of his career as an officer.
The second bullying incident I remember was life-changing for me. In fifth grade I was still the same fat, uncoordinated, unattractive, unpopular kid, made worse because I had finally gotten glasses and had become an academic star. I was crewcut, always, per my Dad’s requirements. This one kid whose name I remember but will not say kept running behind me, pulling hairs out of the area near the nape of my neck, then running away laughing as he knew I could not catch him. The last time he was a tad too slow. I caught his arm, swung him around and punched him. He took one swing at me, hit my chest to no effect but that my mind went black. I knocked him down, jumped on him and started hitting him in the face over and over again as hard as I could. It took several kids, our huge bus driver and our janitor to pull me off of him. Again, too many witnesses for me to get in trouble—but he never came back to that school.
I realized then that I had a dangerous temper. I resolved never to let anyone cause it to trigger again, and it hasn’t, despite two other severe tests. Because when they happened I was old enough to kill somebody. But I have stepped in to protect other people from physical or verbal intimidation over the years, and always stood up to the rare bullies I encountered in the work place. As a business trial lawyer I delighted in beating the shouting, raging, arrogant types I sometimes encountered by always being calm while their antics annoyed and alienated judges. In my career, I never lost a case to one. And never lost my temper, either.
So seeing the MAGAts does two things for me. It brings up my own temper, and reminds name how bad bullies are, and that they are truly cowards. That is why we must stand up to them, determined to beat them but not be them. Onward to a blue November!
Great article about your life and thank God for the grace of seeing clearly your choices to not respond to others bullying ways again. You listened to your conscience and souls direction for your life