Optics and Perception

Not vice presidential
enough

Back in high school, like a gazillion years ago, my friend Billy told me "perception is 9/10 of the law." He was, at the time, consoling me over an election loss (mine) while trying to explain that girls hadn't caught up yet, that it didn't matter that my opponent was an idiot because he was a babe-magnet and I was just everyone's reliable, discreet, best friend. I might be the smarts on the board, but that didn't matter; I didn't look like a vice-president. To his defense, he drilled into me that this really sucked because I was totally qualified for the job. He was right and I knew it....so I did what I already knew how to do: I flew under the radar, instituted a massive change to how our organization prepared programming, and watched some asshole take credit for my work. Billy told me it didn't matter that the asshole took credit because the asshole would eventually fail when trying to make it function the way it should. And that they would call me to fix it. They did. And everyone knew who was behind the project's ultimate success. (50+ years later, it lives on in its own strange, inimitable way. (IYKYK) 

I learned a lot from Billy that year: how to be an existentialist (still am,) how to ignore stupid people (still working on that one,) and, obviously, the power of optics and perception. He had a great, innate understanding of how to manipulate all sorts of stuff. He was great at getting people to do things, he was an expert at shifting time frames to his advantage. But I always thought he was best at making me feel like I could control me. There were days I didn't quite live up to the tasks set before me, but Billy would always push back on my self-doubts to force me to confront the obvious: we are only victims of our failures if we allow ourselves to be victims. And our personal optics were a reflection of the stand that we should take. Our image, at least back in them olden days, should be carefully cultivate and maintained. 

We are what comes out of our mouths.

We live in a much different time now. The 60-second news cycle reduces everything to a sound byte. Between fake news, AI news, and just plain ol' bullshit, it's hard to tell what's real and what isn't. The ability to discern what is real from what isn't is becoming a lost art. My friends can all tell you I play internet police daily and call them out on bull-hockey posts. I provide links, information, and spend way too much time vetting this crap. I hate having to do it. But when I see garbage info on friends' sites, I can't NOT respond. And I constantly say, "DO YOUR OWN DAMN HOMEWORK!" 

So when Zohran Mamdani came on the scene with his non-statements about his earlier statements, I kept waiting for someone to ask the most important question of all. No one did. Instead, they kept hounding him on a statement he made in several places, including on FOX-News NY morning show.

On June 5th, Zohran Mamdani appeared on Fox's Good Day, New York and was asked whether or not he supported Israel's right to exist as Jewish state. He answered:I'm not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else…. Equality should be enshrined in every country in the world. That's my belief.

If you are so inclined (as I am) to hear it for yourself, here's the link to the YouTube recording of the segment. The fun begins at minute 5:35. 

I thought that was possibly the most interesting statement he could have made regarding Israel. On the surface, it's a really cogent statement crafted to convince people he's for equal rights for all people in every country. He is subtly excoriating Israel for using Torah and Talmud as a basis for the legal system while stating that all citizens in Israel are not equal under the law. One might think that a guy born to Indian expats in Uganda might know a thing or two about religious freedom in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

Apparently, Mr. Mamdani is not uncomfortable with the 50 or so Muslim countries in the world that have varying realities regarding non-Muslims. His statement can be absolutely perceived that this is okay and those countries do not not need some kind of adjustment. 

Which makes me think about optics. 

How are people gonna interpret his statement? Will they examine it more closely, or will they draw the most simple of conclusions?  Mr. Mamdani refuses to address the issue of Hamas as a terrorist organization, and in the past, he has founded and supported pro-Palestinian groups that subscribe to the globalization of the intifada, one might easily draw the conclusion that, based on his speeches and recorded rhetoric, he is okay with attacks on college campuses that target Jews. At the same time, he rails against antisemitism and insists there is no place for it in New York City. 

On the other hand, he has been an ardent supporter of the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) who support BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) against the selling of all Israeli products in America. Both movements are not, as they claim to be, simply anti-zionist, they are against Israel's right to exist as Israel

So, which is the real Zohran Mamdani? What do his optics tell you about who he is?

Therein lies the real question no one is asking so far: as mayor of New York, would he tacitly give the shrug and a wink to the encampments and the vitriol? Would he tell them it's okay to take a stand without telling them they cannot exclude Jewish students from any campus? Will the the pro-Palestinian front take this as a license-to-behave-badly victory? 

Or will he actually take a stand against hate crimes directed against Jews? 

 

Do let me know if you know that answer to that.

Meanwhile, back at the capitol.....

As long as we're on the topic of optics, President Felon's response to the assassinations in Minnesota are the great optics of all. They just reinforce what We, the People, already know: he is a classless piece of human excrement. President Biden's presence at the Rotunda was low key, welcome, and appropriate to the moment. His presence at the funeral with Vice-President Harris was lovely.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

I'm afraid optics matter in our insta-world 

more than perception.

Wishful Thinking

Y'know, I'm not a big fan of snake oil hawkers, grifters, and tent revival holy rollers. I view all those folks with a jaundiced eye and a healthy measure of total disbelief in anything and everything they say. Their idea of truth is largely their idea only, and their sole intent it to separate fools from their money. And if President Felon's earning statement for 2024 is any indication, he had a very lucrative year. And now that his company is starting a new mobile phone service the sky's the limit. Of course, claims that the phone is totally American made are absurd. Currently, the only phone assembled in the US is the $1,999 Liberty phone  by Purism...and even that has parts from China and India. It is not $499 like the Sons of Swindle have promised. I cannot imagine the FCC going along with this...oh wait. Maybe I can, 

What it comes down to is yet another scam, another pile of streaming bullhockey issuing forth from President Felon's Fraud Central Factory. There is nothing that comes outta his mouth, outta the mouths of his henchfolk, or outta the mouths of his family members that can be trusted. Nothing can ever be fully vetted with these people. His hyperbole aside, he just plain lies about everything...from the size of his winkie to the size of the parade crowd. Art Of The Deal ...my ass; more that the Art of The Scam. 

Which should make you wonder about the ceasefire he claims Israel and Iran have signed onto. ...especially when Iran is continuing to lob missiles at Israel as of a few minutes ago. 

He posted this on Truth Social. And you know what we all say about believing everything you see on the internet....

But then, again, he posted something similar about India and Pakistan on May 10th:

According to Chatham House, a respected British think tank:

The ceasefire also does not address any of the underlying grievances in the bilateral relationship. In a social media post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that both sides have agreed to ‘start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site’. Talks between both countries’ military personnel took place on 12 May, but it remains to be seen if this paves the way for meaningful political dialogue.

India has stated that talks can only discuss the issues of terrorism and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while Pakistan will want to focus on the resumption of the IWT and the status of Indian-administered Kashmir. The last time both countries engaged in substantive peace talks was the Composite Dialogue process that came to a halt following the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008.  

In the absence of political dialogue, it is not a question of if but when hostilities resume. New Delhi has stated that it will consider another attack like Pahalgam an act of war, while Islamabad has said the same with respect to any violation of the IWT.

The phrase that pays here is: In the absence of political dialogue. The highlight is mine. Sending tweets about ceasefires you think you've secured is a lovely thought, but In the absence of political dialogue, it's not a real ceasefire. It's wishful thinking. 

Back to Israel and Iran. AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME: I have yet to see any news bulletin from either Israel or Iran stating they have accepted a ceasefire agreement from President Felon. That statement may be forthcoming, but right now, at this moment, it sounds like a con. He’s hoping he can bully them into some kind of discussion via social media. 

I just checked again. As of  8:58 PM E.T., no confirmation has been received from either government. 

Never mind the congressional or constitutional issues here. I already heard one Democrat congressman say that the US sortie into Iran was the fault of AIPC....loosely translated: it's the Jews' fault. Like a said a few episodes ago, all he is doing is putting a bigger target on our backs as he pretends to be our friend. And he is still vying for the Nobel Peace Prize. President Felon is nothing more than an oversized playground bully compensating for his lack of...well, you know...playground equipment by manipulating the games, the systems, and ultimately the players.  Enough about this troll of a human...for the moment anyway.

Meanwhile, whilst doing my research about the attacks and reprisals, I kept hearing the phrase surgical strike. It reminded me of a similar line my favorite movie, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. After an incident with Libya that requires a military response, President Shepard says:

Someday someone's going to have to explain to me the virtue of a proportional response.

That line reminded me of surgical strike, so I looked it up and found it's actually from a piece of satire by Richard Barnet, published in HARPER'S Magazine back in November of 1971  which happens to be during the Vietnam War. Lo and behold, Niall Ferguson and I clearly operate on the same check-it-out school of writing, because he wrote about that phrase just today in a piece for Free Press called What Comes After Trump's 'Surgical Strikes'?

Ironically, as Richard Nixon’s former speechwriter William Safire pointed out nearly 40 years ago, the term surgical strike originated as left-wing satire. The first use of the phrase, according to Safire, was in an article by Richard Barnet in Harper’s Magazine in November 1971. “Even [in] the language of the bureaucracy,” Barnet wrote, “the ‘surgical strike’ for chasing and mowing down peasants from the air by spraying them with 8,000 bullets a minute—takes the mystery, awe, and pain out of violence.”

Safire

You can read the whole article from the NY Times here: Safire on Language: Surgical Strike. I think it's worth reading. BTW, Safire's On Language was one of my favorite columns in the Times, and one I almost always talked about with my dad. I loved their love of language; it was simply grand.

Meanwhile, back on the tundra....

This assassin Vance Boelter guy was really prepared for the apocalypse, The cops picked up his wife with the kids, a sack of cash, passports, and other accouterments for blowing this pop stand. They called him a prepper: he was preparing for this for a long time. According to Minnesota Public Radio,  they found the following stuff on or near his Green Isle property:

•        4 dozen guns
•         5 body bags
•         Another Ford Explorer made to look like a police vehicle
•          3 AK-47 rifles
•         Dozens of boxes of ammunition
•         $17,940 in cash
•        Lots of spent cartridges and casings

And just for good measure: Investigators recovered a Beretta handgun from the backyard of a home on the west side of the golf course. In the woods between an adjacent home and the Shingle Creek Regional Trail, police found a partially-loaded magazine, the flesh-colored silicone mask that Boelter was allegedly seen wearing in surveillance video, as well as a wig. 

The feds are now running the show on the trial et al. I understand how that's gonna go down. But honestly, I am worried that if it's a federal conviction, President Felon will issue a pardon because Hortman and Hoffman are Democratic legislators. He's already called our governor vile names, and some of his cronies have intimated that Governor Walz set up the hit to "send a message." Really? . If you love conspiracies, you'll love this in the Minnesota Reformer. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Hydrate. 

I'm not kidding. 

That's a very serious tip.

There just wasn't anything to write about tonight. NOT.

Some weeks, I really have to scrape to find something to write about. This is not one of those weeks. As such, I must start with the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the attempted assassination of State Senator John Hoffman, his wife, and daughter, and the other Minnesota state legislators who did not answer the door when Vance Boelter knocked. 

I'm not gonna write much about this assassin, but I will point you to a profile post on the Minnesota Public Radio website. One piece of that profile was worth posting here:

Friends told the AP that they knew Boelter was religious and conservative, but that he didn't talk about politics often and didn't seem extreme.  

 

"He was right-leaning politically but never fanatical, from what I saw, just strong beliefs,” said Paul Schroeder, who has known Boelter for years.

Every time there was a serial killer, Ziggy maintained the same thing was said about each one:

 He sure seemed like a nice guy. Always polite, always kept to himself.

This Boelter guy also served as a pastor while on a mission to Congo. Clearly, he was a man of deep rooted Christian faith who viewed it as some kind of mission to murder people. One might think that's the opposite of what Christians are supposed to do, but who am I to say what is and is not Christian values? I mean, if you listen to the MAGA right, adultery is also okay. Stiffing one's workers, jailing US citizens, and denying medical care to the poor and the marginalized (like women) is okay, too. Be that as it may, Boelter's actions are not all that strange; in fact, one might say that they are an offshoot of MAGA philosophy. 

One might also suspect if the decision is made to charge him with federal crimes, President Felon will simply wave his magic winkie and pardon the guy. This concern is not unfounded. For the record, this is from an interview on Sunday with ABC News reporter Rachel Scott asking if he called Governor Walz after the assassination s, the MAGGot-in-Chief replied:

Well, it's a terrible thing. I think he's a terrible governor. I think he's a grossly incompetent person. But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too," the president told Scott. 

And this is the leader of We, the People? I am disgusted to the max. 

To his credit, Vice President Bedbug called our Governor. 

So, here's the thing....I keep turning President Felon's statement over and over and I begin to wonder who on his staff knew this was in the works? The preparations Boelter made, the lists, the documentation, all point to a carefully constructed plan. Could he have done that without assistance? After he ran from the Hortman home, he texted his family, and then his wife around 6:20 a.m. According to the report on CBS News:

"Dad went to war last night ... I don't want to say more because I don't want to implicate anybody." He also allegedly sent a separate text to his wife: "Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation ... there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around."

She was apprehended with $10,000 in cash, passports, guns, ammo, and the kids. Did she know what was going down? Hard to tell from this. 

Is there a conspiracy theory in there someplace? Ja, sure, you betcha! GOP Senator Mike Lee of Utah posted: “This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way,”  Really? How did someone that stupid get to be a Senator? [Don't answer that!]

If there are heroes in this story, it's Yvette Hoffman who shielded her daughter from the bullets with her own body, and the yet-unnamed police officer who decided to go to Hortmans' home. 

Minnesotans are in shock. No one can grok the idea that it happened here. Not in our purple, mild-mannered state. 

Remember all those Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland movies that basically said "Let's have a show in the barn!" and then it was like a Broadway production with sets, lights, and sparkly costumes. He claimed 250,000 people came, but them stands were awfully empty and there was lots of grassy space available for lawn chairs. Besides, everyone looked painfully bored. 

                                              What he imagined versus What he got                                                     

I would like to say I feel sorry for the guy, but I don't. Over the weekend, a financial disclosure for President Felon was released. In 2024, he reported over $600 million in income from his holdings, including the crypto sold prior to his taking office. You can read it in Reuter's report. I'm left wondering if he paid any tax on that income, or if it offset his usually monumental business losses. No matter how you look at it, the Grifter-in-Chief makes money off the presidency. When are the red states gonna understand their lives are burning while this asshole fiddles?

Despite a price tag upwards of $45 million,  the crowd size, like the size of his winkie, could not compare with the estimated 5 million protesters who marched in over 2000 planned...and spontaneous NO KINGS demonstrations across the nation. Even the fake news about riots in LA could not dampen the significance of the day. As a matter of fact, there were NO riots. In a strange twist of reality, President Felon attended an understudy performance of Les Mis, and thought they were singing about him...in a good way. 

Do you hear the people sing?

Singing a song of angry men?

It is the music of a people

Who will not be slaves again

Maybe he'll rethink that after this weekend...but I highly doubt it. It would not be the narcissistic thing to do.

Meanwhile, back in the Middle East.....

I won't write about the American friends and family who are in Israel for the foreseeable future because Ben Gurion is closed....or the friends who are stranded in the US, Greece, and other less than exotic locales while trying to get home to Israel. This is all stuff you already know happens. Nor will I write about bomb shelters, direct hits in Bat Yam or Tel Aviv because you already know about that, too. and there is nothing I can add that can comfort anyone. 

But I will write about what I think about Israel taking an active position on Iran. And as unpopular an opinion that it will be in some quarters....too bad. 

I think Israel did the one thing the rest of the world was afraid to do: take out Iran's nuclear capabilities. 

Here's the reality: Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have a long history of proliferation. Russia's war with Ukraine is internationally viewed as illegal and without foundation. Iran, on the other hand, sits in its desert and utilized proxies to wage war against Israel. No one else. Just the Jews.  Iran is the established income source for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. They serve as proxy armies for Iran's terror network. 

In the past, Iran has continued munitions development despite their insistence that they are not building nuclear warheads. Are the others members of the so-called Axis of Resistance aiding them in their quest? Possibly. This is pretty scary stuff. If Iran can finally produce a deliverable nuclear warhead, are they crazy enough to deploy it in battle?  

The FinCEN of the US Department of the Treasury issued this report a year ago...before President Felon took office while professionals were still running the departments:

For Immediate Release

May 08, 2024

WASHINGTON — Today, in light of intensified terrorist activity in the Middle East, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an Advisory to assist financial institutions in detecting potentially illicit transactions related to Islamic Republic of Iran-backed terrorist organizations. The Advisory highlights the means by which certain terrorist organizations receive support from Iran and describes several typologies these terrorist organizations use to illicitly access or circumvent the international financial system to raise, move, and spend funds. It also provides red flags that may assist financial institutions in identifying related suspicious activity.

“Terrorist organizations and activity supported by and aligned with Iran should not benefit from access to the U.S. or international financial systems,” said FinCEN Director Andrea Gacki. “As we witness continuing instability and violence in the Middle East, we are issuing this Advisory to help financial institutions protect the financial system from abuse by terrorists and to encourage financial institutions to stay vigilant in identifying and reporting related suspicious activity.”

“Iran continues to explore new ways to fund its dangerous and destabilizing activities, including the proliferation of dangerous weapons, malicious cyber activities, and financing of terrorist proxies in the region,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “As the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence marks its twentieth anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to constrain the ability of Iran and its terrorist proxies to exploit the international financial system.”

Recent events have underscored Iran’s involvement in and financing of terrorist activity in the region. Iran seeks, among other goals, to project power by exporting terrorism throughout the Middle East and beyond by financing a range of regional armed groups, some of which are U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorist organizations. These terrorist organizations include Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, and several Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq and Syria.

While everyone is running about dealing with the Three H's, Iran has not been idle. They are stocking up enriched uranium. Fodow, one of their most important facilities, is buried about 300' beneath a mountain near Qom. Israel doesn't have a bomb heavy enough to destroy it, but the US has a "bunker buster" that should do the job. Will they give it to Israel? Hard to say.

President Felon claims he's been negotiating with the Iranians, but I am skeptical. According to ABC News, he attempted to reach out to the Supreme Leader through the Japanese Prime Minister:

This isn't the first time Trump has sent a message to Khamenei. In 2019, with the help of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he sent a similar message, but the Iranian leader publicly rejected that offer to talk.

Khamenei reportedly said at the time, "I do not consider Trump as a person worth exchanging any message with."

I'm not certain anything has changed in anyone's perception of the felon's ability to negotiate a real deal on any level. If you really want to dig into understanding Iran's nuclear program, here's something you should read. IRAN WATCH: Tracking Iran's Unconventional Weapons Capabilities. If this doesn't scare you....

The other piece that should be required reading is from Atlantic Council, a non partisan American global think tank. They published a rather comprehensive group of divergent opinions of the Iran attack, and it's worth reading if you want to get a broader view. Two articles in particular were helpful: Twenty questions (and expert answers) on the Israel-Iran war and Experts react: Israel just attacked Iran’s military and nuclear sites. What’s next?

Touched by His Noodly Appendage,/ Niklas Jansson

Obviously, I am not a Middle East expert, nor do I play one on TV. What I am is in need of a good education on Iran and its intentions...even beyond nuclear proliferation. I am long skeptical of Shi'ite Islam since the fall of the American Embassy and the taking of hostages. I don't trust anyone who says there is only one path to G-d and it's theirs. That included Hasids, Evangelicals, Christians of many stripes, Muslims, Hindus, or Pastafarians. Doesn't matter. No one gets to tell anyone else what to believe....or even how.  Unless you're sacrificing children....that stops right away.

I am not making light of this. I am deadly serious when I say I need to understand in more depth what is happening, and I suspect most of us need to get away from the media bubble. I cannot stand listening to the half-baked opinions on CNN or MS-NBC. Near as I can tell, they know nothing of substance. 

The FREE PRESS's reporter Tanya Lukuanov did an interesting video asking people in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon what they think of Israel's bombing of Iran. I'm sure it's cherry-picked, but it it's even a bit true, maybe there is a sliver of hope. Unfortunately, the video has a pay wall, but you can see the beginning. Below is a sample of what was said. 

In Gaza, where Iran’s terror proxy Hamas sparked the ongoing war with the October 7 attacks, the anger toward Tehran and its allies was visceral.

“Have you seen what has happened in Gaza?” one man asked bitterly. “All of it is because of Iran.”

Another put it simply: “I can’t feed my daughters. And why? Because of the Axis of Resistance.”

In Lebanon, still reeling from monthslong clashes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, most residents we interviewed wanted nothing to do with further escalation. “At this point? No,” one man said, when asked if Hezbollah should reenter the war against Israel.

“We used to expect a much stronger response from them,” another man agreed. “Now, for sure, they’ve been weakened.”

The most forceful condemnation of Tehran, though, came from Syria, where Iran-backed forces helped prop up Bashar al-Assad and participated in the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of civilians during more than a decade of a brutal civil war.

“Praise be to God, we hope this gangster regime ends and disappears completely,” one Syrian told us. “We have suffered deeply at their hands.”

“All of Syria’s suffering stems from Iran,” another man agreed. “The entire Syrian people are happy—and I’m celebrating with them. If Israel wants to bomb Iran for another 100 years—we’ll cheer.”

Their mouths to G-d's ear. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Not sure who/what to believe anymore? 

Google can still be your best friend if you ignore AI reponses.

As Ziggy would admonish: 

Phrase your questions carefully,

then look at all sorts of results. 

Vet your sources.

Trust no one but your own research.

Provocation and Instigation

This is yahrzeit week. Wednesday night begins the observance of the 16th anniversary of Ziggy having the poor form to leave the building. I recently wrote a comment in a Substack about widowhood:

I am, in many ways, still married to the dead guy. I miss him. Our lives weren't perfect. Far from it...Being a widow can be a challenge, but it does not define me as much as other people like to think it should. Being invisible is sometimes okay. Losing people you once thought close to you because you no longer have a partner actually tells you who your friends are...something worth knowing.

Truth be told, I could really use his astute input on tonight's episode. I would like nothing more than to listen to him unraveling the threads of the past couple o'weeks in Trumpistan. I know when I pop over to the cemetery tomorrow I will well imagine those wheels spinning in his grave. A total devotee of spy novels, I know he would've had a whole lot to say. 

Once upon a time....September 2020, the President Felon made the following statement during an ABC News town hall in Portland, Oregon:

 
Look, we have laws. We have to go by the laws. We can’t move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but there’s no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case ...
 
We can’t call in the National Guard unless we’re requested by a governor.   

 

I doubt he remembers saying that because that's exactly what he's doing to LA this week. He is the first president in 60 years to send in National Guard troops without a request from a governor. Of course, he couldn't stop there. From The Washington Post: 

Trump repeatedly ridiculed Newsom, a Democrat, saying that he is “grossly incompetent” and had done “a terrible job.” Asked about a threat made by his border czar Tom Homan to arrest the governor, Trump said, “I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great,” Trump added, without specifying any alleged criminal wrongdoing or charges. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.”

Now, he's sending in the Marines to backup ICE and the 2,000 National Guard members. Another 2,000 are being readied for deployment. No way is this gonna go down quietly. President Felon is looking for a fight, and betting that he's gonna get one. But here's the thing: quelling this conflagration will not make him a hero; it will make him a the most hated man in America. 

Since when can the US Military perform enforcement duties within the United States? Let's get real: this is not  an act of response; this is an outright act of provocation and instigation. Instead of what began as peaceful, lawful protests, the arrival of military apparatus and uniforms has now created a volatile atmosphere of distrust and confrontation. The White House has created its own crisis which, in all likelihood, is a backhanded positioning for a power grab. If the protests continue to escalate through confrontation, there is every reason to expect some form of martial law to be declared. 

This is a serious step toward authoritarianism in the United States. 

I view this as a test case to see if anyone will set boundaries. The test case on January 6th, 2021 may have put some people in jail, but the re-election of President Felon has pardoned most of them and put them back on the streets where they can now regroup to support the move further to the right. 

As they continue to put targets on the backs of Jews in America with their "antisemitism" programs...which the angry mob can then easily turn on the Jews, the continued erosion of civil rights for minority groups continues unhindered. Highly trained, honored, and respected trans military officers are being effectively fired as "unfit to serve." 

Between the TACO tariffs, the cryptocurrency fail, the endless suits against his policies, the bromance break-up with the Muskrat, and now the  LA debacle, my only question is:

Who is actually running the country?

 

I'm guessing it's this guy: 22 year old recent college grad Thomas Fugate, recently named head of the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships at the United States Department of Homeland Security with great credentials like "secretary general of his Model United Nations Club." He ain't no Doogie Howser, that's fer sure. He's just one more untrained, uninformed, unprepared kid. He is the perfect fall guy: blame him, jail him, and throw away the key 'cuz he can't afford an attorney. Just paint him red and give him a fish suit because this kid is the ultimate red herring. He will be the deflection point for what is really happening in this country. 

And by the way, we have NOT seen the last of the Muskrat. He's out there laying in the weeds waiting for the coup.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Widowhood does not necessarily define a widow.

How you treat her can, however, define you.

IMAGINING NO DRAGONS

UPDATED for today in Boulder, Colorado

I'm not a band-following kinda woman...unless it's the Misha Siegfried Band....for obvious reasons. I prefer singers (Sting, Billy Joel, Adele, Lewis Capaldi, Aviv Alush)  over bands, but I do have a few favorites and my playlists reflect that. Yeah, Beatles top that list, Steely Dan, Bonzo Dog, and until this morning, Imagine Dragons. I loved that they played in Tel Aviv in 2023 despite protests. I love their lyrics. And sure, I like watching Dan Reynolds prance about the state shirtless. (What can I say? I'm not dead yet.) Three days ago, at their concert in Milan, Italy, Reynolds wrapped himself in and kissed a Palestinian flag. 

For a guy whose band members are HUGE supporters of LGBTQ+ rights, aligning with terrorists who advocate the killing of that very same community seems just too weird.  He kissed the damn flag and tossed it into the audience. I guess their stand with LGBTQ+ was performative, not sincere activism. Gone are the rainbow flags he once draped around his shoulders. I wonder how all those LGBTQ+ fans feel about that. Don't answer that. Lots of them are wearing the black and white kuffiyeh these days.

I don't understand how all these big celebrities have managed to miss the part about homosexuality being punishable by death in Gaza. What do they tell all those people who gave them money in support of their rainbow projects; that they no longer believe they have a right to live? Hmmmm. I don't wonder at all. All those LGBTQ+ FOR PALESTINE encampment and protest participants didn't get the memo about rooftop launch parties. 

Well, actually, I do. They don't do their homework. They believe what they see on X or Insta or whatever bubble they're living in.  They are all TSTL: Too Stupid To Live.

See, if they did their homework, if they actually googled something about world conflicts and famine, they might have noticed other places where slaughter goes unchecked and humanitarian aid is a joke.

This isn't really Gaza any more; it's the normalization of Jew hatred. There's the whole blood libel thing that keeps coming up....last week it was about Israel killing 140,000 Palestinian babies in 48 hours, and even though the BBC and everyone else walked that ridiculous story back, it was put out there by "reliable" news agencies. It doesn't matter if it was true or not, if they walked it back or not, it was out there and now it's fact regardless of the truth. Hating Jews is convenient. Hating the only country that is openly Jewish is convenient. Everybody's gotta hate someone and this particularly tiny little sliver of population wins that lottery time and time again. 

But I will tell you where babies are dying in droves and none of those Free Palestine lemmings give a shit about those babies: Sudan. From Rescue.org:

Before the war erupted in April 2023, Sudan was already experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis that left 15.8 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Two years of war have gravely exacerbated these conditions, displacing over 12 million people and leaving 30.4 million people—more than half of Sudan’s population—in need of humanitarian support.

Sudan now represents the largest and fastest displacement crisis in the world. It is also the largest humanitarian crisis ever recorded.

Did I miss all the kadamol wearing protesters caring about the death toll in Sudan due to a civil war? Maybe Dan Reynolds would like a RSF flag for the next concert, or don a kadamol like these guys. It's kinda dashing, dontcha think?

On October 16th, just 9 days after the attack on the Nova Festival and adjacent kibbutzim, the UN issued a report on Sudan:

Siobhán Mullally, UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, said unaccompanied children and children from poor families have reportedly been targeted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia in the outskirts of the capital Khartoum and elsewhere.

They’ve forcibly recruited women and children especially, she warned. 

Girls have also reportedly been abducted from Khartoum to Darfur for sexual exploitation, including sexual slavery.

To date, an estimated 9,000 people have been killed, over 5.6 million driven from their homes in the civil conflict between military Government forces and the RSF, and 25 million people are reliant on aid.

“The deteriorating humanitarian situation and lack of access to food and other basic services make children, especially unaccompanied and separated children on the streets, easy targets for recruitment by armed groups,” Ms. Mullally said.

The UN Human Rights Council-appointed expert stressed that recruitment of children by armed groups for any form of exploitation, including in combat roles, is a gross violation of human rights, a serious crime and a violation of international humanitarian law.

Addressing reports that children might be joining armed groups as a means of survival, Ms. Mullally emphasized that the consent of a child – defined as any person below the age of 18 – is legally irrelevant, and it is not necessary to prove the use of force.

She also voiced concern over lack of humanitarian access to children.

She called on all parties to the conflict to return to peace talks and reach a comprehensive ceasefire agreement that would allow for the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance and ensure accountability for alleged violations.

“Urgent action is needed to address these pressing concerns and take effective measures to prevent child trafficking and provide effective protection to child victims and children at risk, in particular displaced, unaccompanied and separated children, refugee children and children with disabilities,” Ms. Mullally said.

Where was the outcry? Where were the protests? Where were the demands for the release of girls and young women taken for sexual slavery? Those are Muslim babies, too. See, those people weren't Jews, so they didn't have anyone available to take the blame. There weren't any Jews involved at all, ergo, there was nothing to protest. For the record, Israel supplies humanitarian aid to Sudan. Just thought you'd wanna know that for your next protest rally.

We are .02 of world population....and it's still too many Jews left alive for some people. Certainly all Jews are murderers and baby killers because no Jewish institution is ever left unscathed. Last week, it was a museum in D.C. and synagogues in Paris. Or today, June 1st, in Boulder, Colorado where a man tossed molotov cocktails at demonstrators, including children, calling for the releases of hostages held in Gaza. It doesn't matter where the Jews are, or where the institutions are, or the real history of who belongs in Israel...although recently I'm hearing Jesus was a Palestinian....as if he wasn't at the Temple in Jerusalem....where Mohammed was at the time even though Mohammed wouldn't be born for a few hundred more years. 

We are all pretty much getting seriously sick of having to explain to people why Jews are indigenous to the area once again called Israel. Yes, that's right, it was Israel with the same language, culture, and religion for a thousand years before Jesus. We are the poster children for indigenous peoples everywhere because we came home, we built a new nation, and we thrived. Indigenous populations dream about doing what we have done. And what's more, they should be looking to Israel as what one can do with drive, education, and will forged in steel to survive. 

We will not apologize for surviving as a people. We will not apologize for the return to our homeland. If anyone ever read any version of the Bible, it's not like we ever stopped worked to go home. You don't want us in your country? Great. We'll take out brains, our innovations, our musical instruments, our medical advances, and our Nobel prizes to Israel. Our homeland. Our Motherland. Our Fatherland. Our whatever we feel like calling it. For 5,000 years it's been Eretz Yisroel where the natives speak Hebrew and practice Judaism. That's not exactly a surprise now, is it?

If you wanna talk about colonizers, you'd better start with the Mongols, the Ottoman, the British, the Spanish, and the Arabs. Especially the Arabs who have spread their tent over large swaths of Africa, Europe, Eurasia, and Asia. 

You don't get to call us colonizers in our own tiny homeland. We're like the folks who refuse to sell out to the big developers and we're just fine and dandy with that. 

In fact, Hey! Get Off Our Lawn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....Shavuot begins at sundown and I gotta get this sucker out the door!

With assorted lactose intolerant people, I decided, after considerable research, to make a vegan cheesecake for Shavuot that begins at sundown. I followed the directions closely, made all the suggested adjustments. The batter came out great, tasting just right. I looked perfect when I put it in the oven. I was so excited. 

Until I took it out. It did not set up the way I expected. It had a different aroma than what I'm used to. I haven't cut into it yet, so I can't tell you how it tastes. It'll be great....or an epic fail. Whatever. I tried. 

I have cut up fruit and a blueberry cobbler standing by just is case. They go just as well with Tuna Niçoise.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Redundancy.

The key to happiness?

Redundancy.