The Long Con

Remember this date: May 16, 2025. It seemed like an innocuous enough day, but there was a little Easter egg that went largely unnoticed except in the wrong context. 

On the last day of his Gulf tour, as he was leaving Abu Dhabi laden with all manner of anticipated grift, President Felon told reporters:

We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving.

While President Felon played huggy-bear-kissy face with the Saudis, and the Emirates, he basically sidelined Israel and, no surprise, Netanyahu, Why no surprise? Netanyahu doesn't have two shekels to rub together for baksheesh. The others have offered him caskets of gold, fancy airplanes, and real estate deals. Even Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Shara got a promise of lifted sanctions for a "chance at greatness" when he showed up in Riyadh to kiss President Felon's ring. 

Why Riyadh and not Damascus? Well, lifting the sanctions, it turns out, secured an $600 Billion dollar deal with the Saudis for investment in the US. But here's the punchline:

"Oh what I do for the crown prince."

It got a laugh. I just wanna know at whose expense? Syria is a long time sponsor of terrorism directed at Israel.  Since Israel was denied a place at this table, I wanna know what exactly President Felon gave them....because you know damn well he gave them something.

As per the New York Times:

During his flight on Air Force One from Riyadh to Doha, Mr. Trump dismissed concerns about sidelining Israel.

“No not at all,” he told reporters. “This is good for Israel, having a relationship like I have with these countries, Middle Eastern countries, essentially all of them.”

But Mr. Trump’s five-day tour through the Middle East this week underscored a new dynamic, one in which Israel — and Mr. Netanyahu, in particular — is something of an afterthought. In Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Trump has sought to negotiate peace deals in Iran and Yemen and cut trillion-dollar business deals with the wealthy nations of the Persian Gulf.

He did not make a stop in Israel.

“The overall sense is of shifting attention and perception of interest, mainly to the Gulf States, where the money is,” said Itamar Rabinovich, a former Israeli ambassador to the United States.

Read that statement carefully in case you missed what Rabinovich said: "...mainly to the Gulf States, where the money is." 

Ya' think?

But wait! There's more!

President Felon has finally figured out the only way he's gonna get real estate anywhere near Israel is to "get [Gaza} taken care of." And that was not the first time he flew that trial balloon. On February 4th, 2025, he mentioned that idea during a joint press conference with Bibi. From TIME Magazine:

The President proposed on Tuesday that the U.S. should “own” the Gaza Strip, “level the site” and develop it, explicitly calling for displacing 2 million Palestinians from their homeland as the region’s leaders struggle to maintain a fragile ceasefire.

 

During a wide-ranging press conference with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump laid out a sweeping plan for the U.S. to colonize Gaza and build resorts there. “I don’t want to be cute. I don’t want to be a wise guy, but—the Riviera of the Middle East. This could be so magnificent,” Trump said.

Since Plan A failed spectacularly, the devoted minions slaving away in the White House  came up with an even "better" idea:  relocate a million Palestinians to Libya for permanent resettlement. 

No. I am not kidding. According to NBC news dated today, May 19th, 2025:

The plan is under serious enough consideration that the administration has discussed it with Libya’s leadership, two people with direct knowledge of the plans and a former U.S. official said. 

In exchange for the resettling of Palestinians, the administration would potentially release to Libya billions of dollars of funds that the U.S. froze more than a decade ago, those three people said.

NBC reached out to the State Department for comment, but their response came only after the article was published, saying the "reports are untrue." Keep in mind, this is the same very unstable Libya President Felon tried to send deportees. They sat on a plane on the tarmac in Texas waiting for clearance that Libya refused to provide. But President Felon thinks they're gonna okay taking a million Palestinians. Right.

Believe whatever you want on this one....but just know the question was asked and the baksheesh from the US was offered. 

He claims he's securing cease fires with Russia and Ukraine and with the Houthis in Yemen. Both wars continued unabated, He claims he's close to a deal with Iran. He claims all sorts of stuff because what he really wants is the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the Cowardly Lion yearning for a medal to proclaim his braverism. 

I hope the Swedes are smarter than that. And sure I hope the Israelis and the rest of those who believe President Felon is their friend wake up and smell the coffee before Israel is betrayed in the worst possible way....not to mention the American Jewish community.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

If you watched Eurovision on Saturday, you know that Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Nova massacre, represented Israel. Two terrorists attempted to get to her onstage, but were quickly thwarted by security. Despite boos and Palestinian flags, she delivered a powerful performance. 

Rumors floated around saying no country would give Israel their 12 points, but they ended up with only 60 jury points  in 15th place. 

Only when the public voting reached Israel, did my smile and millions of other smiles break out. In the individual popular vote, Israel got 257 votes, leapfrogging it into first place. At the very end, when Austria, who had a substantial lead in the jury votes, did they retake first place. Israel finished 2nd which, of course, caused great teeth gnashing and outcry in parts of the world. 

If you don't know Yuval's story, this is the short version. She was at the Nova Festival. Hiding in a small space with as many as could fit,, the terrorists found them and shot up the bomb shelter. 40 were hidden there, 11 survived beneath the other bodies. When they left, Yuval managed to call her father who said to stay under the dead bodies until it was over. She did. 

                      She lived. 

                      She sang. 

                      In three languages. 

A New Day Will Rise

And even if you say goodbye

You’ll never go away

You are the rainbow of my sky

My colours in the grey

My only wish upon a star

Sunshine in the day

The only song that my piano ever plays

And even if you say goodbye

You’ll always be around

To lift me up and take me high

Keep my feet close to the ground

Are you proud of me tonight

Dreams are coming true

I choose the light

Nothing to lose if I lose you

New day will rise

Life will go on

Everyone cries

Don’t cry alone

Darkness will fade

All the pain will go by

But we will stay

Even if you say goodbye

‏Et même si tu dis adieu

‏Tu ne partiras jamais

‏T’es l’arc-en-ciel de mon ciel bleu

‏Mes couleurs dans le gris

‏Et mon seul souhait sous un ciel d’art

‏Un rayon dans ma journée

‏La seule chanson que mon piano peut jouer

New day will rise

Life will go on

Everyone cries

Don’t cry alone

Darkness will fade

All the pain will go by

But we will stay

Even you say

New day will rise

Life will go on

Everyone cries

Don’t cry alone

Darkness will fade

All the pain will go by

But you will stay

The love of my life

מים רבים

לא יכבו

את האהבה

ונהרות לא ישטפוה

New day will rise…

Everyone cries

Don’t cry alone

Darkness will fade

All the pain will go by

But we will stay

Even if you say goodbye

A new day will rise

New day will rise

And even if you say goodbye

You’ll never go away

You are the rainbow of my sky

My colours in the grey

My only wish upon a star

Sunshine in the day

The only song that my piano ever plays

And even if you say goodbye

You’ll always be around

To lift me up and take me high

Keep my feet close to the ground

Are you proud of me tonight

Dreams are coming true

I choose the light

Nothing to lose if I lose you

New day will rise

Life will go on

Everyone cries

Don’t cry alone

Darkness will fade

All the pain will go by

But we will stay

Even if you say goodbye

‏And even if you say goodbye

You’ll never go away

You are the rainbow of my sky

My colours in the grey

My only wish upon a star

Sunshine in the day

The only song that my piano ever plays

New day will rise

Life will go on

Everyone cries

Don’t cry alone

Darkness will fade

All the pain will go by

But we will stay

Even you say

New day will rise

Life will go on

Everyone cries

Don’t cry alone

Darkness will fade

All the pain will go by

But you will stay

The love of my life

Many waters cannot quench love

Neither can the floods drown it

New day will rise…

Everyone cries

Don’t cry alone

Darkness will fade

All the pain will go by

But we will stay

Even if you say goodbye

A new day will rise

New day will rise

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

SING

If we keep singing, at least our hearts win.

YOWZA!

I had the supreme pleasure of watching Eurovision Finals again this year with Little Miss and Young Sir. We were glued to the tube, watching every act do its thing. Some were pretty weird, some were exceptionally good and we cheered for those. Of course, I took a picture of the kids watching the opening and sent it to our friends in Israel...who immediately sent us a picture of them watching it! The kiddos went wild at the idea we were doing something with them in real time. Ain't technology grand!?!?!?!?!

Israel's entry was  Eden Golan; her song was incredible...but would have been even more so had the Eurovision producers not insisted they change the lyrics and change name from October Rain to Hurricane because it was "too political." A commenter on Reddit posted the lyrics side-by-side:

It was not political; it was a reflection on Israeli reality. Golan's voice echos the pain we as Jews are experiencing at the moment...the same moment she is booed, that Bambie Thug says her heart weeps because Israel made the finals. The ceaseless attacks on Golan and other Israelis were normalized in that event. It didn't matter what her lyrics said...as soon as she opened her mouth as a Jew and an Israeli, she was castigated for living. 

Ireland's entry, Doomsday Blue sung by Bambie Thug whose fingernails were painted with little Palestinian flags, was probably the most controversial of the entries for a number of reasons. Little Miss, who is not yet in double digits, remarked, "Well, that was inappropriate!" I couldn't disagree with her. Never mind Bambi Thug is an anti-Semite, that she complained when Israel's KAN network told viewers with children that her performance was scary. It was. It was also sexually explicit. Okay, a number of the performances were sexually explicit and not really all that suitable for children, but the satanic rituals depicted in the act were a bit over-the-top, even for me. Her Eurovision version is not posted yet, but her music video is tame by comparison. Bambie Thug's complaints were not as effective as they might have been...Israel finished in 5th place....Ireland was 6th. We cheered.

Her politics aside, I did not find her performance compelling in the least. It was not edgy; it wasn't even shocking from the sexuality and innuendo, I thought her appearance/costume was distracting at best, and frankly, prosaic. Boring in an oddball sorta wall. And I'd bet you a buck, she didn't know some of her lyrics are actually Aramaic words. Or am I the only one who noticed "Avada Kedavra, I speak to destroy / The feelings I have, I cannot avoid ? Or, perhaps that is not so symbolically directed at us. Hard to tell.

Lots of LGBTQ+ performers also sported "secret" Palestinian and Hamas symbols. I would urge all of them to visit Gaza as soon as possible to show solidarity with their LGBTQ+ siblings....if they can find any. Don't these people know who they are supporting?

Obviously not. 

By the way, Switzerland won. They were the first non-binary winner of Eurovision...that we know of. Maybe we can all give each other a break and let music be music; let it reflect who we are and what we hear in our hearts. Music is best shared...not lobbed as hate missiles at performers and populations. Just a thought.

The kiddos watched the whole thing, right down to the vote tallies. We had a great time, they snarfed up dinner, I got to introduce them to Luigi's Italian Ices (OU- Parve!) and they even let me sleep until 7:30 a.m. when they decided they needed food. Mostly mango, strawberries, and blueberries. After which we adjourned to their house for a delightful Mothers' Day brunch. Having the noodniks overnight is totally the best! Spending it laughing with the kiddos...priceless.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.... From the what a difference a day makes divison:

Today was not one of those great days due to an unexpected incredibly stupid I-shoulda-known-better kinda injury. This bright-star moment probably happened several weeks ago, had nothing to do with being knocked over by my 98-year old grandpuppy, but now it has decided to rear its ugly head in a painful way. I sorta remember when I stepped funny on a stone on the walkway in front of my house.....

Seems my ankle rolled and I did what I always do: I walked it off. Schlepping heavy bags of groceries up stairs for Pesach surely did not help the cause, and I started to feel the occasional twinge. About a week ago, I noticed a sharp, shooting pain straight through my left ankle every time I stood up. And I did what I always do: I walked it off. And kept on walking it off because I could. Until Sunday night...when I couldn't just walk it off. 

It's not that I'm impervious to pain...although I do like to think that....I just have an exceptionally high tolerance for a whole lotta reasons, most of which come from ballet, tap, jazz, and screwing around. That I rarely bruise and almost never swell also means stuff gets blissfully overlooked and/or ignored. By me. Despite full range of motion in the ankle, I had to admit to being in a fair amount of trouble. I mean, I hurt like a sonofabitch!

Viking Hell (as some of us call the giant Viking practice complex with the lights that used to shine right into the kids' windows of the old house because they were that high and bright) has a deal with Twin Cities Orthopedic that includes an urgent care on site. Of all the urgent cares around, this is a serious ortho center and (bonus!) it had the shortest wait time posted on the website. Plus, it's really close. So I went over. 

Good choice. I was seen right away, the ankle immediately x-rayed...then x-rayed again from a completely different position...and the ankle PA was with me in a matter of minutes for one of the most thorough joint exams I've ever experienced. She expressed amazement that I was walking if off for as long as I was, assured me all the bone parts looked great, but when she squeezed right where I indicated I hurt the most...and I damn near flew outta the chair. I kinda shrieked, "YOWZA!" She sorta chuckle-snorted. "Yowza?" she asked. I just grinned and shrugged...and thought of Ziggy. 

Seems I have a pretty severely sprained ankle. The ligament does not appear to be torn (thank G-d) but I am now the proud owner of a really nifty brace. It's pretty cool, supports my ankle in all the right places, and while it still hurts when I stand up, it mitigates much faster. There will be PT involved later in the week. I will whiz right through that 4-6 week recovery because:

I AM SPARTACUS!!!!!

Getting old is not for the faint of heart.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

This is really a tip from the Senior Son.

If you haven't sent this book to YOUR mother,

you should.

I laughed my motherly head right off.