To There And Back

October 14, 2025 ~
dead hostages returned

Coming back from Israel is never easy, and a week later, I am still processing the experience. To be there on the heels of the living hostage release was joy muted with the sadness that came with the return of the corpses. No matter how joyous one might be, even the freed hostages, all Israel was grieving with the families who gathered to bury their dead. You see, those hostages, those who were murdered at Nova, at the kibbutzim, on the road, and in the tunnels belong to all of us. They are family. Our  family. And we, עם ישראל, the People of Israel, mourn together. Being there as bodies are repatriated for burial, defies any and all description. The national sadness is palpable; it shades the return of the living. 

All of Israel, כל ישראל, may join together to mourn, but that does not mean all of Israel is united in their opinion about their government. There are deep philosophical and political divides that threaten to tear apart the country. The split between the secular Israelis and the ultra-orthodox factions is deep and dangerous. Israel is a democracy, and like the U.S., you get the government you elect. Sorta. Israel has a coalition government, meaning differing factions have to join forces to cobble enough votes to elect a Prime Minister. The result? No one is happy. 

But there is one thing all of Israel can pretty much agree on: they are surrounded by countries who, in the past, have tried to kill them all. 

Right now, it's just Lebanon, Yemen, and Gaza...all proxies for Iran. For over 70 years, Israelis have lived with wars, homicide bombers, and  

Can you spot Israel?

missiles directed at this tiny (in comparison to its Islamic neighbors) state....that is start-up nation. A highly successful bed of technology, medical research, civic applications, and desert agriculture. They have a long track record of sharing their innovations worldwide, yet their neighbors want them dead. Do they think they will just move in, take over, and continue the scientific progress made by Israel? Maybe they're really thinking about buying that bridge in Brooklyn. 

The country that gave you WAZE, drip irrigation, USB flash drives, and cherry tomatoes just wants to live in reasonables security. They don't want terrorists swarming out of tunnels and over fences to murder kids at a music festival, grandparents, kids, and whole families in their homes. And if someone swarmed over your borders, trust me, you'd do whatever was necessary to take them out while ensuring this never happened again.

And if some rando American politician says he supports boycotting Israel or believes Israel doesn't have the right to exist as a Jewish state, I'd be suspicious of him, too. Especially if he doesn't make the same statement about the 57 Muslim states that include 15 who operate under Sharia law. And refuses to call out terrorist organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi, I sure as hell wouldn't vote for someone who espoused that kind of rhetoric. But we'll get to that in a minute.

I really did very little adventuring on this trip...unless you consider the hunt for Bamba Halva an adventure. I think every grocery store in Herzliya recognized us on site as the Bamba ladies. See, that was the beauty of this trip. It was regular. We did a whole lotta regular stuff. Sure, we had the wedding and we were on baby-watch, but we also got to the Eretz Museum in Tel Aviv and the Islamic Art Museum in Jerusalem. We hit a lot of grocery stores, too. We cooked, we baked, and even taught Jen the basics of mah jongg. It was everyday living and I loved it. I got a better feel of the daily rhythm, a sense of what life might be like.....if.

Still, I am an American with American habits, sensibilities, and proclivities. Can I really make the leap? Well, after this visit I'm thinking it might actually be do-able. I'm not there quite yet, but..........

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have a few things to say about the election of Zohran Mamdani:

1. I may be a New Yorker, but I do not live in the city and I did not vote for mayor.
2. I did, however, vote for Jesse Ventura, so I have "vote NO" experience.
3. I firmly believe you elect the government you deserve and I firmly believe New York City...all five boroughs...deserve Zohran Mamdani.
4. And perhaps most importantly, if someone tells you repeatedly who they are, it's best to believe him/her.
5. Remember, four years isn't that long, so if he proves to be a terrible mayor, he's gone.
6. If he proves to be a terrific mayor, great. I'll be happy to be proven wrong.

And while I'm on the subject of American politics, I can think of no better time to starve everyday working Americans while demolishing their access to healthcare than November....the lead up to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Demanding federal workers work without pay or back pay is a great way to garner support for your administration while you bulldoze that White House. 

2025 White House 
ornament

And as if that's not enough, the theme for this year is 150 Years of White House State Dinners....in a room that no longer exists. 

And I cannot shake the idea that there's a big, giant piece of performance art coming as he magnanimously reinstates benefits, standing on the balcony arms out wide like Evita while Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Darryl Strawberry, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Ross Ulbricht, and Stewart Rhodes stand beneath tossing rose petals in the air. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Donate, donate, donate. Help if you can. 

Your local relief shelf needs more than just food. 

They need diapers, wipes, underwear, socks, and feminine supplies.

So many people not-so-slowly falling into the cracks.

What We Do For Love

Let me preface this brief but necessary episode by stating my kids have been known to call and without going past Hi, Mom, ask me to insert my empathy chip before we continue any conversation. They're not kidding. I am a bootstrapper pragmatist who is not good at "there, there" kinda support. Nope, my mantra is a cross between get over yourself and get on with it. Thankfully, my kids are used to this. I always keep my empathy chip in the top dresser drawer, right next to the drawstring bag with my pearls. That said, I love them to bits and will never stop trying to reach the stars with them.

I also believe in kids taking responsibility for their actions. 

The last couple of days have been spent reading up on Hunter Biden, his crimes and admissions of guilt, and the pardon issued by his father. 

President Biden had repeatedly said he would not pardon his son. I absolutely supported that position...until very recently. And then I didn't.

Yes, Hunter admitted his guilt. He was prepared for the sentencing. I would imagine he was prepared to go to prison to serve at least part of the sentence.  So I asked the question: 

Are people who didn't pay their taxes or lied on a gun form sent to prison?

Truth be told, these are not violent crimes, crimes that inflict harm on another person, place, or thing. That doesn't excuse them, nor does it truly negate the need for some kind of punishment, but there are other factors involved whether we want to believe they exist or not. In his Washington Post column today, Eugene Robinson wrote:

Hunter did commit crimes, though, to which he has pleaded guilty in federal court. But his were not the kinds of crimes that usually get prosecuted. He is hardly the first drug addict to deny being a drug addict on a gun permit form; and he has paid his delinquent taxes, including penalties and interest. He was given this harsh treatment because he is Joe Biden’s son.

He might not have been sentenced to prison time. But with Trump returning to the White House and pledging to punish his political enemies, he faced new peril. It was not inconceivable that Trump would find an attorney general willing to conjure the smoke surrounding Hunter’s dealings with the Ukrainian firm Burisma — already dispelled by years of fruitless investigation — into some kind of new criminal indictment.

When Joe Biden promised not to pardon Hunter, he thought he’d never have to. Things have changed.

I can’t argue that pardoning Hunter was politically the right thing for the president to do. I’m not even sure it was morally the right thing for a president to do. But if my son were in Hunter’s position and I had the power, with the stroke of a pen, to save him and give him a fresh start, I’d do it. I believe many fathers would agree.

Many things have changed.  That's the phrase that pays. 

On the MSNBC website, Steve Benen suggested the incoming president just might want to sit the pardon debate out. 

Indeed, by any fair measure, Trump’s record on pardons is arguably the worst in American history. During his first term, he effectively wielded his pardon power as a corrupt weapon, rewarding loyalists, completing cover-ups, undermining federal law enforcement, and doling out perverse favors to the politically connected.

Trump’s list of scandalous pardon abuses is so long, it could be a lengthy book. The names should be familiar: Paul Manafort. Michael Flynn. Steve Bannon. Roger Stone. Seven different Republican members of Congress who were locked up for corruption crimes.

Trump saw presidential pardons as get-out-of-jail-free cards for his friends and associates, engaging in the kind of brazen corruption that would’ve defined his term were it not eclipsed by other breathtaking scandals

Considering the history of the previous administration's pardons, there is a lot to consider in why this father pardoned this son. In a society free of political retribution, Hunter Biden woulda just gone to jail and that would be the end of it. But the reality is that the younger Biden is in physical jeopardy. Even with the pardon, we all know this administration is going to up its efforts to destroy the Biden family in every possible way. He has repeatedly threatened to prosecute anyone he perceives as a political rival. This includes the sitting President, Vice President, Nancy Pelosi, former President Obama, Liz Cheney, John Brennan, and James Clapper. The incoming president has stated repeatedly that former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley should be tried and executed for treason after calling China's top brass to assure them the outgoing president was not planning to attack them during the last days of his administration.  Based on those statements made by the incoming president, one must also understand Hunter Biden is on that list. Would he be safe walking free in this country?

My guess would be a solid no. 

I also think if the Bidens have any sense at all, they will find safe haven for him away from the United States. Trumped up charges are easy enough to do, and any crazy with a gun can go after him. Secret Service protection after his father leaves office is highly doubtful. 

There comes a time when thinking outside the box for safety is a must. I believe that the families of political enemies are in danger. The constant threat of retribution, never mind prosecution, is real. 

In this world, ousted political figures often seek refuge in other countries. The decision both Biden and Harris have to make is whether being the sacrificial lamb on the altar of political dogma is worth it. I'm not sure it is. 

But back to Hunter and the pardon. Should President Biden have pardon this man in this way? Probably not. But should Joe Biden, father of Hunter Biden, do whatever is necessary to physically protect his son and attempt to keep him out of unreasonable harm's way? Yes.

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

Raising a child is a lifelong experiment in unconditional love.
From the moment you hold them in your arms 
until one of you leaves this plane,
that child owns a piece of your heart.