Saturday, March 23, 2024

It's always the end of the world somewhere

In Gaza and Kharkov they’re living through the end of the world right now. We know this because events in Israel and Ukraine are considered highly newsworthy. Truth is, there’s been assorted end-of-the-world scenarios playing out in Darfur, Congo, Somalia, and many other countries for far longer, yet we pay them no attention, unless we can turn tragedy into a Hollywood blockbuster, like Blackhawk Down. This raises a whole lot of questions about why we notice what we notice. Why do our media foreground some conflicts and bury others? But that’s a question for another day. Today I’d like to leave you some tips on how to survive when the sky is falling. Step one; turn off your screens. Ignorance may not be bliss, but it can get you closer. Step two; get a dog. Watching Spot romp at the dog park is way more edifying than watching Al Jazeera. Step three; get a hobby. That’ll keep you busy and your mind off whoever is being genocided this week. I’m a bit of a car guy from way back. Indeed, there is a 5.0 Mustang in the garage right now. It’s so old it qualifies for antique plates!

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

What to think about while trying not to think about genocide

Virtually the entire world is aware there is a genocide unfolding in Gaza. Mostly, we avert our eyes and change the subject. This is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness is all about living in the moment. Not just living “in” it, but literally living it into existence. You may need a toke and a pint to figure out that last part, but trust me, once you embrace mindfulness, you’re on the road to the Palace of Wisdom. Since in this particular moment I don’t live anywhere near the Middle East, mindfulness demands I focus on what’s real and right in front of me. That would be my faithful companion, Bruno the Italian mastiff. Truth be told, he’s not all that faithful. He’s only faithful when Mum’s not around to lure him away from me. As soon as she shows up, it’s see ya later alligator. But we do share twenty laps at the dog park every morning after we drop Mum off at work. That’s where Bruno meets his besties. I know the dogs at the dog park way better than I know anybody in Gaza. That’s my excuse for staying silent about a genocide in progress. What’s yours?

Monday, March 18, 2024

We have already lost the war with Hamas, and we are losing our allies in the world - retired IDF General

It’s comforting to know not everyone in Israel has completely lost their minds. What’s not comforting is that it may be impossible for the people in charge to change course before things get exponentially worse. Major General Barik was commenting on a recent survey that spelled out what an all-out war with Hezbollah would look like. The conclusions do not bode well for Israel. The main concern is that Israel will be targeted by 2500 to 3000 missiles PER DAY! Iron Dome will be depleted within the first half hour. Unfortunately, IDF and Israeli intelligence sources estimate that Hezbollah can keep up that volume of missile attacks for at least six weeks. Hezbollah missiles are not to be confused with the homemade “rockets” Hamas randomly fires over the Gaza fence. We’re talking serious technology here, the best the “Axis of Resistance” and its allies can come up with. In fact, it is on par with the best US armaments, as the past two years of the Ukraine war have demonstrated. Netanyahu needs to declare victory over the “children of Amalek” and put an end to the ongoing genocide sooner rather than later. Later may be too late.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Canada's "Minister of Mental Health" assaults mental health of Jewish Canadians

Canada's Minister of Mental health, Ya'ara Saks, tagged along with FM Melanie Joly on a recent PR junket to Israel. While in the Holy Land, they made the obligatory side-trip to visit with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority. Not only did they visit him, but they released a photo over official government channels of them holding hands with the antisemitic holocaust denier. This has inflicted serious mental anguish on many Jewish Canadians. Isn't Israel at war with the Palestinians even as these air-heads are holding hands with Mahmoud Abbas? Yes, but here's what we're forgetting; Abbas is Israel's man. Every friend of Israel owes Abbas a debt of gratitude for being Israel's faithful Kapo in the West Bank. So relax, Jewish Canadians; you're in good hands with Mahmoud Abbas.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Justin Trudeau's bimbo goes to Holy Land for photo-op; hilarity ensues!

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly went to Israel for no possible reason but to create some PR about how Canada is engaged with the world blah blah blah... Somebody should take Canada aside, give it a kick in the pants, and tell it to shut up and stay out of the way, instead of forever interjecting our virtue-signalling selves into other people's business. Joly was doing OK on her trip till she opened her mouth. I know it's hard to believe anyone can be this stupid, but she used the occassion to announce Canadian support for a program that assists Palestinian victims of sexual violence. The easily predictable (by anyone with a room-temperature IQ) furor hasn't let up. Canada has ditched Israel and sided with the terrorists! Melanie Joly's political career is toast.

Top US Jew demands regime change in Israel

What’s come over Chuck Schumer? Has he had a change of heart re: the Holy Land? Has the daily barrage of dead baby pics from Al Jazeera awakened his conscience? I doubt it. As Madeline Albright so aptly demonstrated with her remarks on dead Iraqi children, there’s no such thing as “too many” dead babies when it comes to furthering the interests of the American Empire. What’s at work here is the Americans are giving the world a bit of political theatre to create the illusion that they’re not the prime enabler and facilitator of the Gaza genocide. Israel is a favored member of the “Nations of Virtue” club led by Uncle Sam, and while dead babies in and of themselves are irrelevant, six months of non-stop slaughter is making it increasingly difficult to present “the West” as the good guys on the world stage. If the US government were serious, they’d pull their ambassador from Israel and halt all military and financial support. Instead, they’ve vetoed every ceasefire proposal at the UN. Yes, they’ve made numerous calls for Israel to permit more aid into Gaza and try harder to avoid killing civilians, but there are no consequences when Israel does the opposite. Ralph Nader published an essay a few days ago which argued convincingly that the true death toll in Gaza is over 200,000. That’s 10% of the population. Mass starvation is just ramping up. How many months will it take to eliminate the other 90%? That’s where things are going. Replacing Netanyahu with Gantz or someone else would make no difference. The public mood in Israel demands vengeance. Schumer’s ploy is a feeble attempt to create the appearance that America tried to prevent the Gaza genocide, when in reality it is Israel’s accomplice and enabler.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

What's important?

Lately there’s been wall-to-wall coverage of the carnage in Ukraine and Gaza. Haiti is slowly coming into focus. But it’s always been the end of the world somewhere. There are several ongoing conflicts in Africa that blow even Gaza’s horrendous casualty counts out of the water. Congo. Sudan. Somalia… and they’ve been going on for decades without us ever obsessing over them like we do with Ukraine or Gaza. Some would say that’s because it’s easier for white middle-class audiences to identify with Ukrainian Christians and Israeli Jews than with Africans. No doubt there’s something to that, but my point is that if we can relegate some foreign conflicts to the back burner, we can leave all of them there. Which brings us to what’s important. As you know, I spend a lot of time on the stoop watching the world go by, and thinking about it. That “thinking about it” part allows me to pass off sloth and inertia as “mindfulness.” What I see in the sky on a clear night is an infinite array of stars from horizon to horizon. What I hear is nature; geese in the marsh, coyotes, and the wind in the trees. Last night I traded my perch on the porch for a room overlooking the 401 highway. All I saw was traffic. All I heard was traffic. No night sky and no nature. When you’re counting uncountable stars, you get a sense of your insignificance. When you’re counting uncountable traffic on the 401, you just want to stop counting and go home to your stoop. But we were on a mission. We’d missed our granddaughter's first birthday due to winter weather, and finally made up for it. On the way home we stopped in for a visit with family. Family. That’s what’s important.