McMorrow Drops Out of MI Democratic Senate Primary Leaving Two-Way Race Between Stevens vs. El-Sayed

{Mallory McMorrow (L), Haley Stevens (C) & Abdul El-Sayed (R)}

Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow today suspended her bid for the Democratic nomination of the open U.S. Senate seat in the Wolverine State.

This now makes it a two-way race between Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Hamas apologist Abdul El-Sayed. In recent polls, El-Sayed has led Stevens between 2 to 9 points with McMorrow polling in the single digits. McMorrow's suspension might aid Stevens, but this is far from guaranteed.

Given the recent success of virulently anti-Israel candidates like Graham Platner in Maine, a trio of congressional candidates backed by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Melat Kiros unseating longtime Congresswoman Diana DeGette in Colorado last week, one cannot discount the possibility of Democrats nominating El-Sayed. Back in April, El-Sayed made excuses for the terrorist attack on a Michigan synagogue by the brother of a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.

One might think such apologism would deter the voters, but if NY Democrats weren't deterred by Avila Chevalier's attendance at a pro-Hamas gathering the day after the October 7th attacks, then is there any reason to believe Michigan Democrats would behave any differently?

Stevens did get a boost after McMorrow's announcement when Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel endorsed her. But then again endorsements only go so far in this day and age.

As for McMorrow, she did not endorse either candidate but pledged to support the winner. McMorrow, who was once seen as the future of Michigan's Democratic Party after giving a viral speech in which a Republican lawmaker accused her of grooming and sexualizing children, still wants that future and is hedging her bets.

The vote will take place on August 4th.

My Thoughts on America at 250

 

Today, of course, marks the 250th anniversary of American independence from the British crown. 

I have called the United States home for over 26 years now. Barring any unforeseen events, by October 2027, I will have resided in the U.S. longer than in Canada.

Most of my time in this country has been spent in Boston and Cambridge. As to my day-to-day life, I am satisfied. I consider this country to be my home for better or for worse.

Unfortunately, when it comes to my country things are worse - at least where it concerns things over which I have little or no control.

I distrust both the Trump Administration and its opposition in equal measure. I believe both intend harm upon people or at least certain segments of the populace.

A fundamental part of the American experience has been people from other lands coming here to make a better life for themselves and their families. Consider the lyrics from Neil Diamond's "America":

Home, to a new and a shiny place

Make our bed, and we'll say our grace

Freedom's light burning warm

Freedom's light burning warm

Everywhere around the world

They're coming to America

Every time that flag's unfurled

They're coming to America

Got a dream to take them there

They're coming to America

Got a dream they've come to share

They're coming to America

They're coming to America

They're coming to America

They're coming to America

They're coming to America

Today, today, today, today, today

The Trump Administration, however, has made it loud and clear that most are not welcome here unless you a white South African. That the Supreme Court has upheld birthright citizenship as constitutional means precious little. It certainly means little to those who lost their Temporary Protected Status by the same Supreme Court. 

Look for the Trump Administration to begin aggressively expelling Haitians from Ohio which might make the unrest in Minneapolis look like a Sunday school picnic. That Haitians have started businesses and contributed to our civic life mean nothing to Trump and his apologists who judge people by the color of their skin instead of the content of their character.

Under those circumstances, backing the Democratic Party might be a no-brainer. However, Democrats are more concerned with Gaza than good governance and are falling over themselves over who can accuse Israel of committing genocide the loudest or claim they won't take money from AIPAC. 

The result is the city with the second largest Jewish population in the world electing an anti-Semitic Mayor with Democratic primary voters enthusiastically nominating Senate and congressional candidates who openly support Hamas while being unable to condemn violence against Jews. I truly believe this will lead to October 7th style attacks against Jews in New York and elsewhere in the country.

This does not bode well for this country's future. Worse still, this is what we have chosen for ourselves. Needless to say, I cannot trust this country's welfare and well-being with anyone. Not our elected officials and not the people who put them there. Of course, I am all but powerless to prevent the horror which has already transpired and the horror which is to come. The best that I can do is to trust my own counsel to ensure none of this horror befalls me. But even I could not escape jury duty. Yet another constitutionally enshrined institution in which I have little faith.

One way to do so is to do my best to find the joys in life wherever I can find them. As for today, I had planned to go the Brattle Theatre to see their annual screening of Jaws, a movie I had managed to never see until three years ago. 

Unfortunately, I was notified this morning by email that the movie will not be shown due to air conditioning troubles in the theatre. I should mention that we are in the midst of a four-day heatwave including back-to-back 100 degree plus days marking the first time Boston has seen consecutive days of 100 degrees since 1944. 

Had I gone to the movie, I would have then proceeded along Mass Ave from Harvard Square to the Harvard Bridge to watch the fireworks. At this point, I am playing things by ear. Temperatures should start to cool after 8 p.m., but there is a possibility of thunderstorms. We shall see.

There are worst risks than rain. After all, when it comes to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness there is always an element of risk. The act of writing the Declaration of Independence was a risk. Many who did would lose everything for which they had worked. 

They may not have benefitted from their risks but millions upon millions of others most certainly have. The question remains for how much longer we will see the benefits of their risk much less be prepared to recognize them for it.

Will it be another 100 years? 50 years? 5 years? Or less than that? 

Only time and how we use that time will tell.

On Viewing Cape Verde's Near Upset vs. Argentina in The World Cup

 

For starters, I am not a soccer fan.

The game has simply never appealed to me. 

Oh, I remember occasionally playing on the schoolyard in Thunder Bay. But watching a soccer game has never drawn my interest.

Last night, however, for the first time in my life I found myself caught up in the excitement.

I decided to have supper at Pho 'n Rice, a Thai-Vietnamese restaurant in Somerville which I have frequented over the past five years. 

Normally there is contemporary music playing in the background, but on this occasion, the World Cup matchup between Argentina and Cape Verde was airing with Argentina leading 2-1 during extra time.

At first, I wasn't paying much attention. I was looking at my phone while awaiting my food. But then Sidny Lopes Cabral tied the match with a stunning goal.

As little as I know about soccer, even I knew the significance of this goal. After all, Argentina is the defending World Cup champion, and their star player Lionel Messi might arguably be the best soccer player who ever graced a football pitch. The thought that Argentina could be ousted by the 67th ranked team in the world with a population of all of half a million people off the West African coast was a staggering one.

Now I was vested. I wanted Cape Verde to pull off the upset. They gave Argentina everything they had, but Argentina went ahead eight minutes after Cabral's goal which the Cape Verdean goalkeeper deflected into his own net on a kick by Cristian Romero.

Cape Verde gave Argentina everything they had in the next 9 minutes but ultimately fell short as Argentina advances the round of 16 against Egypt on Tuesday evening. 

As I was about to exit the restaurant, the woman behind the register and I shared an almost identical thought. She too was not a soccer fan was exhilarated at what she had seen in her establishment. I added that Cape Verde might have fallen short but that it won't be the last we hear from their soccer team. 

Who knows? They might even beat Argentina next time.

Democrats in Colorado Nominate Candidate Who Won't Call Boulder Attack Anti-Semitic

Last night, Democratic voters in Colorado's first Congressional District unseated a 30-year incumbent in favor of a candidate who refuses to characterize last year's anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Boulder an anti-Semitic terrorist attack. Melat Kiros unseated Diana DeGette by more than 7,000 votes.

Kiros' entire campaign focused on Israel. To give you an idea of how focused, Kiros minimized the Boulder terrorist attack:

I don't know what was in the heart of the perpetrator. All I know is that he went and attacked innocent people because of what they might have believed. I don't even know what the people that were at that protest believed, too, In fact, most of them were just there to ask that the people who were kidnapped during Oct. 7 be returned home to their families.

Nonsense.

Had the perpetrator saw fit to throw Molotov cocktails at African Americans, LGBTQ persons or Muslims, Kiros would not hesitate to declare what was in the perpetrator's heart. Kiros simply cannot bring herself to admit the obvious and explicitly condemn anti-Semitism even if it is a matter of public record that the perpetrator made anti-Semitic utterances as he tossed the Molotov cocktails.

Alas, the same now goes true for most of the Democratic Party and it is only going to get worse.

The more Jews are physically attacked and injured by those doing so in the name of freeing Palestine or ending Zionism the more Democrats will refuse to call out the anti-Semitism screaming in our faces.

Why Hegseth Could Be Trump's Heir Apparent

The U.S. Constitution clearly states that a U.S. President cannot serve for more than two terms. But since when has President Trump felt compelled to be restrained by anything much less the U.S. Constitution? 

Lest we forget that Trump has publicly mused that it ought to be "terminated." Let us also remember that Trump has seen fit to unilaterally tear down the East Wing of the White House and install in its place a ballroom larger than the present White House. This is not the act of a man who intends to relinquish his office. In view of these facts, we cannot discount the possibility that he will seek a third term in office, the Constitution be damned. 

But let us assume for the sake of argument that Trump abides by the Constitution and does not run in 2028. Then it is question of who will succeed him at the mantel of MAGA. 

At the moment, the two most likely successors are either Vice-President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  

Yet I am not so sure about either of them. It appears that Trump isn't sure about them either.

Vance comes across as a bully's accomplice as he best demonstrated when he falsely accused Ukrainian President Zelensky of not being thankful to the United States in the infamous Oval Office ambush. Meanwhile, Rubio's body language communicates that he didn't like Trump or Vance's behavior. But he also prefers to be in Trump's good graces. So, Rubio publicly demanded that Zelensky apologize.

Neither Vance nor Rubio project strength. Vance certainly didn't project it in his interactions with Iranian negotiators. Rubio does project an air of competence in an otherwise incompetent administration. While this might earn Rubio a salute from CBS news anchor Tony Dokoupil, I cannot see MAGA embracing him on account of his Latino background. Besides, since when does Trump give a shit about competence? For Trump, Rubio will always be "Little Marco".

In Trump's mind, in order to project strength, you have got to look good on TV. 

Enter Secretary of Defense, er, War Pete Hegseth.

Although Hegseth served in the military intermittently over two decades, Trump knows him best from his decade with Fox News. Trump views Hegseth as a youthful warrior full of machismo. It would not be unreasonable to believe that he sees himself in Hegseth even if he never served a day in uniform. Hegseth has shown a willingness to expunge all that is woke within the U.S. military. If that means destroying the Pentagon from within then so be it. Hegseth has been Trump's "good soldier" where it concerns implementing his agenda and Trump might very well reward him with command of the Republican Party and MAGA at large.

Well, up to a point. 

If Trump doesn't run in 2028 and the country ends up electing a Republican President, I still believe the real power will remain with Trump. Assuming it is Hegseth who becomes President, Trump will become Prime Minister Putin to Hegseth's President Medvedev. Or perhaps Hegseth will give Trump an honorific title such as "President Emeritus". I believe Hegseth will be more eager to go along with such a scheme than either Vance or Rubio. 

Of course, I do not believe that Pete Hegseth would be a good President. But the point isn't whether I think he would be a good President. It's whether Trump thinks Hegseth could play President on TV.

Mamdani's Disingenuous Statement on Israel

In an interview yesterday with Jonathan Karl of ABC News, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he could not support Israel as a Jewish state.

Mamdani said he “support[s] the state of Israel as a state with equal rights" but added, "I think any state that privileges one religion over the other is one that I can't tell you I support, whether it be Israel or Saudi Arabia or anywhere else.”

This statement is utterly disingenuous. 

For starters, Karl asked Mamdani if he supported Israel as a Jewish state due to the DSA not supporting a two-state solution. The DSA is not out in the streets objecting to Saudi Arabia as a Muslim state. The same can be said for Iran which DSA characterizes its Islamic regime as "a popular revolution." Needless to say, Israel is far more egalitarian than the Iranian regime which subjugates women and LGBTQ persons and yet DSA refers to Israel's establishment as "Nakba" while supporting "a liberated Palestine from the river to the sea."

Mayor Mamdani, like the DSA, directs his ire to one country in the entire world in both word and deed - Israel. How else does one explain why Mamdani characterizes AIPAC as "monsters" but not Hamas? He, like the DSA, does not support Israel in any way, shape or form. Mamdani and the DSA simply want Israel eliminated from the face of the Earth.

When I Was Contacted by a Mass Murderer

 

This morning I learned of the death of Valery Fabrikant. 

Fabrikant was an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Concordia University in Montreal. He was also an abrasive and paranoid man who had grievances with nearly everyone he encountered be they faculty, staff or students. In August 1992, Fabrikant shot and killed 4 of his fellow professors while wounding a staff member. 

I remember this horrific attack as I was living in Ottawa at the time where I was about to begin my second year as an undergraduate student at Carleton University. 

Fast forward to February 2010 when a similar attack took place at the University of Alabama in Huntsville which claimed the lives of three professors while injuring three other people. Like Fabrikant, Amy Bishop, who had been an assistant professor of biology, was a paranoid woman who had grievances with nearly everyone she encountered be they faculty, staff or students. 

At the time of the incident, I could not help but think of what had occurred at Concordia University nearly 20 years earlier. Indeed, I made a point of writing about it most likely on the blog of The American Spectator where I was contributing articles at the time. 

Alas, I cannot find the substance of what I wrote. But what I do know is that it infuriated Fabrikant because he contacted me in the comments section. As it turned out, Fabrikant's thoughts (such as they were) had been posted online mainly by his son and had been for many years.

How he managed to maintain an internet presence let alone continue to write academic papers I'll never know. Needless to say, I had no desire to correspond with a mass murderer. 

Now that he is gone, I will give him no further thought. Whatever thoughts I have regarding the Concordia University massacre will be with his victims and their families.

Phoivos Ziogas

Matthew Douglass

Michael Hogben

Aaron Jaan Saber

R.I.P.