JD Vance Does Tucker Carlson's Bidding With US Foreign Policy "Cannot Be Subservient to The State of Israel" Claim

During a speech in Los Angeles yesterday, Vice-President JD Vance did Tucker Carlson's bidding with this remark:

[We have] a lot of important relationships, a lot of important partnerships in NATO, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna completely make our European foreign policy subservient to NATO, in the same way that we cannot let our Middle Eastern foreign policy be subservient to the State of Israel.

Well, that's an anti-Semitic dog whistle if I ever heard one. 

At the very minimum, it is a straw man argument. Because during the course of his remarks, Vance maintained of President Trump:

I think that more than frankly any president in the last 40 years, he has shown a willingness to actually part ways with Bibi Netanyahu when he feels like the interests of the American people are different from the interests of the government of Israel.

For starters, although Netanyahu is the longest serving Prime Minister in Israel's history, he has not held that office for 40 years. Vance also seems to have a short memory where it concerns President Obama's relationship with Bibi particularly concerning Iran. If U.S. foreign policy was subservient to the State of Israel, then how did the Iran nuclear deal ever come to pass?

But it is also interesting that Vance did not see fit to use the phrase "we cannot let our Middle Eastern foreign policy be subservient to the State of Qatar". 

You know, the country which donated Trump his new Air Force One. 

The country which several current and former members of the Trump Administration worked as lobbyists for Qatar and has twice as many registered foreign lobbyists in this country than Israel. 

The country which has long harbored Hamas. 

The country with which the Trump Administration was happy to discuss Israel's future along with Egypt and Turkey while conveniently ignoring Israel in the process. 

Vance stating the U.S. foreign policy must not be "subservient" to Israel is a small step removed from Carlson's claim that this country (and specifically President Trump) is a "slave" to Israel. 

This is merely Vance's effort to legitimize anti-Semitism as part of our mainstream political discourse including denial there is an anti-Semitism problem in this country. Let us not forget that Vance went along with Joe Rogan's unsubstantiated claim that Jeffrey Epstein was part of Mossad.

Needless to say, we can expect more of this from Vance especially if he makes a White House bid in 2028. While it is certainly disturbing that Democrats are falling all over themselves doing the genocide gig, Republicans cannot claim the high ground against anti-Semitism if they insist on nominating someone whose dog whistle is every bit as loud if not louder.

Trump is No Position to Call The EU's Associate Member Invitation to Canada "A Hostile Act"

When the EU formally offered Canada the newly created status of associate member to its body yesterday, President Trump reacted with his usual lack of dignity and grace declaring the invitation to be "a hostile act".

For his part, Trump says he is considering more tariffs or to stop trading with the EU in some areas altogether.

Yet Trump is hardly in any position to decry the EU's offer to Canada as "a hostile act" when his entire political career, and for that matter, his entire business career has been a long series of hostile acts. 

These hostile acts include but are not limited to threats to annex Canada, seize Greenland from Denmark, tear down the Kennedy Center if his name is not on the building, launching missiles on boats in international waters and giving ICE license to murder American citizens in broad daylight. 

In the specific case of Canada why shouldn't its government explore other trade opportunities when Trump persistently declares, "We don't need Canada,"?

Trump's claim the EU invitation to Canada is "a hostile act" is a classic case of projection if I have ever seen one.

Well, with all the hostile acts that Trump has committed the time has come for him to get a taste of his own medicine.

Artists for Anti-Semitism: Thoughts on The Macklemore Incident

 

(Macklemore dressed up as a Jew with a hook nose in 2014)

Yesterday, hip-hop performer Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour following an incident which took place at the Meadowlands on September 4th. During the performance, Macklemore declared, "A big part of the ​reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could ​stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: 'Free ‌Palestine,'"

When I hear Free Palestine, I hear Kill Jews. It means more October 7th attacks.

It is worth noting that during this concert, Macklemore performed a song called "Hind's Hall" which he dedicated to Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old girl allegedly killed by the IDF in Gaza in January 2024. For its part, Israel has launched a criminal probe of her death along with relatives and paramedics killed during the incident. The proceeds of which go to the UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA), an organization long known for its support of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and which at least 9 staff members were involved in the October 7th attacks.

Let's keep in mind that Macklemore has a long history of engaging in anti-Semitic behavior such as when he dressed up as a Jew with a hook nose during a concert in 2014. Pink commented on this incident in the context of the incident at the Meadowlands noting Macklemore's apology for the former:

Every Jew I know knew exactly what it was. But he apologized, and I let it go, because that’s what we do. We let it go. Then last weekend he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them. You don’t get to decide that for us.

It is very clear that Macklemore has a deep-rooted hatred for Jews. One does not wear a hook nose, donate song royalties to organizations whose employees were involved the single deadliest attack against Jews since the end of WWII and chant "Free Palestine" absent such attitudes.

Yet perhaps the most disturbing thing is how the other supporting acts on this tour are backing Macklemore and have withdrawn from it in support of him and his views. 

Perhaps Macklemore, Aaron Rowe, Beoga, and Lukas Graham could start their own tour and call it "Artists for Anti-Semitism". Roger Waters and Kanye West could make a special guest appearance.

Of course, had Macklemore saw fit to target African Americans, Latinos, the LGBTQ community or Muslims, I don't think anyone would have batted an eyelash were he removed from Sheeran's tour. But evidently denigrating Jews in the name of Palestine is what sends you to the top of the charts these days.

And because Macklemore targets Jews, AOC will stick up for him while bashing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (who is Jewish) in the name of perpetuating the lie of "the genocide in Gaza." Perhaps Abdul El-Sayed and Hasan Piker will go on a reunion tour in support of Macklemore.

Of course, with the increasing social acceptability of anti-Semitism, such a tour might end up selling out arenas all over the country. Arenas full of people who hate Jews and wish us dead does not bode well.

In The Absence of a High IQ President, AI Will Need Guardrails - Now

Over the weekend, Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei called for the development of AI to be slowed down.

This comes only days after Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic and expressed dire concerns about how the pace at which both Anthropic and ChatGPT are advancing AI. In an interview Coxon stated, "It's doing God knows what, and producing stuff that could kill everyone."

Today, President Trump saw fit to weigh in on Truth Social stating in part:

The only control or “guardrails” that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!

Needless to say, Trump's flatulent self-flattery does not inspire confidence. 

If we did have a High IQ President, that President would be smart enough to be on board with reining in AI. But this is Trump with whom we are dealing. He doesn't care if AI could kill everyone. He certainly didn't give a damn about stopping COVID from killing over a million Americans. It was Trump who said, "If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any." These are not the words of a President with a High IQ.

In the absence of a High IQ President, governments and tech sector will need to collaborate to implement AI guardrails as soon as possible. And by as soon as possible, I mean now. We might only have a matter of weeks to get a handle on it. Time is at hand.

Trump does raise the matter of China and its development of AI. If we restrain ourselves, it doesn't mean China will. But Trump advances this argument as if Amodei hasn't thought it through. Indeed, I doubt Trump actually read what Amodei wrote. Had he done so then he would know that Amodei calls for us to refrain from selling China AI chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment and chip smuggling operations. But since when does Trump operate in good faith?

I must admit that I have written precious little about AI. Perhaps I have been avoiding the inevitable. But it is a part of most workplaces including my own and will soon involve nearly every facet of life. My Dad talks to AI about baseball. The AI genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back in. So, either we control AI or AI will control us 

In Praise of Jean Chretien's Message From Canadians to Americans on 25th Anniversary of 9/11

 

Canada observed the 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, in part by gathering in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Of course, Gander, the former site of a Canadian military base, welcomed 38 planes diverted out of U.S. airspace and made the passengers and crew feel like they were at home.

At the time, Jean Chretien was Prime Minister of Canada. The previous year, his Liberals were elected to a third consecutive majority government. Something both Pierre and Justin Trudeau could only dream to achieve. It was Chretien's government that suggested that NATO invoke Article 5. An attack on one is an attack on all.

Chretien has largely been out of the limelight for the better part of two decades. But when he speaks, people listen. Given how relations between Canada and the United States have deteriorated since last year, the 92-year-old Chretien addressed the elephant in the room:

I have seen a few things in my lifetime, and I know the people from coast to coast to coast. 

I have a message for our American friends. 

Yes, Canada is generous open country, and Canadians are tolerant and kind. 

But never mistake our generosity for weakness!!!

Never mistake our tolerance for lack of determination.

And never, never mistake our kindness for softness.

We know who we are and we are proud of it.

Building a country like this with this climate and this geography is a sign of toughness, not of weakness. 

Welcoming people from all over the world. Caring for each other including the weakest in society is a sign of strength.

We embrace our friends and we help them in their moment of need. 

But we bow to no one.

And the more we are insulted, threatened and abused, the more we will stand up for ourselves and stand united.

And I say that not in anger but as one friend to another. 

Friends need to be honest with each other.

Just ask the people in Gander and anywhere in Newfoundland and Labrador.

They will give you the shirt off their back like they did 25 years ago.

But they will always show you the respect of telling you the truth.

So, my friends, here is to truth, to respect, to friendship and to good neighbors.

Vive le Etat-Unis and Vive la Canada!!!

Under normal circumstances, remarks such as these would not have been appropriate for such a solemn occasion. But these are not normal circumstances. Chretien's bluntness was in order.

Of course, these remarks are directed not at the Americans who found safety in Gander, but to the Trump Administration.

Yes, Canada will help Americans and anyone else in need when the time comes. But show us the friendship, honesty and respect that we show for you.

When I lived in Canada, I never supported Chretien or the Liberals. But I cannot disagree with anything he said. 

After Chretien finished his remarks, he was hugged by American Ambassador Pete Hoekstra to whom Canadians have taken a strong dislike.

One can only hope that Hoekstra took what Chretien said to heart and give Trump his message. 

Mind you, I'm not holding my breath and even if Hoekstra does convey Chretien's message, I cannot imagine that Trump will listen.

And if Trump does not listen and continues to insult, threaten and abuse then Canadians will continue to follow the lead of both Chretien and Mark Carney and stand up to him. 

My Thoughts on The 25th Anniversary of The Attacks of September 11, 2001

I would be remiss if I did not write something concerning the 25th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

At the time of the attacks, I had been living in this country for just under 18 months having moved to Boston from Ottawa the previous year. 

On the day of the attacks, it was the fourth day of a new job I had started working for a non-profit vocational rehabilitation agency in Lynn, Massachusetts, a few miles north of Boston.

As it happened, the organization was having a company picnic at their headquarters in Beverly about another 10 miles north. It was during the drive from Lynn to Beverly that we learned what had happened listening to Peter Jennings on the radio. Under the circumstances, it was far from a festive mood belying a beautiful sunny afternoon. 

The picnic was cut short. I spent some time walking around the shore trying to make sense of things taking a little comfort at the sight of a beautiful woman tanning on the beach apparently without a care in the world.

That evening, I walked from Boston to Cambridge up Mass Avenue to attend the open mike at Club Passim in Harvard Square and a read a poem. The crowd was sparse. But I wanted to be out and about. I wanted to live my life. I wasn't denying what had happened. Just the opposite. What had happened was all the more reason to exercise my freedom.

But it was at Club Passim where I would get rumblings of conspiracy theories of the act being an inside job accompanied by the pillorying of President Bush. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

At the time, I still identified as a democratic socialist. But I was so turned off by the anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric that my politics turned rightward. By 2003, I was writing for conservative websites and by the end of the decade, I had begun writing for The American Spectator.

Then just over a decade ago, along came Donald Trump who claimed he saw thousands of Muslims cheering on the attacks. And we elected Trump President. I wanted no part of Trump and The American Spectator didn't want anyone who wasn't all aboard the Trump Train. So, I parted ways with them and have never regretted the decision.

After all, Trump is still lying about 9/11. Scarcely 72 hours ago, Trump claimed he was at Ground Zero and was escorted away by two firemen because they thought the building would collapse. Despite the lie, there are no doubt millions of Americans who will take him at his word. Because we elected him President again. You can indeed fool some of the people all of the time.

While my political perspective has moved leftward over the past decade, it will never return to the democratic socialism I espoused in my teens and twenties. For people like Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar the attacks of September 11, 2001 were nothing more than "some people did something". 9/11 is something to be minimized. Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is happy to speak alongside 9/11 conspiracy theorists. Then there are deleted tweets such as this one:

Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my faith. Tomorrow, I'll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my country.

El-Sayed is essentially saying that those who served in the U.S. military are morally equivalent to al-Qaeda. This I cannot abide or accept. 

The fact that El-Sayed is prepared to share a stage with 9/11 conspiracy theorists means he is working to absolve al Qaeda for their actions. He and those who support him are no better than someone like Trump who lies writ large about Muslims while engaging in stolen valor.

To borrow a phrase from Stealers' Wheel there are "clowns to the left me, jokers to the right". Simply put, I am surrounded by morons. As I get older, I am more inclined to trust my own counsel than accept the words of charlatans and demagogues. In so doing, I accept the fact that we haven't learned much and will probably never truly understand the consequences of the events of September 11, 2001. Frankly, many of us don't want to learn or understand.

I shudder to think how our knowledge and understanding will further diminish on the 50th anniversary of the darkest day in American history come September 11, 2051. That is assuming I am still inhaling and exhaling five days before my 79th birthday.

Charlie Kirk's Legacy: Conspiracy Theories or Dialogue?

A year ago today, Charlie Kirk lost his life to an assassin's bullet. Here is a portion of what I wrote in response to the news of his death:

Charlie Kirk did not deserve the manner of his final fate while speaking on a university campus in Utah. A young man struck down a month shy of his 32nd birthday leaving behind a widow and two small children.

Even if one believed his views to be repugnant, the First Amendment permits such speech. A free people can choose to accept, reject or ignore it. 

What happened to Charlie Kirk today is every bit as wrong as what happened to Minnesota Democratic State Senator Melissa Hortman last June. No one should lose their life for expressing their point of view, right or wrong.

While we can and must condemn the act which ended the life of Charlie Kirk, we must not whitewash his legacy. As previously mentioned, I did not write a great deal about him but when I did write about him it was not to lavish him with praise. However appalling the circumstances of Charlie Kirk's death, it doesn't change the fact that he judged African Americans by their color of their skin instead of the content of their character. I will lament his death, but I won't ignore his bigotry and hatred of others. R.I.P.

With this in mind, let me draw your attention to an editorial in the Boston Globe written by Kara Bettis Carvalho which focuses on college students who are involved with Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA:

Yale’s chapter is one of dozens across the country that have launched since Kirk’s death. Turning Point’s website claims to currently sponsor 1,500 college chapters, including at 69 campuses around New England. A CNN report found that the organization had grown by 64 percent over the past year.

Students I spoke to say they want to promote dialogue — especially about economics and foreign policy — expose students on liberal campuses to opposing viewpoints, and at the very least, not be condemned for having a different political opinion that puts them in the small but not insignificant minority.

In many cases, conservative student groups meet to discuss politics, the news, and — what nearly every student told me — to have a “safe space” to talk honestly about their beliefs. Most of them had good relationships with the Democratic clubs on campus but had experienced harassment from far-left groups and individuals, including having their posters covered up.

On the surface, there is nothing wrong with wanting to promote dialogue and I am glad to hear that these students involved with Turning Point USA have cordial relationships with Democrats on campus.

It reminds me of my days as an undergraduate at Carleton University more than 30 years ago. At the time, I was involved in the campus NDP. Every year, there would be a Model Parliament. The first year, I attended it was organized by the campus Tories, and it was not a good event for those involved with other political parties. 

Not wanting a repeat experience, I took it upon myself to work with the other campus political parties to organize an all-party committee to organize the next Model Parliament. With a focus on cooperation, the event was much more successful.

Of course, we disagreed. That is the essence of political parties and democracy at large. We just disagreed in an orderly manner. If Turning Point USA can co-exist with left-wing organizations on campus, then this is a good thing. 

Nevertheless, I cannot help but wonder what these Turning Point USA campus groups discuss. After all, Kirk built his brand on conspiracy theories - COVID and election denialism with overt hostility towards African Americans and the LGBTQ community. If this is the sort of thing Turning Point USA talks about then I can see why it would turn off a great many people who would not be inclined to associate with it. 

Let us also consider that in the year since Kirk's death, there have been several conspiracy theories hatched concerning his demise namely that his assassination was carried out by Israel and that his widow Erika was involved in his murder. In the grand scheme of things, we should not be surprised that someone who promoted conspiracy theories in life would be the subject of them in death.

While I have no doubt that there are those who joined Turning Point USA in good faith wishing to promote dialogue, I suspect that Charlie Kirk's legacy rests on an endless cycle of conspiracy theories and diatribes.