Democrats Dumping Biden Would Be a Gift to Trump

I wish the intelligentsia would stop clamoring for President Biden to stand aside or have Democrats shove him aside.

In this case, the offender is journalist A.B. Stoddard who wrote an article in The Bulwark suggesting Democrats dump President Biden and Vice-President Harris in favor of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock:

In a recent Marist poll, Trump is up 8 points over Biden with independent voters. In a recent Fox News poll, 76 percent of independents are dissatisfied with the direction of the country and 56 percent of them said Biden has made the economy worse. Biden’s approval overall on the economy is at 37 percent in the Fox poll. In the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, that number was 36 percent.

Stoddard claims the thought of Biden defeating Trump again "is a hope, not a plan." Yet one could make the same argument of nominating Whitmer and Warnock:

Whitmer, 52, is one of the most experienced, exciting, and winning Democrats in the country. She is as tough a candidate, and leader, as the Democrats can find, and she was vetted as a potential VP pick in 2020. Warnock, who has won pluralities or majorities in five elections in three years, is the cerebral 54-year-old senior pastor at Martin Luther King Jr.’s church. He grew up in public housing, went through a messy divorce—no longer disqualifying in the age of Trump—has small children, and was the top small donor fundraiser from either party in 2022. The dramatic stakes of his election gave him national name recognition: Less than 10 percent of Warnock’s individual donations came from within his state.

Young. Dynamic. Diverse. Competent and experienced. Broadly appealing. Can mobilize core voters. Would deliver two battleground states. Those are seven big boxes already checked. 

There are other benefits: Such a ticket would take away the core self-justification of the No Labels project, would seriously dent West’s vanity run, and would circumvent the ever-expanding Hunter Biden issue. 

So, let's see if I get this straight. Voters have more of an issue with President Biden's son than they do with Trump's 91 indictments (and counting)? What kind of message would it send if Democrats were to dump the law-abiding Biden while Republicans stick with Trump even if he were to go to prison?

Dumping Biden would be a gift to Trump that would keep on giving and giving. Trump would make sure we would never hear the end of it claiming he had been vindicated. His apologists would claim that it was proof that Trump is a moral person while Biden is an immoral person. 

Now, I like Whitmer and Warnock. Indeed, I voted for Warnock when I lived in Georgia despite some reservations. But where is the polling data which would suggest that Whitmer and Warnock would fare better against Trump and whoever he chooses as his running mate than Biden and Harris? Choosing them or any other Democrat is hardly any guarantee they'll defeat Trump. 

And if Democrats did go along with such a scheme is there any guarantee that Michigan voters would elect another Democratic Governor or Georgia voters would keep the Senate in Democratic hands?

Of course, I don't underestimate Trump nor the possibility we could see fit to return him to the White House even if he is serving time in the Big House. But if that comes to pass then it says more about us than it does about President Biden who Stoddard grudgingly admits is doing a good job. 

Unfortunately, doing a good job isn't good enough anymore. At least not for Stoddard. She complains about inflation and Biden's age. Last month the inflation rate was 3.2%. When Ronald Reagan carried 49 out of 50 states in 1984, the inflation rate was 4.3%. 

This was the same election in which Reagan famously said he would not hold Walter Mondale's youth and inexperience against him. If we are so concerned about the age of the President of the United States, then let's pass a constitutional amendment stating that no one above the age of 75 can serve in the Oval Office. But the polling suggests while people are concerned about Biden's age, they show no such concern for Trump even though he is only three years younger. 

If we don't know what Trump is and what he is prepared to do by now up to and including locking up those who hold views contrary to his own while discarding President Biden's achievements, then it will show that we are determined to learn the hard way or not at all. Either way we will get what is coming to us and it will be too late to do anything about it.

Pat Corrales, R.I.P.

Former MLB player and manager Pat Corrales passed away yesterday. At the time of his passing, Corrales was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers' front office as a special assistant to GM Brandon Gomes. No cause of death has been released. He was 82. 

The Dodgers described Corrales as "a true baseball lifer." Corrales essentially spent his entire adult life in baseball. A standout at Fresno High Schoo, Corrales signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1959. He spent 9 seasons in MLB as a backup catcher with the Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and the San Diego Padres. Despite those 9 seasons, Corrales only played in 300 career games which is not even two full seasons. 

Of course, Corrales spent the majority of his playing career with the unenviable task of backing up Johnny Bench in Cincinnati. He did get one at bat in the 1970 World Series where he made the final out of the Fall Classic by grounding out to World Series MVP Brooks Robinson as the Reds fell to the Baltimore Orioles in five games. 

After playing the 1974 season with the Padres Triple-AAA affiliate in Hawaii, he would get his first opportunity to manage the following season with the Alexandria Aces, the Padres AA-affiliate. In 1976, Corrales returned to the majors when he joined the coaching staff of the Texas Rangers under manager Billy Hunter. On the last day of the 1978 season, the Rangers fired Hunter and named Corrales the new manager. In so doing, Corrales became the first person of Mexican descent to manage a big-league club.

In 1979, Corrales guided the Rangers to a respectable 83-79 record finishing third in the AL West. However, the Rangers would fall to a 76-85 record in 1980 and new Rangers owner Eddie Chiles dismissed Corrales in favor of Don Zimmer.

Corrales would return to managing in 1982 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Midway through the 1983 season, despite being in first place in the NL East, Corrales was fired by Phillies GM Paul Owens who appointed himself manager. The gamble paid off as the Phillies won the NL pennant before losing to the Baltimore Orioles in five games in the World Series.

Two weeks after being dismissed by the Phillies, Corrales was hired by the Cleveland Indians replacing Mike Ferraro. Although the Tribe finished last in the AL East in '83, they treaded water going 30-32 in the final two months of the season. After back-to-back losing campaigns in 1984 and 1985, Corrales saw the Tribe in the winners' column in 1986 finishing third in the AL East with an 84-78 record. Sports Illustrated thought the Tribe could go all the way in 1987, but instead ended up losing 102 games with Corrales being dismissed in favor of Doc Edwards nearly four years to the day when the Phillies gave him his walking papers. In parts of 9 seasons as a manager, Corrales went 572-634. 

Corrales spent one more season managing in 1988 this time at the Triple-AAA level with the Toledo Mud Hens, which then as now are affiliated with the Detroit Tigers. In 1989, Corrales returned to the majors transitioning from manager to coach. He began this transition with the New York Yankees before joining his old high school rival Bobby Cox with the Atlanta Braves in 1990. 

Corrales saw post-season action every year between 1991 and 2005 as the Braves kept winning division title after division title first in the NL West and then in the NL East. He participated in five World Series in 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1999 earning a World Series ring in '95. 

In 2007, Corrales joined the Washington Nationals where he would spend five seasons as a coach under three different managers - Manny Acta, Jim Riggleman and Davey Johnson. In 2012, Corrales moved up to the Nationals' front office as a Senior Assistant for Player Development. That season he briefly returned to managing when Harrisburg Senators manager Matt LeCroy went on paternity leave for a week. In 2013, Corrales was lured away to the Dodgers by team president Stan Kasten whom Corrales had known well during his days with both the Braves and Nationals. 

Pat Corrales spent nearly 65 years working in baseball. I would call that a wonderful life. R.I.P.

Despite Israeli Foreign Minister's Diplomatic Blunder, Libya Has Long Been Fanatically Anti-Semitic

There is no question that Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen made a monumental blunder when he publicly disclosed his conversation with his Libyan counterpart Najla Mangoush in Rome. 

The Libyan government suspended Mangoush, but forced her to flee to Turkey. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and the Biden Administration are right to take the Netanyahu government to task for this diplomatic impropriety. 

After all, Libya effectively has two governments. One is the Government of National Unity led by Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibeh of which Mangoush was a part and is recognized by the UN. The other is a Government of National Stability led by Osama Hamada and supported by the country's military which rules the eastern half of the country. 

Yet let us be clear here. Riots have broken out in Libya because Mangoush met with a Jew. It must be said that Libya has long been a fanatically anti-Semitic country, even by Middle East standards. There was a pogrom in Libya at the end of WWII which saw the massacre of 140 Jews. Another pogrom amid The Six Day War in June 1967 prompted King Idris to evacuate the majority of Libya's Jewish population which was airlifted to Italy. When Muammar Gaddafi came to power two years later, among his first acts was to strip Jews of what remaining civil rights they had, confiscate property owned by Jews, convert synagogues into mosques and forbid Jews who had fled Libya from ever returning. 

There are no Jews living in Libya. It is Judenrein. 

If the people of Libya are angry that their Foreign Affairs Minister talked to a Jew, then imagine how they would react if Libya made peace with Israel. 

So even if Cohen had been discreet and someone else had leaked the news of Mangoush's conversation with Cohen there would have been violence. 

Cohen richly deserves to not only be called on the carpet for his lack of diplomacy and discretion, but to lose his portfolio. Nevertheless, we must ask why Libyan government officials are forbidden to speak with their Israeli counterparts in the first place. By not asking the question, we fail to get to the root of the problem that is Libyan anti-Semitism.

Arleen Sorkin, R.I.P.

Actress Arlene Sorkin, best known for being the original voice of Batman villainess Harley Quinn, passed away on August 24th. No cause of death was released. She was 67. 

In addition to voicing Harley Quinn, Sorkin spent many years on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives for her portrayal of Calliope Jones Bradford.

However, I remember Sorkin primarily as the original co-host of America's Funniest People which aired on ABC between 1990 and 1994. It was a spinoff of the wildly popular America's Funniest Home Videos hosted by Bob Saget of Full House fame. Sorkin co-hosted the first two seasons of America's Funniest People with Saget's Full House co-star Dave Coulier. 

Sorkin and Coulier had excellent chemistry together, but it was Sorkin who was the woman with a thousand voices who was the spark. When Sorkin was replaced by Tawny Kitaen (who herself died far too young), America's Funniest People didn't have the same spark and zip. 

Sorkin's dismissal resulted her in filing litigation on the basis of racial discrimination, as she claimed the show's producers were planning to replace with an African-American or ethnic minority. 

Notwithstanding this setback, Sorkin found her niche as Harley Quinn's voice for nearly 20 years. R.I.P.

 

White Supremacist Kills 3 African-Americans at Dollar Store in Jacksonville Near 60th Anniversary of MLK Jr's "I Have a Dream" Speech

Tomorrow marks the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" at the Lincoln Memorial where tens of thousands gathered in Washington, D.C. yesterday to commemorate the occasion. 

As this was happening, 700 miles away, a white supremacist gunman sporting swastika tattoos entered a Dollar Store in Jacksonville, Florida and murdered three people because they happened to be African-American before his taking his own life. Shortly before the shooting, the gunman unsuccessfully a tried to gain entry to Edwards Waters University, a historically black college. 

Whatever progress has been made and will continue to be made where it concerns race relations in this country, the cold fact is that hatred will always be among us. Some who harbor such hatred will be prepared to take the lives of innocent people because of it. Some of these people are like this gunman while others are in positions of authority as was the case in Minneapolis several years ago. 

So long as there are those among us (whatever their station in life) who see fit to judge people by the color of their skin, their religious faith or their sexual orientation, then we can sadly expect such ugliness to rear its head from time to time. 

Bob Barker, R.I.P.

Bob Barker, best known for his tenure as host of the CBS daytime game show The Price Is Right, passed away today at the age of 99. He died 109 days shy of his 100th birthday. 

After a career in radio, Barker turned to TV becoming the host of Truth or Consequences which he hosted for nearly 20 years from 1957 to 1975. In 1972, Barker also began hosting The Price is Right. Barker remained as host until his retirement in 2007 when he was replaced by Drew Carey. 

Barker was also well known for his vegetarianism and animal rights activism and philanthropy long before it was fashionable. 

However, if you're of a certain age, you will always remember Bob Barker for kicking Adam Sandler's ass in Happy Gilmore. When this movie came out in 1996, the scenario was so far-fetched and yet incredibly hilarious. 

Bob Barker leaves this world with a lot more smiles than frowns. R.I.P.

Shohei Ohtani Should Never Throw Another Pitch in The Big Leagues Again

Although Shohei Ohtani has undeniable talent and shown the ability to be both a pitcher and position player, he has also shown that it is not a sustainable path.

Yesterday, Ohtani had to leave his start against the Cincinnati Reds yesterday and a MRI has revealed a torn UCL which could very well lead to his second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani previously underwent the procedure at the end of the 2018 season missing nearly the entire 2019 season. For the time being, however, Ohtani will remain in the Los Angeles Angels lineup as a DH. 

He would have his breakout season in 2021 earning the AL MVP and is considered an odds-on favorite to win it for the second time in three seasons as he leads the AL in HRs with 44 and is hitting a career high .304. This despite the fact the Angels have never enjoyed a winning season during his tenure with the ballclub and actually haven't posted a winning record since 2015. In view of this fact, I think Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. ought to have won the AL MVP in 2021 while I also believe Seattle Mariners superstar Julio Rodriguez as a more deserving recipient this season.

Ohtani is a free agent at the end of the 2023 season and this injury could not have come at a worse time. Yet at the same time, I think it is very clear that Shohei Ohtani should never throw another pitch as a big-league player. His long-term value is as an offensive player. Although he has posted a more than respectable 38-19 record on the mound, the time has come for Ohtani to leave the pitching to others.

Windham Rotunda (a.k.a. Bray Wyatt), R.I.P.

Professional wrestler Windham Rotunda, better known to the world as Bray Wyatt, died of a heart attack today. He was only 36. 

His passing comes a day after the death of wrestling legend Terry Funk. Of course, it has been known Funk had been ill for a quite a few years. Whereas Wyatt was less than half Funk's age. Funk was old enough to be Wyatt's grandfather.

Of course, Wyatt came from a wrestling family like Funk. Wyatt's grandfather was none other than Blackjack Mulligan. His father was Mike Rotunda (known to some as I.R.S.) and he was named after his uncle Barry Windham with whom Rotunda teamed during the 1980's in what was then known as the WWF. Wyatt had another wrestling uncle - Kendall Windham. Wyatt's younger brother Bo Dallas is also an active wrestler. 

Wyatt's wrestling career lasted nearly 15 years mostly in the WWE. He was first billed as Husky Harris and was part of the Nexus stable in the early 2010s. But after a stint in NXT, he would develop the Bray Wyatt character as a cult like leader leading The Wyatt Family. Sadly, two thirds of The Wyatt Family are now gone with Luke Harper (a.k.a. Brodie Lee and Jonathan Huber) dying the day after Christmas in 2020 at the age of 41. 

Aside from holding both the WWE Title and the WWE Universal Title, Wyatt will be remembered for his creative wrestling personas as Wyatt whether as a cult leader, a demented children's host of Firefly Fun House or as The Fiend. 

Wyatt was released by WWE in July 2021, but would return with much fanfare in September 2022. However, he only wrestled one match and that was at the Royal Rumble against L.A. Knight back in January 2023. Shortly thereafter, Wyatt would be written off WWE programming for reasons not explained until his passing today - he contracted COVID. He also had a history of heart ailments.

However, warlier this week, there was optimism that Wyatt would return to action in the not-too-distant future, but sadly the future would come to pass. R.I.P.

Terry Funk, R.I.P.

Former professional wrestler and occasional actor Terry Funk passed away today. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2019. He was 79.

Funk grew up in a wrestling family in Amarillo, Texas following in the footsteps of his father Dory Funk, Sr. and older brother Dory Funk, Jr. (who is still with us at 82). The younger Funk began his pro wrestling career in 1965 primarily working as a tag team with his brother. 

In 1975, Funk captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Jack Brisco. He held the title for over a year before dropping it to Harley Race in 1977.

In 1989, Funk returned to significant prominence when he attacked Ric Flair after regaining the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Ricky Steamboat feuding with the Nature Boy for most of the year. 

Funk had a couple of stints in the WWF during the mid-1980's and late 1990's. The latter of which he was known as Chainsaw Charlie capturing the WWF Tag Team Titles with Mick Foley (a.k.a. Mankind). In between these two stints, Funk wrestled in ECW winning its World Title from Raven in April 1997 at the age of 53 before losing it to Sabu a few months later.

Outside of wrestling, Funk was friendly with Sylvester Stallone appearing in Paradise Alley and Over The Top. He would also have a notable role in the Patrick Swayze film Roadhouse. 

Although Funk retired from wrestling on numerous occasions, his career would span more than five decades before he finally hung up his boots for good in 2017. 

Funk generally wrestled as a heel and had "middle aged and crazy" persona, and these were often accompanied by wild promos. However, I will leave you with this promo Funk did with ECW in January 1997 when he was challenging Raven for the title. 

In this promo, Funk spoke of how his father died of a heart attack after wrestling in a match at age of 54. Given Funk was 53 at the time, this promo was true to life, and he struggled to hold back tears. Ultimately, he would achieve the dreams which would allude his father. Now he is reunited with him and they can tell each other, "We did it our way." R.I.P.

Has Putin Turned Prigozhin Into a Martyr?

It appears that Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed aboard a plane bound from Moscow to St. Petersburg when it crashed in Tver Oblast approximately 60 miles north of Moscow. Also apparently killed was Wagner Group co-founder Dmitry Utkin. 

Prigozhin's fate is not a surprise to many who considered him a "dead man walking" after his aborted march on Moscow back in June. As the old saying goes, "If you go after the king, you better not miss."

I thought it might be possible that Putin could have a rapprochement with Prigozhin and name him Minister of Defense as a means to "keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer." But evidently not. Prigozhin got too big for his britches where it concerned Ukraine and was too much of a threat to Putin to keep around. 

The one reason I thought Putin might not kill Prigozhin was that doing so could turn him into a martyr. Now that he is presumed dead, we shall see if this comes to pass. 

Of course, Prigozhin's death hasn't been confirmed. In the unlikely event it turns out that Prigozhin is still alive, he will become a folk hero along the lines of Rasputin. Mind you, I don't think Prigozhin had any more humanity than Putin, so I don't see him as a heroic figure. Nevertheless, he challenged Putin in a way no one has challenged him in over 20 years. 

As for Putin, so long as the war against Ukraine continues then his vulnerability is bound to increase notwithstanding Prigozhin's apparent fate.

The GOP Debates Do Not Matter

Tomorrow night, 8 Republican presidential hopefuls will gather in Milwaukee to debate who among them should be their party's nominee in the 2024 presidential election.

The debate will air on Fox News, but I shall not be watching. 

For this, there is a simple reason.

The GOP debates do not matter.

None of the 8 participants stand a chance in hell. 

Unless former Vice-President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy change their name to Trump, the Republican Party will not nominate them.

Of course, defeated, former President Donald Trump will not be participating in this debate. That too does not matter. He could skip all the debates. Trump is going to win more Republican delegates than the eight of them put together. 

If you're someone who inspires greater trust in a person that their own family, you will not lose. Nobody on that debate stage can make that claim. 

The only circumstance under which I see Trump not winning the Republican nomination is if he dies. And even then, I wouldn't count him out. If QAnon devotees gather outside Dealey Plaza awaiting the resurrection of JFK, Jr., then I can only imagine the deification to The Donald. 

Let us also remember that even the supposedly anti-Trump candidates Christie and Hutchinson signed a pledge to support whoever the Republican nominee is and they know damn well it's going to be Trump.

The best these folks can hope for his VP nomination. Frankly, this is unlikely. In which case, they will be happy to settle for a cabinet position or an ambassadorship should Trump win. Perhaps Haley can get her old job back at the UN. Otherwise, it will be a book deal or a podcast. They won't become President, but they'll do just fine.

Of course, if Donald Trump were to defeat Joe Biden in November 2024, now that would matter.

Trusting Trump More Than Your Family & Friends Proves Some of The People Can Be Fooled All of The Time

If you trust defeated, former President Donald Trump more than your family and friends, then I can only hope you haven't given him your money although chances are you probably have and plan to give more. 

Because if you trust a man who lies with such impunity more than the parents who raised you or the friends that have had your back through thick and thin then only proves you can fool some of the people all of the time. 

Naturally, I am not surprised at the results of the CBS News/YouGov poll which show 71% of Trump voters trust his word over that of family and friends given Trump's legacy of dividing families past the point of no return. 

Yet I will never understand why so many people accept Trump's word at face value. I've always viewed him as a bullshit artist from the time he was promoting boxing matches in Atlantic City. That anyone would buy a used car much less buy stock in Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts or get their degree from Trump University is beyond me.

So too is the idea that Trump will fight for them. Trump fights for himself and himself only as loyalty is one way dead end street. 

During my time as a Republican, I did not think much of President Obama and still don't. Yet if you had asked me who ought to replace him, Donald Trump would have never crossed my mind. Needless to say, I was in a minority. Not only did Trump cross their minds he would become their raison d'etre. How else does one explain the events of January 6th? Or the willingness to utter death threats against the federal judge presiding over the January 6th trial in D.C.?

No other public figure in this country invokes such loyalty and fervor. So long as Trump supporters take his word over that of their family and friends then he will win the Republican nomination in a cake walk. With that comes the chance to return to the White House no matter how many indictments and possible convictions he is facing. Should this come to pass we will have only ourselves to blame.

Thoughts on The California Store Owner Shot & Killed For Displaying a Pride Flag

On Friday, a 66-year-old California clothing store owner named Lauri Carleton was shot and killed in front of her establishment in Cedar Glen, a little over 80 miles east of Los Angeles, following a confrontation over a pride flag displayed on the premises. 

The suspect, who has been identified as a 27-year-old man named Travis Ikeguchi, was killed by local authorities when he opened fire upon them. Ikeguchi had a history of posting hateful messages against the LGBTQ community online. For her part, Carleton did not identify as LGBTQ, but considered herself an ally of the community. 

I think of the places I have lived over the past 15 years - Jamaica Plain, the Upper West Side, Midtown Atlanta and now Cambridge. Pride flags are ubiquitous in businesses and private residences alike in these communities, especially here in Cambridge. You notice these things and at the same time you don't notice them because it's like they were always here even though nothing could be further from the truth.

Whether this was the act of a madman or someone who took his cues from the right-wing ecosphere, this killing is a stark reminder that hate is never far away and can manifest itself with deadly force in an instant. One can hope such a tragedy will not deter individuals and business owners from displaying pride flags, especially in Cedar Glen, California. If anything, one can further hope it would firm their resolve.

Israel is More in Danger of Resembling Turkey Than Apartheid Era South Africa

Over the years, Israel has been consistently yet falsely compared to Apartheid era South Africa. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights have made this declaration in recent years. 

Such comparison is irresponsible and intended to incite and inflame hatred against not only the State of Israel, but the Jewish people at large. It is therefore disturbing to learn that South African born Israeli author Benjamin Pogrund, who has long rejected the Apartheid label, has declared that Israel is heading in that direction in an op-ed for The Guardian:

I did not want to write this article. It was torn out of me, addressed to Israelis because the rightwing government is taking the country into institutionalised discrimination and racism. This is apartheid. South Africa under apartheid was straightforward: white v black. Israel is complex. The 21% Arab minority has the vote. Everyone pays the same national insurance and enjoys the same benefits – medical and social welfare. In hospital, I, a Jew, share a room with Arabs and we are cared for by the same Jewish and Arab doctors and nurses. Everything is open: beaches, park benches, movies, theatres, restaurants. The apartheid label is correct, but caution and thought are needed about comparisons.

I disagree. The Apartheid label is incorrect. In Apartheid era South Africa, blacks had no right to vote nor right to participate in South African society. Pogrund cedes Arabs have the vote in Israel. Indeed, Arabs serve in the Knesset and Mansour Abbas of the Arab List held the balance of power in the coalition government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid of 2021-2022. Abbas himself explicitly rejected the argument that Israel is an Apartheid state.  Moreover, there is an Arab jurist Khaled Kabub who serves on Israel's Supreme Court. People like Mansour Abbas and Khaled Kabub would have simply not existed in Apartheid era South Africa. 

There is something happening in Israel, but it isn't Apartheid. If we want to make comparisons, then we need to look closer in the region. If we examine Israel's controversial judicial overhaul legislation and forthcoming legislation curtailing press freedom, then we ought to look at Turkey. During President Erdogan's 20 years in power, he curtailed the independence of the Turkish judiciary and freedom of the press. And yet Erdogan seldom faces criticism from the West as he is regarded a power broker between Washington and Moscow. If Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to model himself after anyone it is Erdogan, not a political system which was dismantled 30 years ago.

Of course, Netanyahu has certain obstacles which Erdogan doesn't. For starters, although Netanyahu is Israel's longest serving Prime Minister, he is 73 and had a health scare last month. The likes of Yariv Levin (the architect of Israel's judicial overhaul), Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are waiting not so patiently in the wings. 

There is also the strength of Israeli civil society which has vociferously protested the judicial overhaul and will soon likely turn its attention to press freedoms. Let us also keep in mind, there is no guarantee the government won't collapse forcing yet new elections which could result in a non-Likudnik like Benny Gantz becoming Israel's next Prime Minister. Of course, even if this did come to pass, it would be interesting to see if Gantz would have the necessary support to reverse the judicial and media overhauls. 

But assuming Netanyahu remains in power for the foreseeable future, he will be on a much shorter leash than Erdogan no matter how many of his political opponents and dissidents he might jail. After all, this is Israel we are talking about. 

Nevertheless, one cannot underestimate Netanyahu's desire to remain in power especially with bribery and corruption charges which remain hanging over his head. Yet if we are to legitimately criticize Netanyahu and the current political climate in Israel, then it is incumbent upon us not to recklessly invoke terms like Apartheid. Someone like Benjamin Pogrund ought to know better because most who do invoke such charges do so in bad faith and with the objective of destroying Israel. 

If one wants to genuinely understand where Israel might be heading or, at the very least, understand Netanyahu's state of mind and motivations, then we must look to Ankara instead of Apartheid.

Pee-wee Herman Was a Loner & Rebel at Heart in Adventures Big & Small

 

Last night, I went to the Brattle Theatre where there was a special screening of Pee-wee's Big Adventure in tribute to Paul Reubens who passed away late last month of cancer. 

Unlike Jaws, I had seen Pee-wee's Big Adventure on home video but didn't remember very much of it. The only parts of Pee-wee's Big Adventure I remember is the iconic biker bar scene where he dances to "Tequila" and the conclusion at the drive-in where Pee-wee is watching James Brolin play P.W. Herman while Pee-wee is featured a hotel clerk whose dialogue is dubbed. And the thing is I'm not sure why. I have a fairly good memory of my childhood and adolescence. Yet most of the film somehow escapes me. So, for all intents and purposes I was watching the movie for the first time.

The scene which struck the deepest chord was the one set in the bicycle shop where Pee-wee tells Dottie, "There's a lot of things about me you don't know about. Things you wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't understand. I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel."

Now I can see how those lines took on new meaning following his infamous and dubious arrest for masturbation in an adult movie theatre. But even if that never came to pass, Paul Reubens through Pee-wee Herman was not always easily understood and to do what he did, he had to be a loner and a rebel. For this, we are a slightly better people. 

Notwithstanding, Pee-wee being a loner and a rebel, there is no doubt he took some inspiration from Buster Keaton when it came to physical comedy. He even resembled Keaton somewhat. Of course, Keaton never had to talk onscreen and if he did, he would have sounded nothing like Pee-wee Herman. In this respect, Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman was truly an original. R.I.P.

Ex-Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn Blames Jews For Their Deportations to Auschwitz....Again

Former Trump National Security Advisor turned Christian nationalist QAnon adherent Michael Flynn blamed Jews for their deportations to Auschwitz and, by extension, their deaths during the Second World War. Speaking at a church in Michigan earlier this month, Flynn stated:

Any mother who would be told, "Give me your child! Give me your child! Your baby!" and we're gonna separate you and we're not just gonna put you on a club coach car, right, where there's buffet service. We're gonna stuff you like a sardine into a train.

From there, Flynn spoke about his visit to Auschwitz:

But I'm thinking to myself, cause I asked, I asked the guy, the astute historian who was walking myself and couple of us through 'em. I'm asking him, "So tell me what were the rules for the guards?" Because there weren't any guards. But there were thousands, thousands of people. Maybe it's a member of your congregation. Maybe it's you that just said, "Here's my child and get on the train." 

Not surprisingly this isn't the first time, Flynn has made such an analogy. In October 2021, at a rally for eventual New Hampshire Republican Senate nominee Don Bolduc, Flynn spoke about his visit to Auschwitz and said:

Jesus, how could somebody stand there and just allow these people to do that to them? And then knowing what they knew, how could they get on that train? I would have rather attacked that machine gun nest.

Knowing what I know today, I would never get on that train.

Well, that's easy for him to say, isn't it?

It is kind of curious that Flynn would talk about separating mothers from their children considering this was something the Trump Administration did at the Southern border. No, I am not likening the Trump Administration to Nazi Germany, but this deed was plenty cruel and inhumane. More to the point, I cannot imagine Flynn nor anyone else in this sphere pondering why migrant families didn't resist such efforts. 

Of course, Flynn's argument is morally bankrupt. The Nazis and the Nazis alone bear all responsibility for deporting Jews to death camps in an effort to exterminate Jews from the face of the Earth. Those who were sent to their deaths at Auschwitz did not ask for their fate nor were they complicit in bringing it about. Anyone who suggests the Jews were responsible for their deportations to Auschwitz is giving the Nazis absolution while sullying the memories of those Jews who were murdered at Auschwitz. Period.

Simply put, Michael Flynn is no friend of the Jews.

Trump & 18 Other Defendants Charged in Conspiracy To Overturn 2020 Election in Georgia

Defeated, former President Donald Trump has been charged on 13 counts in a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. 

Eighteen other defendants, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, have been charged on 28 additional counts. Also charged were Trump attorneys Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis along with John Eastman who was the key figure in unlawfully organizing an alternate slate of electoral college delegates. 

This is the next phase of a process which began when Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis launched an investigation in February 2021, one month after Trump's "perfect call" with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger demanding he "find" 11,780 votes to overturn President Biden's victory in the Peach State in the 2020 election. 

Aside from charges being brought concerning calls Trump made to Raffensperger and other Georgia state officials and the alternate electoral college delegate scheme, there are charges pertaining to false statements, efforts by Trump's team to breach voting data in Coffee County and the harassment of election workers.

This is now the fourth set of indictments with which Trump has been charged this year. Trump was first charged in March by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg on 34 counts of falsifying business records. In June, Trump was charged by Special Counsel Jack Smith with 37 counts of mishandling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago which was superseded by three additional counts last month including willful retention of a top-secret document concerning military plans in Iran. Earlier this month, Smith also charged Trump with four counts pertaining to the events of January 6th. 

Trump could stand trial on the January 6th charges as early as January 2024 while the New York case is scheduled to begin in March 2024 while the classified documents case trial is slated to commence in May 2024. Given the large number of defendants involved, it very much remains to be seen when everyone will be arraigned let alone when trial dates will be scheduled. Of course, it is entirely possible that some of these defendants might have something to say concerning Trump thus resulting in lesser charges or charges being dropped altogether. 

Notwithstanding all these charges, Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee next year and we might be just foolish enough him to elect him President once more.

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" Was a Lament Against War, Not a Confederate Anthem

Last week, Robbie Robertson, best remembered as the principal songwriter for the 1960s & 1970s group The Band, passed away of prostate cancer at the age of 80.

Among Robertson's best known his works is his most controversial, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". Originally released in 1969 as part of The Band's eponymous second album (a.k.a. The Brown Album), Robertson tells the fictional account of a Tennessee farmer named Virgil Kane during the Civil War.

To the extent there should be a controversy pertains to the authorship of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". While Robertson has sole writing credit for "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and most of their well-known hits such as "The Weight", "Up on Cripple Creek" and "Ophelia", the late Levon Helm contended that these songs were written collaboratively among all members of The Band including Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson. 

In recent years, however, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" has been criticized for glorifying the Confederacy, most notably by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. In a 2009 essay for The Atlantic, Coates wrote in part:

I was thinking about the Richmond yesterday, and The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."... I'm told that it's a great song, and I don't so much doubt this, as I doubt my own magnanimity.....I can no more marvel at The Band then a Sioux can marvel at the cinematography of "The Died With Their Boots On." I wouldn't fault the man who could, but it's not me. My empathy is a resource to be rationed like all others....I started to play the song yesterday, and stopped myself. Again, I was angry. Again, another story about the blues of Pharaoh, and the people are invisible. The people are always invisible.

Yet by his own admission, Coates cannot bring himself to listen to "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" in its entirety. Coates ought to consider some of Robertson's lyrics:

Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother above me
Who took a rebel stand

He was just 18, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Kane back up
When he's in defeat

This is not a Confederate anthem much less a glorification of Confederacy, it is a lament against war.

It also strikes me how Coates invokes the Sioux Nation. I wonder if Coates is aware that the Canadian born Robertson was of Cayuga and Mohawk descent and was honored by the Six Nations of The Grand River upon his passing. Given his background, Robertson seems like an unlikely candidate to glorify the Confederate States of America. In a 2019 interview with John Fugelsang, Robertson explained the genesis of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down":

I was writing a movie about a Southern family that lost in the war, in the Civil War, and from their side, the story of that family. And I don't know, I was trying to write a song that Levon (Helm) could singer better than anybody in the world and that's all it was.

Now over the past half century plus, many have sung "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". Joan Baez would score the biggest hit of her career with her 1971 cover although she misheard some of the lyrics when she recorded the song. Like Robertson, Baez is an unlikely poster child for the Confederate cause. Perhaps Baez's version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" would fill Coates with every bit as much anger as the original. If that is the case, then what emotions would be conjured in Coates had he heard versions of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by the late African-American artists Richie Havens and Dobie Gray?

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" was part of Havens' live repertoire throughout his four decade plus performing career and appears on his 1990 album Live at The Cellar Door and The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, a collection of songs captured in concert between 1970 and 1972. Between 1999 and 2005, I had the privilege of seeing Havens in concert in both Canada and the United States half a dozen times as well as meeting him on several occasions. When Havens would perform "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", he invariably described it as an anti-war song.

Dobie Gray is best remembered for his 1965 hit "The In Crowd" and his 1973 hit "Drift Away". The latter song would return to the charts 30 years later when Uncle Kracker covered it accompanied by Gray himself. While Gray never recorded "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" on any of his studio albums, the song was a regular part of his concert repertoire. While Havens' interpretation is introspective and quiet, Gray's rendition is passionate and soulful. Perhaps Gray identified with the song because he was born in Texas to a family of sharecroppers. If that isn't sufficient to soothe Coates' anger, it is also well worth noting that Gray was the first international artist to perform in front of integrated audiences in South Africa in 1976. 

If I had the opportunity to speak with Ta-Nehisi Coates, I would ask him this question. If "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a pro-Confederate anthem offensive to the ears of African-Americans, then why would Richie Havens and Dobie Gray spend a good part of their respective careers performing the song in public?

Given that such a conversation will unlikely ever come to pass, I think the answer is that the power of music gave Richie Havens, Dobie Gray, Joan Baez and, Robbie Robertson the sort of magnanimity which Ta-Nehisi Coates simply does not possess. Just as one cannot raise a Kane laying in defeat, one cannot open the heart of one with a closed mind.

The MBTA Commuter Rail Train From Rockport to Boston Approached Salem But Never Arrived

Last night, I ventured up to Salem on the MBTA Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail line to hear my friend Don Hammontree play a gig at the Lobster Shanty. 

I've seen him perform there and at other venues in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on several occasions over the past couple of years. At first, the crowd was sparse, and it appeared to be a dead Saturday night. Then out of nowhere comes a large party of perhaps 25 to 30 people celebrating some fellow's 40th birthday and they practically take over the entire joint. And did I mention they had too much blood in their alcohol?

Now that kind of crowd can get ugly, but Don was playing covers such as "Wonderwall" by Oasis and Bob Seger's "Turn the Page" and they were singing along with him and didn't want him to stop performing. I had initially planned to catch the 9:41 p.m. back to Boston, but I was so happy to see Don getting such a positive reaction that I decided to stay until I had to catch the last scheduled train at 10:41 p.m.

Everything seemed to be going to according to plan. I left the Lobster Shanty at around 10:20 p.m. and arrived at the Salem Train Depot 10 minutes later. The electronic sign said the train to Boston was 10 minutes away, 9 minutes away, 5 minutes away, etc. Then the sign said the train to Boston was now approaching the station.

But the train never came.

As the clock approached 11 p.m. there were perhaps half a dozen or so people on the platform were trying to figure out what the hell was going on because there was no new information on the electronic signs nor was there any information on the MBTA website. Someone looked at an app (it wasn't clear if it was the MBTA app), but supposedly there was a boat accident in Saugus hitting a bridge the train passed over, but I have not seen any news to that effect. 

Regardless of the reason one would think there would have been an announcement and the MBTA would have provided shuttle buses. Indeed, last year, I met up with Don in Lowell to see Fanny: The Right to Rock and on my way back to Boston we were informed there was a problem with the Commuter Rail train, and we would need to take shuttle buses. 

Needless to say, I was annoyed. Fortunately, I contacted Don who was finishing up his gig and explained the situation. He was kind enough to pick me up at the Salem Depot and drive me all the way back home in Cambridge. While I was waiting for Don, a couple of the passengers who had been waiting on the platform said the train to Boston was now 26 minutes away. 

But what if I didn't have that option available to me? What the hell would I have done? I don't have Uber because I don't have room for it on my phone because of the apps I use for work. Even if I did an Uber or a cab ride would have been outrageously expensive. I suppose I could have caught a bus to Wonderland on the Blue Line, but there is no guarantee I would have been able to make my connection to the Green and Red Lines before service ended for the evening.

I should mention that while I was waiting for Don, a couple of the passengers who had been waiting on the platform said the train to Boston was now 26 minutes away. I told them I had waited long enough. Let's also remember the sign said the train was approaching the station. Let's just say, the MBTA 's word did not inspire my confidence. 

Above all else, what annoyed me the most was the radio silence from the MBTA. They have an obligation to notify riders of delays and to provide alternative means of transportation if service becomes unavailable - especially if it is the last train of the evening.

Under the circumstances, I am bit leery about taking the Commuter Rail train in the evening whether it is to see Don or for any other reason. While I'm sure Don would give me a lift if a situation like this arose in the future, I have no desire to put him out of his way. But more importantly, I want our public transportation services to be reliable and for the MBTA to be at the ready when things don't go according to plan. Unfortunately, things do not go according to plan all too often.