This Isn't the First Time Hamas & Hezbollah Flags Have Been Unfurled in NYC - And It Probably Won't Be the Last

On Labor Day, an estimated 7,000 people gathered in New York City's Union Square and marched to Washington Square Park to denounce all things Israel and Jewish. 

Some of those who marched carried Hamas and Hezbollah flags which earned a rebuke from the Biden White House. 

Unfortunately, this is not the first time Hamas and Hezbollah flags have been unfurled in New York City as was the case when they raised their ugly heads near an exhibit commemorating the Nova Music Festival Massacre on Wall Street in June, at Hunter College also in June and in Times Square back in July. 

All of which means these public displays of anti-Semitic hatred will continue for the foreseeable future. 

In view of this likelihood, could we please stop pretending pro-Palestinian protesters aren't anti-Semitic?

After all, if one sees fit to carry a banner which reads, "Long live October 7th!!!" - a day which saw more Jews murdered since the Holocaust whilst singing the praises of Hamas and Hezbollah then it is very clear such persons hate Jews and wish death upon us.

U.K. Labour Government Imposes Arms Embargo on Israel After Hamas Executes Hostages

The U.K.'s new Labour government has imposed a partial arms embargo upon Israel. 

Foreign Minister David Lammy made the announcement that yesterday in the British House of Commons on the basis that "there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law."

Might be used?

Of course, Lammy has no evidence in support of the claim that Israel has violated international law. Merely that such a possibility "might" occur.

Lammy announced the new policy as the families of the six hostages executed by Hamas were burying their loved ones. Something which did not escape the notice of U.K. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis:

It beggars belief that the British government, a close strategic ally of Israel, has announced a partial suspension of arms licenses, at a time when Israel is fighting a war for its very survival on seven front forced upon it on the 7th October, and at the very moment when six hostages murdered in cold blood by cruel terrorists were being buried by their families. As Israel faces down the threat of Iran and its proxies, not just to its own people, but to all of us in the democratic west; this announcement feeds the falsehood that Israel is in breach of International Humanitarian Law, when in fact it is going to extraordinary lengths to uphold it. Sadly, this announcement will serve to encourage our shared enemies. It will not help to secure the release of the remaining 101 hostages, nor contribute to the peaceful future we wish and pray for, for all people in the region and beyond. 

The U.K. government's decision not only emboldens Hamas abroad but legitimizes anti-Semitism in the U.K. but undoes the work Keir Starmer had undertaken to reassure Jews that Labour was free of the scourge of anti-Semitism. Lammy's decision, done with Starmer's approval, serves no purpose other than to appease the Corbynites in the Labour Party and those who shout anti-Semitic slogans in front of Westminster Palace. 

This decision might very well be reversed in the coming days or weeks, but the damage will have been done and dishonor the U.K. Labour government has brought upon itself will remain. 

Harris-Walz is Obvious to Some Voters But Not to Others

 

On Labor Day, I ventured to my old stomping grounds in Jamaica Plain. While walking down Boylston Street (not to be confused with the Boylston Street situated in the Fenway/Back Bay neighborhood), I came across a yard sign which read, "Harris Walz Obviously". 

I have to admit I had a bit of an amused chuckle.

Now it ought to be said this sign was not produced by the Harris-Walz campaign. Their campaign is, shall we say, more conservative in its approach regarding signage. I'm not sure who exactly is behind these signs, but you can order one on Amazon. 

But guess what? You can order a Trump-Vance Obviously sign on Amazon too. All of which goes to show obviousness is in the eye of the beholder. One might argue it is more a question of obliviousness than obviousness. Whatever the case, things are never as obvious as it seems.

Now, in my eyes, Harris-Walz is the obvious choice. The same could be said for a majority of Massachusetts voters. It is worth remembering Biden-Harris won every single county in the Bay State in 2020. At the same time, it is also worth remembering that despite the scale of Biden's victory, Trump received more than 1 million votes in Massachusetts. 

Now let's think about voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. The polling is razor thin at both the national and state level.

Although Joe Biden and Kamala Harris easily won the popular vote, it was 44,000 votes in Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin which made the difference in the electoral college. And it might be even less time around. 

All of which to say is that the outcome of the 2024 presidential election is anything but obvious.

Darren Baker Returns to a Big League Field for the First Time Since He was 3-Years Old

 

(AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Yesterday, Darren Baker stepped on a big-league field for the first time since he was 3-years-old as he made his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals collecting first big league hit in a 14-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. 

Making his debut even sweeter was that he did so as his father Dusty Baker was watching in the stands. Baker, who stepped down as manager of the Houston Astros after last season, now works in the front office of the San Francisco Giants.

Of course, most remember Darren Baker when he acted as a batboy when his Dad managed the Giants to the NL pennant in 2002. During Game 5 of the World Series against the Anaheim Angels, Kenny Lofton hit a two-run triple. Baker went to collect Lofton's bat.  However, there was a play at the plate and J.T. Snow saw that Baker could be in peril and alertly swept him up to safety. Following this incident, MLB implemented a new rule which mandated that batboys had to be at least 14-years old.

The two would reunite in 2018 when Baker was a freshman at Cal Berkeley and Snow was a broadcaster for the Pac-12 Network recounting the incident. 

Baker would be a 10th round draft pick of the Nats in 2021 and now he can carry his own bat to the plate. A baseball story has come full circle on the diamond. Here's hoping the now 25-year-old Darren Baker enjoys a career in MLB just as successful as that of Dusty Baker. who celebrated his 75th birthday earlier this year.

When Shelley Duvall Reunited with Bud Cort on PBS

 

Yesterday, I attended a free screening of the 1976 TV film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Bernice Bobs Her Hair at the Brattle Theatre. The screening was a part of the Brattle's tribute to Duvall who passed away in July. 

Duvall starred in this production of Bernice Bobs Her Hair alongside Veronica Cartwright and Bud Cort with whom she had made her film debut in Brewster McCloud six years earlier. Let's just say this was light years away from the Astrodome. Directed by Joan Micklin Silver, Bernice Bobs Her Hair originally aired on PBS as part of the anthology series American Short Story and featured an introduction from actress Colleen Dewhurst. 

The Brattle obtained the two-reel print from a private collector. Unfortunately, the color faded to pink, and the sound quality was diminished making some of the dialogue difficult to hear. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see Duvall act in a lead role in a period piece. 

Duvall plays Bernice, a waiflike creature who visits her wealthy cousin Marjorie (played by Cartwright) for the summer much to Marjorie's consternation. Marjorie views Bernice as a drag on her social life belying the fact the boys cannot get enough of her especially Warren (played by Cort) who is madly in love with her but is treated with indifference by Marjorie. Bernice persuades Marjorie to make her more socially acceptable and Bernice proves to be an adept social climber stealing away the attention of the boys (especially Warren) much to Marjorie's chagrin.

To be sure, the century old story by Fitzgerald is quite dated by today's standards and has not endured like The Great Gatsby. A woman cutting her hair is not a scandal while references Bernice's "mixed Indian blood" is downright cringey. While Bernice Bobs Her Hair will not endure in the Duvall pantheon in the way her work with Robert Altman, her portrayal of Wendy Torrance in The Shining and later work on Faerie Tale Theatre has, it does demonstrate the depth of her work. 

Woeful White Sox Record Franchise Record 107th Loss....and The Worst is Still to Come

The Chicago White Sox lost 2-0 to the New York Mets on Sunday afternoon recording a franchise record 107th loss. 

The loss eclipsed the 56-106 campaign of the 1970 Chisox.

And it only gets worse from here. Unlike their 1970 counterparts, this year's edition of the South Siders have four more weeks of baseball to play. On Labor Day, the Chisox begin a six-game road trip with three games in Baltimore before coming here to play the Red Sox. 

The White Sox are 4-36 since the All-Star Break and 3-18 under interim manager Grady Sizemore. Today's loss to the Mets represents the 15th time the Chisox have been shutout in 2024. 

Lest I forget, the Chisox have now lost 10 games in a row - the third time they've lost at least 10 in a row this year. The team lost 14 in a row between May 22nd and June 6th before losing an AL tying 21 straight games between July 10th and August 5th. 

I wish I could see a silver lining in their remaining 24 games, but I honestly can't. 

Hamas Executes Six Hostages Yet Anger Directed at Netanyahu

Hamas has executed six hostages. 

Let me repeat that.

Hamas has executed six hostages.

Five of the six hostages executed had been kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival including American born Hersh Goldberg-Polin whose parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention last month. The sixth hostage slaughtered, Carmel Gat, was kidnapped from her parents' home at Kibbutz Be'eri. 

Goldberg-Polin, Gat along with Eden Yerushalmi were due to be released as part of a framework agreed to by Israel and Hamas in July. However, an IDF spokesperson made a point of stating, "Our Prime Minister delayed it."

The news of the six dead hostages has prompted nationwide protests against the Netanyahu government with a planned general strike organized by Histadrut to take place tomorrow. 

While I believe Netanyahu bears responsibility for a lack of preparedness on October 7th, I'm not sure how the IDF's public admonitions and these protests are going to help matters.

They also miss the point - Hamas bears sole responsibility for the deaths of these six hostages. Indeed, if it were not for Hamas, there would be no hostages in the first place. 

In claiming that Netanyahu delayed the release of Goldberg-Polin, Gat and Yerushalmi, the IDF is assuming that Hamas is operating in good faith. Delay or no delay, who can say Hamas wasn't planning to kill these hostages all along? Or could the hostages have been executed in retaliation for last week's rescue of hostage Kaid Farhan Elkadi, an Arab Bedouin, by the IDF and Shin Bet? Indeed, the bodies of the six hostages were recovered only a kilometer from where Elkadi was found.

Whatever the circumstances which led to their executions, the IDF's criticism of Netanyahu and these demonstrations relieve pressure from Hamas which is precisely where it belongs in the first place.