My Seventy Year Old Eyes

When I sit down to write these days I feel as if I am becoming like the maddening “News”: Same Old, Recycled, Repackaged, Rephrased! The same Issues seem to be swirling around the Planet, so that in the evening, and after reading a few chapters from my bedside book, I turn off the light, snuggle under my quilt and pretend that I will wake up tomorrow morning in a United States that is fulfilling its Democratic Aspirations of Democracy, Justice, Equality and Legality; that the past few months (years?) were nothing but a nightmare and that the Inept Worldwide Politicians in Leadership are Finally Solving the myriad catastrophic problems. However, after waking up and switching on the News I find that I am still living in a Dangerous, Scary and Cruel World that I do not comprehend anymore. And, sadly, it is not only the United States that is suffering from this alarming condition, but, it seems that almost the Entire Planet is, which makes things much more complicated and difficult to process.

On April 26 we witnessed the Funeral of Pope Francis and the Splendor of the Catholic Church with all its Pomp and Circumstance! Certainly, Pope Francis was a Humble “People’s Pope” who preached Peace, Tolerance and Inclusion. However, forgive this Agnostic who sees what is probably one of the Richest, Greediest Most Powerful Institutions in the Entire World, which, amongst other Evils, has a Long History of Violence, Racism and Hypocrisy! That Church has always been in bed with Political Structures that have been Bullying the World, Abusing Human Beings in the name of Christianizing and Civilizing them, as well as Molesting Children and causing the Death of so many. They have been doing this as their Bishops and Priests were Hypocritically Preaching Love! I will never forget a well-researched article published by Vanity Fair several years ago (I forgot exactly when!) documenting how some of these same Vatican Bishops and Priests would don their muftis after dark and go on the prowl carousing the gay and straight bars, occasionally sneaking their mistresses to their own lavish quarters through the secret back doors and staircases of the Vatican. So, forgive me, but Theatrical Productions whether they are Inaugurations, or Funerals do not impress me anymore at this age!

Nor do the European Nations impress me with their dramatic fits over Putins annexation and occupation of Crimea and other parts of Ukraine. Noticeably when the television program hosts relay the news about the latest bombing in Ukraine and the numbers of dead children they display such horror, sadness and their voices are almost choking. However, when they report about the Daily Death Toll and Starvation of Palestinians, which has consistently been higher than that of Ukraine by far, they are matter-of-fact, no heart in their tone of voice, that is, when they even deign to mention Gaza. Some of the Hosts on MSNBC (I do not even tune in to Fox, or CNN) do not even mention Gaza at all. So Racist! So Colonist! So Nauseating! This brings me to the Commemoration of the Holocaust on April 27 and the description of the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp – as one of the morbid examples – after being freed by Allied Forces who witness the Emaciated Human Beings and the Dead which is always so very sad and terrifying. The entire Holocaust was an affront to every Moral Human Being amongst us. Yet, all these sad feelings are occurring while giving Netanyahu a Huge Pass for the Ongoing Genocide of the Palestinian People? The Starvation? The Contrast between Hitler’s Concentration Camps and Gaza makes one feel schizophrenic, and should be Appalling to every Jew with a Moral Compass, as well as to all Human Beings! On April 28 the ICJ (International Court of Justice) began a week long hearing regarding Israel’s Banning of UNRWA in order to continue and expand its Genocide. I am telling you again: how do we make sense of it all? How do we process it? How do we accept the Blatant Complicity of All Those Continuing Their Silence? What does one call such a Hypocritical, Racist Infuriating Scene? How do we get rid of the Bullies In Control of this Planet to whom there are No Limits, No Respect for Any Laws, or World Institutions and Conventions, especially the United States of America – once envied by all Human Beings for what it promised?

There is no doubt that since its inception the United States of America has been a Very Violent Nation – not that Violence is Uniquely American, because, needless to tell you, History tells us very clearly that with few exceptions it is the Bullies who have been mostly in Control throughout! At Present it is Trump and Netanyahu more than any other Autocrats who portray this Bullying par excellence! Despite what that history of Violence portrays though, the latest episodes in these United States whether it was January 6; our recent Immigration Policies; Conflicting any Criticism of the Israeli Government with Antisemitism; our Inane Tariff Policies; a Chaotic Administration; let alone the Ineptness with which we are Callously Reconfiguring the very Structure of our Government and its Departments; our Involvement in Wars – whether Directly, or Indirectly all coming from a President who Promised No War – we are proving to the world the Depths To Which We Have Sunk and how slowly, surely and sadly our Administration is Chipping away at the Very Premises on which our Constitution and Bill of Rights were Built, as well as giving License to all Aspiring Bullies!

How can this be? How is it allowed? Are there no Politicians with a Spine left in this Country, or in the World? I know that many Human Beings are Shattered by this. I am beyond being Infuriated and Dismayed! It seems to me that the Hope of a better Future for Humanity is being slowly extinguished giving way to despair, demoralization, and, yes, violence and more of it, and, it Cannot End Well!

Think of all the Curse Words in the dictionary from the old-fashioned Egad to the present day Mother Fuckers. I have said them all multiple times in the past few months!

Think of all the Allah Yustur and other pleas and prayers that I have been mumbling as I go about my day despite the fact that I withdrew my Ambassador from God’s Court a long, long time ago! I think He has given up on this Incorrigible Planet and its wickedness, inhumanity, cruelty, arrogance and depravity! I am on the very brink of doing that too!

Simply viewing the Oval Office with Trump and Netanyahu (Satanyahu as some are calling him)  talking about their sordid plans for Gaza and how to expel the landowners by any means necessary: starvation, deprivation, bombing, sniping, incarcerating and dehumanizing is beyond any Human Beings’ comprehension or acceptance! Leave Voluntarily? Who even believes this shit??? Both these Politicians are Disrupting The World! Will the Ongoing Massacres and Relentless Genocide, Traumatizing of Human Beings from Gaza, the West Bank, areas of South Lebanon and Syria Horrify the World Enough to demand it Ends? I don’t think so. World Institutions have been rendered useless and totally ineffective. The US, EU with all its Components, Arab Kings, Emirs, Sheikhs and Rulers are All Complicit and the reasons are many none of them based on Humanity, Legality or Equality. It is an unfathomable tragedy! Has Netanyahu threatened all of them to receive a gift of Explosive Beepers unless they go along with his Evil Doings? Or, perhaps, his Malicious Spyware knows enough scandalous details about them to Scare them into compliance – which also includes Trump? Nothing is beyond him!

Where are the likes of the Terrific Humanitarian, Philosopher and Political Thinker Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) a German born American Jew who said: “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists” and the Amazing Peace Activist, Journalist and Writer Uri Avnery (1932-2011) a German born Israeli Jew whom I greatly admired and with whom I exchanged a couple of emails? I know that there are Jewish Humans in Israel and around the World today who have as much Morality, Integrity and Honesty as these two Great Humans, but their voices are not allowed to be heard, rather, they are being stifled by the Radicals and the Inhumane! What a sad pity!

The Tariff Wars that Trump initiated are Disruptions Par Excellence which made me think of a family I knew in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, staunch Republicans forever! Not MAGA in any way, just conservative fiscally and socially. How, I wonder, would they explain Trump’s US of A? I presume that they would be horrified, and I also presume that this is one of the reasons why Susan Crawford won the position on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. Go Wisconsin! It was a Beautiful Win, and together with the Nationwide Protest Marches of April 5 (and ongoing!) an Omen for the MAGA that the Ground Swell is gaining momentum by the day! Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, Greens and Others are Infuriated and Motivated! “We are not for Sale!” Wisconsin said, and this is echoing around the Nation! “Let Them Eat Cake” is not digestible by Human Beings, because the “Cake” they want us to eat is toxic, undemocratic, unjust and is being proposed by a Callous, Cruel, Hearts-of-steel Group of Billionaires who think they are gods while issuing diktats from their Ivory Towers! Not so fast, said Wisconsin and that was taken up by Human Beings Nationwide!

Not only do this Group of Billionaires display total disregard towards their fellow citizens, but they don’t really care if the Entire Global South perishes, suffers, dies due to their dismissal of any sense of responsibility towards Humanity. They simply do not care about anyone else but themselves! We are being algorithmed, censored, monetized and brainwashed by them!

The Billionaire Classless Class are not the Only Ones Responsible for the Calamity we are finding ourselves in, but they are Totally Supported by most of a Political Class that has for much too long been enriching itself with insider trading, with lobbyist bribes and with corporate donations to their election coffers! Most of them, too, believe that they are gods who are smarter and more knowledgeable than any of us who elected them to address our many concerns. And, Most are Despicable, Immoral and Devoid of any one ounce of Compassion, Empathy or Sense of Justice. And we continue to Vote for Them? Why? The Lesser of Two Evils Argument does not hold water anymore!

Moreover, these self-appointed gods in the US are not alone on this Planet. They have their counterparts in many places around the globe, and their numbers are increasing, which is scary!

Worldwide we are not in a good place. Looking very objectively, it seems as if Bullying and Braggadocio are being successful. Trump’s Agenda is being executed. His Counterparts in the World are executing their malicious agendas also. So, what does the future hold? I doubt that there is Anyone who can correctly predict. History tells us, they say, that there are many examples of those who behaved like gods, and who bullied their own people as well as others, and who brought on wars, uncertainty, recessions and turmoil, however, they did not last for long although their “doings” took decades to be undone and some still haven’t been. Is this our future? Personally, I believe that as long as the Colonist Enterprise is not dismantled the World will not be able to put itself together. Colonialist Attitudes and Convictions that believe in their Own Superiority, in their “godlike” Powers and Entitlement to Rule over others in every way have for long been dictating Humanity’s Fate. This is true today and that is why we are where we are. For how long, I wonder? Will the Groundswell of Protesting Humans that is happening change the equation? I don’t know.

However, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are rallying thousands from All Parties! They are speaking the Honest, Unvarnished Truth! More Power to them! They deserve all our Support in any way we can do that so that the Ground Swell becomes a Tsunami! Donate to: berniesanders.com (I wholeheartedly have), Protest, Write to your Officials, Do Something! Anything!!