Showing posts with label Elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elections. Show all posts

July 2, 2023

When Politics Gets Personal

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "When Politics Gets Personal."

Not unlike the deep political divide in Israel over Judicial Reform, this week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down college affirmative action following their prior ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has once again brought to the forefront the huge political divide in this country. Further, the polarization and bitterness between the right and left from the 2020 election are still simmering as we approach the next presidential election in 2024. Underneath all the day-to-day niceties, there seems to be a latent powder keg in our electorate, especially if the next election is a repeat between Trump and Biden.

In this context, I must admit that I had a run-in with someone this week who sits on the other side of the political spectrum from me. And maybe, as they say, it's best not to talk too much about religion or politics, just for the reasons I am about to convey.

(Credit Photo: John Hain via https://pixabay.com/illustrations/fingerprinting-blaming-division-2203448/)

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January 15, 2023

The Biggest Liar in America

 
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called "The Biggest Liar in America."

Who is the biggest liar in America today? You’d be hard-pressed not to answer US House Representative George Santos (R-NY). Although some would say, “What a perfect politician he makes!”

In the end, George Santos is perhaps an excellent “representative” for Congress in that he fits right into the political, news, and business culture that we live in, where lies are the norm and the truth is something to search for like a needle in a haystack. If you can find any, I’d like to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.

(Credit Photo: Chris Short adapted via https://flic.kr/p/kedqv)
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September 20, 2022

Remembering the 2017 Riots in Washington, D.C.

Post former President Trump inauguration. 

(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)


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November 8, 2019

Righting Wrongs To Sephardim

Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "Righting Wrongs To Sephardim."
The initial waves of Aliyah beginning in 1882 were driven by the persecution and pogroms, and later the Holocaust, in Europe. Thus, Israeli society initially built up their institutions and power centers around these Ashkenazi pioneers. Immediately after 1948, when Sephardic refugees were expelled from the Arab countries en masse, Israel was overwhelmed with as immigration influx that virtually doubled the Jewish population in Israel in the first three years of its existence. Unfortunately, the newly arrived Sephardim were relegated to a substandard housing and economic situation, which then persisted for many decades.
In Jewish society, however, there is no room for ethnic discrimination and inequality, and the formation of a Sephardic political party in 1984 was a crucial milestone in Jewish social and economic justice. For almost 30 years, Shas was led by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the former Israel Chief Sephardic Rabbi and spiritual leader, and Shas has remained one of Israel's top political parties.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

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January 20, 2017

Find Your Government Representatives, EASY

Wanted to share this useful tool...it's call My Reps

And you can find out YOUR county, state, and federal government elected officials.

All you do is type in your zip code. 

Get the names, address, telephone numbers, and even some emails for contacting your representatives about the issues you care about. 

This is what democracy is all about. 

Your officials represent you and they need to hear from you--let your voice be heard!

Great little app from the Center for Technology and Civic Life...thank you. ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal via My Reps website)
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August 20, 2013

Choosing Between Democracy and Freedom

This is a photo I took in the Metro in Washington D.C. 

It is an advertisement for a cessation of hostilities in Syria where estimates are over 100,000 people killed in civil war, so far. 

Now in Egypt, you have about 1,000 killed in the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood and violence continues there as well. 

What is really confusing is that in both cases you have terrorists and extremists fighting more secular societies--yet, we do not unequivocally support the secularists in their battle again Jihadists.

At the same time, we went to war for a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan to fight a "war on terror" and to this day it continues with somewhat regular drone attacks. 

While I understand that as a Democracy we need to support fair and free elections, does this mean we have to buttress up fundamentalists, extremists, and terrorists--just because they got voted in. 

Sometimes, people don't know or understand what they are voting for until its too late, which seems to be what happened in Egypt when the people elected the Muslim Brotherhood. 

Similarly, the Nazi party in Germany in the 1930's won many seats in the Reichstag, and we know the ten of millions murdered and the destruction that this led to. 

Democracy, does not mean good always prevails, but when evil is rightfully elected what are we to do--simply support free elections or support good over evil? 

Perhaps, the notion of good and evil is a little simplistic (especially when neither side may be very good), but the idea is the same, are we fighting for free elections or the better candidate in terms of overall freedom, human rights, and world peace.

Can we really afford to straddle the fence here?  ;-)

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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