— Feature, Musings —08.08.2024 04:02 PM
Summertime bits and pieces
It’s Summer. It’s almost the weekend. Here’s some contextless, linkless bits of this and that.
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For anyone who wants a coherent foreign policy, particularly as it relates to Israel, the Tories are the only logical choice. Like, I don’t know what the Liberals are doing anymore.
I don’t think they know, either.
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Related: 75 per cent of American Jews have always voted Democrat. The only cycle where that changed somewhat was in the Reagan years. In Canada, I would be surprised if the Liberals and New Democrats federally get a single Jewish vote.
That’s an exaggeration, but not by much.
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I just watched and listened to some of Donald Trump’s “press conference.”
Just as I said about Joe Biden, it’s not right for anyone who has not medically examined Trump to say that he has cognitive issues.
But, man oh man.
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You can’t really say the Supreme Court of Canada is wrong or right in the Jordan Peterson case – they simply refused to hear it. Courts usually don’t like substituting their views with that of professional bodies. That’s normal. (Why else have such bodies?)
Me, I think professional bodies should not police the social media of their membership if the social media commentary is unrelated to the profession. That’s a very slippery slope.
I say that, too, as someone who is no fan of Dr. Peterson’s stuff. It has a distinctly culty feel to it, to me.
And: Andre Marin was Ontario Ombudsman and complained about me to the Law Society, using public resources and staff because I had been critical of his conduct in that office. Nobody ever compensated me for the time lost. The Law Society never acknowledged they were wrong to even consider the case.
Oh, and I won.
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“Harris Doesn’t Support Arms Embargo on Israel, a Top Adviser Says.”
That’s a New York Times headline. But by all means, MAGA types, keep believing the two Israel-haters who say she does without a scintilla of fucking proof.
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I believe every political party and ideology has an anti-Semitism problem. No one is covered in virtue. The Left presently has the biggest problem, of course.
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PSA: just as I block disinformation and bullshit from Israel haters, I will block disinformation and bullshit from Kamala haters.
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I’ve been researching ISIS and Hamas a lot, lately. Those who know, know why.
Someone told me ISIS and Hamas are the same.
Not really. They both want a caliphate, but initially in different places. Also, ISIS is much more a virtual operation. Not IRL. Also, statistically, Islamic terrorists radicalized online have a way way higher failure rate when it comes to attacks.
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You sleep for a third of your life.
In the first few years, you wish it was a lot less.
In the latter years, you’re okay with moving sleepy time to two-thirds. Four-fifths, actually.
Congratulations Warren – A great contrast! – you’ve rambled through various topics yet remain coherent and intelligent. Thankful you are not coaching the orange haired man who can ramble through various topics and appear incoherent and nauseating.
Let’s be honest – Peterson got the precise outcome that he wanted. His ilk wants the narrative that he is an oppressed victim with no voice (despite him never having shut the fuck up at any given point in the last 20 years), and the court dismissal plays right into that.
I personally agree with Warren though – the guy and his devoted followers are weird as shit, but weird enough to ban? IDK.
This is the thing. Banning him plays right into a victim narrative.
I don’t care for a number of things he’s said (his current position on gay marriage, for example, is idiotic and utterly unworthy of somebody who tries to hold himself as a serious intellectual). But a College of Psychologists has no expertise in free speech rights or Charter jurisprudence. Those matters should be determined by real courts with real judges with the expertise and mandate to deal with those matters.
There is no cogent foreign policy on Israel. There’s exhaustedly trying to figure out how to support peace, civility, and the right to life while others demand that you decide which group of people should be exterminated. In this, for possibly the first time in 9 years, the Liberals got something sort of right, if only because the incoherence is now the least evil path available.
There is no moral or logical high ground in demanding unconditional support for a government who’s Finance Minister just went on TV to whine like a child that he isn’t allowed to simply murder 2 million people. None whatsoever.
The Harris – Walz ticket is the best movie ever written.
Not so sure. This one doesn’t feature any loveseats.
Warren, do you think that there’s any truth to the reports that Josh Shapiro was considered untouchable for Veep this year because he is Jewish?
To ask the question is to answer it.
While I realize it was directed at Warren, In My opinion the answer to your question is – yes it was a big reason. Joe Lieberman as VP – how did that work out?
The democrats want to be the party of everyone and they do a decent job of it. It’s my opinion that for average person on front porch USA TODAY there is one minority that is neither appealing to defend nor generally Liberal that would be the Jewish minority.
I don’t think it’s changed much just look how long it took Americans to join the fight against Nazis’ extermination policies. If I remember my history it was the Japanese attack in Pearl Harbour that got them “all in”.
Race comes into play for almost every American societal challenge. Antisemitism is just another equally bad form of racism.
Is every American racist? Well no, but every of the 70% of Americans who happen to be white are related to someone whose deep racial bias is heard.
Phil – the Holocaust was not a factor in the decision of the US to enter WWII. That was entirely predicated on Pearl Harbor, as you said.
Antisemitism is pervasive, but is not near as malignant as anti-black racism is in the US. A cursory look at US prison slavery in 2024 will tell you that. But people fixated on either kind of hate have a strong tendency to not vote Democrat anyway.
But there were lots of folks in the government working towards that goal for that very reason. And a lot of them were…accountants! This is a really enjoyable and interesting read:
https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2024/06/middle-aged-tax-attorney-treasury-department-try-to-bring-down-hitler.html
Because he’s Jewish? No. Because he’s outspoken on behalf of Israel? Absolutely.
The GOP narrative that “Harris doesn’t like Jews” sounds remarkably stupid given she’s been married to one for a decade.
The Democrats didn’t want to upset the pro-Palestine side.
I found it telling that Kamala Harris told anti-Israel hecklers to be quiet unless they ‘want Donald Trump to win’.
She is clearly saying that once the election is over, she will side with Palestine – but can’t now or else Trump might win.
I don’t know why the Democrats have become a magnet for anti-Semitism – but they have and it’s disturbing.
It really amazes me that any Jewish person could support the Democrats, but it also amazes me that people didn’t realize the anti-Semitism in the Liberal Party until Oct. 7, 2023.
Off topic but, good lord:
“Looking across sectors, job gains were concentrated in the public sector (+41k). The private sector lost jobs in July (-42k).”
And in other news, Erika Alexander, granddaughter of Lincoln, just named the candidate for Hamilton West which looks like will flip. Someone named Tassi currently has the seat. Never heard of her. You literally can’t get much more PC than that.
Peterson is a cult
Warren’s right that every party has a problem with antisemitism. It’s an ancient and deep seeded suspicion that has always been alive in the gut of this society – so sad we haven’t moved past this crap
The College of Psychologists should not be adjudicating on fundamental free speech rights set out in the Charter. They are not experts in Charter or free speech jurisprudence. Period.
Some deference to administrative bodies is warranted, but that deference should be with respect to the particular area of expertise possessed by that body. Nothing more.
And I’m not some Jordan Peterson fanboy, there are lots of things he’s said that I don’t agree with.