THE FURTHER CORRESPONDENCES OF MARC SUSSELMAN PART 19

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11 February 2024

MS said:

MAD, the ignorant anti-Zionist who knows absolutely nothing of Jewish history; knows nothing of the presence of Jews in Palestine centuries before there were Christians or Muslims living there; knows nothing of their continued presence there after the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, throughout the medieval period, throughout the conquest (not peacefully) by the Arab Muslims, throughout the existence of the Ottoman Empire, throughout WWI and WWII; knows nothing of the Zionists’ agricultural cultivation of the land left fallow by the Arabs; knows nothing of the UN partition of Palestine, accepted by the Jews, but rejected by the Arabs; knows nothing of the Israelis repeated efforts to reach a peace settlement with the Arabs, states, in his ignorance:

“Those who are informed about American policy and know even something historically accurate about the Palestine Israel conflict can distinguish what is factual useful information and what is propaganda in favor of Israel. The majority of people do not have that ability and so, without independent sources such as social media, would come to have a very warped view of the conflict as most older Americans do.”

What an idiot.

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12 February 2024

MS said:

The ###-hole speaks once again.

“[N]either side [Hamas v. Israel] in this ugly conflict is acceptable to any decent thinking human being.”

And, of course, the ###hole counts himself among the “decent thinking” human beings. I am looking forward to his canonization.

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14 February 2024

MS said:

Canadian PM Denounces 'Reprehensible' Protest Targeting Jewish Hospital in Toronto

Canadian PM Denounces 'Reprehensible' Protest Targeting Jewish Hospital in Torontoaily-brief&utm_content=5bc73554e1

This is the face of the pro-Palestinian protesters whom the knee-jerk, liberal commenters on Wolff’s blog praise and support – protesters who blocked traffic in front of a Jewish hospital in Toronto, shouting, “Long live the intifada” – protests in the West Bank and Gaza calling for the destruction of Israel, and death to its Jewish inhabitants. This the face of the people whom ###-holes like wallerstein, Eric, MAD, and aalll claim to be “decent loving people,” who, according to these simplistic idiots, have “morality” on their side.

To Prime Minister Trudeau’s benefit, he denounced the protest as “reprehensible” and the Mayor of Toronto stated, “Targeting Jewish institutions is antisemitic and hate has no place in our city.”

But to s. wallerstein, who pats himself on the back about how “sensitive” he is, and deplores how people are insensitive and do not reach out to others in need – including a fallen wallerstein, who tripped over a sidewalk defect, as people walked by without offering him assistance. Yes, wallerstein is a very sensitive, caring human being, who praises the beleaguered, oppressed Palestinians – supporters of Hamas, which has murdered, raped, and dismembered Israelis. Yes, wallerstein knows what is moral, and what is not, and we could all learn from him, the sensitive human being – who has been in therapy for 30 years, which obviously has done no good.

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Michael said:

Marc,

I grew up watching Steven Spielberg films & have been highly entertained by him my entire life. When I watched films like Schindler's List I thought that enemies like the Nazis would never be a threat to the Jewish world ever again. But events right now are mimicking the 1930s. Ukraine's war is like Spain's Civil War. Iran & its proxies are like the Nazis. Russia right now is acting like Imperial Japan was in the 1930s. However, the players are different this time. Japan is peaceful like China in the 1930s. Germany is like Poland during WW2. And the United States is acting like Great Britain in the 1920s & 1930s. All I know is that if the Earth's politics continues to mimick the 1930s & 1940s then World War III could be right around the corner...

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MS said:

I agree with your last comment on your blog. Yes, the world is regressing to its worst manifestations during the 1930s and 1940s - only the culprits have changed.

Thank you for your comment, and for continuing to post my comments, including my invectives against wallerstein, who obviously sickens me.

Marc

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Michael said:

Marc, you are most welcome.

(And although I don't agree with SW on many things I have to say that I believe he is a good man inside. That's because from what I've read I know he's an almsgiver. To me that's the Gold Standard of what a good man is. Especially if that person does not practice one of the three Abrahamic faiths. If one doesn't side with the Jewish people I believe one is cursed. But if one never did anything for the poor one is cursed too. "The person who never gives to the poor will give to the hospital."--The Talmud. Of course, whoever blesses the Jewish people gets blessed by God. And because you, Marc, are fighting for the nation of Israel & the Jewish people & their survival, I believe you are most blessed by the Creator himself. God bless you, Sir.)

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MS said:

Conversations and interactions I have recently had with people in Michigan have me very concerned about the election, and Trump’s chances of getting re-elected. I am starting to seriously worry.

In the last two weeks, I have sent castigating emails to members of the pot-luck group which my wife and I belong to. Many of them are Republicans. They are all, or claim to be, religious, Christian church-goers. My emails have called them to account questioning how they can support Trump – if they are indeed supporting Trump – and can claim to be religious. I received only one response – out of 10 members – giving me some push-back. Then I received an email from one of the members indicating that two other members had requested that I remove them from my email list, indicating that they are sick and tired of receiving my “liberal nonsense.”

Last week I had a court hearing, via Zoom, for one of my clients who is fighting with her landlord over a threatened eviction. I am also representing her in a custody battle with her former husband. (I am representing her in both cases pro bono.) She has no car. She has no computer. She communicates with me using her cell phone, so, for example, when she gets served with legal papers, she photographs the papers and emails the photographs to me. Since she has no car, when we have a hearing, I pick her up at her apartment, bring her to my home/office to participate in the Zoom hearing, and drive her back to her apartment. At the hearing, I was able to forestall her eviction. Driving her back, we got to talk about politics. Given her impoverished circumstances, I assumed that she was supporting Biden. I was wrong. She told me she was supporting Trump, because her life was much easier when he was President. I thought to myself, you have been poor for years, and I don’t believe Trump enriched your life one iota, but I resisted saying this. I only told her that she was bonkers, and left it at that.

The same day of the hearing, on my way home I saw an elderly man walking near my house. He looked to be about my age, in his 70s. I stopped my car, and rolled down my window to ask him a question I had been asking many strangers last week – Chiefs or 49ers. He responded, unhesitantly, “49ers.” He said he was sick and tired of hearing about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. I noticed he was wearing a military service cap, and decided to extend our conversation. I pulled into my driveway, got out of my car, and engaged him in conversation for about 20 minutes. I asked him if he had served in the military. He said No, that he had tried to enlist in 1966, but was rejected because he suffered from asthma. But he had two younger brothers who served in Vietnam; both had been wounded, but survived. I told him about my experience joining the Army Reserve in 1970, being sent to Ft. Campbell Ky. for my basic training, and then, being a graduate student in Philosphy, anomalously being assigned to artillery for my MOS (military occupational specialty) and sent to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. I told him how harrowing the experience was, even though I did not serve in Vietnam. He asked me what nationality I was. I pointed at the menorah in my front window, and asked him if he knew what that was. He said he did not. I asked him if he knew what Hanukah was. He said he did not. I told him I was Jewish. He said he did not understand why so many Jewish people supported the Democrats, given how badly the Democrats treat them. I tried to explain that it was President Truman who supported the founding of the State of Israel. We were having a very pleasant conversation, so I decided to go out on a limb, and asked him if he was nervous about the upcoming election. He responded, that Yes, he was nervous. I thought to myself, at last, maybe I had found a Biden supporter. I asked him what he was nervous about. He responded that he was nervous that Biden would get re-elected, that he could not stand the man, that he was totally incompetent, and that we needed to re-elect Trump in order to restore stability and sanity in our country. I did not argue with him. I told him I did not agree with him, shook his hand, thanked him for talking with me, and went into my house.

Yesterday I was doing some grocery shopping and saw another elderly man, who was wearing a U.S. Army cap, with multiple insignia on it. I stopped to talk with him, and asked him if he had served in Vietnam. He said he had, in the infantry. I know that was the worst form of service during the Vietnam War. He told me that, even today, he is criticized for having served in Vietnam, and it angers him. He indicated that he lost his hearing in both ears during the war. One of his first cousins was killed. I asked him about President Bush and the Iraq war; he responded that it was a stupid war, and blamed Bush. Finally, I thought, maybe I had found someone not supporting Trump. I asked him how he felt about Trump’s criticism and mocking of Senator McCain – surely, I thought, that must have angered him. He just shrugged. And then he said, he hates Biden; that Biden doesn’t know what he is doing; that the military has deteriorated during his Presidency, and that he is supporting Trump 100%. He complained that under Biden, his veteran benefits have been denied. I asked him, given his deafness whether he was receiving veteran disability payments. He said, No, that he has been fighting with the Biden administration about his right to receive veteran disability payments. I told him I am an attorney, gave him my telephone number and told him to call me. I wished him a good day and resumed my grocery shopping.

Now, I am aware that these are only anecdotal stories, and do not constitute a valid statistical survey. But they give me reason to be concerned – and should give all of us who despise Trump reason to be concerned. Something is going on which neither I, nor any of the political pundits I have listened to can explain or understand. There is something about Trump’s unorthodox iconoclasm that a lot of people find appealing. I don’t get it – but there it is. And if Biden loses Michigan, he is likely to lose the election. I don’t have any answers – but we should all start to worry, seriously worry, although worrying won’t change the outcome.

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15 February 2024

MS said:

I watched the entire hearing on the motion to disqualify Fani Willis in the Atlanta courtroom today. It was a fascinating hearing, with superb performances by all the attorneys on both sides, monitored by an outstanding, fair-minded judge.

Here are my take-aways:

1. The former employee in Willis’s office who leased her condominium to Willis testified that she was aware, without a doubt, that Willis and Wade had been involved in a romantic relationship for at least a year before Willis hired Wade to be a special prosecutor on the Trump election fraud case. This contradicted Wade’s affidavit that the relationship began after he was hired. Willis’s attorney tried to impeach the former employee by suggesting that she was not being truthful in order to retaliate against Willis for forcing her to resign. If the judge believes the former employee (which, of course, he may not), then Wade committed perjury in his affidavit.

2. But whether Wade committed perjury, and when the relationship actually began. are irrelevant unless the defense attorneys can prove that she financially benefited from the relationship by virtue of Wade using his income from his appointment as special prosecutor to pay for their several vacations together. Willis testified that she reimbursed Wade in cash for either half, or all, of the money Wade spent on those vacations. She testified that she has always kept several thousand dollars in cash wherever she lived, and always travelled with cash. So, unless the defense can disprove this, then the claim against Willis will fail. I do not see how they can disprove it. Willis’s testimony is, and will remain, I believe, unrebutted.

Therefore, the bottom line is that the judge will deny the motion to disqualify Willis, and she will continue to serve as the Fulton County District Attorney in charge of the Trump prosecution.

In sum, I hereby retract my repeated claim that Willis is toast. She has succeeded in dodging the bullet.

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16 February 2024

MS said:

"https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2024/02/15/laura-coates-fani-willis-dangerous-personal-testimony-trump-georgia-case-vpx.cnn"

I am amazed by how supposed “legal experts” get the law wrong. In the above link, a supposed “legal expert” claims that Fani Willis successfully rebutted the claim that she had financially benefited from her appointment of Mr. Wade as a special prosecutor by testifying that she, and Mr. Wade, had multiple sources of income outside her, and his, work as prosecutors. This is irrelevant. The fact that a person has multiple sources of income does not prove that s/he did not receive additional monetary reward, unlawfully, over and above the other sources of income. The issue is whether, regardless how many sources of income she and Mr. Wade have, did she reimburse Wade for his expenditures on trips they took together, where at least some of the money for Wade to pay for those expenditures came from his income as special prosecutor, due to Willis’s appointment to that position.

As I stated in my email yesterday, it is going to be very difficult for the defense attorneys to rebut Willis’s testimony that she repaid all of Mr. Wade’s expenditures on their trips together using cash. One way it can be done is by urging the factfinder – in this case the judge – to infer from the fact that Mr. Wade lied in his affidavit, and in his testimony at the hearing, that he and Ms. Willis did not begin to have a romantic relationship until after he was appointed special prosecutor. This was contradicted by the testimony of Ms. Yeartie, Ms. Willis’ former friend and co-worker. If the judge believes her, then he has to conclude that Mr. Wade committed perjury, as well as Ms. Willis during her testimony at the hearing. A standard jury instruction is that if a factfinder concludes that a witness lied regarding issue x, they have the right to infer that the same witness also lied regarding issue y. This all depends, of course, on whether the judge believes Ms. Yeartie over Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis.

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17 February 2024

MS said:

This morning I emailed the following statement to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

State of Israel
Prime Minister’s Office

Prime Minister Netanyahu,

I am a Jewish American and a staunch supporter of Israel and its right to self-defense against Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations which call for the annihilation of the State of Israel. I support the IDF’s military actions in Gaza in response to the barbaric massacre which Hamas committed against Israelis on October 7. I reject false equivalencies which accuse Israel of committing a genocide of the Palestinian people; I condemn the protesters, in the United States and elsewhere, who chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” an anti-Semitic catch-phrase which calls for the annihilation of Israel as a Jewish state, and the extermination or forced removal of the Jewish citizens residing there.

That said, I have seen reports and videos on the internet which have documented lethal assaults by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank – Palestinians who have not been engaged in any protests against Israel; Palestinians who have simply been going about their daily business in an effort to survive under very harsh circumstances. Recently, it was documented that a group of Israeli settlers shot and killed a 16-year old Palestinian-American who was driving with some friends to attend a barbecue. The pleas for justice by his distraught father are heart-wrenching.

See

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbWLq2qzGqM"

Nothing in the Torah; nothing in the Talmud; nothing in Jewish history, or in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, justifies the murder of innocent, non-aggressive individuals, regardless their religion, nationality, race, ethnicity, or political persuasion.

Another video which has been posted on the internet shows Palestinians in Gaza carrying white flags, being shot at, killing one of them.

See

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGdyXRHS2Ig"

One cannot determine from the video whether the shots are being fired by members of the IDF, or by members of Hamas murdering its own people in order to stigmatize the IDF. But I have seen no explanation of this event, no denunciation of this event, published by Israel. Many Americans, including Jewish Americans, and many individuals around the world who see this video are assuming that the shots were fired by members of the IDF, and it is alienating support for Israel in the United States, and around the world.

Another video shows Israeli soldiers celebrating the destruction of mosques using explosives.

See

"https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/02/15/exp-amanpour-idf-social-media-pkg-021501pseg2-cnni-world.cnn"

Now, I appreciate that in Israel’s military operation in Gaza, given that Hamas uses schools, hospitals, and mosques to house its armaments and military operations, in the justified effort to eliminate Hamas as a threat to Israel collateral damage will inevitably occur resulting in the destruction of property, and even the death of innocent Palestinian civilians. But this is not collateral damage. This video shows members of the IDF celebrating the deliberate destruction of a Muslim house of worship, something that is not condoned in the Torah, in the Talmud, or in any military operations manual. If a video surfaced showing Palestinians deliberating destroying synagogues in Israel, Israel would expect the world to respond with outrage at such reprehensible conduct. Why should Israel expect the world to respond any differently to the senseless, gratuitous destruction of mosques, with Jewish soldiers celebrating their rowdyism?

These events, reports and videos portray Israel as replicating the barbarism of its enemies. They show Israel in a light which is contrary to the Jewish precepts which I was raised to believe are at the heart of Judaism, and which identify Judaism as a religion of morality. These events, reports and videos are, as I say, alienating support for Israel among Jewish Americans, and Israel cannot afford to lose the support of Jewish Americans. They are also alienating support among people of good character around the world, people who want to support Israel, but who are dismayed at seeing these acts of barbarism being committed by Israelis and Israeli soldiers. And they, and Israel’s failure to respond to them expeditiously, effectively and convincingly, are turning Israel into a pariah state, a status from which it will be unable to rehabilitate itself, regardless how successful its military effort to destroy Hamas.

It is therefore imperative, and I call upon you and your government in the strongest terms possible, for Israel to put a stop to the attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian civilians immediately, and to prosecute those who have committed such unlawful acts to the fullest extent of the law. It is imperative, and I call upon you and your government in the strongest terms possible, to investigate and court-martial any members of the IDF who fire upon Palestinians waving white flags of truce. It is imperative, and I call upon you and your government in the strongest terms possible, to prohibit any further destruction of mosques for the entertainment of members of the IDF, and to take severe disciplinary action against soldiers who engage in this deplorable conduct. It is imperative, and I call upon you and your government in the strongest terms possible, to take measures which insure, as best as humanly, reasonably possible, that Israeli citizens, Israeli settlers, and Israeli soldiers, adhere to the Jewish precepts set forth in the Torah and the Talmud which are supposed to distinguish Judaism as a religion of morality.

I urge this in the name of the Jewish people in Israel, and of the millions of Jews in the Diaspora, to save the soul of Israel, and to stop its descent into barbarism.

Yours truly,

Marc Susselman, J.D., M.P.H., a proud Jew, who wants to remain a proud Jew and supporter of Israel

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MS said:

I only watched part of the resumed Fani Willis hearing on Friday, but it is my understanding that the hearing adjourned at the end of the day with two text messages between Mr. Bradley, Mr. Wade’s former law partner, and Ms. Merchant Mr. Roman’s defense attorney being examined in camera to evaluate their relevance and whether they are protected by the attorney-client privilege.. Ms. Merchant contends, as I understand it, that the texts fortify the conclusion that Ms. Willlis and Mr. Wade began their romantic relationship before Mr. Wade was appointed as special prosecutor. If this is the case, then the messages would contradict their testimony during the hearing, and in Mr. Wade’s affidavit, that the relationship began after his appointment, and would indicate that both Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade committed perjury.

The significance of this would be two-fold. If the judge concludes that the texts are relevant and not precluded by the attorney-client privilege, and if they provide evidence that the romantic relationship began before Ms. Willis appointed Mr. Wade as special prosecutor, then this evidence, combined with Ms. Yeartie’s testimony, based on her personal observations that the relationship began before Mr. Wade’s appointment, the judge would have no choice but to conclude that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade committed perjury. This in turn would require that he disqualify both Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade from continuing to preside over the prosecution of Trump and the other defendants. A judge may not allow attorneys who have committed perjury to represent clients in a case in which the perjury is relevant. Perjury is also a basis for disbarment. This is true regardless whether there is insufficient evidence to disprove that Ms. Willis reimbursed Mr. Wade for his expenditures on their trips together using cash.

Second, if the texts provide evidence that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade lied about when their romantic relationship commenced, then as the factfinder, he is entitled to infer that it is likely that they also lied about whether Ms. Willis repaid Mr. Wade using cash.

So, while Ms. Willis may not be “toast,” she is not yet in the clear. We will know better when the hearing resumes next week.

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MS said:

I read the English translation of the statement by Edgar Morin. He is entitled, of course, to his opinion. But I have a Jewish client and friend who is in his 90s, who lived in France during WWII and survived the Holocaust, and who vehemently disagrees with Mr. Morin’s views regarding Israel.

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18 February 2024

MS said:

Retired Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz agrees with me:

“There are two issues. One is, was there any financial benefit to the district attorney or to her boyfriend? And, that the judge will allow inquiry into. But the even more important issue is did either or both of them commit perjury or conspire to commit perjury when they allegedly stated under oath that their relationship became sexual only after he began working for her,” Dershowitz stated. “If that’s not true, and there is apparently a witness out there who is prepared to testify under oath that that’s not true, we may end up having a criminal trial, but not of Donald Trump. We may have a criminal trial of this couple for their perjury. The question is, what will be the scope of the judge’s inquiry? I hope he permits inquiry into the truth or falsity of the affidavits.”

“You can’t allow the district attorney and a special district attorney to get away with perjury, if, in fact, they committed perjury. If they didn’t, the record ought to be clear they didn’t commit perjury, that they had a platonic relationship and it somehow evolved into a sexual relationship only after he began working for her — which sounds very very unlikely,” Dershowitz stated.

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19 February 2024

MS said:

The ###hole speaks once again:

“There is one thing that I am sure of. Israel is committing atrocities and war crimes, probably genocide, in their invasion of Gaza and that is not acceptable in a civilized world.”

This from a person who has never served in the military (I have), knows nothing about the internal military directives of the Israeli government; knows nothing about what intelligence the IDF has regarding Hamas; and who cannot explain from whence he derives his moral judgments.

What is his evidence that Israel is “committing atrocities and war crimes, probably genocide”? He presumably draws this inference on the basis of the number of Palestinian civilians, including children, who have been killed in the process of Israel’s military actions in Gaza to destroy Hamas, a political organization whose express purpose is to annihilate Israel, and kill or displace all of the Jews who live there. Does he have any evidence that it is Israel’s intention, as part of its military maneuvers, to annihilate the Palestinian people, like that which the Nazis openly expressed about their intention to exterminate the Jews as a people. No, he does not. He would claim, I presume, that he can infer that this is their intention by virtue of the number of Palestinian civilians, including children, who have died during Israel’s military operations in Gaza, without evidence that these deaths have been ordered as Israel’s objective. He does not appreciate the very circularity of his argument. Can he define what, in international law, constitutes an “atrocity”? No, he cannot; he repudiates the significance of law as being apocryphal, specious. Can he define what, in international law, constitutes a “war crime”? No, he cannot; he repudiates the significance of law as being apocryphal, specious. Rather, he knows all these things, despite his ignorance, because, well because, after all he is s. wallerstein, and he is a “sensitive” human being who deplores humanity’s inhumanity to others. All hail s. wallerstein, the sensitive prophet.

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MS said:

I believe the information which Prof. Wolff is seeking in today's question can be found at

"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_public_corporations_by_market_capitalization"

which lists the market value of the top ten public corporations in the world, which incudes U.S. companies.

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20 February 2024

MS said:

I want to thank aaall for publicizing the Washington Post article about Israel's nuclear weapons and the recent threat by two members of Netanyahu's government to deploy those weapons in Gaza.

Below is a letter which I emailed to my Jewish friends regarding this upsetting development.

It was reported in the Washington Post this week that the Israeli government has crossed a nuclear Rubicon: for the first time in Israel’s history, two elected Israeli officials – a government minister and a member of the Knesset – recommended deploying Israel’s nuclear weapons in Gaza. I have already sent an email to Prime Minister Netanyahu castigating his government for its failure to prosecute settlers who are attacking and killing Palestinians; for its failure to discipline members of the IDF who have boasted about blowing up mosques. I accused his government of descending into barbarism. Now, it appears, insanity is starting to take over in the Netanyahu government as well. Israel is becoming a pariah state.

It obliges us, Jewish Americans who support Israel and its right to exist, who recognize that a lot of criticism of Israel is an oblique form of anti-Semitism, to communicate with Netanyahu and his government that they are on the brink of losing support in the United States, and around the world, and are threatening Israel’s very survival, not by the actions of Hamas, but by their own incompetence.

It is easy to communicate with Netanyahu’s State Department, as I have. The Israeli State Department has a form online that you can fill out and email to the Prime Minister expressing your concerns.

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21 February 2024

MS said:

“Back in the 70's I had a girl friend who was getting her Phd in artificial intelligence (linguistics) in Stanford and I used to accompany to the computer center at times. I had never used a computer before.

Anyway, this is the birth of Silicon Valley and I observed lots of guys (all guys except her) who probably all went on to found billionaire high tech companies and were then graduate students.

They had zero high culture, zero. Their idea of a fun past-time was to watch war movies on TV and to cheer, shouting and clapping, when the "good guys" killed a "bad guy" or blew up an "enemy" target or airplane.

They were losers who were to become winners as Silicon Valley took over the world and as former losers, will and do revenge themselves on the rest of us.”

This is the ###hole’s take on contemporary culture, in which he passes judgment on nerd “losers” who just happen to be wealthier than he, but are not as sophisticated as he, and do not appreciate the niceties of cultivated society, as he does. The fact that they make a lot of money, stigmatizes them in the ###hole’s mind, because, after all, it is much more cultivated and moral to be poor, and wallow in self-pity.

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MS said:

At last, a voice of morality in Israel calling renegade IDF soldiers to account and demanding that IDF commanders take control over their troops.

"https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-02-21/ty-article/.premium/top-idf-lawyer-some-israeli-soldiers-have-engaged-in-criminal-behavior-during-war/0000018d-cbb5-d6e9-a38d-fbbdc0610000?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=Content&utm_campaign=israel-at-war&utm_content=de5cd1d4db"

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MS said:

There was a disturbing and alarming report on the PBS News Hour tonight. Apparently there is AI technology which allows its users to create realistic videos based on merely suggesting a topic. The AI expert on the segment expressed his significant concern that such technology, especially in our election year, could be used to transmit false videos of candidates engaging in phony activities, e.g., a video supposedly depicting President Biden being admitted into a hospital after suffering a heart attack, which would depress voter support for him.

After watching the report, it struck me that it is quite possible that such technology is already being used against Israel, e.g., the videos which have been posted on the internet showing Palestinian civilians waving white flags being shot at, which most viewers conclude depict IDF soldiers killing innocent Palestinians; or the video of IDF soldiers blowing up mosques, which even angered me. How do we know that any of these videos are authentic?

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Michael said:

I believe experts, & their less educated proxies, can still look at the detail in video forging and still separate the chaff from the wheat. But each year technology improves & we get closer to Total Recall, The Matrix, Deep Space Nine's Holosweets, Plato's Metaphor of the Cave, Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy, & Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason all becoming more & more real and more & more of a threat to individuals & society.

The only real cure for mental illness patients is for them to always be skeptical of anyone & everything and for them to always take their medication and not to drink alcohol nor do drugs. A great story that shows this is "A Beautiful Mind" with actor Russell Crowe playing celebrated economist John Nash. A very Oscar worthy performance in my opinion.

Now that's a quasi cure for someone suffering from mental illness concerning false realities. A cure for being imprisoned inside a Holosuite? You've got to wait until the electricity runs out.

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22 February 2024

MS said:

I have some free legal advice for anyone who lives in Alabama: If you have any frozen embryos in storage, do not attempt to move them across the Alabama state line – you could be criminally prosecuted for kidnapping.

The decision by the Alabama Supreme Court holding that frozen embryos constitute human beings protected under Alabama law is one of the most bizarre decisions by a state supreme court that I have ever read. The Chief Justice, Tom Parker (can anyone think of a more mundane name?) opined in a concurring opinion that “[T]he principle … that human life is fundamentally distinct from other forms of life and cannot be taken intentionally without justification – has deep roots that reach back to the creation of man ‘in the image of God.’ Genesis 1:27 (King James).” If that doesn’t violate the prohibition in the First Amendment against the establishment of religion, I do not know what would. Moreover, the argument is circular, because it assumes what it intends to prove – that “human life” inheres in the potential of human life – the embryo – before it has fully evolved into the actuality.

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MS said:

Reading the comments on Wolff’s blog by the sanctimonious liberals criticizing the actions of world leaders as corrupt and unscrupulous (the most prominent being the ###hole wallerstein), I am reminded of the exchange in the movie China Town between the detective Gittes (played by Jack Nicholson) and the tycoon Noah Cross (played by the great actor/director John Huston), in which Cross responds to Gittes’ inquiry questioning Cross’s motives for his unscrupulous conduct. Cross responds:

“You see Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they’re capable of Anything.”

The sanctimonious critics on Wolff’s blog sit in the comforts of their abode, never having actually really done anything of note to help the underprivileged in the world for whom they wax poetic tributes; never having risked anything; never having gotten off their academic pedantic asses to do any more than engage in political protests protected by the 1st Amendment; and throw verbal brickbats at political leaders who have taken the risk of actually getting into the arena and participating in the political combat of the cause of one side or the other. The sanctimonious critics have the intellectual luxury of not knowing how exactly they would act if they were confronted with the temptations that wielding power confronts those who actually engage in active political advocacy, rather than just talking about it.

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MS said:

A Texas judge has made the incredibly stupid ruling that a school district near Houston which has prohibited a male student from wearing his African hair style did not violate the student’s rights under what is referred to as the Texas Crown Act, which states, in relevant part: “Any student dress or grooming policy adopted by a school district, including a student dress or grooming policy for any extracurricular activity, may not discriminate against a hair texture or protective hairstyle commonly or historically associated with race.”

The school district asserted that if the student’s braids – which are tightly wound on the top of his head – were untangled, they would exceed the hair length approved by the district. Both the school district and the judge are clearly bonkers and/or racist. The fact of the matter is that the student’s hair is not untangled. The ruling is clearly contrary to the intent and spirit of the statute’s terms. The judge’s insane ruling is just another demonstration of judicial abuse of power.

In addition, the judge’s application of the statute is unconstitutional, because it violates the student’s right to substantive due process under the 14th Amendment, the same violation which the Supreme Court held was violated by laws which prohibited gay marriage in Obergefell. Government has no right to tell anyone how they can style their hair, as long as it does not present a health or safety risk to others. This student has now been barred from school for some 6 months. I called his attorney’s office to recommend that he file a lawsuit in federal court challenging the judge’s application of the statute as an unconstitutional infringement on his client’s substantive due process rights – for which he would be entitled to damages for his emotional distress. The attorney has not called me back, as yet.

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MS said:

And for faux intellectual stimulation we have the masturbation dialogue exchange between wallerstein and Pillette.

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23 February 2024

MS said:

Is Max Richards’ comment a joke? A youth from the UK believes that John Pillette is an oracular seer of wisdom and is asking him, along with John Rapko and wallerstein, for life lessons on how to avoid "common pitfalls and [for their] sage wisdom." Really???

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MS said:

This morning, I sent the following statement to Prime Minister Netanyahui.

Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

February 23, 2024

On February 17 I emailed a letter to your office noting that actions, and inactions, by your government are eroding support for Israel in the American Jewish community - the attacks by settlers on Palestinian civilians; gun fire directed at Palestinians in Gaza while holding white flags of truce, apparently by members of the IDF; destruction of mosques by cheering IDF soldiers - and urged you and your government to take immediate action to address these atrocities.

The next day, I received the following response:

“Your message has been successfully sent. Where appropriate, you will receive a relevant reply.”

It has been six days since I sent the email, and I have not received any reply. Apparently your office does not deem it appropriate to respond to my letter, and your office does not regard my concerns -and the concerns of many Jewish Americans who support Israel – as relevant and deserving of a response.

Your office’s silence is both concerning and disturbing. In the week after I sent that letter, there was a report of the IDF destroying shipments of aid on the way to being delivered to civilians in Gaza.

See

"https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/21/middleeast/un-food-convoy-gaza-israel-strike-cmd-intl/index.html"

I have no way to determine the accuracy of this, or other reports of Israeli transgressions. However, I have not seen any response by your office asserting that these reports are not accurate, or explaining them.

Most Jews in the United States, and around the world, want earnestly to support Israel, it’s right to exist, and its fight for survival against Hamas and other terrorist organizations which are bent on its destruction and the annihilation of all the Jews living there. However, the actions and inactions of your government referred to above are tearing us apart, and seriously eroding support for Israel among your Jewish friends and allies in the United States and around the world. Israel cannot afford to lose that support. There is, of course, among Israel’s supporters here and around the world, no doubt that Israel’s invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas’s barbaric and inhumane massacre and abduction of Israeli citizens on October 7 is fully justified, and that it is Hamas which is responsible for necessitating Israel’s military response. Hamas has been the cause necessitating the Gaza military response.

That said, I am going to be blunt. Jews in the United States and around the world are not blind, and they are not stupid. They are aware that the Hamas massacre would not have occurred had you and your government been vigilant and had been carefully monitoring the Gaza border, as was your duty to protect the citizens of Israel, a duty you have repeatedly recognized; a duty you have claimed in your campaigns for re-election that you are cognizant of, and that you were the best qualified candidate to assure that this duty was fulfilled. On October 7, you and your government failed in its obligation to meet that duty, and it is apparent to Jews in the United States, and around the world, that the reason you failed in keeping your pledge to meet that duty was because you and your government were preoccupied with the issue relating to enacting legislation to reform the Israeli Supreme Court and limit its authority to review enactments by the Knesset. You and your government took your eyes off the ball, and are guilty of what in American law would be referred to as misfeasance of office. It is also apparent to Jews in the United States, and around the world, that a primary motivating factor for your role in advocating the reforms of the Israeli Supreme Court was your own self-interest in avoiding, or undoing, your pending criminal prosecution for alleged acts of corruption. In sum, you were placing your own self-interest above the interests of the people of Israel to be protected against a possible terror attack by Hamas and other enemies of Israel. You will, of course, deny this – but it is apparent to anyone who has eyes to see, ears to hear, and a brain to think. You are now compounding your misfeasance in office by seeking to compensate for it by launching the aggressive invasion of Gaza, an invasion that I, and most Jews supportive of Israel, recognize is justified and necessary, but would not have been necessary had you and your government been doing its job.. However, your government’s tolerance of the reprehensible actions and inactions noted above is not justified, and is not necessary for the protection and survival of Israel. This tolerance is having the opposite effect - it is eroding support for Israel in the United States and around the world, and presents as great an existential threat to the survival of Israel as that of Hamas and its terrorist collaborators. You and your government are dragging Israel into the mud, and along with it the pride and reputation of the Jewish people.

You are, no doubt, familiar with the statement by the philosopher George Santayana, that those who ignore history are bound to repeat it. The history of the Jewish people is replete with internal dissensions which ultimately resulted in the Diaspora and the Holocaust, starting with the feud between the Hasmonean brothers who were foolish enough to invite Pompey to resolve their dispute, which Pompey then used as an excuse for Rome to occupy Judea, in turn leading to the Bar Kochba revolt and its internal dissensions, Bar Kochba’s defeat, and the expulsion of the Jews and the Diaspora, which lasted for centuries. You and your government are creating dissension among the Jewish people, worldwide, dissension which is threatening Israel’s survival. You are placing your self-interest and your ego above the interests of Israel, the nation you claim to love, and above the interests of the Jewish people. If you and your government continue down its current path, you will go down in history as Israel’s worst Prime Minister, and as the Prime Minister who lost Israel. It is time for you to do the honorable thing, for Israel and for the Jewish people. It is time for you to resign – to save Israel.

Marc Susselman, J.D., M.P.H., a proud Jew who wants to remain a proud Jew and a supporter of Israel

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MS said:

More evidence that Fani Willis and Wade began their intimate relationship long before she hired him to be special prosecutor. If the court accepts the affidavit, it will provide further support indicating that she and Wade committed perjury during the hearing last week, requiring the judge to disqualify both of them from presiding over the Trump election fraud trial. " https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/trump-private-investigator-new-phone-data-casts-serious-doubt-on-fani-willis-relationship-5593536?utm_source=rtnewsnoe&src_src=rtnewsnoe&utm_campaign=rtbreaking-2024-02-23-1&src_cmp=rtbreaking-2024-02-23-1&utm_medium=email&est=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAbOM5dgAZ2tLN4L4PsEVeBrVzxw0NKCTIPb%2Fdf0%2Fq1sGTn8LkTOQV"

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24 February 2024

MS said:

Wow, these high school students from South Carolina are really smart and savvy. At first, I was encouraged. But then they predicted who they thought would win the election – and my heart sank.

"https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2024/02/24/south-carolina-students-gop-primary-gary-tuchman-ac360-vpx.cnn"

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Michael said:

I thought what the young lady said about Trump playing chess while every other candidate was playing checkers was particularly wise of her until I realized that chess is easier for me than checkers since I forgot how to play checkers but I remember how to play chess. What I do remember somewhat is it's easier to Queen or King someone in checkers than chess, which is why it was so difficult for Trump to King himself on January 6th. Of course, the fault may lay with the Russians since they play chess in Russia more than any other board game and may even be the original inventors of the game itself.

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MS said:

Michael,

Chess was actually invented by the Persians, currently Iran. The term "check mate" comes from the Persian (Farsi?) for "Shah mot," i.e,, the Shah is dead.

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Michael said:

I didn't know that. But it is a little ironic you mention Iran. This election year, for better or worse, may determine if we checkmate all of Iran or if Iran checkmates all of us. I dearly wish Iran had a Shah (or line of Shahs) that we could every once in a while say "Shah mot" to. Iran's foreign policy is too corrupt to endure for the Middle East & our Allies in the West. I wish Persia was back on the scene.

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MS said:

Wolff's blog has deteriorated into a male version of The View - a coffee klatch for guys.

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The End.