Opinion

It’s oddly encouraging that the New York Post had to bring up its kookiest rightwing propagandist on Friday to argue that nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki saved lives.

“Judaism is to do justice and to have mercy and to walk humbly with God; and all the rest is commentary and of secondary importance”.

So wrote Rabbi Elmer Berger, a leading Jewish thinker of the 50’s and 60’s, who opposed what he called Israeli-style “Jewish nationalism”.

Another renowned Jewish thinker, Arthur Koestler, warned that Israel was becoming “a nasty little Sparta”.

This past week, much of the rest of the world, sickened by the mass slaughter and destruction in Gaza wrought by Israel, joined in calls for creation of a Palestinian state. This obvious solution to the agonies of five million stateless Palestinian refugees would be a start to making whole one of the world’s largest refugee problems. Over 147 nations have recognized the Palestinian state. But until now, the United States, France, Britain and Germany have refused to heed the cries of the savagely abused Palestinian refugees.

In some ways it is refreshing to have a president who is so profoundly ignorant that one’s expectations regarding what good policies might actually come out of the federal government are really, really low. It took Donald Trump six months to accept the reality of the slaughter going on in Gaza where Israel is killing roughly one hundred Palestinians every day whose only crime is that they are looking for food, water and shelter. Admittedly Trump has actually been bold enough to challenge his Israeli masters by declaring that videos from Gaza show a lot of people who Trump admitted were “starving”, and promised to “take care” of it. Yet he has done nothing but support the Israeli blockade and repress or even deport any voices in America who protest against the war crimes.

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Last week, Ayman Soliman and his attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) unlawful termination of his asylum status. Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey P. Hopkins issued a 14-day Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) and advised the parties that he could continue this relief once a new habeas petition is filed.

Dr. Bob Fitrakis and Dan-o Dougan reminisce about the songs their parents' listened to in their family homes during their childhood and tell nostalgic stories about their parents.

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I rarely visit Rome without stopping at the Campo de' Fiori to pay homage to Giordano Bruno, an Italian philosopher who, in 1600, was brutally burned at the stake by the Roman Inquisition. His crime was daring to challenge entrenched dogmas and to think freely about God and the infinite nature of the universe.

 As I stood beneath his imposing statue, a strange ruckus suddenly erupted, growing louder as a sizable group of protesters drew closer. Dozens of people of all ages banged on pots and pans with fervent urgency.

 Following the initial shock and subsequent confusion, it became clear that the protest was an urgent attempt to awaken people to the horrific famine unfolding in Gaza. In no time, more people spontaneously joined in, some clapping, having arrived unprepared with their own tools for protest. Waiters from the square's osterie instinctively began to bang their hands on anything that could generate sound, adding to the growing clamor.