.....It seems to me that life used to be less complicated than I find it now. I thought when I retired in 1982--has it been that long?--that everything would become leisurely and simple. Play golf; tennis; swim in the pool; work out in the gym; travel; go often to movies, and whatever else I would care to do that I could not do while I was raising a family and going to work every day. That is basically what I used to do--before 1982. Now it seems that everything then was simple enough, but now? Golf? Tennis? Swimming? Traveling? While I was engaged with those activities, and after awhile, it got to be, well-- too complicated. When to do it? How often? With whom? And deciding with whom and when and where we would dine with newly made friends? Complicated? Yes, of course. But then it got worse; I learned how to use a computer, and the learning process was infuriating! It took a while to get the hang of it, and when I finally did, I decided that it was time to write a book. So, I wrote my memoirs on the computer and published it/them. It took 13 months to accomplish that complicated self-satisfying, self-serving, endeavor. Of course, it's safe to say that I'm not getting rich on book sales.
....Complications in the "golden years" seemed never to end. I began to audition and perform in musicals held in our theatre. Having leading roles made it worse--having to memorize hundreds of lines and songs. So for about 25 years those are the things that complicated my life. I'm over it now. At this point, the complications involve doctors' appointments; at least one a week. Even so, life is calming down because I cannot do anything that I used to do anymore. Consequently, I spend hours at the computer each day, and if I'm not checking my e-mail, or writing this blog, I'm playing scrabble and Aloha! I'm reminded, now, of Robert Browning's invitation, "....Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be." Well, I can't wait for that to happen.
.....In 1990, John R. Silber, president of Boston University, in a campaign speech for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, startled voters with the statement, "Shakespeare was right when he said, 'Ripeness is all.' When you've had a long life and you're ripe, then it's time to go." Well, I don't think Silber or Shakespeare was referring to me, for I have not as yet 'ripened.' I'm still rather green, and thus I have a long way to go, and I have much yet to learn. And I can't wait for that to happen.
I went back to Columbia for a college reunion. Guess where the liberals on campus stood on Israel in particular and Jews in general?
ReplyDeleteEvery liberal I encountered was totally anti-Israel. It would be fair to say that most of them were also anti-Semitic, blaming the Jewish culture for many of the ills of the world.
Then, Helen Thomas, considered a liberal reporter, said this:
Ms. Thomas said she would retire, following an uproar over her recent remarks that Jews should “get the hell out of Palestine” and “go home to Poland, Germany and America and everywhere else.”
What do you liberals on this blog think of that?
I think it's safe to say that the liberals Phil B. refers to are not Jewish; I don't know what they are besides bigots and that they have aligned themselves with a terrorist organization as opposed to a democracy and an ally of the U.S. And that old lady journalist is obviously non compis mentis.
ReplyDeleteIn fact several of the "liberals" were Jewish, and they certainly were not all alumni; MANY students, likely a majority, are anti-Israel.
ReplyDeleteIt is chic, especially in academia, for a Jew to be anti-Israel and/or pro-Palestinian. And chic and political correctness is always where it is for those of the "liberal" persuasion.
It is characteristic of "liberals" to side with the underdog which is generally a good thing, but not necessarily in this case.
Do you remember, "Ho, ho, Ho Chi Minh; the Vietcong is gonna win!"? These were the knee-jerk liberals expressing their "patriotism."
In the 1964 election, Barry Goldwasser was depicted as a warmonger by the "liberals." His opponent, Lyndon Johnson, expanded the Vietnam War beyond belief.
It is certainly good to be liberal in your dealings with other people. Being a political liberal is another ball of wax, and not necessarily the best position to have.
There are some serious problems with liberals:
ReplyDelete1. They believe that they are more intelligent than everyone else and that THEIR government can solve all problems.
2. They seem unable to calculate costs, increasing local and national debts beyond the comfort level.
3. They are nearly always for the underdog even when the dog deserves to be under.
4. They tend to be dismissive of ideas in opposition to theirs.
Of course, conservatives are also guilty of all of the above, but generally to a lesser degree.
God bless America!
I've seen this anti-Israel mind set growing in the younger generation of Jews for some time. We said, "Never Forget," but they've forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI know several young liberal Jews who, upon coming back from visits to Israel, declared it to be racist and repressive and little better than South Africa in the days of aparteid. The reality is complex. Do we, as Jews, owe Israel support and loyalty regardless of what it does? is there a point at which Israel's own behavior makes it impossible to support? Is there a point where we have to make a choice between loyalty to Israel and recognition that Israel is harming the United States?
I wish these were easy questions to answer. They must be asked and explored, though. Are we prepared to accept a, "final solution to the Palastian question?"
Barry, I admit my own prejudices. First, my beloved wife was raised Orthodox Jewish, and while she no longer practices that faith, she loves her many relatives who do. Her father is buried in Israel.
ReplyDeleteSecond, Israel is the only friend we have in the Middle East. Should trouble arise, the Israelis will not hesitate to give us a land base in the area.
So my opinions have to be filtered through these prejudicial lenses. Also, while first regarded as an auslander (no insult to a cousin of the Baron), I am more than welcomed by my dear wife's family. As it happens, almost all these people are Republicans.
I am a registered Democrat ALTHOUGH I generally vote Republican these days.
Phil B. wrote that many of the "liberals" at the Columbia reunion stated that the "Jewish culture was responsible for all the ills of the world."
ReplyDeleteI asked Phil if he knew what these yahoos meant by the "Jewish culture." I await breathlessly his reply. (We did invent the bagel and unleavened bread.)
The salient belief that bothers so many Columbians is that the Jews are arrogant because they are convinced that they are the Chosen People. Of course that does not apply to the Baron who has always been the soul of humility.
ReplyDeleteIf these fugitives from GULLIVER'S TRAVELS ever met the Red One, they would instantly lose their evil ways and insist upon joining him in whatever water hole or Chinese restaurant is closest. A good time would be had by all.
Phil B mentioned in one comment that he was at one time regarded by an "auslander" by his wife's family. How could that be? My mother's maiden name was Auslander. Could Phil B be a relative of the Ross clan?
ReplyDeletePlease note what I wrote in parenthesis after the "auslander" quote.
ReplyDeleteAnti-semitism and particularly anti-Israelism is not new on the Columbia campus. Check this out:
http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/1378
When this article appeared in The Daily News, we mobilized as many troops as possible and met with key members of the administration and faculty to try to get the offending professors removed.
We also organized a petition with more than 5,000 signatures of students, alumni, and friends of the college.
My life was threatened when I was on campus which was not a smart thing to do as it turned out.
Today, the climate is much improved, but there is a loooong way to go. Each of you do what you can to improve this situation wherever you are.
Oh, the item in parentheses was noted after the word "auslander" (lower case). It was never taken as an insult--perish the thought! The response was just meant as humor. Phil B. was already adopted by the Ross clan as an honorary uncle--if he can recall that.
ReplyDeleteI may be senile but not THAT senile. Who could ever forget being adopted by the Clan Ross?
ReplyDeleteWe are really talking about two different Israels you know. The first is the Israel of our hearts: Eretz Yisroel, home, the land we have tried to return to for several thousand years. This is a rightous place where God and justice are served.
ReplyDeleteThere's another Israel, though, right beside the first one. This is a geo-political nightmare located in a sea of enemies and governed by fanatics who are as unable to compromise or negotiate as Hamas or Hes b'Allah. We tell ourselves that, "Massada will not fall again." Unless someone comes up with a solution, it will.
Right now Israel has no other ally than the United States. The latent and sometimes overt anti-Semitism of the European world is not going to go away. Sehal Africa is partly Muslim and partly Christian and partly animist. There is no help for the Jews there. South America was and is a haven for Nazis and their children. The more to the left South American leaders lean, the more anti-Semetic they become.
So we come to the United States; Israel's only friend and supporter in the world. The geopolitical questions one must ask about American support is: How much will America pay for Israel's survival and how deep does that support go in the American population? Change the questions slightly: how many American men and women will America be prepared to lose in defense of an intransigent and arrogant Israel? We currently have our armies scattered all over the place and are fighting active hot wars in two places. Israel's military superiority is lessening year by year. At the moment when Israel's very existance is at stake, will Congress or the President commit thousands of American lives to defending a bunch of Jews? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm! Hard to tell! I can hear my neighbors, though, and our media too, asking in many different ways, "Why are American boys and girls dying for them?"
We don't need to postulate a war, though. The U.S. remains totally dependant on Arab and South American and African oil. Can you imagine an oil boycott of the United States, supported by
BP and American oil companies as happened in '73, driving the price of oil to $150 to $200 a barrel? The price of bringing the oil back down under $100 would be the abandonment of Israel and support for the "just and legitimate claims of the poor Palastians." How many Americans would be willing to see their standard of living threatened to support Israel?
I could go on for many more paragraphs. I won't! I love the Israel of my heart. I still have Israeli bonds from the '73 war in my safety deposit box. I can't love Netanyahu's Israel. I don't think it can survive the military, economic and demographic forces against it. I will weep.