As always, your views are on the money. But I have a question. What exactly can our government do to stop the war in Gaza? Stop sending Israel weapons? Wouldn't that be viewed as antisemitic and leaving Israel defenseless and betraying a long-term alliance? Also, wouldn't that have a negative impact on the American arms industry? Are we attributing too much power and influence to diplomacy against an intractable enemy/friend? What can we realistically do?
Thank you to my Senator Bernie Sanders for speaking out about Gaza. Yes, I have noticed it has not been adequately addressed at the DNC. How can this many people die without acknowledgment. Reuters published on 8/15/2024 that over 40,000 dead in Gaza and that's an underestimate. Bernie was Mayor of Burlington, in which the city proper has approximately 50,000 people. I cannot imagine if someone wiped out my home city and no one said anything.
The Obamas gave amazing speeches. They really pumped up the crowd. Kamala and Tim must win. And we must keep the pressure on all of our government leaders for a ceasefire and to stop arming Israel. And I agree with you that it will elevate Kamala and Tim's chances to win in November. The majority of Americans want the ceasefire and to stop the arms transfer. This genocide just cannot go on in Gaza. There is no place for genocide anywhere.
I want to hope with everything inside of me that this election can bring a permanent cease fire. It feels like it will get swept under the rug if not addressed now. I want to put pressure on the Harris/Walz ticket, but it feels like Democrats are so afraid of challenging the nominee because they're afraid of Trump. "What do you think is going to happen to Palestine under a Trump presidency?", I mean look at what happened to them under the Biden Admin. NO MORE MONEY FOR BOMBS- how do we achieve that under all this fear and shaky ground. How do we stop our tax dollars from being spent on war crimes while our own people are struggling in such a huge way. How do we dismantle the war machine that is our country? When will we start taking accountability of our past? When will I feel proud to be American? Anyway, as always, Thank you for your recap Qasim!
Modest Mouse « Float on » with the sheep going to slaughter doesn’t seem like the most positive choice given that Biden and Harris continue to send munitions to Israel for its genocide of Palestinians.
PoetryIsDemocracy, I don't know to whom you're addressing your comment. But you did not listen to, or understand, Barack Obama's comment: we don't have to agree with each other, we just have to learn to live peacefully together. That doesn't mean you have to vote for people with whose platform you disagree.
wow, this is fun...posting under an alias for the first time, i love it!...my comment was addressed to Mr. Rashid, and you're right, I am not listening gavel to gavel to the DNC. On the other hand...kindly note exchange between Qasim & me, below, and bear in mind that posting is not voting.
I always strongly object to people who express opinions, but don't identify themselves. It seems cowardly and illegitimate.
You didn't have to listen gavel to gavel. I didn't listen at all. I just read the linked summarizing article. It contained quotes.
"Posting is not voting" is related to anonymous posting. You reduce not only your exposure, which is like responsibility, but you eliminate any concept of commitment.
I hope you will either reconsider your decision to be anonymous, or stop posting blather to which you don't even hold yourself intellectually and philosophically responsible. What's "fun" for you is unnecessarily provocative and insulting to others.
I generally find that very religious/observant people (any religion) are also very conservative. I'm tempted to think that the misery of following nonsensical rules is drawn to the company of others who are willing to do the same. Qasim is a religious person, but he's very liberal. So, as he said to you, he wonders if he was subjected to faith-based (his own faith!) bigotry from intolerant people.
You were right that your comment wasn't exactly logical, a sloppiness you allow yourself by being anonymous. As I said, if you grow up, you might want to reconsider that.
You know, I went anonymous because i was being online harassed by another fellow who identified himself by name but found it amusing to provoke me. So, with all due respect, and actually some sympathy for where you're coming from, I will continue to post under a pseudonym. (You might be interested to know that Abe Lincoln himself wrote anonymous letters to the editor back in the day...highly insulting in fact, but 150 years later, quite entertaining to those of us with a sense of humor. Feel free to Google that and learn more.)
In any event, I do take full responsibility for lack of clarity in my posts, and this is no exception. "Posting is not voting" was my shorthand way of saying that imo you are attempting to twist the Obama maxim--or its summary, or whatever it was you were quoting--to apply to Mr. Rashid's comment in "Day 2,", which I'll assume we both read. To elaborate: Obama apparently said something about voting (across party/religious lines maybe?); Rashid only POSTED about how the DNC's use of an imam & rabbi to open ceremonies exemplified "interfaith unity." And to elaborate further (I'm veering over into "fact" land, from my usual "opinion" land): what ANY of us say on this platform is NOT voting.
"Armchair activism" is a real problem in these internet days. Let's please not forget to register and vote our beliefs/tolerance, even if doing so cuts into our valuable blather time.
I'm an observant Jew, and like Qasim, a member of the Illinois bar who, although liberal, takes democracy and law seriously. I don't really appreciate your put-down of those of us who find "following nonsensical rules" not miserable but meaningful. Nor do I appreciate being called cowardly, childish, or irresponsible.
Finally, as long as we're discussing pet peeves, I think you can relax and let Mr. Rashid defend himself. He's a grownup, you know...and as he no doubt understands, my comments about Ahmadi vs. "mainstream" Muslims are taken directly from his own playbook, as elucidated in the movie "The Candidate," where I met him in person and became a devout supporter of his politics and humanity.
So, you're easily provoked. Sorry to hear. You're a lawyer. It's hard to imagine a lawyer that fragile. But you say you are.
Donnie Trump compares himself to Lincoln, too. Lincoln did have a sense of humor. You don't seem to.
Please also consider bothering with longhand, if you have a point to make.
You don't have to assume I read Obama's comment. I told you I did.
Since you raise the topic, as bad as "armchair activism" is, anonymous armchair activism is worse.
I'm lost. You said you were part of the Reform movement, and now, you say you're "observant." You don't appreciate things I write, and I don't appreciate your hiding behind a pseudonym. There may be room for each of us (not just one of us) to make changes.
Yes, Qasim is an adult, and so am I. So that makes two of the three of us. I have every confidence that he will say what he thinks needs to be said, as he already has.
yep, you're lost. And I'm afraid you've gone too far down the rabbit hole to make changes--especially with this new ignorant comment opposing "Reform Jew" with "observant."
My sense is that you're gonna dismiss anything I say, so I'm gonna mute this convo. Byeee!
the comment wasn't exactly logical, but neither is politics (imo -- idk how to put this disclaimer on everything I post, but it's always in my subtext as I write: "comments are my opinions only")
ok so I guess my answer to your initial response is yes, as a politician I would expect you to become somewhat intolerant of those who made a point of discriminating against you on religious grounds (calling you a non-Muslim, didn't they?) during your IL campaign... Of course I don't know if the imam who opened the festivities yesterday was Ahmadi themselves, or not (do you?).
PS as an American Reform Jew, but not a supporter of Netanyahu's/Likud's recent rampage(s) across the Middle east (but also not a supporter of the craziness taking place outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago yesterday, and in fact, if anything, as a supporter of Chicago's uniformed police, regardless of religion, who are under enormous stress rn thanks to that handful of self-appointed "pro-Palestinian"s who undoubtedly will hire lawyers like me/you to get them back outa jail, but whose rights of free speech imo do not include provoking my cops/trying to re-enact the horrifying events of the 1968 DNC in Chicago as these protesters LITERALLY say they want to do), I don't see how the DNC's (rather unoriginal) hiring of one imam and one rabbi on one night merits even a mention in the context of "interfaith unity."
But, to paraphrase what Barack Obama apparently said last night, you do you.
I won't blanket all members of a community because of the bigotry of a few. It doesn't work that way. Moreover, my faith calls me to respond with justice, even in the face of injustice. That's a non-negotiable for me.
PoetryIsDemocracy, I've noticed that you "Like" my responses to you even before you've had time to read them. So you're still playing games. And in your comment above, you're all over the map regarding of whom you approve and of whom you disapprove. You claim to be a lawyer, and being anonymous helps you say anything, no matter how nonsensical, without having to take public responsibility.
Qasim didn't say he was intolerant of other Muslims. He said they were seemingly intolerant of him.
I said it before, and I'll say it again: I encourage you to reconsider how you present yourself, which, frankly, is related to your level of self-respect/(esteem?) and maturity.
I wish you could put all the energy you just exerted in support of your “my cops” & put that into multiple paragraphs about all the dead Palestinians since Oct7. There was a heavy hint of your privilege making that “my cops”comment.
If your innocent family members were being murdered & no world leaders seemed able to help, you might be an angry protester too, no? In the past Jewish did not protest. We all know how that history turned out. It makes sense to protest to the one world leader that could help right? You want to know why real de-escalation works? Because both sides start to see one another as human rather than someone that wants to do the other harm.
I personally cannot stand most religions due to living in hate filled SW Mississippi bible belt , but that doesn’t mean I can’t value their good ideas or share garden produce with them, or go to their kid’s graduation.
In short, one does not need every single person of any religion to always agree with them. In fact, it is impossible to please everyone. In the words of a famous singer, “you can be the juiciest ripest peach in the world, and there is always going to be somebody who hates peaches”.
yeah I've been called out on "privilege" before, not much I can say about that. White since birth, Protestant turned Jewish, I live in fear that I my actions/thoughts could indeed be part of the problem. Though in this case I don't think they are.
To clarify...I absolutely support the right of Americans to protest/demonstrate loudly and long, but peacefully!, on issues of concern. I myself marched in DC in 1972, pro-ROE (which was then pending decision), and in other places and times on other issues, some personal and some as an ally. (I was not in Chicago in 1968, when I was 16, because my Republican father took the whole family to South America...I'm sure he knew even then that I'd get myself beat up if I had the chance haha.) Nor do I criticize anyone based on being angry--trust me, I'm angry about a lot of things myself.
HOWEVER. Hearing about folx in Chicago, just a half mile from my apartment, trying to provoke Chicago cops to get violent, and knowing some of those cops who have come to my assistance when my ex-husband punched me in the face in 2018 (he got his ass arrested, thankfully) and are still out there faithfully getting themselves spit on and shot at etc....in my opinion, it doesn't speak well for those who are trying to make change, any more than storming the Capitol spoke well for the MAGA movement. --Would I take them as free speech clients, though (if my license was current, which it isn't--I retired many years ago, more privilege haha)? Abso fucking lutely. I swore an oath when I became a licensed attorney in 1983, and I believe it's my duty to continue to defend the Constitutions (US and IL) to the day I die. Pro tip however: the Constitution (free speech clause in particular) doesn't privilege violence on either side of an argument. Like, even those old duels in Hamilton (The Musical)...totally illegal these days, and effing tragic when they occurred.
as for my comments about Ahmadi Muslims--see previous comment. Or maybe Qasim will jump in here...suffice to say that I (was/am trying to) support his minority-Muslim-Pakistani-emigrant-status in IL, as against entrenched-Muslim-non-Ahmadi-Illinois interests that opposed his primary run here. (He'd be an amazing US Rep.)
Over and out. Muting this convo, I've got poetry to write. blessings and I wish you (RIVERCOAST JANE) all the best in "hate filled SW Mississippi." Sounds like you are part of the SOLUTION.
The speakers at the DNC and the state delegations look like America. And the speakers all sound like they LIKE America and Americans, in all our diversity. The Democrats sound like people who are willing to meet people where they are, and give them the assistance they think they need. The Republicans sound like people who are only going to like you, are only going to be willing to help you, if you fit it their box of what is acceptable.
Agree with so many of your observations..Grateful that Bernie addressed Gaza directly, confident that Harris/Walz will address and help rectify the situation in Gaza to the benefit of all involved once they’re elected.
As always, gotta love Bernie!!! I think she needs to address this at some level now. She may not be able to change policy right now, but I hope she offers real hope that she will when in office. The corruption of Netanyahu's leadership on this war, including his sabotage of negotiations, has become so blatantly obvious that US support with arms for the war is not only morally wrong but a huge embarrassment. And we will absolutely need the support of the "Uncommitted" in November. And while I would not have wanted protests to spoil this wonderful convention, I am sorry that there is not at least some visibility and recognition.
As always, your views are on the money. But I have a question. What exactly can our government do to stop the war in Gaza? Stop sending Israel weapons? Wouldn't that be viewed as antisemitic and leaving Israel defenseless and betraying a long-term alliance? Also, wouldn't that have a negative impact on the American arms industry? Are we attributing too much power and influence to diplomacy against an intractable enemy/friend? What can we realistically do?
Thank you for your blog.
The musical roll call was phenomenal.
Thank you to my Senator Bernie Sanders for speaking out about Gaza. Yes, I have noticed it has not been adequately addressed at the DNC. How can this many people die without acknowledgment. Reuters published on 8/15/2024 that over 40,000 dead in Gaza and that's an underestimate. Bernie was Mayor of Burlington, in which the city proper has approximately 50,000 people. I cannot imagine if someone wiped out my home city and no one said anything.
The Obamas gave amazing speeches. They really pumped up the crowd. Kamala and Tim must win. And we must keep the pressure on all of our government leaders for a ceasefire and to stop arming Israel. And I agree with you that it will elevate Kamala and Tim's chances to win in November. The majority of Americans want the ceasefire and to stop the arms transfer. This genocide just cannot go on in Gaza. There is no place for genocide anywhere.
Apparently Stevie Wonder has your back. That was unpredicted by polls. 💕
I want to hope with everything inside of me that this election can bring a permanent cease fire. It feels like it will get swept under the rug if not addressed now. I want to put pressure on the Harris/Walz ticket, but it feels like Democrats are so afraid of challenging the nominee because they're afraid of Trump. "What do you think is going to happen to Palestine under a Trump presidency?", I mean look at what happened to them under the Biden Admin. NO MORE MONEY FOR BOMBS- how do we achieve that under all this fear and shaky ground. How do we stop our tax dollars from being spent on war crimes while our own people are struggling in such a huge way. How do we dismantle the war machine that is our country? When will we start taking accountability of our past? When will I feel proud to be American? Anyway, as always, Thank you for your recap Qasim!
It isn't just you, Michelle killed it.
💯
Modest Mouse « Float on » with the sheep going to slaughter doesn’t seem like the most positive choice given that Biden and Harris continue to send munitions to Israel for its genocide of Palestinians.
Why are you so generous with the “interfaith unity” when mainstream Muslims torpedoed your own run for office??
PoetryIsDemocracy, I don't know to whom you're addressing your comment. But you did not listen to, or understand, Barack Obama's comment: we don't have to agree with each other, we just have to learn to live peacefully together. That doesn't mean you have to vote for people with whose platform you disagree.
wow, this is fun...posting under an alias for the first time, i love it!...my comment was addressed to Mr. Rashid, and you're right, I am not listening gavel to gavel to the DNC. On the other hand...kindly note exchange between Qasim & me, below, and bear in mind that posting is not voting.
I always strongly object to people who express opinions, but don't identify themselves. It seems cowardly and illegitimate.
You didn't have to listen gavel to gavel. I didn't listen at all. I just read the linked summarizing article. It contained quotes.
"Posting is not voting" is related to anonymous posting. You reduce not only your exposure, which is like responsibility, but you eliminate any concept of commitment.
I hope you will either reconsider your decision to be anonymous, or stop posting blather to which you don't even hold yourself intellectually and philosophically responsible. What's "fun" for you is unnecessarily provocative and insulting to others.
I generally find that very religious/observant people (any religion) are also very conservative. I'm tempted to think that the misery of following nonsensical rules is drawn to the company of others who are willing to do the same. Qasim is a religious person, but he's very liberal. So, as he said to you, he wonders if he was subjected to faith-based (his own faith!) bigotry from intolerant people.
You were right that your comment wasn't exactly logical, a sloppiness you allow yourself by being anonymous. As I said, if you grow up, you might want to reconsider that.
You know, I went anonymous because i was being online harassed by another fellow who identified himself by name but found it amusing to provoke me. So, with all due respect, and actually some sympathy for where you're coming from, I will continue to post under a pseudonym. (You might be interested to know that Abe Lincoln himself wrote anonymous letters to the editor back in the day...highly insulting in fact, but 150 years later, quite entertaining to those of us with a sense of humor. Feel free to Google that and learn more.)
In any event, I do take full responsibility for lack of clarity in my posts, and this is no exception. "Posting is not voting" was my shorthand way of saying that imo you are attempting to twist the Obama maxim--or its summary, or whatever it was you were quoting--to apply to Mr. Rashid's comment in "Day 2,", which I'll assume we both read. To elaborate: Obama apparently said something about voting (across party/religious lines maybe?); Rashid only POSTED about how the DNC's use of an imam & rabbi to open ceremonies exemplified "interfaith unity." And to elaborate further (I'm veering over into "fact" land, from my usual "opinion" land): what ANY of us say on this platform is NOT voting.
"Armchair activism" is a real problem in these internet days. Let's please not forget to register and vote our beliefs/tolerance, even if doing so cuts into our valuable blather time.
I'm an observant Jew, and like Qasim, a member of the Illinois bar who, although liberal, takes democracy and law seriously. I don't really appreciate your put-down of those of us who find "following nonsensical rules" not miserable but meaningful. Nor do I appreciate being called cowardly, childish, or irresponsible.
Finally, as long as we're discussing pet peeves, I think you can relax and let Mr. Rashid defend himself. He's a grownup, you know...and as he no doubt understands, my comments about Ahmadi vs. "mainstream" Muslims are taken directly from his own playbook, as elucidated in the movie "The Candidate," where I met him in person and became a devout supporter of his politics and humanity.
Shalom, salaam, peace.
So, you're easily provoked. Sorry to hear. You're a lawyer. It's hard to imagine a lawyer that fragile. But you say you are.
Donnie Trump compares himself to Lincoln, too. Lincoln did have a sense of humor. You don't seem to.
Please also consider bothering with longhand, if you have a point to make.
You don't have to assume I read Obama's comment. I told you I did.
Since you raise the topic, as bad as "armchair activism" is, anonymous armchair activism is worse.
I'm lost. You said you were part of the Reform movement, and now, you say you're "observant." You don't appreciate things I write, and I don't appreciate your hiding behind a pseudonym. There may be room for each of us (not just one of us) to make changes.
Yes, Qasim is an adult, and so am I. So that makes two of the three of us. I have every confidence that he will say what he thinks needs to be said, as he already has.
yep, you're lost. And I'm afraid you've gone too far down the rabbit hole to make changes--especially with this new ignorant comment opposing "Reform Jew" with "observant."
My sense is that you're gonna dismiss anything I say, so I'm gonna mute this convo. Byeee!
I don't understand your logic -- that because I faced faith based bigotry from intolerant people, I should likewise become intolerant?
the comment wasn't exactly logical, but neither is politics (imo -- idk how to put this disclaimer on everything I post, but it's always in my subtext as I write: "comments are my opinions only")
I mean in that case an opinion without a point can be dismissed without delay. Not sure what else to say.
ok so I guess my answer to your initial response is yes, as a politician I would expect you to become somewhat intolerant of those who made a point of discriminating against you on religious grounds (calling you a non-Muslim, didn't they?) during your IL campaign... Of course I don't know if the imam who opened the festivities yesterday was Ahmadi themselves, or not (do you?).
PS as an American Reform Jew, but not a supporter of Netanyahu's/Likud's recent rampage(s) across the Middle east (but also not a supporter of the craziness taking place outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago yesterday, and in fact, if anything, as a supporter of Chicago's uniformed police, regardless of religion, who are under enormous stress rn thanks to that handful of self-appointed "pro-Palestinian"s who undoubtedly will hire lawyers like me/you to get them back outa jail, but whose rights of free speech imo do not include provoking my cops/trying to re-enact the horrifying events of the 1968 DNC in Chicago as these protesters LITERALLY say they want to do), I don't see how the DNC's (rather unoriginal) hiring of one imam and one rabbi on one night merits even a mention in the context of "interfaith unity."
But, to paraphrase what Barack Obama apparently said last night, you do you.
I won't blanket all members of a community because of the bigotry of a few. It doesn't work that way. Moreover, my faith calls me to respond with justice, even in the face of injustice. That's a non-negotiable for me.
PoetryIsDemocracy, I've noticed that you "Like" my responses to you even before you've had time to read them. So you're still playing games. And in your comment above, you're all over the map regarding of whom you approve and of whom you disapprove. You claim to be a lawyer, and being anonymous helps you say anything, no matter how nonsensical, without having to take public responsibility.
Qasim didn't say he was intolerant of other Muslims. He said they were seemingly intolerant of him.
I said it before, and I'll say it again: I encourage you to reconsider how you present yourself, which, frankly, is related to your level of self-respect/(esteem?) and maturity.
I wish you could put all the energy you just exerted in support of your “my cops” & put that into multiple paragraphs about all the dead Palestinians since Oct7. There was a heavy hint of your privilege making that “my cops”comment.
If your innocent family members were being murdered & no world leaders seemed able to help, you might be an angry protester too, no? In the past Jewish did not protest. We all know how that history turned out. It makes sense to protest to the one world leader that could help right? You want to know why real de-escalation works? Because both sides start to see one another as human rather than someone that wants to do the other harm.
I personally cannot stand most religions due to living in hate filled SW Mississippi bible belt , but that doesn’t mean I can’t value their good ideas or share garden produce with them, or go to their kid’s graduation.
In short, one does not need every single person of any religion to always agree with them. In fact, it is impossible to please everyone. In the words of a famous singer, “you can be the juiciest ripest peach in the world, and there is always going to be somebody who hates peaches”.
yeah I've been called out on "privilege" before, not much I can say about that. White since birth, Protestant turned Jewish, I live in fear that I my actions/thoughts could indeed be part of the problem. Though in this case I don't think they are.
To clarify...I absolutely support the right of Americans to protest/demonstrate loudly and long, but peacefully!, on issues of concern. I myself marched in DC in 1972, pro-ROE (which was then pending decision), and in other places and times on other issues, some personal and some as an ally. (I was not in Chicago in 1968, when I was 16, because my Republican father took the whole family to South America...I'm sure he knew even then that I'd get myself beat up if I had the chance haha.) Nor do I criticize anyone based on being angry--trust me, I'm angry about a lot of things myself.
HOWEVER. Hearing about folx in Chicago, just a half mile from my apartment, trying to provoke Chicago cops to get violent, and knowing some of those cops who have come to my assistance when my ex-husband punched me in the face in 2018 (he got his ass arrested, thankfully) and are still out there faithfully getting themselves spit on and shot at etc....in my opinion, it doesn't speak well for those who are trying to make change, any more than storming the Capitol spoke well for the MAGA movement. --Would I take them as free speech clients, though (if my license was current, which it isn't--I retired many years ago, more privilege haha)? Abso fucking lutely. I swore an oath when I became a licensed attorney in 1983, and I believe it's my duty to continue to defend the Constitutions (US and IL) to the day I die. Pro tip however: the Constitution (free speech clause in particular) doesn't privilege violence on either side of an argument. Like, even those old duels in Hamilton (The Musical)...totally illegal these days, and effing tragic when they occurred.
as for my comments about Ahmadi Muslims--see previous comment. Or maybe Qasim will jump in here...suffice to say that I (was/am trying to) support his minority-Muslim-Pakistani-emigrant-status in IL, as against entrenched-Muslim-non-Ahmadi-Illinois interests that opposed his primary run here. (He'd be an amazing US Rep.)
Over and out. Muting this convo, I've got poetry to write. blessings and I wish you (RIVERCOAST JANE) all the best in "hate filled SW Mississippi." Sounds like you are part of the SOLUTION.
The speakers at the DNC and the state delegations look like America. And the speakers all sound like they LIKE America and Americans, in all our diversity. The Democrats sound like people who are willing to meet people where they are, and give them the assistance they think they need. The Republicans sound like people who are only going to like you, are only going to be willing to help you, if you fit it their box of what is acceptable.
Agree! This is the most joyful convention I can remember (so far…of course Wm Jefferson Clinton is yet to come haha)
Agree with so many of your observations..Grateful that Bernie addressed Gaza directly, confident that Harris/Walz will address and help rectify the situation in Gaza to the benefit of all involved once they’re elected.
I hope so!🙏 but I refuse to vote for Trump and go backwards
As always, gotta love Bernie!!! I think she needs to address this at some level now. She may not be able to change policy right now, but I hope she offers real hope that she will when in office. The corruption of Netanyahu's leadership on this war, including his sabotage of negotiations, has become so blatantly obvious that US support with arms for the war is not only morally wrong but a huge embarrassment. And we will absolutely need the support of the "Uncommitted" in November. And while I would not have wanted protests to spoil this wonderful convention, I am sorry that there is not at least some visibility and recognition.