That is very scary stuff, especially being the child of a man who lost 38 family members in the holocaust. I'm wondering who is driving trump, who is feeding him those ideas? I'm not sure he could come up with them himself, and I'm not sure his greed for power is enough…
He doesn’t come up with all this himself. It’s been the Republican agenda for the last 40 years. He is just helping to carry it out for his own personal gain. We have been too complacent. We must vote against all of them, not just trump.
I’d say the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation along with certain billionaires are contributing to TFG’s speeches. He certainly isn’t smart enough to write down his own idea.
Actually, it's The Heritage Foundation and Project 2025. If you want to see the detailed blueprint of what is planned for the next republican presidency, you can look up their site online. They're not trying to be secret about it, it's nearly a thousand pages laying out the complete restructuring of our government. Goodbye to all social safety net programs. Goodbye to protecting the environment. Goodbye to all women's rights...Hello Handmaid's Tale. Goodbye Civil rights. Hello White Christian Nationalists. Goodbye freedom. Hello concentration camps. Hello Martial law. Goodbye free press. Hello propaganda. Goodbye Healthcare. Hello Mass deaths. (But don't worry about population decline, because forced births will keep plenty of slaves available.)
Hi Paula, I totally agree about Project 2025 and Agenda 47, and all those horrible proposals; but it’s my understanding (I could be wrong) that Miller is directly involved with writing Trump’s speeches, and has unmediated ability to influence Trump’s “thinking”. That’s what I was trying to get at. But we’re not disagreeing. 🤔😉😊
Again, not disagreeing, but arguably, the first domino was in Europe. Orban, LePen (the elder), whatever’s been going on in Holland, and, of course, Brexit. All of which were in effect before 2016. These kinds of horrors will get into the zeitgeist and sprout like (poison) mushrooms after a rain in all sorts of places. 🤔😉😊
Several of the very promising, nascent democracies in Eatern Europe, of the 1990s, have moved to the extreme right, and are following in Orban's footsteps.
Another trumputin administration would play havoc with the free world, so you have every right to be scared. We are terrified of the prospect of this mercurial, totally ill suited narcissist and empty suit become our president again. Sadly he has a really good chance.
Susan, I don't have any inside information about who's feeding him these ideas but I wouldn't be surprised if it were Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, and other seriously disordered men who are driven by the same pathological need to dominate and exact revenge as Trump and all his psychopathic idols: Hitler, Putin, et.al.
it is scary and Dean and others are helping us face it and not put our heads in the sand. Forewarned is forearmed and we need to band together in a unified show of electoral strength and moral courage. Every time we read a post like this and respond and reply, I believe we are strengthening our bonds of relationship against the "divide and conquer" efforts of the fascists. I speak up as much as I can and I'm glad you do too! 😊🌻👍
Thank you, Madeline. I couldn't agree with you more. For me, Stephen Miller is the scariest, because he is this way despite being Jewish, and because he manages to stay almost invisible most of the time. My thoughts have jumped to possibly the most amazing human being I've ever encountered: Desmond Tutu. I wish more people would want to be like him.
We—current American culture from end of WWII to now—IMO—seem to almost treat this genocide as something unique in world history. I’m neither a historian or psychologist but genocide appears to be embedded into the consciousness of Americans and other cultures all throughout history.
For example (many I believe Mythical deifying the slaughter):
Joshua commanded to kill every man, woman and child in Canaan and god pissed because he missed a few
All humanity and animal kingdoms in the great flood—many cultures and religions have a great flood mythology
Assyrian policy to destroy every living soul of civilizations that resisted their brutal armies
Romans destroying all Carthaginian civilization, including buildings and sowing salt into the earth
Greeks destroying all Trojans and buildings
American destruction of native Americans
Practices of Mongols on those who resisted them
Practices of Muslim conquerors in Spain to resisting towns and cities
Romans killing most people in what today is called Romania so that Roman elite had nice place to live while Rome hot
Crusaders who first conquered Jerusalem
Turks genocide on Kurds
Rwanda
Current activity in West Bank and Gaza
Many pograms in Eastern Europe
On and on and on.
Humans need to take a deep look with open eyes into who we really are as a species. We are NOT IMAGES of some just and righteous god or gods.
Yet, I believe maybe naively, individuals can work hard to open their eyes and grow and get in touch with a true morality not part of spurious religions of Abraham, Shinto, and others.
My girlfriend, ex but still very good friend, is one of the most naturally nice persons I know. She grew up Reform Jew, but now secular. For me, born into Baptist family, I have to work much harder at being nice. Each has their own story and path to walk. However, even if many do, I question whether enough will do this to change this awful arc of humanity.
I agree, Jim, but I hope that those of us who are willing to do the hard work of growing and getting in touch with true morality can make some difference in the world. I have the Jewish heritage that I never knew about until I was 21, and have been part of a pentecostal church that helped me through a really difficult time in my life. But at this point I am embarrassed by what passes for Christianity in our country. One major point where I disagree with religions like Christianity and Islam is that in traveling the world it becomes clear that other religions have positive sides to them. They prove to me that there is no single "right" religion.
My girlfriend married Greek Orthodox and never shared with her daughter—or son—anything about her Jewish heritage. This daughter became a born again Christian who does not believe in science but only that Jesus is the way. Then COVID hit and my science and the daughter’s religion clashed, especially over safety protocols.
The clash between me and the daughter intensified and my ex had to choose berween us to relieve the tension. She chose her daughter and broke it off from me. That was the right choice. Months later she approached me want to still be my friend as she said she still loved me. I agreed but ONLY as friends. She was and is like a second mother to my son and we are traveling together to my son’s weeding next month.
Incidentally, I have researched the evolution of different religions and the big influence of Sumerian, Egyptian and Greek influences on Judiasm and Christianity.
My ex hmows more Yiddish than I do and has a better feel for all the Jewish holidays. However, I know much more about the history and development of Judiasm and, also, Christianity. This has been a part of my path, a path with many parts.
Hopefully you have learned about your Jewish roots.
Unfortunately I have never felt a desire to learn much about my Jewish roots. My father's family came to the US in 1913 so my grandfather wouldn't have to fight in WW1 (his regiment was wiped out at the beginning of the war). When the family got here they stayed with my grandmother's brother, who made it clear that they were to say NOTHING, give no hint of being Jewish because that would ruin his business. My parent didn't think my sisters and I needed to know about being Jewish, until one of my sisters was suddenly denied access to her boyfriend's home. The knew she was Hungarian and wasn't Catholic, so she obviously must be Jewish. Not true, of course, that there were only two choices if you were Hungarian, but at that point my parents finally decided we children needed to know. I think that perhaps the reason I was never interested in Judaism is because finding out something like that as an adult (who was otherwise very messed up), I suddenly no longer had any idea of who I was. My world was essentially turned upside down. I have always felt ties to Israel because my father's cousin was in on the founding of the country, and lived out the rest of his life there. I've also visited Israel three times and really enjoyed it. I'm not even sure how I would go about learning about my roots, because I have never been close with anybody on my father's side of the family, and no one is left alive who could/would tell me anything..
Susan, I also resonate with Jim Sanders' post regarding the biblical god and "his" decree that Man (men) shall have dominion over all other species, and the specific order to lay waste to all other tribes in Canaan. From all of the examples he gave of mass annihilations, they have all occurred in the last 3000-4000 yrs. Human history extends far beyond that by hundreds of thousands of years. Many archeologists believe that most of that time humans lived in smaller tribes with a more egalitarian ethos. (Marija Gimbutas, and others.) I've also noticed that it's not the indigenous tribes, such as native Americans and first nations peoples who spread out over the globe with the purpose of domination and genocide. I only bring this up to say that it isn't "all cultures" that are organized around mass murder. But the rise of patriarchy in the Judeo-Christian tradition has been the rise of male dominance and the masculine imperative to maintain hegemony. This attitude and accompanying social relationships built on hierarchy has been spread around the globe, for sure, but I believe that it is also inherent in human nature to love and cooperate with one another. I think we would be wise to look at the deep seated beliefs that structured the hearts and minds of those cultures that did not foment genocide. I hope that we humans will survive this long era of masculine competition and return to valuing the chalice of life over the blade of death. (The Chalice and the Blade, Riane Eisler; When God Was a Woman, Merlin Stone; The Creation of Patriarchy, Gerda Lerner.)
Madeline, I agree with you about studying those other cultures. There is a lot I like in the native American culture, but I know some of the tribes were warlike. That aside, I know they have respect for everything, animate or inanimate, which we could really learn from. I would love to get out of the mindset of male competition, though it's so deeply rooted I'm not sure getting away from it would be achievable.
I know what you mean, Susan, about the deep roots of male competition.
My present belief is that a general culture of male competition is perpetuated by a lack of tenderness between fathers and sons which forces boys to deny their longings for male affection and to substitute power over others as the source of their self-esteem and membership in the tribe of manhood. But I believe that child-rearing in the last 50 yrs. or so, in some sectors of society, has been drifting toward greater tenderness and less shaming of little boys. It's been shown that little boys are negatively influenced by ridicule, teasing, etc. when they display the normal needs for empathy that, generically, little girls are offered but many little boys are excluded from. So I look to the families and societies who are raising boys with greater compassion for their full range of human emotions, allowing them to feel more securely attached to adult sources of affection and acceptance. Studies show that the most violent men were chronically dominated, abused, and shamed as little boys. (Hitler) They grow up angry, resentful, and determined never to feel overpowered by anybody ever again...a recipe for a need to dominate. ("The Price We Pay for Shaming Little Boys," by Mary Armstrong.) Just another perspective regarding this long, human episode of male grandiosity and violence.
From what I understand, you can place djt right up there with Hitler. Amazingly, I found a man to marry who, even though he was raised in the 40s and 50s, is a nice, compassionate person. That is unexpected, but I very much appreciate it, given that I never encountered any men like that growing up. Or women, for that matter, except for my elementary school librarian, who was the one person who saw me as a human being.
Putin drives the effort to destroy our government from within. Others, like Saudi Arabia, N Korea, China, and a few other rotten actors want to see the trump in the white house again.
If you seriously read American History, this kind of junk has been plagueing us from the very beginning. Many did not buy the idea of a democracy. Americans are a delusional culture. This battle for democracy must be fought for every day. Stop being lazy Americans!
Should the worst come to pass - and I pray every day that it does not - we should take the example of Denmark in WWII. Hitler invaded Denmark, who immediately surrendered. When Danish Jews were commanded to wear the Star of David, the King of Denmark was the first to put one on. He was not a Jew. All Danes followed suit.
I regret that it’s not actually true. Googled this morning. But King Christian did say that if Danish Jews were forced to wear the Star, he would do so, as well. Perhaps the threat was sufficient for the Nazis to not order Danish Jews to do so. It also allowed Danes to smuggle Jews out to Sweden, saving thousands of lives. I knew a couple who had been part of the Danish underground during the war. They were quite humble about the part they played.
Christine, I've heard that story too so I checked on it and it turns out not to be exactly correct. The king did not wear a yellow star and neither did the Danish people. It seems as if the Germans didn't even require that of the Danes, oddly enough. in fact I believe the king and the rest of the government stepped down without a fight but when the German started to come down heavier on Danish Jews all the Danes work together to get the Jews to safety in Sweden. They transported in little boats something like 7000 Danish Jews Leaving only about 500 or so that ended up being sent to Thierisenstadt. I'm sure I've spelled that wrong but even then the Danes kept up so much interest in what had happened to those Jews who were taken that it's possible that the Germans went easy on them so to speak and didn't send them to the extermination camps. At least that's what the Wikipedia article I read had to say about this incident.
So the story that isn't exactly right, still embodies the spirit of collective protection that the Danes exerted on behalf of their compatriots who were being hunted by Nazis. 💕💕💕
Sorry if I didn't see your corrected response, Christine, and I appreciate your saying that you would stand with whoever is targeted. I can't tolerate hearing TFG speak so I don't listen to what he's actually saying, nor do I witness his followers responses. I'm grateful to Dean that he's able to do so and to tell us about it...we need to know so we can prepare and possibly organize ahead of time...draw up mental plans for what we would do if...
It's come to this and as horrible as that is, and as much as I'd like to just forget about 45 altogether and go about my life, I want to join with others and be prepared.
The nation needs to stand up and VOTE this bastard out on Nov. 5th so he can fade into the ash bin of one of the worst periods in our political history!
The scary bit with that is will voting him out change the existence of the mindsets and policies he represents.............like cutting down a tree but the stump regrows. There is a deep sickness here, beyond just the vote and who wins..........sad thing is christians will want and be praying for revival .....and many, not all, are proping up the MAGA call.........
Millions of Germans were manipulated into becoming “anti-Jew” just like Trump sharing his hate with the ignorant racist MAGA cultists. Millions of other citizens became victims of participation by the reign of terror created in every country the Nazi party, the Gestapo, the SS and the young military marched through. When people are overwhelmed by poor economic conditions, feel they have no control over their lives and no prospects of things getting better for them - they are the perfect candidates for a Fascist regime to flourish. Terror and fear overwhelmed even good people allowing the mechanisms of power and destruction to operate without much opposition.
Millions of Americans have been primed by Trump since he announced his campaign for President. When Trump was sworn in, the perfect storm of fear, disappointment , greed, racism, misogyny, bigotry, lust for power brought together everyone from the Proud Boys to the Evangelical minsters to the KKK along with assorted advisors and organizations with similar agendas and desires. Soon the two-faced Republicans realized that they had better get onboard or they would be pushed out of power. Hence, almost every conservative who ever spoke out against Trump is now kissing his ass.
The conditions that propelled a flawed evil man like Hitler to thinking he could control the world are all here in America waiting for voters to walk blindly into a voting booth. Who but ourselves will be coming to our rescue?
The powerful manipulating the less powerful seems to have always been the way of humanity whether politicians, chiefs, kings, presidential candidates or religions and their leaders. Those who think for themselves are often persecuted including by death. Thank you Sharon for your post.
I was not clear. I do not disagree with you about TFG or about some current Jewish Billionaires and less rich Jews supporting Fascism in this country and IsaraEL. My point is about painting with too wide a brush. Not all the offending billionaires are Jewish and not all Jews support Fascism either here or in Israel.
Many of my friends are secular Jews who agonize over what is going on as much or more than my non-Jewish friends.
The MSM really ought to be shining their spotlight on Trump's anti-constitutional extremism (if DT himself doesn't understand his own views, that in itself is a very bad thing). I think the Trump machine is exploiting the distractions of a general unrest in the world to in effect obscure the unconscionably destructive nature of their views. The media don't, but COULD and should, help remedy that.
I read and research both sides of “the divide”; if you haven’t ever done that I encourage it. Both sides speak exactly the same of the other. The MAGAs call the progressives the Marxist fascists just like the liberals believe all the conservatives will be the undoing of our country. Makes me wonder if the powers that be aren’t really all in on the same page and this rhetoric just keeps everyone distracted from what they’re doing, which doesn’t appear good for any of us. Hitler had Jews in his inner circle, so “being Jewish” was not a problem if one was useful. There is rumored that even he descended from Jewish ancestors. Pitting non-Jews against Jews served his purpose. Many Germans and other countries’ citizens were Jewish until it became unpopular. Hitler initially found that claiming the Jews were carriers of disease created the necessary divide and quickly neighbors and friends and business colleagues turned on each other. Consider how recently the government turned the vaccinated against the unvaccinated. Could all that happened in the 30’s and 40’s be happening again? Is the same playbook being repeated? Are we simply pawns in the greater scheme; the club of which none of us are members? It’s worth considering.
"Are we simply pawns in the greater scheme?" The brief answer is...yes, especially when the person at the head of government is a megalomaniacal, grandiose, charismatic sociopath who has no capacity to care about anybody but himself. In cases like that, other people aren't of any use unless they serve psychological functions like doting on him and making him feel powerful and important. That's why, eventually, every single German citizen, except those relative few who had the courage and tenacity to retain their own humanity, eventually became pawns in his delusional, grandiose scheme to be the ruler of the world. Just by complying they became functionaries in the Nazi game of keeping Hitler happy so he wouldn't unload his narcissistic fury on them. Trump creates the same interpersonal and group dynamics among his inner circle of cult followers as did Hitler. Politics, IMO, is often the outward manifestation of serious psychopathology, masquerading as governance. :(
Don’t get enamored with the puppets from either “side of the aisle”; they’re just pawns of the megalomaniacs directing the circus from behind the curtain. Once again, divisive distraction to keep the serfs fighting each other and unaware of the true criminals!
Trump HIMSELF is the fascist; whereas extreme leftists are merely an extreme element at one end of the Democratic side of the divide. That is point to consider.
I’m not here to argue with you; please do you own research. If many Germans were Jews, wouldn’t it stand to reason that some in Hitler’s army were German Jews. There’s a lot of confusion around Jewish people; the original Jews of Israel and the Kazarian Jews of the surrounding areas. If you are truly interested there are great resources right here on SubStack. I’d suggest starting with Frances Leader; she does an excellent job explaining history all the way back to the Romans. It’s fascinating and explains much of our world issues still happening today. Remember, history is not necessarily what happened, but what was written. Mind you, it will be mind-opening; it certainly was for me! Best of success.
Wake me up; It is still inconceivable that this demented orange clown has a chance of being our president, yet again! It's as though we have not learned from the past, what harm fascism and a totalitarian state can do to its population. The trump claims he wants the immunity to kill his opposition, the ability to fire the government and fill it with hand picked sycophants, and become dictator. We need to take this existential threat seriously and VOTE BLUE!
If Trump vanished tomorrow (!) millions of his followers would continue to believe that immigrants were poisoning the blood of the nation for at least a generation thanks to Trump, Fox News, and other right-wing media.
Whether or not he wins, we all lose for quite a while.
Glad to see this line of thinking is now main stream. For years whenever anyone made comparisons to 1930’s Germany, we were told we were hysterical and deranged.
Whether it will make a difference or not for anyone in his cult remains to be seen. This is incredibly terrifying.
We can also learn that if there was no British white paper limiting Jewish emigration to mandate Palestine during this terrible time, tne Frank family could have survived.
It still upsets me -- and some of my English relatives -- that the British 2nd Army couldn't get to Belsen two weeks or a month earlier.
They would have saved Anne Frank's life.
And many other people.
But Hitler and his cronies kept on fighting in that bloody Rhineland mud, launched that stupid Ardennes Offensive, and blew all the bridges on every river from the Meuse to the Elbe, particularly the Rhine.
That is very scary stuff, especially being the child of a man who lost 38 family members in the holocaust. I'm wondering who is driving trump, who is feeding him those ideas? I'm not sure he could come up with them himself, and I'm not sure his greed for power is enough…
He doesn’t come up with all this himself. It’s been the Republican agenda for the last 40 years. He is just helping to carry it out for his own personal gain. We have been too complacent. We must vote against all of them, not just trump.
I’d say the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation along with certain billionaires are contributing to TFG’s speeches. He certainly isn’t smart enough to write down his own idea.
TFG is nothing more than a useful idiot.
Well said, Lynn. I guess he is useful to those you mentioned, but certainly not for anything else beyond over populating the world with his offspring.
I’m convinced Trump’s rhetorical “brain” is Stephen Miller. 🤔😉😊
Actually, it's The Heritage Foundation and Project 2025. If you want to see the detailed blueprint of what is planned for the next republican presidency, you can look up their site online. They're not trying to be secret about it, it's nearly a thousand pages laying out the complete restructuring of our government. Goodbye to all social safety net programs. Goodbye to protecting the environment. Goodbye to all women's rights...Hello Handmaid's Tale. Goodbye Civil rights. Hello White Christian Nationalists. Goodbye freedom. Hello concentration camps. Hello Martial law. Goodbye free press. Hello propaganda. Goodbye Healthcare. Hello Mass deaths. (But don't worry about population decline, because forced births will keep plenty of slaves available.)
Hi Paula, I totally agree about Project 2025 and Agenda 47, and all those horrible proposals; but it’s my understanding (I could be wrong) that Miller is directly involved with writing Trump’s speeches, and has unmediated ability to influence Trump’s “thinking”. That’s what I was trying to get at. But we’re not disagreeing. 🤔😉😊
Project 2025 genuinely scares me. And I’m British.
If the US falls, there will be a domino effect.
Again, not disagreeing, but arguably, the first domino was in Europe. Orban, LePen (the elder), whatever’s been going on in Holland, and, of course, Brexit. All of which were in effect before 2016. These kinds of horrors will get into the zeitgeist and sprout like (poison) mushrooms after a rain in all sorts of places. 🤔😉😊
I agree. Orban has been insidiously contagious with right-wing politicians globally. They all admire him and want to emulate him.
Several of the very promising, nascent democracies in Eatern Europe, of the 1990s, have moved to the extreme right, and are following in Orban's footsteps.
Another trumputin administration would play havoc with the free world, so you have every right to be scared. We are terrified of the prospect of this mercurial, totally ill suited narcissist and empty suit become our president again. Sadly he has a really good chance.
The evil and nastiness has Stephen Miller's name and fingerprints all over it.
My thought too. Miller and Bannon.
Speaking of Bannon, why isn’t he in jail yet?
Susan, I don't have any inside information about who's feeding him these ideas but I wouldn't be surprised if it were Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, and other seriously disordered men who are driven by the same pathological need to dominate and exact revenge as Trump and all his psychopathic idols: Hitler, Putin, et.al.
it is scary and Dean and others are helping us face it and not put our heads in the sand. Forewarned is forearmed and we need to band together in a unified show of electoral strength and moral courage. Every time we read a post like this and respond and reply, I believe we are strengthening our bonds of relationship against the "divide and conquer" efforts of the fascists. I speak up as much as I can and I'm glad you do too! 😊🌻👍
Thank you, Madeline. I couldn't agree with you more. For me, Stephen Miller is the scariest, because he is this way despite being Jewish, and because he manages to stay almost invisible most of the time. My thoughts have jumped to possibly the most amazing human being I've ever encountered: Desmond Tutu. I wish more people would want to be like him.
Ditto! We need more role models for decency, caring, compassion, and firmness about morals and our human responsibility towards one another. ♥️
Amen!
We—current American culture from end of WWII to now—IMO—seem to almost treat this genocide as something unique in world history. I’m neither a historian or psychologist but genocide appears to be embedded into the consciousness of Americans and other cultures all throughout history.
For example (many I believe Mythical deifying the slaughter):
Joshua commanded to kill every man, woman and child in Canaan and god pissed because he missed a few
All humanity and animal kingdoms in the great flood—many cultures and religions have a great flood mythology
Assyrian policy to destroy every living soul of civilizations that resisted their brutal armies
Romans destroying all Carthaginian civilization, including buildings and sowing salt into the earth
Greeks destroying all Trojans and buildings
American destruction of native Americans
Practices of Mongols on those who resisted them
Practices of Muslim conquerors in Spain to resisting towns and cities
Romans killing most people in what today is called Romania so that Roman elite had nice place to live while Rome hot
Crusaders who first conquered Jerusalem
Turks genocide on Kurds
Rwanda
Current activity in West Bank and Gaza
Many pograms in Eastern Europe
On and on and on.
Humans need to take a deep look with open eyes into who we really are as a species. We are NOT IMAGES of some just and righteous god or gods.
Amen, brother! Very interesting. We are definitely not who we like to think we are, and that's true if most, if not all cultures.
Yet, I believe maybe naively, individuals can work hard to open their eyes and grow and get in touch with a true morality not part of spurious religions of Abraham, Shinto, and others.
My girlfriend, ex but still very good friend, is one of the most naturally nice persons I know. She grew up Reform Jew, but now secular. For me, born into Baptist family, I have to work much harder at being nice. Each has their own story and path to walk. However, even if many do, I question whether enough will do this to change this awful arc of humanity.
I agree, Jim, but I hope that those of us who are willing to do the hard work of growing and getting in touch with true morality can make some difference in the world. I have the Jewish heritage that I never knew about until I was 21, and have been part of a pentecostal church that helped me through a really difficult time in my life. But at this point I am embarrassed by what passes for Christianity in our country. One major point where I disagree with religions like Christianity and Islam is that in traveling the world it becomes clear that other religions have positive sides to them. They prove to me that there is no single "right" religion.
Kismet?
My girlfriend married Greek Orthodox and never shared with her daughter—or son—anything about her Jewish heritage. This daughter became a born again Christian who does not believe in science but only that Jesus is the way. Then COVID hit and my science and the daughter’s religion clashed, especially over safety protocols.
The clash between me and the daughter intensified and my ex had to choose berween us to relieve the tension. She chose her daughter and broke it off from me. That was the right choice. Months later she approached me want to still be my friend as she said she still loved me. I agreed but ONLY as friends. She was and is like a second mother to my son and we are traveling together to my son’s weeding next month.
Incidentally, I have researched the evolution of different religions and the big influence of Sumerian, Egyptian and Greek influences on Judiasm and Christianity.
My ex hmows more Yiddish than I do and has a better feel for all the Jewish holidays. However, I know much more about the history and development of Judiasm and, also, Christianity. This has been a part of my path, a path with many parts.
Hopefully you have learned about your Jewish roots.
Unfortunately I have never felt a desire to learn much about my Jewish roots. My father's family came to the US in 1913 so my grandfather wouldn't have to fight in WW1 (his regiment was wiped out at the beginning of the war). When the family got here they stayed with my grandmother's brother, who made it clear that they were to say NOTHING, give no hint of being Jewish because that would ruin his business. My parent didn't think my sisters and I needed to know about being Jewish, until one of my sisters was suddenly denied access to her boyfriend's home. The knew she was Hungarian and wasn't Catholic, so she obviously must be Jewish. Not true, of course, that there were only two choices if you were Hungarian, but at that point my parents finally decided we children needed to know. I think that perhaps the reason I was never interested in Judaism is because finding out something like that as an adult (who was otherwise very messed up), I suddenly no longer had any idea of who I was. My world was essentially turned upside down. I have always felt ties to Israel because my father's cousin was in on the founding of the country, and lived out the rest of his life there. I've also visited Israel three times and really enjoyed it. I'm not even sure how I would go about learning about my roots, because I have never been close with anybody on my father's side of the family, and no one is left alive who could/would tell me anything..
Susan, I also resonate with Jim Sanders' post regarding the biblical god and "his" decree that Man (men) shall have dominion over all other species, and the specific order to lay waste to all other tribes in Canaan. From all of the examples he gave of mass annihilations, they have all occurred in the last 3000-4000 yrs. Human history extends far beyond that by hundreds of thousands of years. Many archeologists believe that most of that time humans lived in smaller tribes with a more egalitarian ethos. (Marija Gimbutas, and others.) I've also noticed that it's not the indigenous tribes, such as native Americans and first nations peoples who spread out over the globe with the purpose of domination and genocide. I only bring this up to say that it isn't "all cultures" that are organized around mass murder. But the rise of patriarchy in the Judeo-Christian tradition has been the rise of male dominance and the masculine imperative to maintain hegemony. This attitude and accompanying social relationships built on hierarchy has been spread around the globe, for sure, but I believe that it is also inherent in human nature to love and cooperate with one another. I think we would be wise to look at the deep seated beliefs that structured the hearts and minds of those cultures that did not foment genocide. I hope that we humans will survive this long era of masculine competition and return to valuing the chalice of life over the blade of death. (The Chalice and the Blade, Riane Eisler; When God Was a Woman, Merlin Stone; The Creation of Patriarchy, Gerda Lerner.)
Madeline, I agree with you about studying those other cultures. There is a lot I like in the native American culture, but I know some of the tribes were warlike. That aside, I know they have respect for everything, animate or inanimate, which we could really learn from. I would love to get out of the mindset of male competition, though it's so deeply rooted I'm not sure getting away from it would be achievable.
I know what you mean, Susan, about the deep roots of male competition.
My present belief is that a general culture of male competition is perpetuated by a lack of tenderness between fathers and sons which forces boys to deny their longings for male affection and to substitute power over others as the source of their self-esteem and membership in the tribe of manhood. But I believe that child-rearing in the last 50 yrs. or so, in some sectors of society, has been drifting toward greater tenderness and less shaming of little boys. It's been shown that little boys are negatively influenced by ridicule, teasing, etc. when they display the normal needs for empathy that, generically, little girls are offered but many little boys are excluded from. So I look to the families and societies who are raising boys with greater compassion for their full range of human emotions, allowing them to feel more securely attached to adult sources of affection and acceptance. Studies show that the most violent men were chronically dominated, abused, and shamed as little boys. (Hitler) They grow up angry, resentful, and determined never to feel overpowered by anybody ever again...a recipe for a need to dominate. ("The Price We Pay for Shaming Little Boys," by Mary Armstrong.) Just another perspective regarding this long, human episode of male grandiosity and violence.
From what I understand, you can place djt right up there with Hitler. Amazingly, I found a man to marry who, even though he was raised in the 40s and 50s, is a nice, compassionate person. That is unexpected, but I very much appreciate it, given that I never encountered any men like that growing up. Or women, for that matter, except for my elementary school librarian, who was the one person who saw me as a human being.
Putin drives the effort to destroy our government from within. Others, like Saudi Arabia, N Korea, China, and a few other rotten actors want to see the trump in the white house again.
And the republicans are enabling Putin and anybody else who is out to destroy us.
If you seriously read American History, this kind of junk has been plagueing us from the very beginning. Many did not buy the idea of a democracy. Americans are a delusional culture. This battle for democracy must be fought for every day. Stop being lazy Americans!
Should the worst come to pass - and I pray every day that it does not - we should take the example of Denmark in WWII. Hitler invaded Denmark, who immediately surrendered. When Danish Jews were commanded to wear the Star of David, the King of Denmark was the first to put one on. He was not a Jew. All Danes followed suit.
I regret that it’s not actually true. Googled this morning. But King Christian did say that if Danish Jews were forced to wear the Star, he would do so, as well. Perhaps the threat was sufficient for the Nazis to not order Danish Jews to do so. It also allowed Danes to smuggle Jews out to Sweden, saving thousands of lives. I knew a couple who had been part of the Danish underground during the war. They were quite humble about the part they played.
The evacuation was brilliant and saved most of Denmark’s Jews, accomplished using small boats by most of the population. Always grateful for that.
Victor Borge used to tell that story. 🤔😉😊
I had not heard that. Thank you.
Christine, I've heard that story too so I checked on it and it turns out not to be exactly correct. The king did not wear a yellow star and neither did the Danish people. It seems as if the Germans didn't even require that of the Danes, oddly enough. in fact I believe the king and the rest of the government stepped down without a fight but when the German started to come down heavier on Danish Jews all the Danes work together to get the Jews to safety in Sweden. They transported in little boats something like 7000 Danish Jews Leaving only about 500 or so that ended up being sent to Thierisenstadt. I'm sure I've spelled that wrong but even then the Danes kept up so much interest in what had happened to those Jews who were taken that it's possible that the Germans went easy on them so to speak and didn't send them to the extermination camps. At least that's what the Wikipedia article I read had to say about this incident.
So the story that isn't exactly right, still embodies the spirit of collective protection that the Danes exerted on behalf of their compatriots who were being hunted by Nazis. 💕💕💕
Yes, and I corrected myself in a response. BUT I would do that in a heartbeat. I may not look like a “vermin” but I would absolutely stand with them!
Sorry if I didn't see your corrected response, Christine, and I appreciate your saying that you would stand with whoever is targeted. I can't tolerate hearing TFG speak so I don't listen to what he's actually saying, nor do I witness his followers responses. I'm grateful to Dean that he's able to do so and to tell us about it...we need to know so we can prepare and possibly organize ahead of time...draw up mental plans for what we would do if...
It's come to this and as horrible as that is, and as much as I'd like to just forget about 45 altogether and go about my life, I want to join with others and be prepared.
We must watch him like a hawk. Because he's continually and consistently demonstrated his ever-present threat to our welfare and country. Believe him.
Absolutely agree. We cannot stand idly by.
The nation needs to stand up and VOTE this bastard out on Nov. 5th so he can fade into the ash bin of one of the worst periods in our political history!
That's fine, but Bush v Gore 2.0 is a distinct possibility
What a scary thought...We know exactly what the partisan majority on the SCOTUS will do.
I hope not- but this USSC is far worse than the one that installed Bush in the 2000 coup.
The scary bit with that is will voting him out change the existence of the mindsets and policies he represents.............like cutting down a tree but the stump regrows. There is a deep sickness here, beyond just the vote and who wins..........sad thing is christians will want and be praying for revival .....and many, not all, are proping up the MAGA call.........
Millions of Germans were manipulated into becoming “anti-Jew” just like Trump sharing his hate with the ignorant racist MAGA cultists. Millions of other citizens became victims of participation by the reign of terror created in every country the Nazi party, the Gestapo, the SS and the young military marched through. When people are overwhelmed by poor economic conditions, feel they have no control over their lives and no prospects of things getting better for them - they are the perfect candidates for a Fascist regime to flourish. Terror and fear overwhelmed even good people allowing the mechanisms of power and destruction to operate without much opposition.
Millions of Americans have been primed by Trump since he announced his campaign for President. When Trump was sworn in, the perfect storm of fear, disappointment , greed, racism, misogyny, bigotry, lust for power brought together everyone from the Proud Boys to the Evangelical minsters to the KKK along with assorted advisors and organizations with similar agendas and desires. Soon the two-faced Republicans realized that they had better get onboard or they would be pushed out of power. Hence, almost every conservative who ever spoke out against Trump is now kissing his ass.
The conditions that propelled a flawed evil man like Hitler to thinking he could control the world are all here in America waiting for voters to walk blindly into a voting booth. Who but ourselves will be coming to our rescue?
The powerful manipulating the less powerful seems to have always been the way of humanity whether politicians, chiefs, kings, presidential candidates or religions and their leaders. Those who think for themselves are often persecuted including by death. Thank you Sharon for your post.
Sharon, Excellent synopsis of how we have reached the present political situation in the United States.
You should repost this widely on every Substack to which you subscribe. May I do the same, and if so, do you wish to be credited?
Please share as you wish. Getting the word out is my primary goal.
And yet we’ve got immigrant and Jewish billionaires who are financially supporting TFG in his quest to become a fascist dictator.
Their perceived benefit of the almighty dollar is more important to them than democracy.
They came to THIS country to make their fortunes and are willing to destroy it.
Their hypocrisy is disgraceful and disgusting. I say we deport THEM.
Sounds like some good ole American anti-semitism raising its ugly head.
Typical. Can’t critique anyone’s doing without the antisemitism thrown about.
Adelson, Yass, Schwarman are all supporting TFG and his fascism.
They’ve learned nothing from history and should be ashamed of themselves.
I was not clear. I do not disagree with you about TFG or about some current Jewish Billionaires and less rich Jews supporting Fascism in this country and IsaraEL. My point is about painting with too wide a brush. Not all the offending billionaires are Jewish and not all Jews support Fascism either here or in Israel.
Many of my friends are secular Jews who agonize over what is going on as much or more than my non-Jewish friends.
Generaliztions, IMO, are typically myopic.
In case you weren’t aware -TFG is quoting HITLER.
The MSM really ought to be shining their spotlight on Trump's anti-constitutional extremism (if DT himself doesn't understand his own views, that in itself is a very bad thing). I think the Trump machine is exploiting the distractions of a general unrest in the world to in effect obscure the unconscionably destructive nature of their views. The media don't, but COULD and should, help remedy that.
. . . it would not be political, but rather just objective and factual.
And consider: the "retribution" Trump promises amounts to the annihilation of freedom of speech!
I read and research both sides of “the divide”; if you haven’t ever done that I encourage it. Both sides speak exactly the same of the other. The MAGAs call the progressives the Marxist fascists just like the liberals believe all the conservatives will be the undoing of our country. Makes me wonder if the powers that be aren’t really all in on the same page and this rhetoric just keeps everyone distracted from what they’re doing, which doesn’t appear good for any of us. Hitler had Jews in his inner circle, so “being Jewish” was not a problem if one was useful. There is rumored that even he descended from Jewish ancestors. Pitting non-Jews against Jews served his purpose. Many Germans and other countries’ citizens were Jewish until it became unpopular. Hitler initially found that claiming the Jews were carriers of disease created the necessary divide and quickly neighbors and friends and business colleagues turned on each other. Consider how recently the government turned the vaccinated against the unvaccinated. Could all that happened in the 30’s and 40’s be happening again? Is the same playbook being repeated? Are we simply pawns in the greater scheme; the club of which none of us are members? It’s worth considering.
"Are we simply pawns in the greater scheme?" The brief answer is...yes, especially when the person at the head of government is a megalomaniacal, grandiose, charismatic sociopath who has no capacity to care about anybody but himself. In cases like that, other people aren't of any use unless they serve psychological functions like doting on him and making him feel powerful and important. That's why, eventually, every single German citizen, except those relative few who had the courage and tenacity to retain their own humanity, eventually became pawns in his delusional, grandiose scheme to be the ruler of the world. Just by complying they became functionaries in the Nazi game of keeping Hitler happy so he wouldn't unload his narcissistic fury on them. Trump creates the same interpersonal and group dynamics among his inner circle of cult followers as did Hitler. Politics, IMO, is often the outward manifestation of serious psychopathology, masquerading as governance. :(
Don’t get enamored with the puppets from either “side of the aisle”; they’re just pawns of the megalomaniacs directing the circus from behind the curtain. Once again, divisive distraction to keep the serfs fighting each other and unaware of the true criminals!
Trump HIMSELF is the fascist; whereas extreme leftists are merely an extreme element at one end of the Democratic side of the divide. That is point to consider.
Well, too late for you.
Dead f*cking ON!!!!!!!! Finally a voice of educated reason. Thank you.
Just curious….who were the Jews in Hitler’s inner circle? I don’t think that is true.
History confirms that many Germans were Jews.
I’m not here to argue with you; please do you own research. If many Germans were Jews, wouldn’t it stand to reason that some in Hitler’s army were German Jews. There’s a lot of confusion around Jewish people; the original Jews of Israel and the Kazarian Jews of the surrounding areas. If you are truly interested there are great resources right here on SubStack. I’d suggest starting with Frances Leader; she does an excellent job explaining history all the way back to the Romans. It’s fascinating and explains much of our world issues still happening today. Remember, history is not necessarily what happened, but what was written. Mind you, it will be mind-opening; it certainly was for me! Best of success.
Thanks AGAIN. You are a breath of fresh educated air!
Sure many Germans were Jews —they for the most part had to get the hell outa there! —or die!
Sure, but that is not what you said. You said Hitler had Jews in his inner circle..who?
Wake me up; It is still inconceivable that this demented orange clown has a chance of being our president, yet again! It's as though we have not learned from the past, what harm fascism and a totalitarian state can do to its population. The trump claims he wants the immunity to kill his opposition, the ability to fire the government and fill it with hand picked sycophants, and become dictator. We need to take this existential threat seriously and VOTE BLUE!
If Trump vanished tomorrow (!) millions of his followers would continue to believe that immigrants were poisoning the blood of the nation for at least a generation thanks to Trump, Fox News, and other right-wing media.
Whether or not he wins, we all lose for quite a while.
SMDH.
Sure. But we wouldn't have presidential power in the hands of Trump.
As Maya Angelou said “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
Too many believe it can’t happen here. Just see Hungary for how it can and will happen under republican rule. And the press is failing
It can happen here. Sinclair Lewis wrote a book about it about 90 years ago. The past is present.
Glad to see this line of thinking is now main stream. For years whenever anyone made comparisons to 1930’s Germany, we were told we were hysterical and deranged.
Whether it will make a difference or not for anyone in his cult remains to be seen. This is incredibly terrifying.
Oh I concur but fascism is already here; trump just puts it front and center without any qualms.
We can also learn that if there was no British white paper limiting Jewish emigration to mandate Palestine during this terrible time, tne Frank family could have survived.
It still upsets me -- and some of my English relatives -- that the British 2nd Army couldn't get to Belsen two weeks or a month earlier.
They would have saved Anne Frank's life.
And many other people.
But Hitler and his cronies kept on fighting in that bloody Rhineland mud, launched that stupid Ardennes Offensive, and blew all the bridges on every river from the Meuse to the Elbe, particularly the Rhine.