Not “genocide,” not “apartheid”

We all have heard the buzzwords regarding the war in Gaza such as it’s a “genocide” and Israel is an “apartheid” state who has no claim to the land. None of which is true.

The term “genocide” refers to both the act of killing and the intent to destroy a group. It’s not solely about the act of killing, but rather the deliberate and systematic effort to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. That’s not what we’re seeing in Gaza. Do you know that there are over two million Palestinians living in a very densely populated area and after two years only seventy K have been discorporated in this war. If Israel wanted to commit genocide the body count would be much higher but it isn’t because Israel warns Gazans before a bombing by dropping leaflets, sending text messages and “roof-knocking” (something only the Israeli military does). Also if the standard for genocide was civilian casualties and destruction in war, then the term would apply to virtually every modern urban conflict since WWII: Mosul (2016), Fallujah (2004), Aleppo (2016), Kabul (2001-2021), Marawi (2017), Grozny (1999-2000), etc. Does anyone honestly believe Israel is trying to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group?

Do you know that nearly 20% of Israeli  citizens are Arab Muslims? Two million are Arabs and 1.7 million are Muslims. Supreme Court Justice Khaled Kabub  is an Arab, Lucy Aharish  is a news anchor and Dr. Shadan Salameh is an Arab woman leading the biggest ER In Israel. You can’t do so as a Jew in Gaza. How many Jewish leaders or judges rule over Gaza or anywhere in Palestine? Israel Arabs enjoy a much better life being treated as equals than Jews do in Gaza (as the only Jews in Gaza were the hostages). Is that fair?

I think we  can all agree that nobody wants to see children harmed, but sadly in war children suffer the worse (even more so because Hamas terrorists wear children as human armor). In the Iran-Iraq war there were over 100,000 civilians casualties and in the US war after 9/11 387,000 civilian casualties. That’s not terrorism or genocide, that’s war. In Nuseirat refugee camp they found alive hostages, in Rafah (refugee camp) they found Sinwar, Hamas fighters and hostages. Hamas member Ismail Barhoum was killed at Nasser Hospital. Mohammed Sinwar a Hamas member at the European Hospital complex in Khan Younis was killed.

Stop using heavily populated refugee camps, schools and hospitals then playing victim afterwards.  Hamas wages a war and then hides in their tunnels as their civilians are stuck above ground. Not to mention the many children Hamas killed or kidnapped on Oct 7th such as Kfir Bibas (9 months old) and his brother Ariel Bibas (4 years old), Shahar Siman Tov (age 6), Arbel Siman ToV (age 6), AOmer Siman Tov (age 2), Tahel Bira (15 years old), Yahel Sharabi, (13 years old), Noya Dan (she was 12), and Liel & Yannai Hetzroni (both 12), Aline Kapshetar (8 years old), Eitan Kapshetar (5 years old) among many others.

Now for the claim of occupation. Before Israel was there Palestinians didn’t own any of the land. The Ottoman Empire had it before the British government. The British government gave the land to the Jewish people. It’s legally theirs. Palestinians at the time were little more than squaters with no land.

Before the British government and even before Ottoman Empire had the land, was there a country called Palestine? Nope, it was under the Mamluk Sultanate and before that under the Ayyubid dynasty, then Fatimid Caliphate, the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. Additionally, the Kingdom of Jerusalem (a Crusader state) briefly controlled parts of the region before the Ayyubids reconquered it. We can go further there never was a Palestine, but history does show during the Iron Age, the land belonged to the Israelite kingdoms, Israel and Judah. The land was restored back to the Jews to become Israel  in 1948.

If anyone disagrees answer me this simple question, what year was Palestine Independence Day established?

Israel has pursued lasting peace and even two state solutions with the Palestinians on numerous occasions such as 1947 (UN Partition), 1967 (Khartoum Resolution), 2000 (Camp David), 2001 (Taba), 2008 (Olmert offer), 2009 (Bar-llan Initiative), 2016 (John Kerry plan), and 2020 (US Peace Plan). Palestinians rejected all roads to peace. Today Palestinians are in the “Frak Off” stage of “Frak Around, Find Out” after the (real genocidal) massacre on Oct 7th.

Sharps disposal SCAM

A lot of pharmacies are distributing  one page pamphlets and displaying posters promoting the proper (and legal) disposal of sharps. Sharps are syringes and injection pens used by all sorts of patients (diabetics for example).  The pamphlets promote a program called the MED-Project, and it sounds like it’s a government program that will supply you with sharps containers that you just have to mail (pre-paid postage adhered to boxes).

I tried it. After filling out a form online, I received a 1.4 qt. plastic sharps box. All good I thought.  Between my wife and I, we filled the container in about six weeks. Them I packaged it up in the box supplied, and dropped it off at the Post  Office. Sounds great right?

It’s not free. The initial text implies it is, and I guess technically that first box was free. But, you have to order your supplies, and the company you order from is called Pureway.  They have several different choices in sizes. The basic one, the one I initially received from them is a 1.4 qt box. They offer them in six pacs (each one comes with it’s own pre-paid mailing box) and these six packs are $118.00, so if you use one each month, you are looking at $236 per year.

In contrast, (and this is the way I usually go) Amazon sells a five pack of 5 qt containers for $28.95. Typically we fill one up 2.5 months. The catch is that I have to take the container to a designated sharps disposal bin (there are several around the town I live in), so no different then taking one to the post office.  Those 5 containers last just over a year, for a savings of $207 each year.

In other words, MED-Project AKA Pureway is ripping you off $207 yearly, and there’s no real convenience, unless you live in a rural town that provides no sharp disposal bins.

Let the buyer beware.

Why the “palestinians” are interlopers

One of the biggest and lesser known stories of Nov 29 is that the lands allocated to a Jewish state (two color map) were essentially those the Zionists reclaimed from malaria through land purchase, science and education (the two-tone blue map is the incidents of malaria and the middle map shows Jewish land ownership of those lands reclaimed from malaria).

Moreover, the sudden and extremely rapid increase of the Arab population in the 1920’s and 1930’s in this barely populated backwater region (this was the highest population increase rate in the world in 1931/2) was only in part due to immigration spurred by Zionist development of the land. The major share of the massive Arab population increase was thanks to Malaria eradication, which was the work of the Galician born famed microbiologist and ardent Zionist Dr. Israel Kligler (credit to the great historical work of Anton Alexander).

With this knowledge it remains even a greater tragedy that the now much more numerous Arabs of the land directed their efforts towards brutally fighting Zionism rather than choosing to live side by side with an emerging Jewish state. More than a year after the Oct 7 massacre we mark once more the Nov 29 moment when the Jews said yes to the UNGA plan of partition (having prioritized having a state, even if tiny and mostly desert and lands reclaimed from malaria and no Zion and no Judea) and the Arabs said no and proceeded to wage a brutal war to the present day (having prioritized – still – the goal of the Jews not having a state at all and of any size).

 

(Note on map titles: for twenty centuries, before a campaign of denial was underway, it was well understood that the name “Palestine” merely denoted the Roman/Christian/Colonial/European name for the geographic region where the Land of Israel was and was therefore deeply associated with Jews and the their continuous connection to the land.
Hence the League of Nation in establishing the mandate recognized the “historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine” as the “grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country” and which is why the Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra of Jewish musicians became the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra…)”

Open Letter to the Democratic National Committee

Since the beginning of 2026 I have responded to every letter, email, ad in my newsfeed, etc; from the DNC (or affiliates) with a version of the following letter. This includes surveys (which are really fund raising methods … actually everything I receive from the Democratic Party is a fund raising attempt).
I have a little problem. Although I am a lifelong Democrat, as were my parents and my grandparents (I am 72 now), and although I agree100% with the Party’s platform concerning women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, senior rights, and a host of other issues, I cannot in good conscious support the Party monetarily so long as they tolerate antisemitism (usually hiding under the word anti-Zionism), especially at the leadership level. Mostly here, I am referring to the anti-Israel comments by Senator Bernie Sanders (whom I voted for when he ran for POTUS) and those ladies popularly referred to as “The Squad.” Bernie and “the squad” are right most of the time, I would even say I agree with them 95% of the time, but they repeat lie, after lie, after lie about Israel. It’s like I am hearing Donald Trump (the liar in chief) and the MAGAs, the lies are so incredibly nauseating.
  • Israel is not practicing apartheid.
  • Israel was not founded by European Colonialists.
  • Israel is not now, not has it ever committed genocide.

These are all lies: propaganda authored by people who hate Jews, and these lies make Bernie, “The Squad,” and the Democratic Party look like blatant hypocrites.

Progressives (and I would characterize myself as a Progressive) are supposed to stand against misogyny, racism, oligarchical rule, yet, by attacking Israel, they are seen as supporting regimes that suppress women, openly murder LGBTQ individuals and Arab oligarchs (such as the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, etc.).

Concerning the hypocrisy of Progressives

When I posted the above meme on Facebook, boy did I get some backlash. Progressives don’t like it when someone points out how hypocritical they are.

Example 1: They claim to be pro-woman and anti-misogyny, yet they support a country that subjugates women in some of the worst ways.  In Gaza and in parts of the “west Bank,” women are forced to wear the hijab, not allowed to leave the house without a male escort, not allowed to work in healthcare (or many other professions). Their husbands have permission from their prophet to beat them, or divorce them without notice. In even stricter Islamic regimes such as Iran, they are not allowed an education, are forced to wear the burka (where all you can see is their eyes), and not allowed to drive a car. In some of these countries teenage girls are subjected to FGM  I think the only thing stopping that from happening in Gaza or the “west bank” is those countries proximity to Israel.

Example 2: Progressives claim to support LGBTQ rights. In Gaza and parts of the “west bank” it is routine for LGBTQ citizens to be thrown from the tops of buildings, or drug from behind pickup trucks.

Example 3: Progressives want to see the right to vote enshrined for everyone. The last time the citizens of Gaza were allowed the opportunity to vote was in January 2006. That was twenty years ago.

Example 4:  Progressives, for the most part, claim to be pacifists. On October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorists invaded  Israel from Gaza, Thousands of militants breached the Gaza-Israel security fence at over 30 points using explosives, bulldozers, and paragliders and targeted more than 20 Israeli towns, kibbutzim, and the Nova Music Festival, where over 300 people were killed. Approximately 1,200 people were killed, including civilians, women, children, and the elderly. It was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. Around 251 people were abducted and taken into the Gaza Strip as hostages. The terrorists committed heinous atrocities, including gang raping women and teenagers (some women were found with their pelvises broken in multiple spots); torturing and murdering parents in front of their children, and children in front of their parents. Infants were executed in microwave ovens.  Am I exaggerating?  Not at all. These monsters were so proud of themselves that they video recorded it.

How did Progressives respond? Many of them applauded the terrorists, saying that Israel had it coming, and justifying it with a litany of lies (Israel practices “apartheid,” “Israel “illegally” occupies the west bank, Israel “enslaves” the “palestinian” people, etc., etc., ad-infinitum, ad-nauseum).  Funny thing about the lies: Progressives are fond of pointing out Donald Trumps pathological lies, but when it comes to Israel and the Jews, they are guilty of much worse.

Don’t get me wrong. Donald is by far the worst POTUS our country has ever endured. He undoubtedly wants to be a dictator (a “King”). 

A lot of Jews (a minority, thankfully) support Trump. They point out that he moved the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, this recognizing Jerusalem as the legitimate and historical capital of Israel . They point out that he recognized Israel’s legal control over the Golan Heights. They point out that he expedited military aid to Israel.  All this indicates is that like a broken clock, Trump is right about something twice a day.  What they don’t see (or don’t want to see) is a man who has been a lifelong antisemitic, who will throw Israel and Jews under the bus as soon as we no longer serve a purpose for him.

For Progressives, these decisions further turn them away from Israel simply because Trump made them. No other reason. Trump did it so it must be wrong. Trump supports Israel, therefore Progressives must not, even though it implies that Progressives are supporting regimes with heinous records regarding the civil rights of women, LGBTQ an ordinary citizens. “Oh but that’s not true,” they will say, “it’s really about freedom of religion. People have the right to believe and practice any religious dogma they prefer.”  People have such a right, but Jews are not “people.” So it depends upon whether your religion is acceptable or not for you to have the right to practice.  It doesn’t matter that in many cases people have been forced to convert to Islam (and the Quron states in numerous places that people must convert to Islam or be executed). Another hypocrisy: Progressives believe in freedom of religion yet they support a religion that denies that very freedom.

Most Progressives are atheists or agnostics. This illuminates yet another hypocrisy. They will say that they support Moslems because we have “freedom of religion,” but in reality they would outlaw all religion if they could.  When they wish they are all into exposing conservatives for being pedophiles, or gay, or adulterers, but they could easily apply some of that to Islam, which promotes pedophilia (Mohammad’s first wife was six years old when they married. He waited until she was nine to consummate) misogyny (including FGM), and the wholesale murder of LGBTQ individuals. They disallow the freedom of the press (except for Iran’s propaganda outlets such as Al Jazeera), freedom of speech, and most of the other items listed on the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.  They won’t because after all “Islam is the religion of Peace,” (tell that to the victims of Oct 7 2023) and besides it’s very fashionable to support Moslem rights above everyone else’s right (such as Israel’s right to exist).

 

Progressive Zionist groups on Facebook

Here is listed all of the groups currently on Facebook (as of 03/29/2026) identifying as Zionist and Progressive/Liberal. These groups are showing a total of 37,084 members. Granted, some people probably belong to more than one group or even all of these groups.

What does “Progressive Zionist” even mean? By “Progressive,” we mean basically that we more or less support those domestic issues promoted by Bernie Sanders and members of the Congressional “Squad.” By “Zionist” we mean that we unequivocally and unabashedly support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself, and the Jewish peoples right to sovereignty in the land formerly governed by the British Mandate for Palestine(1920-1948), including Samaria / Judea (aka, “the West Bank”).

“Palestine”?

 

Palestine? More like, Fakestine. That’s right, folks, it’s time to bust the myth that Palestine is a real place with a real history. I know, I know, some people may have their conspiracy theories and emotional attachments to this “land,” but let’s face it, it’s all just a trendy fashion statement.

First things first, let’s clear up some common misconceptions. You may have heard about the so-called “occupation,” “apartheid,” and “genocide” happening within the borders of Israel. But here’s the thing, these are just buzzwords thrown around by people who clearly have no idea what they’re talking about. In fact, there is no evidence of any of these things happening within the post-1967 boundaries of Israel. So, let’s put that rumor to rest, shall we?

Now, let’s get to the root of the issue, Palestine itself. The truth is, Palestine as a distinct state or nation has never existed. That’s right, I said it. It’s all a figment of someone’s imagination. Many people claim that Palestine has a rich history and culture, but the reality is, there is no solid evidence to back this up.

But didn’t Palestine have a place on the map? Well, sort of. You see, back in ancient times, the area referred to as Palestine was a region that encompassed parts of modern-day Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.  Following the Bar Kochba revolt (135 BCE), Rome renamed  Judea “Syria Palestina” in order to punish the Jews and displace them from their land (Judea being named after it’s inhabitants, the Jews) It was never a designated nation with a distinct identity. It wasn’t until the 20th century, when the League of Nations assigned the United Kingdom the Mandate for Palestine (1928-1948) that this name was used to refer specifically to the land of Israel. And even then, it was mainly used as a geographical term, not a political one.

So, where did this whole “Palestinian” identity come from? The truth is, it’s a relatively new concept that only gained popularity in the late 1960s. It was around this time that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) was formed, and suddenly, everyone wanted to be a “Palestinian.” It became a symbol of resistance and rebellion, and being a “Palestinian” was seen as cool and edgy. It’s like the hipster trend, but with a political twist.

But let’s not forget, Israel has had a continuous presence in the land for thousands of years. It has a well-documented history and ties to the land, unlike this so-called “Palestinian” identity. The Jewish people have been living in the land of Israel for centuries, and there is no denying their connection to it.

So, what’s the big deal, you may ask? Well, the problem is that this fabricated identity of “Palestinian” has been used as a tool to delegitimize and demonize Israel. It’s a way for certain groups to push their agenda and paint Israel as the “oppressor.” But the fact is, the land belongs to Israel, and it always has.

In conclusion, calling Palestine a “real” place with a “real” history is just plain wrong. It’s time to stop buying into this fashionable, made-up identity and start acknowledging the facts. Israel is a real country with a real history, and it’s time to give credit where credit is due. Let’s put an end to this charade and embrace the truth. It’s time to say goodbye to Fakestine and hello to the real deal.

 

IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, YOU CAN’T HAVE ANY!!!

Linda Grindel

I’ve written about progressive psychic mediums before. My wife is particularly fond of them, and I find them to be consistently entertaining and insightful. I’ll include a few links to the ones I find that are accurate. However, like most progressives, they tend to embrace an antisemitic worldview, especially in regard to Israel.

The worst one, as far as being blatantly antisemitic, is Linda Grindel.   In practically every podcast she produces (except when she’s a guest with others), she disparages Israel in some way.

In her latest podcast, she found the straw that broke the camel’s back. She stated on the air that her “spirit guides” informed her that Israel participated in the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Linda’s pod cast 2/26/2026

I believe in a lot of things. I believe that we have spiritual advisors that dwell between the worlds that give us insights or advice about things going on in our lives. Other than “spirit guides,” I’m not sure what else you can call them. Some people call them Angels. Celtic-oriented people might refer to them as “faery.” I believe that some people are gifted with the ability to access these entities at will. Psychics, Mediums, Gurus, Shamans, and maybe even some Rabbis are gifted in this way.

I can state here that Linda Grindel’s “guides” did not tell her that Israel, the Mosshav, the IDF, or any other Israelis had anything to do with the assassination of JFK.

Guides do not lie. They are incapable of it. People lie. Politicians lie. Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Adolf Hitler, Tucker Carlson, and many others are pathological liars. (Do you know how to tell when one of them is lying? Their lips move.) 

Progressive Psychic Mediums, such as Linda, claim that they get their information from these spirit guides (or they may call them Angels, ETs, famous people from history, etc,)

But in this case Linda Grindel is either lying, or she is listening to entities that are not benevolent or who do not hold human beings (or Homo sapiens) in high regard or have any respect for them. A third possibility is that Linda is just bat-crap “cray cray.”

Israel has always held the United States and certain of our POTUSs in very high regard. JFK was admired so much that in the hills outside of Bethany there is a perpetual memorial flame that burns in honor of JFK.

 

President Kennedy was very supportive of Israel. Here is a link to some of his remarks at the August 26, 1960 convention of the Zionist Organization of America in New York City.

 

Will I ever meet my grandchildren?

Here is a tribute to my grandchildren that I published here a few months ago. I have never met, nor even had a phone exchange with any of them except for Joshua’s boys:  Isaiah (son of Joshua) when he was about eight or nine. And Jalen (aka, “Jayswirl”) when he was maybe 14.  But I have never met Mia, Poppy or Dorothy (daughters of Jesse) or Cam, Ian and Joy (offspring of Jordan).  It is likely that I never will.

Apparently, the twins entered into a pact with my ex (their mother, Lynne) that unless I take the initiative and travel to Illinois, I would never meet  them, and that prohibition apparently extends to phone calls as well. When I have called to touch base with my boys, they have never offered to let me talk to their children.

The problem I have with that is that between Lynne and Qadisha, (my two ex’s) they pillaged my inheritance and so I have no disposable income, and beings that Ceridwen and I live on Social Security, that’s not likely to change.

There is another, equally unlikely, scenario:  The grandchildren could get together and fly themselves (either all together or individually) out here to the Redwood Coast and meet with me, without their parents.

I’ve made it a point for the last few years to send birthday presents to all of my grandchildren. Do the kids know from whom these “mystery” packages from California originate?  Cam does. His dad has taken pictures with Cam posing with my presents.

During a messenger exchange a few months back (it was still Summer) Jordan did mention something like him having time off coming in November and it sounded like he might have had a plan to come out. But when I talked to him about it in October he said they had some financial set backs and they needed a new dishwasher, so a trip in the fall was not feasible.

The bottom line is that my ever meeting the grandchildren is not very likely. I turned 72 this past November 15th (2025). The life span of Arseneau men seems to average around 75, on the other hand, my plan is to live to see 100.  The Jewish birthday wish is “… may you live to see 120.” Moses was 120 when he died, so I am guessing that is where that tradition comes from.

How to cope?  I’ve recently  joined three FaceBook groups that are supposed to help you deal with your estranged children. If nothing else, maybe I will find some peace concerning this.  I am seeing a therapist, every other week.  I’m not sure what, if any, good is coming of that, but it does give me a neutral ear to kvetch in.

I have thought about throwing caution to the wind and sending each of the twins a copy of one of the mythicism books, such as those written by Richard Carrier.

Waiting is.