Cumulative Confirmed COVID-19 Cases

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Further Comments on the October 7 Atrocities

.John Hinderaker at Powerline has more on the savage attacks by Hamas on Israelis on October 7. He and Glenn Reynolds have said it perfectly.

Degenerate Animals [Updated]

"Glenn Reynolds quotes some of the same accounts of rape and sexual mutilation of Israeli girls and women by Gazans that I wrote about here.  ("What Happened on October 7")

"What the Arab Muslims did on October 7 isn’t just unspeakable, it is almost unimaginable. Glenn comments:

    "It’s as if these people are a bunch of degenerate animals, which is because that’s what they are. Hamas and the — majority — of Palestinians who support them. And their western supporters — including the Western feminists who went crazy about a fictional frat-house rape that left its “victim” alive and unscarred — are utterly complicit as well.

    "And we’re supposed to pretend somehow that these degenerate animals aren’t degenerate animals because of a bullshit Cultural Marxist theory created by people whose goal was always to undermine Western civilization and replace it with something that looks a lot like a cross between Hamas and Stalin. Garbage ideas from garbage people who deserve to be treated like the garbage that they are, but that are instead amplified and legitimized by our academic/media/political complex, which is itself no better. It is important to make that truth utterly clear and to repeat it and throw it in their faces."

"The purported leaders of our society–the liberal ones, anyway, which they pretty much all are–are morally bankrupt. They habitually pretend to occupy some sort of high ground, when in fact they are well below the average ethical standard. This is true internationally, too. The United Nations, for example, has zero moral authority, and one thing Israel will need to do after Gaza is finally ridded of terrorists is to keep the U.N. and its enablers out.

"Our current political scene fits this pattern. I am no fan of Donald Trump, but what our purported leaders fail to understand is that, for all his many faults, he is not part of the utterly bankrupt nomenklatura that believe they are entitled to rule the rest of us, and which have among the lowest standards–not just with regard to morality–of any ruling elite in world history.

"UPDATE: Upon re-reading this post, I realize that I may have inadvertently maligned the animal kingdom. To be clear, there is no animal species, no predator, anywhere near as cruel, as heartless, as vicious, as ignorant, as the Muslims who carried out the atrocities of October 7–and the much larger number of Muslims and Western liberals in the press, at Harvard, Penn, MIT, etc., who cheered those atrocities. No animal species has sunk that low."

----

And yet, Israel is still seen as the evil aggressor. It makes me sick and angry.

Dr Ruth's COVID & More Newsletter for 12-30-23

Here is Dr Ruth Ann Crystal's always-helpful newsletter, COVID News & More, for 12/30/23.  As usual, there's a lot of good information in it, so make sure to read it all.

"We are presently in what appears to be the second largest COVID wave of the entire pandemic. There are several reasons for this.

"1. JN.1 is a descendant of BA.2.86 (Pirola) which has more than 40 new mutations making it very different from the variants to which we have immunity.

"2. No one seems to care any more about COVID. People feel that they already have had COVID infections and that they are protected by previous vaccinations against COVID, so most people are not worrying about COVID this year. 

"3. You need the updated XBB.1.5 vaccine to be better protected against JN.1. A new study this week from Kaiser Permanente of Southern California and Pfizer shows that prior vaccinations do nothing to protect you against hospitalization with JN.1; only the updated XBB.1.5 vaccine does. The new vaccine protects about 60% against outpatient visits, Emergency department visits, and hospitalizations for the COVID infections from the latest variants. 

"4. It is the winter and it is holiday time so many people will be getting together indoors together without masks and without extra ventilation. Indoor contact without masks increases the risk of getting COVID, especially with a transmissible variant like JN.1.

"So, there are many reasons for us to see a large wave of COVID infections now. As of December 25th, Michael Hoerger’s modeling using wastewater SARS-CoV-2 virus levels shows that there are now 1,655,000 new COVID cases each day and that between 81,000 and 330,000 people every day will end up getting Long COVID from these infections. Some of those people will become completely disabled and will not be able to work again. Their family members may have to reduce their work hours to take care of them. These factors can take a toll on a country’s economy, in addition to causing personal misery. By January 10th, there may be close to 2 million new cases of COVID each day in the United States."

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How Americans can finally become convinced of the severity of COVID seems impossible, since they are still in a state of maskless, vax-less denial.  Only when they themselves get sick will they wake up, I think -- or maybe not even then. But as time goes on, I resent even more the fact that these people are spreading the virus with no concern for others.

Happy New Year, and good luck to us all in 2024.

Saturday, December 30, 2023

World Trade Center: Return to the Scene of the Crime

Here's another great column by Daniel Greenfield in response to the obscene pro-Hamas, anti-Jewish protests this week that barely received any condemnation:

"Hamas Supporters Return to Ground Zero to Promote Terror. What kind of nation allows this?"

"There’s really something about the Jihad and Ground Zero.

    "He Survived the Trade Center Bombing. ‘I Always Knew They’d Be Back.’ -Thirty years ago today, Tim Lang was injured in the first attack on the twin towers, an ominous but often overlooked prelude to 9/11. He does not forget.

"We’ve forgotten though and that’s why they’re back.

"After attacking Christmas Tree lightings, churches, synagogues, a Holocaust museum and airports, the Hamas mob returned to where they were always going to go.

"Only a nation that had completely forgotten and lost touch with the recent past could allow this abomination to take place.

"The two Islamic terror attacks on the World Trade Center were obsessed with the idea of bringing down the great symbols of Western Civilization.

"That is what this is about more than any individual war.

"This is the ancient Islamic Jihad against civilization.

"The Jihadists have returned to Ground Zero."

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I haven't forgotten at all, and that's why this made me sick to see. 

The mockery of sacred ground. The disregard and disrespect for the thousands of killed and injured on that terrible September 11.  These are the Jihad-lovers who are a terrorist cell of their own. These are the supporters of "Palestinians" who glorify and celebrate death, rape, and torture.

If they hate America, Israel, and the Jews so much, they can get out of this country now. They have lost the right to be Americans.

Vote for Antisemite of the Year!

Per the Jerusalem Press: StopAntisemitism announces top three 'Antisemite of the Year' finalists

"The finalists are Hamas Senior Leader Ismail Haniyeh, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, and influencer and supermodel Gigi Hadid.".

"Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas and one of the key masterminds behind the October 7 attacks. The brutal attacks resulted in the murder of 1200 Israelis, while another 240 were taken hostage, including 30 children. Haniyeh praised the October 7 massacre on television as a 'great victory.'  Haniyeh has played a primary leadership role in Hamas since its takeover of Gaza in 2007 and has vowed never to recognize Israel.

"Rashida Tlaib, an American Democratic Congresswoman, blamed the October 7 attacks on Israel. She falsely accused the Jewish state of hospital bombings, which were later proven to be the result of a failed rocket launch by Palestinian terrorists. Despite this evidence, Tlaib continued blaming Israel, endorsed false claims of “genocide,” and defended the antisemitic slogan 'From the River to the Sea.' On November 7, one month after the massacre, Tlaib was censured by her colleagues for her statements regarding genocide against Israel.

"Gigi Hadid, a supermodel and influencer, has a history of antisemitic comments against the Jewish state and its people. She is the older sister of supermodel Bella Hadid and daughter of failed real estate mogul Mohammed Hadid, both of whom have frequently made antisemitic and anti-Israel statements. Following the October 7 massacre, she falsely accused Israel of being 'the only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war' and of  'abduction, rape, humiliation, torture, murder of Palestinians years and years before October 7, 2023.'"

VOTE HERE TODAY! https://www.stopantisemitism.org/antisemite-of-the-year

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I voted for that despicable traitor Tlaib, who should have been kicked out of Congress so she could work for Hamas.

But if there had been a choice in the top 3 of the following, this is who I would have voted for:

All the vile pro-Hamas, anti-Israel protesters on American campuses, in the streets, and in professions such as doctor, lawyer, banker, teacher who have showed their allegiance to terrorists, torturers, rapists, and murderers.

Friday, December 29, 2023

Make a Resolution to Wear a Mask & Get Vaccinated

Why is anyone surprised at the high level of disease everywhere in the country? How about mandating masks and vaccines instead of allowing careless people to continue infecting others?  The apathy is stunning -- and dangerous.

A trifecta of viruses in the D.C. region has health officials worried

"Health-care experts say the rise in cases is due to a variety of factors.

"Attitudes about social distancing have relaxed considerably since the earliest days of the pandemic, when thousands of people per day were infected by the coronavirus, many of them dying before vaccines became widely available.

"Also, relatively few people have received the latest coronavirus booster shots that are geared toward the several highly transmissible omicron subvariants in circulation. About 17 percent of the U.S. population has received the new, bivalent booster shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"A new strain of the coronavirus, JN.1, is also feeding the surge, although health experts don’t believe it causes more severe illness than other strains. JN.1 is the most common variant in the United States.

"The yearning to interact with one another has made people susceptible to those subvariants and influenza A, a strong strain of flu virus that has joined the more mild H1N1 strain in spreading through the region.

"'Over the past couple of years, we’ve sort of forgotten how serious an infection of influenza really is,' said Andrew Pekosz, vice chair of the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"He predicted the cases of respiratory ailments in the region will continue to rise over the next several weeks, following the patterns of other areas of the country that tend to see such infections rise first.

"'This is another reminder that covid is still around. Influenza is still around. And with RSV, we’re just getting over the peak season. All these infections really are expected to be around for most of the winter.'"

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Well, I for one haven't forgotten how serious flu and COVID are. If you have a "yearning to interact with others", I recommend interacting with your doctor and pharmacy, and get your flu shot and COVID booster!

American Bullies

Here's a good article about the Israeli group Mothers of Combat Soldiers response to how Biden keeps pressuring Israel:

From World Israel News: Mothers of combat soldiers: ‘US needs to let us win in our own way’

"'I don’t see the U.S. pushing Hamas to make sure the Red Cross visits our hostages,' said Hoffman. 'In fact, I don’t see the U.S. pushing Hamas, or Iran and Qatar, which finance Hamas, to do anything.'"

She's exactly right. All this time, all Biden and his administration have done is bully Israel into conceding to Hamas, but they never make demands on Hamas, or the "Palestinians". In their eyes, Israel, and Israel alone, is the aggressor.

(Too bad  he never talks to Mexico about stopping illegal immigrants from coming here in the same demanding way he talks to Netanyahu!)

Above cartoon by Steve Kelley

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Positively Sickening

This is exactly the kind of person who can't risk getting COVID. He's elderly, and he's surrounded by maskless legislators:

Sanders tests positive for COVID-19 during Senate break as infections rise nationally

"Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Thursday he tested positive for COVID-19, amid a nationwide spike in infections. 

"The 82-year-old Sanders, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he was experiencing 'minimal' symptoms and will continue to isolate while working from his home in Vermont. "

But even 'minimal' symptoms can contribute to Long COVID.

How's the end of the public health emergency working out for you?

Happy New Year, We Hate You!

 Anyone who is still delusional enough to think there can ever be peace between Israel and the "Palestinians" should have their heads examined.  Peaceful neighbors don't behave this way:

After canceling Christmas, PA nixes New Year’s celebrations. Instead, Palestinians will observe a "Day of Rage

"Instead of marking New Year’s Eve, Palestinians will observe a 'Day of Rage' in protest of Israel’s military operation against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Shtayyeh stated ahead of the P.A.’s weekly Cabinet meeting, according to the official Wafa news agency.

"Palestinians often mark 'Days of Rage' by initiating clashes with Israeli security personnel throughout Judea and Samaria."

If these people genuinely wanted peace, they would focus their rage on Hamas, not on Israel!  They would call for Hamas to stop their attacks on Israel. But the "Palestinians" hate the Jews more than they want peace.

It looks like 2024 will be another violent, hateful year against Israel and the Jewish people. Brace yourselves.

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

COVID Is Not "Just a Cold"

Make sure you read this if you have any concern at all for your own health or that of your loved ones:

Every COVID Infection Increases Your Risk of Long COVID, Study Warns

"Vaccines ensure bouts of COVID are far less deadly than they were at the pandemic's start, yet multiple studies now suggest even seemingly mild cases of the coronavirus have a cost. With every single infection, our risk of long COVID increases.

"While this risk starts (relatively) low for most of us, particularly those vaccinated and in younger people or children, there are concerning signs it may not stay low. If each new invasion of our bodies allows this insidious virus a greater chance to cause damage, such small risks will eventually add up to a big one.

"Even if you only experience the symptom of the initial infection mildly.

"'Each subsequent COVID infection will increase your risk of developing chronic health issues like diabetes, kidney disease, organ failure and even mental health problems,' physician Rambod Rouhbakhsh warned journalist Sara Berg in an American Medical Association podcast earlier this year.

"'This dispels the myth that repeated brushes with the virus are mild and you don't have to worry about it. It is akin to playing Russian roulette.'"

-----

As Benjamin Franklin is famous for saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

The Family That Hates Together...

Well, this family has certainly raised their child right, haven't they?

"A Muslim family aggressively accosted a prominent Rabbi in New York City's Times Square, telling him to kill himself if he has a problem with a free Palestine.  

"The widely viewed video captured the family's smirking demeanor as a young girl, claiming to be 11 years old and from Canada, delivers the disturbing message.

"'If you have a problem with free Palestine, kill yourself,'" she said to the man on camera. "'Yeah, go ahead .. you can't do anything about it because I live in Canada.'"

You know, after September 11 and October 7, I would have loved to have told Arabs off, but fortunately for them, I was raised the right way by my parents.

Now everyone, no matter what race or religion, somehow feels free to accost anyone who's Jewish and to say the ugliest things, or even assault them physically, because they have no fear of any consequences and will even be thought of as heroes.

Hopefully, they will get their just desserts.

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

"Doctors" Only Mengele Could Love


I thought I'd heard it all, but this despicable idea takes the cake. From The Jerusalem Post: Doctors planned protest against Israel inside US Holocaust Museum

This sick idea has since been cancelled, probably because of the outrage it provoked. Their original poster is seen above.

The group "Doctors Against Genocide" tweeted this about the cancellation: "Important announcement regarding our action! We made a decision to cancel the event. We will be announcing future events with more detailed communication. As Doctors Against Genocide, we want to reemphasize our stance against all hate in all forms."

Doctors Against Genocide?  Doctors Against Jews is more like it. What they meant to say was they are "against all hate in all forms" except hate against Jews.

If these so-called doctors actually have any Jewish patients, those patients should cancel their appointments immediately. And the U.S. Holocaust Museum had better beef up their security.

Monday, December 25, 2023

The Oldest Hatred

At Powerline today, I saw a link this this Spiked article by Jake Wallis Simons titled The year Israelophobia took over. 

Here are some excerpts:

"As the end of the year draws close, it’s clear the oldest hatred is back with a vengeance.

"Following Hamas’s pogrom in Israel on 7 October, and Israel’s assault on Hamas in response, every day has brought new examples of Israelophobia. 

"Israelophobia, as Howard Jacobson has memorably put it, consists of ‘old poisons decanted into new bottles’. And it has now been given full rein to express itself across the Western world. Weekly, we have street protests where activists spout the lie that Jews love genocide while, ironically enough, calling for the genocide of Jews, ‘From the river to the sea’. And the news is now daily full of little items of persecution: red paint splashed over a Jewish school, Hanukkah candelabras vandalised, posters of Jewish hostages torn down, Star of Davids daubed on Jewish houses. Palestine graffiti was even scrawled outside my house, for God’s sake.

"During the Nazi era, the build-up of everyday anti-Semitism eventually led to an orgy of violence. In 2023, by contrast, an orgy of violence has led to the spread of everyday anti-Semitism, which can be seen in all corners of society, from hospitals (where radicalised medics have marched for Palestine) to schools. In my children’s state school, for example, an English teacher recently informed the class that a contemporary example of the savagery depicted in Lord of the Flies was Israeli behaviour in Gaza. Note: Israeli behaviour, not the true savagery of Hamas in southern Israel."

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Now that these contemptible, ignorant antisemites have seen that their hatred and violence have no consequences, they will make Jewish life in 2024 even uglier and more traumatic for us.  I can only hope they will be finally and severely punished.

Sunday, December 24, 2023

American Nazis and their "Palestinian" Heroes

This is the antisemitism that's now been normalized in America:

NYC kosher restaurant attacked for 2nd time in 4 days

"A kosher Manhattan restaurant was subject to a second antisemitic attack, days after a woman dubbed the 'soup Nazi' ripped down an American-Israeli flag and threw soup at a restaurant employee.

"Last Sunday, a second woman attempted to cover up the flag displayed outside the Hummus Kitchen and shoved an employee, four days after the original incident.

"In the first incident, a woman identified as Mayra Teke attempted to rip down the flag before throwing chairs and shouting 'You are all murderers.' She then threw a container of soup at an employee who confronted her. Teke has yet to be arrested for the December 13 incident.

"Restaurant owner Sharon Hoota told the New York Post that he fears for his employees' safety, and that  'The city doesn’t do anything to help us feel more protected.' 

"'We feel that we are left to fend for ourselves, exposed to any lunatic who comes along, he added."

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This is what these 2023 Jew-hating Nazis are violently marching for in America. 

This is who their Hamas heroes and their Gaza "victims" are.

This is what they approve of, condone, and celebrate:

"Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip found a large cache of weapons used by Hamas in a building where civilians were sheltering in the northern part of the enclave, including 'explosive belts adapted for children,' dozens of mortars, hundreds of grenades, and intelligence documents, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

"Soldiers of the 261st Brigade, the Bahad 1 officers’ school in wartime, made the discovery in a search of the building, which is located near a school, a mosque, and a health clinic."

So stop trying to convince me that the "Palestinian" civilians are innocent victims,

The only innocent victims are the Jews.

Dr. Ruth's COVID News & More Newsletter for 12/23/2023

Here is Dr Ruth Ann Crystal's COVID News & More newsletter for December 23, 2023.  If you want to stay informed about COVID and other viruses, subscribe by using the link in her invaluable newsletters.

She writes, "We are in a new COVID surge caused by the JN.1 variant with 1.1 million new COVID cases each day in the U.S. now. The World Health Organization (WHO) put out a special advisory on December 19th warning that due to its rapid spread, JN.1 was upgraded to a variant of interest. On a global level, the WHO said that JN.1 is low risk for causing a new pandemic, but combined with other winter respiratory viruses (the Flu, RSV, and “common childhood pneumonia”), JN.1 may push some hospitals and emergency rooms to their limits. The WHO now recommends that everyone wear masks in clinics and hospitals and that healthcare workers taking care of possible COVID patients should wear N95 masks (respirators) and personal protective equipment (PPE) like gowns and gloves."

Why people are still so stubborn about wearing masks and getting vaccinated is beyond me.  You'd think that those with any common sense at all, reading about this surge and seeing these charts and graphs, would all be eager to do so.  Instead, their selfish resistance is only making things worse, and that makes me very angry.

Saturday, December 23, 2023

PPE in The Garbage, and "A Lack of Willing Takers"

This is so disgraceful and scandalous:

"States trash masks and pandemic gear as huge stockpiles linger and expire."

This country has done a terrible job of monitoring necessary supplies, whether it be PPE shortages,  drug shortages, or vaccine delays.  Who's in charge, anyway?

"When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.

"Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

"With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into its stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.

"A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches next year, states must decide how much to invest in maintaining warehouses and supply stockpiles.

"An Associated Press investigation found that at least 15 states, from Alaska to Vermont, have tossed some of their trove of PPE because of expiration, surpluses and a lack of willing takers."

If we get hit by new COVID variants that defy vaccines and immunity, these same people will be wishing they HAD decided to stock up, but for them it will be too late.

Continued Spinelessness at the United Nations

I used to think that the name was the United Nations, but over the past few years I've realized the real name is the United Nations Against Israel.

Rabbi Michael Barclay reports on the most recent example of  UN appeasement towards Hamas/antipathy towards Israel:

"The United States Just Emulated Neville Chamberlain, and We Know Where That Led".

"As expected, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, for Israel to let all aid go unchecked into Gaza—without condemning Hamas. The vote was 13 in favor and zero against... with both the U.S. and Russia abstaining.  

The ramifications of this, as well as what it shows about the United States, are significant and disturbing and need to be understood by not only every Jew but by every American.

Had the United States vetoed the resolution, it would have failed because the U.S., a permanent member of the Security Council, can stop any resolution with a veto. UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield whined after abstaining that she couldn't understand why other members would not condemn Hamas. She complained that the other members weren't stopping evil and said that she was appalled about the silence of the evils of Hamas.

But when it came to the actual vote, she and the United States remained silent.

When the United Nations attacked Israel with a resolution that would ultimately hurt every Jew in the world, the United States chose to be silent. Our ambassador whined but did nothing... and all the political double-speak doesn’t change the fact that the United States tacitly approved of an attack on the world stage against Israel for defending herself against Hamas, the most evil and depraved organization since the Nazis.

"The ramifications of this resolution will be significant for every American and the whole world. Because it is a Security Council resolution, it is considered 'binding' for U.N. countries. This means that if they choose to, the UN can impose international sanctions against Israel if they do not abide by the resolution, which the antisemitic UN undoubtedly will). Simply put, if Israel doesn't allow 'humanitarian aid' to go unchecked into Gaza (where it will be used for Haams' war effort, not for the Gazan people), devastating economic sanctions could be placed against Israel.

"For Jews worldwide, this is equally as devastating. This resolution empowers all the Jew-haters to attack Israel even more. It gives them a moral right to condemn Israel—and all Jews. It emboldens university presidents to allow Jew hatred on campuses to go unchecked. It unleashes Jew hatred with the UN's stamp of approval.

"All because the United States chose to remain silent by abstaining.  

"Despite the words of the ambassador, the cowardice of the U.S. action should be despicable not just to Jews but to every American.  The U.S. has made it clear that when push comes to shove, they will abandon Israel."

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The Biden Administration already has.

A Perfect Idea for a Hostage Exchange!

While I was reading this harrowing article about a mother and daughter held captive by Hamas,  I thought of a plan to get our hostages home.

Let's have a lottery and send over some of the worst antisemitic, pro-Hamas college students, college presidents & professors, and other hateful professionals, in exchange for all the Jewish, Israeli, and American hostages.

We'd have our people back, and Hamas and the "Palestinians" would have plenty of Charles Manson-like followers to exchange anti-Jewish lies with!   If they liked the Tik-Tok videos of Osama bin Laden, they're surely love meeting the murderous Hamas leaders in person in the tunnels and learning the secrets of such topics as:

*anti-Jewish indoctrination of children from birth
*best slaughter, torture, mutilation, and rape techniques
*psychological warfare
*using hospitals as your headquarters

Call now, 1-800-SAVAGES

Time is running out.

Friday, December 22, 2023

A Warning Everyone's Ignoring

"Stay Home’ if Sick This Christmas, CDC Chief Warns, As New COVID Variant Sweeps the US;
JN.1 now accounts for nearly half of all COVID cases in the US
"

" Just days before Christmas, many are already gathering to celebrate the holidays together. As a 'tripledemic' of respiratory viruses continues to spread, Mandy Cohen, M.D., M.P.H.,  director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has a message that many likely won’t want to hear: stay home if you think you might be sick.

"'I know it’s hard, but if you’re feeling sick, please stay home and avoid spreading germs to others, especially your loved ones who are at higher risk of getting very sick,' Cohen said in a video posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"'We continue to see a lot of respiratory illness right now. Flu, COVID and RSV are spreading in most of the country,' she continued."

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"Stay home"?  Just look at the news footage of the airline terminals, and you can see all the unmasked travellers and all the unmasked shoppers who are NOT staying home and who are spreading diseases instead.

It's been four years. If they were still taking COVID seriously, they would not need to be told to do the obvious 

I guess that's what happens when your President assures you that COVID is over, and you just needed that as your excuse to throw caution to the wind.

And now, in addition, we have hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens not staying home, but bringing who-knows-what diseases with them into our country.

It's a recipe for disaster.

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Sabotaging Your Own Vaccination Campaign

Why would a Canadian province deliberately sabotage its vaccination efforts?

 Alberta directed removal of COVID, flu references in fall vaccine campaign, documents show

"The Alberta government directed the provincial health authority to remove the words 'influenza' and 'COVID' from advertisements for the province’s fall immunization campaign, and to wait before communicating with the public, as officials worked to launch the annual program amid warnings that cases of respiratory illnesses were rising, internal government documents show.

"Since taking office in October, 2022, [Alberta Premier Danielle Smith] has frequently reiterated her opposition to public health measures, such as vaccine passports, and has vowed to update the Alberta Bill of Rights to protect the unvaccinated. Her government fired and replaced AHS’s board, and is now in the process of dismantling the organization into smaller units.

 "The province’s current vaccination rate against influenza, at 22 per cent, is the lowest in 12 years. The uptake for the latest COVID-19 vaccines in the province is 14.3 per cent – on par with the national average. Public health experts have said these paltry numbers are partly to blame for the fact that Alberta’s hospital wards and emergency department waiting rooms are now overflowing with patients. The Globe and Mail reported last week that some doctors have said the situation is worse than it was during the height of the pandemic."

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I hate to say it, but it sounds like they are also describing the current situation here in the United States, doesn't it?

Trust Hamas at Your Own Risk

I can't believe why anyone would trust Hamas, with their talk about ceasefires, pauses, and hostage negotiations. The Biden Administration obviously believes them, because the administration feels the same way and is desperate to use this to somehow get re-elected.  They also need the American pro-Hamas antisemites on their side to pull the lever for D in 2024, and they can't afford to offend these losers.

They are willing to believe all this at a time even when, as my Times of Israel newsletter put it,  Hamas fires 30 rockets, ends hostage talks:

"IDF expands operations south of Gaza City as large rocket salvo targets Tel Aviv area
Dozens of projectiles shatter nearly two-day stretch without missiles from Strip; 3 troops killed, taking ground op toll to 137; Hamas says it won’t negotiate under fire"

Hamas says it won't negotiate under fire? They act as if it's not them doing the firing, but if it isn't, then it's their fellow Palestinian terrorists/Nazis. It's the same thing, yet they are acting as if they are the victims!

It makes me sick.

No ceasefire. No pauses. No negotiations. No deals with killers. No procrastination.

We need to eliminate them at all costs, once and for all, now,

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Biden Ousting Netanyahu

I despise Joe Biden, and I'm sick of his demands and ultimatums to Israel -- and yet, when I saw this headline today in the Jewish Press, I was stunned by his audacity:

Biden Preparing to Oust Netanyahu over ‘War Crimes’

Israel is the victim of war crimes, or is he inconveniently ignoring that fact?

David Israel, the author of the article, writes:

"Perhaps someone should prosecute Biden for war crimes on the grounds that he helped introduce mayhem and chaos on an unprecedented scale to the Middle East. Meanwhile, here is what Joe Biden has in store for his great friend Bibi Netanyahu:

“'So, those of you who have family back in Israel, you saw what happened when Bibi tried to change the Supreme Court,'  Biden said at the Salamander.  'Thousands of IDF soldiers said, ‘We’re out. We’re not going to participate. We’re not going to support the military.’ That wasn’t any outside influence. That came from within Israel.'

"Never mind that Biden grossly misrepresented the true scope of the protests, he also denied the close relations between the protest leaders and his White House.

"And then, in the same folksy manner, the President delivered this ominous message: 'So, folks, there’s a lot to do — a whole lot to do.' He followed a minute later with, 'We have to work toward bringing Israel together in a way that provides for the beginning of an option of a two-state solution.'

"And that, boys and girls, is nothing short of the President of the United States declaring his intent to invest, much the way he declared back in 2002 – 'Whatever it takes, we should do it' – in ousting Netanyahu and his allies on the religious Zionist right, to be replaced by Benny Gantz and his ilk who may not say so in their election campaign, but will follow the examples of the late Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon, and flip on their voters once they gain office."

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The only leader who deserves to be ousted is Joe Biden -- the sooner, the better -- before he destroys not only Israel but the United States as well.

Your Local Epidemiologist December 19, 2023 Newsletter

Here is Dr Katelyn Jetalina's newsletter for December 19, 2023.

Among other things, COVID is high with the potential to increase, and "influenza-like illnesses" are increasing.

As she says, "Our kiddos and older adults are feeling the brunt of severe illnesses."

Mask up and get vaccinated, so this doesn't have to happen to your family.

Monday, December 18, 2023

Antisemitism: The Latest Trendy Thing For Ignoramuses

Dr Marc Siegel says something worth reading. The headline at USA Today is "Ugly rise in antisemitism after Hamas attack on Israel has deep roots in American history"

He writes this:

"The antisemitism story of 2023 isn’t about freedom of speech or academic freedom.

"It's about meanness and divisiveness, flames fanned by the cruelty of social media, where it is too easy to hide anonymously behind cruel expression."

And now, not only anonymously. You have bankers, lawyers, doctors, and other so-called professionals under their real names, uttering the worst insults against JewsThankfully, many of them have been fired from their jobs, but even that won't stop them. They are attention-seekers in the worst way possible.

There's always been antisemitism, but I've never seen it this brazen, this vicious, and this hateful until the massacre of the Jews on Oct. 7.  And I doubt it's going to end any time soon with these extremists, unless they are punished and ostracized.

Here's a good case in point, from today's news:

Man arrested for shouting 'gas the Jews' outside DC synagogue

"A man was arrested on suspicion of shouting 'gas the Jews' and spraying a foul-smelling substance on two people outside the Kesher Israel Congregation in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington DC on Sunday, according to NBC Washington.

"The suspect was identified as Brent Wood, a resident of Toledo, Ohio. The victims were not physically hurt in the attack."

What motivates someone to do such a thing? And despite the fact that the victims weren't "physically hurt", they -- and all Jews -- are traumatized whenever something like this happens.

As I always ask, "What did we ever do to them?"

Outbreak Outlook for December 18

Here is the December 18 edition of Outbreak Outlook, by epidemiologist Dr Caitlin Rivers. Some highlights:

"Influenza-like illness rose again, with 4.4% of visits to the doctor were for fever and cough or sore throat during the week ending December 9. The week prior was 4.1%."

COVID: " The number of new weekly hospitalizations increased slightly this week to 23,432, up from 22,730 the week prior. This is consistent with the idea that we are in the winter 'wave,' though I continue to think this wave will be on the smaller side." 

RSV:  "Hmm, my hopes that RSV season has peaked at the National level were dashed in this week’s data update. PCR test positivity increased to 12.3%, which is similar to recent levels. I’ll be keeping a close eye on next week’s data to get a better sense of which direction we are headed in."

There's also important information on Norovirus and on food recalls, including a big one involving Quaker Granola Bars.

You can subscribe to this helpful newsletter yourself here.

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Erasing Our History

Here we go again, the left cancelling American history and trying to erase the past: Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery to be removed despite GOP opposition

"Despite efforts from a group of Republican lawmakers, a Confederate statue in the Arlington National Cemetery will be removed in the coming days.

"The Reconciliation Monument, known as the Confederate Statue, is part of the push to remove military installations named after the Confederacy in the wake of the summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

"According to a press release from the national cemetery, the statue will be removed from the cemetery by Dec. 22."

Did you get that? It's called the Reconciliation Monument, and it was built to unify the North and the South after the Civil War.  Obviously the politically correct liberals in our country don't see the irony in this.

What's next on their agenda? Demolishing Arlington House because Robert E. Lee lived there? I wouldn't be at all surprised.

I'm not even a Southerner, but I love American history, and I respect historic monuments and sculptures. All of this is destructive,  not constructive, just as political correctness and the DEI obsession are destructive to our country, not constructive, but these people are simply catering to a minority of complainers and not using their common sense. What a shame.

John DiLeo On Israel's Fight For Survival

John DiLeo writes that Calls for Ceasefire Show The Left’s Bias.  Here's an excerpt:

"Every few years, a particularly violent set of attacks makes the international news, then Israel responds, and the story fades away.

"But just because our printing presses aren’t running stories about it, that doesn’t mean that the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians ever let up. A week might go by, or maybe two, and there would be a couple more rockets, another knife attack, a shooting by someone who quickly made it back across the wall into Gaza, to fade out of sight.

"Israelis have lived with this fear, this risk, from time immemorial; what right do we have to ask the Israeli government to continue to accept this insane, lethal status quo?

"Now the bleeding heart voices of the global Left demand that Israel feel sorry for the civilians of Gaza, the people who have voted for Hamas, supported Hamas, cheered Hamas’ terrorist acts in the streets, chanted for genocide against the Israelis.

"Now the bleeding heart voices of the global Left demand a double standard: we should give food and water, power and medicine, to the very people who have been launching lethal attacks on Israel – in violation of all the rules of war, for decades.

"Where were these voices, these compassionate, caring voices, before October 7?

"On October 7, suddenly, Hamas killed 1400 innocents, injured thousands more, took over 200 hostages (half of whom are most certainly dead by now).

"But what about before then? Where were these voices when there was a rocket barrage or other terrorist act every week or two, year after year? Why were they silent when only Israeli civilians were being killed; why did they only start screaming when Israel started fighting back?

"For a moment, we should remember the rules of war. Israel is a legitimate nation, with an army, the Israeli Defense Force, which wears uniforms and follows the rules.

"Hamas is a terrorist organization; they don’t wear uniforms, they don’t follow the rules. They seek out terror targets, and try to kill or maim them: children in a playground, shoppers in a store, commuters in a bus. Hamas – the rulers of Gaza – don’t look like soldiers for a reason: they are not soldiers. They are terrorists, dressed as civilians, just masquerading as civilians.

We are told to show compassion for these 'civilians' of Gaza, when so-called civilians have never shown compassion to us.

"But even more than that, we are told to forget to use reason, to forget that our legitimate targets DO look like civilians. Because that’s what terrorists do; they blend in; they dress and act and look exactly like harmless civilians. There’s a reason, you know, why the rest of the arab world isn’t clamoring to welcome the residents of Gaza as refugees; the rest of the arab world knows just how vicious a large number of this crowd is.

"Israel needs a free hand, to do what needs to do, to end this ongoing threat, once and for all.

"They don’t just need to avenge the killings of October 7. That’s not enough. Israel needs to spare its constituents from a future that looks like their past. The rocket attacks, the knife attacks, the suicide bombers… this all must end.

"Israel has the power to do it, but they are tempted to hold back. We must pray that Israel keeps up the momentum, and removes this threat once and for all."

Dr. Ruth's COVID News & More Newsletter for 12/16/2023

It's time for the latest edition of Dr Ruth Ann Crystal's newsletter COVID news & more

Here's an important  excerpt, but make sure you read the whole thing, and check out the charts and graphs:

"It’s beginning to look a lot like… JN.1 season around the world. The JN.1 COVID variant, a descendant of the very mutated Pirola BA.2.86, continues to skyrocket around the world as it becomes globally dominant. After JN.1 became dominant, hospitalizations spiked significantly in the Ile-de-France (Paris and its suburbs in France) which may be related to the sheer number of people infected. When the JN.1 variant became dominant in Singapore, there was a 500% increase in SARS-CoV-2 viral wastewater levels within three weeks. The updated XBB.1.5 vaccine offers good protection against JN.1 and other circulating variants and can help reduce severe infections and hospitalizations for COVID.

"As I was writing this newsletter today, JP Weiland tweeted a new warning, 'Witnessing some of these record setting wastewater signals is now MANY European countries after Pirola (JN.1) dominance is eye opening. We have to prepare ourselves for at least the *possibility* that we see a very large spike in the US in coming weeks.' According to Dr. Wolfgang Hagen on his blog, Austria is seeing extremely high wastewater SARS-CoV-2 levels and this is associated with a large increase in hospitalizations."

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I don't know about the rest of you, but I certainly don't want to end up in the Emergency Room this year, or any year!

Saturday, December 16, 2023

A Warning About Hospitals

Oh, isn't this wonderful:

Hospitals may have to ration care if COVID and flu surge continues, CDC warns.

"Against a surge of respiratory illnesses, including flu, RSV and COVID-19, on Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned hospitals might be forced to triage care if hospitalizations continue to rise. In some parts of the country, the CDC stated, pediatric hospitals are already nearly as full as they were this time last year. If these trends continue, the situation will likely strain emergency departments and hospitals.

"The CDC urged all Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, influenza and RSV for those over the age of 60. 'If more Americans are protected against severe respiratory illnesses, we will likely see fewer hospitalizations,' the CDC stated. 'Lives can be saved.'"

Obviously, those "more Americans" are still too selfish to care.

More Heartbreak In Israel

This headline shows how terrible war can be: "IDF troops mistakenly open fire and kill 3 hostages in northern Gaza battlefieldIDF spokesperson: Army responsible for ‘tragic incident’ in which Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka, Alon Shamriz shot dead Friday morning; PM: Unbearable tragedy; Gantz: Heartbroken".

Wars are cruel and dangerous.  The IDF would have given their own lives rather than have made this fatal mistake. It made me recall the raid on Entebbe in the 70s and how Israel lost 3 of over 100 Israeli hostages held by "Palestinian" terrorists.

I am waiting for Biden or Blinken to exploit this tragedy to once again call for a ceasefire. 

But now more than ever, Israel must finish the job of destroying Hamas and rescuing the remaining hostages.

The Suffering of Long COVID Patients

Heather Mallick, a columnist for the Toronto Star, has written about what Long COVID is like for her and for others:  "Long COVID: My life under house arrest."

"Long COVID is a life under house arrest. It’s bearable but also isolating and strange, almost dreamlike. I will not contemplate the future. Getting your hopes up, that wouldn’t be Scottish.

"To those long-haulers out there, isolated and desperate, remember there are hundreds of millions of us. We aren’t mobilizing or protesting because we’re weakened. Remember that we know your story because we all live a version of it every day. We think of you constantly and send you great love and understanding.

"Until this medical/scientific mystery is solved, imagine this era as a vast human hibernation. It will end. Spring will come."

Let's hope she's right.

I remember when, at the start of the pandemic, these patients, being ignored and dismissed by doctors, smartly used the Internet to create support groups for themselves. They called themselves "long haulers" because dealing with the symptoms was -- and still is -- such a long haul.  And they've been courageously dealing with it by themselves.

To the COVID-deniers out there, I ask "Can't you just get vaccinated, wear a mask, and protect your loved ones and yourselves from "a life under house arrest"?

Friday, December 15, 2023

Would You Want Hamas, the P.A., or Other Nazi Jew-Haters as YOUR Neighbors?

The New York Post reveals how evil  Hamas is in their attempt to exterminate the Jews: 

IDF discovers Hamas trove of rigged dolls, children’s backpacks, explosives

"Israeli soldiers foiled 'an elaborate Hamas ambush' that used dolls and children’s backpacks rigged with speakers to lure them into a terrorist tunnel in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

"Footage released by the IDF showed the alley where the ambush would have been staged.

"'Here in every corner were … explosives,' an IDF soldier explained in an official video.

"The forces subsequently found children’s dolls and backpacks with speakers to imitate crying sounds and songs, the footage showed.

"'The goal is to draw us in to look for, to see these things … they play voices in Hebrew so we’ll think there are hostages and missing persons here. In order to draw us into the area that’s rigged with explosives,' the soldier explained while gesturing at the pile of troubling objects."

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Even if  Israel succeeds in destroying Hamas, there are still plenty of "Palestinians" willing to accomplish the same goal of killing Jews and wiping Israel off the map.  But the White House demands a futile "two-state solution" that would continue the continual war on Israel.  They are undermining Israel and are practically handing anti-Israel propaganda to Hamas, just so Biden can win a second destructive term as president. It's disgraceful.

And in that vein, Melanie Phillips' latest column is titled The persistent "two-state" delusion, and here are some excerpts:  "The simmering tensions between Israel and the Biden administration over the plan for post-war Gaza have now come to the boil.

"The US is doubling down on its insistence that Gaza must be run by a revamped Palestinian Authority. The Americans are still obsessed with a “two-state solution” to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.

"Giving the PA control of Gaza and establishing a Palestine state would expose much more of Israel to atrocities similar to those that took place on October 7— and worse.

"The idea that the PA. would suddenly turn into a reliable guarantor of peaceful co-existence with the Jewish state is for the birds. Currently, Israel is locked in a desperate struggle in Judea and Samaria to contain a huge spike in terrorism by Hamas and other armed groups, which have vastly expanded in scope and weaponry under PA administration.

" Is it in its interests for the PA to run Gaza? No. Is it in its interests for Israel to run Gaza? No. Is a 'two-state solution' in Israel’s interests? No.

"So who should run Gaza?

"That question cannot be answered in a way that protects Israel’s interests unless the whole paradigm shifts, and the western world stops supporting the Palestinians’ agenda of extermination and starts treating them as the pariahs they should be. At a stroke, their cause would collapse.

"That won’t happen unless the world finally decides to accept — as it did in 1922, but then chose to forget — that the Jews are the only people, as a people, who are legally and morally entitled to inhabit Israel, their own ancestral homeland."

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And in the current climate of rabid anti-Israel, anti-Jewish hatred, the world will never accept that fact.

Trivializing COVID Infections At Our Own Peril

Carolyn Barber at Fortune writes "COVID-19 v. Flu: A ‘much more serious threat,’ new study into long-term risks concludes."

"The study, a comparative analysis with 18 months of follow-up of hospital admissions for those with COVID-19 and those with seasonal flu, found that COVID-19 patients experienced significantly higher rates of death, healthcare utilization, and adverse health outcomes in most organ systems than did patients with the flu. Its results were published on Dec. 14 in the infectious diseases section of the medical journal The Lancet.

"Al-Aly’s study undertook a comparative analysis of 94 pre-specified health outcomes and found that over 18 months of follow-up, COVID was associated with a  'significantly increased risk' for 64 of them, or nearly 70%. The disease’s enhanced risk list includes everything from cardiac arrest, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and cognitive impairment to mental health and fatigue, two characteristics often associated with long COVID.

'The result: COVID-19 poses a much higher risk, both in the short run and long term, than flu. But the flu remains 'a formidable foe,' Al-Aly says. 'Going into this winter season where cases of COVID and flu are rising, people should make sure they are vaccinated for both, and for RSV if they qualify, and take precautions to lower their risk.'

"'We trivialize COVID infections at our peril,' says Al-Aly. 'The objective evidence is clear, whether it is a first infection or reinfection, COVID is still a serious threat to human health.'"

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In other words, stop downplaying and minimizing COVID and the flu, because they can both cause great harm, and you'd rather not find out for yourself firsthand.

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Replace the Name "Hamas" With "Nazis". Would You Still Support Them?

Here we go.

From The Washington Examiner:  "Four members of the terrorist organization Hamas have been detained in Germany and the Netherlands on suspicion of planning to launch terrorist attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe, German prosecutors said Thursday.

"Three of the four members, who have close links to Hamas's military leadership, were apprehended in Berlin, while one was arrested in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

"The suspects have been identified as Dutch national Nazih R, who was arrested by police in Rotterdam, Lebanon-born Abdelhamid Al A and Ibrahim El-R, and Egyptian national Mohamed B, who were arrested in Berlin, prosecutors said. Abdelhamid Al A had been assigned with sourcing weapons, which were due to be taken to Berlin and stored for possible attacks.

"The arrests come amid a stark rise in antisemitism in Germany since Hamas's attack on Israel on Oct. 7. 

"'Following the terrible attacks by Hamas on the Israeli population, attacks on Jews in Jewish institutions have also increased in our country in recent weeks,' German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said in a statement obtained by Reuters. 'We must therefore do everything we can to ensure that Jews in our country do not have to fear for their safety again.'

"The arrests coincided with a terrorist plot in Denmark, which resulted in three additional arrests. The Danish arrests have not been directly linked with Hamas, but Flemming Drejer, the operative head of Denmark’s Security and Intelligence Service, said there was a 'special focus' on Jewish institutions, according to the Associated Press."

You can be sure there are Hamas cells in our own country while our government blames Israel and makes continual demands to accommodate Hamas. 

If these were Nazis rather than Hamas, would you support them anyway?

Take Precautions Against COVID Variant JN.1

Don't just ignore it -- get your vaccine and wear a mask before you get sick. Do your part to reduce the spread of COVID.

From US News: What to Know About the New COVID-19 Variant JN.1

"JN.1, which is a close relative to BA.2.86, is the fastest growing variant in the U.S. According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, JN.1 was responsible for more than 1 in 5 new coronavirus cases in recent weeks.

"Vaccine expert Dr. Peter Hotez called JN.1 a 'bad' strain, noting its high transmissibility and immune escape capabilities.

"'This new XBB annual immunization that became available this September should offer some cross protection to keep you out of the hospital,' Hotez said on social media.

Uptake of the shot, however, has been low. About 17% of adults and nearly 8% of children have rolled up their sleeves for it, according to national survey data.

And COVID-19 metrics are on the rise. New hospital admissions have been increasing for a month, surpassing the peak numbers during the late summer wave.

The CDC warned that JN.1’s 'rapid growth' compared to other strains raises a question: Could it drive an increase in infections?

"'Right now, we do not know to what extent JN.1 may be contributing to these increases or possible increases through the rest of December like those seen in previous years,' the agency said. 'CDC will closely monitor COVID-19 activity and the spread of JN.1.'"

Indoctrinating Juvenile Jew-Haters in America

Sadly unsurprising headline of the day: 13-year-old boy charged with planning a mass shooting at an Ohio synagogue

"The child, who has not been identified as he is a minor, put together a 'detailed plan to complete a mass shooting' at Temple Israel in Canton, according to court documents obtained by WKYC.

"Law enforcement was tipped off after the plan was posted to Discord, a messaging app previously also used by other mass shooters to discuss plans and ideologies

"It is unclear whether any weapons were found when the teenager was arrested, and how serious his intentions were.

"The boy was charged with misdemeanor counts of inducing panic and disorderly conduct. He is set to face those charges in court next week, the sheriff’s office said."

The majority of 13-year-old kids don't emulate Hamas.

We all know who's responsible: the parents, the schools, and social media with its blatant Jew-hatred.

This isn't a "child" or a "boy" -- it's a terrorist!   Name him! They don't know "how serious his intentions were' even though he came up with a detailed plan? By all means, keep downplaying the seriousness of this dry run, and get your excuses and apologies ready for the next one that succeeds.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Mind Your Own Business

Every day I wait for the latest demand or criticism from Biden regarding Israel, and his latest remarks had me seeing red:

Biden: ‘Indiscriminate’ bombing costing Israel support, Netanyahu ‘has to change’

"WASHINGTON — In a striking critique, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday went after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his hardline coalition over their opposition to a two-state solution, while warning that Israel was losing global support due to its 'indiscriminate bombing' in Gaza.

"Netanyahu is 'a good friend, but I think he has to change, and… This government in Israel is making it very difficult for him to move,' Biden said during a campaign fundraiser in Washington hosted by former AIPAC board chair Lee Rosenberg.

"In his remarks, Biden criticized far-right National Security Minister Ben Gvir by name and rehashed a line he used in July: 'This is the most conservative government in Israel’s history.'"

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He says Netanyahu  is a good friend? If that's true, you don't attack him, you help him destroy Hamas and Gaza! There's no 'indiscriminate bombing' -- Israel is attacking the enemy,. It's called war for a reason,  and Israel is always careful not to target civilians.  If Hamas hadn't slaughtered over 1000 Israelis on October 7, there wouldn't be any bombing now!

Biden is a lousy American President. He has no right to pretend to be the Prime Minister of Israel.

Avoid Diseases at Christmas!

Europe is being hit hard by the very contagious whooping cough (pertussis), also called the "100-day cough". That sounds pretty grim, and thankfully it isn't in the U.S. - yet.

Here are some commonsense tips for staying safe:

Has the ‘100-day cough’ come to the US? Experts reveal how to stay safe this holiday season 

"Though whooping cough cases have not been rising in the US, it’s always a good idea to practice good hygiene and minimize contact with others during the winter season, according to Dr. Bruce Hirsch — especially as COVID cases have risen nearly 30% recently.

"'The holidays are a great time to get infected,' Hirsch, infectious disease specialist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., told The Post.

“'If your cousin is coughing his head off at the dinner table, I would avoid that person,' Hirsch said.

"'It’s a good idea to touch elbows instead of shaking hands,' he added, noting that extra precautions are in order 'if there’s someone who is frail, elderly or on medication to suppress their immune systems.'

"Hirsch warns that 'pertussis is one of the more dangerous conditions that can be fatal in a newborn,' though 'it causes a miserable infection at any age.'"

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

What Did We Jews Ever Do To The Hawaiians?!

I give up.  I realize that antisemites are ignorant, evil, hateful, and immoral -- but I didn't realize that there were even Jew-haters in Hawaii, of all places! What did we ever do to them?

 Swastikas spray-painted along the H-1 spark outrage and conversation to address hate speech

"HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Bomb threats targeting synagogues and symbols of hate along Hawaii’s busiest roadway — the messages appear to be connected to a war 9,000 miles away.

"Along the H-1 highway by the Barber’s Point exit, one of the many places that have a swastika along with the star of David graffitied onto signs.

"Those symbols can be seen for about 10 miles along the H-1 heading into town.

"'We think of Hawaii as the land of Aloha. But seeing that kind of thing, it’s kind of an eye opener for the rest of the things happening outside in the world,' said one Oahu resident.

"It was an eye-opener, not just for drivers but for the state transportation director, whose crews are now racing to clean up the symbols.

"'I’ve been with the department since 2006. And I’ve never seen antisemitic or, or hate graffiti like this in the time that I’ve been here,'  Hawaii DOT director Ed Sniffen said."

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I think this proves that social media has its grips into every society, and a lot of these morons must feel they have to participate in this sick trend of antisemitism to remain somehow "popular". 

Instead, they just look like Nazis.

Ignore It All You Like, But COVID's Still Here

 From the New York Post: COVID-19 hospitalizations jump 30%: ‘Virus is still very much with us’ 

"In the rush of holiday activities, you may have forgotten about COVID-19 — but it hasn’t forgotten about us.

"New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that as of November 25, there were almost 20,000 weekly hospitalizations due to the coronavirus, a jump of nearly 30% in just four weeks.

"The rates of hospitalization — typically a sign of severe, life-threatening infection — have been highest among seniors ages 65 and older. Adults ages 50 to 64 were also hospitalized at rising rates, as were infants and children younger than four years old.

"'COVID has not disappeared, although it may have gone from many people’s minds,' Dr. William Schaffner, professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told ABC News. 'I’m afraid the COVID virus is still very much with us.'

"One reason hospitalizations have jumped in recent weeks is because fewer people are getting vaccinated this year." 

How anyone can possibly forget about COVID-19 is beyond me, unless they are completely self-absorbed. But I doubt the elderly have forgotten.

So get your shot, and act like a mensch for once!

Antisemites Gone Wild

Bob Gorrell has nailed it with this editorial cartoon, above.

National Review's Jim Geraghty has written a column titled The Antisemites Are Out, and the Masks Are Off and says "On the menu today: Because you need to be reminded of it, I do see a lot of good news out there this week. I can understand why the news can often be depressing and dispiriting, but the theme of the past few days has been dumb and hateful people revealing themselves to be dumb and hateful, in a way that their traditional allies cannot defend. It turns out that many college students have no idea what they’re chanting about when they say, 'From the river to the sea'; university presidents have cut themselves to ribbons walking through a plate-glass Overton Window; the Council on American–Islamic Relations self-marginalized itself when its executive director talked about how the 10/7 Hamas attacks on Israel made him happy; and a bunch of supporters of Palestine who insist they’re only anti-Zionist keep attacking Hanukkah menorahs.

"Some might find the events of the past few days depressing. Me? I prefer that the hateful and stupid remove their metaphorical masks — you notice how often they put on non-metaphorical masks? — and let us all know that they are hateful and stupid. It makes it easier for karma to catch up with them."

Monday, December 11, 2023

How Neighborly, Decent, & Respectful!

This is pure evil:  "Mobs of Antisemitic Rioters Storm Streets of L.A., Chanting and Spraying Hate Graffiti". 

It's just a matter of time before American Jews are murdered by these savages. This has nothing to do with "the Palestinians" and everything to do with open hatred for Jews and for Israel.  It's always been present in our society, but the pogrom by Hamas against Israelis on 10/7 has inspired their supporters to become even more brazen in their hatred towards the Jews.  Yet these aggressive bullies are the same people who need "safe spaces" from "microaggressions" like conservative speakers on their campuses! The hypocrisy is amazing.

"In a community with a heavy Jewish population, mobs of antisemites stormed the streets chanting antisemitic slogans and spraying antisemitic graffiti on buildings, including shuls.

"The terrifying scene took place as Jews were lighting candles on Friday evening, at the start of Shabbos and the second night of Chanukah.

"According to 'Stop Antisemites', this particular location is the epicenter of Persian Jewish life on the Wilshire corridor."

There is NO excuse for this, and NO excuse for the rampant Jew-hatred on college campuses.  These violent people have to be stopped and held accountable before it's too late. And no, a ceasefire isn't the way to stop it.

Let's Just Go Back to Wood Stoves & Candlelight!

Here are two unbelievably destructive headlines:

1. U.N. Backs First-Ever Call for an End to Oil, Gas and Coal Use

"U.N. climate negotiators confirmed Monday they are pushing for a deal at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai that will be the beginning of the end for fossil fuels."

2. President Biden just pledged to shut down 60% of America’s electric power

Here's what economist Stephen Moore has to say:

"Here is the most sinister part of this story no one in the Biden administration is telling you: Eradicating coal and natural-gas plants will ravage America’s electric-power capacity.

"These regulations will cause rolling blackouts and brownouts across the country, much like we’ve already seen in California — America’s forerunner of radical anti-fossil fuel policies. 

"The lights will go out intermittently, and home heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer will have to be turned off or rationed.

"Without gas and coal plants, hospitals, schools, the internet, construction projects and factories will be routinely shut down when unreliable alternative energy sources like wind and solar power aren’t delivering enough juice.

"Upward of 60% of America’s electric power generation will go away — and soon.

"Coal still provides roughly 20% of our electric power; natural gas supplies around 40%.

"What will make up for this lost power, especially given that our demands on the power grid are only going to multiply over the coming years as the greens want the entire network of cars, trucks and vans to be powered by charging up on the electric grid?

"The Biden administration, in other words, wants to nearly double the demands on the electric grid network at the same time it wants to shut down more than half of the nation’s power generation — and the most reliable sources at that.

"Something must give."

Biden, Kerry, and the rest of these obsessed climate-change alarmists are going to take us back to the Stone Age at this rate!  

Yet another reason we must prevent Joe Biden from getting re-elected and doing further damage to our lives.

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Hanukah vs Christmas

This humorous piece is by Jeff Dunetz at The Lid. I've seen bits and pieces of it over the years and always enjoy it. The Chinese restaurant sign above is a favorite, as like every Jewish family, we spent Christmas eating Chinese!

Here's an excerpt:

"#1 Christmas is on December 25th, the same day every year. The date is based on the secular solar-based calendar. Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev every year. But that date is tied to the Hebrew LUNAR calendar. The Jewish calendar date of the 25th of Kislev falls on a different day of the secular calendar every year.

"Most Jews have no idea where Chanukkah falls on the secular calendar until a Gentile friend asks when Chanukah starts. Their question forces us to consult the calendar given to us by the local Jewish Funeral Home. For the funeral home, it’s a great marketing tool. When someone dies in one’s family, the phone number to call is always handy.

"BTW, the Jews also celebrate December 25th. Why not? We have a paid day also. The Jewish tradition of Christmas Day starts with going to the movies. On the 25th, there are no lines at the theater box office for the theaters playing the hot winter blockbusters because the Christians can’t go because they are with family celebrating Christmas.

"After the movie theater, we make our annual Christmas pilgrimage to get Chinese food, a traditional Jewish cuisine.

"It’s 2023 in the secular calendar, 4721 in the Chinese calendar, and 5784 In the Jewish calendar. Archeologists and other scientists still haven’t figured out what the Jews ordered for Chinese take-out for the first 1063 years of our existence.

"In the book of Genesis, we learn that the patriarch Abraham always kept his tent flaps open. Theologians will tell you that he kept them open because he wanted to welcome people, but that’s not true. He kept the flaps open so the Chinese food delivery guy saw that he was home.

"2. There is only one way to spell Christmas. No one can decide how to spell Chanukah. The  Oxford English Dictionary shows 24 different spellings for Hanukkah (Chanucha, Chanuchah, Hanuca, Hanucka, Chanuca, Chanukah, Chanucca, Chanuccah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanukka, Chanukkah, Hanucah, Hanucca, Hanuccah, Hanucha, Hanuckah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukka, Hanukkah, Khanukah, Khanukka, and Khanukkah). I like to use many of them–even in the same post. The reason for the spelling differences is its actual name in Hebrew is ×—ֲ× ֻ×›ָּ×”and Hebrew can be transliterated into English in many ways. We also like the spelling differences because it confuses the Gentiles.

"3. Christmas is a major Christian holiday. Chanukah is NOT a major Jewish holiday. Chanukkah is only a big deal in America because Jewish parents wanted their kids to brag about getting gifts like their Christian buddies for eight nights. Hanukkah isn’t mentioned in the Torah. It was created by Rabbis. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but more significant holidays like Passover, Sukkot, and Rosh Hashana, for example, were designated by God. And God outranks the rabbis, which is a fact only some rabbis agree with.

"Most Christians do not get upset if you wish them a Happy Hannukah, but many Jews and atheists get upset if someone wishes them a Merry Christmas.

"'Happy Holidays' is a stupid PC term. Technically, it can refer to July 4th, Thanksgiving, Groundhog Day, or Satanic Revels. If you are Jewish and somebody wishes you a Merry Christmas, grow up! It’s the thought that counts, and who knows, maybe they will buy you a Christmas present."

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If you're Jewish, make sure you read the whole thing and pass it along to your relatives!

Dr.Ruth's COVID News & More Newsletter for 12/9/23

Time for another helpful edition of Dr Ruth Ann Crystal's newsletter COVID news & more.

Here's an excerpt. It doesn't sound good:

"Here in the United States, JN.1 is taking off exponentially in the Northeast and Midwest. Using current wastewater levels, JP Weiland predicted that in the Midwest, East Coast, and Mountain states, 1 in every 27 people is currently infected with COVID, which is very high. In the South and the West Coast of the United States, about 1 in every 59 people is currently infected with COVID. This will increase as JN.1 rapidly spreads.

"As CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in her recent video message, it is not too late to be vaccinated against the three circulating respiratory viruses (COVID, Flu, RSV). Dr. Cohen also urged people to take additional measures now like avoiding sick people, washing hands, improving ventilation, and wearing a mask. Only 16% of adults have gotten the updated COVID XBB.1.5 vaccine in the United States. The updated vaccine protects against all of the latest COVID variants including the exponentially growing JN.1. With Christmas two weeks away, there is still time to get the vaccine and have enough time to make neutralizing antibodies. Flu shots and COVID vaccines can be scheduled via vaccines.gov.

"Here in the U.S., COVID hospitalizations and Emergency Departments visits are increasing as the HV.1 wavelet is being pushed out by the formidable JN.1. The CDC update from yesterday stated that “the increase of this variant does not alter CDC’s COVID-19 recommendations, meaning that COVID vaccines, tests, and treatments continue to work well against the JN.1 variant."

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In other words, Americans should continue to ignore COVID and other contagious diseases and just refuse to do anything to protect themselves and others. Just what will it take to change their stubborn behavior?

Hypocrisy

Isn't it rich that the same progressives and liberals who marched, rioted, and looted in response to the death  of George Floyd while  in police custody; who demanded the police be defunded; who made DEI and "anti-racism" indoctrination mandatory in every workplace and school; who demanded the removal of Confederate statues and other sculptures they found at all offensive;

Isn't it rich that these same people are now happily marching in support of Hamas, a death cult terrorist organization responsible for gleefully mutilating, raping, and slaughtering over 1000 Israelis; are now openly calling for the eradication of Israel; are intimidating, threatening, and attacking Jews; and who are demanding a ceasefire so that Hamas can finish off Israel?

It looks like Black Lives Matter but Jewish Lives Don't Matter.

All I know is, it's a good thing these people weren't around in Nazi Germany, or they would have eagerly volunteered to help gas the Jews at Auschwitz.

Saturday, December 09, 2023

The 10/7 Project

Great idea!  We need immediate responses to the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish vitriol spewing out unchecked every single day since October 7. Let's have no wishy-washy responses, no politically correctness language, and no apologizing when Muslims pretend to be offended. As the IDF is firing back with weapons of war, we need to fire back with weapons of words.

"LEADING U.S. JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS LAUNCH ‘THE 10/7 PROJECT,’ A NEW CENTRALIZED COMMUNICATIONS OPERATION TO PROMOTE CONTINUED U.S. BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL; PUSH FOR ACCURATE, COMPLETE COVERAGE OF ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR; STRONGER FOCUS ON OCT. 7 VICTIMS AND HOSTAGES

"The 10/7 Project to be led by American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Federations of North America, ADL, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations

"'Since October 7, there has been a concerted and consistent effort from Israel’s enemies to draw a false and dangerous equivalence between Hamas’ deadly rampage to destroy the Jewish state and Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorists,' said Ted Deutch, CEO, American Jewish Committee (AJC). 'The 10/7 Project will be a trusted and timely source of accurate information to set the record straight and combat false narratives perpetuated by Hamas terrorists and their anti-Israel allies.  They are responsible for slaughtering some 1,200 innocent Israeli civilians. This is no time for equivocation.'

"'At this critical juncture, it is imperative that we separate fact from fiction regarding America’s most important Middle East ally and remind people that the vast majority of Americans understand that Hamas is our common enemy,' said Eric Fingerhut, President & CEO, the Jewish Federations of North America. 'Through aggressive rapid response and a comprehensive media campaign, The 10/7 Project will work tirelessly to combat misinformation and inaccurate reporting about the Israel-Hamas conflict and continue shining a light on the victims and hostages of October 7. We must ensure that murderous Hamas terrorists are not covered in a way that morally equates them with the sovereign, democratic state of Israel and its people, and that the loudest, most uninformed voices are not permitted to drown out the facts.'

"'In the wake of Hamas’s deadly terrorist attack on Israel, there has been an onslaught of misinformation and conspiracy theories about the conflict and Israel circulating on social media and, in some cases, elevated by mainstream press outlets,'  said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of ADL. 'Tragically, we have even seen alarming incidents of antisemitic violence and hate stemming from inaccurate coverage of the conflict. And while it’s understandable that Americans are clearly interested in what’s happening in the Middle East, The 10/7 Project will make sure they’re receiving verifiable, truthful, and balanced information, especially at a time when some platforms have regrettably cut back on their trust and safety teams.'"