It’s the end of the world as we know it…

And I don’t feel fine… in fact, I am more in a state of ‘unease’ than ever before.  Actually, if I were to be honest with you (aren’t I always?), I would say that I am more than simply worried to be fair.  It has affected me to the point of impacting my work, my sleep, and perhaps even my relationships.

Every day, I am hearing, seeing, and feeling the effects of a world spinning out of control in ways too many to count.  First and foremost – the complete demise of what was the United States of America’s republic (or is it a democracy?) for which I can no longer stand.

Secondly, I see an Israel, the only other place that someone like myself might consider relocating (back) to, also faltering in its own footsteps under a Prime Minister’s office, who (remarkably or maybe not so) can’t seem to put its country and people before their PM’s own selfish, narcissistic impulses, burdened by a war it should not have to fight alone, but this is a country that since its inception has basically always been on its own.

Do not think for a moment, that just because a handful of ‘evangelistic’ Christians, who seem to have some secret ‘love affair’ with Israel because of a relationship with a 2,000-year-old carpenter are rushing to your side and will continue to support you, Israel.

Let me put it this way – if things in the US don’t improve, if the “Republicants” (sic) continue their support by kissing the butt of another (our) narcissistic leader – whose name I cannot say out loud because it disgusts me to no end – then truly we are seeing the end of the world as we (used to) know it.

It is with some teeny tiny amount of ‘pride’ I guess that I say that Israel is actually better off than the US, as PM Netanyahu actually can speak in more than one language with a decorum of intelligence and does not look like a total buffoon in front of the world.  On the other side – I cringe every time I see our US President open his big mouth in public, or anywhere else.  It amazes me people would vote for a person who can’t finish a sentence and is always quoting himself.

For those of you over in Eretz Israel who think that our orange man in the White House is their answer to all things with respect to the Middle East conflict because he ‘moved’ the embassy or thinks that he can solve wars just because he ‘said so’, we now see that as of Saturday, the 15^th of February, nothing has changed.  The ‘ultimatum’ was a joke.  He’s not sending in the troops.  He has no ‘rights’ to take over Gaza.  This ‘man’ speaks out the other end of his anatomy and talks about real estate deals while people on all sides are dying.  He threatens, but he does not act.  He talks big, but his stick is small.  When he does talk, its only to make him seem like he is G-d’s gift to man and the world.  Not on behalf of any Tikkun Olam.

He has, however, empowered our (formerly) Republican members of Congress and Senate to simply utter a ‘yes’ to anything he asks of them.  He has control of all of it, and their plan to implement Project 2025 is unfolding before us in real time.

His ‘planting’ of 3 members to the Supreme Court of the United States during his first term is probably the single most impactful thing of all, however.  Even if he had not won a second term, this court has taken us back 50 years and given the President the power that a man like Trump can now take advantage of.  Let’s see – does this sound familiar to Israelis?  As I recall, there was a big bruhaha around all things judicial just prior to the Gaza conflict.  Have we forgotten that as well?

As if it could not get worse (wait for it), Trump has empowered the minority in this country to speak things (in the name of so-called free speech) that would normally have had serious consequences to say out loud.  But they are no longer afraid of the consequences, not only of those words, but their actions.  To top it off, he pardons even the worst offenders of the January 6^th attack on Congress, who now will also likely seek revenge on their jailers.

And so if you have been following along over here, you would see the effect of having elected such a creature as Trump – a convicted felon, multi-time failed businessman, a human with no respect for others, an impulsive and disrespectful creature, twice impeached (but not convicted) President, who doesn’t deserve to redecorate the Oval Office he sits in (when he’s not at his second office in Mar-A-Lago Florida.

If there’s a ‘third’ item worth mentioning which has caused me worry (and perhaps this is ‘the’ item) – it is what we saw just this past week in the ripping apart of some of the most important US departments of the government.  In particular, the guardrails of democracy are being stripped away under right under the noses of the American public by (according to the ‘experts’) the world’s richest man.  This activity reminds me of another time in history where (dare I mention) another ‘republic’ had its legs amputated, its legal system and judiciary stripped of those who refused to comply, and it fell face down and rose up in a form that the world could never have imagined, and we spent many years and countless lives lost to rid it from the planet.

Meanwhile, on your side of the globe, Mr. Netanyahu has demonstrated (to me at least if not many of you) that he does not deserve to hold his office either.  While I cannot say that I have followed very closely all of the cases for which he was supposedly being under investigation for, I would argue that on the basis of failing the people of Israel on the 7^th of October alone he is guilty.  He is the leader of his country, who should have been aware of what Hamas was preparing to do, especially knowing what we now know about the ongoings in Gaza prior to that day.  Let’s not think for a moment that only the head of the IDF should be stepping down, no.  This is a complete failure of the PM and his coalition and leadership across the board should be begging the Israeli public for their forgiveness and calling for Bibi’s resignation.  Of course, he won’t step down.  Perhaps it is time for Israel to consider a term limit for Prime Ministers?

I submit to you, oh Israel, that we are not so different you and US.

Just like Donald Trump did on January 6^th, Netanyahu stood by and did nothing before October 7^th.  Trump should have been convicted immediately of ‘dereliction of duty’ as the President of the United States, and Netanyahu should have stepped out of the way after October 7^th.  Note that neither of these things have happened, yet.  I can only hope that ‘justice’ will eventually prevail, or truly the end is nearer than I could have imagined.