Well, that was a strange semi-illness. Not sick enough to be sick, not well enough to be well, just sorta in-between. I’m grateful I have the leisure now to fully indulge my little complaints, and not have to drag ass to work in spite of them. In any event, by Thursday I was fine. Took my boxing class on Saturday morning and made the heavy bag whimper a little. All better.
Otherwise, we spent the weekend chasing wild geese, trying to see “The Holdovers” and getting the time wrong, which led to a mediocre Thai meal in a strip mall in Sterling Heights (locals may shudder at this point) and no movie, but at least we got out of the house. So we came home, watched two episodes of “Fargo” and went to bed, only to learn the very next night that “The Holdovers” was available to stream all along, so we did. It was very good, and with “May December,” “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” already under our belts, we may actually be able to form our own informed opinions on the Oscar race next year.
Speaking of movies, this morning I read a column in The Detroit News about the Israeli film that’s making the rounds of, as we say, opinion leaders and other big shots. It’s a compilation of atrocity videos seized after October 7, from security cameras and prisoner captures. I won’t link (paywall), but I’ll quote a bit more liberally than I generally do:
“Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre” was presented to a small group of Metro Detroiters by the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Israeli Consulate to the Midwest. Much of the film was compiled from the cell phones and body cameras of the Hamas terrorists as they rampaged through Jewish settlements butchering civilians.
The footage is terrifyingly graphic. It is a reminder, as if we needed one, of the depths of inhumanity to which hatred can sink human beings.
What we saw Sunday night was excruciating to watch, harder still to discuss. When it was over most of us walked to our cars barely speaking.
Imagine watching the most gruesome horror flick, without the benefit of knowing the gore on screen is make-believe. In this movie, the blood is real. The bodies are real. The evil is real.
A snuff film, basically, prepared to counter the it-didn’t-happen propaganda coming from the other side. The sponsors are showing it here and there, to small audiences, with strict rules: Phones surrendered at the door, no notes taken, but you’re free (obviously) to write about it later, and given that many of those invited are journalists, that seems to be the intent. I wish this columnist had thought to write a better story, like this one in the L.A. Times, explaining more of the context, and the protest over it, but oh well.
The writer has certainly internalized the intent of the screening:
But the atrocities are why Israel is in Gaza, and why it can’t and won’t be deterred in its mission. The snake of fanatical jihadism must be killed, or it will strike again and again.
That is no doubt satisfying to write, but ignores the how of that statement, and that’s the problem. I don’t even listen to those who throw around terms like colonialism and resistance; Israel has a right to exist and defend itself. But the question that makes so many of us wince is this: How many dead civilians does it take to kill that snake? How many children? Because so far, it doesn’t seem to be going so well, and never mind the whole Netanyahu question, among about a million others. Of course Hamas committed terrible atrocities on October 7; this has never been in doubt. It’s whether those atrocities warrant the response so far that’s in question.
When I was a Knight-Wallace Fellow (’03-’04), we had a seminar one day, a discussion with the father of one of our international fellows, who was Palestinian, and a professor at the university at Ramallah. It went well until one of the others, who was Israeli, asked a question in a rather impertinent tone. The professor didn’t explode, but the temperature rose sharply. He angrily spoke about the destruction of vital highways in the Palestinian areas (which made it impossible for those employed entirely within those areas to get to their jobs, or anywhere else) and other Israeli actions. He talked about the crush at the checkpoints, where the few who could pass into and out of Israel were pushed by soldiers into tight spaces as they waited for their credentials to be checked; at one of these, an Israeli soldier standing on an elevated platform over the crowd unzipped his pants and urinated on them, moving in a wide arc to hit as many as possible.
That’s not an atrocity. It’s not a suicide bombing. But imagine being underneath him.
At the time, I knew much less about the conflict than I do now. A few months after this, I had a tryout for a job in public radio. Talking to the producer to plan upcoming shows, we threw around some topics, and something about the conflict was in the news, and hence, a possibility. “I hate those shows,” she said. “You end them despising everybody, on both sides. It’s so depressing.”
That’s kind of where I’m at now. I’m also kind of agog at how wars will be conducted in the future, when every soldier and civilian will carry a cheap video recording device in their pocket, when artificial intelligence reaches the point that virtually anything can be deepfaked. And legit journalism is shrinking-shrinking-shrinking, and fewer and fewer professional journalists will even be near the fields of battle.
I wasn’t invited to the screening of the Israeli compilation. At the very least, I wanted to know who else was, and I didn’t learn that from the column, either. Maybe even that description was verboten, too.
Don’t know how to wrap this, other than to say keeping up with the news is hard and depressing, but I’m not opting out.
alex said on December 11, 2023 at 10:44 am
I’m thinking about opting out. I’ve spent every day of my retirement thus far doom scrolling and despairing about the state of my country, journalism, the world, the future. Having a sucky job at least distracted me from it all for at least a few hours a day.
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Scout said on December 11, 2023 at 11:35 am
“You end them despising everybody, on both sides. It’s so depressing.”
I’m there. Which is why I refuse to weigh in when the topic comes up in conversation or on the socials.
What a terrible time we are living. It’s kind of a relief to be old.
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Julie Robinson said on December 11, 2023 at 11:50 am
Am definitely at the despising everyone stage. Plenty of blame to go around, damn few solutions, more dead innocents.
Alex, I wondered about the Messiah you went to yesterday, was it the sing along version or concert version? We went to a sing along right before the pandemic hit and it was so bad we left at intermission. I’m grateful the one we attended this year was so magnificent because that last one left a bad taste in my mouth. And my ears!
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Icarus said on December 11, 2023 at 12:05 pm
No notes taken, but you’re free (obviously) to write about it later
Hmm, I cannot think of a reason you wouldn’t want anyone taking notes when the information is fresh in your head.
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nancy said on December 11, 2023 at 1:11 pm
I could be wrong about that; working from memory here. But they really didn’t want people showing images from it.
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FDChief said on December 11, 2023 at 12:47 pm
So now Israel is circulating its very own Jud Suss which, like the original, is supposed to justify the war of extermination, eh?
You can’t go wrong with the genocidal classics, I guess.
It’s not hard to see how creeping the normies out with graphic snuff war porn will work; the normies aren’t going to get to stand in the rubble of a Gaza high-rise and inhale the scent of the rotting bodies buried within, so they’ll be inclined to buy the “exterminate the brutes” theme.
Here’s the part I don’t get.
Unless the IDF can genuinely exterminate every last Gazan…how does that work? How does it NOT build a cadre of furious survivors determined to extract a death or a thousand deaths for a death? How does Israel, or the Palestinians, end up anything but worse than they were on October 6th? Isn’t that what Hamas whole “plan” was?
My old drill sergeant used to say “if it’s stupid and it works, it’s not stupid.” But if it’s stupid and it DOESN’T work..?
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alex said on December 11, 2023 at 12:50 pm
Julie, it was a concert version held at Trine University, and quite impressive for a small-ish production. The musicians were from the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the choir was a community choir with soloists who obviously had operatic training. It was sponsored by the Humanities Fund of the Steuben County Community Foundation and this was its twelfth year.
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Sherri said on December 11, 2023 at 3:02 pm
I’m against atrocities, no matter who is committing them. That includes Hamas and the IDF. I also recognize that Netanyahu has had a hand in keeping Hamas in place for his own reasons. I don’t accept that calling what Israel has done in Gaza and the West Bank apartheid (at best) is anti-semitic.
Neither side has really tried to come to a peaceful solution. Fundamentally, there are too many Israelis who want a Jewish state that encompasses more territory much more than they want a democracy. That can only come at the cost of Palestinians. The question for the US is, how far do we support a non-democracy bent on genocide?
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Julie Robinson said on December 11, 2023 at 3:08 pm
Phew, Alex, glad you got the Phil and not the crummy do it yourself people. I felt terrible leaving since some friends are on the board, but the pianist was awful, the soloists were awful, and the church pews super uncomfortable. We used Mom as an excuse. I had been so excited to go, and took along my copy of the music from waaay back, too.
BTW, a properly done Messiah is a small-ish production, since Baroque orchestras were quite tiny by today’s standards.
We’re all shivering in Orlando today at 63°, but the sun is glorious.
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Deborah said on December 11, 2023 at 3:12 pm
We got our annual holiday 2 lb box of chocolates from shirttail relatives. And so it begins. This morning LB and I made our usual trek to the post office to send off our packages to those on our gift list, we went an hour earlier than the opening of the PO. We were lucky to be first in line, we figured if we had waited to arrive later we’d still have to wait about the same length of time. The folks in line were not happy when we plopped our 19 packages down for processing by the PO guy. I thought he was quite efficient, one of the packages is going to France so that one took some extra form filling out and the groans were audible. For the last 5 or so years each of our recipients gets a silver tree ornament with a turquoise stone on it, handmade by a pueblo artist, we keep track of who gets what of the variety of representations, so they don’t get duplicates over the years. We used to give everyone a Tiffany’s silver snowflake ornament until the cost of those became unsustainable for us. We hope the artist keeps producing these ornaments, every year he adds a few new subjects to keep it interesting.
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David C said on December 11, 2023 at 4:18 pm
I want to spend the next thirteen months dead for political reasons. I’ll get better for the first day of early voting and go back to dead until inauguration day unless the Rs win.
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FDChief said on December 11, 2023 at 4:23 pm
Sherri: there is virtually nothing that can wean the U.S.-Israel dependence. That was baked in 1948; Truman’s State Department Middle East hands told him he was tied to the new Jewish state the moment he recognized it. They were right.
The image of the hardy sabra, lonely soldier of Western democracy, has lingered long on the Left long after the actual nation it supposedly symbolizes has become an apartheid ethno-state far down the road towards fundamentalist theocracy. The American Right, of course, WANTS what Israel has become, so no atrocity is too far to shake their love for Bibi’s dreams of ethnic cleansing.
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Suzanne said on December 11, 2023 at 4:49 pm
Never forget that the American Right’s embrace of Israel has nothing to do with caring about Jewish people. It has everything to do with their belief in Biblical prophecy telling them that once ancient Israel has risen again, a war between Israel & their neighbors will usher in the physical return of Jesus and the kingdom of God on Earth. If a bunch of Jews and Arabs die for this to happen, well, what can you do? It’s all God’s plan.
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Mark P said on December 11, 2023 at 4:53 pm
The fundamentalists are perfectly happy with anything Israel does to establish the new Biblical greater Israel. The IDF could napalm every square inch of Gaza and they would rejoice. That much closer to the second coming of their god of love.
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MarkH said on December 11, 2023 at 5:55 pm
Nancy, I’m just coming out of the same ill-defined crud as you. Two weeks of it starting with upper respiratory, then to my ears, sinus, head, still lingering in my chest. Best can be said it was never Covid.
Meantime, today marks 72 trips around the sun for me, a birthday I share with Rita Moreno, John Kerry, Teri Garr, Tom McGuane, Jim Harrison (yes, both of them), Carlo Ponti, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, Grace Paley, Jean-Louis Trintingant, Big Mama Thornton, Baghwan Shree Rajneesh, McCoy Tyner, Tom Hayden, Brenda Lee, Donna Mills, Hailee Steinfeld, Ferdinand Porsche, recent new neighbor Nikki Sixx, other lesser celebrities. Oh, and Pope Leo X. High cotton. Have a great day, y’all!
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Julie Robinson said on December 11, 2023 at 6:04 pm
Happy Birthday, Mark! I’m a little envious of your birthday twins. I pretty much just have Winona Ryder.
Anecdotally, ill-defined crud is sweeping the country. I’m hearing about it from friends and family coast to coast, and from a nurse neighbor. It turns into bronchitis if given a chance.
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Sherri said on December 11, 2023 at 7:46 pm
I have no illusions that the US will ever stop supporting Israel no matter what they do, just pointing out that we shouldn’t pretend we’re supporting a democracy when we do. Of course, we may not be a democracy much longer, either, so there’s that.
In lighter news, I’m enjoying a podcast called Keys to the Kingdom, about the backstage life of theme park characters. It’s light-hearted and funny, at least what I’ve heard so far.
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Dorothy said on December 12, 2023 at 8:05 am
Happy birthday a few hours late, MarkH!
My husband gave his notice to his boss yesterday that he’s retiring on January 31. I’m so glad he’s finally done it. Maybe his sleepless hours will finally become a thing of the past. He has fretted and talked about this for so long and I’ll be glad to have all this in the rearview mirror soon. He’ll be 67 in May. We have at least four different trips/destinations in mind for the first two years or so. Let’s hope our health stays good for a very long time. We want to do way more than four trips! A first-ever trip to New England is on the calendar for next October. New Orleans and Washington/Oregon are on the list, too. Any suggestions for a summer fishing vacation in Michigan, folks?
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alex said on December 12, 2023 at 8:53 am
Congrats Dorothy & Hubs! I’m not a fisherman, but I must say that the northwest part of the mitten — Leelanau Peninsula and Sleeping Bear Dunes area — was always my favorite for activities and sightseeing. I’m pretty sure there’s good fishing there too.
Glad to have Hillary Clinton as my birthday twin.
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4dbirds said on December 12, 2023 at 8:59 am
Happy birthday Mark! I think the only celeb I share a BD with is Steve McQueen.
I read this article just a little bit ago. These types of stories, people being neglected and left to die in jail, haunt me. Sorry, there is a paywall but I think you get a few articles each month.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/12/12/josh-mclemore-indiana-inmate-death-lawsuit-settlement/
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FDChief said on December 12, 2023 at 9:22 am
I think that Napoleon – who is being recognized more and more! as a stable genius would tell you – has the final word on the Israeli response to 10/7: “Never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake.”
Bin Laden laid the framework for this kind of thing; provoke your enemy into atrocity, then let him reap the geopolitical whirlwind. Hamas learned.
The other summation of this nutty cluster of fuck comes from Murphy’s Laws of War: “When both sides are convinced they’re about to win, they’re both wrong.”
If my country had any sense it would wash its hands of the whole bloody business. But it has never had any sense when it comes to Israel, just lingering guilt and (as Sherri pointed out) a thinly-disguised kink about fundy End Times theology.
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LAMary said on December 12, 2023 at 9:47 am
I share a birthday with Danny Thomas and Joan of Arc. Also, Dizzy Gillespie died on my birthday.
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Jeff Borden said on December 12, 2023 at 10:05 am
I see that poor woman in Texass with a fatally deformed fetus has had to leave the Loon Star State for the abortion her doctors say she desperately needs. This follows the unbelievably corrupt and creepy A.G.’s intervention in overruling a lower court decision that granted the poor woman the right to terminate.
I know Texass is growing like a weed and is a popular place to do business, but it’s a real shithole for women who want responsibility for their own health care decisions. That’s now under the purview of the state, ladies. At what point –if any– will the state see businesses avoiding it because of its atavistic impact on women?
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4dbirds said on December 12, 2023 at 12:14 pm
When I said I shared a BD with Steve McQueen, I meant the one who starred in the Great Escape. I understand there is another one who is a celeb.
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Deborah said on December 12, 2023 at 12:27 pm
Happy late birthday Mark, and congrats to Dorothy’s husband retiring soon.
My only twin celebrity I can find that has a name I recognize is Cardi B, lol.
The Kate Cox story is heartbreaking and not a good look for Republicans for the coming election, especially for Paxton (I don’t know if he’s up for re-election though), what a creep. Texas is a mess.
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Scout said on December 12, 2023 at 2:12 pm
My birthday twins are Jimmy Carter and Julie Andrews.
I’m glad Kate Cox was able to escape Texass to get the medical attention she needs. If this shit keeps up it will be only a matter of time before we need to develop a new underground railroad.
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Joe Kobiela said on December 12, 2023 at 2:50 pm
If you have a minute, check out Shadow Shows new video over on YouTube. Very professionally shot and a catchy tune, the flying v guitar is very cool.
Well done.
Pilot Joe
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Dorothy said on December 12, 2023 at 3:13 pm
My BD twins: Arthur Godfrey, Van Morrison, Richard Gere, Debbie Gibson, Edwin Moses and Zack Ward (GAH – the kid who played Skut Farkas in A Christmas Story!!)
Okay I knew the first three by heart, but when I googled it I found a few other names. I’ll never forget when I was at the ob/gyn on my birthday when I was pregnant with my daughter. This was 1982. I told the doctor it was my birthday that day, and it was also Arthur Godfrey’s birthday. “You’re too young to know who Arthur Godfrey is!” he exclaimed. Apparently I was NOT too young!
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David C said on December 12, 2023 at 3:32 pm
My birthday twins are Ginger Rogers, Stewart Copeland, Barry Sanders, and the Trinity atomic bomb.
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Julie Robinson said on December 12, 2023 at 3:37 pm
Oh dear; Joseph Goebbels is also my birthday twin. Hopefully that bad karma is balanced out by Bob Ross.
Dorothy, congratulations to Mike. That drive must be horrible in the winter. Maybe you both can start sleeping in now. As you already know, retirement is good.
We are off to the Candlelight Processional at the Mouse House. It’s a very central Florida thing to do. Our DIL is singing in the choir, and they wear green robes with sparkly collars and perform on risers in the shape of a Christmas tree. D loves it, and I go along and pretend.
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Suzanne said on December 12, 2023 at 4:26 pm
My birthday twins are Andrew Jackson & Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Talk about both ends of the spectrum!
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Sherri said on December 12, 2023 at 4:50 pm
I was born the same day and year as current Secretary of State Antony Blinken. I don’t want his job!
I’m a birthday twin with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; I used to mimic his glorious sky hook in the back yard.
On a different note, Bari Weiss has managed to annoy me today, despite my efforts to afford her. I have nothing but contempt for people who want to pull the ladder up after themselves, and she’s a perfect example of that. Today she said that anybody supporting DEI was not really in favor of protecting Jews. Let’s review how DEI, even if it wasn’t called that, has helped Ms. Weiss.
Bari Weiss, a female Jew, graduated from Columbia University. Her grandfathers would likely not have been admitted to Columbia, as Columbia created a separate college to deal with its “Jewish problem,” which it continued to worry about into the 40s. Most of the women here reading this would not have been admitted to Columbia, as women were not admitted to Columbia until 1983, the year before Bari was born.
When young Bari went to Columbia, she helped create Columbians for Academic Freedom, because she said she was “intimidated” by a Palestinian professor. Guess Palestinian professors don’t deserve academic freedom in Bari’s mind.
She famously flounced off from the NYTimes because she said she was bullied, and has become an anti-woke free speech crusader. Again, only people she likes get to have this free speech.
Oh, and while she doe not like to identify her sexuality, she has in the past been married to a man and is now married to a woman. I’m glad she’s enjoying the rights conferred by Obergfell, but I hope she realizes that her anti-woke, anti-DEI buddies want to take those rights away.
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