Antisemitism is gaining ground. We are governed by people who are half-brained. I do not recognize my Country.
I spent half of this last year in Latin America. Contrary to popular belief, they love America and Americans. They are looking to us to get our shit together and start being a beacon again. Russia and China are buying up land down there, not for agriculture. That’s another column but for now…
I have three children. All adults, all smart and cool, and all of whom identify as Jewish. I am not Jewish, but their mother is, and Jewish tradition dictates that the children carry it on from their mother. Whilst I am Catholic mixed with Buddhist, I have never had a problem with my children’s religious identity. In fact, I am all for it.
Eli Wiesel spoke at my college in California and moved me in ways I cannot describe. I have worked with Benjamin Netanyahu. I spent a weekend with him when he attended CPAC when I was running it, and while it was wild with his wild wife, he was great. He had bodyguards, not obviously in suits with earpieces and sunglasses, but in tee shirts and leather jackets. They did not have pistols but uzis in their pockets. God help you if you are in the presence of the Israeli Prime Minister and even look at him or her wrong.
He wasn’t Prime Minister at the time; I guess he was in a bit of a wilderness period. But he had been and has always been Israel’s best defender. One night, at CPAC, we were on the floor, and one of his bodyguards pulled me aside and said he needed to take an urgent call and he needed a private line immediately. So I took him up to my suite…
I stepped away from the phone, but his voice carried. I heard him say, "No, sir, I can best serve Israel now from outside the government.” He was talking to the late Ariel Sharon, the newly elected Prime Minister, asking him to be Minister of Defense. My head exploded. That was history, and I was there for it.
I could go on and on about my history with the Jewish community in America and Israel, but I’ll stop here. What I really want to say is that I, as a gentile, am destroyed over how we are treating our greatest ally in the Middle East and possibly the world. We seem to be ordering them around when we should be putting our full force behind them to rescue hostages, save women from rape and humiliation, and just plain doing the right thing.
Why are our cities and universities calling for justice for terrorists? What the hell has happened to us? Jews are being attacked in the streets of our big cities. Where is the outrage? How do we abide by this craziness and not save our brothers and sisters?
Like it or not, America is, in fact, the world’s police force. We bought and own that and must continue to. An attack on our allies is equated to an attack on us, and we must stand strongly with our friends while giving them the bandwidth and respecting their sovereignty to do what they need to do. In this case, Israel must be given that kind of space to do whatever it needs to retaliate for the October terrorist attacks. Wiping out Hamas is essential to Middle East peace. Wiping out terrorism around the world is our national mandate. Period.
Meanwhile, I learned today that a famous Israeli actor was almost fatally wounded while fighting on the frontlines. Israelis have dropped what they were doing to fight for their country. Would it be the same here? Would Robert DeNiro pick up a gun if, again, God forbid, another attack on America occurred? Not a chance.
This is a time to look in the mirror. This is a time to support those who support us. Be it Ukraine, Taiwan, or Israel, it is more important than ever that we step up. And as for the pro-Hamas protestors on our campuses and in our city streets? You should be ashamed of yourselves, and you can kiss my ass.
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