Sunday, April 7, 2024: Murder, Protests, Swastikas, and DEI
Dear readers, today is Sunday, April 7, 2024. It is also National Coffee Cake Day, a day for celebrating the cake, not making it. Yet, here I am writing this newsletter instead of enjoying the sweet treat. Today also marks six months since the Hamas attack on Israel, where nearly a thousand Israelis were taken hostage. Sadly, the situation for the hostages remains dire as Israeli commandos recovered the body of hostage Elad Katzir, held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces and his family said Saturday, months after he was shown alive in two propaganda videos by the terror group. The Israeli government blames Hamas for the murder, which they claim is a war crime.
In other news, demonstrations in Israel are demanding the return of the hostages and the resignation of Netanyahu, who they blame for the situation. In contrast, some families of the hostages are accusing Netanyahu of blocking a deal for political reasons. On another note, UCLA's medical school has been in the news after a mandatory session for students, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, went viral. The session included a speaker who wore a keffiyeh across her face, made the medical students get on their knees, put their hands on the floor, and pray as she chanted: "The crapitalist lie of scarcity, of private property, of money and ownership of Mama Earth—when Mama Earth was never meant to be bought or sold, pimped or played."
In other news related to diversity and inclusion, the National Organization of Women has argued that it is white supremacy to maintain girls' sports. Axios has also reported that DEI is declining, at least in the corporate world. It seems things are filtering up from college, not down from corporations, so I'm not sure this plot gives us any hope.
Finally, Andrew Sullivan is slowly moving into the ranks of the critics of Israel, and this saddens me. In his Subcast piece, "Bomb first, ask questions later," he argues that the current situation was caused by Israel jumping headfirst into a war of terrifying devastation on a largely defenseless population, with Hamas embedded. He blames the Israelis for falling into the trap that Hamas laid, but also argues that given the horror of Hamas' murder, rape, and torture of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 240 more, Israel had no choice but to launch a war. He concludes that when emotions are in hyperdrive, you don't go to war, but if you do, you have to be extra-extra-careful to lay out and enforce clear rules of warfare.
I will end this newsletter by noting that we are still in a dangerous time, and I hope we can all find peace and justice soon.