Following Up

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, The Middle East, Uncategorized , , , ,

In my last post, I condemned the president of my alma Mater, Northwestern, as a dishonorable Jew for giving perks to the pro-Hamas demonstrators while doing nothing to make Jewish students and others feel safe on campus. Shortly after, I received an email from President Michael H. Schill, linking to His OP-ED in the Chicago Tribune, explaining his actions. Eagerly, I clicked to see if his assurance that Jewish students were still welcome and safe at N.U. is clearly stated. I’d rather be wrong about him if the campus were welcoming and safe for all. 

It’s sad to say that Schill is even worse than I thought. Even though Jews are the ones most threatened, he only mentions them obliquely, “First and foremost, we needed to protect the health and safety of our entire community, including our Jewish students.” The protestors are pro-Hamas. The group that just murdered and savaged the most significant number of Jews since the Holocaust and still holds hostages. Even with the “settlement, “keffiyeh-wearing demonstrators remain on Deering Meadow for another month. Wearing the headscarves shows solidarity with those desiring to dispose of all the Jews between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea.

In the 1930s, Germans wore brown shirts to show their hatred of Jews. Now, the protestors wear keffiyehs to convey the same sentiment. How does this deliver any feeling of welcome or safety to Jews on campus?

Understandably, Schill’s “settlement” and actions have drawn Jewish wrath. Rather than fighting the clear and present antisemitism, he equates it with virtually non-existent anti-muslin acts. “Second, we believe in free expression, but that most assuredly does not include antisemitic or anti-Muslim harassment or intimidation.” 

While Schill rolled over and placated the demonstrators, Ben Sasse, the University of Florida President, faithfully adhered to his school’s rules. Those rules allowed free speech, but if you broke them, you faced immediate suspension. As a result, students, including Jews, went about the business of learning without disturbance. 

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Juden Betreten Verboten

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, The Middle East, Uncategorized , , , ,

With all the turmoil on campus across the nation, I thought a reminder of the tough Arab neighborhood Israel exists in with a map of the Arab League:

How many of the protestors can even find Israel on the Map? Anyway, on to my post.

It’s as if a sign declaring Juden Betreten Verboten, Jews, entry forbidden, is hanging on Deering Library on the Northwestern University (N.U.) campus. My alma mater has informed the world Jews are no longer welcome. I never thought I’d ever see this day. To placate Hamas supporters that occupied Deering Meadow, the ample open space in front of the library with tents and ant-israel paraphernalia, the university showered the protestors with goodies if they would leave—scholarships and professorships, along with special accommodations. 

Why would a University reward those siding with Hamas, a terrorist organization dedicated to destroying millions of Jews? The truth is the school has a long history of anti-semitism. Only a few years before I enrolled in 1955, Jews were subject to a hard quota. During the time I attended N.U., it started to ease its policies not only toward Jews but Blacks and others. For instance, removing the required photos on entrance applications increased black admissions in the ’60s. Still, quotas lasted until 1964. Integrating fraternities, sororities, and housing brought people of different backgrounds together, which was a subject we worked on. I was proud of the direction and progress.

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Who You Gonna Call-Not the Democrats or Republicans

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy , , , ,

Amidst the fervor of extreme loyalists on both sides, it’s easy to get lost in the fog of political rhetoric. Few people truly understand what either side plans to do to tackle our most pressing issues—inflation, Abortion, hot and potential wars, and debt. This confusion is not accidental but a result of both sides’ contradictory positions. They present their plan with conviction, only to undermine it in the next breath.

There is little doubt inflation underlies our economic discontent. No matter how hard we work, even receiving pay raises, we have less at the end of the month. That new house or auto keeps getting further out of reach. The little extras, an evening out or a quick vacation that makes life enjoyable, are outside the budget. The Great Inflation of the 1970s ended when double-digit interest rates ended in a deep recession. What are our two parties proposing to avoid a repeat?

The simple definition of inflation is too many dollars chasing too few goods. One gains control over inflation by cutting down on excess dollars, increasing the amount of goods, or both. So, what do the two major parties propose to improve in these areas?

The Democrats gave us the “Inflaton Reduction Act,” with its likely trillion-dollar price tag, it’s putting more dollars out there. Enormous subsidies for expensive electric vehicles (EVs) require materials such as lithium batteries, which are not readily available here. Most come from China, allowing that nation to produce cheaper EVs. Denying Chinese producers subsidies through local content rules and high tariffs will protect our high-cost auto companies. Favoring unionized plants will further increase prices. These problems extend to solar panels and windmills, which are also subsidized by this act, guaranteeing their high costs.

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Three Story Lines Revisited

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, The Future Party, The Middle East, Uncategorized , , , ,

It was a busy week with significant developments. Three of them fall in areas I’ve commented on in the past. It’s crucial to compare where we are with what I wrote on the third parties, the Gaza war, and abortion, as these past commentaries hold significant relevance to our current situation.

In my series, ‘The Future Party” (On this Site), I stressed the pressing need for a more competitive political landscape. We must enhance our choices at all levels. Recent presidential elections have presented us with candidates most Americans didn’t want to vote for. The current election, featuring two widely unpopular candidates, is a stark reminder of this issue. The ‘No Labels Party,’ which pledged to offer more options, should’ve thrived in this climate. While it has made progress in securing spots on state ballots, they’re facing a lot of work getting candidates. 

In my series, ‘The Future Party,” I concluded that you can’t defeat someone without one and must stand for something. I based my brief involvement with the emerging Howard Shultz third-party campaign on crafting a platform for the Starbucks founder to champion. However, no such platform materialized, and Shultz withdrew when it appeared he could potentially harm the Democrats, thereby inadvertently supporting the re-election of the Republican incumbent. This excuse is a stark reminder that new voices must have substance and conviction to make a lasting impact.

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The Challenge Website

Dave Davis Commentary, Policy, Uncategorized , , , ,

I don’t want to hear it! You’re wrong, and I want no part of spreading false information. You don’t deserve a platform to advance lies. We gave you a fat contract to contribute to show us your point of view, but our elite talent showed us the error of our ways. Now get out of here and take your misinformation with you. If not the words used by NBC to dump recently hired former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Rona McDaniel, it was probably something along these lines. 

What was McDaniel’s sin? She initially supported Trump’s claim that an unfair election deprived him of victory, even though she has since acknowledged that he did lose. NBC’s MSNBC division Major on-air talent joined with others at the Network to proclaim that allowing election deniers and those interfering with elections to have a voice on the Network and its affiliates is verboten.

Of course, this must be news to Stacy Abrams, who refused to concede in her 2018 race for Georgia Governor, claiming “voter suppression” in her many NBC and MSNBC appearances. MSNBC star Rachel Maddowrepeatedly claimed Trump’s collusion with Russia made him an illegitimate president. Jan Psaki peddled the false from former intelligence people the Hunter Biden Laptop was Russian disinformation. None of this is true. NBC and MSNBC seem to have a strange relationship with the truth. Republicans must always tell it, but Democrats or NBC and affiliate employees get a pass. 

Confusing the issue further is many of the things people believe are, in fact, not necessarily so. How often have we heard that income inequality is growing? China caused massive job losses in our manufacturing sector. The rich don’t pay their fair share. Unless we take drastic action, global warming will cause enormous economic loss by the end of the century. Exporters such as those in China pay the tariffs we impose. As I’ve pointed out, though widely believed, these aren’t true.

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