At Year's End #266
By Hank Silverberg
The year is about to end, and a look back on 2023 gets me very nervous for 2024.
They couldn't even pass a budget. There are some people who think that is good news. But it's not.
Ten Democrats and eight Republicans are retiring from office when their term ends in 2024. Six senators are doing the same. I couldn't find any source on whether this is a record or not, but it sure is a large number of legislators simply quitting. And many of them have cited the lack of action by the Congress as their reason for leaving.
The President hasn't had much luck either. Since his massive bi-partisan multi-billion dollar infrastructure bill passed in 2021, a lot of his agenda has fallen flat in the same do-nothing Congress. No significant legislation has passed since the Republicans got a majority in the House last year.
While Congress slept, thousands of immigrants have crossed the southern border, Russia has continued its destructive war of conquest in Ukraine, and Hamas has started a major war with Israel. Sure, some of this falls on the Biden Administration. But when half the Congress is unwilling to talk about anything of substance that doesn't fit their backwards agenda, it's hard to move ahead.
No immigration reform, no movement at all on climate change, and now, thanks to the Supreme Court, total disparity across the country on when or if an abortion is legal or illegal.
https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_U.S._Congress_incumbents_who_are_not_running_for_re-election_in_2024
So, does 2024 bring a change? It is a presidential election year where much of the attention will be focused in the courtroom and not on the campaign trail. Once again, Donald Trump, with his legal troubles and inability to function as a responsible human being, much less a leader, has disrupted the ability of our nation to work like a modern Republic.
What's our role in all this? As a voter and a responsible adult, we need to get the facts straight from reliable sources, spread the truth and not let the haters and Neanderthals distract us. It's not going to be easy.
The War On Books Grows
One of the most troubling development this past year has been a return to some of the mistakes of the past, like banning or burning books. And that continued this week in Florida. The Orange County Public Schools in Orlando now has a list of 699 books removed from the shelves of school libraries. A significant number of them have Jewish or Holocaust themes. The Times of Israel has descriptions of some of them in the article linked below.
No reason was given for the removal of each book and they will face further review before they are permanently banned. But their removal can be traced to a growing conservative movement across the country to ban books that they say might be offensive.
A law passed earlier this year in Florida heavily restricts instruction and classroom materials about human sexuality, but many of the books on the current list have Jewish themes and don't touch on sexuality directly. That could be more than just a coincidence. All this comes as antisemitism continues to increase in the U.S.
Here are a few of the books on the Orange Countylist:
"The Storyteller," a novel dealing the the Holocaust by Jodi Picoult.
"Portnoy's Complaint," which does contain some sexual content.
But also removed were familiar books with antiwar themes, including "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Catch-22," which have been targets of periodic bans over the last 50 years.
Several other districts in Florida have also removed an illustrated adaptation of "Anne Frank's Diary."
Those calling for the bans and the school boards they convince to take the action, will all say this is about "age appropriate" books and sexual content. It's not. It's politics, pure and simple. Nothing can damage a society more than this type of censorship.
That said, if you are a parent, particularly of those between ages10 and 18, take a look at what they are reading in school, and hopefully on their own. You be the judge. Don't let reactionary groups control what your child can read.
There is a wonderful book called "Fahrenheit 451," by Ray Bradbury, which uses fiction to make a point about book banning. In the past, that book was banned in some places too. But you should be able to find it.
Most Misused Words of 2023
There were a lot of words that were misused or overused in 2023. Some of them were inconsequential, others were bastardized for political propaganda. Here are a few:
Genocide--the word means the intentional mass murder of a particular ethnic, race or religious group. The Nazis did this with Jews, Romani and
Apartheid--this word comes from the Afrikaans language of South Africa's Dutch settlers of the 17th century, and specifically refers to that country's former policy of separating its Black population from its White population both geographically and politically. After intense pressure from the outside and a massive political movement inside that country, it was abolished in the 1990's. The word has been misused to describe Israel but is not applicable. Israel is a multi-cultural society of 11 million Jews, Christians and Arabs who all have equal rights. The word has been used as well to describe the occupied West Bank and Gaza, but it still is not accurate. Gazans have completely ruled themselves since 2006 (at least until they invaded Israel this past October). The West Bank is mostly controlled by the Palestinian Authority, which is so corrupt and ineffective that Israel often has to step in to quell disturbances and other violence. The word Apartheid, separation by race, religion or ethnicity simply does not apply. There are no laws preventing Arabs from living in Israel. In fact, two million do and they have 13 representatives in the Israeli Knesset.
Leftist--the word refers to people who express extreme views on the far left hand side of the political spectrum, further left than progressives or liberals and much further left than your average Democrat. Yet many Republican politicians continue to call anyone who is not a Republican, a "leftist." It is inaccurate and deceptive in that use.
Unconstitutional --the word relates to the U.S. Constitution. But it does not mean that anything not specifically in the Constitution is automatically unconstitutional. The Constitution is a living, breathing document and our Founding Fathers anticipated that it would need to be amended from time to time and interpreted depending on circumstances. They left the interpretation part to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is the only real authority on what is or what is not unconstitutional. And that sways one way or another from time to time.
Insurrection--is a violent uprising against an existing government. The key words there are "uprising" and "violent". January 6th of 2021 fits that category, since the aim of the violent protest was to stop the peaceful transition of power. Protests by Black Lives Matter or other political groups, even if there is some scattered violence, is not insurrection because they center on policy issues and not the foundations of government.
Other words misused political words in 2023:
Fascists, Patriotism, Treason.
Finally, the word that is way overused because it really has no meaning at all--"influencer". Yes, it involves someone who has a big social media presence which can influence people to act at times. But the term is so widely used in so many different instances that it has become a worthless generalization.
Dissing DC
It appears the District of Columbia will lose two of its sports franchises. The owner's of the NBA's Washington Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitals, Monumental Sports, has announced plans to move away from the Capitol One Arena to a brand new sports complex just seven miles away, but across the river in Alexandria, Virginia, even though they would be keeping "Washington" in their names.
That means the Chinatown area of D.C., which was
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| (Chinatown DC, photo by Samantha Silverberg) |
As a Virginia resident, I would like to think the move into Potomac Yards in the southern side of the City of Alexandria would be a good thing, bringing in tax money to the state along with fans who would then spend money at local restaurants and other attractions.
The $2 billion deal would include a new sports arena, new headquarters and TV studio for Monumental Sports, a new hotel, a convention center and eventually some retail and residential units, all on 70 acres. It's right near the new Metro and Virginia Railway Express stations that opened just this year. The full project would include an estimated 30,000 jobs, but would not be finished until 2027.
This comes even though Monumental Sports still has a long lease with D.C. which had just announced plans to renovate the Capitol One Arena. The lease doesn't expire until 2047.
It all sounds great for fans and for the City of Alexandria, but what about the rest of the state which will help foot the bill? It could cost Virginia taxpayers $1.3 billion.
Now I have to say, I like Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Caps and Wizards. I met him years ago and over the years he has done a lot for the D.C. community. But I am not sure those of us who live in the distant suburbs like I do, or millions of other Virginians to our south are going to want to pay the price for very little benefit.
There's already some opposition, both from local Alexandrians worried about increased traffic, and Virginia legislators to the south. D.C. is also likely to fight the relocation based on that long lease at the Capital One Arena.
The bottom line? Like many other stadium projects across the country, why should the taxpayer have to pay billionaires to build sports venues? We should start by asking that question to Virginia lawmakers, starting with Governor Glenn Youngkin, who has already endorsed the whole move.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumb quote is short. It was mouthed by Mr. Flip-flop himself, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who changes his opinions more often than most people change underwear. He's all in a tizzy over a new proposal in New York State which will require any food operation licensed to operate at a service area on New York State highways, to be open seven days a week. That apparently rules out Chick-Fil-A, whose very conservative owner closes his restaurants on Sunday so employees can spend time with their family and go to church.
Graham comment about the law briefly:
"This is War!"
He is somehow implying that the law was passed to force Chick-Fil-A to open on Sundays. Sorry Senator ,but if you sign a contract to service highway rest stops seven days a week, that means operating on Sunday. No one is forcing Chick-Fil-A to sign the contract and stay open. If they want to close down on Sunday, fine. But they just can't get a contract at a state highway rest area. It has nothing to do with religion, worship, or politics.
And Senator Graham, if you are worried about WAR, I suggest you help move your colleagues towards more aid for both Ukraine and Israel before those wars become a larger problem.
(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)
My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:
HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
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