I’ve written previously about the demand by Israeli leaders that Israel not only be recognized, but recognized as a “Jewish State.” My sense has been that the demand, and indeed the whole concept of Israel being a Jewish state, is inherently racist.

I just stumbled on to an interview of Ali Abuminah, whose book, The Battle For Justice in Palestine, is on my reading list. Interestingly, the book intersects both with Arizona politics and with the struggle for economic justice. Abuminah considers Arizona to be ground zero in the U.S. for those who consider people of color to be a demographic threat.

But I digress. Here’s how Abuminah addresses the “Jewish State” demand:

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Every so often, I visit the conservative sites. Their thinking always has fascinated me.

If you’re looking for understanding of why conservatives on the street seem so delusional, this piece at Sonoran Alliance is quite illuminating: Americans for Prosperity: Congress and the President are shortening the fuse. AFP, as you know, is funded by the Koch brothers. The piece is co-written by the director of AFP’s Arizona chapter and AFP’s federal issues campaign manager.

I honestly can’t tell whether it’s rooted in intellectual dishonesty or incompetence. I suspect it’s intellectual dishonesty, but it doesn’t really matter. Either way, when you read it, it explains well how so many conservatives on the street are so hoodwinked. Read it uncritically and you come away with the feeling that we’re headed towards national bankruptcy all because of Medicare.

Here’s the opener:

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I figured when Patrick Smith’s piece was the lead article at Salon, there may be real news to read.

And indeed there is.

Smith, for those not familiar with him, is perhaps the best source these days for objectivity on foreign affairs.

Smith’s piece, Barack Obama pulls a George W. Bush: Lies, misinformation and chemical weapons, actually was a report on a long article by Seymour Hersh (yes, that Seymour Hersh), The Red Line and the Rat Line.

The bottom line: Those chemical weapons from last August in Syria weren’t Assad’s weapons after all. And, by all appearances, Obama had a good idea they weren’t. Smith:

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WhatsApp with the Estate Tax?

Weakening financial regulations are driving the economy further down the one-way street of extreme wealth accumulation.

I’ve written before about the bastardization of the American Dream. It used to be about all Americans having the opportunity to work hard and have a decent life. Now, it’s only about going from rags to riches. That’s actually a joke, because economic mobility is lower in America than it is in just about every other developed country.

Nonetheless, our bastardized American Dream works for a few of us, such as those with big brains, or great athletic skills, or some other great talent. If you’re born with huge talent, you can work hard be one of the lucky ones. Heck, you might even be a one percenter one day.

But where does this bastardized American Dream leave the rest of us, the ones who weren’t dealt any Aces in the poker game of life, and are stuck playing out their hands of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, all in different suits? After all, not all of us have the smarts to get through college or the ability to throw a 99 mile per hour fastball.

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