Thank you for the great discussion about what lies ahead for Vice President Harris in her campaign and the Democratic party in Iowa. I hold out great hope for our country with VP Harris at the top of the ticket, but Iowa is another matter. The Democratic Party needs a new play book. The only way Iowa will change is when people show up and vote for something better that what we have now.
One thing that people may be overlooking is how many of us grandparents have grandkids thanks to IVF and other procedures. Republicans are anti grandkids!
I offer the below, as my final contribution to the current discussion---I think that it is important to remember---and reflect!
Compare/Contrast below Video Comments---Kamala Harris and Martin Luther King Jr.--- about Violence and Summer Riots in cities of the United States--
Kamala Harris, (June 17, 2020, on "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert): "They're not gonna stop....they're not going to let up, and they should not..."
VS.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (September 27, 1966, on"60 Minutes", in interview with Mike Wallace):
King said, in recorded Speech, in part---"...if every Negro in the United States turns against nonviolence, I'm going to stand up, as a lone voice, and say: 'This is the wrong way!'". Also, in the interview, King said: "I will never change in my basic idea, that nonviolence is the most potent weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for freedom and justice...to turn to violence would be both impractical and immoral".
All Honor--to Martin Luther King, Jr., regarding his above, brave and noble remarks!
What a truly remarkable discussion this was, most noteworthy, perhaps, for the panel's not quite complete exclusion of foreign policy issues despite Official Washington's bipartisan support for and funding of both a failed US/NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, which threatens to go nuclear. and the ghastly genocide of a captive defenseless civilian population in the Holy Land.
Early in the discussion Rekha Basu mentioned the importance of VP Harris's choice of a running mate saying, "as we all have heard, a lot of young people are angry at Joe Biden because of his support of Israel. If she picks the wrong person or shows that she is too supportive of Israel and not supportive enough of the struggles of the people of Gaza, then they may turn away from voting for the Democratic ticket. I think that's one thing she needs to think really carefully about, and I am very eager to see who she decides to choose as a running mate."
Moderator Ed Tibbets promised there would be more talk about that later, but though there was indeed more discussion about the importance of Harris's running mate, I heard no further discussion regarding the genocide in Gaza, which has resulted in reliably estimated death tolls exceeding 200,000 with the majority the dead, wounded, and starving being defenseless women and children. Nor was their any substantive discussion of the failing US/NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, which has resulted in heightened concerns about a nuclear war and estimates of more than 500,000 dead in Ukraine, a number greater than the total number of American dead in WWII, never mind as many as 100,000 Russian dead. Nor was there any meaningful discussion of foreign policy regarding China, Russia, and the growing number of countries that are rejecting American foreign policy and actively seeking new partnerships with the world's other superpowers while the remainder look at America with, to be generous, increasingly skeptical eyes.
But for Basu's perceptive and courageous comments, it seemed that the panel was pointedly disinterested in America's perpetual war foreign policy and active bipartisan support for and arming of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. One suspects that these topics are simply too controversial to be discussed publicly by the panelists, who apparently were unimpressed by the end of the school year non-violent protests by America's best and brightest young people on their campuses across the nation. Or perhaps the panelists fear the wrath of their political masters whose police forces brutally suppressed the non-violent student uprising against the Gaza genocide or stood by while pro-Israel counter protesters violently attacked idealistic students, many Jewish students among them, exercising their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and peaceable assembly on their campuses?
What kind of politics is it, what kind of public discussion is it, what kind of commentariat is it that turns a blind eye to a national business model that incorporates perpetual war and funds genocidal slaughter?
Michael, I am so glad to have you as a listener, and that you took the time to offer feedback. Going forward, we will have rotating hosts and rotating panelists, limited to five voices. This was our second episode, and we are blazing a new trail, so are in the process of examining what is working and what can be better. I do believe, the most value this podcast can bring is to discuss the Iowa angle to issues, as this is an important differentiator this particular group has to offer in the vast sea of available podcasts. Your point is well-taken, as there is an Iowa angle to international issues, however there is so much going on in the state that needs to be discussed, we will be talking about Iowa and the down ballot issues we face. Keep your comments coming. We appreciate your involvement in shaping this going forward.
Also, in my Potluck column podcast, I held a fascinating conversation about Gaza and Israel with Admiral Micheal Franken, @Arnold Garson, Corrine Whitlatch (former executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace). Their opinions were far more learned than anything I could add to such a conversation.
I listened to the earlier discussion about Gaza and Israel when it was first available. You deserve credit for your effort to explore that situation, Julie. I have been aware of and interested in Corrine's work for many years. Sadly, Churches for Middle East Peace, which was an important advocacy group promoting common sense, diplomacy, and peace in the region, met with little success. The Christian far- and extreme-Right, Christian Zionism, has long been an influential and destabilizing factor in American politics and U.S.-Middle East foreign policy.
I think these are valuable comments, aside from the reference to our "political masters." We are just getting started with our panel, and may well discuss some of the issues you raise in the future. To be fair, most, if not all of us have spent our careers focusing on domestic issues, and most of us write about rural Iowa. I, for one, am hesitant to discuss topics where I have no expertise. With respect to student protestors, I have been to pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Iowa, seeking to learn, and will continue to do so. I am more comfortable speaking about the situation in Ukraine, and may well do so in the future--in part because I interact with people from Ukraine regularly. Again, thanks for your detailed response.
Thank you, Robert, for your kind words and helpful comments. I might more accurately have made reference to "our political masters" rather than "their political masters." After all, in that regard we are all in the same boat, unless there is someone on the panel who knows who the heck is actually running our country these days. I let my anger and frustration get the better of me. Mea culpa.
I spent my career focusing on U.S.-Middle East foreign policy, and, despite living in rural Iowa out among the corn and bean fields for 28 years, I'm sure I know less than many of the panelists about the politics of rural Iowa, big Ag, or the domestic issues that were most thoroughly discussed by the panel. As a journalist (KTA Greenlee School, '99), I am morally certain that one doesn't have to be an expert on foreign affairs to have a reasonably well-informed opinion and strong feelings about either nuclear war or genocide. Moreover, I very much hope that the panel will indeed venture into discussions about foreign affairs. After all, if Iowa commentators wait until BRICS and the SCO are angry enough and influential enough to sanction or put tariffs on Iowa farm products, it may well be too late. If our political masters are so rigidly ideological and so lacking in diplomatic skill that they blunder into a nuclear exchange with Russia in Ukraine, well, that might be "too late" of an entirely different and immediate magnitude, no?
I have read that a major nuclear war between Pakistan and India, which both have nuclear arsenals and have fought three major non-nuclear wars since 1947, would result in enough atmospheric debris, much of it radioactive, to plunge the world into a nuclear winter. Among the results would be an environment in which neither corn nor beans would thrive in Iowa. Would survivors of a nuclear winter who live in Iowa be able to grow enough food to survive? Is it time to think about the old saw "All politics are local" from a new perspective?
Rural Iowa's farmers have skin the the game. Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer. Iowa put him on the road to the presidency. Wendell Berry grew up in tobacco farming country. The ideas and ideals in Berry's seminal work, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, have never been refuted. Berry drew the largest crowd I have ever seen in Memorial Hall in Ames. The same year, 2007, Carter drew an even larger crowd in Carver Hawkeye Arena.
How will a progressive Iowa commentariat too timid to discuss American foreign policy, nuclear war, or genocide ever manage to persuade Iowans that they have skin in the game? If you all don't have a go at it, who will?
Great points Michael! Thank you. I think we should have a go at it in terms of the big picture. Harris' comments to Netanyahu provides a good entry point. Thanks again.
Dear Ms. Belin---and for the Historical Record (to make my political position crystal clear):
I am a lifelong Democrat--first and last! Indeed, as part of my past, I have been a Democratic Party primary election candidate for the U.S. Senate---and Democratic Party member of the Iowa Legislature---Iowa House of Representatives.
I do not support Trump for President!
I will vote for the final, Convention-elected, Democratic Party's candidate for President.
However, having said the above, I do believe, that the Democratic Party, including, the Iowa Democratic Party, has lost its way!
Finally, I believe, 2024, the Democratic Party should engage in a real democratic process, in selecting a Democratic Party candidate for President; and I support a free, fair, and Open Convention! I support that real democratic process and Open Convention---even now!
I am honored that you read my remarks; and I offer my sincere respect to you, and the other Panelist, as I indicated in my original comments.
However, I believe you understand, clearly, that what I said goes beyond mere "words"--to values, American Democracy, and the dignity and security of individual lives. In American Democracy, we all must use our reason, and sense of values, to draw the line, regarding the above matters; and to make political decisions. I can assure you, that I have used my reason and values, relating to the above matters, to make my political decision---not to support Kamala Harris for President! You, and the other Panelist, and readers of this Podcast, have the same freedom and challenge, to draw your own lines! At bottom, and in the final analysis, it is not a question of "words"; but of "lines", value "lines". I believe (and my value "line" is), as Henry David Thoreau said, in "Walden"---"living is so dear".
I offer the below remarks-- with all due respect, to all the "Panelist". However, I believe they need to be made---for the sake of reason and Democracy!
I did not hear a single, critical remark, regarding Kamala Harris. Why not?
I am a lifelong Democrat. My political heroes are John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.
However, I do not support Kamala Harris---(see Video of her remarks about the summer riots of shooting, looting, and arson, in U.S. cities, in 2020--Stephen Colbert's, "The Late Show", June 17, 2020:
"...they're not gonna stop...they're not going to let up, and they should not...". (remarks said while smiling, laughing, and with seeming glee)
So, I offer the following remarks, for consideration by the Panelist and all Writers.
First, I believe that Science and American Democracy both depend upon the existence/vibrancy of independent, critical, and objective thinking. Indeed, according to Kant, the "motto" of the "Enlightenment" is the following: "Have the courage to use your own understanding". Second, I am tempted to refer to the Webster Dictionary, to offer a definition for the term "Group Think". I recommend that definition, for your review. Third, I am also tempted to offer, for your consideration, a quote from one of George Orwell's books, "1984" or "Animal Farm"; but I will refrain from that temptation.
However, I think that you all see the point, that I am trying to make (at least, I hope you do)---without further quotes or references--- for example, to the ancient Greeks, George Eliot, Camus, etc., etc., etc.
Again, I offer all the above remarks---with all due respect!
Thank you for the great discussion about what lies ahead for Vice President Harris in her campaign and the Democratic party in Iowa. I hold out great hope for our country with VP Harris at the top of the ticket, but Iowa is another matter. The Democratic Party needs a new play book. The only way Iowa will change is when people show up and vote for something better that what we have now.
One thing that people may be overlooking is how many of us grandparents have grandkids thanks to IVF and other procedures. Republicans are anti grandkids!
I offer the below, as my final contribution to the current discussion---I think that it is important to remember---and reflect!
Compare/Contrast below Video Comments---Kamala Harris and Martin Luther King Jr.--- about Violence and Summer Riots in cities of the United States--
Kamala Harris, (June 17, 2020, on "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert): "They're not gonna stop....they're not going to let up, and they should not..."
VS.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (September 27, 1966, on"60 Minutes", in interview with Mike Wallace):
King said, in recorded Speech, in part---"...if every Negro in the United States turns against nonviolence, I'm going to stand up, as a lone voice, and say: 'This is the wrong way!'". Also, in the interview, King said: "I will never change in my basic idea, that nonviolence is the most potent weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for freedom and justice...to turn to violence would be both impractical and immoral".
All Honor--to Martin Luther King, Jr., regarding his above, brave and noble remarks!
Richard Sherzan
Will say one thing, Not as Many Black Folk Rolling with Kamala Harris as Pundits Think or Say. https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/what-can-be-unburdened-by-what-has
voting on skin color is not policy based and is idiotic.
Will say one thing, Not as Many Black Folk Rolling with Kamala Harris as Pundits Think or Say. https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/what-can-be-unburdened-by-what-has
voting on skin color is not policy based and is idiotic.
What a truly remarkable discussion this was, most noteworthy, perhaps, for the panel's not quite complete exclusion of foreign policy issues despite Official Washington's bipartisan support for and funding of both a failed US/NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, which threatens to go nuclear. and the ghastly genocide of a captive defenseless civilian population in the Holy Land.
Early in the discussion Rekha Basu mentioned the importance of VP Harris's choice of a running mate saying, "as we all have heard, a lot of young people are angry at Joe Biden because of his support of Israel. If she picks the wrong person or shows that she is too supportive of Israel and not supportive enough of the struggles of the people of Gaza, then they may turn away from voting for the Democratic ticket. I think that's one thing she needs to think really carefully about, and I am very eager to see who she decides to choose as a running mate."
Moderator Ed Tibbets promised there would be more talk about that later, but though there was indeed more discussion about the importance of Harris's running mate, I heard no further discussion regarding the genocide in Gaza, which has resulted in reliably estimated death tolls exceeding 200,000 with the majority the dead, wounded, and starving being defenseless women and children. Nor was their any substantive discussion of the failing US/NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, which has resulted in heightened concerns about a nuclear war and estimates of more than 500,000 dead in Ukraine, a number greater than the total number of American dead in WWII, never mind as many as 100,000 Russian dead. Nor was there any meaningful discussion of foreign policy regarding China, Russia, and the growing number of countries that are rejecting American foreign policy and actively seeking new partnerships with the world's other superpowers while the remainder look at America with, to be generous, increasingly skeptical eyes.
But for Basu's perceptive and courageous comments, it seemed that the panel was pointedly disinterested in America's perpetual war foreign policy and active bipartisan support for and arming of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. One suspects that these topics are simply too controversial to be discussed publicly by the panelists, who apparently were unimpressed by the end of the school year non-violent protests by America's best and brightest young people on their campuses across the nation. Or perhaps the panelists fear the wrath of their political masters whose police forces brutally suppressed the non-violent student uprising against the Gaza genocide or stood by while pro-Israel counter protesters violently attacked idealistic students, many Jewish students among them, exercising their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and peaceable assembly on their campuses?
What kind of politics is it, what kind of public discussion is it, what kind of commentariat is it that turns a blind eye to a national business model that incorporates perpetual war and funds genocidal slaughter?
Michael, I am so glad to have you as a listener, and that you took the time to offer feedback. Going forward, we will have rotating hosts and rotating panelists, limited to five voices. This was our second episode, and we are blazing a new trail, so are in the process of examining what is working and what can be better. I do believe, the most value this podcast can bring is to discuss the Iowa angle to issues, as this is an important differentiator this particular group has to offer in the vast sea of available podcasts. Your point is well-taken, as there is an Iowa angle to international issues, however there is so much going on in the state that needs to be discussed, we will be talking about Iowa and the down ballot issues we face. Keep your comments coming. We appreciate your involvement in shaping this going forward.
Also, in my Potluck column podcast, I held a fascinating conversation about Gaza and Israel with Admiral Micheal Franken, @Arnold Garson, Corrine Whitlatch (former executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace). Their opinions were far more learned than anything I could add to such a conversation.
Here is a link to that discussion. https://open.substack.com/pub/okobojiwriters/p/extraordinary-discussion-about-gaza?r=fkojq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I listened to the earlier discussion about Gaza and Israel when it was first available. You deserve credit for your effort to explore that situation, Julie. I have been aware of and interested in Corrine's work for many years. Sadly, Churches for Middle East Peace, which was an important advocacy group promoting common sense, diplomacy, and peace in the region, met with little success. The Christian far- and extreme-Right, Christian Zionism, has long been an influential and destabilizing factor in American politics and U.S.-Middle East foreign policy.
I think these are valuable comments, aside from the reference to our "political masters." We are just getting started with our panel, and may well discuss some of the issues you raise in the future. To be fair, most, if not all of us have spent our careers focusing on domestic issues, and most of us write about rural Iowa. I, for one, am hesitant to discuss topics where I have no expertise. With respect to student protestors, I have been to pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Iowa, seeking to learn, and will continue to do so. I am more comfortable speaking about the situation in Ukraine, and may well do so in the future--in part because I interact with people from Ukraine regularly. Again, thanks for your detailed response.
Thank you, Robert, for your kind words and helpful comments. I might more accurately have made reference to "our political masters" rather than "their political masters." After all, in that regard we are all in the same boat, unless there is someone on the panel who knows who the heck is actually running our country these days. I let my anger and frustration get the better of me. Mea culpa.
I spent my career focusing on U.S.-Middle East foreign policy, and, despite living in rural Iowa out among the corn and bean fields for 28 years, I'm sure I know less than many of the panelists about the politics of rural Iowa, big Ag, or the domestic issues that were most thoroughly discussed by the panel. As a journalist (KTA Greenlee School, '99), I am morally certain that one doesn't have to be an expert on foreign affairs to have a reasonably well-informed opinion and strong feelings about either nuclear war or genocide. Moreover, I very much hope that the panel will indeed venture into discussions about foreign affairs. After all, if Iowa commentators wait until BRICS and the SCO are angry enough and influential enough to sanction or put tariffs on Iowa farm products, it may well be too late. If our political masters are so rigidly ideological and so lacking in diplomatic skill that they blunder into a nuclear exchange with Russia in Ukraine, well, that might be "too late" of an entirely different and immediate magnitude, no?
I have read that a major nuclear war between Pakistan and India, which both have nuclear arsenals and have fought three major non-nuclear wars since 1947, would result in enough atmospheric debris, much of it radioactive, to plunge the world into a nuclear winter. Among the results would be an environment in which neither corn nor beans would thrive in Iowa. Would survivors of a nuclear winter who live in Iowa be able to grow enough food to survive? Is it time to think about the old saw "All politics are local" from a new perspective?
Rural Iowa's farmers have skin the the game. Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer. Iowa put him on the road to the presidency. Wendell Berry grew up in tobacco farming country. The ideas and ideals in Berry's seminal work, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, have never been refuted. Berry drew the largest crowd I have ever seen in Memorial Hall in Ames. The same year, 2007, Carter drew an even larger crowd in Carver Hawkeye Arena.
How will a progressive Iowa commentariat too timid to discuss American foreign policy, nuclear war, or genocide ever manage to persuade Iowans that they have skin in the game? If you all don't have a go at it, who will?
Great points Michael! Thank you. I think we should have a go at it in terms of the big picture. Harris' comments to Netanyahu provides a good entry point. Thanks again.
Dear Ms. Belin---and for the Historical Record (to make my political position crystal clear):
I am a lifelong Democrat--first and last! Indeed, as part of my past, I have been a Democratic Party primary election candidate for the U.S. Senate---and Democratic Party member of the Iowa Legislature---Iowa House of Representatives.
I do not support Trump for President!
I will vote for the final, Convention-elected, Democratic Party's candidate for President.
However, having said the above, I do believe, that the Democratic Party, including, the Iowa Democratic Party, has lost its way!
Finally, I believe, 2024, the Democratic Party should engage in a real democratic process, in selecting a Democratic Party candidate for President; and I support a free, fair, and Open Convention! I support that real democratic process and Open Convention---even now!
Richard Sherzan
Dear Ms. Belin,
I am honored that you read my remarks; and I offer my sincere respect to you, and the other Panelist, as I indicated in my original comments.
However, I believe you understand, clearly, that what I said goes beyond mere "words"--to values, American Democracy, and the dignity and security of individual lives. In American Democracy, we all must use our reason, and sense of values, to draw the line, regarding the above matters; and to make political decisions. I can assure you, that I have used my reason and values, relating to the above matters, to make my political decision---not to support Kamala Harris for President! You, and the other Panelist, and readers of this Podcast, have the same freedom and challenge, to draw your own lines! At bottom, and in the final analysis, it is not a question of "words"; but of "lines", value "lines". I believe (and my value "line" is), as Henry David Thoreau said, in "Walden"---"living is so dear".
I offer the below remarks-- with all due respect, to all the "Panelist". However, I believe they need to be made---for the sake of reason and Democracy!
I did not hear a single, critical remark, regarding Kamala Harris. Why not?
I am a lifelong Democrat. My political heroes are John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez.
However, I do not support Kamala Harris---(see Video of her remarks about the summer riots of shooting, looting, and arson, in U.S. cities, in 2020--Stephen Colbert's, "The Late Show", June 17, 2020:
"...they're not gonna stop...they're not going to let up, and they should not...". (remarks said while smiling, laughing, and with seeming glee)
So, I offer the following remarks, for consideration by the Panelist and all Writers.
First, I believe that Science and American Democracy both depend upon the existence/vibrancy of independent, critical, and objective thinking. Indeed, according to Kant, the "motto" of the "Enlightenment" is the following: "Have the courage to use your own understanding". Second, I am tempted to refer to the Webster Dictionary, to offer a definition for the term "Group Think". I recommend that definition, for your review. Third, I am also tempted to offer, for your consideration, a quote from one of George Orwell's books, "1984" or "Animal Farm"; but I will refrain from that temptation.
However, I think that you all see the point, that I am trying to make (at least, I hope you do)---without further quotes or references--- for example, to the ancient Greeks, George Eliot, Camus, etc., etc., etc.
Again, I offer all the above remarks---with all due respect!
Richard Sherzan
Are you saying you will vote for Trump because you don't like something Kamala Harris said in 2020?
I doubt you will ever find a candidate who has never said something you disagreed with about an important issue.
Dear Ms. Belin,
Please read my reply and all my new remarks.
Rich Sherzan
One addition to my above remarks---
Regarding "critical" thinking----I also recommend the books of Karl Popper, particularly "Conjectures and Refutations"
Rich Sherzan
She may not be perfect, but she trumps Trump. With all due respect that clown will lead us into civil war within three years or World War III.
Dear Lon Tegels,
Thank you for your courteous reply!
Please read all my new comments.
Rich Sherzan