Thursday, December 26, 2019

Current Events Discussion Topics

An on-line "Zoom" discussion is conducted every Monday morning at 9:30am Chicago time through the North Shore Senior Center hosted by Ron Mantegna. You can enroll in this discussion session at   https://www.nssc.org/

Ron conducts a Northbrook Library zoom discussion every 1st and 3rd and 5th Thursday, 10-11:30am. Open free to all who enroll.  Contact the Northbrook Library to connect with Ron Mantegna.                                                                                      

Is Homan making a positive difference? What Is the goal? Deporting all Undocs, as Miller wants? Or focus on the “bad guys”, as Homan wants? Are we running out of bad guys?

 

Is Trump’s Gaza “Board of Peace” a step in the right direction? Does it conflict with the U.N.? What influence can Trump wield when no longer President? How are Gazans involved? Can it work?  The basic responsibility for international peace and security lies with U.N. and lies with the Security Council,” says Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

 

Where are we today with release of the Epstein files? Maxwell claims 29 friends of Epstein were shielded through 'secret settlements' by the Justice Department.  She filed a habeas corpus petition seeking to overturn her conviction, arguing that prosecutors cut deals with Epstein associates while prosecuting her as if no such agreements existed. How might this affect the politics of this?

 

Should America take overt action to help facilitate regime change in Iran?

 

Are we avoiding a shut-down? Might concerns over ICE funding precipitate another Shut Down?

 

How likely are we likely to see some compromise bill on Health Care? With no action, Health Care may be unaffordable for millions.  Is there a way to do this that is fiscally responsible?

 

What stops us from improving Education everywhere? A Literacy-Based Promotion Act passed in Mississippi in 2013 put the emphasis on K-3 grade-level reading skills. 4th-grade reading scores have jumped from 49th to 21st in national rankings.  A student scoring at the lowest achievement level in reading for 3rd grade will not be promoted to 4th grade unless the student qualifies for a good cause exemption. 4 key components: give teachers and school districts appropriate resources and sufficient training, early I.S. of students who struggle with reading through screening, creation of an individual reading plan for those identified as struggling, including specialized instruction, and requiring that third grade students pass a state reading test to move on to fourth grade.

 

Why are FBI agents raiding an election hub in Fulton County, Georgia looking for voter fraud?

 

Trade deficit soared 94% in November and was higher than a year ago, despite tariff efforts.

 

How much are Trump’s actions hurting Republicans? Does he care about GOP political pain? Trump’s 1st Year Report Card: Failure. 39% Approval.  29% with Independents. Most Americans feel he has set the wrong priorities, mostly hurt the economy, and has acquired too much power.

 

$3 meals? Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made waves with claims that the administration’s revamped food pyramid leaves plenty of room for Americans to maintain a healthy diet for as little as $3 a meal. Just eat “a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli”, “a corn tortilla” and “one other thing”.

 

President Trump saw value in accepting the Nobel Prize medal Machado was actually awarded. How might this affect how leaders of other nations deal with Trump?

 

America now has a Department of War, not one of Defense. Is it in America’s best interests to use our unmatched Military Might to acquire or change any nation our President covets?  

 

Agree? Disagree? Because sport already accommodates biological variation, hormone therapy substantially mitigates advantage, and there is no clear evidence of systemic unfairness, excluding Trans women from women’s sports is inconsistent, unnecessary, and ethically unjustified.

 

Can Mayor Mamdani effectively help “the poor” by super-taxing “the rich”? He wants to “replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.” Your thoughts.

 

How big an issue is the stealing of federal funds from public assistance programs in Minnesota?  Does it matter that criminals are mostly of Somali descent?

 

Is Trump allowing Putin to take over Ukraine? He says Zelensky is holding up the process.

 

RFK jr.’s new “whole foods pyramid” focuses on Proteins and Fats. Have you tried Tallow?

 

Is the DOJ covering-up Epstein files? Trump wants the DOJ to publish the names of Democrats associated with Epstein to “embarrass them.” Do you believe victims will eventually see Justice?

 

The U.S. has withdrawn from many international organizations, because “they support Liberal policies”, like Liberal views on Climate and Energy. What are the risks vs. benefits?

 

Time magazine named "The Architects of A.I." as 2025 Person of the Year. Your thoughts.

 

Could that J6 pipe bomber now receive a J6 Pardon? He believes the election was stolen.

 

NY Times: Are there any limits to your power? “My own morality. My own mind. That’s the only thing that can stop me.” Is it fair to look at Trump’s mental acuity, with years yet to serve? Or is that Liberal “TDS”? Consider Racist outbursts; angry tirades toward female journalists; linking Reiner murders to “TDS”; Mussolini-like obsession with naming everything about himself; “retribution”; directing that his political enemies be jailed or worse. How normal is any of this?

 

Do you believe China might take steps to acquire Taiwan? Will Trump act to stop them?

How much do voters feel Biden’s failures, and not Trump’s, are main reasons for today’s higher Prices, Immigration mess, Healthcare risks, Crime, and more?

 

Israel and Hamas are preparing for renewed fighting as Hamas continues to refuse to disarm, a requirement that is holding up progress on Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. Meanwhile, the Pope calls for a two-state solution, and is backing Palestinian views more than Israel’s. 

 

How should we evaluate the value of immigrants vs. their risks? When evil acts unfold, many Americans want immigration shut down, and to block folks “from shit-hole countries”. How much should Race and Religion guide our policies? Is it acceptable to seek more White Immigrants?

 

Should we consider a Social Media ban for our kids? Australian Children and teens have been forced off social media en masse. Shutting down than 1 million social media accounts held by users under 16 has inflamed a culture war and is being closely watched here and elsewhere.

 

Redistricting Battles: does any Party have the advantage? The Supreme Court OK’d Texas redistricting that may add 5 additional GOP House seats. Indiana said No to redistricting. How much do recent elections suggest there could be tight races even in “safe” Republican Districts?

 

Is Trump beginning to be a “Lame Duck”? MT Greene is resigning from Congress and speaking out against Trump. Has jockeying started for new Leader? Given Trump’s sinking Approvals, will Traditional Republicans begin to resonate more with Conservatives than MAGA?

 

How “illegal” are Biden’s autopen approvals? Trump is “cancelling” exec orders signed by Biden’s autopen. Many presidents, including Trump, use an autopen to sign some documents. Republicans say it was used by folks around Biden to circumvent “a mentally declining president”.

 

Are national parks and museums wrong to cover how bad Slavery was? Does History need to be more positive? What’s more harmful: not covering full details, or covering it all?

 

Does Cashless Bail put more peace-loving Folks at risk while setting Law Breakers free?

 

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Israeli History/Israeli Current Events


Upcoming Discussion

Mark Gelfeld leads a Zoom discussion at the Northbrook Library 10am to 11:30am every 2nd and 4th Thursday. Signup is free at this link. A library card is not needed. 
https://visit.northbrook.info/event/4628524

Israeli Current Events will be discussed for the first portion of our session.
Then...we'll continue reviewing events related to the First Lebanon War
Links below allow you to review slides we show and discuss at each session.

Zionism/Israeli History through 1967  

Below is a list of books mentioned during our sessions:

· "The Arab-Israeli Wars" by Chaim Herzog
· "Kissinger and the Yom Kippur War" by David Morse
· "The Making of Modern Israel 1948-1967" by Leslie Stein
· "Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict" by Charles D. Smith
· “The Iron Wall: Israel & The Arab World” by Avi Shlaim
· “Transformative Justice: Israeli Identity on Trial” by Leora Bilsky
· "Six Days of War : June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East" by Michael Oren
· “The Secret War Against The Jews: How Western Espionage Betrayed the Jewish People” by John Loftus and Mark Aarons
· “A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel” by Allis Radosh and Ronald Rados
· "Truman" by David McCullough
· “Louis D. Brandeis: A Life” by Melvin Urofsky
· “The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership” by Yehuda Avner
· “George C. Marshall” by Forest Pogue (a 4 volume work- the most definitive biography)
· “1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War” by Benny Morris
· “Woodrow Wilson: A Biography” by John Milton Cooper, Jr
· “A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East” by David Fromkin
· "Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews": A History by James Carroll
· “In the Garden of the Beasts” by Erik Larson
· “My Promised Land - The Triumph & Tragedy of Israel” by Ari Shavit
· "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide" by Samantha Power
· "The Physician" by Noah Gordon
· "Start-up Nation: the Story of Israel's Economic Miracle" by Dan Senor and Saul Singer
· "Eichmann in Jerusalem: a Report on the Banality of Evil" by Hannah Arendt
· "The Eichmann Trial" by Deborah Lipstadt
· "The House on Garibaldi Street" by Isser Harrel
· "Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices" by Mosab Hassan Yousef
· “Eichmann Before Jerusalem: The Unexamined Life of A Mass Murder” by Bettina Stangneth
· "Jaffa Beach" by Fedora Horowitz
· "Operation Thunderbolt:  Flight 139 and the Raid on Entebbe Airport, the most Audacious Hostage Rescue in History", by Saul David
· "Abba Eban", A Biography by Asaf Siniver
· "Jerusalem: The Biography" by Simon Sebag Montefiore
· "The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine" by Ben Ehrenreich
· "Jabotinsky" by Hillel Halkin
· "Doomed to Succeed: The U.S. Israel Relationship from Truman to Obama" by Dennis Ross 
· "The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel" by Uri-Bar Joseph
· "FDR and the Jews" by Richard Breitman
· "No Ordinary Time" by Doris Kearns Goodwin
· "Remember the Liberty!:Almost Sunk by Treason on the High Seas" by Phillip F Nelson, Ronald G. Kukal, Ernest A. Gallo 
· "Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn" by Daniel Gordis
· "Every Spy a Prince" The Complete History of Israel's Intelligence Community by Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman
· "FDR and the Holocaust: A Breach of Faith" by Rafael Medoff
· "Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations" by Ronen Bergman
· "Then They Came for Me - Martin Niemoller, the Pastor Who Defied the Nazis" - Matthew Hockenos
· "We Stand Divided - The Rift Between American Jews and Israel" - Daniel Gordis
· "BiBi" - Anshel Pfeffer
· "Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the 40-year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East" - Kim Ghattas


















Thursday, March 6, 2014

WELCOME TO TODAY'S DISCUSSION



“Current Events” Code of Conduct

We respect each other and conduct our discussions with civility.

This includes:

      Never using loud, abusive, threatening or insulting language.
      Never offending, threatening, or insulting groups or individuals based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or any disability.
      Never being under the influence of anything but our best behavior.
      Never harming anyone, including fighting or challenging anyone to fight.
      Understanding every aspect of Sexual Harassment - This includes: • making inappropriate personal comments or sexual advances • using obscene or lewd language or gestures • staring at, or following anyone in a manner that reasonably can be expected to disturb him or her • exposing others to sexual Internet content.

Ron's Rules:

1. Civility means treating each other with respect. Hate the comment. Love the commenter. When you make it personal, I will stop you. Talk to the issue. Respond like this: “I disagree. Strawberry is not better than butter pecan. Here’s why. ….”  Responses like this are out of line: “You’re an F-ing idiot if you think strawberry is better than butter pecan!”   Our goal is to shed light more than heat.

2. If someone else makes your point, you don’t need to make it again.

3. I try to seek different views. In doing so, I will call on some folks more than others so there’s a chance to hear different sides. But I may not get to everyone for some topics.

4. If you’re seeking a “support group” to vent heart-felt rants, go elsewhere. Attend with an open mind. You don’t need to agree with what you hear—just do try to understand the other side. I’m preaching to myself here as well.

5. Finally, It’s perfectly OK to push back against my questions you feel are too slanted or flat out incorrect. That’s going to happen.  Just don’t be picky in the interest of time.