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.                                                                        

How do you feel about America, our experiment in Democracy, and where we stand as a nation as we celebrate the 250th Year of America’s Founding? Are we going in the right direction?

 

Why did we bomb Iran? Regime change? Stop The Bomb? “They were ready to hit us?’ How do our strikes help Iran’s people? Is it in our best interests, or did we create more problems? How will Military action alone change the evil objectives of a hated, rogue nation of 93M, four times the size of California, who has been an enemy of America and Israel for decades? Why do this now?

 

How much did Israel influence Trump’s action? Why was getting this involved right for us?

 

We decimated Iran’s leadership. How better off are we if Iran is in chaos with no Leader? Can War lead to an Iran more aligned with America’s interests? Must we now “nation build” to control Iran’s future? How can we assure Iran won’t continue evil objectives—become even more oppressive to its people and even more anti-American? Might they believe they must now seek The Bomb for self-preservation? Just how does America help Iranians “take back their country”?

 

How high a priority was launching a War of Choice, across the ocean, that presented no immediate risk? Did the potential risk to our homeland warrant going to War? Do most Americans feel it’s OK to allow our President to make War decisions like this without Congressional buy-in?

 

What message did we send our allies and adversaries? Many nations do bad things. Consider North Korea. Does America need to police the world? Are we seen now as a rogue nation? What opportunities does our action present for our adversaries—especially Putin and China? Russia: “Trump has untied our hands, Now, we can secure our safety”. Is that view in our best interests?

 

What might a “friendly take-over” of Cuba look like? Do we see that as important?

 

Will China risk moving on Taiwan, believing America is now preoccupied more with Iran?

 

After deposing the Clintons regarding Epstein, will the House depose Trump? If not, will America care? Will we move on, disregard charges of DOJ cover-up, and grow disinterested in the Epstein Files? Will victims ever see something that looks like Justice? What happens next?

 

Paramount is likely to take over Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming business. What happens when CNN is merged with CBS News? Paramount is run by the Ellison family, friendly to Trump. CBS News is already moving more to the Right. Keep in mind what happened to objectivity when Murdoch bought FOX. Will CBS/CNN become Right-Wing opinion, like FOX?

 

Let’s look at results of the Texas Primary - Did Democrats pick a firebrand, like Crockett? Or a Moderate Centrist like Talarico?  Paxton was leading Sen. Cornyn. Republicans feared a Paxton/Talarico race as very expensive. What did we learn that might affect the Mid-Terms?

 

How does Trump’s often combative approach with anyone who differs with him affect Republicans running in November? Is he concerned about polls that show his key polices are not well received by voters?  Trump’s Approval is 40% driven by Prices, Immigration, Tariffs, War.

 

How effective are local Democrats in mostly hammering Trump in their campaign ads?

 

What Important News came out of the State of the Union? What minds might have been changed?  R’s loved it. D’s hated it. How was it received by Independents? Trump’s Approval with Independents is 26%. 11% drop in viewership vs. Trump’s 2025 speech. What’s your take on how Democrats reacted in the Chamber? Not standing? The shout-outs? The sign bearer? What about “the Democrat Response” by Gov. Spanberger? What were your “cringe moments?

How do you view the possibility of life beyond Earth? What about Obama’s comments?

 

Is Voter I.D. logical and necessary in today’s high-tech world?  Or does requiring a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate to register create an unacceptable hurdle for too many?

 

The DHS Shutdown continues. Who do you believe is winning the political battle?

 

How useful an idea is Trump’s Board of Peace? Can it make an important difference?

 

Will Trump compromise with Dems and change how we execute Deportation? Would it help Republicans if Trump only targeted bad guys, not ALL Undocs—as Miller prefers?

 

Stats show Crime falling. But, do you feel Crime is truly on the decrease? Violent crime dropped significantly in 2025. Big cities saw murders down 19-21%. Robberies and aggravated assaults also down, with some metrics falling below pre-pandemic levels to 100-year lows. 

 

Is eliminating all standards for greenhouse gas emissions in our best interests? How smart is it to totally disregard the concerns of scientists vs. moderating how standards apply?

 

Re: Trans Sports. Do you Agree, or Disagree? Sport already accommodates biological variation. Hormone therapy can mitigates advantage so there is no clear evidence of systemic unfairness, and excluding Trans athletes from women’s sports is inconsistent, unnecessary, and ethically unjustified.

 

Secretary of State Rubio: “The United States and Europe belong together." But has Trump moved away from America’s historic tight relationship with our European allies.

 

How important is the TrumpRx pharmacy plan that gives discounts on popular drugs?

 

Can Mayor Mamdani effectively help “the poor” by super-taxing “the rich”? “Replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

 

What good comes out of raising skepticism about Vaccines? RFK jr.’s new “whole foods pyramid” focuses on Proteins and Fats. (Have you tried Tallow?)

 

$3 meals? Agriculture Secretary  Rollins claims their revamped food pyramid leaves plenty of room for us 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”.

 

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

 

NY Times: Are there any limits to your power? “My own morality. My own mind. That’s the only thing that can stop me.”

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.