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.                                                                     

What does this ad flap say about the Governor’s race in Ohio? Will it affect Vance’s 2028 chances? Ramaswamy’s ad has Amy Acton’s estranged mother calling her a “liar”. Acton’s father was arrested for raping her as a child. Vance praises Ramaswamy for “his audacity for calling it out as it is” and tells Republicans to “stop whining”. How wise was this attack ad, for either man?

 

It’s fair to look at the positive side of DSA’s goals. But how do they achieve them? Their economic proposals include universal health care, raising the minimum wage and expanding public housing and child care. The movement’s focus on economic inequality is central to its appeal for many voters, who are struggling with higher costs and a dismal view of their financial future.


What do you make of Musk, richest person in history, having sway over America’s foreign policy by taking Starlink down to help Putin, and being  so directly involve in our elections? How much a difference is Musk’s $276M making to Republican chances? It didn’t appear to help in Wisconsin. And Hillary had a much bigger war chest than Trump. Is the message more important?

 

Does America’s national interests align more with Russia than with Europe’s? Is that what’s motivating Trump to give Putin everything he wants? Like: Destroying the Western alliance. Pulling out of the intermediate nuclear pact. Withdrawing 25-40,000 troops from Western nations. Russian satellites giving coordinates to Iranians  to kill our soldiers. Waive/suspend the sanctions bill on Russian energy. Marketing Russian diesel to U.S. buyers. Disrupting satellite support for Ukrainian drones. Attacking Zelenskyy personally while praising Putin as “a humanitarian”.

 

Replacing the Press Pool with the swimming pool? The proximity of the media to the seat of U.S. executive power has long been an acknowledgment of the importance of a free press in a constitutional democracy.

 

ICE agents shot at an Undoc fleeing with his child in the car. Are actions like this unavoidable if the goal is deporting all Undocs? Is deporting all Undocs what most Americans support?  

 

The U.S. Economy looks good on paper. Americans are spending. Does it matter if voters FEEL deeply unhappy because of gas prices, rising cost of living, and a War they hate?

 

Do vanity projects help a President’s legacy—what he constructs or renames? If Trump’s name were removed from every building he constructed or renamed, what would remain of his legacy?

 

Is political humor a no-no? Whether it’s Trump’s “nuke L.A.”, or late-night comedians’ rants?

 

In order to avoid a Social Security shortfall, will Republicans support raising taxes? 

 

How do you see the risks of any new “plague” or pandemic?  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long questioned the safety of vaccines, is planning a broad federal effort to address vaccine injuries, including a new research clinic at the National Institutes of Health and a new billing code to reimburse doctors for filing reports of serious vaccine side effects,

 

Does “having a big tent” mean overlooking antisemites and racists because you need their votes…and winning is everything?

 

Birth Rates continue to fall. Do we need to admit more immigrants to fill jobs and pay taxes?

 

Do you feel our troubles with Canada are just short term, or more permanent?

 

The Space Force now has "on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action," but declined to say what the weapons are, how they work or when they were deployed.

 

Faulty Economics? Trump has repeatedly claimed that ending trade relations with countries that export more to us than they import would somehow generate vast amounts of cash for the U.S. government. “If we stopped Trading with every country that we have a Deficit with, which is most of them, we would make, at least, $1.5T a year.” How wise is this?

 

Are there good reasons to have greater concern about Left Wing Political Terrorism than Right Wing? Was the J6 attack the top example of Political Terrorism?  What else compares?

 

Should Daylight Saving Time be permanent?  Should we have ONE time all year?

 

What kind of force is Tucker Carlson in the Republican Party?

 

Governor Pritzker signed the bill mandating No Phones in Illinois Schools. Good idea?

 

Where are we today with the Epstein files? Does this issue still resonate with voters? What might change if Democrats win the House?

 

Your thoughts about “Trump Accounts”? It provides a one-time $1,000 federal investment for eligible U.S. citizen children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028. The money is invested in a broad U.S. stock index fund, and families may contribute additional money (up to the annual limit). The account generally can't be accessed until the child reaches adulthood.

 

Good idea? Older Adults are turning to ‘Golden Girls’ Housing. A growing network of home-sharing programs is helping Super Seniors find compatible housemates to save money.

 

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? On the other hand, are we spending millions without seeing plans work to bring emissions down?

 

The color of money is now gray. What are the ramifications of Seniors holding more wealth? In 1989, Americans over age 55 held 56% of the wealth. Today it’s 74%. Wealth for under 40 has shrunk from 12 to 6.6%. 18% of Americans are Senior citizens, up from 13% in 1990.

 

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.