To the Editor:
Second opinion.
It would be impossible to relate the problems of Israel and Palestine if I had 1000 times the space allotted here, but here are some matters to consider:
In 1917, only 10% of the inhabitants of Palestine were Jewish. Over three thousand years, most of the Jewish population had been driven from Judaea by invading populations in a succession of Diasporas. They had established homes and temples and thriving businesses in many places, including Germany. The practice of their Hebraic religion under the Torah (our Old Testament) kept their communities intact.
Following the Holocaust in WWII, for a number of political objectives and certainly for humanitarian reasons, western powers and particularly England and the US determined to give the Jewish people a separate homeland and restore Israel to them (and to provide a buffer from increasingly-troublesome Arabia).
The problem was that another people, over 700,000 Muslim Palestinian Arabs, already inhabited the area. But, as with the western hubris in carving up the Middle East to eventually create Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq (what could go wrong?), the political needs and guilty consciences of the western nations, which had generally ignored the reports of the Holocaust during the War, were paramount. So, in an act of delayed magnanimity and long-established western self-interest, the Jews were given the keys to Arab Muslim Palestine, now Israel, and the Holy City of Jerusalem.
“Zionism,” a term used a hundred years before, was resurrected and became a rallying cry for the Jewish people. The Palestinians passionately fought back for their homeland. The atrocities committed on both sides by this date should not surprise western powers.
Both the English and we should have been experts in the effects of "settlor-colonialism" by 1945. England did it to Ireland, they helped in Africa and the Far East. Just asserted power and carved up or inhabited countries with their riches because they could. We did it to the Native Americans. Without any thought as to whether the inhabitants, whose country it was, might resist to the death.
How can anyone look at the situation and condemn only the Palestinians? The saber rattling of a Netanyahu who has weaponized religion and ethnicity must be rejected. Of all people, the Jews of the Diaspora should understand the love of country and religion alive in the hearts of the Palestinians. And the fact that extermination of a people is not just.
Kelly Scoles,
Fillmore

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To the Editor:
It seems that you have been the lone voice crying in the wilderness. I thought it was time I entered the fray once again and try to clear up some on the questions regarding our new Administration.
I read an article by Gerry Giesler this past week in the Epoch Times titled Alarming Trends Toward Socialism Developing Under the Biden Administration. I would like to paraphrase Gerry's comments for the benefit of our readers. He lists 10 alarming trends.
1. Pushing God to the Background. Removing the phrase "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance in the US House of Representatives. Did you notice the church attendance was prohibited during the COVID-19 lock-down, but demonstrations were OK? How did Christians and Jews fare under communism?
2. Defunding the Police. This insane trend can only lead to increased crime and violence which is the intended outcome. That is why California and other stated are releasing prisoners into the general population. Without funding and local support, the police will become ineffective. Then the government can justify a national police force. Sound like the KGB or Gestapo.
3. Open borders. There are two deceitful goals here. First, to increase the population totally dependent upon the government for their everyday existence. Second, to grow voters who are beholden to the government that sponsored them. This is a huge allocation of resources to illegals that should be used to help Americans.
4. Co-opting the education system to brainwash our youth. Introducing the 1619 ideology, undermining American's roots in democracy. Then canceling the 1776 Program which is trying to fight back. Promoting critical race theory propaganda. Such brainwashing was common in the Soviet Union and under the Chinese Communist Party.
5. Lying and cheating to hide the real purpose of government programs. For example, infrastructure, COVID-19 Stimulus. Most of the spending in these programs is for social programs and not for the stated purpose.
6. Federal control of the election process, usurping state authority. H.R. 1, known as "For the People Act," is anything but. It is to increase government control and represents the largest federal grab for power in history. Its purpose is to ensure Democrats stay in power for perpetuity.
7. Corporate and media support for Black Lives Matter. BLM is a Marxist organization committed to the overthrow of the U.S. government. The operative strategy is to divide America by race and other identities and "cancel" those that do not fit the socialist script. Anyone who does not agree to their terms is "racist".
8. Taxing corporations and businesses until they fail. Then having the government take over key industries. More central and control.
9. Taxing workers to redistribute wealth to those who do not work. Promoting the idea of "equal outcomes for all" instead of "equal opportunity for all" as the underlying incentive for Americans.
10. Federal control of guns, disabling the 2nd Amendment. Have you heard of the Gestapo? History has shown these trends toward more central power and control are characteristic of socialism and then communism.
We have a narrow window of time to change this within the next two to five years. Do not stand by and watch America's demise. Remember the only difference between socialism and communism is an AK47.
Thanks for listening
Dave Johnson