Actually, the polls are close, and the most recent ones I’ve seen show the center-left coalition winning by a bit. And of course, he lost last time. But the winner wasn’t able to form a government, which gave him the chance to cobble together a coalition of every fringe right-wing and religious party in Israel. Even if the “good guys” win, that’ll still be a challenge for them, though definitely possible. But if he does win, or even if he pulls the same rabbit out of a hat he did last time, our nuts and theirs will feel empowered. That’ll be bad for both countries, and for the world, really; but for Israel beyond the short term, it’ll be deadly. Speaking as someone who’s supported Israel since the days of sane Labor governments and who’s got relatives there, I don’t want that to happen.
I think much of Israel is starting to realize that those are the stakes – including the couple hundred former defense and intelligence officials who’ve gone public with their opposition to Netanyahu. And of course his defeat won’t suddenly bring peace to the Middle East. But without his defeat I really don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Nixon Tapes was Billy Graham talking to a private conversation with a bigoted president, not expressing those view on radio or TV, like his son. When you are talking to someone with power and you want to influence them on your ideas, you don’t call him a bigot within that conversation. I think it is an unfair to judge Billy Graham on his racism on one taped private conversation. When I talk to someone who is bigoted and I know that I can’t change his/her mind, what is the point of having an argument with him/her when neither of us are going to change either ones mind, we just end up yelling at each other. If your grandfather is bigoted are you going to confront him every time he makes a bigoted statements. Same thing with a conversation with the President of the United States.
Thanks for this. Unlike Graham, Israelis have legitimate reason to fear religious influence upon neighboring nations’ leaders that could ignite war at any time. Hopefully, America has built-in constitutional and cultural protections that continue to block sectarian influence on fundamental secular policy.
In the Atlantic Monthly article “What ISIS Really Wants” on ISIS, I got the impression that ISIS also was trying to get the American religious right support as they are also talking about the second coming of Jesus. One of the reasons they are creating a caliphate is that “Jesus – the second-most-revered prophet in Islam – will return to Earth and lead the Muslims to victory.” Who thought Jesus would help the Muslims. What if they were right, maybe Franklin should think twice before “bad talking” the Muslims.
gee, it would have been nice if “rev.” graham had bothered to share the names of those “radical muslims” who’ve infiltrated Washington, so we’d know who to look for. actually, I’m surprised he didn’t hold a sheet of paper in his upraised hand, claiming it to be a list of over “200 radical islamists, who have infiltrated Washington, DC!”
So what is the difference between the more radical forms of Sharia and the type of law that Franklin claims is Biblical? They both mandate death for being LGBT, for sexual relations outside marriage, for converting to another religion, for criticizing the religion in question, and they object to all the same things. It is to laugh that so many nutcases want to put in laws forbidding the use of “foreign” legal codes. When they find out that they’ve just outlawed “Biblical” law, what do they do?
Heck, Muslims have access to Frank Graham. If you compare his program with the more virulent strains of Sharia law, you won’t be able to distinguish between the two of them.
Let us not forget that revealed on the Nixon’s tapes that his dad hated Jews so since that group has already been taken by Dad he had to find another group to hate how very Christian of this jerk
Well, that’s it, and when I said “I think Franklin might be” that was understatement. They’re trying hard to fundamentally alter the way this society is set up. That’s radical by definition. I suppose it goes without saying he also talks like a loon.
Reminds me of the Trump bombshell investigation of Obama’s citizenship in Hawaii…remember? “you won’t believe what we found” Well we’re still waiting for those revelations and simply ask the good reverend to lend some specificity to his serious assertions…otherwise just more noise contributing to the tired and dangerous defamation process waged against the President since he assumed office,
