Seeking out Violence

2024 Trip to South West United States, War Between Israel and Hamas

 

Ever since October 7, 2023, the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel has been in the news. It started with the brutal acts on civilians in Israel by Hamas. Israeli men, women, and children were raped, killed, and tortured beyond any semblance of morality or right. Hamas  claimed to be acting in defence but they broadcast the horrors they committed. They were proud of what they had done.

I recognize that the people of Gaza y have been victims of brutal subjugation by Israel for decades during which time they have made the life of Palestinians a version of hell on earth.  The actions of Israel at least since Netanyahu was elected have made it clear that Israel had no intent to negotiate in good faith an end to their occupation. That did not leave Palestinians with many good options. Yet, even such horrific treatment did not justify the actions taken by Hamas.  But it was always just a question of time before it exploded.

 

Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza recently made it clear what he intends: He said, “each Palestinian will take a knife to stab Israelis.”  He made it clear that he wanted to elicit a massive military response from Israel that would turn the world against Israel.  It did not matter how brutal his killers were. He did all these things he said, because he wanted Israel to be destroyed. The goal of the destruction of Israel justified all pain and violence without end. With enemies like that, Israel will have a hard time making peace, or believing in any peace that appears to be achieved.

Frankly, it difficult to find someone to support in this battle. But Canada like the United States,  has chosen to back Israel in this fight. I am not sure that makes any sense.

 

Solutions not Stunts

2018 Trip to Ottawa, 2024 Trip to South West United States, 2024 Trip to Southwest USA, Immigration and Refugees

 

President Joe Biden, early in his presidency, presented a comprehensive plan for immigration reform.  When he did that, he acknowledged the current system is broken. Everyone agrees it is broken, but how to fix?  Not so easy.

I think that is the right approach. But it must be bi-partisan. I don’t know if it is or not. But it is such a big problem both sides of the House must work together to fix it. Solutions must be real.  Not just stunts like sending asylum seekers to “Sanctuary Cities” in the north. Democrats should stop declaring them. They are unhelpful. And the entire country must pay the costs, not merely states on the border or states where all the asylum seekers and immigrants want to go. States and cities can’t afford to pay the costs. The federal government should pay the real cost.

Republicans claim Democrats want open borders. I don’t think that is true.  Obama was known as the Deporter-in-Chief. He just did not brag about it like Trump. But he deported a lot of people.

Frankly, I think most politicians, on both sides, don’t really want to deal with the problems. They prefer stunts, because they are much easier than the hard work of real reform and real solutions. It is much easier to get sound bites for stunts. Stunts and harangues seem attractive to the voters, so they get the politicians they deserve.

 

Nara Visa New Mexico: Land of Enchantment

2024 Trip to South West United States, civilization, Decline of the west, Wabi-Sabi, Wild Flowers of Southwest USA

 

 

 

New Mexico refers to itself as the Land of Enchantment.  That is a pretty bold claim, not entirely unjustified. It is a beautiful state. Yet it has some places that are evidence of serious decline in the United States.  I stopped at one of on this trip.

 

Before this trip to Arizona began my lovely wife Christiane, who thinks she really is the boss of me, told me—clearly and unequivocally—that no stops for photographs would be tolerated on the journey down south. I could take photos on the trip back north at the end of winter but now she wanted to get as far south as fast as possible.  She wanted to get out of the cold. She thought she had been very clear. I shrugged. In other words, I did not evince acceptance or rebellion, but in my heart of hearts I knew I would stop if I saw something compelling, Today, I found compelling.

We drove through the high plains of Kansas and Oklahoma as well as west Texas We saw some lovely fog and resulting hoarfrost but I dutifully resisted stopping. Frankly, we were in a hurry to get to Arizona because we started out on the trip and the weather conditions appeared excellent.  This turned out to a wise analysis when we arrived later in New Mexico we learned that we were 1 day ahead of the storm

However, when we drove through the tiny town of Nara Visa New Mexico I could not resist.  The town sits in the midst of the Canadian River Breaks, a strip of rough and broken land extensively dissected by tributaries of the Canadian River. This was a town in a serious state of decline. If Donald Trump ever drove into it he would have to admit that this was a shithole town. Worse even than those countries from Africa he described as “shithole countries.” How is that possible? Is it true that Donald Trump was the president of a country with a shithole town for 4 years?

I stopped and eagerly climbed out of the car right along highway 54. There some fantastic dilapidated houses and buildings and I took a number of photographs. It love towns on the way toward ghost towns. I am not sure what my attraction to them is, but it is real.

The first school in this town was built in 1906.  By 1910 it had 4 active churches. Reminds me of Steinbach. By 1919 it had 8 saloons, at least 3 dance halls, more than 1 drug store, a barber shop, general stores, butcher shops, millinery shops, and believe it or not auto suppliers! There were garages, hotels, and one bank. Sounds like a pretty thriving community before the 1920s.  Prosperity did not last. By 1968 there were only 7 students in the school.  That was the year the school permanently closed. By 2020 the census said there were 212 residents! According to Michael Harding’s blog by 2022 less than 100 people lived there.  It certainly is declining and you can see it in the buildings sinking into the earth.

The Japanese have built a philosophy on the idea of appreciating old things that are deteriorating.  They call it Wab-Sabi. I have posted about it before and you can find it under the category of Wabi-Sabi.I find it a very congenial philosophy. Perhaps because I am old and deteriorating.

On the other hand, I have also been blogging about the decline of western civilization which is not necessarily a good thing, although western civilization has often been responsible for much grief.

 

Twisted Inspiration

2024 Trip to South West United States, Domestic Terrorism

Travelling to the United States and living here for a few months is a very interesting experience. Can there be any more interesting place in the world?

The FBI  released an interesting report on terrorism in the US during the Hamas/Israeli War. The Director of the FBI Christopher Wray told the American Congress that the domestic terrorist threats have changed in the US since the October 7th terrorist attack on Israel. The threats have both increased and are coming from several different directions since that horrid attack.

 

As a result of the violence in the Middle East, threats of violence have increased in the US to a whole new level. Wray said “our most immediate concern is that individuals or small groups will draw twisted inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks here at home.” Most of the threats are against the Jewish community.

 

I have been critical of both Israel and Hamas, but all terrorists threats against civilians in North America are despicable. This is particularly true when they are fuelled by racist, ethnic, or religious hatred.

Canada has also experienced increased levels of hatred. The added hatred is of course piled on to existing anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Canada and the US. There are many worrying signs in both camps. A man was arrested in Houston who is accused of studying bomb making and posting on line about killing Jewish people. A 6 year-old Muslim boy was stabbed to death, allegedly, by his landlord who was enraged by what he saw in the Middle East. A student from one of America’s elite universities, Cornell, threatened to kill Jewish students. Hate is once more being stirred up everywhere. Why is that? Why are Americans and Canadians so quick to hate and respond violently? Why  do they find it so easy to pick on scapegoats?

Seamus Hughes, an expert on Extremism, from the University of Nebraska had some interesting things to say in the subject. He said, “when you look at the plots and the individuals arrested, they are almost pedestrian in nature. These are average citizens that are drawn into an online environment that encourages them to commit these acts.”

We know even not to ignore such threats. They are real.

“Once again, as Hannah Arendt said, evil seems banal. Dull. Almost boring. No big deal. Ho hum. Ordinary people are committing to do heinous acts. It was scary in the 1930s, just before and during the rise of extremist groups such as the Nazis. It is scary now”.

 

We know there are foreign actors in North America, including Hamas, ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Hezbollah, among others, but according to CNN “the biggest threats are individuals radicalized to action by extremist rhetoric and manipulation.”

And of course, again we are all being fed misinformation about both Israelis and Hamas. Each group is fighting each other and the lies. And we are the battleground.

And average ordinary people are the terrorists.

 

Are Texans not full of Shit?

2024 Trip to South West United States

 

Most of the Texas wayside rest areas are without any form of toilet.  Every other state of the Union I have ever seen had toilets at most of their wayside rest areas. In fact, was that not the main point of them.  Where else could people go to attend to urgent personal business? After all, Texas has hardly any trees. Are people expected to “go” in the widen-open spaces?  Or are Texans in denial that they are full of shit.

 

Texas is one of the richest states in the US and it at least along I-40 which we travelled. Apparently toilets are provided in other areas of Texas, but I can’t say I have ever seen any and I-40 is a major link between east and west. By now I have travelled down quite a few of their highways.

Is it true that one of the richest states in the US can’t afford toilets for its citizens and visitors? If this is not a sign of serious decline what is?

All My Friends are Hookers

2024 Trip to South West United States

 

In Hooker Oklahoma we stopped for lunch and noticed we could have bought a T-shirt that read: “All my friends are Hookers.”  This could have been an interesting souvenir to bring back to Steinbach. Given my first name that might have been problematic. The city is named after a cattle foreman John “Hooker” Threlkeld who came there in 1873.  Interesting also that his first name was John. It’s a good name of course, but has some uncomfortable connotations. But “Hooker” and “John” together amplify the weirdness. The small city (town by my standards) had embraced the weirdness by making their city motto “It’s a location, not a vocation“. As of 2000, there were 1,788 people calling Hooker home. I don’t know how many Johns they have.

Liberal Kansas

2024 Trip to South West United States

 

When we stopped for gas near Liberal Kansas we stopped at a tiny town with a tiny restroom. It was a small gender neutral with a toilet and a urinal. Everybody should be happy. The urinal was very small and very low to the ground, making it precarious for old men. But thankfully it actual had footprints painted on the floor to make it precisely clear where the men and boys should stand to attend to business. Helpful guidance I suppose. Is that really necessary? Of course, what do expect from  a town called Liberal in the heart of Kansas?

 

Joe Bob Outfitters: Equipped for Armageddon

2024 Trip to South West United States, guns

 

As we were driving down interstate 70 in Kansas heading west, where Sara, our GPS was leading us, we saw a huge roadside sign advertising “Joe-Bob’s outfitters,” beside a huge graphic of an AR-15 assault rifle.  Do Americans need automatic rifles to hunt deer? Or ducks? Are they such poor shots? Or are they scared that the deer will attack them? Or did they want to be ready for Armageddon?

When I arrived in Arizona and had more time, I asked Professor Google what Joe Bob’s was all about. It was not a traditional outfitter where a business would supply us for hunting or fishing. I would outfit us for guns. And it was easy.

I could order an American Tactical AR-15 MilSport RIA 5.56, 16″ Barrel, 60rd – 10″ M-LOK Handguard. And amazingly I could order it online and it would be shipped in 24 hours!  So If someone  gets ticked off he or she  can get revenge in about a day. And all it costs is $498.

American money of course.