Don's Tuesday Column (from last Tuesday)

            THE WAY I SEE IT   by Don Polson   Red Bluff Daily News   10/24/2023

LaMalfa explains; Hamas starts a war

Local readers, consider a poll-based scenario: If the 2024 election were held today, likely results deserve acknowledgment—for confident Democrats and Dem-leaners, as well as Republicans doubting that anything will ever go our way.

I’m not “cherry-picking”; read polls for yourself at https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/ . Some favor Biden, some Trump; you should note that, since September 11, the average has Trump ahead consistently. Also, unless your head is in the sand, you’re aware of Biden’s abysmal approval numbers—in the 30+ percent range on most issues.

That translates, in this window of time, to a Trump landslide in the popular and Electoral College votes; or at least a solid win. In particular, note that most “swing state” polls give Trump an edge. Given that Trump overperformed the published polls in 2016 and 2020, presume his victory.

For local Democrats, take a sober dose of reality; your guy is losing, possibly “bigly.” Spare us talking points and self-serving rhetoric—you’re losing, deal with it. For local Republicans, it’s time to shed the pessimism and Trump-skeptics’ refrain that “Trump can’t win the general election.” He is winning, in spite of the indictments and 90+ percent negative coverage from the news media. Of course, the election isn’t today and polls are not votes, but Biden loses to Trump as it now stands.

On Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s explanation of his vote supporting Kevin McCarthy, I can’t fault him for honesty about his relationship; his long-term friendship persuades me of his sincerity. Keep fighting, Doug. Writers opine on the brew-ha-ha, for and against Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, McCarthy, the “gang of 8” and the 20+ dissenters apparently unwilling to choose anybody.

While Democrats are always in lockstep, the Republicans are a “diverse” bunch holding a variety of positions, seemingly cherishing their individuality above all else. To a fault, some would cut off their party’s nose to spite the unified face of things we all agree on. I’d like to slap some sense into them, to be honest.

However, I’ll not be endorsing the perspective of columnist Elwood Watson, posted here last Friday. As a professor of “Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies” he concludes that “the right-wing lunatics are running the political asylum.” I’ll flip that around: It’s the “left-wing, lunatic socialists and communists in the Democrat Party” that are running their circus of abominations in higher education, the media, Hollywood and much of the federal governmental bureaucracies. Touché, Mr. Watson.

Some say that Israel’s war on Hamas—which Hamas clearly, brutally, mercilessly started—is an “inflection point” for the world, our nation and every American who cares about a civilization of tolerance, peace and respect. True but that diminishes the conflict.

The bold, honest editorial, “Hamas attack is an act of terrorism,” published last Wednesday, in “all MediaNews Group/Tribune Publishing newspapers,” was commendable for its moral clarity and focus. Would that all news outlets—network, cable, print and governmental—had the same justifiable condemnation of the savagery witnessed on October 7.

Would that millions poured into the streets to protest the subhuman slaughter inflicted on Israelis simply celebrating at a music festival, peacefully and productively living and loving their lives in the kubutzes. The “pro-Palestine” crowd mindlessly chants “from the river to the sea,” which simply means “remove Israel and its Jews from the face of the earth.”

Hamas’ religious-fanatism and drug-fueled rampage of terrorist destruction cannot be comprehended unless it is translated to comparable American lives by multiplying all deaths, injuries and kidnappings by a factor of 40 (America vs. Israel’s population). How would you have reacted if, instead of about 3,000 Americans murdered by Islamic terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, it had been around 56,000 dead (Tehama County=65,000); nearly 200,000 injured; over 8,000 taken hostage? Now comprehend the impact on that small nation of 9+million souls. Remember, 32 Americans were murdered on October 7 by Hamas terrorists.

For each Israeli casualty, there are dozens in families, work and social circles mourning their loss. Children of all ages, whose parents devoted their lives to birthing, raising, guiding and celebrating graduations, boyfriends, girlfriends, weddings and so on—all gone to a machine gun’s roar, an incendiary grenade’s flesh-melting explosion, a beheading, a gang-raping, or torturous kidnapping.

Parents are quoted hoping their child is dead rather than becoming the sexual plaything of jacked-up Muslim terrorists who believe their religion commands them to rape and torture.

Yet, we witnessed news media taking the word of Hamas that an Israeli missile destroyed a hospital, killing hundreds. Media then refused to admit their error and correct the record after the Israeli Defense Force 1) released recordings of the Hamas rocket misfiring onto the hospital; 2) proved it launched from a nearby cemetery; and 3) recorded phoned misfire admissions by Hamas. Witness the clearly burned parking lot and vehicles. Conservative media questioned initial reports and got it right.

Any dead Palestinians—a few or hundreds—have only Hamas to thank for aiming at innocent Israelis, but landing in Gaza, as so many errant Hamas rockets do.