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Saturday, August 17, 2019


Neighborhood Buzz
A Blog for Democrats and Independents

Editor _ Jerry Meyer

The Villages Democrats    --  Sumter Democrats


Trump – Master of Diversion

One thing you can say about Donald Trump, he can turn the conversation on a dime.

There are reports the economy may be weakening, and we are still trying to cope with news of mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, followed by police shootings in several cities

With these stories in the headlines, Trump attacks two Muslim Congresswomen for their plans to visit Israel.

Taking to “Twitter,” Trump said “It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota to visit, writing,  “They hate Israel and all Jewish people.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau quickly announced that entry would be denied, saying that the two women are leading activists in promoting the legislation of boycotts against Israel in the American Congress.

The Guardian, in an editorial, calls Tlaib and Omar Israel’s fiercest critics in Congress.  They go on to say that Trump and Netanyahu are so afraid of letting them travel through the country and ground their critique in first-hand witness accounts of life in the occupied territories is just as troubling as it is unsurprising.

Trump’s game of feigning concern for Jews in order to undercut women of color in Congress is all too transparent, writes the Guardian, adding that this time his racism has been handed a new amplifier in Prime Minister Netanyahu.   The editorial goes on to say that banning the women is the latest episode in Israel’s serial move to ban left wing dissidents.

Congressman Omar called Netanyahu’s decision an affront and both an insult to democratic values and a chilling response to a visit by government officials from an allied nation.

The decision has also been denounced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the office of Rep. Steny Hoyer and Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most influential pro-Israel organization in the U.S. also disagreed with the move.

On Friday, August 16th, Israel’s interior ministry said Talib would be allowed to enter the country as a private citizen to visit her aging grandmother in Palestine, which had been part of the original trip.  Tlaib’s parents are Palestine immigrants to this country and the family has relatives in the West Bank.

Tlaib has decided not to make the visit, because of restrictions that came with the permission to visit.  She said the requirements were meant to humiliate her.

Conversation on what is taking place continues on talk shows – and Trump again has diverted our attention.

Don’t look for any action on gun legislation in the near future.





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Sumter Democrats The Villages Democrats Neighborhood Buzz A blog for Democrats and Independents Editor  -  Jerry Meyer ...