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Back in 2013, when Pope Benedict stepped down, I was concerned for the future of the Church and threw my hat into the ring.  I am not sure how many votes I got but the vigorous insistence of the Vatican that they had never heard of me convinced me that my impact was real.  There were even rumors that my candidacy had been received better than some had expected.  At that point I thought my religious career was over but when I heard that President Trump had declared himself a candidate I reconsidered and decided to enter the race.  (Trump: "I would like to be Pope.  That would be my number one choice."  He also endorsed Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York). 

Here is my statement of my reasoning and also a report on my 2013 declaration. 

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This is interview three on this remarkable project.  The frist interview was with Amine Zreikh who made me familiar with this historical cache of documents -- deeds, maps, contracts, etc.  Adel Bsesio is the posessor of his family archive.  It is now in an archive in Columbia University, universally accessible to anyone who wants to use it for research or educational purposes. 

This interview focuses upon the archive itself, and the rich store of materials that it holds. 

This was made as a zoom interview with images and illustrations of the archive and how to use it.  Unfortunately neither my podcast site nor the Columbia University archive are able to post the video part. 

If you have a compelling wish to see the zoom interview, send me an email and I will forward it to you.  Please identify yourself in the email so I will know you are not a bot. 

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This is a duplicate n interview with Adel Bsesio regarding the Bsesio family deeds and documents, now an archive.  

This family had extensive holdings in southern Palestine that were confiscated by the Israelis in 1948.  They are now housed in an archive avilable at the Columbia University library.  

This is a fascinating story. 

Sorry I posted this twice. 

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My former student, Amine Zreikh, contacted me about an archive of deeds from pre-1948 Palestine, and the effort to create a site where those could be stored.  I conducted three interviews on this project.  One with Zreikh and two are with Adel Bsesio, the custodian  of those documents.  He tells how he created the site and how researchers and other interested people can have access to them.  

This is interview ONE of THREE.  

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Just after being released from the hospital, where he nearly died, the Pope issues a pastoral letter to the American Bishops.  He urged them to focus upon Christian principles, and to support immigrants as they face the actions of the Trump administration (which they did not identify by name).  He said that a policy not rooted in proper values will start badly and end badly. 

This is a short letter, just 2 and 1/2 pages long.  I offer some explanatory comments along the way. 

I hope you find this of interest.  As the pope says, the issue of immigrants and refugees is a historic point in history. 

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There is a new book on the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut in 1983.  241 people were killed as they slept.  It was the greatest single-day death toll for the Marines since Iwo Jima.  The decision to put these Marines in Lebanon in the middle of a civil war was veery controversial.  The Joint Chiefs and the National Security Council were on opposite sides.  

 Jane and I attended a talk on this incident by the author of the book.  I was able to ask a question which was really me quoting myself as I discussed this incident with the Naval reserve unit in Detroit just after the bombing.  I asked the author to assess my words to them.  If you are interested in Lebanon or  this incident, or U.S. involvement in this conflict you might find this podcast of interest. 

Sorry I was not able to attach the music. 

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This is an IDF assessment of what happened on October 7, 2023, what went wrong, and why.  It is a military report, not a political assessment, but it is very interesting. 

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My colleagues and I held a Faculty Forum when the Ukraine War started.  It was done soon after Russia grabbed some  provinces and the Crimean peninsula in 2014.  This is my contribution.  I listened to it when the current war started and found it still worth the time. 

With the current confrontation, and the Trump shift towards Russia, it may be of interest to see some of the long-term issues. 

This was reposted once before, about a year or so ago, but people found it useful.  Perhaps you will also. 

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President Trump has proposed annexing Gaza, clearing it of Palestinians, and turning it into a resort area. 

He seems to be deadly serious. 

This is a discussion of what would be involved in such a development. 

Note:  There was a slight disconnect with the sound.  After the introductory music, you may have to turn up your volume.  

Also a Glitch:  When I was discussing a public opinion poll 15 or 20 minutes into the podcast, I said 46 to 31 when I meant to say 46 to 43. 

Just as I think the Gaza war brought down the Biden to Harris handoff (see my earlier podcast), I think pursuing this bizarre scheme could smash the Trump presidency.  Wouldn't that be interesting, two presidencies brought down by the same  Israeli-Palestinian War. 

I hope you find this of interest. 

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After struggling for three months to try to figure out why Kamala lost to Trump, I finally figured it out.  Is this explanation too simple, or is it exactly on target?  If you are willing to devote 20 some minutes of you life, you can judge for yourself.