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Bernie was a legendary professor.  He was the senior political scientist when I was hired and was beloved by his students.  Bernie was famous for his anecdotes into how the political system actually worked.  And for his jokes, one of which got him in trouble.  He had been the Comptroller of the City of Detroit under the famous Jerry Cavanaugh during the Detroit Riot of 1967.  He won the Distinguished Teaching Award in the 1980s.  He was an early victim of the pandemic. 

I could tell you more, but why not just spent 13 or so minutes listening to the full podcast. 

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This is posted October 31, 2024, just before the Presidential Election.  This is the most intense and polarizing election in my memory.  It is also the closest election since 1960 when Nixon and Kennedy went down to the wire.  I have never revealed my vote preference before, but this is not a time for caution.  

Note  This is not an endorsement but a discussion. 

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For those of you who have never had the privilege of having a Palestinian friend, this memoir will give you one.  Terry grew up in Ramalla, a famous city about 9 miles north of Jerusalem.  Hers was a life filled with parents, grandparents, sisters, and friends.  Terry was a tomboy.  How could she leave for church on Sunday morning in her sparkling dress and arrive at church, two blocks away, covered with dust?  Did it have something to do with soccet or maybe playing marbles or climbing trees?  Hers was a wonderful life for ten years until 1967 when the Israeli army arrived and everything changed.  She still remembers the seven days of bombardment with distress.  Some of her personal stories will touch you.  

By the time Terry was 14 her parents decided she was entirely too outspoken and would sooner or later end up in trouble.  They sent her to live with relatives in Livonia, Michigan. 

Terry discusses her adjustment to American society, her early steps getting into civic volunteerism, her role in resisting anti-Arab and anti-Muslim stereotyping, and finally her role as an advisor to top political leaders in the Detroit area. 

She finishes up with a discussion of how she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at the age of 65 to make a film on women's empowerment.  

The book is called "Keeping the Dream Alive.  My Quest for Peace and Justice."  The price is very modest, if you would like to own the book.  

Hint:  You might want to turn up the volume.  I was close to the microphone but Terry was in a chair, not so close.  

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Several students and friends asked me to discuss Hezbollah.  I did not feel I was the best person to do this, but agreed to share what insights I had.  I hope you find this podcast useful.  

I have a Hezbollah flag in my attic.  A student gave it to me in 2000 when Hezbollah, under the leadership of Hasan Nasrallah,  beat the IDF after  a deadly 18 year-long fist fight.   It was the first time that an Arab army had beaten the IDF.  

I cannot tell what is going to come next.  Israel is pounding Lebanon, including Beirut.  1400 people have been killed in the last month.  As I type this note, news reports say that Israel has flattened an apartment complex in downtown Beirut.  They have also hit a UN Peacekeeping group.  This at the same time they are asking the UN to step in with more peacekeeper forces to stabilize the area south of the Litani River.  It is hard to see their logic.  And a few days ago they blew up a Red Cross/Red Crescent medics tent and killed ten medical personnel.  Six were cousins of one of my favorite former students.  And they are threatening to turn Lebanon into another Gaza.  That sounds very ominous. 

Moreover, they are preparing something deadly for Iran.  When Israel killed Nasrallah, Iran responded with a barrage of missiles.  Most were intercepted or landed without serious damage.  Now Israel is preparing to respond for the response.  Their Defense Minister says their strike will be "powerful, precise, and above all--  surprising.  They will not understand what happened and how it happened."  

To be honest, I am very nervous.  

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This is a global study done by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).  The headlines have changed but I think the patterns are still valid.  And there are some interesting issues, some raised and some not raised. 

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With J. D. Vance chosen by the Republicans as their Vice Presidential nominee, his memoir, Hilbilly Elegy has been thrust back into the political limelight.  I read this when it came out in 2016 but decided to re-read it in 2024.  These are my thoughts in two phases, one phase from 2016, one phase from 2024. I hope you find this of interest. 

ps.  Sorry I forgot the music. 

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Today is September 19,2024.  Israel has blown up pagers and walki-talkis in Lebanon and is bombing inside of Lebanon.  Hezbollah is firing across the border.  It appears that bad things are afoot.  Alas, I do not have a podcast on the 2006 Lebanon War.  Israelis (and neutral observers) generally see that Israel lost both of those wars, or at least left with serious wounds and its goals not achieved.  

It appears that both sides are prepared for an extensively damaging conflict if this escalates. 

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Somehow I seems appropriate to repost this podcast.  That was a day that changed American History (and maybe world history). 

It is based on notes I made at the time, so it is very accurate about how we felt at the time.  

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This is what can happen when you get out of the neighborhood 

In fact, I did once encounter a situation where some security issues were at risk.  A friend in intelligence told me how many nuclear weapons the Israelis had.  This was probably 30 years ago.  He said I could never repeat what he told me because he could be imprisoned for revealing such secret information.   I was not at risk but he was.  I kept quiet. 

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Some of the people involved in the Uncommitted movement, especially Arab-Americans, feel betrayed by the Democrats and are planning to abandon them.  Many will vote for Jill Stein.  Others are trying to engage the Democrats to see what leverage they can use to extract concessions.  These are not easy choices.  This is a discussion of some of the issues and arguments in this debate.