Today’s public atmosphere on the streets of America, on the public airways, on social media, in the papers; prohibits any criticism whatsoever, or any language that does not condone and unequivocally “understands” the violence, rage, looting, burning, and occupation of public property. Should someone attempt to question the violence, the chaos, the destruction of personal and public property, they are labeled racists and white supremacists. America seems to be in the throes of a coast to coast pandemic not only of the Corona virus but also a tsunami of national lunacy under the disguise of racial justice. Truth is no longer a commodity available to all, but a prisoner of the ever growing silent American majority standing and watching in disbelief. Those questioning the inherent danger lurking behind the demand to “defund police forces” or the irresponsible and criminal demand by the leader of Black Lives Matter to “burn America down to the ground”, are censured, punished, and targeted. At the same time those looting, burning, attacking police, toppling statues of historical figures are not held accountable, treated with immunity and certainly not arrested. This pretty much sums up the current reality in America.
As Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic political leaders have taken a well-publicized knee in support of Black Lives Matter, the Main Streets of America are being burned to the ground and the Democratic Party’s message is quite clear; the Democratic Party will support the continuing violence and destruction, just vote for the Democratic Party. Democrats are demonizing President Trump’s calls for law and order, and blaming Republicans for the “murder of George Floyd”. The Democratic leaders deliberately, out of cynical anti-Trump political considerations, are clearly ignoring or at best sanitizing the violence and the assaults coming from “progressives”, violent Black and White Americans, and Islamists. The more sinister and subliminal message being conveyed by the Democratic Party to the American public is as we approach the November Presidential elections is the following; only we the Democratic Party can reign in the protesters and put a stop to the violence overtaking the Main Streets of America. Only we the Democratic Party can instruct the Democratic Mayors and Governors to intervene and stop the violence, just vote for the Democratic Party in November.
Not surprisingly, though largely ignored by the Democratic Party and their liberal cohorts in the media, is Black Lives Matter’s long history of anti-Semitic rants and support for anti-Semitic Black leaders such as Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. A frequently heard chant in recent weeks has been “F**k the police and kill the Jews (StandwithUs). Linking police brutality in the United States with the Israel Defense Forces maintaining security against Palestinian attacks are flooding the internet. Black Lives Matter has been pushing a conspiracy theory that Israel trained the police officers to use military techniques for law enforcement and therefore are equally responsible for the deaths of Black Americans. The insinuation is obvious; American Jews as supporters of Israel are complicit in the deaths of Black Americans.
As the ground shifts below the trembling feet of American Jewry, one can easily observe the self-censorship overtaking American Jews, the fear in their eyes, and the self-imposed laying low and staying out of the limelight, so what’s behind the silence? Most American Jews know in their hearts that they must hide what they really think out of fear for retribution that might very well destroy their livelihood and the safety of their families. What was once the most secure nation in the world for diaspora Jews has become a kind of open prison with no early release on the horizon. A climate of intimidation has overtaken America, and American Jews are the first to feel the heat.
Part of the reason for the failure of American Jewry to fully understand these new threats coming from the progressive liberal left has been due to a Pavlovian reflex to focus on neo-Nazi’s and right wing conspirators rather than admit to the changing identity of Jew haters in America. American Jewry have ignored this growing threat for as long as they could, out of “political correctness”, and out of a misguided commitment to a liberal political agenda that does nothing to advance the well-being of American Jews. American Jews minimize the attacks and violence directed towards Jewish institutions and Synagogues coming from progressives, Black Americans, and Islamists. It seems as if the leaders of American Jewry have yet to have woken up nor acknowledged these old/new dangers to the community and will continue to deny these politically inconvenient threats. These Jewish leaders who have refused to learn from history and have failed to understand that by promoting tolerance and support of those who are intolerant of the Jewish community and of American society as a whole, are inviting violence, destruction, and a surge of anti-Semitism against American Jewry.
The single most important question that we should be asking ourselves is when American society as a whole will reach a tipping point. When will American society stand up and shout as Howard Beale ranted in the movie Network “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” This expression seems more relevant now than its release nearly 40 years ago and seems to predict the world we live in today which is filled with fake media, fake journalism, and an upside interpretation of reality when looters and arsons are justified social warriors and police officers are labeled murderers.
The Character Howard Beale gave the following abbreviated speech in the movie Network, and his monologue still resonates today: “I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. Shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there’s nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there’s no end to it. We sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be. We know things are bad – worse than bad. They’re crazy. It’s like everything everywhere is going crazy. Just leave us alone.’ Well, I’m not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get MAD! All I know is that first you’ve got to get mad. (shouting) You’ve got to say: ‘I’m a human being, god-dammit! My life has value!’
Black Lives Matter demands a “reckoning” of biblical proportions from American society. Let’s be honest, what we are talking about is “payback” and maybe even extortion. I grew up in the South Bronx, experiencing the life of the inner city urban reality, living as a white minority among Black and Hispanic Americans. Life was tough, but the challenges made us all the more resilient and ambitious to move ahead and make something of ourselves. Today’s reality of “Burn Baby Burn” will not create equality nor social justice, only by standing up and protecting common values can we begin the long process of healing America. Standing up to the mob begins by not denying the greatness of American society.