I speak about victories of UAW in the South, and the need to strengthen the Labor movement in this country.
To continue the work of raising my self esteem and optimism level, so I pay better attention to the positive aspects of my life.
The John Mason Talk-Walk, May 11, 2024
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937652/15050997
I speak today about Mother’s Day and the need to protect reproductive rights, and trump’s up-front corruption.
Does Anybody Care About Jews?
I have lately been reading the book Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel (2021; Dublin, TLS Books; US Edition by HarperCollins, https://www.harpercollins.com/products/jews-dont-count-david-baddiel?variant=39721100705826). I also have read the book People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn (2021; New York, WW Norton & Co, (https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324035947).
Baddiel, whose politics point well to the left, writes about how anti-Semitism turns up in even politically progressive spaces; people who fight vigorously against racism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia can be quiet if Jews are slandered and attacked. There is the idea that Jew-hatred is not as bad a prejudice against LGBTQ+ people or people of color; Jews are seen as “white” ( not realizing there are Jews of Color all over the globe), and Judaism as only a “Religion,” therefore any discrimination or assaults against Jews aren’t taken seriously.
But it is serious; ever since the terrorist raid on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s response to the attack (as every sovereign nation has the right and duty to do), raving mobs of fools have terrorized and bullied Jewish students on college campuses, and sent threatening notes on their message boards; and Jewish institutions and restaurants have been vandalized and raided (like the stampede on the Jewish hospital in Toronto. These are assaults on innocent people trying to get an education, eat a dinner peaceably, and just do their jobs (like the doctors and other personnel in the hospital.
We don’t have to take this. We mustn’t. We must rock our Jewishness, loud and proud, for the world to see. Let them know we’re not ashamed of who are what we are—THAT’S our fightback!
The Mason Moment, May 6, 2024
The John Mason Talk-Walk, May 3, 2024
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937652/15005502
I speak about Kristi Noem’s dog-killing story, and how it reflects on the current Republican Party; and of the trump-ist whine about “discrimination against white people.”
I go for what Ralph Waldo Emerson said in “On Self-Reliance:” “Whoso would be a man must be a non-conformist.”
The John Mason Talk-Walk, April 26, 2024
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1937652/14961814
I speak about the possibility of trump getting jailed, and the need to vote in all elections.
What I’m Up To, April 24, 2024
Unfortunately, due to my election work and medical appointments, I won’t put out a Mason Missile for April 2024; I don’t want to put out a lousy product just to meet a deadline, I want my work to be top-notch. Fear not, I’ll put it out for May 2024, and beyond.
Tomorrow evening, April 25, I’ll be joining other Labor activists in the Labor Seder of the Jewish Labor Committee-I’m active in the local chapter. The JLC was founded in the 1930s by Jewish labor activists, organized to fight the rise of fascism at home and abroad, and to serve as a link between the Labor movement and the Jewish community. (http://jewishlabor.org/) One of their programs is the Labor Seder, commemorating the events of labor history, and the work of Jews in that history. Below is the Labor Seder Haggadah, 2019 edition. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.jewishlaborcommittee.org/2019%20JLC%20Passover%20Haggadah_7th_edition.pdf
Please keep enjoying your Pesach.
Calling The Cops At Columbia
Police have been called in at Columbia University and arrested demonstrators encamped in the name of hating Israel and glorifying Hamas. There’s no other way to describe it. Jewish students in many college campuses have been terrorized, verbally and physically, just for being Jews, using the excuse of supporting the Palestinian cause. They are bullying people, on campuses and at restaurants, people who have nothing to do with the Israeli government or military, giving themselves permission to act out their anti-Semitism, and it does nothing to help the Palestinian people. (https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/18/us/nypd-disperses-pro-palestinian-protest-columbia-university/index.html) The terrorizing was so bad at Columbia that a rabbi urged students to stay home, and the university cancelled in-person classes. (https://www.wsbradio.com/news/columbia-cancels-in/MPTQR7AD2X7A4EHUPYYFSO4EDA/) (https://www.yahoo.com/news/rabbi-associated-columbia-university-recommends-191842821.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall)
I remember protests on college campuses over such issues as Civil Rights and other social injustices, the Viet Nam war, military intervention in Central America, LGBTQ+ rights, and South Africa’s apartheid. But THIS is not about benefiting the Palestinians, or criticizing Israel-I, like every other America Jew, worry about what Israel is doing, and I’m no fan of Netanyahu. THIS is about an excuse to terrorize and bully Jews for just being Jews, straight-up anti-Semitism covered up by a noble cause. It’s not the same as the others.
I for one support any effort at Israeli-Palestinian peace, and I’ll always do my bit towards it. But there’s NO excuse for Jew-hating!
Enjoy your Pesach.