PeaceWave
PeaceWave's JournalHow do I deal with a family member I feel I am losing to anti-Israel and anti-Jewish propaganda?
This family member - someone whom the rest of my extremely pro-Democrat / anti-Trump family is quite fond of - has been texting the rest of us some extremely anti-Biden text messages. When the conflict in Israel first began, this family member initially claimed that everything that has happened - including the murders committed by Hamas - was Netanyahu's fault. I was shocked and heartbroken to read what this family member wrote. They have gone on to text messages of a disturbingly anti-Jewish bent - suggesting Jewish political intervention throughout the world. This is not a dumb person. This person is college educated, otherwise articulate - but shockingly obtuse to what Hamas did to Israel on October 7th and to what Hamas is as an entity. When I first read the text messages from this family member, I delicately suggested being careful about injecting one's self into this issue. Our family is neither Muslim or Jewish. This family member also works with a number of prominent members of the Jewish community where they live. Again, very delicately, I explained to this person that their job would almost certainly be on the line if their text messages went out to the wrong person. The impression I currently get is that this family member is either trying to persuade us to their side or is resentful of us for not agreeing with them. Went this person sends out these messages, none of the rest of us has responded in agreement. But, it's been escalating every day it seems. This family member is now saying how much they dislike Biden for "not making Israel stop the war" and won't vote for Biden if "he doesn't do something." I have texted a few articles explaining the slim margin of victory in most elections. Basically, I'm saying "the absence of your vote will be felt." The message isn't getting through. I feel like my family is losing this family member to God only knows what propaganda they are reading. I wonder too, in the cumulative, how many families are dealing with something similar. Is this how Trump wins - by dividing us against ourselves, one family member at a time?
Cognitive Dissonance - Republican hatred of the Federal government vs. their dependence on FEMA cash
This is my seasonal pet peeve. Please excuse me if I offend you.
Every hurricane season, we all see the same damn thing play out in Florida or Texas or Louisiana or Georgia or the Carolinas. A giant hurricane comes along and flattens one or more of these states. Immediately, hands are outstretched...Where is that sweet FEMA bailout money? Pardon the pun, but it blows me away that all these Republican states can be so damn dependent on the Federal government despite spending the entire year whining about some perceived injustice rendered unto them by that same Federal government. All year long, it's "us vs. them." Come the winds, all of sudden, it's "we're all in this together."
Which states receive the most FEMA money? You guessed it...All the Southern Republican states. Between 2017 and 2020, Texas received $7.7 billion, Florida $6.3 billion, North Carolina $1.3 billion, Georgia $600 million and Oklahoma, South Carolina and Nebraska each received $300 million. The only Democratic state that cracked the Top Ten was California, coming in at $4 billion...Which, according to Trump, was our fault due to the fact that we "don't properly rake our forests."
https://www.valuepenguin.com/which-states-depend-on-fema-aid
Republicans are fond of wanting to either privatize federal functions or delegate them to the individual states. How about disbanding FEMA and delegating its functions to the individual states? Don't worry Puerto Rico. My plan's got your back. Since you're a territory, you'd still be covered by the Feds. Maybe then...maybe just MAYBE...the hypocrites rooted in the seats of power from the Texas to the Florida panhandles would have some effing appreciation for what it means to be an American and part of something bigger than their Confederate selves.
Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest.
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Member since: Fri May 15, 2015, 09:46 PMNumber of posts: 65
