Referring to the letter of Mr. Holmbeck (“I’m voting for whoever supports Israel” - Timberjay, July 26) I have a few things to say. As a “well-trained” scientist, Mr. Holmbeck should know better than to base sweeping conclusions and important decisions on small sample sizes (“Dr. Shapiro, like most Jews was very intelligent.”) and a few personal anecdotes (“One Jewish doctor was a co-member with me of the Hibbing Chapter of the Isaac [sic] Walton League.”) On this limited basis Mr. Holmbeck intends to cast his vote in November, presumably for Donald Trump. Apparently, Mr. Holmbeck fails to understand that American support for Israel is systemic and automatic. It even predates May 14, 1948, when David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel followed by President Truman’s official recognition of the new nation on the very same day. To completely cover American support for Israel over the past 76 years would require at least one lengthy book, but I venture it is perhaps the only issue on which Democrats and Republicans substantially agree. The only point of contention is how many billions in financial aid we should provide annually. So, the proclamation that Mr. Holmbeck makes is a little ambiguous. As long as he votes for a major candidate he will be voting for somebody who supports Israel. As final justification of his intentions, Mr. Holmbeck concludes with the statement: “The Bible states that the Jews will be a blessing to all Gentiles with their knowledge and Biblical values; and that’s why I’m voting for the party that unequivocally supports Israel.”
Let me refer Mr. Holmbeck to Exodus Chapter 20, Verses 13 “Thou shalt not kill” and 15 “Thou shalt not steal.” For at least 76 years, Zionists have been killing Palestinians and stealing their land with U.S. support. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), “...the U.S. accounts for 69 percent of Israel’s imports of major conventional arms between 2019 – 2023.” In the past ten months the U.S. has stepped up its military support of Israel while that rogue nation has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, most of whom were innocent civilians. Democrat or Republican we have blood on our hands. We will continue to as long as this nation insists on doing what is expedient rather than what is right.
We live in a nation of slogans and snap judgments, forming opinions without educating ourselves. Yet we pat ourselves on the back for the acuity of our moral compasses while making important decisions based on fallacious premises. In November, I will also be voting for a candidate who supports Israel. Kamala Harris has no choice because this has been America’s unwavering policy since we helped found Israel almost eight decades ago. As a peace-loving, bleeding heart liberal who believes in justice for literally everybody, I support the candidate who I believe will make the greatest strides in that direction. God help the United States and the rest of the world if she loses.
David B. Stanton
Cook