A question of rights

We frequently hear the slogan "Trans rights are human rights."

But wait a minute.

Do women who want spaces reserved for real, biological, women, have rights?

Just who has rights, and whose rights shall prevail?

The principled resignation of Joe Kent

Some commentary:

"Joe Kent’s resignation over Iran war reignites antisemitism fears and debate over Israeli influence" | PBS News https://share.google/gDNqoeoXmMClagQSb

For a worthwhile examination of what Kent said to Tucker Carlson, see

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/18/politics/joe-kent-iran-tucker-carlson

QUOTE 

Details of his resignation conversation with Trump

Kent said Wednesday that he spoke directly with Trump prior to his departure from the administration, calling the president “very respectful” and “very kind” in their conversation.

“I spoke with him before I departed the administration,” Kent told Carlson, adding, “It went great. I mean, not the best conversation ever. You know, I told him why I was leaving. He heard me out.”

Kent welcomed the prospect of speaking with Trump again, noting that he believes he and the president “departed personally on good terms.” 

...

Kent also addressed a range of other causes of high interest within the MAGA movement, including the assassination of [Charlie] Kirk, 

saying in part that the Justice Department and FBI would not allow him to investigate possible foreign ties to the political activist’s killing. 

CNN previously reported that Kent drew a rebuke last year from FBI Director Kash Patel and other Justice Department officials after he sought to access FBI systems to investigate Kirk’s death, according to people briefed on the matter.

END QUOTE 

For a more biased report on that interview, see this report from "The Young Turks" 

https://youtu.be/7IXwS2QxS70

Another view:

QUOTE 

Matt Brooks, president of the Republican Jewish Coalition, described Kent's appearance on Carlson's podcast as 

"part of an ongoing problem."

END QUOTE

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/joe-kents-resignation-over-iran-war-reignites-antisemitism-fears-and-debate-over-israeli-influence

So what Kent said is "part of an ongoing problem"?

As to me, if disagreement arises

I am going to give this six-times Bronze Star recipient the benefit of the doubt.

Returning to the big picture, 

my mind goes back to the 1960s, when the chant was 

"Hey hey LBJ, how many kids have you killed today"

The 2026 version would be 

"Hey hey Bibi Netanyahu, how many Iranian leaders have you killed today", 

which I admit doesn't rhyme nearly as well.

Which goes to show the difference between the antiwar movement in the 1960s and (the lack of) an antiwar movement in 2026, 60 years later.

Israel and perpetual war

Could there be a clearer demonstration of that then

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/19/netanyahu-trump-us-israel-iran-ground-component.html

“You don’t want to replace one ayatollah with another,” Netanyahu said at a press conference. “You don’t want to replace Hitler with Hitler.”

[The actual statement was "replace Hitler with Himmler." See below.]

So BN wants to determine who rules Iran?

What arrogance.

He gave that in a response to a question:

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-transcript-we-have-to-be-more-powerful-than-the-barbarians-or-they-will-crash-our-gates-destroy-our-societies/

"You want a transitional leader that will have a transition. You don’t want to replace one ayatollah with another. You don’t want to replace Hitler with Himmler. So I think the question is, Will the conditions be created for such a change? I think it’s too early to say, and I think in the final account, as I said, it’s up to the Iranian people to show that — to choose the moment, and to rise to the moment. We can create the conditions, but they have to, you know, they have to exploit those conditions at a certain point."

Yeah right. And you are going to keep killing off anyone who doesn't give the right answer.

Thanks, thug.

Eliminating Iran's weapons programs is one thing.

Eliminating its leaders is quite another thing.

Can BN and those who support him understand that?

So that makes it indisputably clear:

Israel wants to dominate the Middle East, controlling who can control individual states.

Where will this end?

A sizable percentage of American Jews and their organizations have declared unwavering support for Israel.

This is the result. 

From the Amaleks to the Russian czars to the Nazis to the ayatollahs.

There is certainly a pattern here.

Make of that what you will.

I will leave that as an open question.

And now we have the ACLU'S hero Chase Strangio!

Iraq and Dreams of Transforming the Middle East

That is the title of chapter 8 of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's 2007 book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Israel_Lobby_and_U.S._Foreign_Policy?wprov=sfla1 

That chapter spends 34 pages identifying links between the Israel lobby and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

It is worth reading even today, in 2026.

This is important because in 2026 some people are trying to downplay, even deny, the connections between the Israel lobby and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

This is part of what seems to be a much larger agenda,

denying the crucial role the Israel lobby has played in setting U.S. foreign policy vis-à-vis the Middle East.

I.e., denying reality.

Many prominent and powerful people in Israel have explicitly stated their desire for regime change in Iran, which would certainly amount to a transformation in the Middle East.

We should not ignore these connections, 

between the desires of some in Israel and the actions of the U.S.

When America time after time uses its military power to get involved in the ME, 

without the slightest justification in terms of the American national interest.

I think the significance of the connection between Zionism and the extent of American involvement in the ME cannot be honestly denied.

Republicans block Epstein transparency

See

https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/senate-republican-blocks-wyden-bill-mandating-treasury-hand-over-epstein-bank-records

This is utterly foolish.

We really need information about how Epstein got so rich - over half a billion dollars!

Where did all that money come from?

A lot of very wealthy people were paying Epstein a lot of money.

For what? 

The people who financed Epstein need to be asked by Congress: 

"Exactly what were you paying for?".

What are judges allowed to say?

There is disagreement on that.

See

https://reason.com/volokh/2026/03/12/judge-vandyke-this-is-a-case-about-swinging-dicks/

Can a judge speak the truth?

The difference between 

Is he able to?

Should he?

Is he allowed to?

Judge VanDyke: "This is a case about swinging dicks."

30 members of the Ninth Circuit write to disagree.

This is a case about swinging dicks. The Christian owners of Olympus Spa—a traditional Korean, women-only, nude spa—understandably don't want them in their spa. Their female employees and female clients don't want them in their spa either. But Washington State insists on them. And now so does the Ninth Circuit. 

A religion that embraces transgenderism

See

Embracing Transgender, Nonbinary, Intersex and Gender Diverse People is a Fundamental Expression of UU Religious Values | Business Resolution | Social Witness Statements | UUA.org 

https://www.uua.org/action/statements/embracing-transgender-nonbinary-intersex-and-gender-diverse-people-fundamental

"Being transgender or identifying with any gender other than the one assigned at birth, is a beautiful and divine manifestation of humanity; as is being intersex, or having sex characteristics that vary from what is considered typical.

...

We hereby pledge our collective faithful efforts to the full affirmation and celebration of transgender, nonbinary, intersex and gender diverse people within our congregations and the wider community, and uphold this commitment as a fundamental obligation revealed by our principles and values."

What a bunch of weirdos, pure and simple.

Regarding the bolded statement above, this is pure bullshit, utterly disgusting.

Let the reader ask him- or her- self:

Is this the proper purview of religion?

In my view, it is pushing a political agenda.

It is an utter perversion of religion.

I understand there are reasonable reasons to disagree over that.

Inclusion or invasion?

Question:

Should biological males be allowed to enter into spaces that have traditionally been reserved for biological women?

Is that an issue of inclusion or invasion?

I vote for invasion.

Israel and endless wars

Beyond the conflicts that make the headlines, here is something less well known:

"Israel’s push for Somaliland base raises fears of wider war

A security presence in the Horn of Africa could draw an already fragile region into Middle East war.'

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/somaliland-israel-2676088620/

Hiding the issue of Zionist pressure

 A very key issue is how Zionists first gain power, then try to avoid public acknowledgement that they have gained power.

For a glaring example, see

'Trump Follows His Gut. His National Security Advisers Try to Keep Up" - The New York Times https://share.google/C9piBLKedf6yqdRpa

Trump followed his gut?

How about: 

Trump responded to Zionist pressure.

For how long do we need to deny or ignore how the supporters of Israel have controlled American policy?

When does "self-defense" become naked aggression?

Israel is begging that question in three places:

Gaza, Iran, and possibly Lebanon 

Take Iran.

If Israel took the position:

"We are going to unilaterally destroy any capability for Iran to build either nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles", 

that could be construed as taking acts necessary for Israel's defense, 

namely, eliminating threats.

But Israel has gone way beyond that.

It has not merely attacked facilities that produce weapons, it has assassinated numerous Iranian leaders.

I will state this unequivocally:

Israel had and has NO valid justification for controlling who rules Iran.

Disarming Iran is one thing.

Determining who is allowed to rule Iran is an entirely different thing.

How many Iranian leaders must be killed to satisfy Israel?

Killing soldiers and war-fighters is one thing.

Killing leaders is a totally different thing.

From Minnesota nice to Minnesota aggression

"Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told lawmakers Wednesday that his state has been terrorized by the Trump administration over mass welfare fraud allegations, 

pointing to the killing of U.S. citizens in the midst of an immigration enforcement surge around Minneapolis."

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/04/congress/walz-claps-back-00812168

We have heard some citizens of Minneapolis blowing whistles, honking horns, and deliberately using their vehicles to block roadways 

in an effort to obstruct the efforts of ICE agents to carry out their lawful duties.

These are deliberate efforts to obstruct and harass the ICE agents.

I don't think that is very nice.

I sympathize with the ICE agents who were just trying to carry out their jobs, in the face of such harassment.

The issue of energy costs

Three nations -

 Russia, Venezuela, and Iran -

have a considerable part of the world's supply of fossil fuels.

OTOH, the political systems in those three nations 

either are now, or in the case of Venezuela were in the past, 

considered with disdain and hostility by some powerful forces in the West.

The result has been a sizable reduction in the availability of fossil fuels to the West, 

and the consequent need to pay higher prices for the now reduced supply of energy.

Some want to ignore or hide this cause-and-effect relation.

They argue:

"Putin is bad - we must oppose him.

Likewise for the past rulers of Venezuela and Iran."

But I think we need to acknowledge the very real economic costs of trying to impose the values and concerns of the Western elite on the whole world.

George Washington, for example, didn't advocate for that.

I personally have little doubt about who is in control.

Just look at how Trump has abandoned the interests of the MAGA base that voted him into office, to serve the interest of Israel.

Or the persistence and, to a considerable extent, source of Russophobia.

I personally do not go along with the atavistic, Russophobic,  animosities of a certain segment of the Western elite.

Do we really need to be in conflict with Russia and Iran?

Also, 

do we really want perpetual wars for the benefit of Israel?

Will "victory" in Iran really end hostility to the Zionist state?

I think not.

People opposed to the Zionist state will just move on to other tactics and targets.

The question, if I might pose it, is:

Is Israel a solution or a never-ending problem?

Endless wars for the benefit of Israel?

That is what we face.

Promoted by people who won't acknowledge the differences between 

anti-Americanism, anti-Zionism, and antisemitism.

The issue of mental illness

If a man thought he was Napoleon Bonaparte or Julius Caesar, 

there would be no hesitatcy in declaring him mentally ill.

So why is there hesitancy in declaring men who think they are women mentally ill?

Some try to confuse the issue by talking about gender instead of sex.

This has caused much, deliberate, confusion.

Sex is a biological reality, exemplified by what happens in nature (not a laboratory) to create a new human being.

Most of us know and acknowledge exactly what that is.

Indeed, the very existence of most of us is due to that act between a (real) man and a (real) woman.

Gender, OTOH, started as being a linguistic concept and then was expanded into various social contexts.

There is a clear difference between sex and gender.

It is fundamentally dishonest to deny that, or avoid it.

The killing of Ali Khamenei

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Ali_Khamenei?wprov=sfla1

Did Ali Khamenei deserve to die?

I certainly don't have an opinion on that.

Who should rule Iran is something for Iranians to decide.

But who was behind, and encouraged, the assination of Khamenei?

I don't think there should be any doubt about that.

While there was certainly disagreement within Iran over how Iran should be ruled, 

the key force behind his assination was Zionists.

It is Zionists who have instigated, supported, and provoked perpetual, endless, wars in the Middle East.

No matter how wonderful someone thinks Israel is, 

I think they should acknowledge that.

Genocide in the Torah

Google "amalek destruction in the Torah"

especially 

1 Samuel 15:3

This should make it clear where the idea of genocide originated.

Or is the Torah antisemitic?

I don't know if this is the first example of genocide, but it is certainly an early example.