Strange days indeed
THE EDITOR, Madam:
ISRAELI PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently addressed settlers in an illegal community in the West Bank, telling the ultra-religious zealots exactly what they want to hear, that he will continue with the war in Gaza until Hamas is completely eliminated and all hostages are freed. Next day in Tel Aviv he met relatives of those hostages, who expressed great displeasure with his lack of progress to reunite them with loved ones.
In fact, his latest poll numbers reached a low; only 21 per cent of Israelis are satisfied with his leadership. This came as the daily death toll of civilian Palestinians rises dramatically in Gaza, where over half of the infrastructure is completely destroyed or very badly damaged, after almost four months of Israeli Defence Force bombardment. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians barely exist in atrocious conditions living in tents with very little food, clean water, medicine or other necessities of life. Such is the huge divide separating t he religions of Islam and Judaism in the state of Israel, that coveted sliver of rocky desert between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean.
Oceans, way i n the Good Ol’ USA, which has provided so many billions of dollars in military and other aid to Israel for the past 75 years, large portions of the media are feverishly contemplating if Taylor Swift will complete a concert date in Tokyo in time to support her paramour, playing in the upcoming Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The craziness continues during what is known as Award Season in the entertainment industry, where coveted statuettes are handed out at shows like the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes, Grammys, etc. Winners of these awards are frequently referred to as royalty, as in ‘Hollywood Royalty’, ‘Rock Royalty’, etc., having reached that exalted position as a result of their talent being judged by their peers. Of course, genuine royalty reach t heir exalted positions through birthright or marriage. Whether genuine or earned, those referred to as royalty often exude similar self-congratulatory hubris, while exhibiting tendencies of elitism and entitlement.
Of course, many more i n the Good Ol’ USA are involved in the presidential electoral process that has two very senior citizens vying for a coveted second chance to sit behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office, with court appearances now becoming an integral part of electioneering on the campaign trail. The whole scenario is summed up perfectly i n the chorus of John Lennon’s Nobody Told Me, recorded in 1977, but not released until after his death. He sings, “Nobody told me there’d be days like these, Strange days indeed”.
BERNIE SMITH Parksville, BC Canada