SHIP HAS SAILED
About two decades ago, the Wall Street Journal published a story about the dynamics of literacy. For centuries, clergy along with the aristocracy mostly controlled the dissemination of information.
With public education and the ability to read, an unforeseen and unanticipated power was given to all: Everyone could think, evaluate and decide matters and issues in the public domain. Even if the information media might be controlled by a limited number who would wield great power, still people would have access and,
hopefully, the rationale to evaluate and decide for the themselves about the topics of the day.
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to turn back the clock through limiting, banning or controlling what students and people read. Sad for him, as he can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
SURVIVORS’ STORIES
In his Dec. 26 op-ed, “It has been a horrible year — here at home and in Israel,” David Wieder writes thoughtfully about the bigotry and brutality of Hamas and its racist ideology
of murder and massacre that targeted Jews, Israelis, Latinos, Asians, Americans, Africans,
Arabs and others. Central to its ideology and actions is violence against women.
Although this has not received adequate attention and concern from UN and human rights and humanitarian aid organizations, nor from the media, the torture of Jewish and Israeli women in sadistic ways was a shocking and horrific feature of the Oct. 7 Hamas slaughter in Israel. There has been too much silence about the depraved misogyny, the rape and other