Don't fault me. Look in a mirror, instead.

I often find it interesting how people react when I speak openly about being treated badly, especially when I post about it on Facebook. What strikes me most is that the anger I receive rarely seems to come from the actions themselves, but from the fact that I have dared to point them out. Yet, in my mind, the truth is simple: if the poor treatment had not happened, I would have had nothing to write about. My words are not an attack, but a reflection of what I have experienced.

This leads me to wonder—why is the messenger so often blamed, while the behavior that caused the message is ignored? If we believe in honesty, accountability, and integrity, shouldn’t people take responsibility for how they treat others? Why is it easier to get angry at the one who speaks than to look inward and consider the actions that gave rise to those words?

For me, the act of writing is not about revenge or humiliation. It is about truth, about giving voice to my feelings rather than suppressing them. To remain silent would be to deny my own experience, and that is something I cannot do. I believe that if someone wishes not to be spoken of for having caused hurt, the answer lies not in silencing me, but in treating others with kindness and respect from the start.

In the end, I return to a simple principle: we are each responsible for our own actions. If we treat others well, there will be nothing negative to say. But if we treat others poorly, then perhaps the discomfort we feel when the truth is spoken is not with the words themselves, but with the mirror they hold up to us.

IT IS IN THEIR ZEAL THAT THE MIDDLE EAST SUFFERS, a guest commentary from Michael John Young

IT IS IN THEIR ZEAL THAT THE MIDDLE EAST SUFFERS

Religious Zealots in Israel and Iran are the problem. We are witness, once again, to the crippling stupidity of radical religious governance. 

First of all, yes. Netanyahu is blowing this. He’s ruining the reputation of Israel in the minds of many, especially those predisposed to hate Israel. 

He’s making Antisemitism easy. He’s a gift to them. 

Now… that being said… Hamas has it in their charter the destruction of Israel and death to all Jews. As does their sponsors in Iran. And what’s left of Hezbollah. And the Houthis. So… let’s be clear… if Israel was somehow disarmed… it would immediately be set upon by the Arab World AND Iran (which is not Arab) and destroyed. That’s NOT speculation. That’s a FACT by the most modest analysis of the history of this region, especially since the height of the Ottoman Empire was reached in the early 1900’s. Resentment of Jews has been around it seems forever. But the Ottomans pushed this hate as a policy right up to the gates of Vienna in 1683… when the Muslims were humiliated. 

The Muslims, as a religion, are also a political movement which has within its own “charter,” the Q’ran, a mission to be the only religion. It retains this stance as is evident in how Muslim nations govern, especially those on the borders of Israel. 

Tell me. How is Israel to respond to 14,000 rockets fired into it since 2005? 

Do you know the real meaning of “From the River to the Sea.”? 

(That’s a test. Because if you don’t know what that means, I’m not sure I’m doing much more here than wasting my time.)

The Jewish religion has no similar mandate. No similar mission. There’s no doctrinal equivalent in the Jewish religion to Muslim doctrines of “Jihad” or “Caliphate.” 

So let’s be crystal clear.

If you live in Toledo Ohio, imagine that all of Michigan, and every county west of Archbold, or south of Napoleon, or east of Sandusky, was filled with leadership and followers determined to destroy Toledo and kill every resident, and they have proven that by trying to invade Toledo numerous times since 1948. Let’s imagine some of these State Sponsored haters invaded Maumee Bay State Park in October 7, 2023, killed 1,700 residents in the city of Oregon and those attending a music festival on the bay, and carried off 250 more as hostages. 

Yeah.

Think about it. 

Now… that being said… though Israel has a right to defend itself, and emasculate the leadership of the governments and groups arrayed against it… the carpet bombing and mass indiscriminate destruction Netanyahu is doing is wrong. 

His own intelligence service is doing it right. Clever pager bombs, precision strikes, the killing of leaders of the Iranian funded terrorist infrastructure AND Iranian leaders and military strategists AND nuclear scientists. 

What we are witnessing is THE PROBLEM with “WE NEED A THIRD PARTY” bullshit. 

Right now Israel is a textbook example of why third parties are a DIRECT AND PROVEN THREAT TO DEMOCRACY and MAJORITY RULE because Netanyahu’s party could not win a majority of the vote, BUT he was able to attain a governing majority by teaming up with a radical right wing fringe Party that held a few seats that put him over the top. And he could only do that by agreeing to conduct his campaign against Hamas in accord with their most radical Orthodox Jewish hate of anyone not an Orthodox Jew. 

What you’re seeing is Netanyahu NOT reflecting the will of the citizens of Israel. He has hijacked the government by means of an unholy coalition to save his own pathetic skin from prison due to his documented corruption. 

Iran, by the way, is ALSO run by a radical

UNREPRESENTATIVE theocratic dictatorship that only retains power by terrorizing its citizens as it carries out its campaign to destroy Israel, and the Jewish religion.

We have an Iran hijacked by religious zealots fighting an Israel hijacked by religious zealots. 

The only true “bad guys” here are theocratic dictators. The only true “victims” here are those citizens they have ignored. 

Finally, only Israel is a democracy. Flawed as it is at the moment. Iran, now damaged by the actions of Israel and the United States has an emerging opportunity to save itself… but only if Netanyahu can be changed or deposed in order to end his counterproductive air strikes and artillery. 

If the Orthodox Muslim Iranian regime falls, it will also require the end of the Orthodox Jewish Netanyahu coalition to fall, for any hope of lasting peace.

Treat Others More Gently With More Love, Patience, Tolerance, Care, And Kindness

All you folks who are bashing other people, either as individuals or as groups, on Facebook on a regular and consistent basis should take this meme to heart. The outright, mean-spirited, denigrating, malicious comments and insults based on personal perspectives, religious intolerance, political leanings, economic status (read that as welfare) and so on and so forth are indicative of the type of person you truly are!
Then, there are the times that one person may jump to conclusions and make erroneous assumptions about another person or even a group of persons based on incorrect and/or incomplete information, rumors and gossip, or not knowing that the other person or persons is undergoing personal, emotionally challenging turmoil.
The negative sterotypes that are perpetuated by posting and sharing of memes containing mistruths, prejudicial opinions, discriminatory remarks, etc. directed at groups of people do not serve any constructive purpose.
An honest dialogue, conversation, or exchange based on facts and/or respectful disagreements is one thing but the vicious, malicious, mean-spirited, name-calling and labeling of others is absolutely unnecessary.
Each and every one of us (yes, me included) need to be kinder and gentler.