Opinion

I know some people who are not interested in hearing or reading criticism of their positions. I find it helpful to read or listen to others who may disagree with what I write. This past week is a good example. Someone mentioned to me about my comments relating to Supreme Court Justice Thomas and his wife’s texts with then-Trump-Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows. He thought it was unclear as to who wrote the texts and, in any event, why should a husband be responsible for his wife’s activities? It sounds sexist.

In the run up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many in this country either supported Russia or wanted the United States to stay out of it. They included commentator Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Donald Trump. Ingraham, when interviewing Trump, was mocking Ukrainian president Zelenskyy for making what she thought was a pathetic speech. Carlson argued that “These people [U.S. officials who provide military aid to Ukraine] are so ghoulish…

In January 2016, Donald Trump famously declared that “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” An updated version of this statement should be, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I would not be charged with a crime.” Twice in the past ten years, the District Attorney of New York County (where Fifth Avenue is located) overruled senior prosecutors of his office, and decided not to bring charges against Donald Trump or members of his family.

It has been repeatedly mentioned that Russia’s attack on Ukraine is the largest military operation in Europe since the Second World War. There are many parallels to our time, so it is important to remember what occurred back then so the same mistakes are not made.

Since the beginning of Russia’s attack on Ukraine on February 24, the spot price of oil has been like a jumping jack. On February 18, the WTI (West Texas Intermediate) price was $91.07, and it was the highest on March 8, at $123.70. It went down on to a low of $95.04 on March 16, and on March 18 it was $ 104.70. I am using February 18 since it was a Friday, and the government survey of gas prices, which comes out on Monday, lists the average price for the prior week.

Unfortunately, we live in a time when there is such division that people are shunned solely because of their opposing opinion. I am aware of one person who refuses to even acknowledge my presence because he disagrees with my political views. I doubt he is the only one.  For those regular readers of the Queens Jewish Link, they know that Moshe Hill and I almost never agree. It is so infrequent, that when we do agree, I mention it in my column. I had never met him until the QJL’s 10^th anniversary event last week. I would have not recognized him, since unlike his picture, he does not have a beard. We had a very cordial conversation. We both agreed that in the group picture, we should stand next to each other. We wanted to send the message that individuals can disagree and be able to interact respectfully with each other.