Our Chaos Reality

Spectator

Science and math have their chaos theory that posits, among other things, that the smallest changes can create unpredictable and major disruptions elsewhere. The example most often used is the tiny amount of extra wind created by the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Africa might so disrupt airflow that the end result could be tornadoes in Texas. Of course, that’s just a theory.

The disruptions we’re currently experiencing around the globe are no theory but our own chaos reality. And confusion aplenty has been sown.

Israel, attacked for the umpteenth time in their 75-year history, finds itself being criticized for aggressively defending itself. This time, it’s the terror organization Hamas carrying out the butchery. Their plans are spelled out pretty clearly in their organization’s charter, which calls for the obliteration of Israel and an Islamic state in its place.

History tells us the land has been occupied by Jews since at least 1500 BCE, or more than 2,000 years before Muhammad was born and Islam existed. Britannica.com tells us Philistines, who most historians now believe were Greek, also lived in the area. The words Palestine and Palestinian, both derivatives of Philistine, did not yet exist. Once it did, there was no map identifying Palestine that did not include what is today Israel.

There would be no conflict in the region if Israel’s neighbors—Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon—had accepted the Jewish people’s historical claim to a little piece of land not much bigger than New Jersey and simply left them alone. Instead, they and their allies have undertaken an endless series of state-sponsored military and terrorist assaults all with the stated intent of driving Israel into the sea.

Somehow, in the face of a glaring history, some American politicians on the left who call themselves progressive have decided, in a fit of antisemitic ignorance, that Israel is the villain. While it would be easy to sympathize with Arabs and their children trapped in Gaza, they have tolerated being controlled by Hamas since their last election 17 years ago. Standing “in solidarity with the Palestinians” is just fine until you remember you’d have to support a Palestinian homeland where Israel already exists and where Jews have lived for 3,500 years.

We still have Putin’s war in Ukraine not going especially well for either side as the toll of treasure and blood keeps growing. Cities in eastern Ukraine are taken, taken back, retaken, and taken back again in a deadly and destructive game of cat and mouse. Russian executives and military leaders who oppose the war keep mysteriously falling out of tall buildings, and Ukraine just wants more killing machines from everybody.

Most discouraging, there is no sign of it ending any time soon, and Putin and China’s Xi have been getting chummy in what would be a dangerous alliance.

Meanwhile, because wars in the Middle East and eastern Europe are not enough, civil wars continue to percolate with ongoing death and destruction in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Mali, and South Sudan.

Here in the States there hasn't been much we can do to help out anybody in any war anywhere because we have not had a functional Congress or, at least, a functional House of Representatives. The game of Speaker Roulette has only just recently been won.

The GOP has gone so far off the rails they can no longer see the tracks, having attached themselves at the hip to an election-denying, insult-spewing, truth-avoiding petty tyrant facing 91 felony counts in four separate cases. 

Kevin McCarthy needed 15 ballots to win the job but lasted only seven months, falling victim to his own deal-making to win the seat in the first place. He was the first sitting Speaker to be voted out of office, in his case by the petulant wing of his own party. Steve Scalise was next, surrendering his chances after a single ballot. Jim Jordan was next, managing to get fewer votes in each of his three ballots before he stepped out of the line of failure.

Next up was Tom Emmer of Minnesota, another election-denier nominated by secret ballot in the GOP caucus. Emmer lasted only hours before abandoning his bid to be replaced by Mike Johnson of Louisiana as the final victim...er, I mean nominee...and now Speaker of the House. It’s mind numbing.

Democrat progressives, who have never seen a budget they couldn’t break or an extreme cause they couldn’t support, aren’t much better. That small band of the loudest and most extreme members focus on fringe issues that generate heat but impact few while infecting the public debate on most everything else. Their near-abandonment of Israel is just the latest in a string of reactions based on their knees jerking wildly.

We’d do better picking 435 people off the street at random.

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