When does a national policy no longer makes sense? Two events in our past continue to shape our present, in ways that should have changed our policy. The two events? WWII and 9/11.

Unless you are a white supremacist, you'd agree that the attempted genocide of WWII was horrific. The Jewish people of Europe were systematically rounded up and murdered by Hitler's regime with a designed efficiency that's terrifying. After the Nazis were defeated, there was a question of what to do about them? Those who survived no longer had a home, families, or other possessions. The solution was to create Israel, by taking land from those already living in Palestine.

Fifty-five years later, 9/11 happened. All it took was a handful of Arabs following a religious fanatic in Afghanistan to destroy to iconic buildings in NYC and kill thousands of people. That immediately made anyone who was Muslim or lived in any Middle Eastern country that wasn't Israel persona-non-grata.

Since then, those mindsets have not changed, regardless of changes on the ground. We've seen the Israeli government (especially under Netanyahu) treating Palestinians similarly to how they were treated by the Nazis (no death camps, but it's definitely verging on genocide). Palestinians have tried to defend themselves, and are met with overwhelming force. They've tried to appeal to the international community, but have been brushed aside. Hamas and other organizations have done their fair share of terrible things too, the most recent being the attack on a music festival that spurred an invasion by Israel that continues to roil the region.

The crimes against humanity on both sides of the conflict have turned this into a scorched earth affair. Israel is blocking humanitarian aid. Hamas is using "sexual violence" against captured Israeli citizens. The depravity on both sides is disgusting.

This leads us to some dangerous chatter regarding the upcoming election of (of all things) the Mayor of NYC. The apparent future winner is a Muslim, a first in a city that was attacked by an extremist Muslim sect. Zohran Mamdani's ascension has raised alarm bells for the Israel Uber Alles folks; in particular, Jewish people in the U.S. Congress:

Even the Orange Menace has gotten in on the criticism, musing that he might take over NYC via the military if Mamdani is elected:
(he also mentioned taking over DC).

One can chalk this up to his usual puffery, since there's no legal way for him to do this, and I can't imagine the military going along with it. Of course, legalities have never stood in his way before, and the courts seem unable to reign him in.

It's not clear why this particular person has people concerned. Is it because he's a self-proclaimed "Democratic Socialist"? Do people express concerns when a conservative Jewish person is elected mayor? It seems that his unwillingness to tow the policy line that's been in place for the last 80 years has shaken the complacency to its core. Strange and dangerous times loom.