Netanyahu Is Preparing to Sabotage the Gaza Ceasefire…Again

 

Fresh off his triumphant trip to Washington, D.C., the Israeli leader is preparing a set of new demands for Phase 2 he hopes Hamas will reject.

Jeremy Scahil From the moment Israel accepted the ceasefire deal, its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides have characterized it as a limited agreement aimed at securing the release of as many Israeli captives as possible and not a comprehensive plan to end the war. Now, emboldened by his recent meetings at the White House and riding a tsunami of giddiness over President Donald Trump’s proposal for the U.S. to seize control of Gaza, Netanyahu returned to Israel on Sunday ready to sabotage the already frangible agreement and expand his forces’ siege of the West Bank. “This trip, and the conversations we held with the president of the United States, included additional incredible achievements that can guarantee the security of Israel for generations,” Netanyahu boasted. “I am not exaggerating. I’m not overstating. There are opportunities here for possibilities that I don’t think we ever dreamed of — or at least until the last few months, they didn’t seem possible, but they are possible.” According to the terms of the ceasefire deal that went into effect January 19, Israel and Hamas were slated to begin negotiations over the details of a second 42-day phase of the ceasefire no later than 16 days into Phase 1. The second stage envisions the release of all remaining Israeli captives in exchange for substantial numbers of Palestinians held by Israel, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the beginning of a permanent ceasefire that would pave the way for a massive multi-billion-dollar reconstruction of the Strip. Three weeks into the deal, however, those negotiations have not yet begun. Netanyahu initially refused to send a delegation to Doha, Qatar for Phase 2 talks, but after intervention from the White House, he grudgingly dispatched a delegation empowered only to discuss ongoing technical details related to the current phase, not to negotiate next steps. Netanyahu landed in Tel Aviv claiming that Israel had made a strategic agreement with Trump and his special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff about the positions Israel would assert in the next round of talks. Netanyahu said Monday he returned from Washington, D.C. with new plans for Gaza and that he and Trump “see eye to eye” on how to proceed. “You wanted a day after [plan]? You got one… It just doesn’t match the Oslo narrative… We won’t repeat that mistake… I’ve come back with a vision without Hamas and without the Palestinian Authority,” Netanyahu announced. Shaking his fist in a meeting at the Knesset, he declared, “We know what complete victory is and we will not give up on it.” Since the ceasefire officially went into effect on January 19, Israel has continued to carry out targeted attacks inside the Gaza Strip on an almost daily basis.  Hamas has accused Israel of playing “dirty games” by slowing or blocking the agreed upon delivery of aid into the Gaza Strip, including food, medicine, tents, generators and other necessities, as well as continuing to kill Palestinians in Gaza.  “Netanyahu came back from the United States with all intentions to sabotage the deal." “I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza,” Trump said Sunday. “ we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas or their people don't move back.”  I received this article by Mr. Scahil by e-mail which describes the actual political moment brilliantly for all three; The U.S.  Israel and the Palestinian people and their administration, I'm sharing excerpts with my good readers and friends, the article is definitely worth sharing and careful reading.  As always my many thanks to all.

A VERY PLAUSIBLE ANALYSIS......

As I received from sister Mona Hawa:
Point of order: Can Trump annex Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal? Can he displace Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza?
The obvious answer: No.
But does that mean that simply talking about these ideas has no effect? ​​No, also.

What Trump and Netanyahu are doing is not just political nonsense, but a calculated strategic manipulation that relies on creating an imaginary reality so that impossible ideas become debatable, and unworkable projects seem like proposed scenarios.

This is not an improvised policy, but a deliberate approach inspired by political and media theories that aims to reshape public awareness and push opponents into defensive positions instead of keeping them on the offensive.

Let's understand how they speak:
 First, the Smoke and Mirrors Theory: Its goal is to transform illusion into a media reality.

This strategy is based on creating a huge media hype around something that is not real, with the aim of distracting attention or achieving undeclared goals.

 How is it used here?
• Repeating talk about the displacement of Palestinians despite the impossibility of implementing it, not because anyone believes it is possible, but to make people deal with it as a matter for discussion instead of rejecting it immediately.
• Transforming the issue of Israel’s military failure in Gaza into a discussion about (where will the Palestinians go?) as if their departure is inevitable and the only disagreement is over the destination!
• Making the targeted countries (Egypt, Jordan, Gulf States) appear as if they are negotiating a deal rather than rejecting the idea in principle.

 What is the result?
•The public begins to treat displacement as an idea (proposed) while it is a war crime that is impossible to implement.
•Arab and international parties are forced to issue statements of denial and clarification, which puts them in a defensive position and gives the story false credibility.
•The discussion shifts from (Should the Israeli aggression be stopped?) to (What are the alternatives available to the Palestinians?) which is exactly the real goal of this deception.

Let's continue..
 Secondly, the Flood the Zone theory: Its goal is to control through chaos.
The strategy relies on flooding the media and public opinion with a barrage of statements and decisions, regardless of their realism, with the aim of controlling the political narrative.

 How do Trump and Netanyahu use it?
• Trump repeatedly makes statements about “grand plans” such as displacement, building walls, imposing sanctions, and banning countries, even though he knows they are not feasible.
•The goal: to confuse the media and opponents, so that it becomes impossible to respond to all of his statements or expose his contradictions.
• Netanyahu, who is politically besieged by the failure of the war, relies on issuing huge and repeated threats, not because he is able to carry them out, but to keep everyone in a state of (reaction) instead of focusing on his crimes and failures.

 The result?
•The media and the public find themselves forced to follow new statements, instead of focusing on the basic facts: Israel has failed militarily, and Trump is maneuvering in the media.

The more noise there is, the easier it is to make dangerous decisions amidst the chaos.

 Third: Manufacturing Consent Theory: Its goal? Repetition creates acceptance.

This strategy involves repeatedly re-presenting ideas until they become familiar, and therefore less shocking, and more indirectly acceptable.

 How does this happen?
• Months ago, there was talk of displacing the Palestinians with this intensity, but now, due to the repetition of statements, the matter is being discussed in the media as if it were one option among several options.
• It is not just about repetition, but about flooding the arena with the same idea from multiple angles: American statements, Israeli threats, media leaks, strategic analyses, until it seems like an inevitable reality.
•This method was previously used in the war on Iraq, where weapons of mass destruction were transformed from a lie into a pretext for war, due to intense repetition.

 The result?
•Displacement becomes an idea on the table, even if Arab and international rejection of it is strong.
•The discussion shifts from “Is this possible?” to “What is the best way to implement it?” Which is exactly what Trump and Netanyahu are seeking.

 Conclusion:
What is happening is very serious, but it is not a reason for panic, but a reason for a strict and firm position that refuses to even treat these ideas as a legitimate discussion.
 The greatest danger is not in Trump and Netanyahu’s ability to implement their plans, but in their ability to make people treat them as possible.
 What is required is not only to reject the idea, but to even reject talking about it as a political option.
 Do not fall into the traps of conflicting statements and media maneuvers, and focus on the basic truth: All of this is just a trick to divert attention from the failure of the occupation and create false political pressures.
Remember

•Threats are not plans, but pressure cards. What Trump and Netanyahu want is to turn the impossible into possibilities, and this is what must be fought by exposing media manipulation. 

I received this interesting analysis from a friend by e-mail, I've never heard of Sister Hawa, or seen any of her other works, but got very encouraged to publish it on our blog for the benefit of all my readers, a worthy analysis.    As always my many thanks to all my good friends and readers.  

SOUNDING THE ALARM.....

 

By Jeremy Ben-Ami, from the J Street group. 

In the late 1930s, the Jewish leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky frantically crisscrossed Eastern Europe warning Jews of impending “catastrophe.” The Jews of Europe were living precariously, he prophesied, on the edge of a ‘volcano,’ at risk of being consumed by its flames.

Establishment Jewish leaders wrongly dismissed his warnings – perhaps blinded by opposition to his militant, right-wing views in the Zionist debates of the time​. His warnings unheeded, the fires he foresaw consumed much of European Jewry. ​

I’m reminded of Jabotinsky ​now as I sense an ominous storm gathering that threatens the ​democratic, rules-based world order ​undergirding global stability for the past 75 years.

The storm clouds darkened in the US this past week: Immigrants rounded up; our ​gates closed to refugees; a camp at Guantanamo being prepared for non-citizen detainees.

In just two weeks, we’ve seen insurrectionists pardoned, including heads of fascist militias then welcomed to Congress, while the prosecutors who brought them to justice are now the ones threatened.

Decorated public servants are being run out of office, demonized and punished for their perceived lack of loyalty to the new President.

We’re seeing national tragedies – from plane crashes to fires and floods – weaponized to serve political agendas and nationalist drums beaten to promote territorial expansion.

In this heated environment, the Jewish community faces its own specific storm: rising antisemitism. The same administration​ threatening our democracy is wasting no time ​playing politics with Jewish fear​. This week, a new Executive Order to combat antisemitism focused only on “anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities” with not a word about antisemitism emanating from the political right.

​No one should be surprised. This administration told us in advance that they would pardon violent, Nazi-adjacent Oath Keepers and Proud Boys and deport foreign-born students with whose politics they disagree.

​My goal here is not to rehash the objectionable, anti-democratic actions this administration has taken or will yet take.

My focus is ​on whether the leaders and institutions of the Jewish establishment are taking the gathering storm that threatens our democracy and our way of life seriously enough.

Jewish attention did focus for a time this past week on whether or not Elon Musk performed a Nazi salute. Debate intensified around whether or not the ADL, still looked to as a​ leading communal authority on antisemitism, erred in giving Musk a pass over the gesture.

But the Musk salute itself isn’t the issue. Nor even is Musk’s affinity for the far-right AfD party in Germany and his despicable willingness to whitewash their Holocaust denial.

The issue is that the volume of the fuss over the salute highlighted the depth of the silence in the face of the threat of fascism and right-wing ethnonationalism in this country and around the world.

It’s not 1938, thank goodness.

We’re not, I don’t believe, anywhere near Jabotinsky’s smoldering volcano, which proved fatal to a third of the world’s Jews.

But it’s well past time for the leadership of the Jewish community to mobilize around the very real threat the ethnonationalist right poses in this country and globally.

We seem to have no trouble raising vast sums and bringing intense pressure to bear when our community hears young people and left-wing activists criticize Israel.

So where are the emergency campaigns to counter global fascism and take on racist militias and neo-Nazi paramilitaries?

You’ll get no argument from me that some Palestinian rights activists on campuses and in left-wing spaces are obnoxious, uninformed and at times antisemitic. Those who embrace Hamas need pushback and condemnation, and Jewish students are owed physical safety at school and thoughtful tools to process and counter what they are confronting. (By the way, that’s why J Street is dramatically expanding our own campus program, J Street U.)

But let’s get real. The fundamental threat to our way of life comes not from misguided but powerless students and activists protesting the Gaza War, but from those with real power limiting personal freedoms, shutting the door on immigrants, criminalizing speech and undoing the democratic structures that ​brought Jewish Americans opportunity and freedom.

Let’s focus not on Elon Musk’s arm motions, but on the policies and actions of the President whom Musk elected.

Where are the statements from the leading organizations representing Jewish Americans speaking in one loud, clear voice to call out President Trump's actions?

When will the alarms sound about the threat from the rise of the far-right all across Europe and globally?

Our commitment to defend freedom and democracy must not be derailed when right-wing leaders claim to be “pro-Israel” because their politics​ align with those of a far-right Israeli government. Frankly, the dangers posed by the Netanyahu government to the democratic foundations of Israel themselves deserve far more attention from American Jewish leaders as well.

The Jewish people must not allow Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Geert Wilders or other ultra-nationalist leaders to use “support for Israel” as a fig leaf for dangerous racist, xenophobic politics.

If we do not prevent this coming storm at home and call it out abroad, we risk the way of life we so value and the freedoms and security we cherish.

​When they come for the immigrants and the refugees, we must speak up for them.

When they come for the trans soldiers and students, we must speak up for them.

When they start arresting those enforcing the law, when they start purging the government of those who are not ‘loyal’, when they start deporting students for saying even things with which we disagree, we must speak up for them.

If we fail to speak now, we have learned that there will be no one left to speak up for us.

No comments, up to the readers to ponder on these words and judge, it is a factual report though.      

My many thanks to my good readers. 

THE CHRIS HEDGES REPORT....

 

t has become quite rare to hear any meaningful accountability for Israel’s actions from Israeli citizens themselves. Israeli journalist Gideon Levy is an anomaly in Israel by today’s standards, as for his entire career he has challenged the apartheid and occupation of the Israeli state. On today’s episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Levy joins host Chris Hedges to discuss his book, The Killing of Gaza: Reports on a Catastrophe, and explain the spiritual destruction, both of Israel and Palestine, that the current genocide in Gaza is causing as well as the implications of new military operations in Lebanon.

The worst change, according to Levy, is that Israel has lost its humanity. “Everything is acceptable,” Levy tells Hedges as he describes the ongoing slaughter of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the brutal killing of prisoners, the censorship at the hands of the state and the overall indifference to it all.

“There is practically only one camp in Israel, the camp which supports apartheid and occupation,” Levy says.

There isn’t even any room left for empathy of the innocent victims in Gaza, according to Levy. Teachers have been subject to interrogation and termination because they “express[ed] empathy with the children of Gaza, with the victims of Gaza. Even this is not legitimate anymore in Israeli society 2024,” Levy contends.

Although the horrors following October 7 are devastatingly unprecedented, Levy asserts that this entire catastrophe was years in the making and the meaningless gestures of advocating for a two-state solution, for example, will perpetuate it further.

In the first years following the war in 1967, the occupation of Palestinians as a way of life quickly became normalized, according to Levy. “[Palestinians] clean our streets, they build our buildings, they pave our roads and they will never have citizenship. The only people in the world without any citizenship of any state,” Levy says.

As Israeli society attempts to continue this way of living, only disruptive movements and moments, such as the First Intifada, the Yom Kippur war and now October 7, will bring meaningful attention to the Palestinian struggle most of the world is okay with ignoring.

As Levi writes in his book,

“The way of terror is the only way open to the Palestinians to fight for their future.

 The way of terror is the only way for them to remind Israel, the Arab states and the world, of their existence. They have no other way. Israel has taught them this. If they don’t use violence, everyone will forget about them, and then a little later, only through terrorism will they be remembered. Only through terrorism will they possibly attain something. One thing is certain, if they put down their weapons, they are doomed.”

Levy says that history has told the Palestinians and the world something crucial about Israel: “the message is, if you want to achieve anything from us, only by force. And the message for the world is the same, if you want the world to care about you, raising your voice is not enough. You have to take measures. You have to take actions, and unfortunately, many times violent ones, aggressive ones, and many times even barbarian ones, like on the seventh of October.”

Such factual and powerful words, and the world is only watching, as if waiting for it all to miraculously finish or maybe implode....  All happening while President Trump said couple days ago; He wanted Jordan and Egypt to take more Palestinians from Gaza as part of a plan to clean out Gaza, a very controversial proposal previously only advocated by voices of the fascist Israeli extreme right, not to mention his son in law's already drawn blue prints for a beach resort and residential high-rises along the Gaza sea fronts. A nice and profitable real estate deal.   

As always, my many thanks to all. 

ACCORDING TO ROBERT......

 

This isn’t just Trump’s second presidency. It’s Elon Musk’s first.

The world’s richest man spent at least $277 million dollars backing Donald Trump and other Republican candidates — and he expects to get a good return on his investment.

Early indications are, he will. In the month after Trump was elected, Musk’s personal fortune jumped by over $180 billion dollars — yes, with a B.

He stands to benefit even more during Trump’s presidency. Just two of Musk’s companies, Tesla and SpaceX, have accounted for nearly $20 billion dollars in government contracts over the past 16 years. Musk’s Starlink satellites have become crucial to the nation’s security, with nearly two-thirds of all active satellites now orbiting the Earth controlled by Musk.

With his own puppet president in the White House, Musk can pull the strings to expand his influence and his wealth even more.

Check out this week’s video to explore who is really pulling the strings of this puppet presidency, beholden to the billionaires. Then share it with your friends so we will all know what we are up against.

Watch & Share

Musk isn’t just getting a front row seat to Trump’s presidency — or his own personal office space in the White House (yes, it’s true). As Trump’s appointed head of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” Musk has suggested cutting $2 trillion dollars in spending – which could require cutting Social Security, Medicare, and other programs people rely on. While Musk’s DOGE doesn’t have any direct authority, his grip on Trump has been so strong that Trump allies have called him “co-president.”

Musk has already shown he can use X to weaponize his followers to shape the government according to his whims. He will also likely have a chance to escape accountability for exploiting his workers and breaking laws aimed at protecting the public. He is using DOGE to attack agencies designed to protect us, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Since the Citizens United ruling on this day in 2010, billionaire political spending has increased more than 300-fold. Elon Musk’s unprecedented spending, and his control over a key communication platform, takes this corruption to a whole new level.

A billionaire shadow president like Musk is the inevitable and tragic consequence of the disastrous Citizens United decision that opened the floodgates for Big Money to dominate our democracy.

By pulling the strings of his puppet, Trump, Musk can line his pockets with taxpayer dollars and gut the federal agencies investigating him. He can both enrich himself and escape any consequences for hurting people along the way.

From inequality media, Mr. Robert Reich produced this short article. 

Few factual words by Mr. Robert Reich, as it sure seems we're getting ourselves into an obvious billionaire's oligarchy, a strong one for sure, totally handed and backed by a strong new president, we do have a colorful and possibly turbulent four years ahead, do we in America really need it, do we need all these tragic and turbulent changes, I'm not so sure, to my eyes we were doing just fine, economically, socially, even racially and our security needs, and I don't fully understand  how and what would it mean to make America great again..... I guess wait and see is the next move. Whatever is happening it's happening fast.  

As always, my many thanks to all my good friends and readers.... 

CEASEFIRE IS NOT THE END...

 

Ceasefire is Not The End

by Jonathan Kuttab

It looks as if there will finally be a ceasefire and hostage deal, set to begin this Sunday.

Every decent person in the world, I am sure, is breathing a sigh of relief at the cessation—at least temporarily—of the horrible nightmare in Gaza.

This nightmare has been torturing us daily with news of 50-100 new victims every single day and our incapacity to do anything to truly stop it, in addition to the suffering of the captives on both sides, and of the entire Gazan population living under siege and bombardment. 

Apparently, the agreement is to be achieved in three stages. In the first stage, Hamas will release 33 hostages (both alive and dead) and Israel will release some prisoners and suspend bombing for 42 days, while arrangements are made for the next two phases. The population of Northern Gaza will be permitted to return to their destroyed homes and humanitarian aid allowed to enter.

Yet, despite any momentary relief we may be feeling, it is crucial to highlight a number of important realities:

It is now clear that the basic terms of the deal are almost identical to the terms provided in the deal proposed last May. No significant changes have been made, so the momentous suffering and loss since that time seem especially unnecessary and tragic.

It is also clear that the primary obstacles to a ceasefire have not resulted from the intransigence of Hamas, but from the deliberate undermining of the deal by Israeli leadership. Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smootrich are openly taking credit for repeatedly sabotaging the deal in the past and continue to threaten to withdraw from the Netanyahu government if it goes forward. 

In Israel, contrary to the false protestations and lies of Secretary of State Blinken, it is well-known and acknowledged that resistance from the Israeli right wing and the desire of Netanyahu to maintain his government has always been the key obstacle to the signing of a deal.

It is indeed worrying that the first “stage” of the deal may very well be the last and that movement to the next stages and towards a true, permanent ceasefire is not assured. Those elements in Israel who sabotaged this deal in the past may be still actively seeking opportunities to prolonge the killing, bombing campains, forced starvation, and genocide, after securing the release of some or all of the hostages.

While we do not know the extent to which Trump’s threats of US pressure had to do with the “breakthrough,” or how much is just political theatre, the consensus among most Israeli analysts I hear indicates that Israel changed its mind and agreed to this deal directly as a result of US pressure. 

Haaretz even carried a story that Trump’s representative, Steve Witcoff, wanted to meet with Netanyahu regarding the ceasefire/hostage deal. When informed that Natanyahu could not meet him because of the Shabbat, Witcoff retorted that “the Shabbat was of no interest to him.” The meeting did indeed take place, and, after a “tense interaction” with Netanyahu, an agreement was reached. Past claims by the Biden administration that it could not pressure Israel or force its decisions seem to be false.

Additional realities to highlight include the following:

There seems to be no clear linkage between the first and remaining stages in the deal, which leaves it possible that “fighting” will resume after the 42-day pause and the genocide will continue. As with the Oslo Agreement, there are no enforcement mechanisms or consequences for the Israelis if they fail to live up to the agreements.

The entire deal, even if all stages are agreed upon and implemented faithfully, still leaves a number of important questions unanswered: the mechanism for ruling the Gaza Strip after the deal, access to and the distribution of food, water, and other humanitarian assistance, the extent of Israeli withdrawal, and whether any forces other than Hamas will be able to govern the civilian affairs of Gaza. Lifting the siege and allowing free movement in and out of Gaza may not even be on the table.

In all cases, the underlying problem continues to be unaddressed. So long as the basic requirements of peace, equality and justice are not even addressed, such temporary security arrangements will always be inadequate, and the temptation to resort to power and violence remains. This is why it is important for us to continue working for a just peace, to insist on respecting moral and legal principles, regardless of whether a deal is reached or breached. 

Meanwhile, we still have to address the following questions:

Will the siege be lifted so that Gazans can begin the process of rebuilding their hospitals, schools, universities, homes and lives?

Who will supply the food, water, medicines, electricity, and building materials needed to meet the immediate needs of the population for subsistence and shelter, as well as the monumental task of rebuilding what was destroyed? Who will provide and maintain basic public services, not to mention law and order, in the immediate future?

Will international journalists be allowed into Gaza to describe in their “authoritative” (read: Western) reporting what actually has been taking place in the last year or so? 

Will the criminals responsible for genocide and war crimes be brought to justice?

Finally, what about the West Bank? Should the ceasefire take effect in Gaza, we must continue to keep our eyes on the West Bank, on the settlements and the settlers, on the occupying army and the apartheid regime, on the prisoners, and on Palestinian leadership. 

Failing to address these issues will only increase the violence.

In all cases, our work for peace and justice must go on. We continue to proclaim violence is not the answer. It will never provide Palestinians with the desired liberation nor Israelis their vaunted security. Violence not only includes guns and bombs but also bulldozers, walls, checkpoints, and all of the oppressive structures that make up Israeli apartheid, such as occupation, siege, and the denial of freedom.

We also reiterate that should violence erupt anyway, civilians must be spared as much as possible from the ravages of war. Measures which target civilians are never legitimate. That is why the taking of civilian (as opposed to military) hostages was never legitimate—and roundly condemned—yet neither are restrictions on access to food, water, medicine and fuel. Similarly, the targeting of hospitals, schools, bakeries, and other civilian structures is never legitimate.

Universal human rights and international law must always be respected. Every effort should be made to seek peaceful methods for resolving disputes and nonviolent means for resisting oppression. Promoting such universal values and respect for international institutions and principles is an important value for all of us, not only those caught up in conflict. The news of this ceasefire/hostage deal may indeed be very welcome, but it is hardly the end of the road.

A good analysis of the situation while a cease fire is being discussed and possibly accepted, at least by the Israeli side, of course it could all be a staged affair, and the article caution of that possibility, but only days ahead will tell, meanwhile let's hope for better days ahead.

As usual, my best wishes and many thanks to my good readers and friends.  

THOUGHT-PROVOKING WORDS.....

Cocaine is legal in Oregon, but straws aren’t.  That must be frustrating. 

Still trying to get my head around the fact that ‘Take Out’ can mean food, dating, or murder. 

The older I get, the more I understand why roosters scream to start their day.

Being popular on Facebook is like sitting at the ‘cool table’ in the cafeteria of a mental hospital.

I too was once a male trapped in a female body…but then my mother gave birth.

We live in a time where intelligent people are silenced so that stupid people won’t be offended. 

The biggest joke on mankind is that computers have begun asking humans to prove they aren’t robots. 

It’s weird being the same age as old people. 

We celebrated last night with a couple of adult beverages …… Metamucil and Ensure.

You know you are getting old when friends with benefits means knowing someone who can drive at night. 

Weight loss goal: To be able to clip my toenails and breathe at the same time.

For those of you that don’t want Alexa or Siri listening in on your conversation, they are making a male version; it doesn’t listen to anything. 

I just got a present labeled, ‘From Mom and Dad,’ and I know darn well that Dad has no idea what’s inside. 

Someone said, “Nothing rhymes with orange.” I said, “No, it doesn’t.”

The pessimist complains about the wind.   The optimist expects it to change.  The realist adjusts his sails. 

I have many hidden talents. I just wish I could remember where I hid them. 

Some funny and thought provoking words.....   All my thanks to all my good readers and friends.