Rep. Ilhan Omar accuses Israel of 'terrorism' amid clash with Hamas

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ilhan-omar-israel-terrorism-hamas

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., accused Israel of "terrorism" following deadly air strikes in the Gaza Strip after Hamas reportedly launched seven rockets at Jerusalem.

"Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid," Omar wrote on Twitter on Monday.

Blinken says rocket attacks on Israel must stop 'immediately'

 https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/white-house-condemns-rocket-attacks-launched-from-gaza-towards-israel-667782

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said the rocket attacks from Gaza against Israel should stop "immediately," and he urged all sides to take steps to reduce tensions.

 "We're very focused on the situation in Israel, West Bank, Gaza, very deeply concerned about the rocket attacks that we're seeing now, that they need to stop, they need to stop immediately," Blinken said ahead of meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Terrorists fire 200 rockets at Israel in 24 hours; IDF responds with 130 strikes

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/6-israelis-wounded-as-hamas-launches-massive-rocket-barrage-on-ashkelon/

Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip fired a massive barrage of rockets at the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon at dawn on Tuesday, wounding six people and threatening to turn the city “into hell.”

The assault came after a night of almost constant rocket fire on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip and as the Israel Defense Forces conducted strikes on some 130 targets in the coastal enclave, as part of what it has called “Operation Guardian of the Walls,” the military said. It followed a day that saw a major outbreak of violence from Gaza, including rare rocket fire on Jerusalem.

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman retires, cites 'bullying' by Trump after impeachment testimony

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/01/lt-col-alex-vindman-retires-cites-bullying-over-trump-impeachment/5549219002/

In a statement July 8, Vindman cited "bullying, intimidation and retaliation" from the White House for his decision to retire, according to a statement from his lawyer David Pressman. 

Because he did not receive an assignment as a colonel, he will retire at the lower rank of lieutenant colonel, according to the Army.

An Iraq war veteran and Purple Heart recipient, Vindman had seen his promotion to colonel delayed this summer, a hold-up that some viewed as retaliation for his impeachment testimony.

 

McCarthy sets Wednesday vote on Liz Cheney leadership ouster

 https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-liz-cheney-house-elections-government-and-politics-f04138dae4059b8441bc251dd7093ae5

 “Unlike the left, we embrace free thought and debate,” McCarthy said as he made the case for her ouster. He said lawmakers must represent their constituents “as they see fit, but our leadership team cannot afford to be distracted” from the party’s goals. 

 “Cancel culture is cancel culture, no matter how you look at it,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told reporters Monday. “And unfortunately I think there are those that are trying to silence others in the party.”

Trump decries 'cancel culture,' but does he participate in it? He's called for boycotts and punishment for critics

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/09/03/trump-decries-cancel-culture-but-he-has-participated/3451223001/

 The exact definition of "cancel culture" is amorphous, and there is debate over whether it actually exists or is just the act of holding someone accountable for their actions.

Those who call for a boycott of a certain product or service because of beliefs or actions are sometimes accused of "cancelling." In other instances, public criticism against a person by someone with a large social media platform is considered cancelling.

 

Why Attacking ‘Cancel Culture’ And ‘Woke’ People Is Becoming The GOP’s New Political Strategy

 https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-attacking-cancel-culture-and-woke-people-is-becoming-the-gops-new-political-strategy/

 But there is no agreed-upon definition of “woke” or a formal political organization or movement associated with it. Nor is there an exact definition of what constitutes being “canceled” or a victim of “cancel culture.” However, despite their vagueness, you now see conservative activists and Republican politicians constantly using these terms. That’s because that vagueness is a feature, not a bug. Casting a really wide range of ideas and policies as too woke and anyone who is critical of them as being canceled by out-of-control liberals is becoming an important strategy and tool on the right — in fact, this cancel culture/woke discourse could become the organizing idea of the post-Trump-presidency Republican Party.

Rockets fired at Jerusalem as Hamas ultimatum expires

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/305919

The Red Alert siren which warns of rocket attacks sounded in Jerusalem shortly after 6 PM Monday evening, right as the ultimatum issued by the Hamas terrorist organization expired.

 

If we ‘canceled’ anti-Semitism

 https://religionnews.com/2021/03/04/jews-cancel-culture-dr-suess-antisemitism/

 The right, of course, has its own version of cancel culture. On Jan. 6, had Nancy Pelosi or Michael Pence been “canceled,” it would have been a permanent, lethal cancellation. As in the gallows that the miscreants had already erected.

Cancel Culture: Is Banning the Bible Next?

 https://www.aish.com/ci/s/Cancel-Culture-Is-Banning-the-Bible-Next.html

After all, isn't there slavery in the Bible, alongside discrimination against women, the handicapped, and non-Jews? Isn't there intolerance of gender-fluid identities and racism regarding certain nations? The Bible even calls for genocide against the seven Canaanite nations, and Amalek!

So why shouldn't the small group of "intellectuals," "progressives," and radical kings-and-queens who rule today's "cancel culture" approach the Bible censoriously too? What would better amplify their (illusion of) power than twitter-shaming all Bible-believers, or even burning entire chapters of that "culturally offensive" book?

 

 

When it's ok to be part of cancel culture

 https://www.thejc.com/judaism/features/when-it-s-ok-to-be-part-of-cancel-culture-1.512155

Jews too “cancel” our nemesis, but only once a year. The Torah commands us to “wipe out the memory of Amalek” referring to the biblical tribe who launched unprovoked attacks against us, preying on the weakest Jews who were trailing at the back of the line leaving Egypt (Deuteronomy 25: 19).

Similarly, we’re told that “the memory of the wicked will rot” (Proverbs 10:7). This, we apply to Amalek’s descendant Haman , whose failed attempt at genocide against Jews is recalled on Purim. We purge ourselves of Haman’s name by drowning it out with twirling gragger-rattles, booing and banging each time it’s read from the Scroll of Esther (Esther Rabbah 9: 10).

 

Jewish Word | What Is Cancel Culture—and What Does Judaism Say About It?

 https://momentmag.com/jewish-word-what-is-cancel-culture-and-what-does-judaism-say-about-it/

The term is new, but the questions surrounding canceling are not. They have surfaced in Judaism just as they have in other religions. “The most drastic type of canceling is when we say Yemach Shemo—blot out their name,” says Brandeis University sociologist Sylvia Barack Fishman. “Jews traditionally use that phrase for the Nazis. So when something is a moral monstrosity, that’s when one cancels [it].” Even then, Jewish tradition usually stops just shy of complete cancelation, she adds. Deuteronomy commands us to “blot out the memory of Amalek,” yet the same verse instructs us to “not forget.” That’s why every Shabbat before Purim, Jewish communities read the Torah portion reminding them of Amalek’s sins against the Israelites.

The second wave of “cancel culture”

 https://www.vox.com/22384308/cancel-culture-free-speech-accountability-debate

 But over the past few years, many right-wing conservatives, as well as liberals who object to more strident progressive rhetoric, have developed the view that “cancel culture” is a form of harassment intended to silence anyone who sets a foot out of line under the nebulous tenets of “woke” politics. So the idea now represents a vast assortment of objectives and can hold wildly different connotations, depending on whom you’re talking to.

GOP cancel culture targets Georgia: Republicans want to silence critics of their war on voting

 https://www.salon.com/2021/04/05/gop-cancel-culture-targets-georgia-republicans-want-to-silence-critics-of-their-war-on-voting/

 Many a tear has been shed over wealthy actors losing plum gigs for embarrassing movie studios with their bigoted tweets, or obscure books by famous authors being delisted voluntarily by their own publishing companies, or people making fun of a paranoid right-wing couple in St. Louis who pulled guns on peaceful protesters, or the librarian whose boss prevented her from humiliating herself by doing a rap presentation to onboard college freshmen. Free speech, they argue, is dependent not just on the absence of censorship, but the absence of any consequences whatsoever, including criticism from others who are using their free speech rights. It turns out there was one caveat to this right to speech unfettered by opposition, criticism, or consequences, however: It is a "right" enjoyed only by those on the right. For those who oppose bigotry, vote for Democrats, or express discomfort at overt racism, there is no limit to what can and should be done to silence them. This was always evident — see how Trump unleashed tear gas on peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square — and is only becoming more clear in the fight over voting rights in the state of Georgia. 

 Fox News host Laura Ingraham — who shamelessly switches back and forth between telling progressive athletes to "shut up and dribble" and whining about how liberal criticism "cancels" conservatives — made a robust pro-cancellation argument Thursday night. "We're going to punish you," she threatened, raging against anti-racist statements from corporations, and arguing, "these corporations are going to face the wrath of GOP officials as well as the tens of millions of American consumers." Rachel Campos-Duffy of Fox News didn't even bother to pretend there was no contradiction here, suggesting on Friday that it's time for "American conservatives to cancel sports" in order to force them to "respect" conservatives, i.e. by being silent in the face of racist voter suppression.