On Jonathan Netanyahu and Arnon Zmora; Argentina’s new president; immigration questions; Jacksonville, Fla.; and more
July 4, 1976, was an interesting day. It was America’s bicentennial. (And to think we’re going to have the 250th birthday in just a couple of years.) Yet many people were riveted to Uganda, where the Entebbe raid was being carried out.
An interesting combination of Palestinian and German terrorists had hijacked a French airliner going from Tel Aviv to Paris. They forced the plane to Uganda (where the dictator, Idi Amin, welcomed the terrorists with open arms).
On July 4, Israeli commandos swooped in to rescue the hostages. One commando died: Jonathan Netanyahu (brother of the current, and often, prime minister).
Many of us have thought of that splendid man in recent days. One commando died on June 8, in the rescue of those hostages in Gaza — another splendid man, Arnon Zmora.
At his funeral, his mother Ruti said — as though speaking to her son — “Your favorite movie as a child was Robin Hood. In second grade, you dressed up as a paratrooper. You looked up to Yoni Netanyahu for Operation Entebbe.”
She further said, “My beloved child, I am so happy that last Friday I was able to say to you, ‘Arnon, take care of yourself and your friends. I love you.’ You answered me, ‘Mom, I love you too.’”
On heroic individuals such as Jonathan Netanyahu and Arnon Zmora, the rest of humanity often depends.
• Some number of Palestinian civilians died in this rescue operation, as “collateral damage,” to use a cold phrase. (The number is difficult to determine.) Yes, their deaths are on the head of Hamas. So are all such deaths in this war, started by Hamas. But that does not mean that these deaths are insignificant or should go unacknowledged.
I paraphrase Golda Meir: “Maybe, someday, we can forgive them for killing our children. But we will never be able to forgive them for making us kill their children.”
• Let me share with you an article from The Economist, published in April: “A trauma surgeon on why Gaza is the worst of war zones: It is like stepping back into the 19th century, says David Nott.”
• Here is a report, published in March, by a team of three for the Christian Science Monitor: “‘Hamas gambled with our lives’: Gazans are now daring to speak out.” That bears watching (and listening to). Palestinian discontent with Hamas is better for all.
• You know who is an interesting figure? Extremely so? Javier Milei, the new president of Argentina. A story from the Associated Press is headed “President Milei’s surprising devotion to Judaism and Israel provokes tension in Argentina and beyond.” Milei strikes me as unusually open — unusually uncamouflaged — for a politician (and maybe for a person).
• In America, there used to be a great many pro-immigration conservatives. Indeed, American conservatism in general celebrated immigration. We regarded immigration as part and parcel of the American story, though cautioning that immigration must be legal, sensible, and orderly. (We also stressed assimilation — assimilation as something like a condition for immigration.)
Jeff Jacoby, the columnist for the Boston Globe, is an interesting cat. He is uncategorizable, really. He is conservative, he is libertarian — mainly, he’s an individual, and a thinker. Those are good credentials for a columnist.
The other day, he had a column headed “The law that ruined America’s immigration system.” The law in question was signed by President Coolidge a hundred years ago.
Jeff writes,
For the first century and a half of American history, “illegal immigration” was a nonexistent concept. Individual foreigners could be excluded by law for specific reasons . . . Otherwise . . .
Forgive the ellipses, but the whole column should be read, and it is brief. One may or may not agree with Jeff’s arguments. But they should be taken into consideration. A thinking columnist for thinking readers.
(As I have often said, immigration is a frustrating issue, because so many things are true: the pro-immigration points and the restrictionist points.)
(Actually, everyone is a restrictionist except for those who favor open borders. In 1984, the Wall Street Journal proposed a constitutional amendment — just five words: “There shall be open borders.”)
• Erik Brynjolfsson is the director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab. One of those brainiacs. “American universities are the world’s talent magnet, fueling start-ups and innovation,” he said. “But America won’t let the talent work once we educated them.” Mr. Brynjolfsson reminded me of Jeb Bush — who frequently said, “We should staple a green card to their diploma.”
• This was bad news: “X has new rules that officially allow porn now.” (Article here.) “X,” as you know, refers to the platform formerly known as “Twitter.” Well, at least the name “X” feels right now, you know?
(Does a ratings system still exist in America? G, PG, PG-13, etc.? I feel my cultural knowledge gets more obsolete by the day . . .)
• Climate change is a very tricky issue, and a political football, too. Stephanie Hanes has written a darned interesting piece on the subject for the Christian Science Monitor: “A climate scientist questioned his findings. It didn’t go well.” A story of our contentious times.
• “Together, the collective age of the bride and groom was nearly 200.” That is a heckuvan opening sentence, courtesy of John Leicester. An AP man, he has filed a dispatch from Carentan-les-Marais, France. The groom is an American World War II vet, age 100. The bride is 96. They got married near the D-Day beaches, on the 80th anniversary. They were guests at the state dinner in the Elysée Palace. Nice.
• Take you to Jacksonville? Jacksonville, Fla.? I was interested in a slogan, or a moniker: “the flip side of Florida.” In other words, “We aren’t South Florida,” I guess. “We’re not Palm Beach or Miami. We’re Northeast, baby.” I don’t know. Anyway:
• Pretty much every city has a Bowery, a Skid Row. I found myself in Jacksonville’s. (Not sure whether there’s more than one.) Where there’s a Bowery, there are bail bonds. The below-pictured establishments are in close proximity:
• Elsewhere, a man walks by in a T-shirt: “Alcoholics don’t run in my family, they drive.” Swell.
• Truly swell, for my money, is this idea: the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus:
You will have noted the abbreviation for “Jacksonville” — “JAX,” or “Jax” — which is pretty cool.
Have a bonus pic:
• James Weldon Johnson was born in this city (1871). He grew to be a Renaissance man — and I’m not trying to be punny. Johnson indeed became a figure in the Harlem Renaissance. He had many gifts, including the gift of writing — writing of various sorts. He wrote the lyrics for “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” The music is by his younger brother, J. Rosamond Johnson. (I wrote a piece on this glorious song in 2008, here.)
Anyway, behold:
• In James Weldon Johnson Park, there is a tribute to John F. Kennedy — who spoke in the park during the 1960 campaign:
• You ever heard of the Jacksonville Sharks? They are a professional indoor-football team. You ever heard of indoor football? Anyway:
• There is a big convention center, formerly the big train station in the city. Touches remain, which are charming. Here’s one:
• “The sweetest destination on earth.” That is a slogan of Sweet Pete’s, which is a candy story, yes, but also an old-fashioned diner. There are separate parts of the business. Here’s a shot of candyland:
And another:
Well-nigh Wonka-esque, right? Thank you for joining me, everyone. See you later.
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