“On the Need to Be Cautiously Aware”

   Not to overdo my fondness for classical radio programs, but there’s been a relatively new series that’s in the mix. “Harry Nile” is a detective and is the creation of the Jim French productions.  I mention it because yesterday I heard a thirty-minute episode that I felt was extremely anti-Semitic. A young man wanted to avoid the WW II draft; his uncle, a registered conscientious objector belonging to some storefront church, was assisting him. The only one who had concerns about the entire effort was this kid’s mother. 

   OK, now the names were Marvin Asher, the lawyer, and his sister, Esther Pearl. Once again, we were in the limelight for not being true Americans, for being scheister lawyers, and for doing all we could to manipulate the system for our own profit, however defined.

  This is the first “Harry Nile” episode that I can recall that disturbed me so. Whether or not Mr. French now deceased, had these feelings is irrelevant; his writers certainly didn’t have to enhance every stinkin’ stereotype about our people for listeners of all persuasions to hear. Were it television, surely the actors would have also had the physical characteristics attributed to our people, so blatantly pictured in Der Stuermer, the Nazi propaganda periodical, etc.

   I realize that I’ve recently focused a bit on issues related to racism – against us and against other minorities – but being in the “us” category myself and knowing about its deadly conclusions throughout history, I think my informing you of these things is important. Now that the elections are over, we have to remember that their implications are not; maybe they’re just beginning. We’ve got rabid anti-Semites in both houses of Congress, those who would love to see the destruction of Israel, and members of both parties…BOTH parties…who strive to make “us” once again feel like the “other.” 

   As an example, there’s a 25-year-old freshman House member from North Carolina named Madison Cawthorn who has blatantly stated his goal of converting Jews and Muslims to Christianity. There are the QAnon followers just elected namely, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Bieber of Colorado who support, among other conspiracy theories of QAnon, the idea that “a satanic cabal of elite Democrats and Hollywood celebrities is running a child sex-trafficking ring and harvesting children’s blood to stay young.” When we see/hear the words “elite” and “Hollywood celebrities” there’s a better-than-even chance they’re not talking about Presbyterians!

   So, let’s keep our eyes and ears open, and if I see or hear something, I’ll keep you informed.