Category Archives: Politics

When the World Looks Away


In the summer of 1938, Hitler claimed that the Sudetenland, a border region of Czechoslovakia with a German-speaking majority, needed to be saved by Germany and threatened war if his demand was not met.

On September 30, 1938, the British and French leaders, hoping to avoid a war, agreed to this act of appeasement, officially allowing Germany to annex the Sudetenland, without Czechoslovakian input.

If this illegal and outrageous land grab sounds familiar, well, you know the old saying: “History has a way of repeating itself.”

Less than one year later, on September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. On September 7, 1940, Germany began conducting mass air attacks against British cities, starting with London.

While Hitler was advancing through Europe, Charles Lindbergh and the America First isolation movement believed that there was no American interest in stopping Hitler and that Hitler’s sworn policy to harass and persecute Jews was an internal German issue.

Lindbergh was the leading opposition voice to the U.S. involvement in World War II—until Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and Hitler’s declaration of war against the United States.

The defeat of Hitler and the horrors of Jewish genocide brought about the recognition of the State of Israel through the United Nations Partition Plan in 1947. The Partition Plan proposed to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem designated as an international zone.

The Jews agreed, but the Palestinian Arabs and surrounding Arab states (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq) rejected the plan, leading to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the subsequent creation of the State of Israel.

And now, here we are with Russia and its dictator, Putin, invading Ukraine—the first invasion of a sovereign European nation since the end of World War II. Putin’s justification for his Ukrainian land grab was eerily similar to Hitler’s annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland.

The terrorist organization Hamas declared war by invading the sovereign state of Israel with a sneak attack, slaughtering men, women, and children, and causing the highest number of Jewish deaths since World War II.

Hamas’s justification for their war against Israel was the rejection of Israel’s existence, to improve its domestic popularity among Palestinians, which had seen some decline due to deteriorating living conditions under its governance in Gaza, and religious fundamentalism.

At a time when Ukraine and Israel are fighting for their very survival, it is shocking that no one has learned from the past and the lessons of World War II.

Instead of standing united against the Russian aggression toward Ukraine and Hamas’s murderous attack and threat to annihilate Israel and its people, isolationists like Tucker Carlson and Candice Own, along with their sycophants, praise and enable Putin, and disparage Ukraine, the Ukrainians, Israel, and the Jews.

And while Europe has stood steadfast with Ukraine against Russia, most countries have turned their backs on Israel, the Israelis, and the Jewish diaspora by making excuses for the terrorist organization, Hamas.

Both conflicts began with cross-border aggression against internationally recognized sovereign states, which is the most basic violation of international law.

Both of these declarations of war by vicious dictatorships and authoritarian regimes against Ukraine and Israel had a clearly stated goal:  to wipe Ukraine and Israel off the face of the earth.

The terrorist organization Hamas against Israel and the dictator Putin against Ukraine both assert that Israel and Ukraine have no right to exist, and too many around the world agree with these murderous regimes.

The wars in Gaza and Ukraine have affected the world in significant ways, including deepening political divisions and exacerbating political polarization, causing mass protests worldwide.

Both wars have strained the world’s economy through inflation and high aid costs, and have significantly influenced elections, both here in the United States and around the world.

The failure to learn from past mistakes and allowing history to repeat itself is due to factors like insufficient critical thinking, generational gaps in experience, or a lack of comprehensive knowledge about previous events.

The wars against Ukraine and Israel are what happen when so many around the world look away.

Political Vitriol

The political vitriol that has been grinding away since 2016 is choking the tolerance out of me.

The increasingly ugly, harsh, angry, and hateful language used on social media is laced with bitter criticism, personal attacks, and a lack of constructive dialogue.

The intensely negative, accusatory language used over the past few months when expressing political opinions seems particularly biting, discrediting, and demeaning, and it’s hideously appalling and corrosive.

Nothing productive can come from it, yet it drags on endlessly.

And it has gone way past the point of critical. It’s bitter and dehumanizing.

All sides have gone insane. Inflammatory social media posts include words and phrases like “you’re dead to me,” “vermin,” “enemy from within,” “slime dogs,” and “Nazi Barbie.”

Ouch.

Now, I’m not suggesting that any of this hatefulness was meant for me. But maybe it was.

Because, yes, I post some political stuff, but it’s all been centered around Jew hating. The Jew hating and Jew baiting has indeed become a maddening reality.

When I feel that I can’t safely wear my Jewish Star in public—right here in the U.S. of A, something has gone terribly wrong, no?

Would anyone disagree that Jews here in the U.S. have been unfairly targeted?

Duh, yes. Many. Okay, more than many, which doesn’t make me want to rage, it makes me want to cry.

Although if you’re not Jewish, or you don’t live in Jewish communities, you can’t possibly experience Jew hatred firsthand.

And I hope you never feel unsafe wearing a cross, regardless of your political affiliation.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been slaughtered in Islamic terrorist attacks, and the myriad Islamic regimes in the Middle East terrorize, torture, jail, and commit horrific violations against their people EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Yet, somehow, it’s the Jews who are the terrorizing demons against people who have been warring with them since the 1870s.

Is there nowhere else in the world worthy of American outrage?

What about the Ukrainians, Rohingya, the Maghreb and Sahel regions of Africa, the Sudanese, Somali, and Syrian civil wars, the Ethiopian, Congolese, Cameroonian, Yemeni, and Afghan civil conflicts, the Mexican drug war, Kurdish separatists and Pakistan-India insurgencies, civil unrest in Venezuela, the Indo-Pakistani wars, and the Kashmir conflict?

Nada.

No outrage on American college campuses. No taking to American streets demanding the elimination of a people, country, or state.

ONLY OUTRAGE AGAINST THE JEWS.

So yes, I do state my political Jewish opinion, and yes, I openly demonize Islamist terrorists and their brutal regimes.

But please note that I do not demonize or single out any one person or political party.

I gave up on hating Trump when the Democrats lost the 2024 election. I’m tired, and I did my part. I voted. (Not for him.) He won. The power of one, right?

And please don’t tell me the 2024 election was rigged. I’ve had my fill of rigged election conspiracy theories.

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE MADE THEIR CHOICE BASED ON THE CHOICES THEY WERE GIVEN.

I get all the Trump-hating, although I think there are glimmers of reality in some of what he says. And I can see why there is outrage about many of his policies. I said “some,” and “many,” so please think twice before you unfriend me, because I’m the same person I was last week, last month, in 2016, and way before that.

And I think everyone deserves to have a voice, but when someone calls Trump “Hitler,” it sickens me.

Or when someone compares the current unseemly and yes, horrible immigration situation to Nazi Concentration Camps, it makes me cringe.

HELLO.

NOTHING that has ever happened here in the U.S. can compare to what Jews (including my in-laws) endured during the Holocaust.

To say otherwise is ignorant hyperbole, and it makes me doubt your motive and empathy for the Jewish suffering.

How anyone can equate ANYTHING that is happening in the United States to the Nazi gas chambers is willfully uninformed at best and in complete denial at worst.

Well, the worst would be if you’re a Jew hating, Holocaust denier.

I’ve been accused of “drinking the Kool-Aid,” which I haven’t, but using the Holocaust and gas chambers to prove a point about the current haphazard handling of illegal immigration is way worse than anything I’ve been drinking lately.

Governors up for Reelection

[This article was updated on 3/14/25]

Of the fifty current Governors, 27 are Republicans, and 23 are Democrats.

In politics, it’s never too early to start planning.

Governors are the chief executive officers of their state government and control the day-to-day governmental business. A majority of governors also have the authority to appoint state court judges as well, so your vote for Governor is as important as your vote for President.

All but two of the fifty Governors serve four-year terms — the governors of New Hampshire and Vermont serve two-year terms.

To contact your Governor, click here.

Below are the Governors up for reelection in alphabetical order by political party, reelection year, and state.

Democrats up for reelection in November 2025:

New Jersey: Phil Murphy (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) (Not running due to term limit) Term ends January 20, 2026

Republicans up for re-election in November 2025:

Virginia: Glenn Youngkin (4-year term, 1 consecutive term limit) (Not running due to term limit) Term ends January 17, 2026

Democrats up for reelection in November 2026:

Arizona: Katie Hobbs (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 24, 2027

California: Gavin Newsom (4-year term, 2 term limit) (Not running due to term limit) Term ends January 4, 2027

Colorado: Jared Polis (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 12, 2027

Connecticut: Ned Lamont (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 6, 2027

Hawaii: Josh Green (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends December 7, 2026

Illinois: J.B. Pritzker (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 11, 2027

Kansas: Laura Kelly (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 11, 2027

Maine: Janet Mills (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 6, 2027

Maryland: Wes Moore (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 20, 2027

Massachusetts: Maura Healey (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 7, 2027

Michigan: Gretchen Whitmer (4-year term, 2 term limit) (Not running due to term limit) Term ends January 1, 2027

Minnesota: Tim Walz (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 4, 2027

New Mexico: Michelle Lujan Grisham (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 1, 2027

New York: Kathy Hochul (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 1, 2027

Oregon: Tina Kotek (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit/1 term pause) Term ends January 11, 2027

Pennsylvania: Josh Shapiro (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 19, 2027

Rhode Island: Daniel McKee (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 5, 2027

Wisconsin: Tony Evers (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 4, 2027

Republicans up for reelection in November 2026:

Alabama: Kay Ivey (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 18, 2027

Alaska: Mike Dunleavy (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends December 7, 2026

Arkansas: Sarah Huckabee Sanders (4-year term, 2 term limit) Term ends January 12, 2027

Florida: Ron DeSantis (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) (Not running due to term limit) Term ends January 5, 2027

Georgia: Brian Kemp (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) (Not running due to term limit) Term ends January 11, 2027

Idaho: Brad Little (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 4, 2027

Iowa: Kim Reynolds (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 12, 2027

Nebraska: Jim Pillen (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 7, 2027

Nevada: Joe Lombardo (4-year term, 2 term limit) Term ends January 4, 2027

New Hampshire: Kellye Ayotte (2-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 11, 2027

Ohio: Mike DeWine (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 11, 2027

Oklahoma: Kevin Stitt (4-year term, 2 term limit) Term ends January 11, 2027

South Carolina: Henry McMaster (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 13, 2027

South Dakota: Kristi Noem (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 4, 2027

Tennessee: Bill Lee (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends January 16, 2027

Texas: Greg Abbott (4-year term, no term limit) Term ends January 19, 2027

Vermont: Phil Scott (2-year Term, no term limit) Term ends January 11, 2027

Wyoming: Mark Gordon (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit/1 term pause) Term ends January 4, 2027

Democrats up for reelection in November 2027:

Kentucky: Andy Beshear (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit) Term ends December 7, 2027

Republicans up for reelection in November 2027:

Mississippi: Tate Reeves (4-year term, 2 term limit) (Not running due to term limit) Term ends January 11, 2028

Democrats up for reelection in November 2028:

Delaware: Matt Meyer (4-year term, 2 term limit)

North Carolina: Josh Stein (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit)

Washington: Bob Ferguson (4-year term, no term limit)

Republicans up for reelection in November 2028:

Indiana: Mike Braun (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit/1 term pause)

Louisiana: Jeff Landry (4-year Term, 2 consecutive term limit)

Missouri: Mike Kehoe (4-year term, 2 term limit)

Montana: Greg Gianforte (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit/2 term pause) (Not running due to term limit)

North Dakota: Kelly Armstrong (4-year term, 2 term limit)

Utah: Spencer Cox (4-year term, no term limit)

West Virginia: Patrick Morrisey (4-year term, 2 consecutive term limit)

Secretaries of State – a State-by-State Breakdown

[This article was updated 12/7/24]

Secretaries of state can’t single-handedly change an election’s results, but they can undermine and disrupt the process and the system in undemocratic ways.

Knowing your secretaries of state can help you better understand your state’s election procedures and make you a more informed voter.

And keeping up with your secretary of state’s policy actions, especially election-related ones, can help ensure accountability.

The secretary of state is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States.

In three states, there is no secretary of state, so the lieutenant governors perform those duties: Alaska (Republican, Nancy Dahlstrom), Hawaii (Democrat, Sylvia Luke), and Utah (Republican, Deidre Henderson).

Of the 50 current Secretaries of State or Lt. Governors, 28 are Republican, and 22 are Democrats.

In 35 states, the secretary of state is elected by the people and serves a four-year term, except for Vermont, which serves a two-year term.

In the other 12 states, the secretary of state is appointed by either the Governor or the state legislature. Maine and New Hampshire General Courts select their secretaries of state for two-year terms.

Below is a state-by-state breakdown of secretaries of state by voter elected or governor/legislator appointed, political party, state, and reelection year where applicable:

DEMOCRATS UP FOR REELECTION IN NOVEMBER 2026

Arizona (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 4, 2027)
Adrian Fontes
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Consecutive Terms

California (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 4, 2027)
Shirley Weber
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Terms

Colorado (Voter Elected): (Can’t run due to term limits) (Term ends January 12, 2027)
Jena Griswold
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Consecutive Terms

Connecticut: (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 6, 2027)
Stephanie Thomas
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Illinois (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 11, 2027)
Alexi Giannoulias
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Massachusetts (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 6, 2027)
William Galvin
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Michigan (Voter Elected): (Can’t run due to term limits) (Term ends January 1, 2027)
Jocelyn Benson
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Terms

Minnesota (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 4, 2027)
Steve Simon
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Nevada: (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 4, 2027)
Cisco Aguilar
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Terms

New Mexico: (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2027)
Maggie Toulouse Oliver
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Consecutive Terms

Rhode Island (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 7, 2027)
Gregg Amore
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Consecutive Terms

Vermont (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2027)
Sarah Copeland Hanzas
Two-year term
Term limit: None

Wisconsin (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2027)
Douglas La Follette
Four-year term
Term limit: None

REPUBLICANS UP FOR REELECTION IN NOVEMBER 2026

Alabama (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 18, 2027)  
Wes Allen
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Consecutive Terms

Arkansas (Voter Elected): (Can’t run due to term limits) (Term ends January 12, 2027)
John Thurston
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Terms

Georgia (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 11, 2027)
Brad Raffensperger
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Idaho (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 4, 2027)
Phil McGrane
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Indiana (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2027)
Diego Morales
Four-year term
Term limit: Eight out of twelve years

Iowa (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2027)
Paul Pate
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Kansas (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 11, 2027)
Scott Schwab
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Nebraska (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 7, 2027)
Bob Evnen
Four-year term
Term limit: None

North Dakota (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2027)
Michael Howe
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Ohio (Voter Elected): (Can’t run due to term limits) (Term ends January 1, 2027)
Frank LaRose
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Consecutive Terms

South Carolina (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 13, 2027)
Mark Hammond
Four-year term
Term limit: None

South Dakota (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 4, 2027)
Monae Johnson
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Consecutive Terms

Wyoming (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 4, 2027)
Chuck Gray
Four-year term
Term limit: None

NO DEMOCRATS ARE UP FOR REELECTION IN NOVEMBER 2027

REPUBLICANS UP FOR REELECTION IN NOVEMBER 2027

Kentucky (Voter Elected): (Can’t run due to term limits) (Term ends January 3, 2028)
Michael Adams
Four-year term
Term limit: Two Consecutive Terms

Louisiana (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 10, 2028)
Nancy Landry
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Mississippi (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 6, 2028)
Michael D. Watson, Jr
Four-year term
Term limit: None

DEMOCRATS UP FOR REELECTION IN NOVEMBER 2028

North Carolina (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2029)
Elaine Marshall
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Oregon (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2029)
Tobias Read
Four-year term
Term limit: Eight years in a 12-year period

Washington (Voter Elected): (Term ends December 13, 2028)
Steve Hobbs
Four-year term
Term limit: None

REPUBLICANS UP FOR REELECTION IN NOVEMBER 2028

Missouri (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2029)
Denny Hoskins
Four-year term
Term limit: None

Montana (Voter Elected): (Can’t run due to term limits) (Term ends January 1, 2029)
Christi Jacobsen
Four-year term
Term limit: Two terms in a 16-year period

West Virginia (Voter Elected): (Term ends January 1, 2029)
Kris Warner
Four-year term
Term limit: None

DEMOCRAT SECRETARIES OF STATE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR OR STATE LEGISLATURE

Delaware (Governor Elected)
Jeffrey W. Bullock: Assumed Office on 1/21/09
Length of Term: Serves at the pleasure of the Governor
Term limit: None

Maine (Legislator Elected)
Shenna Bellows: Assumed Office on 1/4/21
Length of Term: Two Years
Term limit: Four Consecutive Terms

Maryland (Governor Elected)
Susan Lee: Assumed Office on 1/18/23
Length of Term: Serves at the pleasure of the Governor
Term limit: None

New Jersey (Governor Elected)
Tahesha Way: Assumed Office on 6/1/18
Length of Term: Serves a term coterminous with the Governor
Term limit: None

New York (Governor Elected)
Walter T. Mosley: Assumed Office on 5/22/24
Length of Term: Until the end of the term of the governor by whom s/he was appointed and until his or her successor is appointed and has qualified
Term limit: None

REPUBLICAN SECRETARIES OF STATE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR OR STATE LEGISLATURE
Florida (Governor Elected)
Cord Byrd: Assumed Office on 5/17/22
Length of Term: Serves at the pleasure of the Governor
Term limit: None

New Hampshire (Legislator Elected)
David Scanlan: Assumed Office on 1/10/22
Length of Term: Two Years
Term limit: None

Oklahoma (Governor Elected)
Josh Cockroft: Assumed Office on 9/15/23
Length of Term: Four Years
Term limit: None

Pennsylvania (Governor Elected)
Al Schmidt: Assumed Office on 6/29/23
Length of Term: Serves at the pleasure of the Governor
Term limit: None

Tennessee (Legislator Elected)
Tre Hargett: Assumed Office on 1/15/09
Length of Term: Four Years
Term limit: None

Texas (Governor Elected)
Jane Nelson: Assumed Office on 1/5/23
Length of Term: Serves concurrent with the appointing Governor
Term limit: None

Virginia (Governor Elected)
Kelly Gee: Assumed Office on 8/30/23
Length of Term: Four years
Term limit: None