Books of Interest
Website: chetyarbrough.blog
CONFRONTING EVIL (Assessing the Worst of the Worst)
Author: Bill O’Reilly, Josh Hammer
Narrated By: Robert Petkoff
Bill O’Reilly, American conservative commentator, journalist, author, and television host. Josh Hammer, American conservative commentator, attorney, co-author, and columnist.
History taken out of the context of its time often distorts the reality of the past.
“Confronting Evil” is an interesting if not nuanced history of the most notorious leaders in the world. They were responsible for the torture, incarceration, and death of millions. As is true of most if not all histories of famous and infamous leaders, historians and pundits choose facts that reinforce their view of world’ history. Even the best historian is influenced by the time in which they write and their choice of facts.
Nathan Bedford Forest (1821-1877, General in the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.)
One is appalled by the truth of Nathan Bedford Forest’s view of slavery during America’s Civil War. Forest directed the slaughter of people based on the color of their skin. Forest condoned the murder of all who believed in equality of human beings. Forest is considered a hero to some but with the passage of time and a growing belief in human equality, Forest is recognized as a despicable human being by those who know the history of his life and profession. The evidence of science and human accomplishment show that the color of one’s skin is no measure of intelligence or capability. Forest’s mistreatment of slaves and the wealth he created from trading in slaves is reported in this history. By many measures, Forest is shown as an evil person by O’Reilly and Hammer.
The rule of Genghis Kahn is said to have caused the death of 40 million people, an estimated 11% of the global population at his time in history.
Presumed image of Genghis Kahn (1162-1227, Founder and first Khan of the Mongol Empire.)
By some measures, Mao doubled that 40 million number with his “Great Leap Forward”, the “Cultural Revolution”, his labor camp creations, and political purges. Hitler is estimated to have caused the death of 17 million with his genocidal policies while casualties from WWII are estimated at 85 million. Hitler’s antisemitism is born of the same stupidity exhibited by Nathan Bedford Forest in America’s Civil War. The contribution of Jewish society to the world is incalculable.
Mao Zedong (1893-1976) Father of the Peoples Republic of China)
Mao’s great leap forward is estimated to have caused the death of 35 to 45 million citizens. The rule of Stalin is estimated to have caused the death of 20 to 60 million U.S.S.R.’ citizens. Stalin’s takeover of Poland, and the Baltics after WWII and his cruelty is remembered by survivors of his rule.
There are many other evil characters in “Confronting Evil”. In the mind of westerners, the current leaders of Iran and Russia are evil. The leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini is estimated to have ordered deaths of Iranians that exceed 250,000 since his takeover in 1979. Though he has passed, the succession of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has carried on with tens of thousands who have died in Iran’s involvement with Hamas in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon. The predecessor of the religious leaders of Iran was Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi who reigned from 1941-1970. Pahlavi is estimated to have murdered 3,000 to 20,000 during his reign. These leaders ruled over an impoverished state but incomes per capita fell from $34,660 during the Shah’s reign to $3,150 under Khomeini’s rule. An irony is that income inequality hugely increased in Iran during Khomeini’s rule. Nuanced reality is that poverty and victimization of Iranians is more widely spread under Khomeini than under the former Shah. On an economic scale it appears Khomeini’s evil as a leader exceeds the Shah’s rule. Added to the economic difference is the religious zealotry of Khomeini which widened the gap of sexual inequality in Iran.
Ruhollah Khomeini (1st Supreme Leader of Iran, 1979-1989)
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Current leader of Iran.)
The authors address the illicit drug industry and the evil of Pablo Escobar in Columbia and “El Chapo” Guzmán in Mexico. Escobar was killed in 1993 when pursued by drug enforcement officers while Guzmán is serving a life sentence in the U.S. The drug industry continues to thrive despite the harm it is doing to America and the world. The leaders of the criminal drug industry care nothing for the consequence of their actions because of the wealth and power the illicit trade offers.
Pablo Escobar (now deceased) noted on the left with “El Chapo”(arrested and imprisoned in America) on the right.
The last two chapters of “Confronting Evil” offer a pithy definition of evil. Evil is defined as doing harm without remorse. One doubts any of the leaders noted by the authors have or had any remorse for the atrocities they have committed. Whether they rationalize their behavior for the good of their people, their religion, or their country—they are evil by O’Reilly and Hammer’s definition. One doubts any of the leaders noted in “Confronting Evil” are remorseful.
One asks oneself, what leaders in the world today have remorse for the incarcerations, torture, and killings for which they are responsible? What remorse is there in Putin’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s, and even our American President’s thoughts?
REVIEWS AND VIEWS OF LIFE 
The Trump 2.0 Team during this current war which requires the unconditional surrender of the 1979 Islamic Revolution – STRIKE 3 YOU’RE OUT. It’s called “Blow Back” which the Neo Con opposition so conveniently ignores 9/11. Remember the 2016 GOP Primaries where Trump swept the Neo Con Jeb Bush wimp floor with the reminder of the Bush II invasion of Iraq which did not attack the US, had no weapons of mass destruction. In the lead-up to the invasion, Neo Con Tucker Carlson vocally supported the Cheney/BushII invasion of Iraq. He argued that the U.S. needed to remove Saddam Hussein.
Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson served as the Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell during the lead-up to the Iraq War.
Assimilated Jeffrey Sachs, who married a non Jewish woman – the two primary conditions by which the T’NaCH and Talmud define 2nd Sinai commandment – avoda zara – framed U.S. strategies in WWII, including the bombings of Dresden and Tokyo, within a context of total war where large-scale civilian casualties justified as “regrettable but necessary”. In stark contrast, Sachs condemns Israel’s military actions following the October 7, 2023 surprise attack massacre of over 1200 Israelis murdered in one day and two year torture of Israeli hostages held in Hamas tunnels as a violation of “international law”, where he unilaterally decided that Israel deliberately targeted civilians.
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We live in a tit for tat world. It seems it is always whose ox is getting gored. The loser is everyone left alive.
Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS
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Ron Paul calls it: “Blow Back”.
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A foreign‑policy civil war inside the American right
Neo-Con opposition to Trump 2.0 Campaigned “to stop all wars”. Meaning eternal wars – Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan wars – his primary concern. To sum up Trump 2.0 טוב מיעט ממיעט טוב – Better a little good, than allot not good. Better a reliable Israeli ally than a lot of EU back stabbers. Trump 2.0 remembers the Yom Kippur oil embargo and the recent BRICS replacement policy. His destruction of both Venezuela and Iranian oil threats defines his vision of America First.
Neo Con vs. Trump 2.0: Two very different foreign‑policy traditions now coexist — and clash — inside the American right. Neo‑conservatism emerged in the late 20th century and became especially influential after 9/11. Bush campaigned against the US maintaining a “Nation Building” Foreign Policy. VP ‘Dick’ Chaney defines the Neo Con agenda. The Democrat Clinton/Obama Administrations both promoted the Bush 1.0 ”New World Order” international alliance as the Top US strategic foreign policy.
Neo-Con notions of spreading “the Good News” & “converting” foreign nations to embrace “democracy and democratic values” negates the classic foreign policy of trading with foreign nations as the central theme of Strategic US Foreign policy. Prior to the post WWII Pax American Empire, virtually all US Administrations focused upon building Universities rather than selling military equipment to foreign nations. Candace Owens expressed support for the post-9/11 invasion of Iraq, a necessary action in response to terrorism. Hashtag rapid rate opinionism. The USS Liberty no black Americans killed; yet hashtag Owens jabbers about the USS Liberty as if an event 22 years before her birth qualifies as a MAJOR black American issue today.
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PM Begin returned Sinai & PM Sharon returned Gaza because neither this nor that lands – Sinai nor Gaza – not included within the borders of either the First or Second Republic. Tucker Carlson Neo Con ideology rejects the leadership of Team Trump.
The Labor leader in this pic,(see home page) has no more reliable ability to capture the Premiership than the Neo Cons convince President Trump that he should embrace their eternal war, US policeman of the Planet – Neo Con tenets of faith! The clip below, therefore represents a blood libel. PM Begin returned Sinai & PM Sharon returned Gaza because neither this nor that – Sinai nor Gaza – included within the borders of either the First or Second Republic. Both Bush 1 & 2, Clinton, Obama, Hillary, Pelosi etc defined their vision of the New World Order as – promoting multilateralism, international alliances, and global cooperation. Not so Team Trump’s America First.
All nations throughout history, shape and determine their international borders – based upon Wars either won or lost. The 1846 Mexican American war definitively proves this fact. The Youtube propaganda “Israel’s borders not set in stone”, confuses the stone Sinai tablets with the international borders of the Jewish state! Post ’67 UN 242 England and France attempted to determine the international boundaries, and location of Israel’s Capital. Post ’73 Yom Kippur War both England and France criticized UN 338’s “failure” to directly mention a Palestinian state. UN 2334, Obama followed this “Leash -line”, hostile European imperialism!
Israel as a nation, our wars determine our borders. No different than that of North Ireland “illegally occupied” (a propaganda language) by Britain. Its not the place of the UN or any country who does not share a common border with Israel, to presume that they predetermine Israeli strategic diplomacy. Israel shares nothing in common with Calvinist predetermination dogmatism. Pie in the Sky “International Law” does not determine legality or illegality of wars won or lost. War, defined by risk and consequences.
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