FRED TALK - Before I get to the rogues gallery above---Nithya Raman; Hasan Piker; Abdul El-Sayed; Yasser Arafat---I want to tell you a story of what it means to [be] a real American. We are an immigrant country of all colors and races which makes us unique and very special in the world. It makes no difference how you or your ancestors got here and how they became citizens--you are all American. Every night on the last 5 minutes of every national news show, there is a segment which is called there is good news tonight--Americans helping each other with acts of kindness, love and generosity --irrespective of race, religion, color or creed. That's who we are and who we aspire to be. Wherever I travel in this country, I am always asked the same question, why can't we talk to each other any more? My grandparents came here at the turn of the last century in steerage in hope of a better life--to escape the pogroms in Russia and I realize how lucky I am that they did that.
It's a story that everyone needs to be reminded of with the rise of antisemitism in our city and our country and remind us who we are and what American values are. Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds was an American soldier (not Jewish) who defied a Nazi Camp commandant. He was the highest ranking American non-commissioned officer at a POW camp in Germany in January, 1945. The German commander ordered all Jewish American prisoners to step forward and the German officer put a pistol to his head and demanded he identify the roughly 200 Jews in the ranks of about 1,000 men. Edmonds replied "We are all Jews here" and ordered all 1,000 of his men to step forward and they did. The German officer backed down and walked away thus saving the lives of the Jewish-American prisoners. That's being American. Does anyone think El-Sayed, in the same position, would do that? I don't---he's a TOXIC candidate. Yesterday on Face the Nation, he would not even distance himself from Piker or condemn his bigoted antisemitic rhetoric. Piker is both a bigot and a coward with a podcast--an unqualified LOSER who makes a living delivering hate speech. Yesterday, Piker defended his G-d-given right to say how much he hates America--which leads to 2 questions--1. Why is he here (probably because he likes his house in the Hollywood Hills) and he's trying to see if he can follow in the steps of Father Coughlin (notice how history keeps repeating itself) and 2. How can a candidate for US senate not distance himself from this piece of human slime---something, you would wipe off the bottom of your shoe. My dad had a name for people like El-Sayed..."Schmuck with earlaps" and the Democratic party needs to distance itself from him. As I wrote above, he's a TOXIC candidate---no excuse. Nithya of course went on Piker's podcast--her right to do--but she becomes tainted by what he stands for and you are judged by the company you keep. She clearly has no ability or talent or intelligence to be elected to City Hall.
The Socialists of America (my name for them--to be clear, the label they use does not make them democrats) of course keep repeating Free Palestine---although I'm not sure that has any relevance in governing Los Angeles which is an economic mess or fixing the homeless problem--but it is a deflection from facing reality. I'm all for freeing Palestine --but from Hamas which is a death cult, whose main purpose seems to be killing Jews wherever they are. They masquerade as freedom fighters-but when billions of dollars are spent on building tunnels instead of improving the lives of the people you are governing, then you must acknowledge that all you are is a terrorist organization. Bill Maher said it best on his show last Friday night (which you can see on youtube). What's going on Gaza is a war--it's not genocide. Genocide comes with ovens, crematoriums, stripping people down to be naked and shooting and murdering men, women and children and throwing their bodies into pits, and putting them in box cars with no food, ventilation or sanitary facilities for days. War is not surgical--and no one can be happy with innocent people being casualties of war. But let's be clear, October 7 was the beginning and Hamas slaughtered, raped and maimed innocent civilians--not sure if most of you are aware of that if you get your news from TikTok. No country is perfect and Israel certainly isn't but instead of focusing on Israel's response--ask the following question--what did America do after Towers came down and almost 3,000 people were killed on 9/11 and what would the US have done if October 7 happened at Coachella. Reminder--Israel gave Gaza back to the Palestinians in 2005 and left all their greenhouses for growing vegetables and flowers in tact. What did Hamas do--they destroyed them. The American International School (misnomer--not run by Americans) was physically destroyed by Islamic fundamentalists. It takes two to make peace. Disarm Hamas and maybe a two-state solution is possible. World War 2 required unconditional surrender of both Germany and Japan. While Hamas remains, there can never be peace. (I suggest you all watch Season 5 of Fauda).
Yasser Arafat was a terrorist who could not and would not make peace when given the opportunity. He was offered a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as the capital in 2000 by Clinton and Israel and turned it down. There could have been a two-state solution 26 years ago--it's too bad no one remembers history. The upshot, when he died, his wife moved to Paris and now lives in Malta--but why let facts interfere with this bs narrative. As to Gays for Hamas, if you announce you are going to Gaza, your life insurance policy will be cancelled.
To be continued!!
PS. Celebrities do get press--but for people like Mark Ruffalo, Macklemore and other celebrities, they are better off letting other people write their words. They know not for what they speak.
(Fredric D. Rosen is a retired businessman and former CEO of Ticketmaster, where he led the company for 16 years and transformed it into the world’s leading ticketing service. He has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, offering leadership across both private enterprise and charitable initiatives. With decades of experience in business and civic engagement, Rosen brings a seasoned perspective to issues at the intersection of commerce, culture, and community.)
