Naftali Bennett Pledges to be Friends with Those of Different Views

    The spirit of Naftali Bennett, Israel's new prime minister, is worthy of note.

    "Twice in history, we have lost our national home precisely because the leaders of the generation were not able to sit with one and another and compromise. Each was right, yet with all their being right, they burnt the house down on top of us," Bennett said. "I am proud of the ability to sit together with people of very different views from my own."

   Tolerance for the views of others is a worthy, yet very rare thing in the politics of the world. Peace comes not with a sword, but with an arm tossed around those who sees differently.

If the Foes of a Nation Divide its People, They can Conquer its Spirit

    The peace of a nation depends on its love. A nation where people love each other will not be split by spats between parties. If you can look at your neighbor, and love them -- if you have an earnestness for their welfare -- how far does that go towards bringing peace to your nation?

   How far does it go towards bringing strength? A nation whose people will not be divided will rally together for the challenges it faces. If the foes of that nation cannot divide its people, they cannot conquer its spirit.  

In Addition to Their Being Enemies, Let Them become Friends

  All the protesting we have just gone through: What have we learned from the past that we can take into the future? Those who do not learn from the past usually flunk when they try to take care of the future. We can see the protests got out of hand. We can see the participants of the two sides -- whether protesting or just speaking on social media and such -- were not friendly with each other, casting the other as Satan, himself.

   So, we should seek to create venues for debate that bring respect for each other. I don't know, off top maybe have the two sides enjoy an ice cream social together -- with political discussion off the table for those opening moments -- before they enjoy their debate with each other. Help them build friendships with each other in hopes it will turn down the rancor once the debating does begin. You are kinder to a friend who is your enemy than you are to someone who is your enemy, alone. 

Why Canceling Kids' Cartoons is a Good Idea

    "How about we clean up all the filthy movies," says the Facebook meme, "TV, websites and song lyrics before we cancel food labels, cartoons and kids books!?"

   "Cartoons and kids books need the same care," I reply. "We should be concerned about what our children are watching and reading. I think of candy cigarettes. Would we dismiss them as just candy? I watch some of the Looney Tunes and wonder at the violence in them. This is the entertainment we think good for our children? 

Pledge Them to Play Fair

    Without changing the Constitution, what can we do to help the court system be free from the influence of the other two branches of government? One of the beauties of our form of government is the check-and-balance effect that comes with having the three branches independent of each other, separation of powers, we call it. 

   One, Stick with nine justices. Expanding it would allow the party in power to wield political influence over the court. We already have too much of that. 

   Two, Appeal to  the President and the Senate to seek justices who will seek to stand by the Constitution regardless of politics. Have them take pledges that they will seek out candidates whose only concern is to interpret the law by the words of the law. Make them pledge to seek candidates who will be fair and impartial.

   Three, As the justices are sworn in, pledge them to refuse to be influenced by political influences. Pledge them to look at no more than what the law says, and to keep their decisions tight on ensuring the language of the law determines what their rulings will be.

   These things might not seem much. But, we must do all we can to ensure separation of powers. What little we can do, we should do. Pledging someone to a principle does have its effect. They will be more inclined to play fairly if they are pledged to play fairly.

Donald McGahn is a Man of Integrity

    May Donald McGahn go down in history with the great stature he deserves. Today, the news was all over the release of a transcript of a hearing he had with lawmakers last week. He stood by the Mueller Report. He didn't overly condemn the former president. He was honest. He was charitable towards Trump. There are among our leaders those who do not have great integrity. McGahn is not among them. He does.

Justice Should be Equitable in Capitol and 2020 Riots

   Pick up today's newspaper. Read how Sen. Mike Lee (and four other Republican senators) are protesting that the defendants in the Capitol riot are being prosecuted more vigorously than those who participated in violent protests in 2020.

   Now, one must wonder if the Republican senators have done their homework, that they should even be assuming that justice is not being equally divided. It would seem they should be bringing a list of offenses committed in the 2020 protests and comparing them directly to those of the Capitol protest. Instead, from what I read, the Republican senators mostly ask questions: How many people were arrested for committing crimes during the 2020 riots? Did federal law enforcement officers use geolocation data from defendants' cell phones? How many rioters were released on bail? Etc. 

   Still, Lee and his fellows are right. Justice should be equitable. So great was the fright from our nation's very Capitol having come under attack that we sought urgently  to bring all those offenders to justice. That is not wrong. But, if we were lax in prosecuting those in the 2020 protests -- on both sides of the question -- then we should go back and see if more can be done.