ONE YEAR LATER: Israel today commemorated the one-year anniversary of the October 7^th attack in which Hamas militants from Gaza massacred 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages.

  Israelis gathered at the site of the musical festival where hundreds were killed. As they mourned the dead, explosions sounded in the distance as the military continued its attacks on Hamas.

  It’s been a year of war without resolution with much of Gaza reduced to rubble and the fighting expanded into Lebanon against the Hezbollah militants who’ve been attacking Israel in support of Hamas. As many as 40,000 people, most of them noncombatants, have been killed in Gaza. About 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza.

  The Israeli military has lost 728 soldiers in the process and Israel is now in danger of war with Iran, which supports both Hamas and Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sworn that he will not relent until Hamas no longer exists.

  In the past year the politics of the conflict have spread around the world with Israel losing the moral high ground as it presses the destruction of Gaza. American college campuses have been the scene of protests both for and against Israel. A good many students demand a homeland, a recognized country for Palestinians, the so-called “two-state solution.”

  President Joe Biden in a statement today recalled the tragedy of October 7^th, but also said, “I believe that history will also remember October 7th as a dark day for the Palestinian people because of the conflict that Hamas unleashed that day. Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year of conflict — and tens of thousands have been killed, a human toll made far worse by terrorists hiding and operating among innocent people.”

PATRIOTIC CHOICE: The NY Times editorial board wrote three paragraphs denouncing Donald Trump before giving a tepid endorsement of Kamala Harris for president saying, “regardless of any political disagreements voters might have with her, Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president.”

  They go on, “She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence. Yet we urge Americans to contrast Ms. Harris’s record with her opponent’s.”

  About Trump, the Times editorial says,” He has proved himself temperamentally unfit for a role that requires the very qualities — wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility, discipline — that he most lacks.”

IT’S POLITICAL: Returned to the site of the July attempt on his life,

Donald Trump opened his Saturday speech in Butler, Pennsylvania with, “As I was saying …” 

  Trump spent a good deal of time speaking about and honoring Corey Comperatore, the former volunteer fire chief who was killed during the shooting that only nipped Trump’s ear. Then he returned to his usual fare attacking Kamala Harris, transgender athletes, and illegal immigration.

  Since the destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene, Trump has been waging a campaign of lies about the federal disaster response. Just yesterday Trump told supporters that it could be the “last election” if Democrats remain in the White House.

  He has also said that Georgia’s governor was not able to get President Biden on the telephone … not true and the governor says so.

 Trump has said the Biden-Harris emergency response has received ‘universally’ negative reviews … not true, and certainly not from the state governors.

  Trump has claimed that Harris spent “all her FEMA money’ on housing illegal migrants: “Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country.” That accusation come out of the blue.

  And Trump has charged that the federal government is giving only $750 to people who lost their homes. “And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of.” FEMA has said that the $750 is only the first payment for emergency needs like food, water, and baby supplies. The current maximum for home repairs is $42,500.

BIBLICAL: The Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction who in June ordered public schools to include the Bible in education for grades 5 through 12 has now put out bid specifications for publishers to provide 55,000 Bibles. 

  The specifications call for Bibles that include both the Old and New Testaments, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Bill of Rights, and the US Constitution. The Bibles must also be “bound in leather or leather-like material for durability,” according to state bidding documents. 

  Not many Bibles, except maybe two, meet those specs. It didn’t take a genius to notice that the details match the “We The People Bible” endorsed by Donald Trump and the “God Bless the USA” Bible that Donald Trump has been hawking for $59.99.

  Walters was elected to his post in 2022 on a platform of fighting “woke ideology,” banning some books from school libraries, and getting rid of “radical leftists” who he claims are indoctrinating children in classrooms.

   Walters has taken up the cover story used by right wing Christians that the Bible will be taught as an historical document rather than a religious one.

THE SPIN RACK: The number of dead from Hurricane Helene is now at least 227. —Flames were visible under a Frontier Airlines jet after it made a hard landing in Las Vegas yesterday. The airline says the tires blew out. All 190 passengers and seven crew got off safely. — LeBron and Bronny James became the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bronny never scored and the Lakers lost to Phoenix. — An infestation of bats at a Northern Arizona University dormitory has forced the building to be emptied for the rest of the school year.

BELOW THE FOLD: Nothing to report here about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

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