It’s useful to periodically reflect on the most important moments in history. By chance, I selected a movie entitled “Operation Fatale” to watch on a rainy depressing afternoon.

I knew I would not be in a happy state of mind after viewing yet another story about the worst atrocity perpetrated by man. Basically, Ben Kingsley portrayed the infamous Adolf Eichmann, one of the architects of the Final Solution during the Holocaust. Eichmann was personally responsible for killing thousands of Jews during that period of time. He emigrated to Argentina after the war and took another name hoping to avoid prosecution.

The story line has a group of Israeli operatives planning to kidnap Eichmann from his adopted home in the early 60s. Assassination was not the preferred way to deal with Eichmann. The Israeli government wanted to charge the German murderer in court with all the world watching. The story is made more dramatic as each member of the group shares their war time experiences. They all lost family and friends during the Nazi regime.

The relationship between one operative and Eichmann was the crux of the story. Eichmann played a sympathetic character until his true colors manifested themselves. He was truly a despicable bigot.

Eichmann was captured and transported to Israel where he was adjudicated, convicted and hanged for crimes against humanity. The trial was witnessed by millions around the world.

The movie was excellent even knowing the ultimate outcome beforehand. But, as it is with all movies about the Holocaust, the cruelty, inhumanity and horror of the events leading to Eichmann’s demise are the real story. Unfortunately, the producers of the movie only showed a few of actual scenes from the liberation of Jewish prisoners and the equipment used to kill so many of them. A picture is worth 1,000 words, or six million words in this case.

Looking back, I feel for the Jewish people. Most of my family is Jewish, so I have a vested interest in the discrimination and racism that has tormented this group of people throughout history.

Anti-Semites have always chosen to blame their problems on the Jewish people. Whenever a country has political problems, Jews are often served up as the perpetrators.

Some say the world is jealous of the success of Jewish entrepreneurs. This is a bogus perspective. Yet, anti-Semitism is around us every day. Jews must still look back over their shoulders to protect themselves against cruelty and injustice.

I wish that discrimination directed towards Jews and every other minority group no longer plagued mankind. But, it does. Movies like the aforementioned put everything in perspective for me.

American voters are being inundated with a flood of priorities from the competing political parties. It would be wise if voters considered the various options they have before entering the voting booth. I am suggesting an educational process that will make voter choices more insightful.

Following is a list of major issues that all Americans should be aware of. The selection of candidates could materially impact what our government will do in the near term.

Americans are entitled to be safe from both foreign and domestic threats. I include the horror of a nuclear war with Russia and China, as well as the peril of an overabundance of handguns and automatic weapons in the possession of Americans.

The war in Ukraine has reached a desperate moment for Russia, the Ukrainian people, the US and Europe. Russia and Ukraine forces have already devastated the country, and of course, thousands of deaths and destruction have ensued. The Russians are incurring a great number of casualties. Most people around the world have labelled Putin a war criminal. If the Russian tyrant loses face, he may very well consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons, transforming the hostilities to an existential threat to all of mankind. US leaders must try to temper the actions of Russia before the situation worsens. Providing more advanced weaponry to Ukraine is the most logical path for the US and Europe to follow. The emasculation of Russia should be a high priority.

Americas must consider which party is better equipped to navigate through the Ukraine quagmire.

The US must deal with the scourge of illegal handguns and automatic weapons. It is common knowledge that Americans own more guns by far than any other country per capita. The mere availability of such weaponry is creating a dire threat to our country. Sensible controls, to avoid the weekly tragedies across the country, are critical. We can no longer look past the next slaughter on a campus or at a place of worship, and not say the proliferation of arms isn’t playing a huge role in the destruction of families. Gun ownership is guaranteed by the Constitution. Criminals and mentally ill individuals should not have access to illegal weapons under any circumstances.

Our leaders must have a close eye on the global economic situation. Our way of life and future financial security is based upon effective management of the money supply by the Federal Reserve and indirectly by Congress. Inflation has been caused by over-spending and frivolous entitlements. Congress must rein in new programs that are unaffordable and cancel those that are no longer helpful to the needy. It will be a tough fight in Congress, and we must have a president who is qualified and brave enough to make changes.

Income inequality is tearing our country apart. The affluent are gaining even more ground on the needy. Current and new aid packages need to be evaluated to ensure that poor individuals can eat and find shelter. We should consider decreasing foreign aid and using the funds to decrease poverty and homelessness in America.

Our right of free speech is being threatened every day by censorship, aggressive corporations as part of social media, lobbying groups, radical political forces in Congress and at local levels of our country, teachers, universities, etc. Free speech is not existent unless every American can say what’s on his or her mind, so long as their rhetoric does not result in violence. People’s feelings will be hurt, but our country will be more productive and informed.

Nuclear weapons can end the human race. One demented leader can authorize an attack and the world will be changed for the worst in a heartbeat.

Our leaders must stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The tedious short-term process of preventing the spread of weapons that can kill millions is worth the price. It is outrageous to think that Iran, North Korea and some radical Middle Eastern countries have or will have nuclear capability in the near future.

It’s high time that women have the right to decide about childbirth without interference. Despite efforts to make abortion more difficult in recent months, our country should negotiate a reasonable, fair and morally acceptable compromise that abortion is legal nationwide within a certain period of time after conception. This is the only reasonable way to finally end the efforts of those who want to make choices for other people.

In the same vein, women, all LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color and those impaired physically should be protected against all types of discrimination. There is no logic or reason to prevent any group the right to enjoy liberty and happiness.

It seems to me that our leaders are lying, exaggerating and concealing information that should be made available to all citizens. If a government official is doing something illegal, he or she should be exposed and punished. The past two presidents have lied on numerous occasions. It’s time for truth in government and transparency.

The current administration has continually turned a blind eye towards the thousands of people entering our country illegally. The burden these interlopers have put on our country is massive. We cannot allow anyone to wade across the Rio Grande River and use our resources. It is a plan that will leave our country further in debt. Resources are being used on foreigners instead of needy Americans. Leaders must come up with a comprehensive immigration plan.

My list is long, but I will not be satisfied until all these issues are addressed our government.

We are at a scary moment in history. The three most powerful leaders in the world appear to have lost their minds in response to domestic and international problems. The current predicament could very well lead to hostilities between the parties.

Let’s begin with Joe Biden. The State of the Union address was a farce that was chock full of lies and exaggerations. From his perch in front of all the leaders and legislators in our country, Biden lied about his accomplishments and avoided some of the most important issues that are affecting the US.

One of the most outrageous statements he made was that Republicans are planning to decrease benefits afforded by Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Speaker McCarthy has said numerous times that the aforementioned entitlements were off limits. Biden lied to the American people, and Republican lawmakers interrupted his speech. It was like a moment in British parliament when the members speak out after an untoward comment.

Biden then brushed over several of the most pressing issues facing the nation. They included the fact that we are coming closer to direct confrontation with Russia and China. The US is sending advanced weapons to the Ukraine to repel the Russian advance. At some point this will come to a head and the US will face Russian forces directly. The president should have been more forceful in his support of Ukraine and transparent about the risks of this occurring.

Xi is instructing his military to become more hostile towards the US. Taiwan’s independence is a growing irritant. China is intimidating Taiwan and the US with harsh and threatening rhetoric along with aggressive military activity. The firing of missiles over Taiwan’s airspace is one example.

Biden spent an enormous amount of his time talking about spending more money to pay for college loans, raises for teachers and a plethora of other expenditures that have no chance of passage in the House of Representatives.

The president intentionally ignored the exploding national debt that he exacerbated with inane and ultra progressive expenditures. He clearly drew a line in the sand regarding the US debt limit by saying he would not negotiate with conservatives about unnecessary expenditures. These items are negatively impacting our economy and creating more inflation.

Biden said the US was making progress on our borders. Every negative metric affiliated with illegal immigration is at historical levels. We are being invaded by scores of countries, and assuming responsibility for illegal interlopers. Every state is now a border state that must use precious resources for non-citizens, while homelessness and hunger are increasing in the US.

Biden has completely botched the Police Department controversy. Eliminating and even defunding police in our country is an idiotic objective. Those supporting defunding are in effect backing violence on our streets that includes rampant gun activity, murder, assaults, destruction of property and drug use. We should be increasing training of our brave policemen and women and not damning the whole system when an officer breaks the rules of engagement. The people who have died in illegal attacks by police officers should be remembered in an effort to train those that protect us. Undue force is unacceptable.

Drug use deserves special consideration. The deaths affiliated with illicit drug use are an epidemic. We must secure our borders from illegal entrants and stop the inflow of illegal drugs.

Biden’s performance was pathetic on Tuesday night. He did nothing to allay concerns about his age, his incompetence and inability to lead. It’s sad to say but he lies and is corrupt (along with his antisocial son). More importantly even his own party has been critical of his tenure and most Democrats don’t want him to run for president in 2024.

We are on the verge of war with Russia. The megalomaniac that leads the country is still focused on bringing back the glory days of the Soviet Union. He has made critical errors of judgment regarding the fighting spirit of the Ukraine people. With the assistance of the US and Europe, the Russian army is being challenged and could actually lose the war. How will the hawks in the Russian government and the oligarchs feel about this possibility? Putin will be castigated for not being able to defeat a poor and virtually defenseless country. Putin’s dreams will be dashed.

The major problem is that Russia has threatened to use tactical and strategic nuclear weapons. Does he have the power to unleash these weapons in a fit of desperation? As mentioned earlier, confrontation between the US and Russia is growing every day. Biden should have spent a moment discussing this contingency.

Xi and China are well on the way towards military action against the US. Xi also is losing credibility at home because of the mishandling of COVID. His aggressive actions against demonstrators and stemming free speech is beginning to rub the Chinese people the wrong way. China has overextended its influence in Asia and Africa. It will not be able to sustain such a global strategy. Some experts are already predicting a confrontation between the US and China. We should all hope and pray that Xi’s desperation does not cause him to respond militarily. The spy balloon is yet another slap in the face of the US.

The state of the union is not great, another lie from Biden. He along with his whacky vice president are embarrassing all Americans. The three superpowers have made poor choices that could exacerbate peacekeeping efforts around the world.