Joshua Burt’s Aug. 8 letter (“New Times is amplifying antisemitism”) ignores the fact that Israel is training with American soldiers—and, I’ve read, even U.S. federal ICE agents. The same cruelty and torture of Gaza prisoners is the present reality of people kidnapped by ICE and locked up in detention centers. There is no way to soften the genocide that the Israeli government is perpetrating on Palestinians. The U.S. administration under President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth believes in cruel brutality as a sign of power. Israel’s social order now demands that the entire population accept grotesque anti-human behavior that includes carpet bombing the territory and illegal settlers killing Palestinians outright in the West Bank, all in the name of safety for Israeli citizens.
Israel is responsible for the U.S. involvement in the Iran war, a war Trump entered without public or congressional approval. Israel’s AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is dumping millions of dollars to support Trump/MAGA Republican candidates across the country so they will not have to face consequences of destroying an entire country, one that was already suffering an apartheid system created by Israel.
I used to believe and repeat Joshua Burt’s point of view until the evidence in every day’s news forced me to reevaluate. I’m sorry for him. The views he has shared with us are from a past of centuries of antisemitism and the Nazi extermination camps during WWII. Unfortunately, a radical right-wing Israeli government learned that lesson too well and consciously chose a path to exterminate Palestinians. They now want to kill Iranians using U.S. bombs and artillery. Nothing justifies the horror inflicted. I’m horrified that the Trump administration is all in on doing the same thing. Mr. Burt should turn his energy to leading the local ADL to publicly protest what Israel is doing and its present relationship with our government and elections. We might then respect what he has to say.
Elizabeth Johnson
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Aug 20-27, 2026.
I agree with Elizabeth Johnson’s response to Mr. Burt’s August 8th letter.
Here are a few more points that backup the facts and data she shared.
Pete Hegseth, Steven Miller and Donald Trump are spreading memes that have the American flag and Israeli Flag blending together, insinuating that the American and Israeli militaries are one Army in their [un]holy crusades against whoever Netanyahu has in his sites, for his next genocide, as in Iran and Lebanon, after his ongoing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank.
And to just state the facts; Netanyahu and his right-wing cabal are genocidal maniacs.
Russell Hodin’s Cartoon is an accurate depiction of the American – Israeli military relationship in 2026.
Netanyahu is a better conman than Trump. Trump was conned by Netanyahu when he called Trump at 3:30 am and scared him into attacking Iran, with as many of our missiles in the attack as possible.
And we are all paying for this Iran War with no plan, and incompetents in charge, who have no care for Human Life.
Netanyahu has been teaching Trump and Hegseth how to genocide. The deadly strike on the Girls School, the first day of the war, had coordinates given by the Israeli PM. That is Netanyahu’s signature, when he starts his genocides.
Don’t forget that D.A. Dan Dow was deployed to Israel, with the National Guard from September 2023 to March of 2024. What kind of technology was Netanyahu teaching the American Law Enforcement, that trained with the IMF for seven months?
The ADL used to be a reputable organization, but now they are just an arm of AIPAC. I wish they would go back to working with us all and peacefully resisting for Equity for All,
We are all here together. So why don’t we all work together striving for Peace, and not supporting Genocide and War.