By Sanford Goodkin

John Kelly's new book, The Great Mortality,  is about the black plague, which he considers the second greatest catastrophe in human record; the first being WWII. Both are related as to the slaughter of the Jews as scapegoats, in the continuing question of Jewish people asking God, "why?"

The black plague was often blamed on the Jews because they didn't suffer the fatalities of the rest of the populations, therefore, they must have caused it. Many Jew-haters blame the Jews for anything; my Grandparents and Dad escaped from the Russian Cossacks because the Russian peasants blamed the Jews for starvation, the Czar's greed, the killing of Christ, and bad weather. Before WWII, Europeans would blame the Jews for their various defeats, any humiliation and oh yes, the killing of Christ.

Both of these catastrophes were Christian in background and blame. Millions suffered death because of Hitler or because of  earlier "holy" people who loved and worshipped a Jew,  but hated his people. That litany is still with us, except not as terrible—so far.

Another book, a very good one, by Edwin Black, Banking on Baghdad, Inside Iraq's 7000-Year History of War, Profit, and Conflict, gives us incredible detail on Mesopotamia, Iraq, Islam, the Mongols and the Ottomans, and the history of centuries of war over the shifting sands of idiocy and power. There was never a time of non-volatility as friends were temporary and enemies inevitable. 

Americans, who are not in touch with history, are doomed to have it repeated, as they grow complacent that this "pharaoh" knows and loves them. Iraq is our latest mistake and thousands have died because of it. I'm waiting for this administration's Jewish neo-cons to be blamed for this
misadventure. Why not, it's always happened before?

Of course, the punishment of Jews transcends religions, as God seems to make certain that there can never be complacency among the chosen people. As I have often written, if it weren't for anti-Semitism and persecution, the Jews would have probably disappeared with their complacency . The irony of Jews—not Judaism— is that each pogrom brought us together as comfort created the excuse for assimilation. Jews are taught to await their next surprise. Which of us will be the "remnant" this time, ladies and gentlemen, get your guesses in.

Read these books so that you learn history and don't get too comfortable.