Was an 'America' Worth a 'Gaza?'
When we traded baseball cards on the playground, there was always a premium to be paid for getting an all-star (or, for me, Reggie Jackson).
Reggie was my absolute favorite. Watching his performance in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series is something that still excites me beyond words. When an original pack of baseball cards from 1986 ended up in my stocking at Christmas, the feeling of excitement that gripped me so many times from March to June (I usually stopped buying cards after school ended) in my childhood returned. Holding the pack, I wondered: Would I get a Reggie card?
In all the years I have collected baseball cards, I only once got a Reggie card straight out of an unclosed pack. On the playground, my schoolmates knew I would offer many cards to trade for Mr. October. As tough as the trades were, though, I was ready to give up 22 cards in 1978 to a hard-driving Thomas Pitcher (I wonder where Thomas is these days?). Giving away so much, so many players of little or no value to me, was worth it. However, Thomas pushed my loyalty to Reggie by demanding four Yankees: Bucky Dent, Graig Nettles, Mickey Rivers, and Ron Guidry — the loss of the Guidry card would only hit me later after Louisiana Lighting (Guidry’s nickname) had one of the best seasons for a pitcher in the modern era.
In 1979, Thomas demanded 25 cards, but I stood firm and refused. After a few days of back-and-forth, he dropped the price in cards to 15, but I declined anyway. As much as I wanted the Reggie card, I decided that Thomas needed to understand there was a point beyond which I could not go. Refusing the card in 1979 strengthened my bargaining position for the 1980 season.
Now, here we are. Two weeks into Trump 2.0, and things are as bad as we expected. Egg prices are going up — after all, it was about egg prices, right? — and there have been two plane crashes after Trump cleaned house at the FAA and TSA. Beyond learning that Trump’s intentions to end our democracy are real, we also found out that seven million Americans who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 didn’t vote in 2024.
Some of those people didn’t vote because they didn’t like Harris. Some didn’t vote because they didn’t think Trump could win. Others didn’t vote because they had a rough night of sleep or were in the middle of a bad year. Many Americans, however, and especially younger voters and voters of Muslim origin in Michigan, didn’t vote because they wanted to punish the Democrats for the war. Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel was waging against Hamas in Gaza. One representative in particular should be reminded daily what we think of her: Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Tlaib led the charge against VP Harris and indirectly for Trump.
Tlaib’s ignorant strategy to punish the Biden administration, and in turn, the American nation, for the country’s support of Israel would be similar to me bringing to the playground at school my thousands of baseball cards and demanding Thomas give me a Reggie for a fair price. Otherwise, I would set all of my cards, beginning from 1973 onward, on fire right there in front of him. Indeed, there would be some cards Thomas needed in my collection.
The reason Thomas always had a Reggie was that, for every pack I purchased, he bought 10. I had maybe a thousand cards in my collection, and he had, by 1980, 22,000! He had them all categorized, alphabetized, and ordered in ways I never could or would’ve. Surely, seeing my a thousand cards in flames would get him to make a fair trade with me — after all, Thomas was more focused on numbers and less on the emotional value of the cards.
I never burned my cards, and the scenario above never happened. I would never cut my nose off to spite my face, but the Americans who exiled our democracy to the Pinelands of New Jersey need to ask themselves before the mid-terms in 2026: Was an America with its 50 states and influence on the entire world worth a Gaza?
As horrific as the violence perpetrated by Israel against Gazans was, I want to say no. Gaza was not worth it. Some think that maybe Democrats will act differently in the future should another Gaza happen. If Trump succeeds in doing what he plans to do, there won’t be another opportunity for Democrats to influence U.S. policy.
Nope, Thomas, it’s just not worth it.