I’m watching C-SPAN, where a panel of so-called experts is discussing the dangers of microplastics. I say “so-called” because one of the panelists is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Yes, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—our Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Yes, the son of Robert Kennedy and the nephew of President Kennedy.

Yes, the conspiracy theorist with the raspy voice.

Yes, the anti-vaccine activist.

Yes, the man who once claimed there’s a link between autism and circumcision.

Oddly enough, I expected Robert to dominate the conversation on microplastics. Instead, he sat quietly—as if he knew something but was afraid to say it.

And that scares the hell out of me.

As if I don’t already have enough to worry about, now microplastics get added to my already crowded plate of anxieties and depressive thoughts. Maybe Robert feels that same weight.

Meanwhile, the actual scientists on the panel paint a grim picture: microplastics are everywhere—in our food, our water, and the air we breathe. They’ve infiltrated our beaches and our cosmetics. They don’t dissolve. And many of them carry toxic chemicals.

Yes, we have a problem.

We’re funding studies on rats ingesting microplastics—but have we seriously begun to measure the damage already done inside the human body?

The panel’s answer: not nearly enough. But we’d better start.

Now, if you’ve read the title of this piece, you might be wondering: what do microplastics have to do with the State of Israel?

Israel faces a different kind of contamination in the United States—one spreading rapidly across social media. Two deeply troubling images are being pushed:

One portrays Bibi as the puppet master controlling President Trump.The other claims that Israel controls the United States itself.

It’s the same old poison—this idea of the tail wagging the dog. These lies have been used to harm Jews for centuries.

And once again, they’re gaining traction.

What’s more troubling is that neither American Jews nor the Israeli government seem to have figured out how to effectively confront them.

Yes, we’ve got problems without solutions.

New threats piling onto an already overloaded plate of fear and uncertainty.

And all of it—every bit of it—is scaring the bejesus out of me.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)