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Top of Mind Thursday – June 19, 2025: The World Watches
Dear Linda,
Last Friday, after 20 months of ongoing attacks from Iran and its proxies, Israel finally struck back—hitting Iranian military officers, drone and missile launchers, and nuclear sites.
What caused the IDF to move now? The consensus that Iran was extremely close to having nuclear weapons. In fact, there was concern, they were about ready to add nuclear warheads to the ballistic missiles they have been lobbing at Israel since the weekend.
In retaliation, Iran has send over 400 missiles and 1000 drones into Israel. Amazingly, all of the drones and about 94% of the missiles were intercepted or failed to hit their targets. Some, however, did land in civilian areas, killing 24 Israelis (including Israeli Arabs), and injuring more than 200 people. In addition, missile hits to residential buildings have left over 5000 Israelis homeless.
Yesterday, a newer missile, containing cluster munitions (illegal according to international law) severely damaged a civilian hospital in Be’er Sheva. Luckily, the hospital had been evacuated so there were no deaths.
As bad as the Iranian attacks have been, the thought of what would have happened had these missiles been carrying nuclear warheads is frightening.
While Israel has focused on military targets and warned civilians to leave potential target areas, Iran’s attacks have been almost entirely focused on civilian residential areas, businesses, and a hospital—and they come without warning. In Gaza, hospitals are often used as cover for Hamas headquarters and munitions storage underneath. In Israel, a hospital really is just that—only a hospital.
Since October 7, 2023, the media and world leaders have pushed back on Israel’s efforts to root out Hamas, without noting that Hamas uses its own people as human shields. When Iran hit Israeli civilian targets this week, the response from the world was at best subdued, and in many places nonexistent.
While the world sits back quietly watching and waiting, Israeli forces are working hard to dismantle a threat not just to their country, but to the entire Western world. Donald Trump may send in American forces to help eliminate the nuclear threat. . . or he may just sit back and watch Israel do their thing.
Meanwhile, the Iranian people are watching too. After nearly a half century of a repressive regime that has slaughtered too many of its own people, they’re ready for a new day. Let’s hope the world does not disappoint them.
Check out our marketing leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – June 12, 2025: Cold as ICE
Across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials (ICE) are conducting raids to capture and deport undocumented immigrants.
While the original intent was to deport dangerous criminals, it now appears many of these raids are targeted at any Latino immigrants—whether or not they have the legal status to be in the United States.
Video footage of anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles shows a Waymo set on fire, someone throwing rocks at police vehicles, and protesters scuffling with police. Next thing you know, the president called in the National Guard and the Marines to keep order.
From watching mainstream media, you’d think all of LA was on fire. But in actuality, the disruption was limited to a small part of the city and pretty much under control before the military arrived. The Marines deployed to LA appear to be sitting around, waiting for something to happen, rather than engaged in any important activity.
Meanwhile, similar protests have broken out in various cities around the country, including Seattle, Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Indianapolis, St Louis, Philadelphia, Columbus, Detroit, and Raleigh. While the administration is calling out California, many of these locations are in red states. Will the government send in the military to all of these places?
This morning, Alex Padilla, a US senator from California, was knocked down, handcuffed, and forcibly removed from a briefing in LA given by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Video of the event shows Padilla appropriately identified himself as a US senator before being dragged out of the event. His comment afterwards: If this is how they treat a US senator, can you imagine how they treat a farmhand or other blue collar worker?
We’ve had a problem with the border: That’s been resolved. We’ve had migrant criminals who came here illegally: They’re being deported. There are demonstrators who cross the line from free speech to hate speech and acts of terror: They’re being arrested.
Anyone who causes damage to people or property should be arrested and prosecuted. But right now anyone who is Latino appears to be fair game for ICE. Going after people because they are Latino (or any other ethnic minority) is not just inhumane and illegal: it makes bad business sense. And it makes you wonder who will they come after next? If it’s not you, is it someone you know?
If that thought sends a shudder down your spine, you’re in good company.
Check out our marketing leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – June 5, 2025: No, We’re Not OK
Last Sunday, a radicalized Egyptian immigrant attacked a peaceful group of Jewish men and women walking through Boulder, CO in a weekly march to call attention to the plight of the Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The terrorist shouted, “End Zionists” and “Free Palestine” as he lit people on fire with molotov cocktails—injuring 16 people, several quite seriously.
As bad as this incident was, it could have been much worse. When captured, the man was found to have another 16 bottles of flammable liquid he didn’t get to throw. He also said he’d tried to get automatic weapons, but because he had overstayed his visa, that wasn’t possible.
This was the third major incident in less than two months: A terrorist tried to burn down the PA Governor’s Mansion on Passover, and two weeks ago, two young staffers from the Israeli embassy were gunned down in cold blood as they left a diplomatic event.
It seems like random attacks on Jewish people are becoming more and more common—and more and more accepted. While the FBI immediately labeled the Boulder attack terrorism, most of the news media avoided doing so for hours and hours. What was his motive, they asked. Listen to the video. He told you exactly what his motive was, as well as the fact he’d planned this attack for over a year.
Given what we’ve seen over the last 20 months since Hamas brutally attacked Israel, these attacks are shocking but not surprising. Jewish students have been threatened and attacked on college campuses, synagogues and Jewish centers have had to cancel events and harden security, and now terror attacks are happening in random places across the country on a regular basis.
Even worse, has been the response—or lack thereof—of the American public. If this were any other ethnic group, we’d likely see outrage and action taken to prevent further attacks of this nature. In this case, we are too often met with silence.
To those who stand up to support us, we say thank you—your efforts are appreciated. To those who have not bothered to ask the question, let me tell you the answer. No, we are not OK. And we won’t be OK until this type of terror is no longer tolerated.
Here’s the point many people seem to miss. The motto of these jihadists and terrorists is Death to Jews, Death to Israel, Death to America, perhaps not necessarily in that order.
So if we’re not OK, you’re not OK either.
Check out our marketing leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – May 29, 2025: In Short Supply
Thank you. I appreciate your time and effort.
Simple words, but they seem to be quite scarce these days.
I am hearing more and more stories of people engaged in conversations with potential employers, customers, or prospects where all of the sudden the other party disappears. One minute, there’s a healthy discussion. The next—nothing. They’ve been ghosted—sometimes for a week or more; sometimes forever.
Whether or not you choose to work with someone on an ongoing basis, it used to be considered common courtesy to close the loop after an interview or serious discussion. But common courtesy seems to be in short supply in today’s world.
If you’ve taken the time to interview a candidate or potential supplier, how hard it is to let them know you won’t be continuing the process? A short text saying, “Thanks for your time. We’re going in a different direction,” takes less than 30 seconds to compose and send. Yet this makes a world of difference to the person on the other side.
Just as importantly, a little courtesy shows the world you’re a professional. In many industries, people show up again and again over the years. You never know when you might decide you’d like to work with that person in the future. Or, conversely, when you might need something from them.
How many times a day do you encounter someone who would appreciate a kind word? Want to request something extra from a service provider, waitress, or flight attendant? How about asking them how their day is before you tell them how bad they’re making yours?
And when you take the time to meet and interview someone, please, please, please, take the time to acknowledge the interaction and close the loop. They’ll thank you for it.
Check out our marketing leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com