Israel’s war in Gaza is chipping away at so much of what we – in the United States but also internationally – had agreed upon as acceptable, from the rules governing our freedom of speech to the very laws of armed conflict. It seems no exaggeration to say that the foundation of the international order of the last 77 years is threatened by this change in the obligations governing our legal and political responsibilities to each other.
I think you thought you offended some folks with an endearing phrase. My whole life I have heard it used and I’ve used it myself as a synonym of “friend” or otherwise respectable reference to someone. Quick online check agrees.