"GOOD AND CONSTRUCTIVE"

 I am not quite sure as to which dictionary or Roget's thesaurus our esteemed spelling and grammar challenged president is using as his source for terminology within his written and/or oral presentations to the public or even in his supposed private conversations with his 'advisers'. I am indeed quite curious to unearth its title for simply thinking of the fantastical world based on that book and its definitions, life would be more amusing, would it not?     

I must confess however, that I did not use this obviously challenged dictionary during my tenure as an educator in school systems. As such, if I spoke with a faculty member or a student who perhaps needed to modify behavior, it was most definitely not considered a good and constructive discussion if said teacher or student continued with the same behavior. Kinda' make sense, does it not? Hence, we can assume rightfully that this Iranian "respected leader" did not quite get the punch line of these discussions, the supposed results so obviously having no kinship with all that Trump boasted about yesterday. 

The actual result of his obviously unconstructive discussion was his habitual reversal of statements and threats, eliminating his deadlines and resetting them days into the future. Certainly, based on his prior behavior, we can expect further delays of deadlines, further non-compliance with or to or as a result of these deadlines. Hence this peacemaker (in   his own mind) is a constant failure at peace talk, (though we must admit he's pretty good at trash talk, is he not?) 

Deadlines, resetting deadlines, resetting the reset deadlines in echoes of history, of lessons obviously not quite caught.  Our own manifestation of a "peace in our time" Chamberlain error. Almost immediately after the announcement, Iran sent wave after wave after wave with purposeful intent to hit crowded urban areas, and boast about it and threaten more should the United States not carry out a huge laundry list replete with demands made by Iran, that criminal nation.

'Peace' has been made by this rather incompetent peacemaker - just ask him - though, in fact, just about every war that was 'settled' is now well back on track. Most demented, devoid of reality, is the behavior of that quite incompetent peacemaker who demands and creates awards for his rather leaky expertise at bringing about an end to war, ends which quickly revert to war again. Productive peace? Not quite. Not happening. 

But to be sure his brilliance is recognized, without an ounce of shame or modesty, he plasters his name on infrastructure galore. Even on future ones and areas not yet built. Worse is the rather frightening and off-putting arrogance, a vivid presentation of hubris as he oh so modestly pushes through a self-designed gold coin with his own visage upon it. A king in his own mind and by golly, before he is done he will see to it that he will indeed be crowned as King! Anathema!! 

Tradition and rule of law mean nothing to him, only that which pleases him and furthers his self-aggrandizement, already beyond any and all limitations and boundaries are what counts. A king in his own mind. Violating tradition beyond any and all toleration. Plastering his name over every building he can find. Most outrageous of all is his crude disregard for tradition and law as he arrogantly pushes through his own design for a gold coin with his rather ugly visage upon it. A king in his own mind and by golly, he will see that goal to fruition whether we, the people, of these United States, agree or not.  There is indeed strong cause why March 28th is the day of protest re that rather putrid and treasonous goal of his. No King!

One does not have to look far and wide, nor very deep to uncover his behavior and his royal decrees to understand the intensity of that desire. Realistic or not, it is indeed frightening. He and his, obviate, day after day, the laws of this nation with no attempt to disguise it. Proof of the pudding is the crude appearance of his brutal enforcers who have no respect at all - not for the people of this nation, not for guests within this nation, not for people who wish to continue to build this nation, and certainly not for the dignity of this government itself as they come to work. 

They gather round in little coffee klatches or chummy little laugh groups, or dress down as they come to work clad in T shirts untucked, but oh, their guns, so large, so useful to frighten little children and to intimidate the growing number of civilians who resist them, who shout out at them, who demand their names and badge numbers, who increasingly demand an accounting for and of their brutality.   

Such heroes as they beat up on frightened women. Grab them in choke holds, press down on their heads and rather enjoy the weeping of the panicked little daughter standing beside her mother. Being attacked by big ugly men. Who, after their monumental victory, will go celebrate as they march off so gloriously in triumph in this moment, to the closest Cinnabon to celebrate. Speaks oh so well for the future of this nation!

Be afraid. Be very afraid  

I deny the right of this man and his enablers, his sycophants, his bullyboy yet oh so cowardly group of baaing black sheep to turn this nation into a police state. The TSA personnel are quite capable of doing the job. They do not need the help of bullies, untrained bullies, walking around with big guns to frighten and smirk as they do so. Given permission to cut the leash and go wild.

Will this nation ever be able to return to that which it was, to that for which it was constantly striving, for its goals and ambitions aimed high. I don't know. I really don't know. The hatred suffusing the air of this nation. The fear, yes, fear of Jewish people as they are threatened, beaten, blown up, and blamed for all the woes of this world and perhaps the universe!  A nation which has shredded the welcome mat that was tradition and lifeblood in America, for America. 

But no longer. Now we have returned to government by corruption, in corruption. The assumed right of that small group of Elites to run the world as they wish to steal, to rob, and yes, white collar crime is a crime. To demean others and exert privilege to disregard all laws, be they man or G-d made. Who claims the right? All those in deep wishing to violate every law in the books, and then some, to molest, to pervert America or beliefs differing diverting from those of the one percent of the elite who claim privilege to bribe, to molest, to violate every law in the books, and then some, And then do their darndest to avoid responsible tax payments even as the rest of us toil under and with that burden.

What have we done? What are we doing?

Is it not enough that we have perverted the history of our yesterdays, tossing out that which was good and maintained that which was not.

Is it not enough that we have tainted our todays with our reckless behavior and a collapsing sense of a mutually shared society.

Will it ever be enough so that we can stand up straight and tall and proud once again, to be Americans, as Americans are meant to be, in the tomorrows quickly approaching.

Anyone's guess is as good as any other.

However, until we understand that it is on us to redraw the maps, to cancel those portions which state "Hear be dragons", trust in ourselves again, to know and do the right thing, we will wait in vain.

All on us.

Always and only on us.       

DEAR ELANA, (ii)

    Using contextual perverted reasoning is that which the world used to justify the massacre of Oct7 and its ongoing horror. For two years a nation convulsed with grief for those killed, brutally torn from life on a Shabbat and holiday morning and those kidnapped, for a nation that turned out en masse for the captives and nor did they forget the last body returned. Worse is that proof of the attack was excluded and even denied or justified as being interpreted in "contextual' reasoning. The defensive return of fire and the offensive/defensive move into Gaza also had its contextual reasoning, but never mind that was the attitude of the world, as those who knew better enabled awful demonstrations against Israel and Jews in general, and that includes physical violence as well.  

Throughout, the world always eager to take up a complaint against Israel, bought into the falsehoods of genocide accusation. The figures in colleges and universities, legislative bodies picked up this piece of filth and ran with it. The ancient memes and tropes of hate of Jews controlling the world, the source of all that was wrong in this world, surfaced just as easily, just as quickly. And there we were, back in the Middle Ages. Ever. As always. 

Elana, you fell hook, line and sinker, into this fabrication and seemed to be looking for examples of such, even as you ignored the plight of the chatufim and their bereaved families. You ignored the deliberate orders to kill, especially the children, a direct aping of Nazi behavior and thought. Nor did you make mention of the brutal way the massacre manifested itself, even to the point of manually strangling 2 infants. And a nation cried.    Who does that, Elana! Not ours. That I can assure you does not happen, and should a similar event take place, the soldiers are disciplined.

 Infants and children are often rescued by the solders, who are not so far from childhood themselves. Certainly. fellow Israelis have never cheered as kidnapped enemies were never paraded through the street. Never cheered for the kidnappers and never attempted to shoot weapons in victory, and attempt to further molest, and harm and frighten those kidnapped, helpless against those bloodthirsty mobs. 

Nor were there very many "innocent" civilians around. But this never came up. Your postings mainly concentrated on the "suffering” of the "Palestinians” ever so innocent. Ever so intent on killing more Jews.  You accepted as Torah m'Sinai  quoting numbers distributed by the very ones we were fighting for our survival. This legitimized the numbers for the world.  The worst thing about those lies is that there were those of the people in Israel, desperate for peace, understandably yet shamefully, swallowed these numbers, these complaints and accusations without digesting. Without checking on the truth. Placing a knife in the backs of our own fighting there to defend us. Our people. Your people.    

Those Israeli 'settlers' are an aberrant small group, mainly teens and young adults. Perhaps driven to madness and evil deeds, via the frustration they feel as violence against Israelis living in Judea and Samaria is ignored by the press of the world.  Contextually? Probably, if we use the same ruler for all, but still wrong and deserving of consequence. However, the majority of people living in those areas are people living in the land they were promised. Wish to have a life of peace and to live in harmony with their neighbors.    

All this time, from October 7th, 2023. till present day, there has been little sympathy for Israel, but there has been outright enmity. All enabled by those who have gleefully and joyously jumped on the bandwagon of hate, of virulent antisemitism. It is always there. It's poison always there. Never going away. It is convenient to have someone upon whom we can lay all the blame for all that has gone wrong in the world. Barely a word passed through the media regarding what was happening to those chatufim. But they were quick on the draw re false accusations of our treatment of prisoners we had.  The only evil they could see is the evil placed upon Israel.

Elana. Look upon your people. Look upon yourself. Be proud of who you are, who we are. But understand that turning on ourselves, turning on the truth of us, is not the answer. We would all like to wave a magic wand and drain all the hate out of everyone and infuse them with some kind of elixir to keep them pure. But there is none. We have to accept and understand that even those we expect to be perfect and never disappoint us, are the very ones who will. Others will also but we feel that disappointment more as it plunges through us, deeper, and stronger. The closer we were or are, the more the flame burns.

 Elana, your intelligence, your ability to empathize, your big heart, has engendered much admiration. Much touching on similar feelings and dreams. But much of it has been misplaced. and some of the extreme views becoming more and more prevalent in your writings turn some away. Elana, shut the door. enter to a room quiet, away from the noise of the streets. Read some of your most recent postings. See the despair that we all understand, that is within our hearts as well, but turn the strength, the emotions, into something more positive. Take along with you those who follow you. Who see you as influencer. Their guide to morality. You have much to give to your people. You have already given much. Come back to us. Do not buy into all the stories vilifying your people, be they in America, around the world, or living within Israel. We are not the devil. We are not the servants of the devil. We are not evil people. We are people Who try to live life the best they can. To contribute to the world. To be fair and honest. And sometimes we fail at that. We are human. Many of us are guided by the precepts of our religion. Some one way and some in another. Many of us have a strong faith in all that we were promised. In all that is our right.  That is life for us. 

However, deserting your people, placing all blame upon them for all that has gone wrong is so clearly not the way to go. Take a moment. Or two, or three or 10. Remember what we will learn, what we were taught. The wisest among us are careful with their speech.  They think and think and rethink before   speaking.

You. Me. Anyone who writes and puts something out there, sometimes we tend to go overboard. Sometimes that's not a bad thing. Sometimes it is a very bad thing. We hear what people say and they hear what we have to say. At times we are simply spitting words out into the wind as it blows back on us. Comes back at us.

There is no constant winner here though there are at times sometimes constant losers. However, we have learned in our yesterdays that if we do not stick together, if we turn on our own, all we do enables and empowers our enemies to do even worse. In our todays we have forgotten that. Even as we know the truth, we have taken the word history. and emphasized the 'story' part. Allowing others to create stories which are inimical to us, to our survival. How are our tomorrows? We have much road to cover as we engage with those who would as soon as see us gone, as do some hobby. I assume you have been trying in your own way to do as we all have. 

Tikkun Olam - to fix this world. To bring about better tomorrows. 

It is up to you, to me. to all of us. To see that we come through this crisis better. Stronger. Knowing who we are and who we must be. Strong in faith,   in a life lived within that faith in understanding and hope and love.

It is all on us. Each and every one of us. Each and every individual. Every being placed on this earth claiming to be part of humanity. We have been given free choice, freedom of will. For too long, too many of us have misused those freedoms. Would that we understand that. Would that we work to better ourselves. That we look in our mirrors. and be careful with our criticism. Especially of those   who are also reflected by that mirror.  There is no other way to move forward, especially if we believe the way forward, for progress, is to march through our own and ignore the damage we are doing. Bottom line, we must remember this:

We are not perfect, but always, our strength is in our unity, in our tempering of arguments, of kinder ways to teach.

And always-

Am Echad. Lev Echad.

One nation. One heart.

DEAR ELANA,,

  Elana. This letter has long been coming. I have postponed it time and time again, hoping not to exacerbate a situation, trying to understand how and what made you have such powerful and deep feelings, growing conviction that apparently all that was wrong with us, the Jewish nation, was a burden only for us to carry.   

I think you are a brilliant woman. Your books are on my bookshelves. I even agree with much of what you say. The anguish. And despair. The turning around to see who was there to help. And no one is there at all. I know those feelings. I have those same feelings many a time.

However, even as your care and concern for humanity are clear as crystal, there is a piece missing. Perhaps it is caught up in the tangle of emotion of what you write about so well. But in all of the sympathy and all of the empathy running throughout your writing, there is something missing. Or something which does not belong there. It provides a coloration to your essays and postings, to so much of your writing which precludes its acceptance by some who would otherwise tune it to it. 

I cannot make or pass judgment on your anger. Of things that might or might not have gone right or wrong as you grew up. We went to the same school. Basically, lived the same lives. And as we matured, became adults, women in our own right, many of our questions were the same. Many of the answers were never proffered to us. Much of our concerns were identical. The rights for women, the need to modernize viewpoints of education and roles for them within the world and within Judaism in particular. 

No more side tracking. No more B level expectations. To put an end to the growing desire to quash the sound of women's voices raised in prayer. Be it in the synagogues. Or at the Kotel. To use our intelligence wisely, for the benefit of our people. How long did it take to make some progress, to reach the point where we now have schools which graduate rabbanits, equal in knowledge to the training and education given to aspiring rabbis. Brilliant women are emerging, well immersed and versed in knowledge and love of Torah and Yahadut, but unwilling to remain as second class citizens. Unwilling to have to turn aside and/or downplay their G-d given intelligence.

I am so proud of these women. I am so pleased and joyous. as they push the envelope, at their insistence to be recognized as equal. There is still a long way to go. There is much to be done. Among extreme sects of religions there is much opposition to this movement. They have the same strictures re free thought, more prominence and equality of women, perhaps even the superiority of women. All these extremes have their heads twisted so that their vision is limited. They live in a 'cave' - of their own making - such as found within Plato's writing and see the shadows on the wall as the real world.  

The real world differs. All cannot walk in lockstep. Nor can the anguish one might feel for all humanity allow one to simply walk away from all that has gone before. Toss away the good with the bad and be merged with yet another extreme. These extremes leave no room, no place for compromise   coming from both sides of the aisle. Nothing more and nothing less than what goes on every day in houses of legislature around the world. At least where there remains some sense, some format of democracy. But we must be better than that. We must not become so bitter that we cannot hear the world's truths now hidden away and denied.

I have long told my children as they were growing up and even as adults, that once a door is shut and the person enters the house, there is no knowing for sure what is happening behind that door. Thus, we must, we need to learn and practice understanding. Compassion. Knowing that there are things and situations unknown to us. That there are three sides, possibly even more, to every issue. We need to grasp the concept that there is no one side totally right and one side totally not. One side pure and   one side totally filled with a blackness of soul   allowing for no light to enter.

I believe there are very few of the Jewish residents of Israel who are revenge crazed. Even those who have been victims of terrorism. Losing family and friends. Losing literal pieces of themselves. The overwhelming wish and feeling among the Jewish population, the most intense desire is for peace to reign. For an end to fighting. An end to the deaths. An end to the harm and hate which they have been pelted and bombarded lo these many a millennium. Yes, there is anger. Rightly so. Yes, there is despair. How many more years, how much longer are we to be subjected to this never-ending abuse?    

There is much of the contradictory and hypocritical that is contained within religion. Those, even those who call themselves devout, pick and choose from within its pages and ignore the foremost promise in its contents - that of the ancestral homeland, in perpetuity, to Abraham and his descendants, and reiterated numerous times in the following books.  For all eternity. 

But religion is more manmade than G-d made. It is the extremes and the interpretations that mankind has made to religion that stretches its fabric to the point where there was no more give. We all need to remember that faith is the beginning point. The middle point. And the end point. Anything that interferes with that true faith is that which needs attention and understanding. And yes, even purification. Is that possible? Given the apparently innate weak points or lack of willpower in proper decision making within humans - well, suffice it to say that we have failed abysmally in that field.   

Frankly, no matter how brilliant you are, Elana, no matter how much you have contributed and will continue to contribute to the world in which you live, to your people, with all respect, your anguish at current situations has been bleeding more and more to one side as compared to another. In your sympathy with and for those who have suffered, you forget that the wars, for the most part have been perpetrated by them. Foisted upon them by their self-proclaimed foes. Their refusal to recognize the right of the Jewish people to return to their homeland. That very same homeland promised to them in the Bible. Jewish. Catholic. Christian.   Muslim. It is right there. It even is referred to through the centuries as the Promised Land. Yet. they close their eyes, refused to see, and engaged in constant warfare and attack.

Were more people killed than should have been? Personally, I wish nobody had been killed.  But there are wishes and there is reality. Unfortunately, reality has not been kind. to us, to your people, and yes, Elana. Your people are the people into which you were born, the people in which you were raised. If you find there are things to correct in their viewpoints, then do so. Step outside the boundaries. Push the envelope. Kick a few butts. But never believe that only in deserting your family. and feeling pain only for those who have attacked your people can you speak out. There, there you have gone wrong.

It is disappointing in that turning away from your people in overwhelming manner, in throwing in perhaps a sentence or two of sympathy for the men and the women constantly being called back to go to war. The overwhelming coloration of your pieces grows ever darker. It is the coloration of one who only sees blame on one side. Or perhaps in disappointment, perhaps even in love, who wished our people to do better, as we all do, and in their failure to do so, to meet your high expectations, that high bar you have sent before them, you have gotten angrier with them. More and more disappointed with them. More judgmental, until finally you and those who follow you have lost your way.

No matter how sincere your Muslim partners are, even in an apparent dual search for peace, history has taught us that lies and intransigence at the very end of it all are too often present. They dream of an end to the Jews who dare to live upon land they mistakenly claim as their own. Belonging to a people called Palestinian, a made-up name for a made-up land. Check the truth of history as to the population on the land and when and why they came - to work under the Turkish reign.  

When push comes to shove, we have no one to rely on other than ourselves. Sometimes life is harsh and hard. And heartbreaking. But there is no reason why we have to accept that condition as a permanent condition of being Jewish. There is no reason why we have to think that if we place all the pain and all the blame upon this people, this stubborn people, that the problems and the conflicts there and in the rest of the world will resolve. Done. Though the world's media and spokespeople continue to trace all that is unpleasing to them back to Israel and/or Jews. We do not, must not, buy it. 

We are not perfect. Not as individuals. Not as a nation. Have there been times of misbehavior by soldiers of the Israeli army? I have no doubts of that. War is a time of great emotion, of lack of control and proper thinking. But that is not the reining and commonplace event. The Army of Israel is known and acknowledged to be the best in it's over the top efforts to minimize civilian casualties. Even in very difficult and hostile situations.  Nor is it their responsibility for the perverse tactics of their foe which maximize the deaths of civilians so as to accuse Israel before a world disposed to believe any lies about Israel. 

Furthermore. if we adopt the tactic of looking for contextual reasoning and justification. for acts of violence, Israel is certainly not at a lack for them. This game is currently played with such justification only on the side of the Arabs and foes of Israel. Even as Israel is denied any such justification.     

However, that does not mean that wrongs are to be tolerated. Nor are we to accept being lumped into one ugly batch of misfired clay. All those who live over that "green line" are not "settlers". Most people who live in Judea and Samaria are those who believe in the promise made by the Lord to Abraham. They wish.to live in peace with their neighbors. Work with them. But time and time again their hope, their faith, their trust have been violated. 

Hence. there is a very small group who feel that contextual excuse to wreak violence upon Arabs of the area justifies their miscreant behavior.  It is equally as wrong, but goose and gander always are present. Such behavior must be acknowledged, condemned and punished on both sides. Elana, you have forgotten that, seemingly and have gone way overboard in your sympathy for Arabs caught in this web of violence, but there appears to be little, if any at all, sympathy for those of your people victimized in such manner and more

 frequently.    Empathy with your people seems to have disappeared from much of your writing and that is both off-putting and distressful to so many, and in particular to those who admired much of what you have achieved. 

At this point I stop, to continue tomorrow, already well on its way to completion.

This is meant to be taken with dollops of trust, admiration and concern. 

Always.  

 Written with respect for a brilliant, caring woman pushed us, so many are these days, to distraction out of worry and concern for humanity.  

 

OH, GOOD LORD!

  Just imagine the scene. Shocked faces, but frighteningly too real and defying of any sense of reality, so terrible are they. Awful portrayals of the misadventures of His Creations as they wallow in the very messes they have engendered and the pain and tragedy resultant. The Good Lord had decided to take a deeper, longer look at the situation below, despite His chief Angels advising Him otherwise.  They tried to dissuade him, thinking that He would be greatly grieved at the sights below, but all to no avail. The Good Lord does as He wishes. Always.

 The clouds parted, revealing the entire panorama of the horrific scenes round the world, the self-destructive behavior of those He had created and given the largesse of a world laid out before them, to live upon, to prosper, to always strive for the better, with compassion and wisdom. To use their minds and souls to choose their leaders wisely. Leaders who cared for the people, who set the right example, who inspired them to give of themselves, to share with all, and always keep in mind the gifts humanity had been given, to use them properly.  To always remember and be grateful for those gifts from the most powerful Being - the Lord Himself.

He winced time and time again as He scanned the scenes of the world below. He lowered the volume of the cacophony emanating from below. Rockets and missiles exploding. Drones letting loose their deadly burdens. The screams of the wounded. The weeping of the bereaved. The Good Lord himself had trouble digesting what he saw before His eyes.

   Groups of humans waging war against others, fellow human beings. Fighting for so long that the initial cause was long forgotten. The soldiers and civilians who found themselves in the midst of this violence simply plodded on, shouldering weapons. Placed in these awful situations by their poorly chosen and enabled leaders.  Death. And blood. And grief. And the tears of the Lord flowed in unending streams of grief.

 What had His creations allowed? How and why had they so desecrated His gift to them? The world they were gifted had treasures galore, enough to feed and shelter an entire world living as they should. With time and ability to take that gift to higher levels, to unearth the hidden treasures left there for them by their Lord and Master. 

But they had used those gifts the wrong way and hence the scenes unfolding below. They had failed and fallen to the lowest depth possible and even beyond as they remained insistent upon maintaining that lifestyle so intertwined with death, with the havoc and tragedies of war, the useless violence which served no one other than the cruel, the selfish, the greedy. 

Those who walked upon the earth unseeing of monstrous scenes. Deaf to the screams. Impervious to the tears. Uncaring about the despair. Compatibility and compassion. Partnership. Positive synergy. All glaring in their absence. Their avatars thrust to the side of the road. Trampled upon and over. And this once blessed world became a place of agony and sorrow. Always waging war in its many manifestations against all the "others". Who were actually their brothers and sisters.

 Now the Angels had a most difficult task. To convince the Good Lord that it was not a good idea to give up on these creations. They had much potential within them. They merely had to dig deeper. Harder. Force their way through up and over the blockades before them. They could indeed do so if they wished. The Lord and His Angels sat at a heavenly table to redraw humanity and its future. To discuss strategies to be used to lure them back to the positive, the good, the fair, the righteous. The true path for humanity.

Will they be successful? Will they try and then finally give up? Defeated by the intransigence of these humans?

We have already wasted so many opportunities to turn this show around. To reverse. To U turn. And come back to that which had been laid out before us. All that we had spurned and misused.  

 In our yesterdays we failed.

In our todays we continue to fail.

And those tomorrows rapidly approaching portend only darkness as the screams of pain and grief grow ever louder, ever closer.

This is upon us, folks.

Only and always on us.

When, if ever will we understand that?

It is not for the Good Lord to rescue us. He has so many more demands upon Him. We have been given, blessed, with all that we need to do what is right. To depart from the ways of anger and violence. To expel the worst of humanity, out of the camp of those wishing to return to where we were meant to be.

Upon us to do.  

Upon us to return. 

Upon us to resee that with which we have been gifted.    

Only and always on us.

May it please the Lord Almighty to hear and heed the voices of His creations who wish to return, to do what is right and proper, to shun the hate and the violence of our societies today. 

Please, Lord. There are so may who wish to see a better world.

Help us to seek and find the path, to use Your gifts properly, and return to a better, fairer, joyous and beneficial world. To live within Your gift to use as we were meant to do.

Please.  

GO FIGURE! MAYBE WE CAN UNCOVER SOMEONE WHO CAN!

 What are we trying to figure out? Just about everything in this crazy, topsy, turvy world. It develops more sharp edges overnight than has ever been thought possible. In fact, I am not even sure as to how they manage to fit today's bad news on the front page. There is so much of it and the majority of it isn't relevant or pertaining to only one major event. We are oh so blessed with a plethora of issues from which to choose!  

The question can be asked, why do we not pay attention to the most important of all? However, in fact there is no such thing. One cannot pull apart all the woes and ills of the world and separate one from the other with no leakage. In fact, if one peruses the news, via reading or listening, and with   thought, we can look behind the surface and see the ugly web beneath. That which is slowly but surely strangling the world and its hopes and dreams.  

Furthermore, as much as we hope, try to convince ourselves, that the woes and ills of the world are not of importance to us as individuals. we are thinking foolishly. Ignorantly. Willfully so.  They cannot be looked at separately and dealt with separately. In fact, if one goes back to that same front page of the newspaper and peers closely at it, one can see those invisible lines taut with pressure. Taut with peril. These challenged lines branch out into every nook and cranny. These lines of nasty possibilities reach out to embrace both individual, national and international problems. One cannot separate the woes and ills of the world from the woes and ills of the rest of the world and the individuals within.

Many of us look at government and government policies as something foreign to us. They do not really affect us. After all, we don't have huge savings or large realty holdings that are greatly impacted by the troubles of the world, the economic policies of a nation. However, look closely at one's own economic woes and there are the ties: the difficulty in getting credit and loans, housing prices out of reach, other than for those of the top 1%. The swath of public lands falling into private hands. Even as the rest struggle to keep the budget manageable. Yes, we are tied together, individuals as well as nations, differing only in the size that affects us. Pleasant, progressive, positive? Most definitely not!  

Much of the economic woes derive from the rather blatant lack of morality within the world today, in particular the supposed leaders who are leading us directly into perdition. We have all forgotten that the truth will out. And even if hidden away for years, it will, inevitably rise to the surface. Be bathed in the sunlight. Presented to all. And "thar she be" as all the moral or rather the immoral filth is exposed. Heroes turn out to have not only feet of clay, but entire legs. 

And we, the little people of the world are hit once again with blows to the heart. Those they believed in, those they supported, have lost their luster along with much of their greatness. How much good does it take to outweigh the evil that one perpetrates on others. Cesar Chavez. A hero to the farm workers seeking their rights. Seeking decent conditions of life. But today, it is exposed that he too was a broken soul, like so many men in positions of power and influence. They apparently misconstrue and exaggerate allowances within their ranks and play havoc with the lives of others. In particular, women and even children. And get away with it.   

 Why is it that so many men of high rank in politics, in industry, in education, anyone with power to wield over another think it is a fair game that they are playing. That their victims are fair game for them. People like Epstein did not exist in a vacuum. Nobody made these people take up the filthy offers proffered by Epstein. He did what he did because it was profitable. He did what he did because people allowed him to do it. People bought into it. People thought they were invincible and still continue to think so. Despite all of the ugliness coming to the surface they continued to try to deep clean his reputation and their own as well. They try to sever their ties with him, but the knots are too tightly tied. There is the truth. Deal with it. One cannot run away from the stink clinging to those who play in the filthy mud. 

Once we had pretty much destroyed the bribe methodology of doing business. Now it is back, roaringly back. Our present economy and government are powered by bribery and by crawling before the powers that be. A rebel who tried to overthrow the government of this nation. To deny its democracy is awarded for that twisted loyalty with no bid deals by his overlord, Trump. Business deals are sealed with "donations" to the whims of Trump. The selfish behavior of billionaires has once more come to the fore, a la Victorian and Gilded Age eras.  

Governments and nations are ruled by threats and dissension. There is no more talking with each other. In fact, we cannot talk with each other. We only yell at each other. Those who try to talk words of Compromise are talking into the wind. The kind of hate that we have created within this world precludes any sort of talking with rather than talking to. The only thing it creates is violence. From small skirmishes to major conflagrations which consume the world. We have given in to the temptation to treat others as our inferiors, to carry a bloodstained Big Stick. 

To conquer all before us. And discard wasteful emotions such as sympathy, kindness, all the better traits of humanity. To those of you out there who think you will walk free, through all the disasters   you have engendered, think again. We were not put here to give way to the nasty, the ugly, the immoral and the cruel. 

We have received warnings before of this behavior and its consequences, it's inevitable consequences.  In the Book of Daniel, written on the walls of the palace are these words. 

   "Mene, Mene" - your sins have been counted.

 'T'kayl  oohfarsin" -and they have been found wanting. 

Consequences await. 

Why must we repeat the errors of yesterday?

Why can we not be better today?

Will it be any better tomorrow?

Only we can answer that question.

All on us.

As a piece of information, that expression in the title. "go figure" derives from a Yiddish phrase "gai vays" - go figure it out. We of the Jewish nation have had many centuries of doing just that and we have succeeded and contributed to the world at the same time. 

So 'gai vays' indeed and gai ways all the JewHatred as you spit in the face of those who have enabled you to live the way you can - if you figure it out, the proper way to make one's way through life.

A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT

  Actually, that would be incorrect. I am more than a day late in writing this posting. Far more than a dollar short. And unfortunately, so is the world. We, the inhabitants of this world must definitely share in the blame. Be it on small scale or seemingly of little importance and running directly through midlevel crises and outbreaks, all the way through to the world involving major ones such s the Iran ongoing war, we all share in the blame. 

We have neglected much of what we should have paid attention to. We forgot or willingly denied that this ugly heap of inhumanity, of bloodshed, of rampant Hate, is of our making. Ours and no one else. What's more? Is that we continue to pile it on. Barely a break between one outbreak of consequence to another. All the while we seek a way to lay the blame on "Other", that nebulous "They" so well equipped and informed, ever so eager to wreak havoc on "Us", the ones claiming innocence. We bare apparently clean hands, even as our clothing carries the dirt from them. 

We have forgotten that old but still valid maxim:   "Penny wise and pound foolish". In totally ignoring these seemingly minor flare ups, we allow them to rise to unmanageable proportions. Then we shake our heads, wondering how did this happen? Upon whom can we lay the blame? Certainly not us. Only Them. That amorphous blob always at the ready to serve our needs like the Sin Eaters of old.  However, neglect does not make them disappear. We simply have shoved them behind a closet door constantly under attack. From within and without. Until finally it breaks. And the cycle renews itself.

Our perilous times today are extremely so. Domestic issues have merged with international issues. One Nation's problems become the problems of other nations. The world has shrunk, though we deny it. Too many of our supposed leaders claim they can keep us above the conflicts of the day. Of the world. But they are wrong. So very unfortunately wrong. We are the ones who pay the price. But then again, perhaps we deserve to pay that price as we enabled these leaders to rise to power, did we not?

 Without raising a sweat. Without having to work too hard or think too much, one can lay out a terrifying list of quite visible issues roiling this world. The Doomsday Clock ticks away, ever shortening the time between current status and extinction. Even as we continue to deny truth, deny the reality that we are fighting a losing game of Whack-A-Mole, always at least a mole behind, never able to eliminate that perpetual motion cause of aggravation at the very least and conflagration at its worst. 

All the while we continue to ignore that fact. As a result, while we have at least one eye closed, yet another mole pops up. We are simply not ready, do not react in timely or proper manner. As we dawdle the temperature rises. Degree by degree. Day after day, year after year. Until well, here we are. We forget that to ignore that initial wayward mole is to force us to be constantly behind, never able to catch up. What a stupid way in which humanity rules the planet. That would be Us.

Randomly, as they pop into my head and fingers so busy on the keyboard, here are a few of what plagues this world of ours, at least in my head. I am sure I will forget a few dozen or so. Feel free to add some more as they strike the nerves of your body and soul. Not the more, the merrier, but perhaps the more we acknowledge, the more we do what must be done. Quickly. Fairly. Humanly.

- Trump's administration described as Angry, full of Endless Rage.

- America on the precipice, at the end of any safety rope, for those who have inner hate, among the      people within the nation, will rise to Hate demanding, leading, to Civil War and Death.

- Nations around the world finally becoming aware of how wrecked and inadequate their health systems are. Too lethargic and unknowing and immersed so in denial that they have no way in which to move forward and fix the problems. In the meanwhile, people suffer needlessly and die.

- Allies become enemies. Enemies become stronger. Leaders already addled in their brains, become ever more so. They cannot make up their minds and the only 'progress' is to further place the people of that nation in more peril, growing danger, until that balloon pops and its ugly contents are spewed forth over the world. None are immune to its stink and corruption. Instability is not the answer. In fact, it is definitely an instigator of worse to come.

- Politicians. All over the world. Willingly embracing the poison of Hate. Indulging themselves in the most ancient of Hates. Anti Semitism now ramped up to JewHatred. It is now rife upon the face of this earth and ever so fashionable. Even actors feel empowered to speak at an awards ceremony of "crimes" of the Jewish people. 

Hate to the point where leading political figures have eagerly jumped onto the bandwagon dripping of Hate and condemned Jews wherever they can insert a statement to that effect. Blaming the victim, as usual, forever instructing them as to how to change so as to avoid being the target. To give up their identity. Their belief. Give up on life. Go check out the news. And perhaps one might even pin Mamdani to the wall of shame, unqualified to do nothing, other than to breathe - and quietly at that.   

-  The shame, the corruption, so thick in the air. In the ranks of governmental and industrial figures, even in the field of education. In so many nations. And shamefully, especially present, grossly growing by leaps and bounds here in the United States. Certainly, these days money talks. Lots of money talks. Pardons are bought. Infrastructure is destroyed. Protective laws are aborted. Legal structure of the nation is violated by the very ones who have been entrusted to defend it, have sworn an oath to that end. As the truth and facts of history are buried beneath the rubble.

- Certainly, we can see and feel the development of authoritarianism, here, in America. Unfortunately, quite healthy in its growth, aided and abetted by members of the government who cede to the commands and directives, who have forsaken their political morals. We, in America, and so many round the world have denied the deeds of the heroes of the nations who fought for democracy, to remove the dictators.   

- The catastrophic wasting of funds so necessary to help those who are hungry, homeless, devoid of hopes and dreams for themselves, let alone for their children. Instead, we spend those funds on building more weapons of war. More efficient in causing death and harm. Unfortunately, we continue on this path because we need defense against those who would harm us. Would that we could all bury every damn weapon. Every damn bullet and missile. To better talk with each other, not at each other. Find common cause rather than emphasize the negatives, the issues which inflame rather than push for peace.

- The growth industry of the world. Terrorism. Be it one sect of Islam blowing up the mosques of another. Or declaring a sect as Heretics. Abominable. Undeserving of life. Or refocusing ancient hatreds. Simply blowing up anyone with whom one disagrees. A growth industry, indeed.

- A loss of certainty as to who we are. What are our responsibilities? Our duties? How are we to behave as citizens? As members of society. To reinforce the authority of those who are there to help us? To educate us, to raise us, to love us.

- When will we stop abdicating our responsibilities to society as a whole. Crush those who prey on others, white collar or not. Those who inflict    violence on others. Those who for profit forsake any moral boundaries. As for example, allowing filth to be placed online. Or methodology of cheating. Then they claim walls against access by teens or children. But our kids today are smarter in this area than we are. They can and will bust through any wall set up. What are we allowing? What are we doing? Is it any wonder these children feel more empowered to disempower those who are meant to guide and protect them?   

- When will we understand that scapegoating a group of people is not the answer. The hate expended only boomerangs upon us. Till finally, there is no end and it is man against man. Society loses. Humanity loses. Humanity approaches extinction.

ICE in its present formation and instructions.

There is so much more, but I need to end here, at least for today. I must rinse off the filth of the world from its inhumanity. From its growing peril that it forces and reinforces upon us.  Upon themselves.

When will we ever learn?

Can we ever learn?

We were not perfect yesterday.

Unfortunately, we are no better today.

Possibly even worse. 

What will be for our tomorrow? 

I hesitate to think. To imagine.

And remember, folks. 

Always remember. 

It is on us. 

Always and only on us.

Here is a worthwhile quote re peace and what is incumbent upon us to do - as soon as possible.

""... it is wise to recall the wisdom of Ambrose Bierce who defined peace as "a period of cheating between two periods of fighting."

Do we understand the wisdom of that statement? It explains why war is a constant, as we never stop cheating - ourselves and humanity. Unless and until we are honest with all, including our own inner souls, and acknowledge that we all should be fighting for a true peace, a lasting peace, no cheating, and the benefits of peace are shared fairly, humanly, truthfully - well, look around and see what we have now. 

Does anyone truly sane and wise want to  continue this state of being?

As I have stated so many times - 

On us. 

On Us.

WHAT'S THE DATE AND WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?

   Amongst the most minor problems caused by this war is my rather funny lack of knowledge in certainty as to where I am - which state, which city, which country. What is the date and am I missing appointments? As a matter of fact, where are the locations of these appointments? Worse, my clothes are now in various widely separated locations, and I have no clue as to what is where, and what is contained within the suitcases at the various locations - wherever they are. In fact, I do not even know how many pieces of luggage are out there, waiting for pickup to final destination. Or when that will take place. 

I hope soon. The sooner the better for that will indicate a changed status in the world. Hopefully one of peace, at least one capable of lasting more than a few weeks and without the incidents of terrorism round the world using as false reasoning the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East as permission for excused and "understood" crimes against humanity. Hence, they receive a pass from the nations of the world immersed in the same hatred roiling within the attacker. They spend more airtime and print time on the beast rather than on the attacked, the targeted. Upside down world indeed. With nary a correction of path in sight.

 It is worth noting that the wars that are constantly raging around this world are generally not accompanied by terrorist activities that take place around the world. Most of the violence is confined to the area in question. Whether it is a dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, about a 9th century temple. Or Ethiopia and Eritrea. Or Somalia and the numerous countries with which it finds itself in conflict. Apparently, the only area of unease, which is accompanied by around the world terrorism is a conflict in the Middle East. Between Israel and any of the multitudinous nations preferring to see it gone. Wiped out of the memory bank of humanity. Most frustrating is the fact that when these terrorist attack activities take place, they are often excused, 'justified' due to something Israel did or did not do. It matters not. Apparently, violence against Jews round the world is okay, calling forth weak condemnation, if indeed any at all. In many cases it is either ignored or questioned as to being a 'hate crime'!  It is a losing battle from the get-go to combat this contagious, venomous ever ongoing, unjustified condoned JewHatred.

While we are on the topic of hate and hate motivated actions, those powered by irrational fears exaggerated beyond any and all connection to reality and are manned by those with no sense of differentiation between right and wrong. with evil conniving minds and dark souls. They shout over all the other voices of society and body politic and convince others to follow their lead, moves which are always of negative manner for individuals and nations as a whole.  Inevitably it revolves around calls for violence, shouts of hate and the resultant violence as words are put into action. 

Despite the rather chaotic situation in nations of the world and within individuals, or perhaps because of it, certain thoughts and evaluations are coming more to the fore. People are being pushed to the wall, having to make difficult decisions. Hopefully, the decisions made will come down on the proper side of the line. Choosing morality over immorality. Of beliefs and dreams that unite rather than separate and divide with disastrous results. 

 Sheer simple, plain decency rather than the nastiness seemingly growing at rapid pace with no braking in sight. Will mankind see its way through yet another tense and most dangerous situation or will they lose this time around and condemn all to a fate such as that we should not ever have to contemplate.  But what else is one to think when a newspaper publishes an article detailing all that should be done, put in place, before a war situation, including supplies and precautions.  

Personally, I feel as if I am being ripped and pulled and pushed in conflicting directions. I cannot believe that I am the only one to feel this concern, this confusion, this inner conflict. This ever-present worry and anxiety as to the future awaiting all of us. Not so much for me. I am way down on the down slope of life, but for the little ones. For the young. What world are we bequeathing to them? What is the legacy we are to leave behind? 

Has anyone out there in positions of leadership thought these matters all the way through?  Followed the threads to their unavoidable conclusions should we G-d forbid remain on this most dangerous path? There must be millions who must also have similar conflicting thoughts and ideas and principles running through their heads, challenging all.  

Much of the angst in my life arises from two points. One is the Land, the State of Israel. my native ancestral homeland. The other is America. Also, my native-born homeland. By birth, by upbringing, by pride, as a child I never saw any dichotomy, any space between the two. Growing older I began to see space between but never to the point of worry or to be greatly concerned with whatever was the current state of affairs in both countries.     

Now I do. With great concern and fear. A great deal   of air between. Though I believe sincerely and deeply in the eventual coming of the Messiah and a better world to follow, I am definitely motivated to keep the present edition of the world intact, going in the right direction, still capable of and willing to right the wrongs, and keep the world on an even keel supportive of a good and fair life for all. We used to think this was the right thing to do and though highly difficult at times to see our way through, we took it upon us as a responsibility and a duty. One that we owed to humanity and to G-d. 

This was true of and for both nations.  Until things changed. And shifted. And flew in the wrong direction. We lost our way and are having a great deal of trouble as we seek the way back, to an even keel. It is as if all winds, be we on the seas or in the air or treading the ground, seemed to have turned on us and presented no more tail winds, only rough headwinds beating us back at every turn we take.  

There is much more to write on this topic. Much more to say. Much more to think about. But to continue today is not an optimum thing to do, at least not for me. I will continue this tomorrow. In the meanwhile, I hope to clarify my thoughts with more precision and definition. Not easy to do in these matters as it harps back to the yesterdays we lived, through the tumultuous todays we are living, and into the tomorrows left so up in the air. 

WHAT IS LEFT TO SAY?

  Day after day. Night after night. Week after week. Century after century. It's the same damn thing over and over and over again. What is it? It is in constant repetition. Seemingly echoing endlessly down the years of humanity. It is the apparent need, a lust for hate and its manifestation in as many ways as one can think of. It is not difficult. Apparently, humanity is quite open to that nasty emotion and its even nastier manifestations of it. It allows them to let loose all the dogs of war contained within their own selves and then be praised for it.

Hate. It seems to be impervious to all that is thrown against it. Education. Appeals to emotion. Appeals to the better side of humanity, though that is indeed at times extremely difficult to find. Nothing seems to help. Even when one generation is open to if not eliminating, at least weakening its hold on people and the many ways in which it works its way into the heart of society. 

These airs of hate, these rivers of Hate are stronger each time they manage to break through the surface blocking them. The defense against this poisonous defect within Man seems to weaken each time it is called upon. The enemies of hate are the demeaned, debased, deemed outliers of society with intent to destroy the population. Definitely, Enemies of the Nation, hence subject to ostracism, limitations of rights, if any at all and finally a brutal never-ending separation from society inevitably leading to inhumane conditions and finally, death.       

 Even more frightening is the sad fact that we never seem to eliminate all the spokesmen of Hate. Always, crumbs are left behind, and these crumbs manage to find nourishment, grow in strength until once again the world is inundated with all the negativity, all the fright, all the danger that comes with Hate. The next generation rising to power rejects any progress made by the older generation, as it gloms onto the emotions, the liberating feel when cut loose from all restraints. 

It becomes part and parcel of Hate and draws more defective and/or weak souls into its inescapable eddy of Hate encouragement ramped up to levels never before achieved. Conditions grow worse for those subject to, targeted by this malicious and malignant Hate, and society finds itself falling apart at the seams, even those who are apparently invincible. Conditions grow worse and worse, for nothing permanent, nothing steady and secure can be built upon such negativity, such gross inhumanity.   Sanity seems to desert mankind. 

And we prove once again that if we do not learn, do not take to heart the lessons of the past, of history already lived, then we will repeat those mistakes. With even greater zeal. And worse consequences. Going above and beyond any that has come before. And at ever faster pace. More frightening is the fact that the behavior of these new Haters does not only copy those who went before, those whose poison remains on the ground. They cherry pick of and from the worst of their behaviors. They are indeed learning from history. But they are adapting the   fatal errors that were made. Instead of discarding them, they enhance them, adopting and adapting them with vigor and bloody enthusiasm.

Nor does this hate remain static. It is contagious. It has a horrible history of overstaying its welcome. Even as the practitioners of Hate discover the truth of the ugliness and harm of what they have been espousing, the hatred, its practices and consequences, its threats are too well integrated and intertwined with the rest of society. It requires great patience and determination to unweave those threads. To regenerate a new fabric of foundational basis. Neither is the Hate ever fully retrieved.   History validates that statement.

Will we ever learn how to reject that which harms us? Will we ever internalize the fact that temporary relief of whatever concerns one has, via hate, via evil, via violence will never solve the issues. In fact, indeed, this will make the situation worse than ever. It will take a long time, if at all possible, to return to some stage of normal or what is deemed normal. A stage where decency has a chance of survival. And even more than that. A society where hate does not get inhaled with every breath one takes. Where sanity has a chance to reappear and take its proper place in the evolution of mankind.   

When will that be? How strong will it be? Will the population of the world take it to heart? Put it into practice? Fight against the worst of the emotions and traits of mankind. Your guess is as good as mine. Hopefully better. For I have very little, if any at all, of a feeling of optimism. When the papers, all facets of media warn us re the supplies needed to stockpile before the oncoming war; when this is openly spoken of, even praised, my hackles are raised and my spine vibrates with chills of deep fear.  

Will we finally reach the end of the road? Have we already reached it? Will this era, this rise in the temperatures of the world in more ways than one inevitably rise to a full-scale war? Will we finally lose all control and kill the world, kill the future for all? With unrestrained use of the weaponry we have already created, with its capability calculated to deliberately kill over and over again, to kill the already dead. We can leave humanity back in the days when we were no better than the beasts of the field. Perhaps even worse, for animals do not turn on their own kind as often and as cruelly as humans do to one another. 

Certainly, there is something very wrong with us these days. Perhaps it always was there in us. Before us. We expended the better side of humanity onto other creatures, created many protective laws and organizations for them, rightfully so, However, in doing so, we forgot, ignored and denied the need for protection of our fellow human beings. When it came to human beings, we came up short.  Very little restraint in the application of all the negativity. All the harm, all the lies, all that hate. Perpetrated upon our fellow men and perpetuated its existence in our rather highly troubled world.  

There is something seriously wrong with us, or at least with those who deem it appropriate, even godly, to kill without compunction. Who aim   weapons of war against those most unable to combat it. These enemies of mankind attack buildings sacrosanct, as places wherein one worships the God they choose. These malevolent. themes merge into attacks at synagogues wherein 140 young children are playing, or where elderly folks are praying, or there are community services inside. 

Places and people which should be sacrosanct rather than deliberate targets of hate and misplaced anger. All with the harm and the hurt magnified and multiplied when others, haters as well, though not as outspoken, seek high and low for excuses with which to justify these abominable acts conceived and carried out with all intent to do harm - deliberately. 

What have we come to? Is this indeed the final stage for us? We have indeed done much wrong to reach this stage of life approaching death, have we not? Is there a chance to turn it around? Who the hell knows?     

What I do know is that among the Jewish nation there is a growing feeling that this is indeed the time of Gog and Magog, when powerful nations wage a war against the Jewish people. Inevitably, the enemies lose the war, bur before victory there are many battles, many horrific times. However, when the dust settles, revealed before us will be a time of glory. The time we have been waiting for all these many millennia. It will be the time of the Messiah. A time when hate is no more. When we live peacefully in our homeland, long promised, long lost and 'refound' time and again, never lost to us, always in our hearts, our prayers, a founding stone of our beliefs.  

It was thus through our yesterdays.

Thus, it is today. 

As for tomorrow - our hope, our faith, our belief, our knowing - will endow those tomorrows with glory.

AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YE FREE

  Telling the truth. Speaking the truth. It's probably the best way one can continue to carry on in a cycle of interaction between oneself and another in conversation or in any kind of social transaction.  Telling the truth means or entails one uncomfortable moment possibly but telling lies sparks many such moments. Why? For the truth is the truth.

 Lies mount up. Quickly.  As does, in direct proportion, the difficulty of remembering which lie was shared with which individual and how deep is the hole one has dug for oneself? How much trouble did one just land oneself in? Most important, how does one get out of this very awkward moment in time? At times the answer is one never gets out of it at all. It is always there. It remains in the mind of those who know the truth, heard you tell the lie or watched with great glee as you struggled to clear the red off your face and consign the overwhelming shame down some nearby sewer. And your social stock value? Tanks even more.

There are some professions conducive to the spreading of lies. We all know about the used car salesman doing that. But sometimes we forget that there are others who also tell lies. Unfortunately, many are in one's own family.  Doubly unlucky is one who has a liar as a family member and is also a practicing active politician. In fact, it seems that politics and lying walk in comfortable tandem partnership, hand in hand. Evidently immune to shame and repercussions as they cross the boundaries of truth and wallow in the lies of the other side.  

A smart man once said this about politics and politicians. So very true. Sadly so.

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies."

Quite correct in understanding the issue and diagnosis; unfortunately, no one has gotten around to the proper remedies and application of such.

Take a look around. Pay attention to the news and the comments made by the individuals enmeshed in that news. Shake your head in disgust when you hear them say one thing which totally and absolutely contradicts what was said yesterday. From the same mouth. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, yours as well, unless you yourself are the liar or an enabler of his camp.

Consequently, thereupon arises a feeling of despair. If the politicians are the leaders of society. And the leaders are liars. Then what does it leave for us? We believed in the lies dripping so easily from their mouths.  Or have become stupid enough to believe them. Or turned them to our own advantage. Arising now is a feeling of despair. If the politicians are the leaders and the leaders are liars, what does it leave for us? To close our eyes and make believe we believe in the lies? Or are clever enough to turn them to our own advantage? Nothing good here.  

That seems to be the modus operandi of the times we live in. It leaves us hanging out there someplace in the void. Who can we trust? Who can we believe? Who can we turn to for aid and advice in critical moments? In any case, why would we believe? For till now all they have shared with us is the bumper crop of lies, grown afresh every morning and every night and most times in between as well as necessary for their survival.

Soren Kierkegard once stated:

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

Is there any real possibility? That we can have eyes in the back of our heads and functioning brains with which to interpret what we see? Then to take what we so desperately need from it and apply it to our eyes and brain on the other side of the head? Those which move us forward in positive manner. 

Or are we forever condemned to be Monday morning quarterbacks with little hope and less opportunities of ever bringing the wisdom and the lessons of the past, of our yesterdays, forward, intact, to the turbulent times of today? Thus, ensuring a better tomorrow for all. Is that a real possibility for mankind, after all these centuries of fooling ourselves, persisting in taking the wrong paths, and following the most unworthy people as our leaders?

My optimism, about this possibility is sorely challenged.

Perhaps it might be so when we finally own up to the fact that all our troubles are of our own making. 

We enable those who lie, who are terrible leaders.

 We did this to ourselves. 

All of us, folks. 

All on us.

SO

 ...no. Definitely not. No way. No how. Simply not in any way, shape, manner, or form. It has been tried before. Many times. Some efforts unfortunately more successful than others. But none ever achieve its final goal. More important    is the fact that we have learned some hard lessons. We know that certain things are not the inevitable. Do not have to be accepted in stoic face and an "it will pass" mien. No. It is different now. Very different.

 And it is time for people to understand that. And what it means for those out there who hate the thought of giving it up and moving off to some other place - my preference being the last circle of Hell, forever, and even that would be far less than they deserve. In fact, I do not believe there is enough out there in our world which can in any way be equated with sufficient consequence   for those who encouraged and incited such horrible events and murderous thoughts and deeds in others. To stand against life itself for those not 'like' them and do their best to do the very worst. And be praised for it.

Thus, it is a solid NO. Your misbegotten pathetic and failing teachers, instructors and spewers of hate 'forgot' to teach you the truth of history. They can print all the false books with all the misinformation. With all the words of hate. But they cannot deny the truth of history in any permanent manner. The truth will always out. And when the truth hits those who bought into false theories and histories, it is a blow to their very inner core. May it forever hurt them with pain insurmountable and everlasting.

 Does that last paragraph sound over the top, certainly not emulating the model of forgive and forget? Well, I hope it does. For such is the anger and the bitterness I feel within me towards those whose constant desire is, remains, to initiate murderous, horrific, unimaginable, ungodly scenes of murder so harsh, so huge in design and manifestation, so close to successful attainment of goal, that there are those who cling to the belief, the need, to refute the truth of those very scenes.  

Documented as the truth is, by photos, memoirs, living witnesses, and the words of the perpetrators of the slaughter, there remain the deniers and worse. They are those who know they lie with every breath they take, every step with which they taint the very ground upon which they tread yet persist in trying to glom onto the souls of others foolish, naive, or hating enough, to join in their devilish accursed plans. In such manner do they clear a pathway, many such ways, for the worm of Hate to continue to eat into the very soul, the very psyche of humanity. Generation after generation, all infected, infested with the dregs of humanity, the very worst of it, and all too successful in their desires.

But no more. Know their most desired goal is to eliminate the nation of Israel. To deny it the right to exist, to thrive and prosper. To do all they have been commanded and inspired to do. To follow their history and have faith in their Lord. Knowing He is always here for them, even if the Presence is at times too hidden by the clouds of the errors and trespasses of humanity. But always, He is there and always, we are rescued from the fires of hate and Hell, the gates of which have been opened time and time again. But - NO. MORE.

We have learned well via harsh instruction and experience that there is no point to stoic   acceptance of fate placed upon us by those who hate us. By those filled with bitterness, who wish to wallow in pools of our blood, and hear   the screams of men, women, children, babies, consigned to fates unspeakable. But no more, for the Jewish people wherever they reside have finally internalized the lessons brutally taught to us by those who wish us gone. Who work very hard to make that evil a reality. 

By now we have learned. We are all one. Our parts make up a strong, solid one and we stand back-to-back, shoulder to shoulder, resist in tandem and foil the vile plans of those wishing to perpetrate and perpetuate only murder, pain, bloodshed and terror upon us. Yes, of course there are outliers. In any situation. But they are only outliers and despite the braying of their loud voices, they bear nothing of any permanence. Nothing of any truth. Nothing that will last beyond their very last breath, their names and memories forgotten or left to remain as curses and lessons to be understood. 

Most important is that we now know that there is always a future for us. Always a path through to safety. Always our defender, the Lord Himself. Standing before and behind us. We have learned to know He is there. Even if we cannot see Him at that moment in time. Nor understand the purposes and paths of what we now face and have faced for all time. But we know that we are entitled to defense. We have become proficient in our defense and offense; whatever is needed. Primary, always, is survival of our people. 

And if the other nations weep at their losses, they need to look to themselves. And to the leaders they have chosen and empowered, and it is upon them to do the right thing. But no longer will we stand passively by and accept the rules of others stating that we must submit. NO! "Nevermore", quoth the Raven and "Nevermore" quoth the people of Israel.  

No matter what, we know there is an end to it all.  And so, from the deepest depths of Hell, the   camps and ghettos of the Holocaust, from forests where we were chased, prey for the human animals wishing to kill us, to the dank dark dungeons and tunnels of Hamas and Hezbollah - we have remained strong in our faith. And it has been strong in its support of us. Giving us breath to breathe, to live where there was none. Giving us strength to survive brutal starvation and torture. Even as the world deserted us yet again, we stood firm for we leave no one behind, not alive nor dead and those who attempt to do the worst to us will reap the very crop they have sown.

Thus, while the bombs and missiles and rockets continue to shatter the air above Israel and shrapnel rains down from intercepted missiles of hate, inside the shelters the people do not stand and cry. Do not shout curses into the sky. No. They prepare. They live on and remain in good temperaments despite the constant sound of alarms and sirens. They leave, inside the shelters, musical instruments, toys, candy, bring food to share, get to know new friends and reunite with older ones. 

Religious ceremonies are joyously celebrated, from entry of Shabbat to its leaving, from baby celebrations to bar mitzvahs and even weddings smoothly transferred from hall to shelter, albeit with an additional crowd equally joyous and a blessing for gratitude for having been allowed to reach this moment.

 NO, we will not give in to despair or defeatism. We know well where we are, who we are, and what we must do. The ranks of Israel hold firm and steady, true to their nation and their faith. We are a resilient people. And with the help of the Lord, we have managed to overcome and outlive all who have wished us harm and did their very best to do exactly that. We will continue to do exactly that until all those who wish us harm will be gone or reformed, the nations of the world will finally acknowledge the truth and its reality and permanence.      

We are here. This is our country. G-d given and promised. Always the home to which we returned over the centuries. Always in our prayers and hearts.

We are home and home we will remain. Finally, the dream of every person in the nation. No more climbing into uniforms to defend the nation. No longer a need to do that for there will be no more fighting. Peace will reign. A productive shared peace.   

No more, haters of humanity. You curdle your insides with your own acids. I hope they eat away inside you with pain never ending, at your body and soul. You are unworthy of the gifts of the Lord. You taint and stain the land. God willing, we, along with those nations who know the right thing to do, will   finally, for once and for all, put paid to all this ugliness. Finally, to live in peace and prosperity. To raise humanity rather than lower it ever deeper into the boiling bubbles of hate below.

So it was in much of our yesterdays.

Sadly, too much remains in our todays.

By the grace of God and with the faith and strength of those who believe, our tomorrows will look different. Be different. And remain different.

How do we ensure that happening? 

By standing up with our brethren.

By knowing that from the first to the last of it all,

it is on us.

Only us.    

We carry the burden. 

We carry the keys to a safe, better tomorrow.

Would that we learn already to open the doors with that key.

Past time already.

    

LIFE IS AS IT IS

  ...And we had better learn to accept that statement, with an understanding that if we begin with that as our baseline, we can then move forward in the proper direction.  Face value and baselines are important for balance in life, but equally as important are the immer urgings and the 'knowing' that we must do something constructive to improve those baselines, to be proactive and creative in setting things in motion with the goal to improve the baselines of life for as many as we can.  

At times understanding and acting on those understandings can be difficult, even contradictory.  One often has to see both sides of the coin, weigh those sides, and put the resultant array of possibilities in some kind of priority listing. That list might be provocative, confusing, and certainly challenging, in difficulty, in realistic terms of possibility and in the contradictions and conflicts highlighted. Decision making can have some sharp edges, can often lead to self-doubting. But if we have to walk down a fresh path there must be that first step, difficult as it might be.

It is not an easy thing to do. For it forces one to look inward. To evaluate oneself and one's life's choices. Even given the fact that at times the choice is presented to us and are most definitely not the choices we sought. But life is as it is. And one must work, at least from the start, with the tools at hand. Perhaps we can even create new ones. But present conditions of reality are the pens drawing the parameters of what we hope to achieve. It is what we do from that starting point to the finish line, which speaks to and of the assessment, the weighing of our lives as individuals and as members of society. 

The legacy left behind will either burnish or smear our lives, the memories we leave behind within others. Did we contribute to the task of Tikkun Olam, of fixing this world in ways both large and small. Noticeable and not so much. It is a difficult thing to assess from behind one's own eyeballs. It demands great introspective honesty, a trait not too many of us have, nor exercise for that matter. 

At present, at this stage and age in life, I try to think back and evaluate. What have I done, what have I contributed? What have I enabled others to contribute? I think I am, I hope I am, definitely on the positive side. Certainly not perfect. Far from it. Even in our todays I find it difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile certain tasks, certain thoughts. I flinch inwardly at the difficult task and wonder: Is this hypocrisy? Or is this reality? 

Is this a cost of "doing business”? But is it not necessary sometimes to hold that going out of business sale and then reopening, refreshed and better able to reconcile or come down definitively on one side of the coin and let the chips fall where they may? Is it a choice of the lesser evil or the more qualitative and quantitative good? Is such as choice a Gordian knot, unable to be undone unless one wields an unforgiving sword? Must the choices, the decisions be based solely on facts? At least as I perceive them to be or is emotion able to be added onto the scales where we weigh our choices. Our decisions. And at the proper time, the results. If any. If for the better or the worse. 

To quote a famous American, these are indeed "the times that try men's souls". Women as well. How does one rate one's own values? How does one truly know the level of sacrifice in truth and is it OK to hope that we never reach that challenging level? Never to be so tested? And worse, if tested, to fail! 

How indeed is it possible for anyone, for me in particular, since it is the me that I am responsible to and for, to hold conditions once thought anathema to my very being. And actually, still are. But something else has come into the fray, has contributed its weight. Rather than helping, it simply is complicating the entire manner.

  At the end of this self-examining session of questions and answers where none seems to be found, I find myself even more confused than ever. How can I possibly compare and contrast, juxtapose the two sides of this coin? Both sides of the matter contain life long held beliefs. Deep beliefs. Beliefs which demand that I remain loyal to them. How can these two so different sides actually be aligned in such manner to keep me sane?  Where and how do I weigh in the negatives that would be activated upon championing one side over the other? How can I be sure which positives will outweigh the others, and which will weigh less? Will the positives of the one outweigh the negatives of the other?  

It is impossible. It is impossible. It is something which demands that I actually take a cleaver to all that I have believed, to all that I have espoused, and then somehow gather the pieces and reformat them into something with which I can live. A new coin which would incorporate all that I hope and pray for, all that I believe. I just don't see that happening. I also don't see how it can continue like this.  My head pounds. My heart beats. I try to think of ways to make this broken coin whole again. In a form I can live with. Justify to those questioning it. Yes, life is as life is, and we have very little to say about it. But the little we can say, must be weighed and carefully judged. And even then ...

If there had been no brave souls in our yesterdays;

if there have not been brave souls who took on the challenge in and of our todays,

where would be the hopes of our tomorrows?  

Not a clue, folks, not a clue.

What I do know is that there are very difficult times with crippling decisions awaiting us, right on top of us, and no one can sit this out. Remember that to say and do nothing in the face of Evil is to abet and enable it, to spew its poison wherever it lives. and its appetite is insatiable.

Remember -

 On. Us.

Only. Always. On. Us.

 

BAD NIGHT

  Sorry, but blog will be posted around 10AM, give or take. Bad night and early morning appts. Not a great combo. Such is life, I guess and others have it far worse. Gotta' be thankful for what we have and what we do not. Think on that and see you a bit later on today. By the way, I just read a terrible weather forecast, another storm, more likely rain but HUGE and can have tornados as well. 

Be safe.

GPS DENIAI

  It seemed there is nothing that man can invent, that man cannot defeat. GPS, that magical tool that has robbed us of our ability to read a map, let alone to fold a map, that has led us to lose our instincts as to where East and West are. North and South, as well as the instinctive knowledge as to where we are heading. 

These days the first thing we do upon entering a car is to enable GPS or Waze, yet another routing adviser. So now the first thing that nations under attack do is to turn off the GPS system and hence the attackers are lost, not knowing up from down and right from left. However, unfortunately. this leaves the Home Army almost as equally in the dark. wandering in the 'wilderness' along with their foes.  

However, one of the most dangerous uses of GPS denial occurs when the system is disabled at airports, leaving pilots flying literally by the seat of their pants. Quite a frightening scenario, for so many younger pilots have learned to depend upon instruments and robotic directions, and when they are gone...  

Think of other pilots in our lives who have been denied GPS or taught to rely on   malfunctioning ones dispensing incorrect, dangerous routes. However, there is one more warning emanating from the fading beeps of another GPS system, quite a critical one too. Perhaps the most important one of our lives. 

We have sadly lost the GPS system for living the right way. for turning away from the wrong. We have, for years now, been following directions and/or commands to take the eminently wrong road and by the time we realize the errors or our ways, if we actually do reach that point, it is too little, too late. and, folks, here we are.

Welcome to the world roaming sans directions in an ever more complicated universe. Pay your money and take your seat to watch the most frightening spectacle ever. Brought to you by the eternal sponsors: Hate and Greed.   

 Anyone reading the news or catching it in varieties of the media, apart from those willfully deaf and blind to the truth of today, would and should have despaired of the world we have created. Indeed, we do not know where we are and refuse to internalize the truth which reveals to us in bold headlines as to exactly how we did arrive here, so distant from what was meant to be, where we are supposed to be rather than at the stations and levels we are at our shameful present. 

In fact, we are at one of several levels, most of which bode no good for us at all. Some are Denial Station, refusing to see that which is playing out before us, at ever faster and more destructive manner. Others are at the Inertia Station, almost paralyzed in their fog and do nothing other than live a shadow life, basically meaningless and noncontributory in any positive manner. 

Others are at the Delighted Station, glorying in the ugly proliferating tide of nastiness and crime and criminals now queuing up for seats in government from top to bottom and back again. The filth, the immorality, the ugliness, flows freely, non-stop and is almost impervious to attempts to slow it down, let alone to halt it. 

Need proof? All over this nation see the sad truth. The convicted felons. cheaters. the immoral perverts. the most prominent convicted felon happily pardoning others of his ilk. The perversion of the structure of our nation, put into play by those in the highest seats of power, all to benefit themselves, their families, their cronies and abettors whose desire for wealth and power are far off any chart of fairness and sanity. This world of fog and obscuring clouds, of persisting denial of truths and embracing of lies, is all meant to deceive and delude. Far too successful for those in yet another station.  

That is the Station of the Concerned. Those who are motivated to effect a change for the better in this woefully embattled nation of ours. It is, unfortunately, lacking in the numbers of people. who must commit to fighting heartbreaking, challenging battles. Battles worthy of the dreams and efforts of many Don Quixotes. There is a growing awareness of the true State of the Union and a corresponding louder rumbling in the towns and cities of this nation. But is it too late? Ate we beyond the point of no return? 

It is said that one must center oneself in order to move forward on an even keel in life. To live a life contributory and productive. To tend to the right, to the good, and stay away from extremes on both the Left and the Right. Extremes forbode no good, and, are in fact, two sides of the same coin.

We can easily see how far we have wandered from the centering so desperately needed both in our personal and national lives. That which was centered both orally and by concrete deeds and actions, in visible format has been hijacked by the extremes who wish to change, to reformat it into their own image. From entryways and porticoes to stairways and surrounding areas. From moderation to excess or wrongful denial. From tradition and history to wild fluctuations, the nation has lost it center, individually and as a nation. 

We have chosen to work with broken GPS. Totally dead or full of misdirection. We need to find those who know how to repair the damage. How to reboot the system in positive manner. And most important, to ensure that such a breakdown is never ever to return. Whatever it takes to avoid that must be put in place. A sense and understanding of the best of traditions and history. Education as to public service and its importance, the respect deserved by those who truly fulfill their responsibilities.   Educate adults as well as children re true patriotism, national pride, along with the values that serve mankind: equity, justice, humanity. Seek the high road rather than the low one.

In our yesterdays there was a slow but steady centering. 

 In our todays we have gotten lost.

For our tomorrows - we are in dire need of correct GPS in working order.

Who will provide that GPS?

It should and must come from within us.

From us.

On us.

Always on us.

A;wys opn us.