THE JURY IS OUT

 Today the jury at the Trump rape trial will be given instructions and charges by the judge and head out for deliberation of the verdict. How long will it take to reach that verdict is unknown, though as far as I am concerned it would and should be an in and out deliberation. The fact that Trump used the outside of the court to blare his crude opinions and denials, the fact that he went to a golf course in a foreign country, the fact that he did not appear at the trial - all add up to a blustering guilty man afraid to face the facts, admit his guilt, and take his due punishment. 

Trump has shown consistent defiance and contempt for the law, putting himself above and beyond its reach. Worse, he has inspired a whole crew of nefarious would be Trumper troglodytes, eager to emulate his rotten behavior, his greed and lust for power. And then go above and beyond. DeSantis, who now condemns his mentor, castigates him for not going far enough. DeSantis goes a step deeper into the rotten state of fascism as he gains control of a puppet legislature and has laws tailored to benefit him - and only him. He takes on a mouse of huge proportions because the mouse squeaked and eeked at yet another hateful and intrusive law passed by DeSantis's flying monkeys. 

Abbott of Texas, that gun toting state, all the better to shoot those nasty immigrants we are told, outlines his own Border Force, yet another fascist controlling his own paid for by taxpayers armed force. Posse Comitatus stretched to an ugly and destructive point. Haley joins in the fray, destroying her own already rotting reputation as she tries to one up her male compatriots, and yet another candidate, even more extreme, boasts of his plans, for his reign as President, via his own tainted interpretation of the Constitution.

Worse, for me, as a woman, as a Jew, as an American who loves this country as it was - not as is - I am deeply frightened as I contemplate the very near probable future, a state of 'present' where I will not nor be able to answer "Here". The GOP now openly backs, proposes and enacts laws meant to hamstring women, replace what is, with a worse than what was, turn back the clock and then break the hands of time. 

As an American, I see America decaying, its image growing fainter, its ethos and moral structure decaying exponentially, its very fabric, the very commonalities which bind us together, shredding, rotting, at a pace that leaves true Americans far behind, unable to catch up and prevent the inevitable if we continue on this road. I watch as legislators vote away our rights. I watch as hatred, bias, is ramped up, as it receives the twisted seal of Good Housekeeping from the fascists and antisemitic groups. 

I shudder deep and long. Why shudder? Simple. Pick up a paper or magazine. Click on the TV or computer or streaming, whatever. For sure, an ever more common theme is that of antisemitism and its growth. Round the world and right here in our own backyards, front yards, in the weed infested strangled gardens where nothing good grows, where only rotting poisonous growths survive. From AARP to Newsweek, to TV stations, to movies and documentaries, antisemitism, its seemingly eternal, frightening impact and popularity is an almost daily topic. Does it help? Nope. Not at all, though staying quiet does not work either, unless one counts the encouragement it provides for the haters.

In Europe, the Dutch arrested antisemitic travelers on the train to a soccer match, roaring out songs of antisemitic tropes, bringing back echoes of the bloody songs of Hitlerian era. The Dutch wisely deflected the violence that would have occurred and took a firm step against it. However, this is a Whack-a-Mole enterprise. One whacked down as anther pops up. Useless and exhausting. 

Unless, and only unless, there is a strong stream of education within our schools. Only when the antisemitic spouters of Jew hatred, its crude truth, are forcefully eliminated via prosecution. Only if the hateful are not welcomed in the 'august' halls and homes of power. Only when both political parties stop dancing on a bog of quicksand, going down for the third time, as they welcome and keep antisemites within their own, close to heart. Hugging them tight for the votes they provide. Giving them staying power and voices. Voices heard and internalized by many, too many. And not just the great 'unwashed', but people who know better, who have cynically embraced any and all that would enhance their own positions.

Such as Trump, who welcomes, along with his twisted former administration officials, and of course, Eric and wife - Yuck to the tenth power -open Neo Nazis. Scott McKay who spouts nonsense that "the Jews" killed Lincoln. Or Charlie Ward who delights in showing videos of the speeches of Hitler, and blames the Jews for 9/11, buying whole hog into conspiracy theories, believing the earth is flat, and has a strong fear of "lizard people".  Greene shouts about the laser weapon from outer space controlled by George Soros and in evil world wide Jewish conspiracies. Tlaib, Omar who reek of antisemitism, of a virulent Jew hatred. The list goes on and on and on. It is mainstream, accepted, even praised these days.

The only way to combat this, to beat back all hatreds, to focus on what we need to do as a society which embraces its responsibilities, is to educate. To fight against the benighted, dangerous individuals and groups. To learn and study history, to seek its lessons, good and bad and structure a society to enhance its positive aspects and eliminate the negative. To take all hate speech seriously, applied to all groups, all vile hatreds that continue to live and proliferate within our world.

If we do not wake up soon, with time desperately short, we will lose the power of the people, ceding that power to the crooked, the hate filled obsessive twisted who compete as to extremes possible. It is only together, with the power of unity, a fist of justice, of right, that we can achieve this challenging goal. A goal which must be reached, its attainment critical to life itself.

The jury is out. Whist will be the verdict reached?

It is that same togetherness, that same positivity which we seek and have been granted, the togetherness of all those wishing, hoping, praying for Yitzy, for the world. It is the togetherness of the wise and compassionate who know we are all more alike than different. 

Only with that togetherness can we

 HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

May he be granted a timely and complete healing.

May Hashem hear all our voices raised in prayer. 

Amen. Amen.