"PROCEED WITH CAUTION"

  A warning so accurate for our times. In fact, there are very few areas, if any, that could not use or benefit from a heavy dose of the simple title statement. It is a statement meant also for everyday life, as one does not go run to play in traffic, nor wear ice skates to walk in puddles. How much moreso meaningful and apropos when we tread carelessly and clumsily - even knowingly - into glaringly erroneous, divisive statements and deeds. 

Today's title is granted so generously by Walmart as it is battered by the recent outsized growth of commercial shoplifting, particularly within the area of self-checkouts. Shoppers with goals of taking what is unpaid for, believe they are safe to 'sin' as no human eyes re watching - or so they think.    Well, proceed with caution as Big Brother tech is alive and well, and watching. think twice and once again before you 'forget' to scan that item.

 Even more disturbing is the huge growth of this shoplifting industry, along with related charming activities of mass rushes and thefts- enter, grab, run out, profit. There is a screw loose - no, many screws and nails and mortar missing in our moral composition these days. Lawlessness is ever more tempting and prevalent as people emulate their so called 'betters' who engage hourly in shoplifting from America's citizens. They trample on rights as they gather more, to stuff in pockets and run!!!!    Shoplifting from Peter to pay Paul, the little people of America watch, wonder, and learn - and go to work with a misplaced, misused American can-do attitude. 

Ironically, they steal from places meant to aid them. Walmart, Target, Kohls, JCPenney, etc., with their lower cost items, from home goods to clothing, are life savers for consumer with limited funds. Theft from them is equivalent to stealing from one's own self for costs will be made up - as prices rise. Backfiring right back at us. A perfectly stupid idea. Never mind immoral, unethical, illegal, and a sin in the religious world and that will cost you elsewhere.    

Certainly, our kids watch, grow more cynical, more disrespectful and contemptuous, as they then copy their so called 'betters' and look what we have wrought. Worthy repayment for our errors and our obstinacy at not seeing the truth or hiding from it even if perceived. 

With a glaring and growing neglect of implementation of that caution, we proceeded to rip this country apart, with the rest of the world following not far behind, even overtaking us in some ways. Africa, a continent with huge stocks of precious minerals, with mammoth potential, where great strides had been made in controlling civil war, in a growth of education, with bustling economies - now so greatly deteriorated, war torn, with starving and fleeing citizens, with brain drains sapping the continent of a future. 

The rest of the world watches as they, our proxies in a bloody antiimperialist war fight in our name, with our toys, and shed their blood as their nation is bombed to cement fragments and wood splinters. As the rest of Europe returns, unbelievably, to fascism, to rightwing extremist governments who merrily spend their energies on the dismemberment of any progress made after the dissolvement of the USSR and its stranglehold upon them. 

 Why? Because we threw away cautionary advice and allowed for the growth of vile arrogance, in Putin and others of his ilk. Because misuse of caution crippled proper response, with preventive and proactive procedures neglected, left to gather dust in forgotten closets. We allowed, in fact, for shoplifting within our own nations and populace.  Hope and progress, pocket lifted from our own pockets. Enabled by a lack of caution as we proceeded in life. As we lost the caution provided by lessons of the past. As cautionless, we replayed grievous failures in a moronic anticipation of different results. We walked carelessly through life, caution discarded with ever more enthusiasm, faulty thinking and foolish, inherently dangerous deeds proliferated, and well, here we are. Where do we go from here? No clue. Ony that optimism is in short supply. Further deterioration ahead.

Scientists have now said that prior to a heart attack, the day before, there are warning signs. Ignore at one's own peril. Similarly, there are warning signs of national heart attacks. We have ignored at our own peril.  Political and ethical presigns of heart attacks on and of the body politic, on the moral and ethical composition of societies. Have we waited, ignored and deteriorated beyond all hope of remediation or even prevention? Dunno. Time will tell.

If we do not begin to better our teamwork, to work in tandem rather than pull in opposite directions, we will be lost. Hopefully, humanity has enough   remaining cells of memory to fight this tendency, to an innate selfishness which infects too many, and choose instead the purer path, the more productive path of peace and cooperation. We all do not have to hold the same beliefs. What we must hold is the right to express those beliefs without threats and/or actual use of violence. The good feeling one gets after doing good is so much better than the sour tang of bad.

All of you have done so with Yitzy, shared so much good with him. We are hopeful that three more months of treatment, scans, monthly follow up chemo for five more months and then scans again. In the meanwhile, he is slowly, enthusiastically, returning to a normal life -with interruptions as necessitated by treatment routines. His grin remains. His spirit is up. His schoolmates welcomed him with open arms. 

Please, let us all keep on with the strength of this togetherness, so effective, so all encompassing, so powerful is the shared love, the shared togetherness. 

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

INDIETRISMO

 A new one for me. So apropos for the blog as it unfortunately has great negative weight for our world today. It was recently used by Pope Francis when he spoke negatively about the hidebound (my word) rigid conservatives among the hierarchy of the American Catholic Church. he said, ""You have seen that in the United States the situation is not easy: there is a very strong reactionary attitude," 

I would like to remind those people that 'indietrismo' [which means to be backward-looking] is "useless, and we need to understand that there is an appropriate evolution in the understanding of matters of faith and morals," he explained."

Interesting that a nation, the USA, once known as a bastion of popular change, albeit not without opposition, has now become a bastion of backwards thinking. The hierarchy of the American Catholic Church has been more and more out of touch, in definite mis-sync with its flock. There have even been many scholarly articles discussing a possible split in the Catholic Church along with unwanted, dangerous consequences.  

Schism in religions have quite often led to huge changes in society, not the least of which were the results of the last major split in the Church and in fact, has occurred in many religions as well. Today the Shia and the Sunni kill each other and Jews who observe on different levels often are hostile to each other. Other religions do the same. Apparently, none are exempt from societal pressure and change.    

This looking backwards, trying to return to a different time whose precepts and needs were unlike those of today is a great mistake. Yes, the past has much to teach us, lessons, advice, precedents which lean either to observance as such or with changes suitable to a changing world. A   willingness to support reviews, adjustments and change - or not - is a sign of a healthy confident society.

To wit, examine today's world, where every country argues within, even via actual fighting and bloodshed. The USA is not immune to this. Rigid, extreme partisanship, ears deaf to calling and warning voices, and vicious self-defeating partisanship are rampant. Children grow cynical as they are told one thing and see adults doing the exact opposite. To an extreme. A mugshot of a former president seeking to inflict more chaos and insanity upon the nation. Unheard of - yet there it is. 

 A judiciary corrupted and partisan. A legislative body, bodies, equally as corrupt, seeking to build a government rife with fascism and the suppression of any and all opponents, with the additional memes of prejudice and hatred doing quite well. Supposed leaders seeking the glory of office, its perks, even as they neglect its responsibilities. Education corrupted and limited. Tropes of violent hatred, ancient memes of hate revived. Individual rights? Anathema. 

We have become a nation set afloat on an overloaded leaky rowboat, rotting at the seams, and a cracked, single oar, even as the seas grow angry and angrier. As nature reflects, mirrors, that back upon us. As we dive deep into the philosophy of indietrismo, looking back to extract all that is negative, returning it to life and discarding anything of value that we have learned from the past, any progress made as a society towards the good. 

The old uglies return - misanthropy, vicious misogyny, censorship, slavery in various formats. Usage of violence, the permissive use of mobs, and war, selfishness and greed of nations, insane imperialism returning a la Putin and ilk. Indeed, we have incorporated much, way too much, of the Pope's destructive indietrismo. 

Yet from the past, the fifth century, from the same Church, there come three philosophies: ut annis consolidetur, dilatetur tempore, and sublimetur aetate. All having to do with upward movement of society, always upwards, progressing and progressive- always. Ironically, these values were too often honored more in the breach than in the performance and observance within the same Church - of the Inquisition, burning of accused heretics, the encouragement of vicious, bloody antisemitism, and much more.

The point is that mankind is fickle, weak, questioning and questionable, possessed of enormous supply of good and bad, capable and desirous of upwards progress along with those who prefer the negative and the static state. Monday morning quarterbacks contributing nothing to progress and truth. To a reality always in need of good thinking, fresh ideas and knowledge and will of implementation. We need to compromise, to throw out the bad among us, mete out appropriate consequences and rewards. 

We can be better. We have been better. We are better, even today, though not enough.

Being better is not so difficult. Simply try to empathize with others. Not in their place, but in their shoes and walk. Now understand the    capriciousness of life. Feel those shoes. Live that life.  Then check your thoughts. Reevaluate.   

Being better has helped our Yitzy, planning on his second day of school. Greeted with a grin - many grins - and we hope and pray and thank. We hope the progress continues and we hear those final, so longed for words, that complete healing, direct from the One Above, urged on by your prayers and caring. The togetherness.

We did this together and together, we must continue.

In our personal world and the outside world. 

Like it or not, we are all in the same boat- together. What effects one, affects all. That pesky butterfly on the other side of the world, flapping its wings, cares nought, has no thought nor care of resultant consequence way over on his opposite world. However, we are not butterflies and we had better understand the intertwining of humanity. No man is an island, and neither is any nation, no matter how strongly they wish so or act as such. 

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

FUJIWHARA EFFECT

    Yesiree indeed. We are blessed so that we live in an era of quick expansion of knowledge, introduction to new terminology at a faster pace than ever before in the history of mankind. New inventions are almost obsolete as soon as they are off the factory line. Fantastic opportunities abound to enhance one's vocabulary and general store of information. One never knows when an opportunity to use these tidbits of knowledge will arise, especially if you are a contestant on Jeopardy!  Be prepared, be open to the acquisition of the latest and greatest around.

Unfortunately, some of these opportunities offer false, misleading data, misinterpreted and twisted to such an extreme that one needs to check on the sanity of the conveyor and the receiver of that 'information' as garbage and lies flood the informational paths of the world.  What now passes for 'truth' and 'fact' are actually fantastical, though too many have difficulty distinguishing between fact and fiction, between reality and the wishful.  Stupidity is at a height, tension tautens the nerves of all, and we set out each day girded for war, not with a foreign enemy, but rather with ourselves, within our own nation. The statement of "we have met the enemy, and he is us" has never been more applicable than now.  

What is the definition of the title and why does it convey information pertinent to our already overloaded and taxed minds? It refers to hurricanes, certainly a timely topic these days. Additionally, as with all things of Nature, it has a counterpart in the world of Man. Two hurricanes spinning in the same direction, pass by each other very closely. They interact, "begin an intense dance around their common center.". Possibly one can absorb the other or knock it into a different path, or can result in two separate hurricanes, all the better to plague the world of Man. The one world, reflecting the other, also contains two 'hurricanes', two opposing forces meeting each other, circling each other, testing each other, boding no good at all for either faction.

 The results are most often unfriendly to the world of Man as it absorbs and mimics the natural anger, in most awful unhelpful ways. When the behavior of natural hurricanes is aped by the hurricane elements of man, the consequences are too often more powerful than those of Nature's origin. The resultant conflict, real and too often in violence, is our own Fujiwhara Effect. 

Imagine an alien equivalent to Star Trek observing from space, orbiting, under strict orders not to interfere, watching, wondering, gravely and sadly, as the Effect in Nature and more so the Effect in Man's world, permanently damages and endangers the very continued existence of Earth. Once again deemed a danger to the rest of the universe, contact is not made.  Hey, you think we are alone out here in space, that the Good Lord made only one set of fallible beings? Doubtful. G-d is brighter than that!

In fact, why are we not brighter than that. Has any good ever come out of our insane penchant for arguments, too many resulting in various levels of violence?  Nature's hurricanes are bright enough to warily circle and then disengage, go their independent way. WE, man, are too stupid, too obstinate, as we insist on engaging inappropriately, unnecessarily, most dangerously, without careful pre and fore thought and grounded plans. WE never recall its repetitive futility at best and its horror at worst.

Why is it that we emulate the worst of man's tendencies and ignore those we supposedly espouse and aspire to attain? The Bible tells us "Tzedek, tzedek tirdof". Justice shall ye pursue - actively with great vigor and intent of purpose. Do   we? Justice requires recognition of shared humanity of all. Of equity, of caring for each other.  Mankind has been given an injunction to repair the world, to make a start, a contribution, to leave this world just that much better for one having passed through. Do we? 

Construction is so much better than destruction. As one ages, one begins to evaluate the past and understands that statement.  Did one indeed have any positive effect for having been part of this world? Was selfishness the guiding principle or was there at least a modicum of care and concern, of altruism? Did one understand and acknowledge via words and actions the shared and equal humanity of all. That if we oppress one group, we ourselves can then be the next victim?  

The results of working together, as in the two Worlds, Man and Nature, can be both negative and positive. The accrual of hate, the massing of raging senseless mobs is a negative. The concerted togetherness of a massive amount of people giving of their time and thoughts to pray for a now 13 year old boy have been great. Yitzy attended a full day of school yesterday, insisting on riding his electric scooter to school, by himself. And returned at close of school with the same signatory grin, albeit tired, justly earned. Wow!!!

We are hoping that the next three months of chemo will do the trick and the scans at the end of treatment will say just that. Follow up care - a snap! Then off we will go, G-d willing, your prayers continuing, to Israel, to have a special late celebration of a miraculous bar mitzvah in recognition of the good granted to Yitzy and his family, his friends, the huge circles of those who have been so wonderful.

Thank you and please, remain with us. The results have been powerful, awesome in every sense of that word. Always and forever grateful.

Aways together, be we near or far.

Now, more than ever - together - for all, for everything. Achdut - unity.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

DO NOT KNOW

 The title is pretty much now the standard answer from me when asked questions re the future of this country. Long term is almost not worth bothering about as I sincerely feel that we are challenging that prospect. With every misstep we take now, in the present, every misbegotten thought, every crooked, incompetent, emotionally disturbed character we choose to elevate to national status - there is a corresponding reaction in the odds of a future in reality. Certainly not a user friendly one.

Sounds extreme? Correct; however, unfortunately, such is our reality. People speaking with sanity are punished, ostracized, even demonized for doing the right thing and speaking truth. Those cheered on are those adopting once shunned behaviorisms, falsehoods passed off as truths, and are actually the enemy of their very own base.

 Clear plans to dismantle this country are presented as plans of rescue. Restrictions to the right to vote and access to voting polls are passed off as beneficial for society. Ugly prejudices are enacted, encouraged and reinforced under the guise of exposure of hidden 'deep states' apparently all Democrats, generally Jewish, who make insane profits selling children via pizza stores located in DC. Bizarre, yet finding audience and willing ears daily, in growing numbers.   

We are already reaping the crops resulting from the seeds of hate so freely sown over the course of the last two decades or so. With the pace and venom growing exponentially over the last eight years, ever more open, ever more arrogant, ever more inimical to a good life for all. Visions of a future replete with chaos, unlivable conditions are presented along with the only prevention viable via strong hands at the helm. 

We are so blessed, so lucky, are we not to have an ample supply, a plethora actually, unfortunately, of those willing to 'sacrifice' themselves for the people. Taking on the difficult burden of governing 'for' the people, true descendants of Lincoln. All the difficulties they sacrificially take on as they rebuild society in their own image, selling this tripe to the people. 

Society cancelled for the foreseeable future. Education in a state of governmental takeover. Libraries shuttered, locked tight. Censorship of all media or transfer of knowledge. Truth? Say what?   Opponents are ruthlessly repressed and oppressed.  Such devoted leaders toiling away all for us. Right? Just ask them.  Such perfect fascist role models. Children compete to accumulate all the current and past series of mug shots of these former criminals, now our chosen leaders. Uh huh. Only in America.

       DeSantis. Abbott. Trump. Ravaswamy. Pence. MTG. AOC. Omar. Jordan, Presley. So many indeed, and so many more not listed here. All such good little fascists imbued all with a strong sense of hate. All swearing fealty not to the people, but rather to their own multi-indicted alleged felon, even should he be convicted. or their own favored hate.

Can you imagine how lucky we will be, to have a mugshot in every home, hanging on the wall, to inspire our children to emulate these wonderful role models. Grow up, become a fascist, an oppressor of people, hopefully be deemed a criminal, get your mugshot and your future is assured. Can hardly   wait. Can you? Such exciting doings.   

Oh, silly thing, you are concerned about environmental disaster? Not to worry. Our blessed leaders have told us it is all a hoax. We will be back to fossil fuels, digging and strip mining for that coal, erecting more oil rigs in the oceans, ripping down wind turbines, solar panels, cancelling electric vehicles. All Nonsense! Wood will be available in limited supply, those pesky forest fires consuming so much. We will be warm as the earth heats up, quells fires with timely floods, and provides new venues to explore via newly active volcanoes and earthquakes with new chasms and rifts, up and down to explore. Surely, G-d's grace at work for us.      

 Life will be so exciting. So blessed are we. NOT!

Think this hyperbole? Simply peruse the past few years of news and opinions, watch as there grew more clarity about the situation, of concern. I worry about the life, the future for my hostages to fortune - even as you should about yours. What world are we leaving them? What society in critical breakdown are we passing on to them? What have we done? Why? 

     I hope I am wrong. I want to see a good future for the kids, a humane caring society, with wars and environmental disasters no more -or at least a true start towards that goal. A world safe for all. Rights sacrosanct. Where they can live, love, contribute.       Will they get their future? Will we give it to them? Or will we allow, step aside, and let the fascists, the haters, the destroyers, of all take over?

It is up to us.

Only by working in concert with each other, together, with the same goals can we achieve that viable future for the kids.

At least there is a piece of good, beautiful news.

Yitzy, after a particularly hard chemo treatment now feels up to the challenge to returning TODAY!!! to school. We are nervous, plans for all contingencies are in place, but we are all wearing big Yitzy grins on our faces, keeping fingers crossed, blessing the day, grateful to all the care and concern, the wishes, the prayers, that have enabled this.

No, he is not done. He must finish several more months of chemo, and five months after that for monthly chemo, tests and scans, constantly on scheduled basis, and finally after ten clear clean years be declared a cancer survivor. 

Sheh yavoh bimhayrah beyameinu.

May it come quickly and in our time. 

Now, more than ever - together - for all, for everything. Achdut - unity.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

BUBBIE SAID OR SOME THINGS NEVER GET OLD

  For those of you who do not know what a Bubbie is, it is a grandmother in the full-blown Jewish tradition. Think of a traditional Italian grandmother and one can come close enough. Yes, there are those today who choose the name Bubbie when the time arrives, but in my opinion, they simply are not the same. 

Today's grandmothers are more often than not engaged in their own careers and social affairs and are thus not perennially available for the hug, the kiss, the listening ear and the willingness to conspire against that nefarious in between generation. Not to mention the kitchen always at the ready, the forbidden chocolate available and  life was good in Bubbie's house.

One thing I am finding out now is how smart my Bubbie was even though I did not appreciate the brilliance, the common sense dispensed freely, always with a sweet and gentle touch, never critical, for an 'ainekel' (grandchild) could never do wrong, merely needful of a gentle nudge to remain on the straight and narrow. In fact, if one thinks about it, with the wisdom of hindsight, a great brilliance underlay all those quaint sayings.

Take the one about children starving in China, apparently an encouragement beyond refute to eat your dinner. Could not understand how food in my stomach would help a starving Chinese kid. My proffered bit of wisdom was to package the food and send it posthaste to that starving Chinese child.  So smug in my cleverness, brilliant in my solution.  Never understood why it was never implemented. 

Now I know better, blessed with the brilliance of hindsight. Bubbie, alone, at the age of 17, took her chances and came to America. Leaving behind all her family, her small community, almost totally wiped out during the Holocaust, she sailed away. To build a life for a future family never to know the food insecurity of Europe. Ironically, her family   did know it during the Great Depression as often enough an onion in boiling water was dinner.       

To waste food was a major no-no. She knew that there was always a child hungry somewhere in the world and we should appreciate the gift we were given, to know there were others who needed that spurned food, to think of them. She was one of the first people I know who took of their paltry funds and donated to organizations who fed the hungry in other parts of the world.

Another remark now better understood was the one which reminded us to keep negativity away, to display it as least as possible, to keep the ugliness inside, lest it frighten others or worse - freeze into permanence. Was that the face we wished to keep forever?  To keep the ugly and frightening distortion of face which accompanies negativity shunted to the outside often to where it most assuredly did not belong? Think about it, or better yet, look in the mirror as you make angry faces. Observe the distortion, the often frightening appearance forthcoming, inducing fear, anger, and worry in others, from one's family, especially children, to coworkers and all in-between. Would we be okay with that face and the matching personality, the antagonism it would elicit from others towards you? Most definitely not. We took that freezing face threat seriously.  

There is a raison d'etre for this posting. Bubbie's  wisdom and forethought once again, quite apropos.   I could just see her distaste of the ridiculous childishly defiant face of Trump's mugshot. Is that the face to freeze on you? For eternity? To be immortalized infamously in history, to be the symbol of a country bereft of soul, lost in a swamp of that face's creation along with the nation highjacked and brought to a bizarre land sans morality, sans trust. 

Apparently so, for he is now using that childish display of pique, caught in the cookie jar up to his shoulders and forced to hear of serious penalties, his excuses falling flat, deflated, victims of his   pomposity. Useless as childish behaviorisms   and excuses do not work in a world of adults ready to face truths ignored far too long. 

These ignored, defiled and defied truths have come out to the fore, as they are wont to do. They have come back to bite all in their respective rear ends for they thought with that piece of anatomy rather than with what is between their ears. They refused any and all paths to truth, to responsibility, to loyalty to this country and its residents. 

Now they all wear that frozen face of Trump. But we must learn to understand what happened, get over the difficulties of the way back, the thawing of all those frozen faces. It might even hurt a bit as deicing does, but the end results can be very welcome. We must reject that frozen face and return to sanity, as a nation together.  

We must find faces that inspire truth, and respect. Trust in the motivations of the leaders of the nation, In fact, to be leaders once again.

The togetherness we must always keep is that which has uplifted Yitzy. He remains himself, even as he recovers from a particularly long day of strong chemo. His signature grin remains as contagious as ever, inspiring as well. In the midst of pain and nausea he managed to pull off a joke on his mom and attending nurse, and they all laughed.   That is Yitzy.

Kee the prayers. Keep the togetherness.

Keep the wisdom, the love, and the strength of all the Bubbies of the world.

 

P01135809

 Didja' ever? Never thought I would live to see the day. Democracy in action, or at least a first step on what will be a very long journey to completion - if ever. The defendant's go to plan is always delay, ad infinitum as nauseum. Until beyond the reach of human courts. However, the next judge will prove to be a tad firmer in following the schedule, as the line grows and must be kept moving along. Unless Trump would like to wait out his requested delays in the rather unique, permanently heated spa. 

Hmmm, such pleasant thoughts, a bit, just a bit, vengeance tainted. Vengeance is said to be a dish better served cold, but in this case the heat will be a rather satisfactory substitute. Yes indeed. A fitting and final meting out of justice and a permanent place in history to where shameful people, traitors to their countries, to all that is decent are relegated. To be despised. To be damned by the truths he denied so vehemently. All the while sitting in the   thick, smothering layer of heat. In contemplation of his navel and his entire misspent lifetime, sweating just a bit - or more. 

 P01135809.

The mighty will have fallen, accompanied by his crew of obedient flying monkeys. Justice delayed, nevertheless, justice finally served.

Perhaps we can draw some satisfaction or hope that at least some of those who chose him as their guru, will take heed and lesson. Perverted, mad politics - verboten. Compromised, compromising judiciary - verboten. Baaing flocks of sheep will finally understand the purpose of that brain, that heretofore unused organ coming alive. The remnants of the debased and deluded base will come back to their senses and shed all remaining Trumpian habits. Such a pretty picture.

P01135809.

Looking so pretty in his couture orange jumpsuit.

Such a beautiful sight, inducive of a calm sleep.  

And back at the ranch, exponentially growing, is the ABCDEFGH list of growing areas of concern in the Caribbean and Atlantic, along with similar events of Nature gone berserk round the globe. But not to worry, for 7 of 8 disgraceful idiots daring to present themselves as candidates for the office of president, deny climate change and Nikki Haley, admitting to climate changes, typical, certainly of the current GOP and people in general, lays the blame off on others - China and India. Even as it is well known how generously we contribute to that cause!  But hey, what's a few billion or trillion difference among friends. Oh, we are not? Oops. Ideas, anyone, now, please.

Gotta' love it, gotta' laugh - or you will cry. 

PO1135809. 

Are you laughing? Yet? Or still? Or have you given up on that as you sit there in your uncooled cell? Let me raise my A/C just a tad. There. Perfect.

No, I am not sitting here, cackling away, certain of my witchy talents, enjoying the difficulties of others as they do the time for their crimes. However, the harm that Trump, his followers, his monkey see, monkey do mimics, have inflicted upon this country, are existentially dangerous, life threatening to rights of people, to sanity, to truth, to equality, no matter race, ethnicity, point of origin, gender, orientation, religion - well, they are beyond the pale. 

We are threatened by current terrible changes being  made, now, forced upon us, by self-empowered overblown egotistical frauds: changes in curriculums, banning of books and even thinking, and use of censorship. By egotistical illegal, immoral, firings and manipulations within the system, crushing opposition a la Third World. See how oh so cleverly we have learned from them.    

We have challenged Time. We have harmed the Present, perhaps beyond any chance of complete rehabilitation. We have imperiled the Future arising from a faulty flawed Present. We have even impacted terribly on the Past, as we change facts, redefined truth, related vastly differing versions of historical events and trends of thoughts, of the   progress and hiccups of humanity. Harm incalculable.

PO1135809

You are accused of and judged guilty of crimes against humanity, for that is the truth of it  all, bottom line.

Bottomline is also our guilt by allowing this cancer to grow and thrive, to flourish, to blot out sanity and justice, to conquer morality. How? Why? I can only theorize, attempt to understand, but it is extremely difficult to do so. Way beyond my capability to understand, to theorize, to simply comprehend the perversions of people, their attempts to go to evil, to stray into the Dark Force, no light saber with them. Staying with it even as the detritus of inevitable failure falls round our ears. 

For sanity turn to the power and comfort of prayers.

 For Yitzy, who had two miserable days of chemo this week. For all   those in need, for a world, for a country sick with positive cancers of the soul and psyche. Prayers. More of the grit and courage inside ourselves. To do the right thing. To stand and speak.

 Show PO1135809 that he and his minions have lost. America has returned to her senses.

Will we ever learn the value, the reality, the necessity of togetherness?

 We can hope and we can do our best.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

WEEDS AND VIRUSES AND MYSTERIOUS ELEPHANTS

 Sorry, folks, but if you were watching the debate or rather the shouting match and schoolyard "oh, yeah" behavior of seven grown men and one woman, there were no welcome surprises. Just the same old, same old, out there for the world to see. If ever I behaved like that in a public forum I believe, no, I know, my parents would have cringed with disappointment and shame, and would have promptly pulled me out of there. Whoosh!! Unfortunately, that did not happen. Not last night.

Shouting at and over each other, they lost control of tongues and brains, such as there are, and let loose the dogs of war upon each other, upon the GOP. Their statements contradicted their own prior ones, putting to lie the supposed platform planks even as contradictive ads kept merrily rolling along. Certainly, one could see the growth of noses as lie followed lie, as stupidity triumphed, as statements boding woe upon us should a GOP candidate achieve office were thrown like weeds into a garden. The GOP 'base' of which they boast was very poorly represented by rather rowdy undisciplined juvenile behavior more befitting of a high school pep rally before a game with the "enemy". So comforting to know that the "ugly American" is alive, well and thriving at a GOP Presidential shouting match -er- debate. Oh yeah!

Vibrio vulnificus, the feared 'flesh eating bacteria', a perk of Florida living, otherwise so blessed with its very own Fascist Governor, rivaled only in degree by Abbott of Texas, just that much more openly, with targeted antidemocratic and antiDemocratic laws passed by yet another benighted, properly sheeplike Republican legislature. All of them ever so eager to actively participate in the dismantling of democracy here in what should be democracy's bastion - us, America. 

However, we are not 'us' any longer. Too many having resigned their membership in democracy's fan club and dived headlong into the fetid, murky reeking swamp where deals with "poo, poo, spit, spit" the Devil are signed. The "skinny guy" up there, whose parents are 'gasp' immigrants, rather nastily called out his rivals with this statement: "I am the only one up here not bought and paid for!" Uh, say what? Could you repeat that?

Meanwhile, the co-moderator, generally throwing rather softball questions at the panelists, nor able to maintain constant authoritative hold of either candidates or audience, bells notwithstanding, quite like the schoolmarm ringing her bell to recall the kids, recess over. Not here.  "What about the elephant not in the room"? More fantastical were the answers, as almost one and all vowed to fall on their swords, sympathizing, calling out the 'weaponized' Justice Department, even as some with a bit more backbone admitted his morals were not befitting a President, that same Damoclesian sword remained front and center.

 Four indictments. 91 charges of felony. The scene of him surrendering in Georgia, wrist restraints clearly visible, and a lovely orange jumpsuit awaiting, perhaps along with a red tie of course. The lady DA apparently having what so many men are missing. Perhaps they need be rummaging around their trousers and find that which has long ago gone missing.  

Are there, is there even one, who has the courage, the morals, the energy and strength to turn this country around. Great clouds of doubts. Not dismissing Biden, for he has worked hard for the economy, and is continuing efforts at the same time to handle myriad consequential crises around the world. Even as the GOP run around his legs like a mob of scurrilous curs, nipping, biting, but contributing nothing of value.

Time we Americans who treasure democracy and the values of America, stand up, tall, proud, in strength, in courage. In unity.

Together. Togetherness and its power for the good.  

Yitzy has learned the value of togetherness, the labor intensive activity it is. Marching into a full  day, eight to five, of powerful chemo, knowing the brutal utter nausea that will follow. Nevertheless, he does as he must. As we all must.

He has learned that too early in a terrible way, but thanks to all the help, the wishes, the prayers, we are moving forward. Together as a family. Together with friends. Together with the literally thousands of all nationalities and beliefs who have joined the fray, lending strength to Yitzy and family.

Will we ever learn the value, the reality, the necessity of togetherness?

 We can hope and we can do our best.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

KADDISH

  Kaddish is a well known Jewish prayer which many people believe is only recited at funerals or in prayer services for the dead. However, while those are times of the Kaddish, it is part of Jewish prayers every day, known as the Mourner's Kaddish.  Why then is it so well known? Because it is often presented at dramatic moments of a film or show and pulls deeply on the emotions of the viewers. extremely poignant. 

Last night there was a superb presentation of Third Symphony: Kaddish, written by Leonard Bernstein in 1963, dedicated to JFK who had just been slain, a friend of Bernstein's, aired on Great Performance, and performed at Highland Park's Ravinia Festival with a full complement of the Chicago Symphony, two huge choirs, adult and children, along with a talented narrator and opera singer and a phenomenal fully invested conductor.    

To say it was brilliant is to understate its power, the affect upon one listening. It is dramatic, soul shattering for many and yes, while there is a kind of death present, it is simultaneous with the birth of a new stream of thought. All presented with a powerful synergy of all:  the music, discordant soothing, jerky, and diatonic, challenging, the voices of the choirs singing and humming the words of the Kaddish, along with the powerful impact of narrator and opera singer. 

It is dramatic. Unique. Impressive. Challenging.  Defiant. Pleading. Revolutionary. Traditional. Reassuring. Volcanic. Appealing. Off-putting.  In short - magnificent.   

 It cuts deep into the soul, especially, I feel, if one is Jewish, for Bernstein, out of an Orthodox family, knew well, felt, as only a Jew can, baked into our genes, the dilemmas of Jews, their history, their historic relationship with G-d, and the deep faith that remains, challenged beyond the farthest reach of imagination. Even as death is absent in the words of Kaddish, there is also no word of death here, though its presence is loud and clear.

Originally planned as presented last night, women narrating, it was challenged at the outset as women in that role, in Orthodox Judaism? No way! To challenge G-d, to rail against Him, to criticize, to almost curse G-d for desertion at dire moments, to angrily, tearfully, pleading to understand, to reconcile the promises made, and broken, the Covenant mocked - bad enough for a man to do so but for a woman!!!!!  

Traditionally, it is the male offspring who recite Kaddish, with the daughters mute. Today it is far more common to see a daughter reciting it, as I did for my parents, as, hopefully, as G-d decides, my daughters will do so as well. Bernstein had no son, but he wants his Kaddish. He wants the kaddish for all his people who never had it said for them, their memories, their names lost. With the words said, the emotions are high as the soul is satisfied. The complete cycle is achieved, from the blessing at the Brit Milah or naming of a daughter in synagogue to the last word of kaddish.       

This is the essence of Bernstein's plea. No son, he still wants the kaddish, will say it for himself, and at the same time say kaddish for all those who were deprived of their kaddish. This was a poignant wish at the time as finally, survivors began to speak of their stories, as children asked questions, as soldiers, historians, humanitarians began to delve into that ugly history.  

So many dead. So many without any to remember them So many without Kaddish ever being said  for them.  So many. So why not? Why not?

The anger is front and center, undeniable, righteous and justified. The words of the narrator now ask for all Mankind. Why were we created so faulty, so imperfect. Why were we created with an instinct or preference for evil and destruction? Could not the  perfect Creator, the one we worship as All Powerful, in creating Man in His image have done  better? Or is it that the Creator, the Divinity we see as our King and our Father, is as frail and imperfect as we are? Revolutionary thoughts and questions. It raises other questions for if we are equally imperfect it follows that we should be of equal rank in the scheme of it all; able, entitled, to work with G-d, to present our ideas and strive for perfect worlds -on earth and the world of G-d - Heaven. Revolutionary.

However, this is not the first time that idea has been raised. The image of deserted unworshipped antiquated gods of Mt. Olympus and the halls of  Valhalla are plentiful. A god is one only if recognized and worshipped as such. A god bereft of man is no longer a god and the people are bereft as well. Left alone in a scary world.

 It appears that we need each other to be complete, stronger, able to seek out imperfections of both worlds, above and below. With that unity and shared goals, perhaps dreams can come true and nightmares avoided.

Thus the question of saying Kaddish for oneself and for others equally as bereft of Kaddish sayers has taken the listener all the way to new thoughts, some say heresy. However, does it make a difference as to the answer - in whose image are we made, or did someone do perhaps reverse engineering in some  way? 

The truth is that Mankind has a penchant for ameliorating their misdeeds by laying the blame off on someone other than themselves. Certainly G-d's  broad shoulders can carry it off. After all, if we are imperfect, well, who made us that way? Makes some sense but avoids the fact that we are responsible for ourselves. We commit the errors; we are the one and no one else. We have the ability to choose. to seek our own imperfections. If we do not, it is on us. No one else. And think about it as perhaps that is the very thing that makes us perfect -that we can do that seeking and improvement.       

Maybe. Maybe not? Way, way, above my pay grade. Thankfully. However, think of the power the music, the words and narrators causing us to think and better ourselves, our grasp of who we are.          

Especially as the idea of togetherness is raised by the narrator. Even back then, Bernstein saw the need for a united front, to challenge that which needed repair, together, producing a wonderful synergetic result. Togetherness -sounds familiar.  Together we can go forth, seek better, understand better, achieve more, always getting closer to perfection, which truthfully is the perfect state of Man, for to seek perfection, to ever attempt to better oneself, that is perfection.   

The meaning of Kaddish is universal as is the seeking of perfection, along with the ease of avoiding it, giving in to the temptation of an easier path and blaming that erroneous choice on others. That is the imperfection we strive to conquer. Even as that is what makes us human. 

Only together can we make a lasting progress in an eternal battle to a perfect society. Together.

Together as we have stood for Yitzy and as we hope it continues together to aid one small boy who now contemplates his activities as he figures out the side effects of which chemo is on tap. He has been perfect in this battle, grown up as no kid should be. We eagerly await the time when he can revert to being the joyously imperfect child, as should be.   That imperfection will be perfectly perfect.  

  Together. He, we, need togetherness.   

  Together, as Jews in a growingly hostile world we must keep that faith, be it about Yitzy or others. In the darkest depths we kept the faith, even in the ugliness of the camps, even as finally liberated with death two minutes away seconds before, services were held, requested and organized by the very ones just out of the darkest dark evil imperfections of Man. Faith held, and will continue to hold and we say Amen. 

 

UMMMM, WHERE ARE WE?

  Oh Lordy. Where the hell are we? I recognize almost nothing, a bizarre take on a once normal scene, extremely disconcerting and worrisome. I took the day off yesterday but unfortunately that   seems to be all the allotted time of sanity. Madness prevails, grows in its outrageousness, giving credence to the reality of even more madness, even more threats to a sane status quo. Perhaps we have even passed the point of no return, unnoticed as we rolled by it embroiled in our dangerous stupidities. GPS, Waze, paper outdated maps, still unable to be refolded, nothing works any more. We are caught up in a new vista of unknown and frightening views and we are lost. 

So, time to return to a reality, ugly indeed, for no one can postpone forever the intrusion of ugly truths. The truth will out will it not. Despite our very best efforts to deny it, even as it snaps at our heels and mines the paths ahead. In Monday morning quarterbacking, we continue futile efforts to deny truths, to obfuscate facts, to refute truth. But hey, there it is.  A dangerously skewed reality, one inimical to graceful, gracious, moral and safe living. 

But not to worry, for ABC has issued a revamped TV schedule for the Fall, giving us two hour weekly installments of Batchelor in Paradise. A show wherein seventh grade mentalities are wrapped in adult bodies compete to set up their own middle school society, falling in and out love for eternities lasting as long as an hour or two, indulging in pettiness. I find it fascinating, even rooting for my favorites to indeed find love eternal   - until the next distraction, that is.

In the meanwhile, back in the ranch, so unappetizing, rancid, and devoid of any shred of decency, of morality, of a just society, the ugliness   is revealed. One GOP candidate now demands to know how many Federal officers were on the 9/11 crashed planes! They admit to preferring a policy of government by blackmail and they do it oh so well.   Cassidy, Tuberville, the grossly misnamed "Freedom Caucus", and the perverted bunch of thinly disguised New Age outlaws, the "Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association" whose mantra "teaches that elected sheriffs must “protect their citizens from the overreach of an out-of-control federal government” by refusing to enforce any law they deem unconstitutional or “unjust.” Truly pots and kettles calling out each other even as they are in dire need of the boiling cleansing waters within. 

Not to forget the truth of the parallel worlds of Man and Nature. There is a most frightening video from California portraying a huge powerful spout of dirt and debris breaching the surface, spewing forth ugliness and danger, even as we do the same in our own world, breaching the walls of decency and goodness meant to safeguard us. As both worlds seem to link directly to Hell. Even as humans have chosen to emulate Hitlerian era mobs, as they followed the enticing music of crooked Pied Pipers.  

Remember the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, when and where humanity chose to challenge the gods, building unto the heavens where the gods resided, challenging and defeating them. All they got for that hubris was confusion of languages which to this day has meant an inability to talk with and understand each other. 

We literally drill down, attempting to reach the center of the earth in our hubristic display.  For  what? Do we know what is there, what we might be releasing or destabilizing? No, most definitely NO! 

Time to stop the world so we can get off? It does not work that way, does it. We are here for the duration, whatever the timetable is. We can remain apathetic or indulge in grievous behavior, hastening an end or we commit to Tikkun Olam, the repairing of the world, beginning with the 'fixing' of ourselves. Difficult, but can be done-if, only if, we do it together.

Togetherness has a powerful effect. A synergetic power and effectiveness. We have seen its power with Yitzy, the wind beneath his wings in his battle with cancer.

We turn to that empowerment of   togetherness, a good, soul cleansing, sanity encouraging togetherness.

 We do have the power to change things if we are together in goodness. Together we can sow the seeds for a better world, a repaired world a world. if not of love, at least of patience and respect.

Where are we? Wherever we choose to be.

For all of us.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

WELL, MISSED THAT LOTTERY TOO! DANGNABBIT!!

  Of late, it appears that I was in the wrong place at the worst of times and missed that train to plush living - again, a fate I was to repeat over and over again. What happened, you ask. I never seem to be  in  the right place at the right time when I buy my tickets for huge pots of lottery money.  Throwing my money away I guess, but oh heck! A cheap price to pay for a few days of musing about the could be glory ahead.

Now I find I have missed out on yet another road to wealth and good deeds. Uh huh! Apparently, there are locations on this earth of ours simply spewing forth a veritable "fountain of diamonds", sent journeying topside via a kimberlite. When? Just a few - 25million or so - years as a result of a game of tag of tectonic plates, all the way to the surface. Don't you just have to hate the guy standing there doing nothing worthy of such a prize, while you, poor deprived soul, are left in the dark again. But there is hope for one who can figure out where the next one will be. Go think hard. Should have paid more attention in math and science classes.  

On the other hand, many of us are wealthy in ways we never fully understand and acknowledge. We kind of skim over the wealth of family. The warmth and comfort and care of, by and for a spouse. Kids? They provide the aggravation and a path to grandchildren who are never wrong and exude sheer unconditional love for grandparents. Then the best - those greatgrandchildren who move right into your heart, possess every atom within your body and soul. And don't you just love it! Yes, there is wealth waiting for recognition in so many places other than the wallet, bank account or stock holdings. 

 It is to be found as well in and from other people, in beautiful sights around the world, in the power of love and goodness, in the spontaneous good deeds, even, especially by strangers. Nothing fancy. Holding a door. Helping you with a package. Giving you the 25 cents you need for that unexpected purchase. A smile on a crowded train. An acknowledgement of shared humanity and experiences. The list is long, if only we care to open our eyes and see it all around us. 

Unfortunately, the awful around us too often overshadows the good. It claims our attention even as we continue to ignore the messages it sends, the understanding of short and long term consequences of our actions. So sad, so very sad for us and for the earth and for the future.

For today, ignore the negative, forget the agita of Trump, the aggravation of delay after delay, the dangers the earth and humans face, our misconceptions and errors. All will wait until   tomorrow or the next or the next. Believe me, they hang around, but every once in a while, we need a mental health day. Bask in the warmth of friends and family.  Do a favor for a stranger. Make a phone call to a shut in or go visit.

Along with that good day please keep on with your prayers and thoughts for Yitzy as they have given him the help and encouragement to fight this nasty devastating cancer. Thank G-d he is doing better, was a regular kid this weekend, visiting a small fun park this weekend, attended synagogue, and had a private showing of disgusting creatures like snakes and lizards -Ugh!  The doctors tell us they are pleased with the path he is on and the progress he has made in his battle. YES!!!

 All this has been made possible with the power of togetherness. By good wishes and thousands of prayers addressed to the same post office box. Without the unity and togetherness, the caring, this battle would have been much harder and lonelier.      Please, keep the togetherness ongoing and perhaps drop a tad, just a tad, into the negative times we all undergo. It could help. It will help.

For all of us.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

SO, IN BRIEF, ....

  Again, my apologies, as I massively overslept, thru the whole night - imagine! Cannot remember another such night, even the ones where I slept late.  Glorious!!!

Anyway, to be brief -as if - the Duke of Verona had it right, or Shakespeare did, tired as he was of the Civil War, the War of the White and Red Roses in England. It was a war that lasted close to 100 years and even when supposedly ended, after Bosworth, the killings went on as Henry VII and Henry VIII killed off the descendants of the Plantagenet line. Mind you, Henry VII and his unbelievably ambitious mother, Margaret, were incorrect, but that is for another time. In any case, the Duke wished upon both feuding houses the same 'blessing' - a pox on both unless the bloodshed, the feuding ended - NOW. The totally tragic, needless bloodletting served no purpose at all.  

And that my friends is what I am wishing upon all the peoples of the world. Time to stop. Time to heed the biblical prediction - or deepest dream of mankind - to turn swords into plowshares and we will know war no more. What a dream. Imagine a world where our resources, physical and mental, were used to advance, to save the world, so battered and torn by both Man and Nature. Think what we could do, what gifts we can give to ourselves, for eternity. A future we gift to our descendants, all of them.

So, a pox on both houses here in America. Trump has divided this country so badly that only an almost total no return policy must take effect. Trumpians living in a benighted fantastical world must come to understand and accept how misguided they were, how they fell prey to predators whose only goals were to amass power and wealth and take over a country, cancel its democracy, to plunge us all into a world of nacht und nebel. Like it or not, there must be a cleansing of hate purveyors, openly demented, twisted by that hate. There is no room for them at any inn of this nation.

The opposing house, mine, must do better, must reach out with hands of warmth and welcome, presenting a picture of a rosier future, of a united nation able to forge a better world. One where the benefits of unity are displayed in glorious color and understanding and allegiance. Where we unite to fix, to repair, to salvage, to tear down the walls wrongly built to encourage hate of 'the other', those kept outside the walls. 

We must write off, discount and disempower those unredeemable, so deeply immersed in the devilish swamp that there is no hope of return.  Kindly but firmly, we must be able to silence the appeal of fake siren calls of bad intent. Ending if the figurative and literal bloodshed is a major goal, and we must strive to achieve it. Furthermore, in pursuit of that goal we must rid ourselves of our own poison, of the hatemongers among us, so truly unwelcome as they spout words of encouragement of hate and violence.  

We must together, try to recall a time, not so long ago, of us as a nation, Americans, all, no matter point of origin of ancestors, legal or illegal, for all are important to the building and maintenance of a viable nation. All of us were immigrants at one time or another so why do we deny this positive accrual to our nation's work force, to its future, to the fulfillment and vitality of the American dream.  

Once we strode the world, yes, a bit aggressively, arrogantly, with upright posture, exuding a can- do attitude and sense of confidence. However, we began to fight, selfishly, foolishly, dangerously, amongst ourselves, gradually beating down that proud erect posture. We lost our way, lost all sense of direction and sought aid from too many false and treacherous prophets, not the least of which is Trump, followed not far behind, the rest of that motley crew of GOP hopefuls, so inimical to a repair and return of an America as should be, as once was. They prefer fascism.    

We have brought this upon ourselves, lost in a nightmare of selfishness and forgetfulness, of a turning our backs on what America meant to our first family members here, and stomped on all that was right as we embraced the wrong and the negative, that separateness over unity. We forgot   that humans are far more similar than different. Much to our detriment. We lost our sense of reality    as we strode with huge giant steps ever further into an existential mess.

We succumb to the wishful rather than the real. We ignore warnings about the growing threats of an end to human habitation on Earth. We chose to ignore all, even further it. We forgot the lessons we learned with our first Superman comics. Krypton exploded, enabled to do so by ignoring facts. We learned that no one escapes other than the ever-lonely crusader against evil, an eternal ever losing war with small victories along the way.  Is that what we envision for ourselves and our kids? 

Well, my apologies - brief this certainly was not. All I can say right now is to remember   togetherness, for without it, well, follow the string. The strength of being together, in combat for the good, for positive unity, for nationhood good for all - the only way. The only way.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN

SOMETIMES YA' GOTTA' SCRATCH

  Think of how many tricks and turns we use to prevent one from scratching an itchy bite or rash or strangely annoying itches where an itch should not be. Yet itch we must, a natural human behavior, despite the gloves, the topical ointments, the understanding of foolish behavior and the inevitable consequences resulting. These results are termed "normative derivative results". 

Fancy jargon for what we all know, having been taught from birth that consequences exist. That they derive, arise, from behavior, via deed and words.  No avoiding that truth, no matter how hard we try to deny, delay and obfuscate. Anyone with a modicum of a brain knows that. That knowledge, that understanding, that norm, guides much of the behavior of humans, thankfully so or else we would be in an even worse situation than we are at present. 

Unfortunately, we have people in high positions of authority driving our busses right now, which take massively oh so wrong, dangerous routes, confine riders who oppose to the back of the bus where silence must reign, and violators punished. The juggernaut of corruption and loss, egregious harm, to society presents as impossible to stop on its mad desire to amass power and wealth.

These massively flawed individuals and groupings move on, crushing all in its way, turning on all, denying, retracting and redacting their words. Not a modicum of honesty or honor, not one bit of courage or empathy. One must seek high and low, delve deeply into the ugly muck and rot of their souls if one seeks to uncover any remnant of proper societal behavior. Generally, all those gas tanks are empty, having been so for years, running on E for time immemorial. 

The opposition too often lags behind, weak on the defensive end and lacking in the offensive as well. We are reactive, rather than proactive, as we stand agape at the audacity, the blatant disregard of norms of society. We refuse to believe, despite all proof to the contrary, that their motives are evil, their goals evil, no matter their successful disguises, as the   deluded fall prey to grasping claws and ever hungry maws needing to feed constantly on the blood and flesh of others.  

Why is it that our expectations of essentially good, somewhat flawed people will hold office, but remain grounded, generally concerned with constituents and understanding of the meaning of the oaths they swear, appear to be outdated, useless, even spurned. How can this be? How is it that we humans have a perfect record of ignoring, even willfully shunning hard won, costly, lessons of history.  Again, and again, we land on the wrong choice, throw an unlucky roll of the dice or are dealt a bad hand. That is life.

 However, what can be said when the bad hands or the severe itches are of our own making. 

When our tactics are wrong, as our values are skewed, and we pay too much attention to the incorrect itches, increasing their harmful effects.

When we ignore the easily cured, but essential itches, symptomatic of the itches of a body politic, needful of immediate scratching of said itches along with copious amounts of salves. Neglect leads to a severity of itching so fierce that no amount of scratching helps, topicals are useless, and the infection grows apace, ready to burst forth in all its ugliness at just the wrong time.

Sometimes, ya' gotta' scratch, unpleasant, inconvenient, or simply annoying and inconvenient, but attention is required. Scratch, one must. Scratch, society must do. Sometimes you just have to.

Now I cannot imagine a unified mass scratching event, but I can envision an understanding of the need for the itch to be addressed promptly and properly so as to ensure correct attention to the correct itch to be scratched in a fitting positive method garnering a positive responsive normative derivative result.  

This needs to be a societal recognition and a societal approach. For sure, we have so many awkward itches now that we had better lay in copious amounts of salve, cut our nails, and get to work. 

Sometimes ya gotta  scratch.

But together, in recognition of the need and the hopefully positive results. Only if society has the epiphany at the same moment, the same aha! moment and understands and actively participates in the hard, but necessary steps if we are to build a hypoallergenic world for all.

 No more abandoned itches. No more lies.

But - together.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu. 

 AMEN. AMEN