Buried Truths About Nazi Mass Murder and the Allied Victory

This is an op- ed taken from the NY Times with the byline of Roger Cohen. I often disagree with him, but not here. I have seen the movie about which he is writing and it is truly a nightmare of truth, a truth that people do not wish to acknowledge. Read and think.

Roger Cohen            

A very important movie about the Holocaust made its way to New York City for the first time this week at the end of a tortuous journey that began 70 years ago when Allied forces and newsreel cameramen stumbled into Nazi concentration camps. Called “German Concentration Camps Factual Survey,” it is as unadorned as its title, a document shot in the moment to capture forever evidence of the unimaginable.

Made under the auspices of the British Ministry of Information, produced by Sidney Bernstein, the founder of Granada Television, assembled with advice from Alfred Hitchcock, the movie was meant to ram home to Germans what had been done in their name in the land of Goethe and Hölderlin.

 

Instead, after a rough cut of five of its planned six reels was shown at the Ministry on Sept. 29, 1945, it was buried for decades in the archives of Britain’s Imperial War Museum. Only recently was “Factual Survey” restored, digitized and completed by the museum’s staff with the incorporation of the sixth reel.

The documentary, shown at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, is therefore important not only for what it is — an overwhelming testament to Nazi depravity — but also for its strange history in which lessons lurk about shifting political priorities and shamed evasiveness.

I’ll start with the film itself, which places the viewer back in 1945, first in Bergen-Belsen. The camera proceeds from leafy tranquility in the approach to the camp, past listless prisoners inside, to the horror at the heart of the place. Emaciated bodies lie in piles. Unseeing eyes stare at infinity. Corpses are tossed into pits by well-fed German guards. Death is indiscriminate, young and old intertwined, amassed atop each other. The narration pauses. Silent screams seem to issue from each inert form to assert the humanity denied them.

Local burghers are brought in; they doff their hats in foul hypocrisy. Of course they knew. A young British soldier can hardly voice his outrage. The camera probes what Hollywood has since rendered in a thousand forms. In their rawness, the images carry a weight no studio perfection can attain.

This is how it was, a “Factual Survey.” Facts matter. As Bernstein intuited, the deniers were sure to come along. They multiply today, one reason the documentary is essential viewing.

The movie is also problematic. It moves from concentration camps in Germany — including Dachau and Buchenwald — to briefer glimpses of the extermination camps in Poland — Auschwitz and Majdanek — without making the connection between them: that by the end of the war large numbers of Jewish survivors of the Nazi annihilation facilities in the east had been driven in death marches to places like Buchenwald. Many of the skeletal figures we see are no doubt these.

Yet there is no mention of the Holocaust, scarcely an allusion to the Jews. Bernstein wanted a movie whose testimony to human cruelty, and call for vigilance against it, was universal; an argument can be made that by making the suffering nonspecific, this message was reinforced. It is also true, however, that the mass murder of European Jewry was an embarrassment to the Allies. In the joint “Declaration Concerning Atrocities” of October 1943, issued by Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, there was no mention of the Jews, although by then millions had been gassed or shot. Even in 1945, the fate of the Jews was an awkward matter in London.

 

Besides, other priorities emerged. The Cold War loomed. West Germany was needed to fight that. It had to be rebuilt. There was no point beating the Germans over the head with their guilt. Or so the thinking went. Britain also faced in 1945 the ticklish question of Palestine, where Jews were rising up to fight British rule and demand a homeland. And so a powerful movie, with its own intriguing evasions, met yet further evasions, and slipped from sight into the archives.

The film’s suppression was the wrong call. Living in Germany after reunification, I came to see the generational battle to reveal what the Nazis did. “Factual Survey” might have accelerated that process. Jane Wells, the daughter of the producer, said that her father told her not completing the movie was the greatest regret of his life.

The Imperial War Museum, over-cautious about the movie’s distribution, has produced a 12-minute “orientation” film to follow it. In this, David Cesarani, a professor of history at Royal Holloway College, says: “Many British officials, including in the Ministry of Information, feared that if you pointed to Jewish suffering, if you spoke exclusively about the fate of Jews, about the horrors being inflicted upon the Jews, you would be in some way endorsing the Nazi position that the Jews were a people apart, a race apart.”

This looks like agonized intellectual contortion. It’s unpersuasive. Cut the “orientation,” distribute the movie far and wide, and let it tell every layer of its devastating, ultimately redemptive, story.

Visit The Messenger Club Website - Click Here

COWARDICE AND HEROISM

     Most of us live our lives in a small world consisting of friends and family, of jobs and hobbies, and some concern about the world though our daily life seems to devour most of our time and energy as well as interest. There are times, though, that a person must rise to a challenge and must choose the nature of his being. Is he/she going to be a person of moral conduct and attitude, one who tries to better the world, one who must reach beyond one's normal arc, or is one going to be a coward and take the easy way, the harmful way, the one where others are trod upon in order to advance one's own position in life. Work it right, and you, too, can be a hero.
     Yesterday, a woman of the first order died and was buried in Jerusalem.
 "The last surviving member of the Revisionist movement’s Jewish Military Organization (ZZW) to have fought during the Warsaw Ghetto uprising was buried in Israel Wednesday afternoon.

Ziuta Hartman-Rutenberg, born in 1922 in Kielce, took part in the revolt against the Nazis as part of the underground group founded by members of the militant Jabotinsky Betar youth movement, which fought alongside the better known left-wing Jewish Combat Organization lead by Mordechai Anielewicz."

     There are the heroes, the ordinary people who dare to do what others cannot, who rise to a level that is extraordinary. On the other hand, there are the cowards, those who are afraid of life, who have spent most of their lives in backrooms, in solitary jobs, with no or small families, few to care for or be cared by. It is safer if one does not open oneself to the love - and woes - of others. These are the people who snipe from the sidelines, who do not have the courage of a mouse and thus never commit themselves openly, using aliases and puppets, shills, to take the hits as well as give them.
     I wrote yesterday of the nastiness of some people here in the Village and I must continue to do so today, for yesterday, "Fred", in one of his "pseudonyms" sent a comment that has nothing to do with the issues of the Village and was only meant to show nastiness, cause hurt, and actually just imprinted his viciousness even more. It did not strike the mark because it is so patently obvious in its lie and in its motivation, but it does serve to identify those whom we oppose, those whom we are trying to get rid of, out of office and out of the business of harming the Village. It is people like this who do not have the balls to write who they are, only using aliases and thinking they are "safe" from recrimination. Not so, you evil souls, not so at all.
     Before I insert what was sent to me - and to Gerry - whose only connection here is that he is my husband, understand the truth of the matter. Less than a year ago, a man that Gerry admired, a man who has written books, a man respected in the world of scholars, a man with whom he had become close friends, died. That man was our rabbi, Rabbi Cohen. Every Saturday during the Rabbi's extended illness and affliction, Gerry would walk over in the afternoon to talk with him and his lovely wife, keep them company, was in touch with the children of the Rabbi and has taken it upon himself to help out Mrs. Rabbi, who herself is not physically well, when she is in the Village and speak often enough on the phone. So tell me, please, what other purpose could this moron have other than trying to hurt someone when he sent this comment. Unluckily for him, it missed its mark though it does illustrate the essence of what these people who hang around David Israel and Ed Black are. Here is what was sent - and I leave out the other lovely tidbits of the comments, for this was the dart that went astray, - "you and Gerry helped drive the last rabbi to an early grave with your behavior."  Of course, he also had to add in that my family is ashamed of me. What an idiot, but the point is, that these comments have nothing to do with the issues at hand and are meant only to hurt, to harm and to be nasty.
     This, people, is who rules the roost here in the Village and do not think that this nastiness and personality defects are only aimed at one or two targets. No! One cannot separate what is an intrinsic part of one's soul, of one's moral, or rather immoral makeup. Why do we allow them to continue in office, running their selfish government, their selfish and harmful administration? Why, because many of us just do not care, though after much hard work and abuse, the opposition is beginning to gain the upper hand and the present incompetents in office are running for shelter, disintegrating as we speak, not knowing what has hit them, what with blogs and protest and newsletters and downright disrespect for them and what they stand for and what they have done to the Village.
     Isn't it time they were gone? Isn't it time to bar them from future terms until they have obeyed the rules of term limits and conflicts of interest? Isn't it time? Isn't it time?
    You can help by voting on the my village blog for term limits.

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGA.....OOOHHH, THE NASTIES ARE BACK!

        I was so happy to get home late yesterday after the races thru the airports to catch connecting planes, the ups and downs that kill my ears and the crazy schedules we had to meet. I miss the kids, but aahhh, to sleep in my own bed.
      Last nite I actually had time to check comments and what do you know -  there they were again, the Nasties, in full bloom. Fred.....er, Ed, Gracie, Petey Boy, in all their glory on my blog and David's. I do not know what makes them tick and it would be fun to be a fly on the wall in their session with a shrink!
     So here I am, trying to write a blog which has a bit of culture and world views in it, pleasing myself if no one else, and here they come. Gracie tells me I am unloved, unwanted, a nasty person, a sore loser, no one will ever love me again, and now a joke, all according to her, along with other lovely additions. She makes my day, don't ya' think!
     Then we have the nasty Petey Boy who never makes any comment worth while, worthy of the time it takes to type and click on, but who persists in his losing battle. You see, there is nothing that the minions can say that would make any sense or contribute to the discussion in any positive manner, so instead he engages in name calling, sounding just like Gracie, as if they are playing in the schoolyard. For heaven's sake - GROW UP! Try to think, to contribute in a positive manner or are you too busy buying more apartments and being a profiteer, Petey? Gracie - well, what can one say. One has to work with whatever size scoop G-d gave us.
     But Fred....er, Ed - well that is another story. This man is dangerous. Allegedly, he has made some nasty, vicious statements all along, taken over UCO, threatened to have me killed in various manners, but lately has been quiet. Maybe because he does not feel well. So go home and rest, Quit UCO. But no, the man managed, yesterday, to insult so many groups it is amazing. He dissed women, political thinkers, Jews, Israelis, and the list goes on. The man is a hater, a dangerous person and he has his finger in all the pies of the Village.
     And why is this so? Because he is allowed to do so by our "esteemed" president, David Israel or he has a Svengali effect on David Israel, but the end result is the same. AND WE ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN, WE ALLOW THIS TO REMAIN THE STATUS QUO IN THE VILLAGE. How? By allowing David Israel to remain in office. By allowing his to overturn the term limits ruling and remain in office a poisonous third term during which the aftereffects of the first two combined with the ineptness of the third term to bring us perilously close to disaster.
     I do not care what illusions he is trying to weave with his budget "audit". We need a forensic audit of the past three terms to discover exactly what he has done, where the money has gone. He shows amounts in the budget and is he for real!!!! Now for the roads, you know, the roads for which we spent five million dollars and more, to get the crummiest job ever? Yeah, that one. Well, now we need to put away TWO MILLION a year for fifteen years to redo. First of all it would be a miracle from on high to make these roads last another fifteen years. And what about the drainage? And now he has suddenly returned to the budget funding needs for perimeter fencing. Guess he heard our thoughts on the need for replacement, especially in certain areas. In any case, all these funds will not be placed in a designated, reserve fund, but in the mish mash account. So even if, by some miracle, we were able to put aside these funds and more - an unlikely prospect unless we increase our payments to UCO disastrously, who the hell would know if the money were there waiting to be spent or had already been flushed down the toilet on various pet projects that are anti Village wishes?!
     Now, to distract even more, and because he has nothing of any value to say, David Israel has published another letter dealing with the lawsuit. So big deal, it was dismissed. The plaintiffs have come back with a response. Stuff like this goes on all the time in lawsuits. That is why they drag on and on. The best thing would have been to admit total responsibility for his misdeeds in this affair and delineate the steps he has taken or proposed to take to alleviate the situation and not by this dream of putting aside $2 million a year even as other needs bloom and blossom. Does he think this is Trump Village, with millionaires living here and nary a financially pressed person around? Well, look again, fool, and see the reality. We have people who are struggling. We have people who are okay, and we have people who would be okay if they did not have to help children who are not, due to the economic fluxes of the times. But we do not have the capacity to put aside the enormous amount you now say we must.
     So he continues to use scare tactics and verbiage. Try to print something of your own. I know it is hard, but try. Remember, my offer of tutoring, and it would be free for you so no cries of how much it is costing UCO! But write something original, all by yourself, no cheating, and leave the scare tactics out. No condominium or individual who gave money towards this lawsuit cost is liable for anything unless they are named as participating litigants. Stop scaring people, David Israel. Try to grow up too. Using words as a replacement hammer and intimidating people who do not know better is simply a continuation of your delegate assembly tactics, as are your statements that they disrupt the DA. How? By speaking their minds in an appropriate manner? By opposing you? You have already been scolded by the PBSO and told to stop using them as a threat. You sound like the old fashioned mother who would say, "Wait till your father gets home." Useless and stupid.
     Well, no more of that. Stop the repression of rights here in the Village. Stop the stupidity and nonsense that harm all and help no one, not even you! Try to think of a positive manner in which to approach the problem. Hey, I have an idea - RESIGN! Do anything, but what you are doing now. It serves no purpose except for your pathetic and troublesome ego needs. It certainly does not serve the needs of the Village.
     Oh dear, dearie me, now Lanny wants to behead us! Not a joke, Lanny, in this day and age. You see, here is a major difference between you, David and minions, and us. We do not threaten corporeal punishment or harm. We do not threaten nor advocate manhandling by PBSO officers or our own security guards. You do. We do not threaten to kill you. You do. We may advise mental therapy, but that is all and that is helpful advice, not a threat. Nor do we distinguish or use abusive terms due to gender, race, ethnic origin or religion. You do. We want what is best for the Village, not what is best for oneself on a personal basis. You do. So now exactly, who is it that needs help? Look into the mirror, all of you.

ACTUALLY.......

     I borrowed the title idea from my little one here who starts any of his important announcements with the word actually, as in "Actually....I think you should live here forever." Hey, Gracie, wouldn't you love that! Not happening, though tempting.
     So actually, what is the truth that we have been talking about lately. That dumb bunny who keeps emailing me, says that in actuality David Israel is the best thing to have hit the earth since who knows when. Thus I decided to take a look at the "major" accomplishments that he has made during his almost three full terms in office - and contrary to the expressed and favored rule that we always used - term limits.
     So, here we go.
1. He has abused the philosophy and use of term limits and done so via political manipulation.
2. He has taken us to near bankruptcy with the paving contract, leaving us with $11,000 at one point.
3.He has given us a ....poor job of paving and repair as the roads are broken and prone to flooding and getting worse.
4. He has neglected our drainage system and thus contributed to our flooding.
5. He has corrupted our financial system by moving all funds into one account rather than keeping it in better controlled and more accountable multi accounts and thus increased the likelihood of near bankruptcy and/or lack of funds for present and especially future needs.
6. He has persisted in trying to foist upon the Village projects which they do not want nor have need of and refused to listen to alternative ideas for these projects.
7.He has put us in peril of financial ruin again and again.
8. He has destroyed the past records of the village in a manic attempt to place all under his control on the "cloud" and thus limiting the access to our records to any but his favored lackeys.
9. He has brought the Village to almost a standstill with his factioning of the population via poisonous statements and accusations, including several instances, well documented, of anti Semitic and anti religious remarks.
10. He has consistently worked in secret with companies to get his projects into the village and is continuing to do so at this very moment.
11.He has actively engaged in censorship, disallowing freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and the free exchange of ideas.
12. He has colluded or "urged" WPRF to go along with these desires, increasing the negativity in the Village.
13. He has consistently threatened all opponents and openly done so in DA with his threat to call PBSO and have the speaker taken away and indeed, hired armed guards to intimidate the members of the audience at a DA, including Holocaust survivors who did not need a repetition of threats such as these in their present home and sanctuary.
14. He has allowed associations to fall into
decrepitude by refusing to reach out to those in trouble, to guide and advise and thus allowed the present situation to grow, with buildings being used as motels and units going for investments (including by his favorite playmates.)
15. He has turned UCO into an incestuous organization of couples and people who serve in multi positions, thus shutting out all else who volunteer and whose contributions and experience are lost to the village.
16. He is complicit in the downfall and degrading of the newspaper of the village - belonging to UCO which is US!
17. He is complicit in the downfall of a high functioning village Channel and censorship of said channel by removing the images and voices of people he does not like nor appreciate. (Ooohhh, I am so hurt.)
18. He has set a poor example and role model for his position, an incompetent chair of the DA as he bangs away with his gavel, screeches at people to sit down and flagrantly violates Robert's Rules.
19. He has neglected the needs of the infrastructure of the Village, allowing large areas of the outer fencing to deteriorate to the point of uselessness - and this with many warnings of their state of condition.
20. His administration has engaged in theft of private property from the doors of the units in order to suppress knowledge and free speech.

     I am sure I have missed some other wonderful contributions that he has so kindly given us, so feel free to email me and I will add them to the list.
     Actually? Actually, the man sucks!

CHARACTER AND FATE

     The eternal question has always been who controls our destiny? Do we make our own fate or do others do it for us? The answer, for the most part, is a combination, but there are always the hapless and helpless victims that have no choice.
     Heraclitus made a famous statement, "Character is fate."  As I think about it, I believe much of it is true, for our character traits, our ranked priorities in our own spiritual mind, often bend us to one choice or another. It is when we fight the truth that we fail and when we ignore the danger to us from the actions of others driven by their characters that we also face danger and peril with our fate. It is at that point that we must take action.
     David Israel and Ed Black appear to be driven by their character, or what we would sometimes deem, lack thereof. There appears to be a lack of empathy with their electorate, though actually Ed Black HAS no electorate as he is simply a buttinsky, a power behind the throne, an illegitimate poser in UCO. Their characters which drive them are harmful, very much so, to our fate - to have or not have a viable Century Village or not, to have a Village which serves all, or only the few.
      Carl Jung says, or warns, that "If you bring forth what is within you, it will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, it will destroy you." Think about it. Does that mean that the battle here is between what is within the current "leaders" of UCO and the residents, that we must choose what is best for them or for us?
     We MUST choose ourselves. We must have the courage to know that our character and our fate are foremost, and are primary over the selfish character driven motives and actions of others. We must go with the right.We must go with what is best for the Village in the long run and that means proper financial planning, an open and transparent administration, a free press and media outlets, frank discussion and careful listening, a lack of selfishness on the part of the members of the administration and a proper use of ALL the people of the Village, all their intelligence, all their experience and not simply by a "chosen" few as it is at present.
     This is all common sense. It is also a fact that if we do not choose to act then we allow others to choose our fate for us, to allow their characters to override ours. Democracy is driven by the rule of the majority in a free and open society where all have the right to speak, to write, to air their views. That is not the situation here as the democracy is truly NOT a democracy for we all know that censorship and intimidation and even vandalism are the rule of the day. Thanks, though, to a small and determined group that situation is changing and that small group has grown and continues to grow by leaps and bounds. The PBSO has made it clear that the cowardly calls for them to come rescue the incompetent chair of the DA must be stopped so now what will he do? He will be forced to allow the speakers and can shout out of order or sit down as much as he wants, he can shut the mics down, but justice and knowledge will prevail. That is the power of OUR character.
     There is an old saying that "the mills of the gods grind slow, but they grind to powder." And we, as a character in a novel states, we are the grinding stones. Let us keep on grinding, having at the windmills, for we already have won victories and more will be coming down the road. Perhaps it is time for the current UCO officers and their subservients to examine their own characters and see if they are truly happy in their deeds. Perhaps the character that drove them to be sneaky spies, here and in a previous life prior to the Village, that caused them to ignore the needs of others, perhaps that same character can be changed, turned around. I kinda' doubt it, but hey, it can't hurt to try. What about it, guys? Remember Happy Days and the refrain, "When it's time to change...." That time is here, long past due.

IS THIS MAN FOR REAL? hOW STUPID DOES HE THINK WE ARE?

     So does he think the silence is now broken as we see what is happening via the IFI? Really and truly?  The issue should have been settled. Now we find that not only has he gone ahead with this but it seems, according to the wording of the notes, that this CSI has been officially contracted for the job and if not, then it appears to be a non legally signed fait accompli.
     Now we find that Comcast was called in to talk to this non essential and incorrectly  formed committee. I could have sworn that we resoundingly, unmistakenly, defeated the whole idea of village wide Wi Fi so why were they called in and then a paragraph "addressed" to try to scare people into thinking that Comcast will cancel their individual buildings and that there were rogue operatives who came to meeting after meeting and patiently explained everything.
     THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ASSOCIATIONS INDIVIDUALLY WIRING UP. David Israel is trying to play with your heads again. Do not let him.
     What about the statement that is clearly and easily available, that BOCA CENTURY IS CANCELLING, BREAKING OFF, THE CONTRACT WITH DSL FOR VILLAGE WIDE WI FI. Yes, the same contract that would have cost us millions, is now off as of May 31. And why? Because, frankly, ladies and gentlemen, it sucked. It was lousy, did not do the job, interfered with other connections to Internet and video communication, was not secure, demanded that routers be turned off, and on and on we go. This is what we would have had if we had caved in to another of his foolish, dangerously so, economic measures and plans. We would now be paying millions of dollars for garbage!
     But he is not done. He is like the negative energizer bunny. He just goes on and on. Who the hell is CSI? Who had given UCO permission to engage in heavy duty talks about Village wide installation AGAIN!!!!! Why are we in the neighborhood of million dollar deals again? We already said no, no, no.
     This Internet world and connections are changing so fast that it makes one's head spin. Yesterday the big news was Verizon going to buy AOL and combine. Verizon is heavily wired into our Village, has spent a lot of money doing so. Comcast, of course, is here too, and why should we not have our own choice about whom we wish to use, whose services we wish to have. I, in fact, have the top of Comcast, their Xbox 1, their best speed and am quite happy. I also have Verizon for a landline phone to be on the safe side and it worked the last time we had a power failure.
     Perhaps if I get a better deal with Verizon I would switch, but who knows. I am not jumping into anything before the dust settles and that could be a while, but in the meanwhile, I have my connections and speeds and security down pat. (See, Gracie, the Luddite is YOU, and if you favor moving, YOU go back to Canada if you are so unhappy.)
     It is no one's right nor business to tell me how I must connect to anything. It is not anywhere in our bylaws and agreements and I will not be forced to do so at a terrible and unbearable financial cost to us here in the Village just to satisfy the pathetic twisted dreams of a nowhere man and his nowhere buddy and followers. We will defeat this again and again until we throw this fool out of office and get some fresh air and ideas in.
     And by the way, he is talking about an income generating web site? Whose? His private one? Or a proper Village owned and operated one, but again WHOSE? Will he blackball all contributions other than from his pathetic lackeys? Will it go under the purview of that incompetent and even malicious editor and VP Joy Vestal who kowtows to all of Israel's demands? Then if so, we cannot allow it and the only way we could and should have a Village web site is if David Israel and Ed Black were barred from any connection, from any sayso about it. It needs must be an independent operating site.
     People, this whole idiocy of again trying to get a Village wide program here after we have conclusive evidence that it does not work and that his efforts for it are flawed in the extreme and could have cost and will cost us millions should it go through or have gone thru, this whole idiocy must be opposed, vehemently so, and trashed at delegate assembly and anywhere else. No more rule by gang of five or whatever small number it is. That is who comes to the "Broadband" committee meeting and that is who wishes to impose THEIR wishes upon you. NO  NO   NO.
     Throw the bums out. (Hey, it is baseball season.) Break the silence. Break the dictatorship. Enough with hypocrisy. Enough with horrific financial planning or lack thereof. If we do not do this, are we looking at bankruptcy as all the hens come home to roost? Think about this, and quickly.

SOUNDS OF SILENCE REDUX

     As the annoyance with David Israel grows, with his lack of proper attention to the  needs of the residents, both now and in the future, we wonder how long we have to put up with him and the incompetence, the dangerous incompetence, the selfishness of trying to implement his, and only his, wants and desires.
     We already have lost millions of dollars. We have lost in the quality of our infrastructure. We have lost our media and the heights to which it had risen. Once we had a great Channel 63 and now it is a bulletin board. Once we had a great newspaper, The Reporter, and now we have The Rag, a useless piece of several pieces of paper that have lots of restaurant reviews, lots of cooking recipes, information on how to buy Indian clothes, and biased one sided partisan presentation of some issues in the Village and G-d forbid they should ever print the other side! 
     And now, welcome to the new look of David's purported Village blog. Lots of pretty pictures and colorful ads. Hey, I love rock and roll and would probably go, but this info could be found elsewhere. I believe there are far more important topics to be addressed. So why are they not? Because the man and his advisers - or boss - have nothing constructive to say, nothing helpful, nothing that can be believed so instead they work in secret, in an opaque setting so that they can spring their wasteful projects on us and hope they get it thru.
     Well, delegates, this has got to stop or else we will find ourselves in a bind that will indeed be extremely difficult to undo. Term limits. A strong coalition against him and his henchmen and his policies - or lack thereof. A strong delegate assembly where questions are raised and answers demanded. He has been told that he may not call 911 for his stupid reasons, for the fact that he doesn't know how to properly chair, for the fact that he cannot abide any opposition and differing viewpoints, so have at him and his wasteful projects. Have at him and Ed Black for their ridiculous contracts such a the security one that we are having to deal with.
    Stand up for our rights and let the noise begin. No more silence. We demand our rights be respected. We demand that our needs be addressed.
     One way for us to end the silence in the assembly is to select better delegates, one who can think and understand their responsibility to vote as the association wishes, not to vote for poor choices because they are intimidated or because they are promised little fiefdoms. WE must make sure of whom we elect to the boards and whom we appoint as our delegates. Get rid of the deadwood and use the wonderful storage of intelligence and experience we have in this Village.

By the way, sorry for the late entry, but I am in Pittsburgh now, an interesting city, and my little ones here have first priority of course. Important topics come up, such as new sports equipment, books to be bought, clothes that are absolutely necessary, and of course, more super hero figures and accessories. But I will find the time to write, albeit not as early as I usually do. Thanks for your patience.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF SILENCE

     Yesterday I wrote of the sound of silence that echoes from UCO. It is deafening. But there is also a sound of silence from the electorate, the residents, and their supposed representatives, the delegates and until these repositories of silence are replaced, until they know they HAVE to vote the associations' wishes, and not their own private opinions, the silence will continue and so will the harm to our Village.
     Yesterday there was an IFI, you know the info that David Israel sends to his approved people. It must kill him to know that I receive these from numerous people, thus thwarting his twisted plots and plans to keep certain people in the dark. Ahh, if only he knew how many sources of information I have. Go eat your heart out, dear boy.
     Anyway, I spoke yesterday also of the need to bring the distant consequences closer, to look at more intensely and understand what it is we are doing and/or bringing about by our actions or inaction. Well, the IFI simply bolstered that opinion and need. Let us take a look from the simple to the horrifically complex.
     So we have commissioned a study to review how to save money for future needs. Dumb? Beyond words. Unnecessary? Absolutely. Why so? Because when we had a strictly delineated budget with strictly held designated funds for all our needs, we knew EXACTLY what was coming in, going out, and the future needs and how much we needed to build up. We had a careful watch on the funds to see that they could in no way be spent on other needs. Along came jones, you know who, and signed money away, transferred funds without delegate permission and now ascribes to the oh so sophisticated economic theory of mish mash funds. Truly well thought out, right? WRONG.
     So now we have no money for our present and future needs and have commissioned a study on this topic. Sure, let's just throw out more money, good after bad. This is the kind of thinking or what passes for thinking, in our governments at all levels and gee, who was it again that boasts of working for the government, saving us all? Hmmmm. Who gave permission for this expenditure? How much is it going to cost? Why the hell are we having it anyway?  Ahhh, the sounds of silence.
     Then we have the lake, where perhaps we are facing one of our biggest crisis in the Village. First we had erosion of the lakes so WPRF comes up with geotubes for whatever they are supposed to do but from the beginning all we keep hearing is how fragile they are so we must do this and we must not do that and woe unto the association that does not obey.
     Now we find that these geotubes are disintegrating. How and why is still not clear. If they were so delicate in the first place then maybe they never should have been used in the first place and another solution should have been sought. But worse than that, because they are so delicate, we bought millions of gallons of water to keep up the level of the lakes, not a bad thing, but, oh truly but, this water is dangerous to the health of all in the Village - to the geotubes, the water, the fish and to us, yes, the humans in the Village. Now we hear that this untreated water has given rise to a toxic growth in one of the canals. Lovely! We have algae overwhelming the areas and one other slightly minor issue.
     Due to the fact that we have an overgrowth at the edges of the waterways we now have company living there. Yes, we now have some lovely snake condos along the edges, no fee ones. The water moccasins who have come to visit have come to stay and no, these are not Minnetonka shoes for the water. These are the slimy eely creatures that I hate! And am afraid of and rightfully so for they are deadly. So much so, and so many are here, that Eva has invested in snake catching kits. Watch out for your little pets and your little visiting relatives and for yourselves as well, especially if you walk down to the edges to fish.
     Now we are dithering around as to what we should do. With a bit more care and forethought, with a bit more care and research into the consequences of actions, we would not be in this position now, seeking remedies and likely or just as apt to run into another "solution" without looking into the future.
     Such are the consequences of silence. Such are the consequences of the sounds of silence as our brains shut off and we allow people to run rampant and carelessly with our future, our funds and ignore our needs. Hey, at least maybe we should look into how to get rid of these critters, like call in a herpetologist, maybe many of them, and let them get rid of these things. I know Eva is concerned about it and frankly so am I and frankly so should we all be.
     Silence is nice at the proper time and place. No loud radios at the pools. The awesome silence of nature in its various manifestations. The silence in one's private communings and meditations with G-d.
But not the silence that comes from people taking upon themselves too much authority nor the sound of the silence of the residents as they allow this to happen. Speak up. Roar out. Beat the silence into submission.

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

     Silence can be deafening. It can be an awesome silence such as that "heard" in the Joshua Tree National Park or the heartstruck silence of Aaron when he was told of the death of his two sons.
     And then there is the silence of UCO. We are inundated with problems, large and small, with issues that must be resolved or at least aired and discussed, open to the "floor" of the residents, and yet what do we hear? Nothing, a great big nothing.
     So why is that? Why is there nothing forthcoming from UCO? Frankly, because they have nothing to say, certainly nothing constructive anyway, and are afraid to voice more stupidity for fear of getting slammed by the thinking people of the Village.
     David Israel thinks that UCO can operate in a silence. Perhaps he thinks he is the rabbi in Chaim Potok's book who raised his son in silence? But I daresay that he is not, and certainly not on that level. His silence is not that of a G-d inspired one but that of a man who is losing his grip on things, losing his surety of dictatorship, and has nothing good to say to defend his policies and programs. Indeed, he has none, other than the same old same old that he keeps raising or the secret programs he holds close to him, to Ed Black and to his other henchmen.
     But this does not work. The questions will keep coming and more will be raised. Secrets do not work. A transparency expert, Noah Dyer, said, "we recognize the right of people to keep secrets....only one purpose for keeping secrets: Secrets exist to prevent other people from acting as they would if they had complete knowledge."
     This policy of secrets and silence was tried in withholding the original election papers until he had time to upload to the clouds and shred the originals, thus precluding a proper forensic examination of these papers. But the silence resounded and was well heard for the over a month and a half delay. Indeed, it even had a rank odor. This issue is not yet over.
     The secret and the silence of the mish mash budget, the fund for operating costs - just what is going on there? The Treasurer never answers directly, only repeats numbers that have no meaning, and the Chair sits up there smirking, thinking he is putting one over, again. But wrong he is. The silence will not protect him any longer as the truth is outed.
     Do we wish to suppress all dreams here in the Village? No, we do not. We know that the Village needs to grow along with the world, but with pecuniary responsibility and a sense of reality and need. Garrison Keillor said, "It's good to dream, but the urge to perform is not in itself an indication of talent." David Israel may have his pipe dreams of a completely blanketed Village with not a dead spot to be had, but that does not mean that it is either necessary nor financially sound. There are dreams that must be tempered with reality and needs must be prioritized as well as the adult realization that one's own dreams, for better or worse, are not necessarily those of the majority nor those that are needed and must be set aside for the good of the electorate. If one does not realize that, then the leader is a faulty one, seriously so.
     The silence that has ruled the roost here cannot continue. There must be accountability from the offices and officers of UCO. They must show up for meetings on a steady basis - that is what they signed up for. They must stand ready to answer questions and look for answers if they presently have none. They must reach out to their quadrants. They must learn to accept the onus of responsibility and if not - get the hell out of office.
     It is time for a forward and realistic thinking UCO to be in place. Term limits must be reinstated, as they were for years, Dead wood must be thrown out, thanked for their once upon a time service, but now basically useless. We must operate on a program of fiscal responsibility and attention to the primary needs for the NOW before we approach the later. We must return to the management of our funds when we could save up millions to do what needed to be done - unless it was thrown away as the millions were with the paving and planned to do so with the Wi Fi and now broadband and who knows what else is being planned in the secrecy and silence of UCO. We need to hear of the prep work being done for the replacement of the Millennium Agreement and the fact that we have hired an attorney with a working and active brain in full mode, not one who gives one whatever answer is wanted. But all we get is silence.
     A professor of psychology said, 'The core strategy for self control is to cool the now and heat the later - push the temptation in front of you far away....and bring the distant consequences closer in your mind." Only when we understand the truth and importance of that statement will we be able to control our own future here in the Village. Now and later, present needs and future needs. Psalms says there is a time for all in this world - we need to recognize those times and work and plan accordingly. And no sound of silence, no matter how deafening, coming out of UCO can stop that. Listen, people, listen carefully.

THE DIRTY SECRET IS OUT

     Bet you think I am talking about something here, with UCO, but I am not. I am talking, or rather, writing, about a far more important topic - that of the rising anti Semitism - and not just over there in Europe and the Middle East, but right here in the good old USA. Yep, right here in America, and I am not talking about the nutjob sects that live in the woods and mountains of Idaho or wherever, but of our supposedly well informed and educated future leaders, those kids who are in college and university all throughout the country.
     The University of California campuses are rife with the strain and shouts of anti Semitic remarks. It is there on the campuses of the California State University as well, but not to as much a virulent level, and it is even in the fairy tale world of Disney where a visitor had to be ejected for pushing someone and calling her a name.
     The new anti Semitism has become PC as it took on the disguise of anti Zionism, but wait a bit at any demonstration and the anti Jewish remarks,the name calling, will emerge with the same viciousness and nastiness of a good Nazi. Ask any student on the campuses of Ohio State, Brandeis, University of Michigan, and on and on about their experiences and feelings. Many are now frightened to wear a Magen David (Jewish star) or a kippah on their heads. Many are intimidated and afraid to come to pro Israel rallies for fear of the physical abuse and the verbal filth that is thrown at them. If you think this is a figment of my imagination, just read the NY Times article about it from yesterday's paper or go to Google or Youtube or wherever or whatever search engine you use and see for yourself.
     Let us even talk about anti Zionism. Why should that be ok? Why are Jews forbidden a state of their own? Because the countries of the world are so welcoming to them? NOT! Because they are safe in all the other countries of the world? NOT! Because the refugees of Jewish ancestry from the Arab world are recognized as such and are promised restitution for their resources and wealth left behind as they fled and/or were thrown out from lands where they had resided for thousands of years, pre dating the Moslems? NOT!
     The BDS movement, to boycott Israel and its products is simply another manifestation of anti Semitism. It is also counter intuitive for by boycotting, thousands of Palestinians are thrown out of work if the factories and farms close down, but you see, sense does not have a place here, only hate, hate, hate.
     And if one counters with the argument that there are Jews who participate in these rallies, professors who spout off speeches in class about this, who intimidate their students, make them afraid to speak up - well, answer the questions on your own. There are always quislings in any situation, always self hating people who think they will be safe if only they cooperate, hence the members of the Jewish police and the Judenrat in the ghettoes, the kapos in the camps and the Jews here who think they will be exempt from consequences if only they shout long and hard enough to make people forget their origin.
     Well, it does not work, as those of the WWII era discovered, and it will not work here either. Hatred is hatred and do not think that we, here in our little enclave, are exempt for these feelings and statements. I have been the target of filthy anti Semitic remarks and have heard others make comments at the pools and in the lobby of the Clubhouse waiting for a show. It is here, it is everywhere, no hiding from it.
     So what is the answer? G-d help me, G-d help all of us, but I do not know. I worry for my children and I certainly worry for my grandchildren and their world. I question why this has to happen again and again and the question is not why G-d allows this, but why man allows this, for it is a manmade hatred, not G-d given.
     That is why the Holocaust Remembrance Days are of utmost importance, why the remaining survivors must tell their stories, why the memories of WWII and Hitler and his Nazi henchmen and even the help of those ordinary citizens who stood there with their arms raised and their throats aroar, or the French police who so eagerly rounded up the "alien" Jews and then their own citizen Jews, or the Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Polish, etc., citizens who participated in the mass murders of the Jews of their towns, who sold the hiding Jews and the heroes who hid them to the Nazis - all this must be remembered.
     And remember we must for hatred does not stop once begun. It needs constant fuel, constant targets, lest it feed upon itself. If the people of the world, if the nations of the world, are not yet at the point where they can disagree in a civilized manner, then at least let them disagree on the issues and not with poisonous words, thoughts and deeds. If not, we are left with what we have now - a growing hatred, a growing use of vicious behavior towards and with the enemy - beheadings, torture, and more- of the use of children as slaves, soldiers and sex objects, of the growing rape and kidnapping of women and even young girls.
     Where and when does this end? In a Mad Max world? In our own version of a zombie apocalypse where we forget that we are humans, supposed to represent the hope of the future and instead destroy ourselves? (And no, while I love the zombie shows, I am talking figuratively).
How do we keep our humanity? How do we remember that we are all on this little planet together and must keep it as one or we will lose it as one? Again, I do not have the answers, but dear Lord, we must try. We must. 
  

CAUSE AND EFFECT, EFFECT AND CURE

     Yesterday the Times had a powerful op-ed piece written about Victory Day in Russia and what it truly means. It was quite sad in its understanding and presentation of what has gone wrong and has been wrong in Russia. It speaks to a country where history has been rewritten, where the cult of the personality or the dictator is deeply entrenched, where news is presented only on an approved media and only what they wish to be aired. It cries out about the negative future that awaits the country, how the rulers have stolen that which belongs to the people - including their future and their past, along with the present. I ended my reading of this with a soft wow, feeling the depth of the pain of the author.
     Then I began to think and realized that we are not much different here. Granted, Russia is just a tad larger than CVWPB and we have no day - yet - to celebrate our victory over the forces of the dark side here, but we have had the past rewritten or "lost" in the clouds, the cult of the dictator has become entrenched in our home, and the truth is hidden under a barrage of falsehoods, lies, and made up stories and simple obstructionism. We too have developed a system of supposed security that actually provides none of that but does provide and is growing in that aim to watch US! Cameras are installed where they do not belong or are not needed, our entries and exits from the Village are recorded, and there is more talk and probably already installed- of more cameras all about the place, at every WPRF facility, along the roads, anywhere, and there goes our privacy, an expected right here in our private home of CV.
     Neil writes well and powerfully and his piece on the physical issues, the infrastructure issues, of the Village is clear, but here I branch off in emphasis. Yes, we have problems, from a truly pathetic paving job with its incompetent and venial transfers and payments on a just about no contract job, to the lakes which are being polluted by water that we pay for - to add more insult to the injury - to the aging infrastructure. However, all this can and will be fixed with a mighty effort IF, and ONLY if, we change the crew at the top, if we cut them off at the crossroads, so to speak, and get the Village and UCO back on the right path, the proper and sane path.
     Right now, the two devil's imps that are running the show, David Israel and Ed Black, have neither your benefit nor that of the Village in mind when they act. It is all what they wish and that is why things and problems have been allowed to accumulate, almost to an overwhelming degree.
     But we are not at a tipping point from which we may not return. We are still a beautiful and wonderful place to live.With a mighty effort we can rebuild, fix, and improve our home. We can give it what it needs for the future if only we look ahead and behind and see where and how we have gone wrong and prevent it from happening again.
     The physical infrastructure that is aging is no more and no less than what is happening and has happened and will happen to any city, town, village and hamlet. It ages and needs attention. We are no different here and I do not believe that we are helping matters when we put the stress on that problem and only that problem. It is the causative factor that must be addressed and that is the guys at the top, the incompetents who have led us to this point in time, the power hungry dudes who see no further than their own noses and the sycophants who see their little power spots, their fiefdoms, dependent upon those two and the worship of them, or at least the fear of them. We need to show people that they are not to be feared for truly, there is NOTHING they can do - and that is quite evident just looking around the Village. There is nothing they can do or want to do other than indulge their own pipe dreams.
     Hey, David, there are new systems and technology now in the security world - video surveillance software, video analytics, that are being used and tested in some airports. Maybe we should get that for the Village and along with your pipe dream of forcing Village broadband on us, can be integrated into a total 100% spy program on the residents. Then you could stay in your office 24/7, never come out!
      Seriously, the system here has to change. The leadership here has to change. Ability, thinking and independent minds must be brought in to UCO, there must be a closer tie with the associations so that we know where they need help, the VPs must actually do what they are supposed to do, not just go into spasms of joy when they see their name and title in The Rag, this whole incestuous system where there are only cronies and married couples running the system, where no one knows how to run a business yet there they are, running an 8 million dollar business - right into the ground - the twisted elections, etc., etc., etc., - all this and more must be changed. Then, and only then, can we go back to doing what needs to be done. Only then can we truly figure out how to allot our funds in a proper manner so as to improve our Village. Only then will we get rid of the mish mash theory of finance from people who know nought of budgets and honesty and transparency and value for the dollar. Only then can we look forward to Neil then writing another article, waxing rhapsodic over the beauty and strength of our home, but until then, let us stress the causative factor and the curative factor and the other problems will follow along to be resolved. We can remind the residents that these problems are here, but again - cause and effect, effect and cure - that is the way to go.
PS to Gracie. So you can go anywhere in your condo with your laptop. WOW!!!! So can the rest of the world, ditz. No one is against progress, my oh so deep thinker. What we are against and what any real thinking person is against is needless and reckless spending of literally millions of dollars when there is no need for it. Other than inside someone's head, that is.

JUST MUSING AROUND....

     In a mellow mood this morning - just back from my blessed massage which helps my poor aching back - literally!!Just thinking in the car and wondering if maybe we should make a massage a required item among the rulers of the world and then maybe we would have fewer wars and threats. Just wondering, would that work with David Israel and Ed Black et al? That would be great.
     Just wondering about the whole NSA deal and making it illegal for them to bulk listen in? Does that extend to bulk spying in private areas, like cameras where they do not belong? Does being a former worker at the NSA and boasting of his "key" position there, does that make David Israel an accessory to a crime? Does violating our civil rights, our G-d given rights as Americans, make him a criminal or just a nasty person? Is there a big difference in this case? Just sayin'....
     If the people one associates with says something about who one is, what does that say about that whole gang over there, including Petey, Gracie, et al? At least my friends all have brains and remember the common niceties of human interaction! Just sayin' again.
     If my friend Diogenes came visiting our Village what would he wonder about, muse over? Would he wonder why there is willful blindness to the truth here? Would he wonder why certain people find it easier to spout a lie than tell the truth? Would he wonder why there is no truth in advertising here, what with statements about financial standards, needs and disbursal quite "untrue" in many cases?
     Musing is quite amusing at times. It amazes me at how much people can confuse themselves, can refuse to recognize what is right there in front of them and can tell themselves the biggest hooey ever - i.e. Phyllis was "helping" the snowbirds. Phyllis, do me a favor and come take off the Advocate from the doors of those snowbirds who forget to tell them not to deliver. But better not make a "mistake" and take off the CV Messenger from the other doors!
     Also wondering why this UCO only picks up on problems when they are so overgrown that they threaten the very fabric of life here, be it a guy inventing his own motel here or DonHoHo owning four apartments as well as many other multiple owners who reside in UCO for much of the day. Is that why they paid no attention to this Kelly guy? Because they had their own nefarious plans? Because Kelly backed David Israel. That is apparently a good reason to sell one's soul. Or why do they suddenly wake up to the fact that we have perverts in the Village, a danger to us and our kids and grandkids. Why did they not call in the association officers and read them the riot act, tell them in plain language what could happen? But no! They use the excuse that UCO cannot do anything about this. Really? UCO can talk, help, advise, host programs, etc. But NO! Too busy, I guess, planning another campaign for broadband and other non necessities. Too busy wondering how much they can fool the delegates with their mish mash operating account that makes it very opaque as to how are funds are being spent. Oh, well, there goes my mellow!
     Why does the opposing faction here, the old, crumbly, out of date, selfish, disrespectful one, not come out to the public in all their glory and admit who and what they are, their desire to maintain "power" for whatever twisted reasons they have and how they are out for their own good here. We all know it and so do they so why play games and be willfully blind, deaf and dumb to the truth as it truly is. Why indeed? We are waiting Mr. Israel. We are waiting, Mr. Black. We are waiting, the rest of you and to use an old motto again - "The whole world is watching."

BANG!!!! Oops. That was me. Just fell down as I read Gracie's apology of sorts that she actually could be wrong about Phyllis and the papers. Whoa!!! Could this be the beginning of a new era? Doubt it, though, for she adds that it would have been okay to remove them later on in the day. Why? Perhaps they were coming home late. Tell you what - if it stays on the door for a few days then perhaps they might actually not be home and then you can be a good neighbor - provided you do the same for all papers left on doors, not just the ones David Israel does not like or use.

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN - TO SLIPPERY SLOPES?

    Well, yesterday was a long traveling day, what with the connections that must be made and the wait time in between but I met some amazing people along the way. Two of these people were a couple from South Dakota whose generosity towards me and others in a time of need were spontaneous and warm and the other was a simply amazing woman of 84 on the way from one doctor son to another in Biloxi. She came from a family of 23 children originating in South Carolina where she grew up on a farm where they raised much of their own food and all had a chore or responsibility. Many of these kids went on to college as their father opened one of the first African American owned stores in the small town where they lived. Her four boys are doctors, engineers, city officials and the grandchildren seem to be following the same path. Her album of pictures captured the interest of many. What a pleasure it was to sit and talk with her and listen to the story of her life - the story of an American family. I told her to write a book and call it that and promised to buy a copy for her to autograph. There are good people out there.
     And now from the sublime to the ridiculous - back home we are. There are none so blind as will not see so I am leaving that fool - and we all know who she is - out of this discussion - but how one can defend the act of Phyllis S. is beyond any understanding. Follow the thread of its meaning and we arrive at what we now have - the ever growing dictatorship of David Israel and his Vizier Ed Black. His court functionaries follow along, inspired by his comments? threats? promises to them of little fiefdoms? and act accordingly.
     Those who are surprised must not be, for this is simply the natural growth of the path that he has been on for a long time. From silencing speakers at the DA to blackballing people from UCO volunteer work to closing down the media outlets such as Channel 63 and The Rag to having Eva ban opposing viewpoints from being presented at WPRF facilities or from perfectly legitimate newsletters from being disseminated from the Clubhouse - all this is present and well accounted for. Thankfully, the Messenger Club is allowed to function as a club though a simple 4 minute presentation of a book club I am involved with was banned, yes, BANNED from the airwaves. Wow, did not know my words had so much power that even innocuous statements had to be prevented from being heard.

    

When we begin to fear voices of opposition, we begin a slippery slope toward dictatorship. Let us never fear opposing thought, no matter how much we disagree or fear loss of control.

May 4, 2015 at 2:21 PM

     This is from a comment left on David's blog but I hate to tell the author that we are well down that slippery slope, have slipped so far down already because of the blindness, or denseness of people who refuse to recognize the daily erosion of their rights as free citizens of a free America. David Israel and his proponents have long been frightened by the thought of the opposition but are now being overwhelmed by it. People are standing up and speaking at the assembly. People are publishing and writing in a newsletter, The CV Messenger, and it has grown to a respectable number of pages, is being delivered to various sites both in and out of the Village, and we have the blogs, including mine, who speak the truth and will not be shut down nor shut up. He and his minions refuse, categorically refuse, to have any debate at all lest they be shown up as the incompetents and nefarious people that the discerning people already know they are.
     No, jangor, we are already well down that slope but we are also well on the way to hacking our way back up and have made some great progress along the way. We, the opposition, do not fear debate, do not fear opposing viewpoints for we know that there are other ideas out there and a blending of ideas often is the best solution, but one must have a willing partner for that, not a cowering cowardly crew who huddle in their little rooms, type away on their computers and plan in secret for their own dastardly deeds to be perpetrated upon the Village.
     Anyone know how much is being spent on any area or concern in the Village? Nope, for it is all in one mish mash of an account, the economic policy put forth by Ed Black, the non elected guy who seems to control all over there at UCO. There was a study done, could you believe that, of how to plan wisely for our funds and their usage in the future? Really? How much did that cost and who authorized it? We already had a plan that worked, hence the money we had saved towards the roads and other needs, particularly under the presidency and treasurer term of George Lowenstein and Dorothy Tetro. These people had their heads attached to their shoulders, their brains on full power and their concern for the Village and its residents primary and foremost. Then along came you know who and suddenly our funds were expended and wastefully so, the fence  running along Haverhill by Salisbury never touched - after all, maybe we should just let it fall down all by itself and invite in the neighbors, forget the cameras at the gate that watch all. Who needs a gate, just wait for the fence to fall or just give it a push!
     Why do we have wasteful projects being planned, being put into action, being presented in a change of clothes as if we would not recognize them for the same old same old that we have already defeated? Why? Because, jangor, we already have that dictatorship and now you need to take the next step and recognize the facts of reality and come join the working opposition. Get involved. Do something - as should all the rest of us who care about the Village and its future, not about its sales value but about its life, its existence as a home for us. I do not want to sell. I want to live here, enjoy it, and be an American citizen with my full rights as I do not remember signing them away in my purchase contract.
     So, to jangor and all else who are sitting on the fence- it is uncomfortable to sit on top of picket fences and far better for one's health to be a firm committed advocate of democracy and power to the people! There are too many people out there today who are forgetting that, turning on the unions, cutting programs and help for people who need it, forgetting that before all, and before G-d, we are meant to help people on this earth, not harm them nor simply amass stores of treasures other than good deeds and the positive use of those treasures. Too many people are forgetting this these days and hence the barbarity found in so many places all over the world. Let us make our own stand here for the good, for the best in man and turn away from selfish needs and desires. May as well say it - We Shall Overcome!

HEROES

     Last nite I met and heard from eight heroes. Children when their world collapsed, slowly and then faster and faster, these heroes, all born between 1925 and 1929, were survivors with powerful tales to tell and overwhelming emotions and hopes for the future of the world and the Jewish people.
     The kids who had interviewed them were just a regular bunch, nice, caring, and I had met quite a few in previous trips to Chicago, but these kids came out changed, definitely for the better, with a more serious understanding of the world and their place and responsibility in it. These kids included my granddaughter who has spoken about her interviewee many, many times. This was all part of a program called "Names, Not Numbers" where a dying generation is encouraged to tell their story. It is hard on them, very hard and one could see that in the movie made and in their talking at the podium when introduced.
     They spoke of families all lost, ripped from life in most awful ways, of being left alone at 14 or 16, of not recognizing a parent after a separation of years, of hiding in caves, and of some good people, few enough, who held out a hand to help them. The audience heard the never gone feeling of terror and loss, of grief beyond words, but we also heard the courage, heard the words which gave these kids the onus of a new burden - to tell the tale to the next generation because there will be no more survivors to tell the story any longer. And these kids will indeed take up that job and consider it a privilege. I will have a DVD of the whole movie and its making, all the interviews, and if anyone is interested, it can be viewed and well worth it.
     These heroes, everyday ordinary kids who were living a normal life in their places in so many countries in Europe, including a most fascinating man from Greece where the Jewish population was basically wiped out, showed me that perseverance, a clear intention and luck, along with a sense of faith are important traits to develop and maintain. Still feisty, still caring, they brought us to tears and earned roaring standing ovations, honor and admiration for their willingness to share despite the hurt to themselves, to rip off the scabs and be scarred all over again.
     Surely their lesson must be heard loud and clear. With anti - Semitism growing, becoming quite PC, be it open or disguised as anti - Zionism, with the American college campuses aroar with mental, verbal and physical attacks on Jewish kids, with strong efforts to isolate them, with accusations about their identification with Jewish questions, we must continue to be vigilant and support those who combat this.
     And we must continue to fight wrong wherever and whenever it reveals itself. One survivor, a real love, begged everyone to remember, we are all G-d's children, and must be kind to each other, to love each other, to be good for each other. A hard thing to do, but we must try, even as we fight against those who would oppose these thoughts and deeds. Wherever and whenever. And hope that others will join in the fray and grow alongside us as we continue the struggles. Where are some of these struggles? Just read the paper, listen to the news and look around you. The answers are quite clear. One day perhaps we will be able to "overcome" and "give peace a chance". One day.

CRIMESTOPPERS AND SIDESTEPPERS CVWPB STYLE

        So we now have one of the funniest pictures of 2015 in the crimestopper photo of Phyllis S. as she raises her hand in what? Dismay that she is caught? Dismay that her plans have gone awry?Should we call 911 when we see her around the Village so that we can forestall future "borrowings" of information we are entitled to receive, never mind her and her bosses over there in UCO? Or should we just go straight to the planners of this increased attempt to stop the flow of truth and information into the Village and the hands and minds of the residents?
     Personally, I feel we should demand the resignation of both Phyllis and of David Israel. Nixon tried to deny his part in Watergate, made his secretary twist and turn in order to show how a "gap" in taping could have occurred but it did not work in the long run. Israel and Black could deny to their last breath that they had no part in this theft of papers, yet what happened yesterday in UCO and on the blog deny that would be statement. But of course, there will be no record of anything on paper as our resident NSA "expert" and "trainee" will have taken care of that. Instead of taping we now have that ubiquitous cloud and secret meetings and plans.
     Just who took part in that mini powwow yesterday at UCO?  Why was the meeting not announced as what happened certainly affects all the residents and members of UCO. Will we hear that it was only an officers meeting? On Sunday? After a crisis like this? And if so, were all officers here and only them or was Ed Black there too and if so, he had no business being there unless all residents were invited. Sunshine Laws, folks.
     And what was the outcome? We will never know officially as this meeting was sub rosa, but we can guess. Suddenly we have another issue of importance to the Village taking prominent place on BOTH of David's personal blogs, and yes, Elaine is his public face for this blog. We also have his shill Frank Leggio whom he drags out when he needs a false front, or a "humble" and "loyal" servant!
Suddenly, top priority is the golf course and what is going on. Whether one is for or anti development or for a mid ground compromise, the grounds need to be kept properly, just as all owners are required to do and as we see all around whenever we drive. Right now it is an eyesore and
the request or demand of PBC to keep the grounds is the right thing to do. But Davd Israel, trying to play all sides of the issue, now knows that here is an issue that can split the village another way, not just for or anti David Israel and his gang, but all about the golf course. Well, people, show him he is wrong.
     I am privileged to be friends with people on both sides of the issue and people who have no clue or interest in the whole matter.  These friendships will not be broken because of  the despicable avoidance tactics, the sidestepping plans of David Israel to change the focus of the Village. WHAT HE AND HIS UNDERLINGS HAVE DONE TO THIS VILLAGE IS THE DESPICABLE THING HERE. REMEMBER THAT. Do not be fooled by his strategy.
     The first line of planning by anyone intent on revitalizing our Village is to get rid of David Israel and his whole crew. Time for them all to resign. Time for them to go byebye. Time to run the village in a righteous and transparent manner, with the interests of the Village at heart, with the intent to unite the Village in its common interests and to encourage open and respectful debate and decision making.
     So Phyllis S. can raise all the hands she wants and call herself boss by and of her own volition and making and David Israel and Ed Black can make all the plans they want and keep on their nasty little path but the end result will be their ousting and a return to the right path for all of us. And yes, we will not revert to Pony Express, as they claim. You see, how the hell did I write this and how are you reading this? How did the Messenger Club get the newsletter to so many people? etc., etc., Yes, you see, David Israel will try to tell you that only he knows the way into the future for us.  He is wrong, wrong, wrong, dangerously so. His way will only lead to more division, harmful side diversions, and the wasteful and useless spending of  our funds.
     Let us all open our eyes and see the truth, read the truth, disagree in a proper manner -and yes, disagreement and debate are welcome or should be welcome in a proper administration. Let us rid ourselves of those who would harm us even as they claim to have our welfare in mind. We are adults and do not need a "patriarch" to make our life decisions for us. Time for them to go, go, go!

     PS. received a comment that Phyllis was taking it off empty apartments. Really? Were the people who complained then to be considered ghosts, active ones at that? How stupid does she think people are? And "major threat" attached to comment that if I don't stop telling these "lies" then nobody will like me. For Heaven's sake! Where are we? In the kindergarten schoolyard? Is this supposed to frighten me off or beg royal forgiveness? Cold day in Hell, that would be!!

THE ADMINISTRATION THAT ISN'T THERE / THE ADMINISTRATION THAT SHOULDN'T BE THERE

     Been to a recent DA or committee meeting lately? Notice how few people were there? To wit, when fewer than half of the Executive Board members bother to show up to a meeting, why do we bother with a meeting? To rubberstamp David Israel's decisions already made prior to the meeting? When an Officers meeting plays out with 2 VPs and a Secretary out, why bother, if only to rubberstamp again? When a VP should recuse herself, voting as the editor of The Rag and as VP, this is definitely the administration that isn't there and see what happens when they do show up. Watch the video on Gary's blog wherein a Secretary of UCO steals the newsletters placed on doorknobs and throws them out. Really? What is next? Does David then give all officers an order to go through everyone's mail? Just how desperate is this UCO that really isn't and how far will they go, how low will they fall?
     Actually, this is an administration that should not be there at all and for the most part they should all go. The basic premise by which they abide is the one which states that all opposition should be trampled to death. While most people believe that debate is healthy for an entity, not these people. Channel 63? Shut down except as  a rolling bulletin board and a vendor of real old movies, available elsewhere. The Reporter? Turned into The Rag, a propaganda machine for the current administration, a biased and extremely partisan outlet, and an evident desire to become the biggest ad portrayer around. It lies on a consistent basis, lies of omission and commission and needs to be cleaned out and up.
     This UCO evidently believes in the night and fog technique, used so often by fascists and evil dictators. A character in a novel from one such place said, "We must envelop our environment in a dense fog to prevent our enemies from learning anything about us." And that is the policy of UCO. Try to get any information from them? Ask for data on funding, plans, proposals, elections and you may as well go whistle in the dark. Nacht und nebel in CV?
     This attitude comes straight from the top of UCO, official and unofficial, both David Israel and Ed Black. There is a line in an Italian cantata that describes them very well, the ego of little men, first meant for Napoleon but definitely apropros here.  "Di lui men grande e men chiaro il sole." -  Less great and brilliant than he is the sun.
When it is pointed out that this is not the case here, that our presumed "leaders" are small minded and nasty minded people, who send out suckers to do their bidding, a la taking papers off of doors, who shut down attempts to give information to the people, who ignore the fact that the IG and Jesse Santamaria were invited here, did not just wander in on an off day, and were invited to a very large meeting by the Messenger Club, an organization that David Israel has been trying to beat down for a loooong time, they deny all.. Not too successful there, are you?
     From the beginning of the country the motif was freedom for the individual, careful respect for the rights of the people. The man who wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights, George Mason, the very document that James Madison used as a basis for our Constitution, refused to sign because of his concern about that protection. He and others throughout our history have fought long and hard against "the tyrannical aristocrat", those wealthy classes who think that money gives them all the rights, a situation that is redeveloping once more here in our own country, by the way.
     These people and their adherents, these people who think because they have an office such as president of UCO or are appointed as the unofficial First Buddy, these people are destroying our rights and should not be allowed to do so.
     Why  has our Village deteriorated into a place wherein one threatens to bring in PBSO, call 911, on his opponents and then gives orders, spoken or implied, that make his adherents feel it is okay to tamper with someone else's rights and ability to both give and get information? Why does one who is giving that information out have to argue with a fool, a dangerous fool in her actions and what they mean, a fool who says that she is the boss and she appointed herself the boss. Really? Truly?
     Perhaps we should follow the advice of Sun Tzu in his classical Art Of War where  he advises that "When your enemy is in the process of destroying himself, stay out of the way." Maybe we should just let David Israel, Ed Black, Peter Cruz, et al, fall down all by themselves, but no, it is better to help them along in their road and pathway to wherever the hell they are going - and it is such fun too, to point out their stupidities and inanities. They are just so open to it and they deserve it. Now for sure I will get the usual dumb comments from the usual suspects and the same nasty ones from the same nasty dudes. Water off my back, folks. The truth will out and it is coming out more and more and by the way, calling someone gay or lesbian or transgender and thinking that is an insult shows your true level of nastiness, prejudice, incompetence and moral turpitude, but you just keep on going. You are digging nice holes for yourselves, getting bigger and bigger. Have a good day.
    

DANG AND I MISSED IT!!!!

    So here they were, caught red handed. Love it!!I will write more about my thoughts on this and a related topic tomorrow. In the meantime, kudos to you guys and shame on you, Phyllis S. and all the UCO people you represent.