The other day I had an appointment with a new doctor and was told to arrive 45 minutes prior to appointment time in order to fill out the usual biographical tome. Wow! 45 minutes. That must be a truly huge bunch of papers, but what can one do?
Upon arrival and being given the packet, it was a tad thicker, but not that it would need 45 minutes. Well, at least I was armed with a book for the extra wait time and thus assured of non boring time, I began. Like the phrase usual suspects, these were for the most part usual questions, but some were interesting or interestingly phrased, giving rise to some thoughts.
"...adult children". Hmmm. Is any child ever truly adult in the mind of the parent? One can write a doctoral thesis on that question, but as I truly wanted to finish this packet, I moved on. I could always debate or discuss this issue at another time, so...onward.
Wow! I have never seen so many boxes under the question of race! This could be interesting. Practically every Asian country was listed as its own race, which is truly interesting as many are closely related and actually stem from the same source. For example Koreans and Japanese, are racially related, though many might be unhappy at that thought so why separate them and indeed all other Asian countries. Is there really such a difference between Laos and Vietnam? Did such minute differences have great medical significance and if so, then why not do the same with other so called racial distinctions such as people of original Mediterranean stock as they are liable for certain diseases or syndromes and what about Jews for they have certain so called "Jewish diseases" such as Tay Sachs or Gaucher's? So where to start and where to finish?
Having time on my hands, I allowed my mind to wander as this question has truly bugged me for a long time. In fact, I dislike it intensely for unless there is a reason for this that is medically relevant, it should make no never mind as to what race the patient is or came from or will be in the future! Now you might ask, how can we look in to the future and how can race change? Well, just follow along into the world of the absurd.
Okay. So following the example of breaking down the Asian countries into separate racial boxes, we need to do the same to the "white" race as well. Only fair. And full disclosure, checking the white race always bugs me for it is insufficient if we are truly interested in bottom line and why the heck anyway! So. In depth look at the "white" race. Let us begin with the Slavic race for that is certainly a distinguishable race within the larger category of white. But then again we have further division into the Polish Slav and the Russian Slav and then how do we define the person who comes from both or do we refer to a hyphenated version and then what about the Slav who then intermarries with a , say, French person so what is their child to check at the doctor's office in order to be precise.
And anyway, the French differ within themselves for try telling a Frenchman of many generations from Paris that he is of the same racial breakdown as a person from another French city or what about the Basque? Are they of French racial breakdown or are they separate and distinct. Most of the Basque would go for choice number two but uh oh, we have French Basque and Spanish Basque and even American Basque so how do we set up the boxes here and how do we instruct checking them off? Getting complicated, is it not?
Try going to an easy "race" ---aha, the Finns. They are often used as a so called pure race for medical and sociological studies as there is very little mixing there but what about if there is? Does the child then become a mixed race person and if so what box or do we need to set up boxes for all permutations? And even the English of the British Isles - not so simple is it? Look at the mixing of the races there - Picts, Celts, Britons, Saxons, Danes and other Norsemen, Normans, Angles. Wow, tad complicated.
And then of course we can look to ourselves as Americans. We are the great Heinz variety even though the people of Hawaii claim that title for themselves and come to that, there was actually a box for Hawaiian race and I was very tempted to check that - by voluntary and wishful adoption! But back to Americans. There are often intermarriages between Irish and Italian backgrounds so what box to check there? That could be an interesting topic at a family dinner table. And anyway, why not a new race box entitled Americans as no doubt about it, whether the American in question be black, white, pink, red, yellow or chartreuse, one can easily pick out the American in a crowd There is just something different in the way they carry themselves and this is a fact that sociologists often discuss and analyze.
And what about the race I always look for in order to check, but there I am, lumped together with all whites, no distinction amongst us. Yet there is. For example, are Jews a race anyway or is it merely a religious difference but in that case there are many, many people who made grave errors based on that. Perhaps it was merely a question of reeducating Hitler and all anti Semites or perhaps it is really not so simple. Is it perhaps an ethnic difference and then explain the difference between that and race. And what about the Jews who come from Ethiopia or Burma or who return to the tribe after finding that their Spanish background has Jewish roots from way back, or Indian Jews who have discovered Jewish roots to Iranian merchants from centuries ago? I mean, where does it start and where does it end and how many boxes are we to have and why anyway!!
Finally, don't you love the new boxes that ask you if one is of more than one race or partial race or mixed race or even a new race and for Heaven's sake, why does it matter? And hey, what about when visitors from outer space come visiting, say Venusians and do we add a new box and what about if we find that the Venusians divide themselves into three racial divisions so how do we account for their racial mixing and what about if a Venusian marries a Martian and then that child marries a "mixed" race Earth person so how many boxes.....let me see.....let me count....but what if.....and so.....
Hey, anyone know where my migraine pills are?
Seriously, folks, is it not time that we stop categorizing ourselves, separating ourselves, looking for the differences rather than the similarities? Is it not that which is aggravating us all and rending great big rips through our society. Is it not the fact that there are people such as the one who can send me a message and his lettering - "a complete Crazy Shithead....a miserable yenta....", (and we all know the "lovely" gentleman who sends these love notes to me!), people who cannot stand the free discussion and free speech without resorting to nastiness, and even threats such as one that tells me that I had better move - aren't these people symbolic of a race we do not need or want hanging around - the nasty race people!? Why can we not add another box - the nasty race box and perhaps try to avoid them or somehow turn them human and humane again.
Oy, still looking for those migraine pills!
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
DAVID ISRAEL TRUMPS TRUMP!
It seems as if the rude behavior, the almost psychotic behavior of Trump has led to some wanna be behavior by people who are also or similarly morally and truthfully challenged. This is sad, very sad and it is especially so when the person who emulates Trump actually manages to "Trump" Trump in his own limited sphere, distorting any and all items until they fit a distorted view of his own alternative reality.
The other day I reported on a shooting that took place from somewhere towards the rear of the property of Aitz Chaim, the synagogue across the street from the Haverhill gate of CVWPB. The area beyond the property line to the back and the side, as well as the back of the property itself is an area, a very large, many acres large area, filled with a canal or waterway of some kind plus bushes, trees, hedges, and wild grass as well as well as grass not trimmed to a short length. Keep that in mind.
Sometime in the early PM, after 1PM, closer to the half hour I believe - not paying attention to the time as we were sharing a holiday meal with friends within the sukkah, the temporary structure built for the holiday when suddenly we heard a crack!, a sharp sound. This was not the sound of a backfire and having heard the sounds of weapons fire before in other venues, I know the sound of a shot. A bit confused as to from where and why this was heard was then overshadowed by the sound of another crack! and another crack! and when we stood up to take a look thru the windows of the sukkah there followed many crackcrackcrackcrack etc., and we all decamped for the interior of the synagogue and called the PBSO. Having kept us on the phone for about 20 minutes, we finally had several PBSO cars roll onto the property, a half hour after we called.
We had two cars, a sedan and a pickup style truck on the grounds along with their drivers, a male and female PBSO deputy. We told them what we had heard, what had transpired and they went to the back to have a walk thru the grounds, seeking, I believe, some bullets, or pellets or BBs or whatever. I kinda doubted there would be anything sighted as I did not know the distance of the shooting nor did I think that looking thru a slightly bent over position at untrimmed grass would prove fruitful and the shooting had long stopped during that half hour wait for PBSO to arrive. Soon another vehicle with I believe two more deputies arrived, they having gone to the other side of the property wall or line. There was no one there to find - not a surprise as I do not believe anyone would have stayed around to get arrested! As for casings or brass or anything else - not there or not seen, another non surprise. Gerry and I gave our names as we are permanent residents and the deputies appeared to prefer that to temporary snowflakes.
After they left we locked up the property and returned home, shaken and shocked, but glad that at least the shooters were not so brazen as to hang around for another opportunity. We reported this to synagogue officials and I wrote of it in the blog simply to make a point that had nothing at all to do with David Israel. HOWEVER, this being a small man and I am not talking of stature but of character traits or lack thereof, decided to investigate on his own, calling PBSO and I do not know to whom he spoke, and he then reported back to committee members who asked about this by saying that PBSO told him there was nothing there, nothing happened and his conclusion? I had made this up to somehow get at him! The man is paranoid, living in his paranoid alternative world, like his idol Trump, who imagines the world revolves around him and all is rigged against him, that the world, aside from his henchmen and lackeys, are against him and thus must judge all that occurs within his purview by that standard. Sad, very sad.
Trump believes in his own self deluded words as does David Israel, even unto the point of calling me and the other witnesses liars or deluded fools. By mid week we will have the report and I will do my best to find out who spoke to him re this incident. I will try to make sure I do. I was there as were five other intelligent, hearing people. We know what we heard and the fact that a cursory inspection did not turn up "proof" is not indicative of the fact that "nothing happened' as David states. Trump world here we go. Might even be a better descriptive word than the old Bizzaro world!
Trump, a man of no character and David Israel, another man of no character. Two men who judge the world as to how it affects them in their tiny little minds and perverted view of the world. Two men who delight in demeaning others, in being rude to others, who believe that all are against them. Too bad. I actually feel sorry for them but also know how dangerous they both are to the public good and welfare.
At least in CV we have forced David Israel to at least open up more of UCO to the public as we have demanded info but there is till a long way to go. His insistence on plunging ahead with the unnecessary broadband project despite the desire of the Village against it, his lack of proper fiscal planning to the tune of millions, as we approach a necessary and complete overhaul of the water pumps and irrigation system within the Village and the elephant in the room - the multi million dollar job of the road repair after having blown five and a half million dollars on the crappiest job ever, the fact that we are approaching the post Millennium era with the Levys and we have done zilch about it, that we have not saved up any of the funds needed for these long term needs of the Village infrastructure, that we blow our funds on repairs that truly belong to the Levys as they are capital improvements, but no, we continue to bow down and thank them for the privilege of paying for a new AC system, new lifts in Hastings and for wasteful projects such as murals and keep on paying for a Clubhouse that has been half closed for months already!! This is what the man needs to busy himself with but nope, he is, in a paranoid manner, seeking out all his "enemies" so as to eliminate them.
Well, too bad for you, David. I am not going anywhere and you will simply have to accept it as a fact of life. This paragraph is to be found in a letter that some 250 women rabbis wrote re Donald Trump and just look at how well the shoe fits on David Israel's foot as well.
"...we find Donald Trump’s denigration of so many people and groups to be an ongoing assault he perpetually carries out before the entire world,” the letter continued. “He does this recklessly in the name of our society. "
Hopefully we have rid ourselves of the danger of Trump as a "leader" of the country and would that it were so here. That time will soon be here and just watch this man ramp up his paranoid fantasies, his crude and cruel language at meetings and assemblies, this man who was so pleased when one of his lackeys shouted, spitting, in my face, at a meeting, that I was a piece of ..... and why? Because I dared to oppose the then proposed Wi Fi project and referred to their talk as techie talk that needed to be explained to people who were not so familiar with these terms Well, off went Ron Rosov and there sat David, gleefully watching rather than banging his infernal gavel and calling for order. Sick man, sick behavior and outtrumping Trump in his own little world. Shame on you, David, shame on you. Such pettiness and nastiness and why, what for? The world does not revolve around you, not even here in the Village or in the nearby area. You are simply not that important in and to the lives of all of us. There is a life for you somewhere out there - do try to find it without any more damage to others. And in the meanwhile, how about three Town Halls - one for the transportation system and the new contract and the promises of the contractor - before giving the delegates three minutes to read a many paged, tiny print contract and then vote. The same goes for your broadband and for the situation of the golf course as Golf's Edge people have allegedly received notice of the imminent construction of a fence. Are we going to allow them to be cut off from easy access of emergency crews that might need to save a life or two, you know, minor things like that or concerns over the irrigation pipes that run under the golf course and that affect us and do we need more input and info. Town halls - transparency for everything that concerns the residents whether we have to drag you kicking and screaming to this state of compliance or not. And do not forget the huge increase that the residents will be paying this year and we still will not have reserve funds sufficient for all our needs. I truly feel for those who cannot afford this and the future huge increases. And what is this that I am hearing about increasing our UCO payroll as suddenly we will be paying several people for jobs that have hitherto gone as volunteer jobs and if we will be paying Don Foster as CAM, and I believe he is doing a good job as far as I can see, then he cannot be a voting member of UCO committees. There are rules. Hey, perhaps you will donate a can or two to them as the residents struggle to keep themselves fed and medicated and alive! You see, David, there are people who are of more concern to us than you. Grow up and leave the toddler world of the me, me, me world viewpoint. Try it - you might even like it.
The other day I reported on a shooting that took place from somewhere towards the rear of the property of Aitz Chaim, the synagogue across the street from the Haverhill gate of CVWPB. The area beyond the property line to the back and the side, as well as the back of the property itself is an area, a very large, many acres large area, filled with a canal or waterway of some kind plus bushes, trees, hedges, and wild grass as well as well as grass not trimmed to a short length. Keep that in mind.
Sometime in the early PM, after 1PM, closer to the half hour I believe - not paying attention to the time as we were sharing a holiday meal with friends within the sukkah, the temporary structure built for the holiday when suddenly we heard a crack!, a sharp sound. This was not the sound of a backfire and having heard the sounds of weapons fire before in other venues, I know the sound of a shot. A bit confused as to from where and why this was heard was then overshadowed by the sound of another crack! and another crack! and when we stood up to take a look thru the windows of the sukkah there followed many crackcrackcrackcrack etc., and we all decamped for the interior of the synagogue and called the PBSO. Having kept us on the phone for about 20 minutes, we finally had several PBSO cars roll onto the property, a half hour after we called.
We had two cars, a sedan and a pickup style truck on the grounds along with their drivers, a male and female PBSO deputy. We told them what we had heard, what had transpired and they went to the back to have a walk thru the grounds, seeking, I believe, some bullets, or pellets or BBs or whatever. I kinda doubted there would be anything sighted as I did not know the distance of the shooting nor did I think that looking thru a slightly bent over position at untrimmed grass would prove fruitful and the shooting had long stopped during that half hour wait for PBSO to arrive. Soon another vehicle with I believe two more deputies arrived, they having gone to the other side of the property wall or line. There was no one there to find - not a surprise as I do not believe anyone would have stayed around to get arrested! As for casings or brass or anything else - not there or not seen, another non surprise. Gerry and I gave our names as we are permanent residents and the deputies appeared to prefer that to temporary snowflakes.
After they left we locked up the property and returned home, shaken and shocked, but glad that at least the shooters were not so brazen as to hang around for another opportunity. We reported this to synagogue officials and I wrote of it in the blog simply to make a point that had nothing at all to do with David Israel. HOWEVER, this being a small man and I am not talking of stature but of character traits or lack thereof, decided to investigate on his own, calling PBSO and I do not know to whom he spoke, and he then reported back to committee members who asked about this by saying that PBSO told him there was nothing there, nothing happened and his conclusion? I had made this up to somehow get at him! The man is paranoid, living in his paranoid alternative world, like his idol Trump, who imagines the world revolves around him and all is rigged against him, that the world, aside from his henchmen and lackeys, are against him and thus must judge all that occurs within his purview by that standard. Sad, very sad.
Trump believes in his own self deluded words as does David Israel, even unto the point of calling me and the other witnesses liars or deluded fools. By mid week we will have the report and I will do my best to find out who spoke to him re this incident. I will try to make sure I do. I was there as were five other intelligent, hearing people. We know what we heard and the fact that a cursory inspection did not turn up "proof" is not indicative of the fact that "nothing happened' as David states. Trump world here we go. Might even be a better descriptive word than the old Bizzaro world!
Trump, a man of no character and David Israel, another man of no character. Two men who judge the world as to how it affects them in their tiny little minds and perverted view of the world. Two men who delight in demeaning others, in being rude to others, who believe that all are against them. Too bad. I actually feel sorry for them but also know how dangerous they both are to the public good and welfare.
At least in CV we have forced David Israel to at least open up more of UCO to the public as we have demanded info but there is till a long way to go. His insistence on plunging ahead with the unnecessary broadband project despite the desire of the Village against it, his lack of proper fiscal planning to the tune of millions, as we approach a necessary and complete overhaul of the water pumps and irrigation system within the Village and the elephant in the room - the multi million dollar job of the road repair after having blown five and a half million dollars on the crappiest job ever, the fact that we are approaching the post Millennium era with the Levys and we have done zilch about it, that we have not saved up any of the funds needed for these long term needs of the Village infrastructure, that we blow our funds on repairs that truly belong to the Levys as they are capital improvements, but no, we continue to bow down and thank them for the privilege of paying for a new AC system, new lifts in Hastings and for wasteful projects such as murals and keep on paying for a Clubhouse that has been half closed for months already!! This is what the man needs to busy himself with but nope, he is, in a paranoid manner, seeking out all his "enemies" so as to eliminate them.
Well, too bad for you, David. I am not going anywhere and you will simply have to accept it as a fact of life. This paragraph is to be found in a letter that some 250 women rabbis wrote re Donald Trump and just look at how well the shoe fits on David Israel's foot as well.
"...we find Donald Trump’s denigration of so many people and groups to be an ongoing assault he perpetually carries out before the entire world,” the letter continued. “He does this recklessly in the name of our society. "
Hopefully we have rid ourselves of the danger of Trump as a "leader" of the country and would that it were so here. That time will soon be here and just watch this man ramp up his paranoid fantasies, his crude and cruel language at meetings and assemblies, this man who was so pleased when one of his lackeys shouted, spitting, in my face, at a meeting, that I was a piece of ..... and why? Because I dared to oppose the then proposed Wi Fi project and referred to their talk as techie talk that needed to be explained to people who were not so familiar with these terms Well, off went Ron Rosov and there sat David, gleefully watching rather than banging his infernal gavel and calling for order. Sick man, sick behavior and outtrumping Trump in his own little world. Shame on you, David, shame on you. Such pettiness and nastiness and why, what for? The world does not revolve around you, not even here in the Village or in the nearby area. You are simply not that important in and to the lives of all of us. There is a life for you somewhere out there - do try to find it without any more damage to others. And in the meanwhile, how about three Town Halls - one for the transportation system and the new contract and the promises of the contractor - before giving the delegates three minutes to read a many paged, tiny print contract and then vote. The same goes for your broadband and for the situation of the golf course as Golf's Edge people have allegedly received notice of the imminent construction of a fence. Are we going to allow them to be cut off from easy access of emergency crews that might need to save a life or two, you know, minor things like that or concerns over the irrigation pipes that run under the golf course and that affect us and do we need more input and info. Town halls - transparency for everything that concerns the residents whether we have to drag you kicking and screaming to this state of compliance or not. And do not forget the huge increase that the residents will be paying this year and we still will not have reserve funds sufficient for all our needs. I truly feel for those who cannot afford this and the future huge increases. And what is this that I am hearing about increasing our UCO payroll as suddenly we will be paying several people for jobs that have hitherto gone as volunteer jobs and if we will be paying Don Foster as CAM, and I believe he is doing a good job as far as I can see, then he cannot be a voting member of UCO committees. There are rules. Hey, perhaps you will donate a can or two to them as the residents struggle to keep themselves fed and medicated and alive! You see, David, there are people who are of more concern to us than you. Grow up and leave the toddler world of the me, me, me world viewpoint. Try it - you might even like it.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
COME THE REVOLUTION?
According to Trump the title is obsolete for the revolution is apparently here. For those who say that Trump represents change - and I have always asked about the caliber of that change - well, here it is. He has unilaterally declared that there will be no more democracy within the USA for election results do not matter, as oh, he would keep the results should he win - SHUDDER!!!!! - but should Clinton win? Well, he'll see. He wishes to keep us in suspense. And then what? Riots in the street? Second Amendment gun nuts coming out in force, running thru our cities and villages and shooting any anti Trump person?
This is the most dangerous statement that this man has ever made. His speech is rife with incorrect facts, lies thru his teeth, misuses words and even makes them up - anyone ever hear of the word "bigly" - and he dares to show his contempt for our country, for what it stands for, threatening to overturn it should he not be pleased with election results??!! As Clinton so correctly stated - that is most horrifying, beyond, well beyond the pale of what is right and correct and any other word one wants to use. Is this the true desire of Trump supporters? Is this what his famous deportation police will be used for - to overturn the government?
This man who needed some jail time for his sexual habits, this man who lies and lies and lies again, who claims the "stories" were fabricated and debunked, now this same man needs to be taken to legal task for fomenting rebellion, treason even. What else can we call what he said, that he would keep us in suspense come the results. Is this the change that you people out there want? I cannot believe that for the most part. I believe that those who support Trump need to open their eyes and see the danger he is to us, to democracy, to our very being. I guess his admiration of all the dictators of history has gone to his head and rather troubled brain and he forgets his place in the order of things!
So the pundits said this was his best debate of the three. Well, if one tries for a target and on the third try actually hits the outside border, does that make it a good debate or presentation? Absolutely not. Yes, I will give him credit for, let's see.....Okay, he kept his sniffling and snuffling down though it made its presence known. Sorry, cannot say the same for the ridiculous and most ugly faces that he makes throughout the entirety of the debate. He did stay behind the stand, obviously well tutored in that , so as to keep his hulking to an invisible presence. However, his constant interruptions, his "wrong" "wrong" wrong" to everything he did not like to hear, or his comment that Clinton is a "nasty woman" well, that was lovely and we never did hear his answer to the Chinese steel, to his deportation of jobs, and while he boasted of his great financial success, well, how many bankruptcies does it take to realize that success is not necessarily so! His boasting that he took advantage of loopholes to his sinful level, and his once again incorrect comparison to Buffett who did publish his taxes unlike Trump, well, how much more did and do we need to hear?
Clinton was well prepared, facts handy in her head, well acquainted with the misdeeds and lies of Trump and if there are issues with the emails, well, she has already taken responsibility for it unlike Trump who claims all things not for Trump are guilty of rigging things against him. This man is not presidential at all. This man does not belong on the ballot and needs to be repudiated by his Party. If not, then the assumption is that they too agree with his wait and see attitude about accepting results of the election. Time to stand up and do the right thing.
So Clinton is not perfect. She has some weak spots. She took money for the Foundation from some countries we do not necessarily think of as perfect, but we are not at war with these countries, we have trade with these countries, we have treaties with them, so why not take their money to help those in need. And by the way, Trump's remarks re the Haitians who "hate" Clinton? Well, he needs to come back and talk to those to whom I had conversations with during registration drives. Veeeery different. And as far as the emails re her campaign and issues - what the hell is wrong with being prepared? What is wrong with having facts at hand, knowing these facts, discussing issues and allowing for dissent until a policy is hashed out. Where the hell are his policies. All I ever heard from him was bluster and hot air.
We are at a crossroads. Are we America or are we not? Are we to build our democracy, fix what has gone wrong, try to become one nation again unlike the divided nation that Trump wants and strives to bring about? Are we going to be the country where the anti Semitism becomes even more open and nastier, where Jewish journalists receive nasty verbal and pictorial threats, where some even need to hire bodyguards? Are we to be the country that denigrates all African Americans, all Latinos, all who are not the favored class of Trump? Is everybody a "bad hombre" according to his definition? I guess bigly so!
We need the passion of Hillary Clinton. I like her preparedness, her gathering of the facts before making a decision, her calm in the face of attacks, unlike Trump, her ability to shoulder blame as the head honcho, again unlike Trump, her fervent passion when it comes to the rights of women, of the disenfranchised of society, of the need to improve life for the many, her boldness in telling the 1% that yes, they will have to pony up and big time! I support her views on Roe v. Wade and anyone who has or had a friend or knows a person who was damaged by a back alley abortion, by the tremendous pressure of making such a decision and sorry - no man can understand that the same way as a woman can - well , here is a President that the country and the world can trust. Perhaps were Hitler alive or Saddam Hussein alive they would return Trump's admiration of them, but they are representative of the nasty side of humanity and that is emphatically NOT what we need as president! For sure!!
Reread my posting from yesterday and then reread today's. Which road, folks, which road? Do we remake America, turn back to the founding principles amended as life needs them to be at times, or do we go down the road to a tragedy and a footnote in history that once there was such a country and we join the ranks of a disappeared Camelot, of a Rome that also turned its back on its founding principles and ideals, of any country that lost its bearings. America is great. If it makes mistakes, the beauty of it all is that it is willing to shoulder the mistake and its consequences and fix it. It reaches out to the hungry, to the dispossessed, to the needy and yet always remembers to keep us secure and safe. That is the America we need and that is most certainly not the America of Trump!!
This is the most dangerous statement that this man has ever made. His speech is rife with incorrect facts, lies thru his teeth, misuses words and even makes them up - anyone ever hear of the word "bigly" - and he dares to show his contempt for our country, for what it stands for, threatening to overturn it should he not be pleased with election results??!! As Clinton so correctly stated - that is most horrifying, beyond, well beyond the pale of what is right and correct and any other word one wants to use. Is this the true desire of Trump supporters? Is this what his famous deportation police will be used for - to overturn the government?
This man who needed some jail time for his sexual habits, this man who lies and lies and lies again, who claims the "stories" were fabricated and debunked, now this same man needs to be taken to legal task for fomenting rebellion, treason even. What else can we call what he said, that he would keep us in suspense come the results. Is this the change that you people out there want? I cannot believe that for the most part. I believe that those who support Trump need to open their eyes and see the danger he is to us, to democracy, to our very being. I guess his admiration of all the dictators of history has gone to his head and rather troubled brain and he forgets his place in the order of things!
So the pundits said this was his best debate of the three. Well, if one tries for a target and on the third try actually hits the outside border, does that make it a good debate or presentation? Absolutely not. Yes, I will give him credit for, let's see.....Okay, he kept his sniffling and snuffling down though it made its presence known. Sorry, cannot say the same for the ridiculous and most ugly faces that he makes throughout the entirety of the debate. He did stay behind the stand, obviously well tutored in that , so as to keep his hulking to an invisible presence. However, his constant interruptions, his "wrong" "wrong" wrong" to everything he did not like to hear, or his comment that Clinton is a "nasty woman" well, that was lovely and we never did hear his answer to the Chinese steel, to his deportation of jobs, and while he boasted of his great financial success, well, how many bankruptcies does it take to realize that success is not necessarily so! His boasting that he took advantage of loopholes to his sinful level, and his once again incorrect comparison to Buffett who did publish his taxes unlike Trump, well, how much more did and do we need to hear?
Clinton was well prepared, facts handy in her head, well acquainted with the misdeeds and lies of Trump and if there are issues with the emails, well, she has already taken responsibility for it unlike Trump who claims all things not for Trump are guilty of rigging things against him. This man is not presidential at all. This man does not belong on the ballot and needs to be repudiated by his Party. If not, then the assumption is that they too agree with his wait and see attitude about accepting results of the election. Time to stand up and do the right thing.
So Clinton is not perfect. She has some weak spots. She took money for the Foundation from some countries we do not necessarily think of as perfect, but we are not at war with these countries, we have trade with these countries, we have treaties with them, so why not take their money to help those in need. And by the way, Trump's remarks re the Haitians who "hate" Clinton? Well, he needs to come back and talk to those to whom I had conversations with during registration drives. Veeeery different. And as far as the emails re her campaign and issues - what the hell is wrong with being prepared? What is wrong with having facts at hand, knowing these facts, discussing issues and allowing for dissent until a policy is hashed out. Where the hell are his policies. All I ever heard from him was bluster and hot air.
We are at a crossroads. Are we America or are we not? Are we to build our democracy, fix what has gone wrong, try to become one nation again unlike the divided nation that Trump wants and strives to bring about? Are we going to be the country where the anti Semitism becomes even more open and nastier, where Jewish journalists receive nasty verbal and pictorial threats, where some even need to hire bodyguards? Are we to be the country that denigrates all African Americans, all Latinos, all who are not the favored class of Trump? Is everybody a "bad hombre" according to his definition? I guess bigly so!
We need the passion of Hillary Clinton. I like her preparedness, her gathering of the facts before making a decision, her calm in the face of attacks, unlike Trump, her ability to shoulder blame as the head honcho, again unlike Trump, her fervent passion when it comes to the rights of women, of the disenfranchised of society, of the need to improve life for the many, her boldness in telling the 1% that yes, they will have to pony up and big time! I support her views on Roe v. Wade and anyone who has or had a friend or knows a person who was damaged by a back alley abortion, by the tremendous pressure of making such a decision and sorry - no man can understand that the same way as a woman can - well , here is a President that the country and the world can trust. Perhaps were Hitler alive or Saddam Hussein alive they would return Trump's admiration of them, but they are representative of the nasty side of humanity and that is emphatically NOT what we need as president! For sure!!
Reread my posting from yesterday and then reread today's. Which road, folks, which road? Do we remake America, turn back to the founding principles amended as life needs them to be at times, or do we go down the road to a tragedy and a footnote in history that once there was such a country and we join the ranks of a disappeared Camelot, of a Rome that also turned its back on its founding principles and ideals, of any country that lost its bearings. America is great. If it makes mistakes, the beauty of it all is that it is willing to shoulder the mistake and its consequences and fix it. It reaches out to the hungry, to the dispossessed, to the needy and yet always remembers to keep us secure and safe. That is the America we need and that is most certainly not the America of Trump!!
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
CAN'T? WON'T? UH-UH. HAS. IS. WHY?
No, folks, unfortunately there is no mistake in the title. It is shorthand for the following: It can't happen here? It won't happen here? Nope. It already has and it certainly is. So why , why does it still happen and why is it increasing?
While George Washington wrote his famous Letter to the Jews, making it very clear that this newfound country was going to welcome them as it would all religions, unfortunately it has not always been so - not for Jews nor for members of other minorities, be it racially, ethnically or religiously targeted. But never, never, did I think that I would ever live to see the day when I would be shot at, yes, shot at, while sitting on the property of the synagogue across the street from Century Village in West Palm Beach.
I guess I was being a bit naïve, as this has gone on and even had a member of my family shot at years ago as he drove home from Yeshiva University. There have been Jews targeted, from Halberstam, shot and killed while on the ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, to Meir Kahane, to many other incidents, However, this time it was me and the friends we were sitting with, in the sukkah, the hut built to commemorate the journeys of the Israelites thru the desert on their way to Canaan.
We heard a crack! then another one and another and when we looked towards the area behind the synagogue we heard a fusillade of shots, a large volley and we went inside and called the PBSO which came a tad slow, but did send a number of deputies and cars. To top it off, I now understand that an American flag desecrated with anti Semitic slogans was thrown at a large synagogue in Tampa. And not to forget the rabbi slain in Miami two years ago.
Furthermore, there has been a campaign of anti Semitic intimidation of reporters of the Jewish faith. From Jeffrey Goldberg to the latest it is quite atrocious but definitely here. The latest involves a reporter, Hadas Gold, who was shown with a bullet hole in her head and a yellow star pinned to her chest. She was told, “Don’t mess with our boy Trump or you will be first in line for the camp,” read a message accompanying the photo. “Aliyah or line up by the wall, your choice.” (Aliyah is the moving to Israel)
There have been other targets, such as Julie Ioffe, who was shown with her face inside an oven, the oven being one that would have burned the Jews during the Nazi regime. I could go on and on but the point is that it is, it was and seemingly always will be but has increased of late and in Europe, where the right wingers seem to have come out on top lately, but here, in this country, I believe we need to look directly at Trump and many of his supporters.
There is a nasty attitude coming down directly from the top, from the candidate himself, that encourages this outrageous behavior. He is a man of no morals, no manners, and watch tonite to see his latest dirty tricks that he will try and then whine about when they do not work and he comes off looking even more like an ass than he has before! Watch him interrupt, hulk around the stage, make ridiculous accusations, even dangerous ones such as the need to challenge the system for it is "rigged" or so he says - against him, of course! And watch his ugly faces that he makes. And yet, in reality, it is not his rabid fans that are blocked but rather those who would support Clinton and Democratic candidates down ballot, whose rights to register are challenged, blocked and trampled upon, like the 60's all over again. In fact, his statements and behavior reminds one too closely of Hitler and his antics.
Both Trump and Hitler were and are considered buffoons. Both were thought unlikely to win and yet one caused a conflagration which engulfed the world and the other is a presidential candidate who could, should enough unthinking or foolish people vote for him. They both use the technique of the Big Lie, the Outrageous Lie, and the followers just parrot it all. I even ran into several who cite as proof positive of his statements that "everyone says so!" Really? Is that how we prove things, how we believe things now?
And how anyone can vote for this moral pig, (sorry, pigs of the world), is beyond me. Shall we all go home and stay there, safe from the likes of him and his adherents, keep our daughters stuffed in a back room and our sons - G-d alone knows how we could raise decent boys and men were he to be elected. The mere fact that there are still people who will vote for him is shocking. The people who support him are the same people who shot at us two days ago - the very same deplorable people of whom Clinton spoke. No, she was not wrong there, for many are deplorable and unfortunately many are fooled or have blinders on and are not taking the long look down the road at all. The proof, the pudding and all, is right there so why can people not see? How can they discount all who have come forward and so, and while I too despise the behavior of Bill Clinton during his heyday, he is not running for President and you should excuse me, Hillary Clinton is not running around pulling men by their johnsons, is she!!!
I came across a phrase the other day which I like very much. It talks of the gift of possibility, that which allows us to look into the future and hope, for the possible is there and the impossible we can make possible. We seem to have lost that gift, that optimism which enabled that gift of possibility. We seem to have come across the two paths of Robert Frost and too many have seemingly chosen the wrong one. We need to rectify that error, to look down the long road ahead of us no matter who is president and learn to make the right decisions. The world and our country are in big trouble and it is incumbent upon us to make the right decision, to make a proper and informed choice and yes, while there have been more appetizing candidates, I have come to believe that Hillary Clinton has been maligned more than should be and I have come to appreciate her preparedness, her insistence on knowing the facts, on the depth of her position papers from her website, from her desire to talk of the issues even whilst that man rambles around both physically, mentally and orally. His backers have withdrawn, a tad too late, but hers have increased. She is of presidential material while he, oof! don't make me say it in polite company. Listen tonite to the last debate and watch how he has been prepared by a liar, Chris Christie, perhaps even an alleged criminal, and by Giuliani who has lost the luster of his post 9/11 behavior for sure. He has been tutored to attack, attack and attack, interrupt and overshout, accuse with outrageous comments and go after health issues because the woman had pneumonia. So what? and if this is the issue, health, then why does he sniffle and snuffle so much on stage. Does he have a coke habit? A constant head cold - and perhaps that would explain the stuffiness of his thinking - or does he has an esoteric virus which he cannot shed? See, the ridiculous accusations can work both ways. Issues. That is what we need and that is what we will never get from him, never.
So we need to all make a choice.
"The thin grey line of a road, winding across the plain and up and down hills, was the fixed materialization of human longing, and of the human notion that it is better to be in one place than another." Isak Dinesen
Let us choose the right road, the correct path, that will take us to the other place we need to be, the other place which will allow us to find and exercise the gift of possibility in a proper and enriching manner. Please G-d, let it be so - or else all the people who have been threatening to emigrate to Canada will be a long line for sure!!
And in a postscript to Gracie, not so amazing Grace - what the hell was that - another nasty note confirming even more the serious issues you have? Please see a doctor to discuss your nastiness in depth. Perhaps there is still hope for you. Maybe.
While George Washington wrote his famous Letter to the Jews, making it very clear that this newfound country was going to welcome them as it would all religions, unfortunately it has not always been so - not for Jews nor for members of other minorities, be it racially, ethnically or religiously targeted. But never, never, did I think that I would ever live to see the day when I would be shot at, yes, shot at, while sitting on the property of the synagogue across the street from Century Village in West Palm Beach.
I guess I was being a bit naïve, as this has gone on and even had a member of my family shot at years ago as he drove home from Yeshiva University. There have been Jews targeted, from Halberstam, shot and killed while on the ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, to Meir Kahane, to many other incidents, However, this time it was me and the friends we were sitting with, in the sukkah, the hut built to commemorate the journeys of the Israelites thru the desert on their way to Canaan.
We heard a crack! then another one and another and when we looked towards the area behind the synagogue we heard a fusillade of shots, a large volley and we went inside and called the PBSO which came a tad slow, but did send a number of deputies and cars. To top it off, I now understand that an American flag desecrated with anti Semitic slogans was thrown at a large synagogue in Tampa. And not to forget the rabbi slain in Miami two years ago.
Furthermore, there has been a campaign of anti Semitic intimidation of reporters of the Jewish faith. From Jeffrey Goldberg to the latest it is quite atrocious but definitely here. The latest involves a reporter, Hadas Gold, who was shown with a bullet hole in her head and a yellow star pinned to her chest. She was told, “Don’t mess with our boy Trump or you will be first in line for the camp,” read a message accompanying the photo. “Aliyah or line up by the wall, your choice.” (Aliyah is the moving to Israel)
There have been other targets, such as Julie Ioffe, who was shown with her face inside an oven, the oven being one that would have burned the Jews during the Nazi regime. I could go on and on but the point is that it is, it was and seemingly always will be but has increased of late and in Europe, where the right wingers seem to have come out on top lately, but here, in this country, I believe we need to look directly at Trump and many of his supporters.
There is a nasty attitude coming down directly from the top, from the candidate himself, that encourages this outrageous behavior. He is a man of no morals, no manners, and watch tonite to see his latest dirty tricks that he will try and then whine about when they do not work and he comes off looking even more like an ass than he has before! Watch him interrupt, hulk around the stage, make ridiculous accusations, even dangerous ones such as the need to challenge the system for it is "rigged" or so he says - against him, of course! And watch his ugly faces that he makes. And yet, in reality, it is not his rabid fans that are blocked but rather those who would support Clinton and Democratic candidates down ballot, whose rights to register are challenged, blocked and trampled upon, like the 60's all over again. In fact, his statements and behavior reminds one too closely of Hitler and his antics.
Both Trump and Hitler were and are considered buffoons. Both were thought unlikely to win and yet one caused a conflagration which engulfed the world and the other is a presidential candidate who could, should enough unthinking or foolish people vote for him. They both use the technique of the Big Lie, the Outrageous Lie, and the followers just parrot it all. I even ran into several who cite as proof positive of his statements that "everyone says so!" Really? Is that how we prove things, how we believe things now?
And how anyone can vote for this moral pig, (sorry, pigs of the world), is beyond me. Shall we all go home and stay there, safe from the likes of him and his adherents, keep our daughters stuffed in a back room and our sons - G-d alone knows how we could raise decent boys and men were he to be elected. The mere fact that there are still people who will vote for him is shocking. The people who support him are the same people who shot at us two days ago - the very same deplorable people of whom Clinton spoke. No, she was not wrong there, for many are deplorable and unfortunately many are fooled or have blinders on and are not taking the long look down the road at all. The proof, the pudding and all, is right there so why can people not see? How can they discount all who have come forward and so, and while I too despise the behavior of Bill Clinton during his heyday, he is not running for President and you should excuse me, Hillary Clinton is not running around pulling men by their johnsons, is she!!!
I came across a phrase the other day which I like very much. It talks of the gift of possibility, that which allows us to look into the future and hope, for the possible is there and the impossible we can make possible. We seem to have lost that gift, that optimism which enabled that gift of possibility. We seem to have come across the two paths of Robert Frost and too many have seemingly chosen the wrong one. We need to rectify that error, to look down the long road ahead of us no matter who is president and learn to make the right decisions. The world and our country are in big trouble and it is incumbent upon us to make the right decision, to make a proper and informed choice and yes, while there have been more appetizing candidates, I have come to believe that Hillary Clinton has been maligned more than should be and I have come to appreciate her preparedness, her insistence on knowing the facts, on the depth of her position papers from her website, from her desire to talk of the issues even whilst that man rambles around both physically, mentally and orally. His backers have withdrawn, a tad too late, but hers have increased. She is of presidential material while he, oof! don't make me say it in polite company. Listen tonite to the last debate and watch how he has been prepared by a liar, Chris Christie, perhaps even an alleged criminal, and by Giuliani who has lost the luster of his post 9/11 behavior for sure. He has been tutored to attack, attack and attack, interrupt and overshout, accuse with outrageous comments and go after health issues because the woman had pneumonia. So what? and if this is the issue, health, then why does he sniffle and snuffle so much on stage. Does he have a coke habit? A constant head cold - and perhaps that would explain the stuffiness of his thinking - or does he has an esoteric virus which he cannot shed? See, the ridiculous accusations can work both ways. Issues. That is what we need and that is what we will never get from him, never.
So we need to all make a choice.
"The thin grey line of a road, winding across the plain and up and down hills, was the fixed materialization of human longing, and of the human notion that it is better to be in one place than another." Isak Dinesen
Let us choose the right road, the correct path, that will take us to the other place we need to be, the other place which will allow us to find and exercise the gift of possibility in a proper and enriching manner. Please G-d, let it be so - or else all the people who have been threatening to emigrate to Canada will be a long line for sure!!
And in a postscript to Gracie, not so amazing Grace - what the hell was that - another nasty note confirming even more the serious issues you have? Please see a doctor to discuss your nastiness in depth. Perhaps there is still hope for you. Maybe.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
WITHIN THE HEART
"For what other dungeon is so dark as one's own heart!
What jailer so inexorable as one's self!"
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The House of Seven Gables
What jailer so inexorable as one's self!"
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The House of Seven Gables
Many times we keep our darkest thoughts and our darkest experiences to ourselves, holding to the belief that a secret once shared is a secret no longer and there are just some things we do not wish aired. And yet, when we look at so many of these secrets we find they have been torturing us for years, decades even and airing them is good for both the individual and the collective soul. At other times it simply exposes the rotten heart that has been hiding or trying to hide itself from the world and as always, one way or another, the truth will out.
We have already had a collective shock with the shocking facts about Bill Cosby, a man beloved in this country, admired and yet now we know that not only does he have feet of clay, but that he is indeed all clay and so to find that another figure of society, a presidential candidate, also is a clay figure - well, here we go again, only this time it is worse,
That such a figure has reached this point, that he could possibly or conceivably have been elected, that there are still people who after all that has been seen and exposed, after all they have heard, still support this man, wow! It is beyond me. The man is a pig - and I believe I am insulting the pigs at this point. His heart has indeed been his dungeon wherein he has kept his darkest thoughts and actions and yet here they are and in denying them he uses the same damning terms - i.e. that the woman is not up to his standards for molestation - he would never stoop so low and then has the nerve to again sexualize his battle with Clinton, using derogatory body image statements. The man never learns - and it seems, nor do his supporters.
But the worst thing about this is the fact that within his dungeon of a heart also lay captured the lives of so many women, women who had kept this secrets for decades lest they be shamed themselves and therein is the crux of the matter - to have been molested by another is not a mark or badge of shame on the victim but rather on the molester and yet, and yet.... How many women have now come forth about Trump and his disgusting behavior and how many legions of women have now turned to their friends, their family and told them of long buried secrets along these lines. I know there are many for I have heard them now, told of, spoken of in low voices, eyes down and yes, I, too, have told of the three times I have been the target of actions, once at 14, once at 18 and several times, a continuing series that took me some time to realize it as such, as an adult - from a respected member of the community - and so we all kept quiet.
Look at what happens now when the first questions that are asked are along the lines of if so, then why quiet so long and what were you wearing, what did you say as if the victim was the aggressor and there lay the fault. Well, no more and kudos to those who have climbed out of that hole of despair and non deserved shame and it is time that the world recognize that yes, there is racial and ethnic and religious bias and all sorts of hatred, but a primary one which cuts across all those lines is the gender bias, the implicit bias that runs like a dark vein through the hearts of many and any woman who does not know this is beyond my ken. We who have worked have all felt that bias, that extra struggle we had to advance, to be recognized, to be able to speak up and over the voices that would drown us out and an example of that use of the voice as a bully tool can be clearly seen in the 18 times that Trump interrupted - 18 times!!!
And if one thinks that this is to be found only within Trump, well think again. Recall past DAs and think of how David Israel tries to outtalk and outshout and overcome the voices of truth and honesty, the voices that ask hard questions, the voices that will not go away. Those voices have been on the receiving end of voiced nastiness, of threats and yet, they are still here. When one sees a national figure behave in this manner then one is encouraged to continue and here we are. These people see nothing and no one other than their own desires and David Israel's insane and monolithic attempts to bring on broadband is an example of this rude and selfish and thoughtless behavior. There is no concern for the fees, no concern for the fact that UCO is entitled only to negotiate cable. Period. Not phone. Not Internet. Period and yet we are hearing from two companies, one who suddenly has all the fiber optics they need though we heard previously that they needed three year lead time, a second company that is so new that the dew drips from behind the ears and why do we want to take a chance on this? Was the almost debacle of DSL and Wi Fi wiring not enough of a message and a lesson? Evidently not! And where is Comcast, the elephant in the room and indeed in the industry, a company which is even giving free broadband in order to keep its place and why can we not try to get some of that as we are a long term customer and have some poverty here as well, so perhaps we can get something of a break though why we are doing this anyway boggles the mind.
So just as the bully Trump tries to override all else in his stomping and hulking around, in his ridiculous comments that when it is "appropriate" he will reveal the proof of his innocence in sexual molestation, in taxes - oops, that was out of the bag - in health and in whatever, so too does David Israel hide and obfuscate and run rampant over the lines of decency and true democracy. Perhaps he will join Trump is his new demand that a drug test be administered before the next debate. This from the man who sniffles and snuffles like a person suffering from an addiction!
How much more can we take of either and how much more can we take of the hypocrites who are either afraid to disavow this nutjob or who believe in his garbage and the same goes for here in the Village. People are clinging to their pieces of power, swimming alongside the shark, imitating the life of the sea.
We all must look into our hearts these days, rummage around and find what is good and true and have the courage to acknowledge where one has gone wrong and then wend one's way back to the proper pathways of life, hard as it might be. Think what is of value, eternal value and remember - "In the end, stories are what's left of us, we are no more than the few tales that persist." (Salman Rushdie in The Moor's Last Sigh). What are the stories you wish to be told about you? I know what I hope for and what I strive for. Do you?
Friday, October 14, 2016
I NEED A HERO - WE NEED A HERO
Remember the heroes of old, or not so old, America, its founders, the people we looked up to and admired, wrote about, acted in plays? Remember those? Well, where are they now that we need them? Well, we have destroyed many of them, poked around in their lives so much that we have found every peccadillo of theirs, judged them by the standards of today and cast a blight upon them without replacing them and so we are now without a hero, without a role model, exactly when we really and truly need one.
Bonnie Tyler sang "Where have all the good men gone.... to fight the rising odds?" Well, they have gone into hedge funds and banks and finance all to gather their rosebuds while they might for to be a public figure is to ask for dirt, to get dirt thrown at you and about you. It is a thankless job to be a public figure and so many of the best amongst us have decided to ignore that pathway thru life and many who have chosen it are not the ones we might have chosen given a choice.
So where does that leave us? It leaves us with the hope that perhaps some people can grow into their roles, that some people will make a connection to their better side and strive for that higher bar. And we have been rewarded with some who have made that effort and achieved at least part of it but what now?
Now we truly need a hero. Waking up to find out that the nightmare of a pervert still running for office is still so, waking up to the nightmare that the Cold War has turned HOT and Russia is bringing home all the families of their diplomats abroad - well, what the hey!!! And finding out that the man who has used the media in order to boast and bluster and brag now accuses it of plotting against him - that man who now uses ties with Russia to tamper with our very national elections - well, we need a hero. And what deja vu with terrible new accessories, Russia again the enemy, the instigator and invited into our affairs by a person who should be aiming to protect the country which he begs to lead and yet he does the very opposite. Why? Just to gain power? To satisfy his inner need for validation no matter the cost to everyone else, no matter the fact that the world trembles at the thought, at the horror of him in office?
Will we get our hero? I think we already have found many a hero in the brave women who have come forth now to bring their tawdry and frightening and demeaning experiences with Trump into the public and let us all know what and who he truly is. I could care less if he were the expert on the future needs of our country - he is not to be trusted, not a man of one of the worst characters ever. And what is the fuss about? It is about the thoughts, the minds, the hearts of those who can support such a filthy man, such a degenerate. The time has come when women have been empowered and the truth about Trump has come out just as it came about with Cosby. And for those hypocrites who still back him, who have stayed or returned because they are worried should he actually win - and just watch the exodus from this country should that G-d forbid happen - where are your souls, your recognition of right and wrong or do you have that same feeling of derision for the rights of women as people, including one's own female relatives!!! There are no exceptions to this kind of thinking and behavior. Be very clear about that.
So is Hillary Clinton our needed hero? Well, she is needed at present and that is for sure. She is prepared, knowledgeable, determined to forge on despite all odds and obstacles placed in her path and has the political experience to deal with world leaders and brother! do we need that now. Is she perfect? Hell, no. She is a flawed human being but guess what - so are we all! And this new business of hijacking everyone's emails, leaving no privacy at all, where one has to watch every syllable out of a mouth, where one has to realize that the tones of language are missing from emails and so much of the words and meanings can be misconstrued and that is why actions are so important. Trump acted on his basest impulses. He exposes them in every debate, in every speech with his body language matching his verbal language.
This lack of heroes is exhausting and depressing, discouraging. We all search for one to lead us and yet we come up empty and the very sad thing about all this is that even when one seems to have come out into the public with the right credentials there seems to be a drop off and a forgetting of the original purpose - to serve the public. That is why we have crooked public officials who cannot withstand the various temptations and why we at present have a useless and yet visibly harmful UCO president. Whether or not he actually meant to serve the public here in the Village, that purpose is now gone and has been gone for quite some time. Instead we have a man who insists on retention of power and on the oppression and denigration of those who resist his plans. He has his minions whom he sends out with nasty comments, allowing them to bay and bellow like dogs in a hunt, yet who come home empty for the hunt.
This election season in particular, but actually during all elections, we must choose carefully and we must help those good people who are still around in public service yet who are struggling against the tide. Vote Clinton and choose carefully down the ballot. Watch for the Trump supporters as for example Brian Mast who still backs Trump and proudly so. Yes, he has bravely served his country in the armed forces, but that does not give him the right to back Trump, or rather he has the right, but must accept the consequences - or change his spots in this area and explain himself.
And here in the Village we must watch carefully re the new bylaws, find some candidates who will stand up to David Israel or get the term limits back or change the whole system with one resident owner one vote installed. There is no excuse why not, other than the hanging on to power, the continued incompetence of our current UCO, the waste of The Rag, the poor contracts and the negligible examination of the true needs of the Village - now and in the future and the safeguarding of the Village from much of what plagues it now and what threatens its future. The first step - retire David Israel and henchmen.
We need a hero, all of us, but until a true one comes along - if ever- we need to strive for ourselves and emulate the heroic traits found in that missing hero and do the job ourselves. Defeat the nastiness of Trump and the nastiness of David Israel for both have the same tendency to demean people, especially opponents but are certainly not averse to throwing people under the bus. Proof of the nastiness - it did not have to wait for Barbara Cornish to publish something about the loss of Jerry Karpf and for Bob Rivera and Lanny Howe to comment upon it. Where was David here? Human decency demanded that he acknowledge this loss on both a personal and public level and Lanny, perhaps being nicer to Jerry while he was alive would have been more meaningful rather than a few kind words now, lovely as they were. See, I can see and hear the nasty tones and words of David Israel at the DA and the cruel and snide and snarky laughs of the sycophants at these words, never mind how Jerry felt at that moment of public abuse. Some things are excusable and others not. This is not.
So people, we all need a hero, more than one but while they are in such short supply, perhaps we can try to be our own heroes and go fight those odds.
Bonnie Tyler sang "Where have all the good men gone.... to fight the rising odds?" Well, they have gone into hedge funds and banks and finance all to gather their rosebuds while they might for to be a public figure is to ask for dirt, to get dirt thrown at you and about you. It is a thankless job to be a public figure and so many of the best amongst us have decided to ignore that pathway thru life and many who have chosen it are not the ones we might have chosen given a choice.
So where does that leave us? It leaves us with the hope that perhaps some people can grow into their roles, that some people will make a connection to their better side and strive for that higher bar. And we have been rewarded with some who have made that effort and achieved at least part of it but what now?
Now we truly need a hero. Waking up to find out that the nightmare of a pervert still running for office is still so, waking up to the nightmare that the Cold War has turned HOT and Russia is bringing home all the families of their diplomats abroad - well, what the hey!!! And finding out that the man who has used the media in order to boast and bluster and brag now accuses it of plotting against him - that man who now uses ties with Russia to tamper with our very national elections - well, we need a hero. And what deja vu with terrible new accessories, Russia again the enemy, the instigator and invited into our affairs by a person who should be aiming to protect the country which he begs to lead and yet he does the very opposite. Why? Just to gain power? To satisfy his inner need for validation no matter the cost to everyone else, no matter the fact that the world trembles at the thought, at the horror of him in office?
Will we get our hero? I think we already have found many a hero in the brave women who have come forth now to bring their tawdry and frightening and demeaning experiences with Trump into the public and let us all know what and who he truly is. I could care less if he were the expert on the future needs of our country - he is not to be trusted, not a man of one of the worst characters ever. And what is the fuss about? It is about the thoughts, the minds, the hearts of those who can support such a filthy man, such a degenerate. The time has come when women have been empowered and the truth about Trump has come out just as it came about with Cosby. And for those hypocrites who still back him, who have stayed or returned because they are worried should he actually win - and just watch the exodus from this country should that G-d forbid happen - where are your souls, your recognition of right and wrong or do you have that same feeling of derision for the rights of women as people, including one's own female relatives!!! There are no exceptions to this kind of thinking and behavior. Be very clear about that.
So is Hillary Clinton our needed hero? Well, she is needed at present and that is for sure. She is prepared, knowledgeable, determined to forge on despite all odds and obstacles placed in her path and has the political experience to deal with world leaders and brother! do we need that now. Is she perfect? Hell, no. She is a flawed human being but guess what - so are we all! And this new business of hijacking everyone's emails, leaving no privacy at all, where one has to watch every syllable out of a mouth, where one has to realize that the tones of language are missing from emails and so much of the words and meanings can be misconstrued and that is why actions are so important. Trump acted on his basest impulses. He exposes them in every debate, in every speech with his body language matching his verbal language.
This lack of heroes is exhausting and depressing, discouraging. We all search for one to lead us and yet we come up empty and the very sad thing about all this is that even when one seems to have come out into the public with the right credentials there seems to be a drop off and a forgetting of the original purpose - to serve the public. That is why we have crooked public officials who cannot withstand the various temptations and why we at present have a useless and yet visibly harmful UCO president. Whether or not he actually meant to serve the public here in the Village, that purpose is now gone and has been gone for quite some time. Instead we have a man who insists on retention of power and on the oppression and denigration of those who resist his plans. He has his minions whom he sends out with nasty comments, allowing them to bay and bellow like dogs in a hunt, yet who come home empty for the hunt.
This election season in particular, but actually during all elections, we must choose carefully and we must help those good people who are still around in public service yet who are struggling against the tide. Vote Clinton and choose carefully down the ballot. Watch for the Trump supporters as for example Brian Mast who still backs Trump and proudly so. Yes, he has bravely served his country in the armed forces, but that does not give him the right to back Trump, or rather he has the right, but must accept the consequences - or change his spots in this area and explain himself.
And here in the Village we must watch carefully re the new bylaws, find some candidates who will stand up to David Israel or get the term limits back or change the whole system with one resident owner one vote installed. There is no excuse why not, other than the hanging on to power, the continued incompetence of our current UCO, the waste of The Rag, the poor contracts and the negligible examination of the true needs of the Village - now and in the future and the safeguarding of the Village from much of what plagues it now and what threatens its future. The first step - retire David Israel and henchmen.
We need a hero, all of us, but until a true one comes along - if ever- we need to strive for ourselves and emulate the heroic traits found in that missing hero and do the job ourselves. Defeat the nastiness of Trump and the nastiness of David Israel for both have the same tendency to demean people, especially opponents but are certainly not averse to throwing people under the bus. Proof of the nastiness - it did not have to wait for Barbara Cornish to publish something about the loss of Jerry Karpf and for Bob Rivera and Lanny Howe to comment upon it. Where was David here? Human decency demanded that he acknowledge this loss on both a personal and public level and Lanny, perhaps being nicer to Jerry while he was alive would have been more meaningful rather than a few kind words now, lovely as they were. See, I can see and hear the nasty tones and words of David Israel at the DA and the cruel and snide and snarky laughs of the sycophants at these words, never mind how Jerry felt at that moment of public abuse. Some things are excusable and others not. This is not.
So people, we all need a hero, more than one but while they are in such short supply, perhaps we can try to be our own heroes and go fight those odds.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
HEAR THE VOICES OF THE COUNTRY , OF THE WORLD
"In order to live in peace, you have to disassemble your heart. You store a lot of bitterness there, a lot of hate. And when there's a lot of hate in your heart, you're unable to forgive someone. But when you rebuild your heart, you can go on, you can give a lot of love."
So spoke a woman of Columbia after the failed vote to reconcile with FARC after 50 years of war. Well said and a message for us to heed, and perhaps we will be able to rebuild our hearts after this most divisive and hurtful campaign and the ugly realization of what we have come to, how low we have fallen.
In the meanwhile, there have come to light yet more tapes and revelations re Trump and his sexual deviancy, his position as a sexual predator and perhaps even a pedophile in that he could look at a ten year old in an elevator and state that in ten years he would sleep with her! Yuch!!! The United States cannot have as its representative to the world, as its leader, a sexual deviant, one who has indeed acted upon his deviancy and in my opinion is the one who belongs in prison, not Clinton whom he threatened publicly in the debate as the first step he would take if _ G-d forbid! - he won. Perfect step for a dictator to take, perfect step for a hater of liberty and civil rights to take, perfect step for one who aims ultimately to destroy our democracy and who knows what else. I can deal with politicians saying one thing and then another. It is part of politicking to state what the audience wants to hear, or at least stress different things, but it is also important to hear the policies, the details, a consistency, an ability to handle oneself under pressure and this is what we have not gotten from Trump, only lies and bluffs and sniffling like a coke addict, and hulking around the stage making weird faces and gestures.
Below you will find an editorial endorsing Clinton and a most cogent explanation as to why, breaking tradition by endorsing a candidate, as so many other publications have done this campaign. And this was written before the sexually explicit tapes and accusations were exposed to the public. Imagine what they would have added in to the editorial. Read and think. There comes a point when one simply must hear the truth.
“… And for the sin which we have committed before Thee for allowing our hearts to become hardened.”
Of the long list of breast-beating sins we recite communally on Yom Kippur, this one resonates for us on the eve of the holiest day of the year. In the last few days too many of us read of the latest fatal terror attack in Jerusalem, felt a moment’s regret and then turned the page. We watched a presidential candidate with brutish bravado stalk his opponent on stage, blaming her for his sins, and then heard the pundits say he did relatively well. We continue to tolerate a level of discourse in our society, and within our own community, that seeks to debase and demean those with whom we disagree. Despite the shock, we somehow get used to seeing videos of unarmed blacks being shot by police officers, reinforcing our racial divides.
How is it that our society has reached such a low point? When did we get to this level of insensitivity, even callousness, and how do we improve ourselves and our culture?
On the domestic front, surely the long presidential campaign has lowered the bar for tolerable public discussion. When Donald Trump was one of more than a dozen would-be Republican candidates for the White House, his initial forays into savaging his opponents, calling for a ban on Muslims in the U.S., announcing his intention to build a wall on the Mexican border to keep out the killers and rapists, were met with astonishment. But as the outrageous statements continued—mocking a military hero like John McCain should have been enough to disqualify him among Republicans — Americans became somewhat inured to his behavior. Some wrote him off as a buffoon, more a form of entertainment than a political force. Watching him in debate was like watching a gross reality TV show — who knows what he’ll say next? How can we turn away? The longer he was tolerated, the more difficult it became for Republican leaders to stand up to him. And now, after all the exposed falsehoods, refusal to apologize for outrageous racist and biased statements against minorities and women, after witnessing his lack of discipline, substance and self-control, after seeing him lash out at critics and former allies alike — even his loyal vice presidential candidate — we are faced with a pivotal moment in American history.
Never before has a candidate so ill-equipped for the demands of the Oval Office — in temperament, experience, character, compassion and humility — been so close to its doors. (my highlighting)
By all measures it appears that the large majority of American Jews, liberal and Democratic to begin with, will not vote for him.
Ironically, the one group among us most favorable to Donald Trump is the Orthodox community, known for its piety, modesty in terms of sexual contact and respect for leaders with spiritual and intellectual authority. Yet Trump, who represents the antithesis of those values, is said to be favored by a significant percentage among the Orthodox. How can that be? Some are less pro-Trump than anti-Clinton, deeply distrusting her in general and worried that she will be a continuation of the Obama presidency they opposed, especially its stance on Israel. Trump’s opposition to the Iran nuclear deal gained him support, as has his pledge to back the Netanyahu government fully and move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. But the candidate has offered no new plans to deal with intractable conflicts other than to say “trust me,” tapping into the anger and frustration of dissatisfied voters.
Most seasoned political and strategic experts in Israel are more comfortable with Clinton, who showed strong support for the Jewish state as a U.S. senator, has in-depth knowledge of the region – its leaders and its problems – and is more openly compassionate toward Jerusalem than either Obama or Trump. Experts have always insisted that a strong U.S. means a strong Israel, and they worry that Trump would be a loose cannon whose recklessness could incite even more instability and anti-U.S. attitudes, and violence around the world.
Hillary Clinton is no amateur when it comes to public service. Well before her experience as first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state, she was known for her deep knowledge of issues and empathy for the underdogs of society. She has faced Trump’s torrents of invective, like calling her “the devil” to her face, with self-restraint, dignity and tenacity. She, too, is a flawed politician. But her faults pale in comparison to the consistent boorish behavior and mean-spirited ramblings of Trump, who has proven to be an embarrassment even to Republican leaders.
This newspaper has not endorsed political candidates in the past. But this election is an exception. It’s not just about politics. It’s about character, competence and compassion. It’s about values that are American, and rooted in the Bible: Seeing all men and women as created in the image of God, having empathy for “the other” among us, recognizing the power of community, building bridges rather than walls.
We endorse Hillary Clinton not only because Donald Trump presents a danger to this country but because we believe she shares that biblical vision and strives for those goals. For the past year we have seen a Trump who believes his own lies, whose campaign is based on instilling fear in Americans, doubling down on divisions among us, describing virtually every aspect of society as broken, corrupt, defeated. He is too self-centered to listen to others, see beyond his own interests, or appreciate the need for self-reflection.
In his long career Trump has embodied only the first half of our sage Hillel’s famous adage: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? IfI am only for myself, what am I?”
We deserve more — for ourselves, and for others. We who have allowed our hearts to be hardened to the anguish of a Syrian refugee child, multiplied by the tens of thousands, need to open ourselves up to what we can accomplish as a caring society. Donald Trump is incapable of fulfilling such a vision; Hillary Clinton has the ability and promise to do so. That’s what can continue to make America great.
Read more at http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial-opinion/editorial/clinton-president#MH8ieW34AIPRxDyz.99
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
BARUCH DAYAN EMET
Blessed be the true judge.
Yesterday, early evening, I received a phone call which informed me of the discovery of the body of Jerry Karpf on Village grounds. That is basically all I know, other than the fact that the Village has lost a true supporter, a former UCO VP, an ardent opponent of all that was wrong or misinformed, and an overall good person with a sweet and huge heart. Our sympathies go out to his lovely wife, Cory, to his family, and we must all wonder about our loss. May his memory be for a blessing. He will be missed.
This time of year is when the books from last Yom Kippur are closed, the new Book of Life being readied as we prepare for Yom Kippur, the most solemn day of the year for Jews. We examine our souls, our hearts and minds, our actions, and our behavior not only between us and G-d, but between us and other people. G-d can forgive us for what or how we have slighted Him in our deeds or thoughts, but with other people, that is for us to ask forgiveness and if they refuse, then so be it - the negligence and consequences fall upon them.
I have always felt that made a lot of sense. So, before G-d closes the Book of Life and decides the fate of us all, I would like to take this opportunity to ask forgiveness of those whom I have hurt over the course of this past year, both consciously and unconsciously. I am not sorry for the truth, only perhaps in that exposing it or in railing against the lies and misdeeds of others that I was overly harsh. I apologize for that, but not for my quest of the right and the just for that too is a command incumbent upon us - "justice, justice shall ye seek."
But the quest for honor, for truth, for goodness, the fight against hatred and violence, against veniality amongst our politicians and members of society, our directive in life to "fix the world" - Tikkun Olam - all that continues. And one of the most obvious places where we can work to do that is here in our Village. Yesterday, it seems that we were told that the guards had to leave the Village unprotected during the hurricane because of insurance and liability issues, that if they were hurt during such an event, the liability is upon us. Truly, I would have thought that would have been an Act of G-d during such an event, but seriously, what kind nonsense is this? Does that mean that they go home every thunderstorm, every depression rain, every weather event? This is nonsense and that is what insurance is for - not to leave the Village unprotected and allow free entry for all and the nonsensical statement that no one would be about during such a weather event is silly, just silly. Perhaps it might be better that we negotiate better contracts and that the greatest contract ever become that much greater!!
There are many issues here within the Village and most of them derive directly from the office of the president of UCO. I am sorry indeed, David, if this hurts you, but the truth must be said and the fact is that you have lost what is needed for this Village to survive and thrive. Your insistence on holding onto power for the sake of power, your refusal to relinquish your stranglehold on the Village, your determination to do what you want and never mind the Village - not good at all.
The threat that you have always made to arrest or otherwise confine and/or quash the opposition, your threats to have them arrested, your closure of all roads to freedom of expression and assembly - all stink to the heavens and smack of the same littleness and nastiness to be found in Trump. He too is a would be tin pot dictator, a Third World wanna be who would arrest and imprison his opponents as the first step to enforcing his perverted view of law and order. He endorses, by his acceptance of their support, the violent hatred of the alt-right. What do they say? Here is a quote or two and these are the people that Clinton was referring to when she called them deplorable - and right she was and is. “More like JEW York Attorney General” and “Just another lying kike grasping at straws.” And another - “New York Kike Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Suspends Trump’s Donations!”
This kind of talk, of tweeting, leads to hatred of all that is "other' and why it must be defeated, must be refused, must be shut down. These are words of hate, of incitement to violence and their evil effluence easily finds a home in the hearts and minds of the weak and the nasty.
This is similar at least in emotion to the comments made by various supporters of David Israel and in the comments they feel free to send to me and others, secure in the knowledge that these comments will not be published for the filth they are prevents that. However, we have called out the people responsible for them and you are known. Hide your heads in shame and perhaps think of repentance now, for G-d judges the world, not only the Jewish nation. Every religion other than the religion of hate demands that one repent, that one respect others, that one tells the truth - whew, that one skipped by Trump big time! - that one do what is right, even if difficult.
Debates expose the truth and the incompetency that is masquerading within a soul and heart. That is why the evil, the incompetent, the losers in life flee them and it will be interesting to see whether Trump will agree to another drubbing from Clinton or will he rather return to his "alternate reality" - similar to where our president of UCO lives in his mind - and think that hiding out will help the issue. It will not and sooner than later, the truth will out and the wrong will be replaced by the right. So while I wish no one harm, I do wish and hope for the justice that needs to prevail, for the truth that needs to be revealed and accepted as the truth, for the abatement, if not the final destruction of hatred, for our leaders to be true and wise ones and at least hear the voices and ideas of others, include them in the equation of government. If not, then may G-d have mercy upon us all.
I will not be posting again until Thursday morning unless I get an opportunity to do so later today but in the meanwhile, I wish all a healthy, happy and peaceful New Year. May we all know only happiness and may sorrow be a stranger to our doors and homes. May we live in peace and if not love, then at least harmony and friendship. An easy fast to those of you who fast. Shanah Tova Umetuka - a good and sweet New Year.
Yesterday, early evening, I received a phone call which informed me of the discovery of the body of Jerry Karpf on Village grounds. That is basically all I know, other than the fact that the Village has lost a true supporter, a former UCO VP, an ardent opponent of all that was wrong or misinformed, and an overall good person with a sweet and huge heart. Our sympathies go out to his lovely wife, Cory, to his family, and we must all wonder about our loss. May his memory be for a blessing. He will be missed.
This time of year is when the books from last Yom Kippur are closed, the new Book of Life being readied as we prepare for Yom Kippur, the most solemn day of the year for Jews. We examine our souls, our hearts and minds, our actions, and our behavior not only between us and G-d, but between us and other people. G-d can forgive us for what or how we have slighted Him in our deeds or thoughts, but with other people, that is for us to ask forgiveness and if they refuse, then so be it - the negligence and consequences fall upon them.
I have always felt that made a lot of sense. So, before G-d closes the Book of Life and decides the fate of us all, I would like to take this opportunity to ask forgiveness of those whom I have hurt over the course of this past year, both consciously and unconsciously. I am not sorry for the truth, only perhaps in that exposing it or in railing against the lies and misdeeds of others that I was overly harsh. I apologize for that, but not for my quest of the right and the just for that too is a command incumbent upon us - "justice, justice shall ye seek."
But the quest for honor, for truth, for goodness, the fight against hatred and violence, against veniality amongst our politicians and members of society, our directive in life to "fix the world" - Tikkun Olam - all that continues. And one of the most obvious places where we can work to do that is here in our Village. Yesterday, it seems that we were told that the guards had to leave the Village unprotected during the hurricane because of insurance and liability issues, that if they were hurt during such an event, the liability is upon us. Truly, I would have thought that would have been an Act of G-d during such an event, but seriously, what kind nonsense is this? Does that mean that they go home every thunderstorm, every depression rain, every weather event? This is nonsense and that is what insurance is for - not to leave the Village unprotected and allow free entry for all and the nonsensical statement that no one would be about during such a weather event is silly, just silly. Perhaps it might be better that we negotiate better contracts and that the greatest contract ever become that much greater!!
There are many issues here within the Village and most of them derive directly from the office of the president of UCO. I am sorry indeed, David, if this hurts you, but the truth must be said and the fact is that you have lost what is needed for this Village to survive and thrive. Your insistence on holding onto power for the sake of power, your refusal to relinquish your stranglehold on the Village, your determination to do what you want and never mind the Village - not good at all.
The threat that you have always made to arrest or otherwise confine and/or quash the opposition, your threats to have them arrested, your closure of all roads to freedom of expression and assembly - all stink to the heavens and smack of the same littleness and nastiness to be found in Trump. He too is a would be tin pot dictator, a Third World wanna be who would arrest and imprison his opponents as the first step to enforcing his perverted view of law and order. He endorses, by his acceptance of their support, the violent hatred of the alt-right. What do they say? Here is a quote or two and these are the people that Clinton was referring to when she called them deplorable - and right she was and is. “More like JEW York Attorney General” and “Just another lying kike grasping at straws.” And another - “New York Kike Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Suspends Trump’s Donations!”
This kind of talk, of tweeting, leads to hatred of all that is "other' and why it must be defeated, must be refused, must be shut down. These are words of hate, of incitement to violence and their evil effluence easily finds a home in the hearts and minds of the weak and the nasty.
This is similar at least in emotion to the comments made by various supporters of David Israel and in the comments they feel free to send to me and others, secure in the knowledge that these comments will not be published for the filth they are prevents that. However, we have called out the people responsible for them and you are known. Hide your heads in shame and perhaps think of repentance now, for G-d judges the world, not only the Jewish nation. Every religion other than the religion of hate demands that one repent, that one respect others, that one tells the truth - whew, that one skipped by Trump big time! - that one do what is right, even if difficult.
Debates expose the truth and the incompetency that is masquerading within a soul and heart. That is why the evil, the incompetent, the losers in life flee them and it will be interesting to see whether Trump will agree to another drubbing from Clinton or will he rather return to his "alternate reality" - similar to where our president of UCO lives in his mind - and think that hiding out will help the issue. It will not and sooner than later, the truth will out and the wrong will be replaced by the right. So while I wish no one harm, I do wish and hope for the justice that needs to prevail, for the truth that needs to be revealed and accepted as the truth, for the abatement, if not the final destruction of hatred, for our leaders to be true and wise ones and at least hear the voices and ideas of others, include them in the equation of government. If not, then may G-d have mercy upon us all.
I will not be posting again until Thursday morning unless I get an opportunity to do so later today but in the meanwhile, I wish all a healthy, happy and peaceful New Year. May we all know only happiness and may sorrow be a stranger to our doors and homes. May we live in peace and if not love, then at least harmony and friendship. An easy fast to those of you who fast. Shanah Tova Umetuka - a good and sweet New Year.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
MORAL CRISIS, MORAL CHOICES
"The darkest places in hell
are reserved for those
who maintain their neutrality
in times of moral crisis."
Dante, Divine Comedy
It has been said many times that evil exists, or triumphs when good people do and say nothing. That time is here and now within our own community and throughout the nation. What choices people will make will be very telling of who they are and why they make these choices, and what the future of our country and indeed the world will be. It is that important, that striking.
I can understand some people choosing Trump for that ridiculous and meaningless slogan of they want change. But what change? Change for the bad! And change without facts and details, without the infrastructure to run these changes properly will be bad change even if it had good intentions which I do not believe Trump had in the first place. But if change is what is wanted, let us see what change there will be.
So the presumptive president to be (G-d forbid), would like a return, a change, to a world of older times and with their values and behavioral mores. Women should be objectified, seen as sexual objects, as breasts waiting to be groped and genitalia waiting to be attacked. They are to be worthy of nothing else, not even having the right to privacy in their own dressing room. It is a world where fathers are encouraged to look at their daughters and discuss their sexual status, their voluptuousness (shudder - a whole body shudder) and or nothing else.
On the other hand, we have a candidate who grew up during hard times for women, when they had to fight for everything they had, to be 3x better than men in their positions and for half the pay - and expected to be grateful for it all. This candidate worked and fought her way to everything she has and had. She is a strong and determined woman, able to play with the big boys on their own field and they do not like that, not at all.
So let's see what has people so ticked off. She is a liar they say. So what? So are all of us at one time or another. We lie out of love, out of greater good, out of kindness and yes, out of nastiness and viciousness and cowardice and maliciousness. It is not a quality to boast of, but there it is and where has she lied - about her emails you say? Really? She has fessed up for whatever the crime was - not according to the FBI who said there was carelessness but no crime - and took responsibility. She has told the truth about her taxes, her health, her life is out there on display and now Trump wants to take her to task on speeches she made? Really? Was she not allowed to make some money for herself and her husband? What she says now is the right stuff about big business and certainly lightyears better than Trump!
She is indicted for sticking up for and with her cheating husband. He cheated, not her, unlike the cheating of Trump done by himself. She stood by him, hoping that the facts were otherwise, a denial of truth which we all do at bad times and then for whatever reason she stuck with him and look, now they are best friends and that was her decision, not ours and she is not responsible for the peccadillos of her husband On the other hand, Trump is responsible for his own misdeeds and cheating and his open zipper and filthy mouth and mind. And it does not seem that there has been any change in him over the years, other than getting worse and even more debased.
So, moral crisis, moral choice. Is this the change you want? Is this the change we need? Is this the steady hand at the tiller that we need? is this the one we can present to the world with pride and confidence or is this the one that world markets tumble at the least sign that he could be elected, the one at whom the world leaders shudder with horror, that is other than Putin and assorted dictators who just love being his idols!
Who has the dignity? Who has the knowledge? Who has lied about his business acumen? About his business disasters? About his not paying taxes and just try to run a country with no income and ladies and gentlemen, that comes from taxes, like it or not. Do you wish a country where there is no moral backbone, where children are allowed to go hungry, where education is denied to some and care for others, where women have no control over their own bodies and remember - if one can be told you cannot terminate a pregnancy for ANY reason, then that same government can also force women to HAVE babies - ahh, Lebensraum and Hitlerian philosophy once more.
Do not buy his immoral statements and intimations that only a certain class of people go hungry or are needy or are caught in a bad situation. We should be proud that we have a safety net and one never knows when it will be needed. You know, in the Great Recession, there were many cases of "hidden hunger" within the Jewish community, where once well to do families lost it all and the children and adults were hungry. Collections were taken up and donations made, food distributed but there is no guarantee that one will never need that safety net but according to Trump it will not be there.
No one is prefect and I know we are all saying that both candidates are flawed. Well, guess what? Show me a candidate from the time of the founding of this country that there was not a flaw in the presidential candidates! We make up stories for ourselves and we lose our way.
Dante spoke of the fact that "the straightforward pathway had been lost" and thus we were lost or are lost now for we have lost our way in the thicket of lies and evasions, of blindness and falsehoods. If we continue along this crooked path, then once again, we turn to Dante for a hint of what is to come - "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
No one is perfect. No one - hey, not even me!! But there is a moral choice to be made in this time of moral crisis. Who will better represent us? Who will the leaders of the world trust and respect? Who has a filthy mouth and mind, if indeed that mind is intact - CAT scan anyone ? Who has the experience, the strength of character, the knowledge, the determination, the tenacity to follow it through and whose party leaders have deserted him in droves? I am sorry, but I see no redeeming qualities about this man and in fact, he gets worse with every passing day. Hillary Clinton is not perfect but she is bright and tenacious with stamina and experience and smart, very smart.
Moral crisis, moral choice.
Do you choose the morally deficient, sexually debased and perverted, know nothing, dictator admiring, consummate liar, failed businessman, infant in a man's body or do you choose a woman who has yes, made some mistakes, as we all do in the course of life but who learned from them and who has shown herself to be a strong and determined person who will serve us well?
And do not vote third party or not vote at all for those ways are the ways to give a vote to Trump and a woosey way out of taking a moral stand. Johnson is a fool, just about as bad as Palin and Jill Stein appears to be a hateful bigot who knows not very much.
Moral crisis, moral choice.
are reserved for those
who maintain their neutrality
in times of moral crisis."
Dante, Divine Comedy
It has been said many times that evil exists, or triumphs when good people do and say nothing. That time is here and now within our own community and throughout the nation. What choices people will make will be very telling of who they are and why they make these choices, and what the future of our country and indeed the world will be. It is that important, that striking.
I can understand some people choosing Trump for that ridiculous and meaningless slogan of they want change. But what change? Change for the bad! And change without facts and details, without the infrastructure to run these changes properly will be bad change even if it had good intentions which I do not believe Trump had in the first place. But if change is what is wanted, let us see what change there will be.
So the presumptive president to be (G-d forbid), would like a return, a change, to a world of older times and with their values and behavioral mores. Women should be objectified, seen as sexual objects, as breasts waiting to be groped and genitalia waiting to be attacked. They are to be worthy of nothing else, not even having the right to privacy in their own dressing room. It is a world where fathers are encouraged to look at their daughters and discuss their sexual status, their voluptuousness (shudder - a whole body shudder) and or nothing else.
On the other hand, we have a candidate who grew up during hard times for women, when they had to fight for everything they had, to be 3x better than men in their positions and for half the pay - and expected to be grateful for it all. This candidate worked and fought her way to everything she has and had. She is a strong and determined woman, able to play with the big boys on their own field and they do not like that, not at all.
So let's see what has people so ticked off. She is a liar they say. So what? So are all of us at one time or another. We lie out of love, out of greater good, out of kindness and yes, out of nastiness and viciousness and cowardice and maliciousness. It is not a quality to boast of, but there it is and where has she lied - about her emails you say? Really? She has fessed up for whatever the crime was - not according to the FBI who said there was carelessness but no crime - and took responsibility. She has told the truth about her taxes, her health, her life is out there on display and now Trump wants to take her to task on speeches she made? Really? Was she not allowed to make some money for herself and her husband? What she says now is the right stuff about big business and certainly lightyears better than Trump!
She is indicted for sticking up for and with her cheating husband. He cheated, not her, unlike the cheating of Trump done by himself. She stood by him, hoping that the facts were otherwise, a denial of truth which we all do at bad times and then for whatever reason she stuck with him and look, now they are best friends and that was her decision, not ours and she is not responsible for the peccadillos of her husband On the other hand, Trump is responsible for his own misdeeds and cheating and his open zipper and filthy mouth and mind. And it does not seem that there has been any change in him over the years, other than getting worse and even more debased.
So, moral crisis, moral choice. Is this the change you want? Is this the change we need? Is this the steady hand at the tiller that we need? is this the one we can present to the world with pride and confidence or is this the one that world markets tumble at the least sign that he could be elected, the one at whom the world leaders shudder with horror, that is other than Putin and assorted dictators who just love being his idols!
Who has the dignity? Who has the knowledge? Who has lied about his business acumen? About his business disasters? About his not paying taxes and just try to run a country with no income and ladies and gentlemen, that comes from taxes, like it or not. Do you wish a country where there is no moral backbone, where children are allowed to go hungry, where education is denied to some and care for others, where women have no control over their own bodies and remember - if one can be told you cannot terminate a pregnancy for ANY reason, then that same government can also force women to HAVE babies - ahh, Lebensraum and Hitlerian philosophy once more.
Do not buy his immoral statements and intimations that only a certain class of people go hungry or are needy or are caught in a bad situation. We should be proud that we have a safety net and one never knows when it will be needed. You know, in the Great Recession, there were many cases of "hidden hunger" within the Jewish community, where once well to do families lost it all and the children and adults were hungry. Collections were taken up and donations made, food distributed but there is no guarantee that one will never need that safety net but according to Trump it will not be there.
No one is prefect and I know we are all saying that both candidates are flawed. Well, guess what? Show me a candidate from the time of the founding of this country that there was not a flaw in the presidential candidates! We make up stories for ourselves and we lose our way.
Dante spoke of the fact that "the straightforward pathway had been lost" and thus we were lost or are lost now for we have lost our way in the thicket of lies and evasions, of blindness and falsehoods. If we continue along this crooked path, then once again, we turn to Dante for a hint of what is to come - "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
No one is perfect. No one - hey, not even me!! But there is a moral choice to be made in this time of moral crisis. Who will better represent us? Who will the leaders of the world trust and respect? Who has a filthy mouth and mind, if indeed that mind is intact - CAT scan anyone ? Who has the experience, the strength of character, the knowledge, the determination, the tenacity to follow it through and whose party leaders have deserted him in droves? I am sorry, but I see no redeeming qualities about this man and in fact, he gets worse with every passing day. Hillary Clinton is not perfect but she is bright and tenacious with stamina and experience and smart, very smart.
Moral crisis, moral choice.
Do you choose the morally deficient, sexually debased and perverted, know nothing, dictator admiring, consummate liar, failed businessman, infant in a man's body or do you choose a woman who has yes, made some mistakes, as we all do in the course of life but who learned from them and who has shown herself to be a strong and determined person who will serve us well?
And do not vote third party or not vote at all for those ways are the ways to give a vote to Trump and a woosey way out of taking a moral stand. Johnson is a fool, just about as bad as Palin and Jill Stein appears to be a hateful bigot who knows not very much.
Moral crisis, moral choice.
Friday, October 7, 2016
DEFENSELESS
To remain without means of protection, unable to guard oneself or one's property from attack and harm. Defenseless. That is what the Village was on Thursday nite as the hurricane approached.
But where were the guards? The Shadow knows, for they were not in the guardhouses and the arms were up so anybody could just walk in or drive in, all the better to rob. Never let it be said that the Village is hostile to visitors!
So in the "greatest contract ever" someone evidently forgot to make provisions for hurricanes and the need for guards. Yes, the guards have families too and we can understand that but it was and is incumbent on the security company - or should have been according to contract - to have made provisions for emergencies. Period.
The Village was defenseless in other ways. I once suggested at a DA that the Village set up a phone tree, sending texts to the Village residents, at least those who register, and warn people of possible danger and emergencies. Well, nothing happened there, did it? The great maven of the Internet could not figure this out?
John Hoess went on for ever and ever at numerous DAs that hurricane season was coming, coming and here, but, a great big but - nowhere were there guidelines issued and advice given for practical matters. Telling people to go around and check units is not truly helpful for people understand that as an unspoken need. What needed to be publicized were details. Where to go for food? Where to find help? How to get in touch with authorities? What about medical emergencies? Anyone hear anything? Aha, dead silence.
Putting information on David's blog could have been helpful but all we were told was that the DA was cancelled for Friday - duh! What about how to check in, come for help and what about the people who do not have power. What were they to do to get instructions and directions? Go and shout in the street. Mob David Israel at his unit or in UCO?
We are pathetically behind the eight ball here amidst the biggest waste and danger of a UCO president. All we get are blasts for his pet projects, but nothing for the Village and its residents. We were very lucky - I hope - and have not suffered too much damage. I know that when I call in my answer machine picks up so I still have power, but what about others? And what about the property as a whole? I know Don Foster was around pre hurricane checking on things but one man cannot do it. Nor should it be that way.
David Israel has fallen down on the job and so has his adviser Ed Black and all the rest of the officers. Shame on them. Truly. Wonder what the next greatest contract ever will be for and what it will be lacking. Interesting to think about it and what we would do about that, is it not?
This lack of care for the plain people, the poor peons who have not much power, who work hard and pay taxes - hear that Donald Trump - are also left defenseless against people such as Trump who ride roughshod over the population and who think it wise and clever to do so, even publicly boasting about it. They will leave our Constitution defenseless as well and we will find ourselves in a parody of the United States and will be living in a world of no rights, strict division of society into classes and ethnic divisions, no hope for betterment and no hope for the future - defenseless to watch out for the future of our kids and grandchildren.
So be careful out there and check if the guards have returned and then ask hard questions as to where the guards were and why provision was not made for emergencies and what about village wide notices that do not depend on computers and make provisions for notification before the power goes out and afterwards as well. I do not think we are asking too much.
As I sit here in Chicago, I hope all is well for my friends in the Village and indeed, for all the residents. Please check on your fellow association members, check for damage of buildings and watch out for the never ending saga of Matthew as it comes around for round 2 next week. Can you believe that!!!! If the people who are supposed to be watching out for you do not - then we must build our own defenses. It is merely a matter of thought and plans and follow through and common sense in the first place. Be safe, be well and hope to be back soon. And do not forget to watch the next debate and get Trump jokes for a week! Nor should you forget the questions to ask of David Israel and the answers you must demand.
But where were the guards? The Shadow knows, for they were not in the guardhouses and the arms were up so anybody could just walk in or drive in, all the better to rob. Never let it be said that the Village is hostile to visitors!
So in the "greatest contract ever" someone evidently forgot to make provisions for hurricanes and the need for guards. Yes, the guards have families too and we can understand that but it was and is incumbent on the security company - or should have been according to contract - to have made provisions for emergencies. Period.
The Village was defenseless in other ways. I once suggested at a DA that the Village set up a phone tree, sending texts to the Village residents, at least those who register, and warn people of possible danger and emergencies. Well, nothing happened there, did it? The great maven of the Internet could not figure this out?
John Hoess went on for ever and ever at numerous DAs that hurricane season was coming, coming and here, but, a great big but - nowhere were there guidelines issued and advice given for practical matters. Telling people to go around and check units is not truly helpful for people understand that as an unspoken need. What needed to be publicized were details. Where to go for food? Where to find help? How to get in touch with authorities? What about medical emergencies? Anyone hear anything? Aha, dead silence.
Putting information on David's blog could have been helpful but all we were told was that the DA was cancelled for Friday - duh! What about how to check in, come for help and what about the people who do not have power. What were they to do to get instructions and directions? Go and shout in the street. Mob David Israel at his unit or in UCO?
We are pathetically behind the eight ball here amidst the biggest waste and danger of a UCO president. All we get are blasts for his pet projects, but nothing for the Village and its residents. We were very lucky - I hope - and have not suffered too much damage. I know that when I call in my answer machine picks up so I still have power, but what about others? And what about the property as a whole? I know Don Foster was around pre hurricane checking on things but one man cannot do it. Nor should it be that way.
David Israel has fallen down on the job and so has his adviser Ed Black and all the rest of the officers. Shame on them. Truly. Wonder what the next greatest contract ever will be for and what it will be lacking. Interesting to think about it and what we would do about that, is it not?
This lack of care for the plain people, the poor peons who have not much power, who work hard and pay taxes - hear that Donald Trump - are also left defenseless against people such as Trump who ride roughshod over the population and who think it wise and clever to do so, even publicly boasting about it. They will leave our Constitution defenseless as well and we will find ourselves in a parody of the United States and will be living in a world of no rights, strict division of society into classes and ethnic divisions, no hope for betterment and no hope for the future - defenseless to watch out for the future of our kids and grandchildren.
So be careful out there and check if the guards have returned and then ask hard questions as to where the guards were and why provision was not made for emergencies and what about village wide notices that do not depend on computers and make provisions for notification before the power goes out and afterwards as well. I do not think we are asking too much.
As I sit here in Chicago, I hope all is well for my friends in the Village and indeed, for all the residents. Please check on your fellow association members, check for damage of buildings and watch out for the never ending saga of Matthew as it comes around for round 2 next week. Can you believe that!!!! If the people who are supposed to be watching out for you do not - then we must build our own defenses. It is merely a matter of thought and plans and follow through and common sense in the first place. Be safe, be well and hope to be back soon. And do not forget to watch the next debate and get Trump jokes for a week! Nor should you forget the questions to ask of David Israel and the answers you must demand.
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
BE SAFE
Will try to post later on but am flying out this early AM so would be later on. Hope all remains well here Stay safe. Be prepared and may G-d watch over all of u s.
This is a serious hurricane and we have not had this before, a Cat 4 when it is approaching and right opposite us. Let us hope it stays offshore or makes a miraculous right turn to the east but barring that - be careful.
Hope to post later today.
This is a serious hurricane and we have not had this before, a Cat 4 when it is approaching and right opposite us. Let us hope it stays offshore or makes a miraculous right turn to the east but barring that - be careful.
Hope to post later today.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
NEW YEAR, NEW THOUGHTS, NEW HOPE
"What if the breath that kindl'd those grim fires
Awak'd should blow them into sevenfold rage
And plunge us in the flames? or from above
Should intermitted vengeance arm again
His red right hand to plague us?"
- John Milton, Paradise Lost
Awak'd should blow them into sevenfold rage
And plunge us in the flames? or from above
Should intermitted vengeance arm again
His red right hand to plague us?"
- John Milton, Paradise Lost
This excerpt from Paradise Lost is perfect for describing the fears of so many at the awful thought of any possibility of a Trump presidency. He is the red right hand and that red is from the blood of those people he has hurt with his big mouth, his fat shaming (should look in the mirror), his nastiness and his maniacal behavior. This man could definitely plunge us into flames, the flames of nuclear war because he cannot keep his mouth shut nor think straight. This man who admires dictators and other aberrant human creatures is the scariest idea ever to come across American politics and come so close to the Oval Office.
Newspaper after newspaper, those who for a hundred years backed the Republican candidate, and those who never took sides with declarations for or against have now come out for Clinton and definitely and defiantly and worriedly are opposed to Trump. Columnist after columnist has written worried articles about Trump and why not?
This is the man who supports personal filth being bandied about. This is the man who thinks that he can accuse people of things and forget that he himself is guilty of it. Who was unfaithful? Excuse me, but Donald, do you not remember your cheating on wife number one with future wife number two? Uh huh! And continued with wife number three. And what is this new claim that Hillary is not "loyal" to Bill? Do you sit up all nite or wait till 3 AM to create these absurd lies and accusations and the most frightening thing about this is that the more lies you state, the more outrageous statements you utter, the more your fried supporters agree with you and believe you. Your latest? Michelle Obama is really a man called Michael and Obama is gay. C'mon, that is so stupid and yet, and yet, there are those dyed in the wool supporters of yours who parrot this. The fact that none of this is relevant to the campaign seems to be beyond you.
We in America must choose the path we are going to walk. Will it be with the one who is presidential in manner and bearing, in strength, physical and mental, who is prepared and knows how to handle diplomacy or will we go for "the fat shamer in chief" (David Brooks), a man who will squeeze the last bits and drops of decency within politics and stomp it to death.
Security officials world wide are frantic at the thought of a Trump in office. World officials, world stock markets - all are worried and are tanking at the very thought of it. The facts are there, but the question is why is anyone still voting for Trump? Why? This man has no grace or control under pressure and his opponent certainly does and then manages to come back and use his own words, his own lack of knowledge against him and yet we still have people murmuring change, change. What change? This man is a return to the dark days of America when the leaders of government were so corrupt that there was no hope for the little guy, no hope for regulations to protect them and the world they were living in, no rules that would make the obscenely wealthy have to pay back a fair share of the wealth they wrenched out of the little guy. And this nonsense, this ruinous idea of Trump to slash taxes on the wealthy and on their corporate entities to 15% and expect them to reinvest in America. A likely story. It has never worked that way and all we see now and in the future is the turning of these obscene profits into even larger and more obscene salaries for the executives who sit there like spiders, catching all in their webs and strangling the middle class and just stomping away at the lower economic class members - and that includes all members of every ethnic background. No one is immune.
Where is the idea of honesty? The NY Times obtained a page from his 1995 taxes and showed his ridiculous claims of losses, using every damned loophole of the real estate developers, those same people who claim poverty yet live in huge homes, multiple homes and who spend wildly even as the workers scrimp and scrape. They state that he might have not paid taxes for 18 years!!! Should we have a president who cheats the American public, a president who could conceivably be sued by the IRS for back taxes and penalties and fines, a president who is downright mean and if we are going to talk images - a president with weird colored hair in a ducktail hairdo!! Puh- leeze!
Do we not have pride in ourselves any more as Americans, as citizens of the world, as people who want the best for all and indeed whose self interest demands that we realize that we do not occupy this globe alone but share it with others. Just go back and read all his statements. Read the columnists. Read the papers and listen to the voices of the media - those very people who ignored his inanities and let him get away with it, perhaps thinking it was amusing, while holding Clinton to a higher standard - as is usual for women. Now see their regret.
Trump's attitude towards those who are different, be they disabled for any reason, or are female, or are of ethnic background and defy classification according to his opinion, or anyone who thinks, this attitude of his is not presidential at all. Wake up, America!! And for a cherry on top, how do we vote in a person as president of the country when he flouted the very laws of it and went to Cuba during the time of blockade and tried to do business. What a free for all we would have were he the president of the Oval Office. And remember, a return to the Wild West is not far off as he does not believe in gun control of any kind and then what will we have? More little six year old adorable kids dying days after they were shot?
And do not think that his behavior goes unnoticed and that others do not copy him. Recently David Israel received a notice from Waldman that a "decorative" fence will be installed on the borders of the property. David Israel's reaction? Dead silence. No verbal and no written comment. Last time I checked, green construction woven material and chain link fences are not decorative in the very least. More signs of incompetence from our UCO head! More nonsense in allowing our so called paper, The Rag, to continue with its overabundance of ads that their hired worker chases, and less and less of news that informs the reader of Village importance. And of course, we have fewer and fewer readers and the jealousy of people at the readership of The Messenger, imperfect though it might be. See, no one is perfect but working towards fairness, for truth, for transparency is what we need and what must be done. Secret budgets and gifts to WPRF in their crazy and needless demands, published where? Or only heard at the committee meeting where few attend? Right is not going on here and why should it when we have such shining examples such as Trump or David Israel to follow and imitate.
We are going into the year 5777 at the onset of the Jewish New Year, a time when we are all to examine our souls and consciences and ponder how we can do better. We are to probe deeply into our inner selves, evaluate and think of positive ways to change, to contribute, to make the world a better place. It is not just eating apples and honey. It behooves us all, Jews and non Jews, to think about this at least one time a year and improve ourselves.
I wish all a happy and healthy New Year for without that we have nothing. I wish for America to have a good year, to retain its sanity. I wish for the Village to finally fix what is necessary, to strike down its antiquated system of administration and go for one owner one vote and for inclusion. I wish that we retire David Israel and he can go to the same rest home as Trump and carry on conversations galore! I wish the world a fair and prosperous year, a peaceful one, a world and a country and a Village where no one goes hungry or worries about sustaining life for lack of the pennies and dollars necessary. I hope and wish for humanity to strive for its high possibilities and not fall for the fake and the low, the cruel and the selfish.
Shana Tova to all - A good year to all.
I will be posting new pieces on Wednesday. Please take the time to scroll back and read a posting you might have missed. Pray hard, think hard and do not over do the eating!
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