NO, REALLY. REALLY? REALLY!!!

 Really, my readers. You have now found yourselves entering into the midst of a conversation concerning the world, in particular re Israel and the United States. The initial starter of this discourse was a question of "So what do you think is going on around this world?" The one-word answer is censored, a four-asterisk word. The more polite answer would be that the world is not only going to hell in a handbasket but is already there and very uncertain as to the possibility and probability of exit from there.

 So, what is going on in this world? It is a most illogical, thoughtless, senseless, useless period of rhetoric which serves mainly to further inflame the world rather than turn down the heat. It bodes no good for anyone, and in particular the Jews. Always, dammit to the Jews. This person could not understand why my angst, from whence it came, and why it cannot be returned to said place of origin?  Would that I could. I have tried, to the best of my ability, apparently not enough, to help this person understand why the growth of existential fear among Jews, at least those who are paying attention, those who are not living in the dream world of woulda', coulda', should'a. Because it is not. It is far, far away and no amount of wishing can change the reality and reassure Jews living all around this globe that they are indeed safe from bodily harm and attacks. Safe from attacks against their property, their businesses, and most of all, their families.

  But how is one to do that? My conversational partner's take on it was a bit naive, a Lala Dreamland. A total disregard of the reality which faces us. Imagine that a member of Kibbutz Be'eri taking a little stroll over the nearby border to invite a Gazan or two or three to her house for tea and coffee and cakes and discuss the situation. Oh, sorry, as that did happen and for thanks for health aid, for friendship, jobs, these idealists were killed, slaughtered, kidnapped during a rather imitative old-fashioned pogrom, straight out of Europe. 

This abominable situation began millennia ago when Isaac went one way and Esau went another, choosing their lifestyles, their focuses and never   the twain shall meet. Replicated with increasing violence and frequency, and always an opportune excuse or time on hand. Yes, shock and surprise, as it took place in Israel, our own land, but not really, as we know, etched in our DNA, that in every generation there is one whose greatest desire is to wipe the Jewish people out of existence. Why? Who the hell knows, or cares, for there is no logic to or for an illogical item and to try to do so is yes, insulting and counterproductive. Wrong is wrong and Evil is Evil. Hate knows no logic, no boundaries, only a fever within, disabling, which   leaves them with an ache soothed only by the blood of Jews.

 Hence, is it that difficult to understand why our Jewish legislators in DC, are stating that they now walk in fear for they are open and public targets, as are their families as attested by the hate mail, the vandalism ongoing. When open toxic acts of Anti Semitism have increased over the past year in high triple digit percentages, yes, there is no superhero coming to save the Jewish people. There is one option. Us, we, the Jewish nation, the state of Israel, must work together, stand together, mesh together and be alert and proactive. Shut it down, especially in its worst aspects. Stomp on it. But even then, stomping must be measured, for if not we will receive a smack on the other side of our heads.

 And why is that? That's another part of reality.  People claim to be fighting Anti Semitism and rant and rave about how people can be, should be, "tarred and feathered" for disagreeing with laws proposing to limit the teaching of Anti Semitism in schools, to hold administration and teachers responsible, liable for huge fines and loss of position. It sounds great. It really does. However, as far as I am concerned, this is a shill. This is the barker at the Carnival calling for money over and over again and surely win a toy. Sure, pay ten times its cost and finally, you win and lose at the same time. The same with these laws which will have consequences unimaginable, and we must write them very, very carefully, lest we get burned in the not so healing flames.    

 Following the thread of these laws we find suppression. Suppression that ends violence and talk encouraging of it, is a good thing. However, if unwatched and ill-prepared, it can lead to another suppression - of free speech. Result? Increased resentment of the Jews. loss of surety of society. Loss of economic confidence. Accused of Anti Semitism and then whatever offends the government, the President and his shills. Slowly but surely, this mammoth law, perhaps even written with good intentions, will be twisted and perverted to enhance the power grabber. Result? An oppressive, suppressive government ruled by dictators whose response to dissent is tar and feather, exile, jail, even unto death would not be off the table.  How to do this? Sorry. Way, way, way above my pay grade but certainly, if we tap into the right people and the right brains and the right souls, we can accomplish this. The question? Do we actually want to?

 And here we come to the next problem with my discourse partner frustrated. Why worry when the president of the United States supports Israel and is so vocally outspoken against anti-Semitism. Try this on for size. Trump tells Netanyahu to end this war (he has told him this). I wish, we all wish, but is this the time and place and in public? And if Bibi says no? What then? A typical tantrum and sulking and a desertion of Israel? Been there, done that, on both sides. What then? What then for all Jews round the world? 

Glib speakers can come up with glib answers, glib cures that do not work, for the depths and intensity of JewHatred is not erased easily. Its adherents cling to it, refusing to let it go. At best, they hide it, waiting for a propitious time for emergence. Then a reality we had wished never to exist again. Fears ingrained in our DNA emerge, blaring into our ears, into our souls and fear into our hearts. How can this happen? What happened to Never Again? To our allies and friends? What is to be for my children, my people, my land? Is there any place of safety and refuge?

 The answer to those questions is, unfortunately, mostly drenched with the negative and the hopeless.  History has taught us so, but history has also proven our resilience and the eternal attention and aid from our Superhero, the Lord Above. Yes, it can become worse before it becomes better, but if we do what must be done, if we are proactive, firm, with determination and awareness we can perhaps change that revolving viciousness, and for all, not only for the Jews, but for all targets of Hate.  No good for anyone and in fact, detrimental to all - even, especially. the Haters.      

That my conversational partner and all my readers -is to think about it. Think of its truth. Think of your place in this mess for no one escapes its taint and filth. No one. None.      

 Do you still have doubts, my friend? Have you followed all threads through to possible endings?   Yes, really there is much to worry about. There is much to fear, at times, far more than there is not to fear.

What will happen? At a minimum our lives shaped by our yesterdays will change, will diminish our todays, and will allow the evil to leech and ooze into the possibilities of tomorrows. 

A relentless stream of hate. 

 But we are the creators of our own destiny. We must accept that truth and do what we must - for the best world we can imagine. Or not. 

There it is. 

Here it is.

 Really.

 

ALAS, POOR YORICK

 So. Confused, challenged, emotional, depressed. Such is the state of being of Hamlet. Indecisive and uncapable of taking a giant step, though he knows what he should do, what he must do, he takes any and every and all excuse he can find to postpone that moment of decision. In so doing he reverses every one of his momentary decisions to take proper redemptive and imperative action. And when he finds the skull of "Poor Yorick”, he uses it to enhance his delay tactics and excuses for no action.  

Too much yak, yak and too little action, too few the moments of decision.  

  Hamlet finds it quite difficult; it is very hard to take those final steps which must be taken. Flashing in the background is the growing fear of a reader or the observer of the play in action is the incapability of Hamlet io take any such decisive action. He is too busily engaged in chewing his cud over and over again, seeing things not from both sides but rather from a huge plurality of sides. Thus, he is paralyzed in his tracks.   

I am thinking right now that the United States and its leaders, good, bad or indifferent, the good surely in short supply, have submerged itself, themselves, so deep into such restrictive waters allowing for no exit nor any firm land beneath frantically kicking feet. Is there even a program on dry land waiting?  Highly doubtful, as the leaders then and the leaders now are so busy throwing clods of dirt at each other, spewing bits and pieces of malice aforethought, rhetoric the name of the game. Hence the current state of being of the world in general.

Perhaps I am too harsh. Indeed, at times they do act, though too often those steps promulgated are of unilateral birth, disremembering that our nation is founded upon a tri-part foundation and must function accordingly,  For our nation to move in any positive orientation that system of government must be recognized, must be able to function accordingly for no branch can stand alone. Certainly not without affecting great dangers of homicidal changes to the very foundation of this nation and to global dreams.

However, much more to the basic nitty gritty of this nation and the struggle for it to remain as united, is the fact that we have an openly deranged man whose dearest dream, which he is working very hard to achieve, is likely to become the first authoritarian head of government of this nation. A dictator for life or King Donald, the first of his name. Steering the ship of state onto razor sharp rocks. And on that note there is much to sing. Dis harmoniously enough to break eardrums, crack glass panes. and induce a state of severe nausea with no end in sight.

Blustery threats, insult after insult, disenchanting chants, infantile rhymes and temper tantrums galore. These and more are the gifts of our president to the people of this nation. Day by day, with every executive order, with every discussion within his head, with every crazed turn of his mind, we, the people of the United States of America are losing our dreams. We have a state in defiance of the law, to severe attempts to denigrate and in fact, destroy the judicial system of this nation. The legislative branch has already been co-opted and the opposing party seems to be dead in its tracks.

 We are living in a world of catchy phrases, capital letters, misspelled words, infantile rhetoric and temper tantrums galore. We are being inundated with negative change with determination to go it alone until we finally wreck the entire world trying to reinvoke already disproven theories of isolationism and tariffs and competition rather than cooperation. We are all the less for it. Many are afraid that someday soon we too will be deemed unacceptable, unwanted and were worthy only of being struck from the rolls of the nation and offloaded out of this nation by whatever means. We will be the ones dehumanized. And even perhaps not unimaginable as to be forced to live in a certain way, in a certain place. In a certain manner. Or not.

Why? Because we live in a land of big unrest. We live in a land where the authority of the governor of a state and the mayor of the city is obviated, negated in public. Worse. It happens when that same deranged president sends Marines. Marines! Our top soldiers. Into a state. Force against a legal protest, a righteous protest, soldiers vs civilians. For even if one deserves exile from this land for a valid reason, he must be treated with dignity. For even as we treat others, so we shall be treated. What goes around, comes around.

To whom can we turn? The president is deranged and so are his associates. The Kennedy Center is used to show cartoons. Dear G-d! RFK JR fires his entire panel, all 17 of them, from the vaccine advisory council. Trump now stumbles physically when he walks, climbing stairs and stumbles, verbally, every time he opens his prissy little mouth.  He chills the souls of others every time he thrusts his hand up in a fist, his right hand no less. Every time he misspeaks, every sign of ignorance, every bit of lack of information presented in every basic American education. Where the hell was he during his school years? Obviously, deaf in his ears and zero in his comprehension. Any wonder then the denseness of his head, the ossified brain?

Now think about it. Oppression. Check. Repression. Censorship. 2x Check. Malfunctioning government. Check, check, check. Middle of the night invasions and threats to children. Double check on that, as it has already begun. 

Hate has become the currency of the day. The popular trend and all the more so, so much better you see, when it is actions against the Jews. Murder. Attacks. Strong and quite successful strategy on the streets to ramp up hate and wall off and demonize the Jews. Their holy books and institutions vandalized, and all safety assurance gone AWOL, their sense of peace and security gone. Ever to return? Ask the Man Above.

Yesterdays, todays and tomorrows all jumbled up in a toxic, nonproductive Evil smelling stew and it needs more than a spoonful of sugar to go down and why the hell do we want it to go down? Yet we act as if it is an okay happening.

Wake up, folks, wake up or our nightmares will become our daymares.

Alas poor us. 

HERE ARE A FEW HINTS - TRUTHS - FOR YOU

 There is a familiar saying "When in Rome ......" While that is not license to find the worst behavior of a location and then emulate it, it is a reminder that when in certain situations, particularly hostile situations, one is allowed, even recommended, to do whatever one needs to do to remedy the issue. When punched in the face and jabbed in the stomach with more blows clearly incoming, one does not counteract with an offer of a licorice stick or a drink at the bar or a proposal to sit quietly in the corner and have a little friendly chat.

   Of course, the only way out is to punch and jab better, harder, and get the hell out of there. Live to fight another day, better trained and equipped. The same injunction works in large or small venues, in personal bouts and national and international matters. Even if, at times, one must get their attention and bring them to the table. Particularly so when one is fighting for survival, existential survival at that. It is incumbent upon the aggrieved party to hit back with all its might, all the better to force the offending entity to back off. To do otherwise is not good for their body and soul. Not at all. And for every punch, every jab coming a thousand will be returned. No other alternative.

When one does not defend itself, its integrity as a nation or as a person it becomes all the worse for that entity, that nation. Especially so when this state is held out as a pariah to the world at large, its grievances discounted, belittled, and denied. Even its future existence as a recognized state, legitimate and not to be questioned, hangs by a thread. Why? For daring to do all it must to indeed survive, to exist and thrive, to leave the world a better place for having been there, individual and/or nation. 

 “If I am not for myself then what am I? (But) if I am for myself only, then again, what am I." 

“It is not upon you to finish the work that needs to be done. But. It is incumbent upon you to begin it.”

 The world today is huge, but small, wonderous and frightening, laid out in all its splendor and detail, in threat and promise. However as much as nature can be overpowering and awesome, I believe that for most people the fears arise from a more individual and personal origin. This fear of late, for any Jewish person, in fact, or any decent person, has been growing, spreading its rot in triple digit increase. New to many in its current appearance, yet, as old as time. In its current configuration it blends the vileness of the past, the lies and accusations with the spreading power of modern media and the host of receptive minds looking for something, anything, to give them a sense of purpose, a group of associates to combat the loneliness and lack of purpose to be found in so many. Mix it up in a soup of toxicity and thereupon rises a monster, one which has grown and appears to be unstoppable and ever more threatening.

To me the most fearsome and frightening piece of it is how so many once civilized and intelligent people gave way to deep, dark emotions almost completely obscured, once, and are now out in the open, loud and proud re a path they once, not so long ago would have spurned. I believe at first, they become actively acquiescent, then orally   championing of the worst of mankind, and then unbelievably they stretch their hate to Antisemitism   on crack, now a virulent JewHatred and license to act with hate, to bait and torment, to overtop all the Haters of history, old and modern. Never ever, it seems to get completely obliterated from the depths of the hearts and souls of humans.

How are we to cope with the volume and toxicity of the hate sent our way. What do we answer when we are accused of hijacking elections, with an issue at hand being the definition of antisemitism, or of the Palestinian issue being vociferously debated in a small town in a nation with no Jewish population nor any commerce with Israel. Even as they loudly wildly march in parades, chant the chants of hate and ignorance and wave flags and signs dripping with hate. 

A person or a nation condemned, whether they do or do not. Whatever the action taken is, it is instantaneously deemed wrong, illegal, even criminal, even as nations who have done far worse for more years, rake Israel over hot coals with tines, sharpened and heated, all to do their worst to a nation fighting an evil foe determined to wipe them off the face of earth, and ASAP.  Israel's accused of war crimes, of deliberately targeting civilians but examine the reality.

 A war must be fought where the war is and Hamas and other terrorists, not militants, terrorists, have brought the war to the civilian population on purpose. Civilian infrastructure, families, are placed deliberately in sites which will be bombed, as the command centers are beneath homes, hospitals, schools, UNRWA buildings and of course move the hostages around and brutalize them, kill them, and the world only sees fault in the Israelis.   Unlike any other nation, they are blamed for consequences over which they had no control and/or no other option. Israel is in a war of survival and think not that any nation would do ought other than weep a few crocodile tears and then move on. What would happen to the Israeli Jews within those borders? What would happen to Jews around the world without the power of Israel behind them? I hesitate to even put that in words. Would they even admit how wrong they were? How horrified they are? Or should be, about the consequences? Highly doubtful, for when push comes to shove, nothing new under the sun, especially when it comes to the repetitive fate of the Jewish nation.

When the FBI sends out a PSA notice to Jewish communities, Israeli communities, to be careful for they are in mortal danger- a Jew must be careful. Must be aware and not shrug it off. When we are told to hide our identity as we walk in the streets of any city around the world, there is cause for concern.

Has all the pain of our yesterdays come back to haunt us? Have todays of confidence run their course? Over us all hangs the question of what will be with us for our tomorrows. If you think you can answer these questions with confidence and positive feeling you are indeed blessed. As for the rest of us, well, you complete that sentence ...... 

NO, IT IS NOT, AND IT MATTERS NOT

  Apparently, the latest trend in the oh so trendy theme of Anti Semitism morphing ever so quickly into acts of violence, to which words are added in order to create an ever more toxic and combustible reality of late, with roots going all the way back into the 1300s, is going viral once again. Claims of blood libel. For those who do not know what that means, blood libel is the accusation that the Jewish people basically have a mandate to kidnap and slaughter non-Jewish children, preferably Christian, and using their blood to enhance their cooking, especially the making of matzo for the holiday of Passover

Needless to say, this is nonsense, except that nonsense does not lead to slaughter. It does not lead to bloodshed. What it does lead to, hopefully, is to its reversal and sent to whence it originated, where it belongs. That would be on the heads, the shoulders, the bodies, the toes, the hearts, the souls of those church officials, those political entities who shout out accusations  re the illicit use of blood by Jews and urge people on to take revenge in any which way possible, the more violent, the more slaughter, the more bloodshed, all the better.

For those who do not know, the rules in the Jewish religion regarding blood in many different areas and spheres of interest are very strict. There are strict laws regarding murder of another, the proof necessary, the possibilities available and all according to strict laws. If someone were to have been falsely accused and punished, the onus of that violation would be on those who judged, or rather misjudged. Those responsible are the political and judicial heads, held to answer and to pay the consequences necessary. 

Even the bloodshed of wars is carefully regulated in order to ensure that  it is a war actually justified and not a war waged simply to gain wealth and power and certainly not to morph into that from what is called, a war of mitzvah or command of justice and righteousness into the other war, one of vanity and ambition, and needless bloodshed. At times it must be said that it is difficult to split the hair and find when and if a war of mitzvah, veers into the other kind of war, a most definite no - no. In fact, all such wars according to our tradition and our history have been held to account and proper consequences applied, most of the time with reminders as to why exactly this is happening

Unfortunately, today's world seems to be composed mainly of ignorant hate filled human beings who have crossed out the word human from their description. They are egged on by other ignoramuses who take a bit of history that might have come their way and proceed to pervert and twist it all into that which it is most definitely not. However, there are those who are clever enough to know that the claim of blood libel thrown at the Jewish people, be they in America or Israel or France or wherever, will arouse people into paroxysms of fury merging into madness and hence, the slaughter begins.

However, it must be said that when Israel is wrongfully accused at present of the "slaughter” of innocents, actually not so innocent in Gaza, there is an egregious misuse and mis-claim by the foes of the Jewish people to arouse further antisemitism all the way up to and including murder. Murder most foul to use the words of Shakespeare.

Unfortunately, it is also used by allies of Israel without and within the nation, also to arouse ire and anger. The FBI issues a PSA warning Israelis and Jews in the country to be careful where once it was a cherished right of Jewish people to walk this land freely without fear of harm, without fear of oppression and suppression. Now endangered and thus used as a tool of arousing righteous anger and support, the claim of blood libel grows. But with deeper insight and investigation, there is no actual claim and accusation of traditional blood libel, but rather a claim now of excess slaughter of "innocent civilians", in great numbers, a term and accusation leaving much room to be misinterpreted, misused, and as a tool for aggravation of hostilities where there need be none, at least with that causation. It    is being applied to Israel in its fight in its national homeland, and around the world, yet another aggravation which need not be. However, once let out of the bag of misinformation and disinformation and propaganda; to rile up fever on both sides, it quickly loses any kind of manner of control and/or reversal and here we are today.

How not so special.

There is no question about the righteousness of the Israeli people to send in their armed forces to Gaza after October 7 against the continued barbarity of the kidnappers and murderers of Israeli citizens and of citizens of other nations, most of whom did absolutely zero in trying to free their hostages. Why? For on the most part these were all Jews, hence considered disposable unless able to be used to somehow bring about a ceasefire with most of the ceding coming from Israel. The Israeli nation had no choice but to send in the troops to defeat Hamas and all terrorist groups and abetting 'civilians', whose plan was to continue their invasion and reach all the way into the heart of Israel and continue to slaughter all Jews within the borders of Israel and then proceed on to the rest around the world.

 Mat al Yahud, the constant and everlasting theme, Death to the Jews. All those who think that they can solve this eternal issue by joining with some Palestinian or Gazan women and hence create peace. a true, equitable, lasting peace, well, sadly mistaken is an understatement and greatly mistaken is more apt. Dreams are great and enhance the world, but reality must be reckoned with as well,

Whether the claims of blood libel against the Jews took root in the fertile lands of Europe or the lands of Arabia, the end result was the same. It was slaughter of the Jewish people, brutal and nasty. The kidnapping of some children of Christian origin, to be held as 'proof' of the accusation, along with the accompanying benefit of kidnapping children of the Jewish persuasion to be forcibly converted into a Christian religion, encouraged its growth, and permanence and as an excellent pressure relief valve for the rulers of these offending and offensive nations. 

This has not changed from day one and frankly, I can't see any change in the offing, perhaps not even until the coming of the Messiah, a long quantity of years, of centuries, even of millennia. Despite all this, from the beginning of time, since the acceptance of Abraham of the one G-d, His children have been through thick and thin, through negativity and opposition, and survived and even thrived through it all. Through the dastardliest ambitions of their foes. And thus, it will always be, no matter what trash, what mud, what accusations are thrown. They will never stick and that knowledge, that surety and certainty have kept us going. Keeps us raising families. Keeps us thinking and creating and inventing and delivering to the world as part and parcel of our contribution to it, our participation in and our right to be of it. The equal to any and all.

 This current war is not one asked for nor ignited nor wanted by Israel. We did not invade. We did not slaughter and strangle children. We wish to live quietly, safely within our communities, within our own land. We did not send terrorists into the land of others. We had no desire to wage war against terrorists armed and financed from the lands of Arabia. We have no desire to be considered the "other”, always to be the target of murder and slaughter and animosity. However, when war is pushed upon us, we will not stand there and do nothing. We will defend ourselves to the last one, to the last body, to the last stone to be thrown. 

Yet even though Israel is righteous in our defense she is condemned by the nations of the world. Why? Because only when Israel is on the receiving end is there any sympathy, paltry, as it is, emerging from mouths, but when they manage to defend themselves, it is another story from the nations of the world. They compete in defamation of Israel, of its level of 'offense' behavior, such as others never are at all. Israel is fighting a war, truly known to be a war of existential threat, even as the nations of the world engage in denial.  Even as all nations watch the rising tide of hate of Jews and the degree of filth and violence directed at them, ever more bold, widespread and even condoned and celebrated by these self-righteous nations of the world. Despite the will of the rest of the world, Israel will not cede its integrity and rights as a nation. Never.    

There is no doubt there is much more to say in this regard, but that is for another day. Perhaps even tomorrow.

For the truth of the yesterdays. For the realities of our todays.  For the sake of our tomorrows, we must, must, do better There is no viable alternative.

FOR THE RECORD

 Okay, time to set the record straight. Time to clear up any misunderstandings. It is my sincere hope that this posting will do exactly that. If anyone has any remaining questions or doubts, feel free to send me an email or a reaction to the blogs posted on Facebook. Please note that any reaction, any communication, infused with hate and violence will be removed, and the sender banned. Thankfully, as of the present, we have avoided mostly all such ugliness. May it continue.

OK, first up. I have been asked several times why I focus on Trump, a logical question and hopefully my answer will satisfy you. Trump has indeed received much of the focus of this blog - due to his behavior, his actions, his statements, his entire gestalt. It rubs me raw, sets the acid bubbling in my stomach and worries me greatly, setting my brain afire with worry, even to despair. 

 I do not care what his name is. I do not care that he claims to be a loyal GOP member; in fact, I simply don't care about whatever he deems himself. All I value is   how he does or does not represent those values I treasure, and how he does or does not, endanger them. Those are the arbiters, the crux of my evaluative sheet.  If he checks all the boxes, well, there it is. His contributions to the world, to America in particular, are rather nasty and he is, in fact, a great cause of and to the anomie of this world, to tensions within this nation, to the growing chasms here and in the world at large.   

Such is my take on this man, this false le his ridiculous, shameful, childish behavior be it via childish rhymes and insults. His desire to "jazz up” his communications and his threats of revenge on a schoolyard bully level. All of the above constitute the herd of elephants continuously present in his presence. They are plentiful in his nightsoil bucket as represented within his misnomered TruthSocial site, replete with ugly lies and odors emanating from them. 

In fact, he could call himself communist, socialist, Democrat, the reincarnation of Don Quixote - I do not care. I do not care for titles as indicators of what and how I should think of a person. I go by what they say of themselves, by what they show of themselves. Trump shows of his ugliness openly. Fact, Do I care that he labels himself head of the GOP? No. At one point in my life, I was a registered member of the GOP. At that point the GOP was a party of dignified thinkers who were able to think independently and vote accordingly. Did I always agree with them? No, and I don't always agree with anyone, not even myself. However, the current impersonation of the GOP has shamed itself before the world, certainly before American voters. To quote from one of my favorite musicals - “ All of you people are toads. Yes, your majesty, no, your majesty." - the behavior of the current members of the GOP. They vote as instructed with nary a dissent. Always yes or no per the wishes of Trump. Apparently, most of them have a yellow streak running down their backs, quaking in fear of a madman whom they have the power to remove from office - and do not.

So yes, much of the focus of this blog remains on Trump, as it should be and as it will be, unless and until he either undergoes an entire transformation or kicks himself out of office or those so not worthy representatives in D. C. do the job they are supposed to do. My confidence in that is zero to never.

Now on to the other elephant in the room. Oops, I should have said donkey, certainly an apt description of their thoughts and behavior. I am certainly not a fan of the Democratic Party at present. Too many messengers and messages of hate. Too many have refused to condemn these carriers of hate to Congress re Jews and Israel and Zionism and Anti Semitism and whatever else they managed to mix up in a toxic mess. Frankly, I believe those spewers  of vile trash must be ousted too. Tlaib, Presley, Bush, Omar, Bowman, AOC though she is somewhat better but definitely continues to need improvement, and all the rest of that ugly tribe. Vocal contributors to the rot that is eating away at the souls of Americans, at the soul of America. 

Am I supposed to soften my criticism of Trump or the GOP, because at present, they appear to be backing Israel? I hope and pray it continues; however, trust of Donald Trump maintaining a straight path, particularly if it means some damage to his opinion of himself and his monarchial ambitions, his ratings, or   maniacal ambition to remain in office until he is drooling and dabbling in paint in the dementia ward. Nope 

I believe that this man and his enablers, together, form an obvious peril to the continuation of this nation as a nation immersed deeply in the idea and facilitation of democracy. Meant to be a leader, to be a role model, to do the right thing and to be honest enough, to admit when it had been wrong and to go a long way to adjudicating the wrong. It helped people, both of this country and around the world, engendering trust and respect rather than dismay and a growing disrespect. 

Never 100% correct in what it has done over the centuries and what it continues to do now, no, for sure, and no entity is 100% perfect, but today's government within the United States should be held up as a shameful example of how good can go wrong, of individuals with overwhelming personality defects can blind eyes and dam functioning minds so that the truth is obscured until it is too late. At times now it seems we might never have energy and time enough to rewrite the wrongs; to reverse this terrible path we are at present   barreling down. To reverse the hurt and the harm, and return to the social safety net we provided for our people and the nations of the world. Certainly, that will never happen if we continue to have a Trumpian substitute and Trumpian Toadies in seats of power.

At present we appear to be intent on following a path which alienates all who do not meet our rather restricted lines of acceptability. We are once again following defective policy of limited trade, of extremely limited immigration, policies which endanger many and invoke hatred. We have tarred all with a brush of shame, committed to a policy of mass discrimination, discarding safety valves already in place, improved vetting, rather than mass condemnation leading only to more hate and ignorance. 

It has gotten to the point that this nation as a political entity is discarding at ever faster rate and pace all the laws, all the traditions, all that has made America, America. When the person in the highest seat of power of this nation openly flouts the law,  appoints preposterously irresponsible unqualified ignorant people tasked with the job of destroying that which was given to them, all harming the people of this nation, what the hell is happening?  

What have we done to hopes and trust for the future? We have crashed them almost beyond any hope of repair. At present, like it or not, the point man on this is Donald Trump.  I restate - I care not what party he belongs to. I do not care what labels a person gives himself or others give to him. I care only for what the person does, what he shows, and this man has shown that he's composed of more evil, of ambitions by an oversized ego, by insane dangerous behavior while steering the ship of state.  He travels so that no one in this country, no one on this earth, can be sure of direction, goals, and results. It is, in truth, a danger to soul and body, to safety, to a life of hopes and dreams. America. 

There can be no trust in this man in the surety of his promises. He has turned his shirt inside out and outside in over and over again, flipped his positions so that no one, not even he can be sure where he is and where he is going. His lack of understanding, his lack of brain power, his growing dementia, his ignorance and his vitriolic soul all ring the warning bell. We have gone off the map and into the seas of  "Here Be Dragons". Many of them dragons of our own making and/or revival.  

In fact no one in this nation other than the Uber wealthy will be better off for his being president. In fact, we will all be terribly worse off via his crazed anti economic sanity of tariffs and trade restrictions. His insistence on behaving like a child and playing give and take are conducive to resentment and despair, to the ruination of lives, to the deaths of hopes and dreams, and to the entity once known loved and valued as America. 

The pressures within this nation have already begun to make deep inroads into the ethos of this nation. The rising tide of Anti Semitism to the point of pure, sheer, ugly, JewHatred will inevitably lead to an ugliness never before known in this land. It will compete and overtake the violence of the past and inevitably lead not only to mortal danger to the people of the Jewish nation, but to any other group so singled out and held up as the scapegoat for whatever is wrong. Hate never ends It only grows, opens   wider its ugly mouth. Wider and wider and swallows all.  

I hope that all is clear and understood. I hold dear and tight to my heart two countries: Israel and the United States. I hold  dear to me the people within those states. I believe that the government within both nations has gone egregiously wrong and off-track. Both nations have a severe lack of true leaders who can put the nation first and herself/himself way down the line. Who will grow deeper and wiser to meet the demands of this position.  Leaders of both nations at present have placed their nations in existential peril and that is fiercely worrisome to me and to many others.

Certainly, as anyone who knows me or has been in my classroom, has been told over and over again how I detest lies and value honesty. Lies which pervert truth, which makes hate the currency of the day and decency trampled underfoot.  Lies enable the evil, the wrong, the dangerous. The scum of the earth rise to the top and purport to be the elite of society, borne there via rivers of lies.  

If the shoe fits, one has to acknowledge that fact. By whatever name known. Were Trump a declared Democrat I would still criticize and despise him. Titles mean naught, only words and deeds. Truth.

This is true for all my yesterdays, my todays, and hopefully my tomorrows. 

WHAT THE HELL!!

  And you can say that again. All of us should be saying it again and over again. What the hell indeed! When an 88-year-old survivor of the Holocaust has to take the nation to task, and reminds them that they are, they can, they should be better than this, well what the hell is going on, shockingly, within the borders of America but also within the borders of countries round the world. 

Many of these same countries have gratefully accepted the aid of Israeli contingents sent to their countries during times of crisis, who did not distinguish foe from friend because that is not the Jewish way. Now unfortunately that ancient maxim has proven its truth. "No good deed goes unpunished.” Apparently so when those same nations follow it quite diligently when it comes to Israel. The same holds true when it comes to use of the advances Israel has made in the medical field, in the science field, in daily life, and shared with all. 

I, we, all of us, are growing tired of shouting out at the TV screen, at podcasts, at the print media, at the online media, at the brutes and ignoramuses, at those who know better, WTF!!!!! WTF!!!!If you, reading this blog, belong to one of the above categories, well that goes multiple times for you. Furthermore, if you think you are exempt from any of these categories, even as you support them implicitly and/or complicitly doing so in private well, that multiplicity of WTF is exponentially assigned to you.

 The silence that you think exempts you from being smeared with its filth does not work. It reeks of rot and grossly immoral inhumane behavior, leading all the way to murder. Yes, murder. Implicit aid and approval is visible, think you not so. Equally enabling of this stench, this shame, of mankind, is the silene or apathy of those who may not support it, but we have learned, unfortunately, that silence is equally complicit.  We Jews and all righteous people have internalized the lessons of history, taught time and time again, that silence is the ally, closely intertwined, with and of evil and evildoers.   Murder most inexcusable. Murder most brutal. Again and again through the centuries.

WHAT?WTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWTFW!!!!!!!!!!

What do you want from us? What do you want from the rest of humanity? Why do you wish to negate all that Jews have contributed through the centuries wherever they have lived? Why do you believe that hate based on nothing, only ignorance, is righteous? Why do you think boasting of this horror, endless chanting of rhymes both infantile and dangerous at the same time, makes you more important, heightens your value, for it most definitely does the complete opposite. 

Why does it take a Holocaust survivor severely burned internally and externally, in body and soul, by a flamethrower from hell, to take the entire world to task, for her statement applies equally to all, Americans, Europeans, whoever, whatever the origin or religion or any aspect of humanity. Think not that you are excluded from this question. Think not that you are excused from answering it as well.

Why, when Israel is attacked in massacre format with plans for more, the equal of any Crusade Pogrom, is she held up as the instigator, the brutal invader? No, for she is defending her integrity as a state, equal and as legitimate as any on the face of this earth. Why, when she is defending her citizens, of whatever origin, whatever religion, from a duplication of such horror? Why, when she goes where the war takes her, why is she held up as a state of war criminals? 

Do we tar the two little Bibas babies, or the 48 other children slaughtered, the people sleeping in their beds, or having breakfast, attending synagogue on a holiday morning, of the dancers of Nova, as equally guilty of your false accusations? Do we? 

Or do we accuse Hamas as war criminals? As they deliberately place civilians in harm's way, even unto death. As they kill their own children, boasting that it matters not for their women will give them more. And for what? To raise them in hate and educate them in violence?

 As civilian infrastructure is used as storage places and dispensers of hate and bloodshed, of weapons and terrorists?  As homes are used to access and exit from tunnels wherein hostages are brutally held and tortured, raped, and killed, and where NO ONE, nary a soul, demands to see and protect, to free from Hell? 

Why the above? Why is Israel being asked to debase and devalue her citizens, to remain silent as the slaughter comes for them and theirs? Not to resist and not defend, to take all that is thrown at them, at us, round the world. Would you expect this of any other nation? Or is it only because we are Jews, Israelis and we are one. We bleed together, with no space between us, whether we are standing outside a museum or marching for the hostages or going to synagogue, school, or simply taking a walk, as citizen soldiers stand guard over the nation, over their families, martyrs all, whose blood will not go unavenged. 

We do not wish for war, do not want it, but when forced upon us, to it, we will fight, and we will hold true to our command. To the last one, to the last pieces of bodies held hostage, to the last living brutalized live hostage, we leave no one behind, even if it takes years to achieve, even as the terrorists know this and purposely kidnap the living and the dead, holding for ransom, for crazed ratios of the redeemed, for families waiting in anguish for their lost loved ones. All are to return to their people, all martyrs in a dreadful thread through time.  

Hear the words and the pain of the burned Holocaust survivor, whose people not so long ago were in fact, burned, and massacred, attacked on the streets. But that was the Old World, and the New World was to be different, better. Evidently not.

 she still appeared rattled by the ordeal.

“It’s about what the hell is going on in our country,” she said when pressed. “What the hell is going on?”

 she said she “wants people to be nice and decent to each other, kind, respectful, encompassing.”

“We’re Americans,” she emphasized. “We are better than this. That’s what I want them to know. That they be kind and decent human beings.”

WTFWTFWTFWTFWTF - ad infinitum. 

Hear the words of the American ambassador to the U. N at a meeting of the Security Council where, as   usual Israel was be roasted upon the spit of the world, to commit itself to a suicidal ceasefire. Most grossly hurtful as nary a word from anyone other than America, re the hostages. As if they do not exist, and in any case, are of little to no importance. America vetoed this message of hate from the world to the Jewish people.  

So tired of it all. The Hate. The anger. The bloodshed. All of it. 

Have we not learned anything from all our yesterdays?

Why have we tainted so indelibly our todays?

Are we doomed to continuation of this, to ugly tomorrows of no end?

WTF?

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST

  Actually, in this case I believe there are many more in flight than this single flyer. It must be so as there is certainly a plethora of these cuckoo harboring nests. Hmmm, interesting. Perhaps that would explain the heavy tilt of our pathetic leaders in the direction of those nests. Perhaps they are magnetic, or perhaps they are emitting secret beams. Or is it that we have lost our collective minds in one blast of stupidity. Actually, I err, for it is more than that -pure unadulterated idiocy. As our nation is welcomed into the fields of cuckoo nests, all remaining sane people wonder and ponder the imponderables, existential questions of no answers of comfort and sense. 

Where the hell are we? And never mind that. How the hell do we get out of here with sanity intact, with working brain, with fresh ideas as to how to vanquish all those who oppose actions returning us to some kind of a balance. At least a semblance of balance that will allow us to move forward, carefully, wisely, in the right direction. Truth in advertising for sure and so obviously glaring in its absence.  What we get is certainly not what we are promised via the steady stream of lies emanating from those claiming to be the best leaders of today. Certainly, when observing them in their native environment, in DC, that which is presented to the public is generally and oh so generously different. And there and here we remain. Flying over and even into the cuckoo nests. So abounding and plentiful in the land of politics and government. And, of course, we are ever so grateful. Next up? The Hunger Games?

So, what to do? Do we hang up our spurs and chaps? Dismount the horse for the final time? Do we give in every sign now alive? Exert great self-deluding effort, resign our lives and buy every hook, line, and sinker arrayed before us? The answer is, we do not. Efforts to remain sane in a world rapidly advancing insanity must be doubled tripled, quadrupled. We must be honest with ourselves. and understand that without our input, without our determination, without our actual acting upon and with what is necessary, nothing will change. There again, I err. It will change - for the worse, much worse. and continue to head in that direction.

Only if we base our society and its actions, its beliefs and truthful input of data, can we consider the truth of our behavior as evidence of solid change.  At the present time. most of us remain as islets in the vast waters of the ocean, alone isolated trying to divine the truth of life from random notes and pleas for help found in bottles randomly washed up upon our shores. 

Sad, but true. So many of us are worrying about our possibility of survival on these tiny pieces of land that we discard the bottles, ignore their pleas and continue on as usual, same old, same old. The only step to take which could possibly lead to salvation is a recognition of the falsehood of our so-called leaders, the dangers they present to us, with the only road left open one we have ignored, remained purposely unseeing of, for it is rife with dangers and missteps, security and success not at all assured,  failure highly possible, even probable, and the consequences dreadful in contemplation.  However, no matter the downside, we must move on. The alternative is no alternative at all. 

Within us is the hope that one day, please G-d and make it soon, people will pay attention to those who believe in speaking truth rather than what will please their masters, those to whom they have sold their souls for the amassment of wealth and/or power. We will have analysts of sanity who interpret correctly the pictures painted before our eyes, our deliberately disbelieving eyes, our unseeing eyes, who will speak with strength and truth to the people, true leaders.

 However, we are not to stand as statues awaiting deliverance, for doing nothing and acquiescing albeit unhappily will do nothing towards effecting change within the status quo. That will require action, deliberate and specific with a clear goal in mind and the determination to reach that goal. Only then will there be a chance of success in changing the overall status quo of life. 

And for that to occur, there must be a deep and honest examination of our souls. What do we really wish to enable, our motivations, and what do we wish for others. It will not be easy, and there will be many along that road wishing you harm. Constantly attempting to hold you to a standstill or at least a slowing of the pace. All the while those who have chosen to walk this path must keep alive that flame of hope for with that flame, we can vanquish those who wish to take away rights, who lie and cheat, with every breath they take.   Only then, and together, can we successfully oppose and defeat the forces of darkness and oppression quickly bearing down on us at present.  

The first step as usual and always is to remove the head even if the head is merely a puppet of those working from behind the throne with evil manipulation and intent. Eliminate that head who amazingly enough inspired veneration and obedience from too many duped into that belief and they will find themselves at a loss.That will be the opportunity to bring it back to a more favorable reality. A possibility of living righteously, productively, and more considerate of others. The lies they have been fed and believed will fall apart upon exposure to clear and open truth and most importantly, to ridding themselves of a bad leader, a deranged leader, who has persisted in following and championing the grossly wrong and ugly side of life. Who has acted always with his own benefit in mind.

Such a leader is the current President of the United States of America. He has not known any situation from which he cannot pull a thread to benefit his own self, his own interests and make even heavier the weight within his pockets, so heavy are they with ill-gotten gains. With wages never paid, loans defaulted or with minimal repayment of debt. A man, whose promises mean nothing of certainty, never on solid ground.  A man who is now in the throes of a dementia which should have been realized by many long before now. Hence, I present to you a Donald Trump. More and more being called out for his dementia denied, for his bizarre statements and behavior, for his refusal to release records untainted by rewrites, who acknowledges that he knows very little of a lot, be it what and where the Congo is, to the contents of the Order  he is signing, to any truth unclouded remaining  within his soul, very little, if any at all. This man, in the position of leadership and fierce resources under his control, poses a peril not only for us in this country, but for the world in general. Hence, the necessity of his immediate impeachment, conviction and retirement to one of his many palaces, there to reside, posing no danger to the world in general and to America specifically. 

" ...his  domestic policy bill as a "disgusting abomination," and this from one of his foremost early backers.

Other crazed supporters are now calling for death and other abominations, but the question must be asked as to how this man has turned off so many, and why - or is it simply dementia working its harm upon all who fall before its onslaught? But then how to explain the obvious wealth of ignorance of his advisers, their willful denial of fact, and the peril they too pose for this nation, especially as they so obediently follow as robots his every order.  When even insiders are commenting re his confusion, his clumsiness in words, his strange requests, the weird stories he posts on his site - the worrisome synergy arising from it. 

It all points, no, demands a removal from office via the ample legal means available. If only there remains within the shambles of GOP enough independents who will vote properly and honestly, who care for the security of our nation above all else. If this does not take place and soon, the future is not too bright for us. A demonstrably demented person of already existing themes of hate and anger, of mercurial changes of directions, of little knowledge, well, add to that a seat of power and toadies, enablers, surrounding, well, there ya' go.

 Michael Rappaport voices a thought every Jew has had for some time at present. Once unthinkable in the borders of America. "The cavalry ain't coming". No traditional savior intrusion into the ugliness awaiting. Well, to all Americans - the Cavalry ain't a comin' for any and all. The reality awaiting, like it or not.  

 Yesterdays, todays and tomorrows, all threatened with extinction and erasure of all that has happened and all that might have been enabled. No blare of trumpets and horses afoot. Nothing.  

And aren't we proud.

Let's get on with what must be done, unpleasant as it is, if we are truly intent on saving this nation and the world from disaster. Dementia and ignorance have no place in seats of power. Let us use the legal powers granted to us for such times as now and do what must be done. 

UH-HUH, UH-HUH, UH-HUH.

  Just take a look at the following and then tell me what you think. Tell yourself what you should be thinking. This is the case where I am not happy to be saying 'I told you so', because the 'what' of that phrase is disastrous in so many ways. In too many ways. I was truly hoping that the explanation would be simple, that the man is just an idiot, a crude boor; however, it is a heck of a lot more than that. Highly unfortunate. For this nation. This world. 

Here are a few samples of recent coverage and opinions.

" ...posted a cryptic meme on Wednesday night declaring that he is “on a mission from God” which also features an alt-right symbol in the background."

 " ... spiraling further into incoherency." "This is not hyperbole. This is simply stating the obvious to anyone who wants to face facts," ... noting that ... apparent cognitive decline is a story that has been largely overlooked." " the unhinged elephant in the room - "

" ... latest excursion into the cringey realm of make believe - his Truth Social “retruth” amplifying the astonishingly nutty conspiracy theory that Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a clone. 

'We are guilty. Period.': Jan. 6 rioter refuses pardon from 'felon Trump,' claims president has been 'gaslighting' followers. (We knew that already, did we not?)

The entire kerfuffle re his official portrait. No use, Donny, no use at all. An outer portrayal of inner rot of mind and soul.

Let's not forget all the rest of the things that are going on within this mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Trump's Administration has decided that DOGE is not subject to Freedom Of Information Act. Since when and why? Yet another violation and defiance of the law. Will there ever be an end to that? 

I think not, unless we oust this man from office. Incapacity. Convicted felon. Defier of the law. ICE forcing its way into a senior Democratic Representative's office claiming knowledge of an illegal immigrant 'hanging around' and then cuffing and taking away a person who tried to block the nonsensical intrusion. Yet more defiance of law and further harassment of Democrats. Yet another indication of the contempt this President and his enablers hold for the law.  

And finally, the rather rotten cherry on top, typical of the man who refuses to accept responsibility for his errors and as always denies his guilt and tries to lay it off on another, generally a Democrat or a past President. This nation has become swamped, mired in a filthy stinking pool of hate and opposition. Guns have become an accepted, perhaps even approved manner, of settling arguments and disagreements. 

How many more times are we going to accept his excuse of "its Biden's fault" that someone tried to burn up yet more Jews? Whose fault, is it? Yours, Donny, yours. Instead of healing the wounds arisen from the ferocious onslaught of Anti Semitism, you exacerbated this situation and deepened and widened the wounds. Your claims of opposing antisemitism have only increased their violence and opposition instead of laying the blame where the blame belongs and doing something about it. Something positive. Increasing the ugliness is not the answer. 

Nor have you addressed the underlying causes of this ugly eruption in some of the universities of this nation and round the world for that matter. JewHatred  has been around almost from the beginning of time. Apparently, we make good targets, getting slaughtered and oppressed, yet always around for more, forever a self-renewing entity.  

Yes. I would say that Biden has some skin in the game here but so do you, so do one and all who did not step up, see the problem, and act to remedy the situation. Why? For many possible reasons but that does not negate the fact that many colluded in ramping up this new version of HateFest and Survival, The cure is there, at least for the present, but it is useless unless real action is taken with meaningful consequences to hate instigators, to inciters of violence, even to murder. But it must take place without repression and censorship "leaking" into other areas where the Trumpian Party wishes to take giant steps but have no connection to this ugliness. The result, the present ugliness.    

It is Biden's fault and Trump's fault as well.

It is the fault of college and university overseers who blinded themselves and did not see, or want to see, the tilt ongoing for the past decade re the hiring of hate filled Muslim activists allowing for their intrusion into the classrooms and heads of our young and vulnerable. Eventually to the rest of the classrooms and the ranks of society.  

It is the fault of the same overseers who refused to act when taken to task, who could not vigorously and immediately condemn the JewHatred awoken on campus.

It is the fault of the parents who paid for an education for their children which their children did not appreciate nor attend.  

It is the fault of all the NGOs including the multiple organizations of the Jewish people who, for the sake of being called Liberal, open minded, not only did not condemn what was brewing but ignored it and then in too many cases, even supported it by refusing to see the truth, refusing to act, and instead became the new version of Kapos. To be cheered on by the enemy -and yes, the enemy.

Now, Donnie, this is in your court. You claim that you would be different, but you are not. You are not the leader we need, not now, not ever. Take care of your mental and physical issues. Be honest with yourself as well as with the nation. Time to go and perhaps you can salvage some of your reputation, but the time is short.

It is time that we stop some of our yesterdays and prevent them from leaching into our todays and dimming the lights of possible tomorrows.

In fact, it is way past time.

UH-HUH, UH-HUH, UH-HUH.

Told you so. Damn it.   

 

DRAINED

 I have just spent two hours composing a response to a posting on Facebook. That response drained me. It forced me to think about things I would rather not think about but evidently these thoughts must be addressed, one way or another. One can run, one can hide, but not forever. Bills come due and payment must be remitted No matter how unpleasant or unwelcome. 

 On the bright side, I can indubitably find a topic, something that has been on my mind of late. And so it has once again. During these rough times of the world, in particular those times that definitely include me and mine, I have determined or found something which reassures me. I have found, or   rebased, reenforced a sense of faith, a trust that no matter how difficult I find it to understand, there are reasons behind events. 

These events often come with a heavy toll. It is difficult during such times to fully accept, not understand, but to accept.  What to accept? That there is something behind occurring events. One might not be able to say, "gam zu l'tovah", this too is for the better (the best), certainly not when the hurt is still fresh, still suffused with blood, but given time, the possibility is there. To accept, hard as it might be, though not yet to understand, if ever, acceptance which allows for some peace for a troubled soul and a broken heart. However, confusion persists, for acceptance is difficult and is ever ready to challenge the Fates, the Lord, whatever Being one calls his Lord. 

Every challenge of fist thrown up to the heavens is a demand for explanatory words with a possibility of acceptable, at least for the moment.  But always beneath it all the wound remains deep open, bleeding, weeping. At the same time, somewhere in the back of your mind, is stored the mighty grievances lodged against the Lord and the knowledge, the instinctual knowing, that understanding may never arise, even to the minimum standard. These missing in action understandings require a great faith, one based on trust.

 It is a difficult Rubicon to pass, almost impossible at times and yet it gives one a comfort otherwise denied. It can engender a sense of peace when the unbearable is softened to a level of pain and anger, of grief and confusion, to one where acceptance and perhaps even a modicum of understanding can begin. The major ingredient without which nothing will grow is faith Even a weak and challenged faith, at least an opening through which acceptance and the power and might of faith could flow and overtake the speed of despair. A great challenge, not always successful.

 But think not that even with a restrengthened and reinforced faith that there is total acceptance without question or doubt. With no resentment of the package sent to weigh upon shoulders, especially those neither equipped nor prepared for such burdens. Humans were created with a great sense of entitlement in the world, able and allowed the privilege of challenge, even of the mightiest authority. The human race is the gold medal winner in the field of challenge, going up against the words of others all the way through to the promises of the highest authority, the Creator Himself, raging at that which displeases them, even unto the deeds of G-d. challenging the deeds of God, for too many times it is so very difficult to understand the why and the wherefore and to accept it without that crucial understanding. How much good can there be in the death of a newborn, in the death of his mother in the face of random attacks of terror, of slaughter. 

We are all G-d's creations, and generally people will concede there is some Being, some Power out there that at the very least has set things in motion. Call that power by whatever name, by whatever title, it does imply an understanding that this world is not happenstance, that this world, crazed as it is, has a reasoning behind it. Yet, with such power to create a world, to fill it with beauty, why would such a power allow the negative and the evil, for the worst emotions and traits mankind can possess. Therein lies the lack of understanding and acceptance.  

 Much of the time, most of the time, we either hear an answer or do not accept silence as the answer. We think that if we took the time to pray, we should be granted that for which we have prayed. No is not acceptable nor understood and here begins the crises of faith. When things go well, we thank the Lord along with a rather large heaping of self-pride. When things turn in the wrong direction we lay it at the feet of G-d and demand reparations and recompense, a salvaging of what we lost and even better, for surely, we deserve better. Or so we think. So we reassure ourselves. And when it does not happen, we have a crisis of the soul. We must then engage in honest and thorough self-examination if we are to understand and accept anything of the reality we face.             

It is really hard to accept  that we have failed, at something we never should have failed at, or lost the skill we had, or face some physical complication. Or lose a loved one, especially if greatly so out of alignment of what should be. It is then that we feel G-d has deserted us, forsaken us in our moment of need and we wonder why, why should we continue in any faith at all? Why have any faith in this Lord G-d who abandoned us seemingly so many times, or who has not blessed us enough, or so we feel. Or so we think.

 None of us, or at least most of us, do not think that perhaps as bad as the situation is, it could be worse if not for the guiding hand of the Lord above. He leads us through to safer grounds, though the least evil of pathways, marching with us, until we emerge from the travails of our journey, home safe and perhaps wiser. 

Sometimes we must accept an answer given in silence. At times we must feel His presence with us, close, as we navigate treacherous passages through life. Perhaps it is better that we hear only silence for that is a better answer than one received from a G-d tired of being questioned, tired of being spurned, tired of a disloyal always challenging, difficult People. Can't even blame Him for all one has to do to understand His frustration is to pick up any of the holy books of the Jewish people and see how often we have challenged; we have fallen and how many times G-d has returned to us. No matter how far we had strayed, how deep the level of our depravity, He always returned and will always do so, for His Word and Promises are Eternal.  

On a more personal note, I too have many, many times lacked understanding of why things happened. I assumed someday I would understand until we came to a very rough patch of life.  Hurt.  Confusion. Even despair at times.  Yet we came through and always, always there was the why. What was the purpose of this? What did we gain as human beings from this? Why and why and why? No answer forthcoming. And then came a time of light, for I understood why this experience? Even as it then boded ill, it now bodes well, has resulted in much good, and even tightened the bonds of family at the same time.     

Tough lessons, meaningful, understood, but still, challenging.  I have achieved a higher level of understanding but not yet on some. Maybe, maybe one day I will understand. But not yet.  Too hard.       

My faith remains, strong in the embrace of all our   yesterdays of our nation and of my life. For the todays lived without overwhelming fear. And for the tomorrows which we hope will trend better than they do at present. For the Hakarot Hatov,   recognition and appreciation of good done for me, by so many, and by Hashem Himself.

Please note that due to a holiday  there will be no new posting on Monday. Please take the time to read postings you might have missed.

Thank you. Be safe.

AND, AND, AND ...TIRING, DISHEARTENING AND ...?

  And on and on and on. Does it ever end? Will it ever end? Day after day and day ad infinitum and most definitely ad nauseam, to the point of wondering whether there ever, can ever be an end.   Are there enough people to faithfully work towards an end or are there too few to make a difference, to have a significant impact? And even among those who truly care is there enough of an inner stamina and determination to counter the seemingly innate trait within humans to consistently and forever engage in negative actions? From the simplest seemingly harmless or inconsequential insult to the worst deaths - and the worst lives - mankind can impose on others of mankind, when do we, can we, say enough! We have all had enough and there must be an end to it lest we inadvertently or on purpose, bring an end to mankind. 

At times I wonder. Most of the cultures around the world share much of the same idea of Creation or Origin of the world. Most also contain within their Creation a fierce battle between the forces of Good and Evil, between the Heavens above and the Hell below. It features a rebellion by those who have been blessed by destiny to live in the Heavens alongside the Creator, an infinite blessing and privilege, desire even more. What is the more and what purpose would it serve remains unclear and ill defined. 

And yet rebel they do, and lose they do, and in their loss, they take with them a piece of peace, that peace which had been gifted to those destined to live upon the face of this Earth. To live lives of goodness and generosity. To worship the Creator and thank Him for the gifts given to mankind. Well, that piece of peace denied to us, we forged another path of life. That of denying life, that of hate, that of violence, never ending, never ameliorated. Never ever having been discarded in any truly significant, meaningful manner or consequence. 

And, so, here we are all those millennium later, fighting and refighting the same motivations for the same mistaken ideas, with the same mannerisms and actions which have already failed us. And yet, again, on and on, we persist, insist, contrary to common sense and understanding of the true needs of mankind,  to follow the same failed paths through life, those highways and byways inimical  to the lives we should be living. The same fatal path of flawed beings who insist that if we do the same thing over and over again, somehow the results will change. But they do not, and they will not unless we, mankind, institute deep changes within our moral and mental outlooks, our understanding of true worth and false glitter.

And yet. And yet and yet again. Tirelessly. Plodding through the same muck. Wading through the same creeks and rivers of blood, always renewed by the infinite wars of mankind waged upon and aainst itself. On and on and on again. Even should a positive idea arise, and backers be found, inevitably mankind manages to bollix that up as well. A beautiful idea of world peace, of nations conversing with each other, rather than waging war against each other, now polluted and twisted beyond recognition, almost a perfect 180 degrees reversal, of the hopes and dreams of the founders. Hence, the United Nations, an oxymoron, of title and present intent. Yet another colossal failure of mankind and aren't we just so expert and proud of our consistent success at snatching failure from the jaws of victory.

This morning while browsing through the news a date caught my eye. 1566. Exactly 500 years after the cataclysmic changes and future results to ensue from the year 1066. And yet, many, many, many more years in millennial quantity added to that and here we are, fighting and refighting wars for the same reasons. We have pushed aside wonderful gifts, the fruits of the human brain, concentrating instead on momentary fleeting achievements of   flawed desires arising from flawed minds and souls. We, mankind, have almost always consigned ideas and thoughts of beauty, of eternal truths to the discard pile of humanity. A wealth of ideas never allowed to blossom into positive fruition. A world where we shatter the rosy glasses and replace them with cracked dark ones blinding all to true sight and true interpretation, true knowledge and action.

So often, too often, we allow ourselves to be caught up in the minutiae of a matter or, conversely, ignore the seeming minutiae, considering a small number to be of no significance and we misplace and misjudge true relevancy and importance in the larger picture, the longer run. Here are several examples of such misplaced emphasis. 

Back and forth go the arguments. We get another cease fire. Another possible exchange of hostages with one hostage being equal to hundreds, if not thousands, of terrorists. With one body of a slaughtered hostage equal to hundreds of bodies of the foe. Does it not ring loud and clear or be of deafening volume, enough to get the attention of the world, proof of the evil of Hamas and their equally inhumane cohorts?   That Hamas does not value their own, as proven by the wildly out of alignment ratio of one live or dead Israeli versus the 10s and hundreds, and thousands of their own? 

There is an obvious clash in values as each and every life of our own is of value. Even, especially when, we cry over babies WE have lost - Ariel, Kfir, Ravid, torn from his mother, from the arms of his father, from life, due to the brutal murder attack by a terrorist. The babies burned alive in the ovens of their homes. Or shot by Hamas. We even weep over the babies of the Hamas murderers, but it is not we who cynically placed them in danger, to be used as  weapons of war and propaganda. Who values life? Who is the trusted partner for peace or is the truth that there is no viable partner, no cooperating partner at all?  

Does this not tell clearly the true blackness of soul of these brutal terrorists, these rapists and pillagers of humanity. How can we make it clear to the world that we are not nitpicking when we demand the release of our hostages, when we will argue over the life of the one more, the ten more, and they are so cavalier about the lives of many. Does it not tell clearly, in blatant fact, of that true blackness of their souls? The answer sadly is that the world hears not. Sees not. Nor does it want to change at all, preferring and then to wallow in and incite the growth of JewHatred and its awful consequences, staging already up to and including death.   

A life. Five lives. How many lives more? When is it enough to satisfy the hate glutted veins of murderers? What have we lost with the deaths of so many individuals?  What has mankind lost and can there ever be compensation for those losses, for the might have been now denied life and possibility? One life saved, one world saved. One life lost, many worlds lost. 

Yesterdays lost. 

Todays forever denied.

Tomorrow's promises never to be realized.

When will humanity understand what we have done to ourselves? 

And and and and and and and and.

  

NOT A CHANCE!

  Seriously? You gotta' be kidding. Approach any director, any producer in the movie business and present a script containing this plot and expect nothing else other than being laughed out of the office and sent directly to the nearest shrink. Or better yet, to the locked ward of the nearest hospital for a mandatory 72-hour hold, for evaluation and diagnosis and recommendation for treatment.  Reason for this involuntary commitment?   He poses a serious and immediate existential danger to both himself and this nation.  

The inevitable diagnosis would be a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, the very same mental disease named for him. Recommendation? An order for permanent incarceration within a luxurious locked ward where the man could engage in any kind of make-believe world he imagines. Where his ego is never challenged, where he can boast of his oh so wonderful plans without being questioned and/or challenged. Where no one asks him difficult questions, causing him to descend into paroxysms of word salad and repetitions of absolute nonsense and verbiage of a child. i.e. Referring to Democrats who are refusing to give him a clear road ahead on his "Big Beautiful Bill" are deemed "Bad People". 

Or when he persists in living in a rather inaccurate conception of the past, wherein an election was rigged. (It was clearly not so.) Or when he persists in spouting imaginary statistics of egregious untruth, to support his completely deranged antagonism towards 'immigrants' - legal or otherwise, all according to his specifications. Legality? Ignored. Constitutional rights? Ignored or rammed out of commission. Proper Presidential behavior and understanding of the requisite dignity and honesty of his position? Say what? To end his use of the nation to enrich his financial standing, brazenly, no apparent understanding of the wrongs he is perpetrating upon the nation and the world in general. None at all.  Nor does he care.

Perhaps the most painful aspect of it all is that he cannot fathom the degree to which he has become the butt of the routines of comedians. And the belly laughs of the audiences in response.  His rampant rages are imitated, and he comes off as the idiot, the dangerous one, he is. He rants and raves maniacally, eerily reminiscent of the behavior of Hitler, engaging in vitriolic attack against immigrants, legal or not, any immigrant will do. How much better America and the world would have been if his grandfather had been refused entry into this nation! Ahh, the dreams of woulda', coulda', shoulda'.  

I wonder how this nation could have missed the terrible harm immigrants inflicted upon this nation. How could we have not seen clearly the "damages" done by all those immigrants and their descendants. (Oooh, Donny Boy, getting close to home, is it?)    Intellectuals, scientists, writers, artists, playwrights, doctors, researchers, judges, carpenters, painters, teachers, religious leaders. Name the field and therein you will find immigrants galore. The bone structure of this nation. That is the truth. Not this.

 “USA HATING JUDGES” judges were “ON A MISSION” to allow “MURDERERS, DRUG DEALERS, RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS AND RELEASED PRISONERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD” in the U.S. so they could “ROB, MURDER AND RAPE AGAIN.”

Courtesy of the twisted hate filled threatening and deranged mind of Trump, so shamefully our President. And please not to forget that mental institutions and the prisons of the world are directly flooding our borders with their freed human refuse. So speaks this oh so special social and moral arbiter. G-d help us, but then again, why the Hell would He wish this one in His neighborhood? Even the Devil declines. 

In the throes of his dementia this man has managed to cripple the political structure of this nation. He has somehow caused grown men and women to lose their sense of self, to trash their independence of mind and thought, to grovel before him as if he were the Lord High Almighty Himself. (Sorry about that thought. Please forgive.)  

I can't for the life of me figure it out. They swing with every wild turn he makes, even when clearly contradictory or nasty beyond belief. He pardons crooks, cheaters, liars and traitors, but then again, when one sees the reflection in the mirror, when the shoe fits. when Jan6 haunts the nation, well, ... 

Just about the only thing standing in the way of the introduction of authoritarianism into this nation, the shredding of our Constitution and our democratic tradition, is the federal judiciary. Within that challenged body resides the hopes and chances of this nation to survive the demented, egotistical, monarchial ambitions of Trump et al. Consistently, they hold the line, turn down his ridiculous twisted cases and complaints presented by his soulless lawyers, lawyers who collude in the attempts to wreck this nation, to allow the dismantling of our three-branch system of government, of checks and balances put in place for precisely such times as these. 

When the rot builds up from the inside, when even the Bible warns us that the worst foes are those who come from the inside, from among us, then we must heed the clarion call. Rescue our nation. Turn out the false leaders of Congress. Disbar patently law-breaking attorneys. Impeach tainted judges and the villain within the Oval Office. We must find once again a backbone for our national spine. Reclaim our national ethos, the impetus within to go forward positively and truly. A pipe dream no longer deemed possible? I cannot agree. I will not agree. We must not agree.  

We cannot give up; there is too much at stake. For us, for our children, in the name of our ancestors who were brave and bold, who dared to dream, and made it possible for us to dream as well. 

Our yesterdays, our todays, our tomorrows. 

Together. As it should be. 

Remember who we are, what America is, a land of dreams made possible, a democracy where one's voice can be heard, an ethos of better lives for all, in peace.

As an aside, as an English teacher at heart, I cannot but love the actions of the judge who took Trump and lawyers to task for the ridiculous overuse of exclamation points to the point of idiocy. Gotta' love the judge. Kudos to him. (Gotta' hate the fact of the ignorant President we have.) 

     

 

NOPE. NOT YET THE TIME FOR IT

  Okay. I was really hoping to take a break this morning. You see, despite my busy life in analyzing and solving all the crises of the world, there is a smaller world in which I am involved as well. That is my personal world and the difficulties within. First and foremost is how we little, (i.e. short) people are ignored when placement of an item, a switch, a cabinet, a shelf, a hanging rod is at stake.

What happens generally follows this path. A man, mostly in conference re height placement with another man, decide on the proper height. All the while, they are forgetting one important factor in the placement, and that is me and others like me. Never too tall in the 1st place and now, after the onset of old, okay, senior shrinkage, evidently ongoing, we certainly cannot work well as per the placement of the items in question.

What happens then is a joke, but not so much a joke. In order to look into a peephole or unlock a door or even take something out of a kitchen cabinet, take a remote control out of its holder on the wall, we short people must resort to ingenuity    to achieve our goals. It is time consuming. It is energy draining and it is maddening beyond belief.

And this, at this point, however, I cannot continue with this diatribe because, unfortunately, the greater woes of the greater world call unto me, asking for my advice, desperate for my solutions. The eternal case of the realities of the world interfering with the flow of creative juices. 

Thus, out goes the light humor and in floods the darkness of a terrible world, infused with so much hate that people are carrying it around in huge sacks, seeking places where to dump it. Much different from the seeking of an honest man carried on by Diogenes. However, while he failed in his search, the hate dumpers of this world are quite unpleasantly successful in their quest, so much so they often startle themselves. 

But have no fear, for they simply triple their efforts and are again, unhappily for we who are targets, quite successful, much to the detriment of people like me. Here, I am not referring to we shorties, but to minorities, scapegoats, i.e. the Jews, among others, and usually at the head of the receiving line.  The Chosen Manifest. Ugly in interpretation, hideous in application, and beyond the beyond in consequences and ability to survive for lo these many a millennium.  

 What bugs me the most though is that common sense answers, methodologies open to success are there in plentiful amount even as we remain blind to them. On purpose? Possibly, even probably at times, and one must wonder why these ugly bits and pieces of the human psyche must persist and resist successfully all attempts to render it moot, extinct, forever to remain so. 

Perhaps success can be attained when we humans realize we tend to elect and choose and/or enable those leaders who are not the leaders we need. Even better would be the simultaneous realization of that fact, along with a quickening tempo of the understanding of what we need to in act and fact, to make this a better world. Now, I certainly am not the brightest nor the quickest nor the most insightful brain on this earth, but surely certain ideas and facts and interpolation of such should have occurred much earlier than it has.              

Why is it that when I say something, as in JewHatred, I was called to task for such a creation even as now more are using it or a close cousin version of it. Why was I shouted out and down when I insisted that Donald Trump was not the be all and end all, certainly was not going to be the answer to the problems of Israel, to problems of JewHatred. He was not to be trusted, so erratic is he, so crooked, so morally twisted, so decency deficient, so focused on his own enrichment and betterment, so law defying and breaking, be it in opposition to the rights of the Constitution, the truth of history, the structure of our government, the necessity for impartiality and honesty and intelligence among the judiciary, the decency necessary for the Oval Office. To keep separate personal desires from the needs of the nation, to not conduct personal commerce while shilling the dignity of and access to the White House. 

 And on. And on. I have not seen the end of this list and neither have you, we, all of us, for so great is the depth of his depravity and insanity. Too many American Jews, supporters of Israel, and within the government of Israel have bought his hyperinflated stock, a stock now growing ever more worthless.

All one has to do is pick up a paper or listen to a newscast and grasp his ever-growing erratic “changeability”. Criticism of Israel. Praise of Israel - with hooks. Threats and boasts which are never actualized, consisting of hot air in huge volume. How is it that we accept his direct face to face talks with Hamas, a declared terrorist organization. Why is it that he is prepared to consign our hostages to perdition forever? Seriously, why would anyone with a modicum of sanity believe that should Israel pull back, pull out of Gaza all the way beyond the borders, that our hostages alive and dead would be returned? Seriously? 

For that matter why is there no back sass, no opposition coming from the United States in reaction to the threats of the countries of Europe, never ever supporters of Israel nor of their own Jewish citizens, and now all demanding that Israel be declared a pariah. Yes, that word is used. Among the nations of the world. In fact, not even deserving of the title of state.  Now always coupled with the adjective Jewish. Are other states coupled with the term Muslim or Christian?  Why do we hear only silence?

And think not that this remains only in one sector of government. The Supreme Court has now refused to hear the case brought by the Apache Nation, read the opening of national land, sacred to the Apache, to be victim of the ravages of a copper mining company. If this their sacred land is declared open for market, despite all the wrong this country, this nation has done to the Native Americans, what is to prevent other sacred land around the world to be consigned as open to the highest bidder.  

One must understand that rot once infused into even the smallest vein or capillary of a government,    spreads exponentially  and the possibilities of cleansing this rot from within and without grow dimmer by the day, even by the hour at times. Worse, worst of all is that it's success is built upon the foundation of contempt for humanity, that it will not see through the disguises, the confusion that the poor leaders of our choosing have generated.  

It is a viewpoint that allows one to weep for the "starving” people of Gaza even as the really, truly starving, unto death, the captives, are not mentioned, consigned to a minor role in this, happenstance victims, of no importance and certainly of little account to and for the world. It is a policy of voluntary willful blindness and deafness and muteness of the mouth.

Quite important as well is the Op Ed essay in the New York Times that “None of This is Good for the Jews". Balloons of great danger have been set free to fly wherever and whenever they land. Inevitably, they do so, or they pop and spew out the poison contained within. Truths are twisted until one does not recognize them and dire consequences to yes, our institutions of higher learning, grow. Yes, they have become tainted over the past decade, overrun with foes of Israel and Jews and that needs to be attended to and straightened out. However, contained within these policies of anti institutions of higher learning are the facts. These institutions are repositories of Jewish professors, and their contributions. Note that these labs of higher research so critical to curing children's cancer to the halting of Alzheimer's and dementia. The cleansing of the world's environment are also places highly populated with Jews. By mass exile of foreign students contained within are many hundreds, if not thousands of Jewish and Israeli students.  All now fall under that same guillotine. 

The problem is crude sly people in our government, and in fact, the governments of the world. They are open to all the old prejudices highly sprinkled with new attachments. No, none of this is good for the Jews, it has not been so for a long, too long, time and none of this is good for the world in general. 

What do we do about it? We have not undertaken a ruthless culling about what we have allowed to grow over the foundation of good government. We have yet to teach them how important are the values of our yesterdays that we live by and with, in our    todays and necessity to keep them into the tomorrows.  

As for we shorties, I'll be back. 

Right after I solve the woes of the world.