Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue
Sunday, February 22, 2009
This post at the Muqata is the most succinct way of explaining the faults of the Israeli political system as well as the general corruption of its politicians. Needless to say, there is a reason the American government was set up with a series of checks and balances meant to keep politicians in their place.
However, when the majority of the politicians in each branch of government subscribe to the same groupthink, the theory of checks and balances goes out the window. Which is why our founding fathers stressed over and over again the necessity of moral integrity, because without it, a government that grants such an incredible amount of freedom as does ours, will surely fail.
One of the things that struck me in yesterday's parashah (Mishpatim: Exodus 21:1-24:18) was Exodus 23:2:
Do not follow the crowd when it does what is wrong; and don't allow the popular view to sway you into offering testimony for any cause if the effect will be to pervert justice.The more you interact with the world at large, the more you see the world divide itself into little cliques of humanity based on their own world views. They all interact with each other on a daily basis, but they each see the world so differently that, at times, communication can be like culture shock. But, it seems that every group is so ingrained in their own worldview that they can't imagine that the other groups don't see the world the same way they do.
For example: American-Muslim relations. Many Americans still can't seem to understand the idea that there are muslim governments out there that really do want us dead. These are the people who danced in the streets when their fellow men flew themselves into the Twin Towers, and there are still a large number of Americans who feel we ought to have open and direct talks with them. Their leaders refer to us as the "Great Satan" and certain Americans are ready to invite them to tea. And these certain Americans wind up being given the voter mandate to go ahead and do it!
Now, that's a very basic, very illustrative example of what I'm talking about. But, the problem goes deeper than that, and the Jewish and Christian communities are far from immune. In fact, the clique mentality present within the believing community (be it Christian or Messianic Jewish) can, at times, be downright overwhelming. I've heard accounts ranging from simple gossip to selective "invite only" events that have happened in churches and shuls, and it never ceases to blow my mind. And the worst part about it is that the clique mentality is so apparent...and 99% of the time NOBODY does anything about it!
Whatever happened to calling people on the carpet and telling it like it is? Then again, if HaShem had to make going against the flow a commandment, truth and honesty must be fairly foreign to human nature. But, when we know G-d aren't we supposed to be better than that? Whatever happened to the "old nature passing away"? Or, "this word is in your mouth, even in your heart, therefore you can do it"?
I know I complain a lot on this blog. I tend to point out the failures of humanity more than the successes. And I'm a scathing critic. But I do it from the perspective that it can be better--human behavior can be better, because human beings can choose to be better people. We can all make a conscious choice to acknowledge that justice is being perverted and to do something about it. The Torah admonishes "Justice, justice shall you pursue." In other words: Do it right, and call someone out when they're doing it wrong. After all, isn't that what faith in G-d is all about: Speaking the truth?
Ah, but "What is truth?" One of my brother's college professors once told him, "There's your truth, there's my truth, and then there's the truth." So much for college. Nothing beats producing confident go-getting professionals by telling them they're essentially always going to be wrong. Faith is an amazing thing; it is also an essential component when it comes to speaking the truth. The parashah ends with G-d calling Moshe and the leaders of Israel to approach Him. The account in chapter 24, verses 9-11 reads:
Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and seventy of the leaders went up; and they saw the G-d of Israel. Under His feet was something like a sapphire stone pavement as clear as the sky itself. He did not reach out His hand against these notables of Israel; on the contrary, they saw G-d, even as they were eating and drinking.Truth is so foreign to the human psyche that we need faith in order to believe that what we know, what we speak, and what we believe is really the truth. Truth and faith are intertwined. You cannot have one without the other. If you try, you may impress yourself with your eloquence, but you will never be able to believe that G-d has manifest Himself in your midst. So, you will be standing on the strength of your own opinion, and human strength is only as powerful as the wind that comes blowing against it from the opposite direction.
The greatest heroes of Israel were the men and women who went against the crowd. Five thousand years later, human beings haven't changed much. They're still cliquing away into destruction. Heaven and earth may pass away, "but My Word will never pass away." The ones who go against the grain have to cling to the truth with sheer faith for such a time as this. That is the key to the future and the hope manifest in the banquet of eternity that was once laid out on the mountains of this earth.
Labels: America, Elections, Israel, Mishpatim, politics, religion, Torah
posted by Shoshana @ 11:00 AM
Israeli Elections
Monday, February 09, 2009
"With the polls as close as they are today, I cannot honestly risk being the one to make Livni the Prime Minister.
And that's why I'm voting for the Likud."
--An excellent analysis of the upcoming election by Jameel @ the Muqata.
In thye meantime, look who's burping in Livni's general direction. [Hat Tip: IsraellyCool]
Caroline Glick stands behind Netanyahu. I stand behind Caroline Glick and I know that Israel needs a strong, politically right-wing government. I just hope Netanyahu doesn't wind up caving to international pressure, as did George W. Bush. Already, Obama's ratings are falling fast-- less than a month in office and already he's back out on the campaign trail. Iran is shooting satellites into space, paving the way to shoot missles--nuclear ones, at that--in Israel's general direction. Israel's government-no matter who gets elected-has absolutely NO reason to capitulate to America or any foreign nation at this stage of the game. Logic says that the least amount of capitulation will come from Netanyahu.
May HaShem elect the leaders of Israel at this critical hour. May HaShem elect leaders through whom He will save us all.
Labels: Elections, Israel, Israeli Elections, Netanyahu
posted by Shoshana @ 7:31 PM
Hit a Jew Day
Monday, October 27, 2008
Shocked by the CNN report logged at Israel Matzav, I Googled, and sure enough: It is "Hit a Jew Day" in Missouri [SperoNews]
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), concerned over reported incidents targeting Jewish students at Parkway West Middle School in the suburbs of St. Louis MO, will meet with school officials on October 24 to discuss implementing an anti-bias education and response. A number of Jewish students at the school were hit by fellow classmates during the week October 12-18 on what the students called "Hit a Jew Day."IsraelMatzav ends his blog entry with a warning: "If you're Jewish, you don't want to be on the streets next Tuesday night if John McCain wins the election. You just know they're going to blame the Jews."
...The incident began during the school’s “Spirit Week” that included Hug a Friend Day, High Five Day, Hit a Tall Person Day, to Hit a Jew Day. Many such schools celebrate their Spirit Week similarly, with Cross-Dressing Day, Camouflage Day, or Pajamas Day, etc.
Is his reaction heavy-handed superstition?
Can we afford to define it as such?
Obama has friendly and financial relationships with a number of anti-Israel/anti-Jewish activists including Edward Said and PLO terrorist Rashid Khalidi, of whom Obama spoke very highly:
Barack Obama also praised the former PLO operative during the event. And, Obama confessed that his family often shared dinner with the Khalidis:I hate authors who quote themselves, but I'm going to do it here to make an important point. From Freedom's Current Crisis:His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases... It's for that reason that I'm hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation -- a conversation that is necessary not just around Mona and Rashid's dinner table," but around "this entire world."...The event was videotaped, and a copy of the tape was obtained by The Times. Khalidi and the Obamas were great friends in Chicago and often shared meals together.
...The LA Times has video of Obama toasting a former PLO operative at a Jew-bash but will not release the video.
...Charles Johnson adds that Weather Underground terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn attended the same 'dinner.'
Why wouldn't Ayers and Dorn attend a function in honor of a PLO terrorist? They probably trained alongside him as members of the Weather Underground!
...A Lexis-Nexis news database search of 40 years worth of major American newspaper archives returns one article detailing the timeline of transactions between Castro and the PLO. Please note that, unless otherwise stated, all quotes and facts come from Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen’s concisely detailed article "Castro’s Link to the PLO" printed in The Washington Times on July 24, 1990.
"The ties between communist Cuba and the PLO go back at least to 1966, when Mr. Castro hosted the Tri-Continental Conference, which brought together more than 500 delegates from radical groups around the world, including the PLO, to devise an international strategy to counter 'American imperialism.' … The relationship between Mr. Castro and the PLO is mutually beneficial because each fits into the other's grand strategy. Diplomatically, politically and militarily, Castro and the PLO work hand-in-hand."
...In the late 1960s, the growing number of young militant communist factions in Europe traveled to Cuba, among other places, to train alongside Islamic militants and Arab insurgents from the PLO, Hamas, and similar organizations.
...Marxist groups aided the PLO in executing terrorist acts. In one instance, the Red Army Faction (formerly the Bader-Meinhoff Group, a collective of Marxist Germans) joined with the Black September Group to help murder Israeli Olympians during the 1972 Munich Olympics. In 1976, the PLO, along with a group of German dissidents, was unsuccessful in hijacking a plane at Nairobi International Airport. As a result, two of the German dissidents, Thomas Reider and Brigida Schultz, were arrested and jailed. The Entebbe hijack that occurred six months later was PLO retaliation for their allies’ imprisonment. (History International)
..."The PLO assists Marxist-Leninist guerrillas around the world because they see it as the best way to fight Israel's main ally, the United States. The intent is to drain U.S. energies and resources and to distract the United States from playing an active role in the Middle East."
...Ms. Ros-Lehtinen was, at the time, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She ended her article with the poignant words: "The PLO and Mr. Castro play a vital role in international terrorism, and the partnership between them must not be ignored."
Can Barack Obama's character be made any clearer?
Seriously?
What else do we need to do to illustrate his Marxism? Get him to wear an "I HEART FIDEL" or "ARAFAT 4-EVER" button below his much-discussed and miniscule American flag pin?
Marxism birthed communism, socialism, and fascism. These movements birthed Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Fascist Italy, Communist China, North Korea, Vietnam, the PLO, Castro's Cuba, the Weather Underground, the Black Power movement, Saddam's Iraqi regime, and, in part, Ahmadinnerjacket's Iran. Marxism has been the driving force of the liberal wing of the Democrat Party since the 1960s-- and has roots in that party that go back to the 1930s and before! (Just ask Whittaker Chambers.)
Can the connections be any clearer?
America, do you get it?
Hitler was elected.
Is that a heavy-handed comment?
Can we afford to define it as such?
Cross-posted at: The Jewish Cowgirl
Labels: America, Anti Semitism, Elections, Hit a Jew Day, Israel, Marxism, Obama, PLO, President, Rashid Khalidi, Socialism
posted by Shoshana @ 10:47 AM
Barack Insane Obama, et al
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Last Thursday, my local rag featured a front page pic gratis the AP of Barack Obama "saluting" a throng of German onlookers who, like him, were raising their right arms at a 45-degree angle, enamoured expressions pasted on their faces.
Yeah, creepy.
Why is a United States Presidential candidate campaigning all over Europe and the Middle East, anyway? The official line was that Obama was illustrating how he'd "repair America's image abroad." Shouldn't he care a bit more about what the actual voters think of him, as opposed to accusing the voters of being unpopular with crowds of people they don't hang with on a daily basis anyway?
Then again, Obama's thinking is screwed up in more ways than one. He also believes in linkage a theory that contends that if the "Israel problem" were solved, the Arabs would be happy and the world would be at peace. Since when did world peace depend on a group of disparate tribesmen who subscribe to a 7th-century religion created by a pederast that condemns as "death-worthy" the people and faith that formed the basic foundations of modern civilization? Forget Hussein-- Barack's middle name is Insane.
The mainstream media continues to shut McCain out--limiting airtime on coverage of his campaign as well as, in the case of the New York Times, refusing to print his rebuttal to an Obama op/ed. The mainstream media's bias is so evident it's downright boring. Can't they at least be a little more cleverly deceptive about it? Apparently, I'm not the only one who notices.
Jewish World News's Israel Update did a story this week on the continual arms buildup off the Lebanese/Israeli coastline. Hizbullah, thanks to Iran, is building up Lebanon's Navy (among other things) while Israel just contracted to buy updated naval technology from the U.S.
Building, building, building... it all keeps building up...
Labels: America, Elections, Israel, Obama, Zionism
posted by Shoshana @ 11:05 PM
It's the Economy...and They're Stupid
Monday, April 14, 2008
I was not an Economics Major. However, like George Orwell, who ventured into the working-class-poor world after his stint at a ritzy English university (I want to say Oxford, but it may have been Cambridge), I have ventured far from the ivy halls of the ivory tower and thusly consider myself as having a PhD in Common Sense.
So, Common Sense Economics 101:
Lesson one: NAFTA
NAFTA = No Jobs for Americans on American Soil
Mom and Dad who have high school educations and VoTech trade degrees can't get jobs->
Mom and Dad go on unemployment-->
Mom and Dad begin living lives subsidized by the American government (the same government that approved the bill that lost the couple their chances for employment)--->
Mom and Dad have a kid, and get more government money---->
Mom and Dad realize that kids=more government money, so they keep having kids, and keep getting checks----->
Eventually:
Mom and Dad manage to swing buying a house on a 100% sub-prime mortgage (thanks to shady bankers) and continue to live off government money while taking secondary, under-the-table employment (legal or illegal, cash only=no taxes=not putting back in the government pot) in order to furnish new home, OR
Mom and Dad realize that if they split up, Mom can live in low income, government subsidized housing with the kids----->
Mom and Dad realize that dad can move in with friends, and rent out the house where they live, so they can pay the mortgage with rent money and pocket the government checks (most likely to be spent on plasma TVs)----->
Kids grow up without a steady father-figure--->
Most likely in a seedy neighborhood--->
Most definitely in an environment that promotes living off government money--->
Eventually:
>Kid thinks, "Why bother with school?" and the system continues, OR
>Kid wins "disadvantaged youth" scholarship, winds up in Ivy League School in order to fill "underpriveledged minority" enrollment quota, and lands big money job in high class environment while--->Working class kid with working parents who refused to live off government money doesn't qualify for scholarships (parents make just a little "too" much) doesn't get into Ivy League School (no money to pay for it) and doesn't get that big money job in high class environment that they're otherwise totally qualified for.
And this is why the socialization of the government in any form or fashion results in complete destruction and eventual collapse of the society as a whole.
The primary purpose of the Federal Government was to act as a bastion of national defense. In fact, the whole reason we fought the Revolutionary War was to keep the government from barging into our homes, our pocketbooks, and our lives.
Of course, the idea of American independence is now a notion under intense government scrutiny. It is a joke to think that the economy is receeding or collapsing; just as with the Great Depression in the 1930s, the middle class was raked over the coals while the rich (like FDR and his cronies) kept getting richer all the time. Look at who stands to benefit from the failure of the US Economy: Arab nations, whose markets are booming; China; Russia--- you know, all of our greatest moral enemies. They also happen to be the nations we bow to (and force our allies to bow down to-- need I remind you of the Annapolis Conference?) and borrow money from (ahem, CitiGroup); do our greatest amount of trading with (MADE IN CHINA ring a bell?); and send our oil to.
So, what better way to destroy the United States than implement a series of laws and policies to break down our economic structure, resulting in a weakening of our moral fiber, and rendering us malleable enough to agree to just about anything in order to sate our appetites overwhelmed with living off the fat of the government, or tired of scratching to pull weeds from the ground? This wouldn't be the first time poor people succumbed to the empty promises of socialist systems-- or didn't you get that lesson in your 9th grade unit on Hitler's Germany?
Weaken the Dollar -->
Weaken the Moral Resolve -->
Present Alternative Currency/Promises of Better Economy -->
So what if an Alternative Government comes along with it?
Recommended Reading:
Inside the Hush-Hush North American Union Confab [StopSPP.com]
A largely unreported meeting held at the State Department discussed integration of the U.S., Mexico and Canada in concert with a move toward a transatlantic union, linking a North American community with the European Union.
The meeting was held Monday under the auspices of the Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy, or ACIEP. WND obtained press credentials and attended as an observer. The meeting was held under “Chatham House” rules that prohibit reporters from attributing specific comments to individual participants.
...
The meeting agenda included topics reviewing the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, or SPP, and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council, or TEC.
The SPP, declared by the U.S., Canada and Mexico at a summit meeting in 2005, has 20 trilateral bureaucratic working groups that seek to "integrate and harmonize" administrative rules and regulations on a continental basis.
Several participants said the premise of the SPP is to create a North American business platform to benefit North America-based multi-national companies the way the European Union benefits its own.
Others noted the premise of the TEC is to create a convergence of administrative rules and regulations between Europe and North America, anticipating the creation of a "Transatlantic Economic Union" between the European Union and North America.
...
Before the meeting began, concerns were raised informally by participants worried that the Ohio Democratic Party primary had prompted both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to talk of renegotiating NAFTA.
Participants at the State Department meeting pointed out U.S. political candidates could be expected to argue "protectionist themes opposed to global economic integration" as a tactic, without necessarily being committed to taking aggressive steps once in office.
Amero Currency News & Updates
Stop the Security & Prosperity Partnership
Absolute Madness is at the doorstep.
Labels: 2008, Amero, Currency, Dollar, Economy, Elections, North American Union, Presidential Election, Security and Prosperity Partnership, SPP, United States Economy
posted by Shoshana @ 7:28 PM
