Then we went to a restaurant for a wonderful lunch and I even had a beer made by the monks in Spencer, Ma. When I got home, I learned that while I was celebrating, Jews in Pittsburgh were murdered. Other Jews in the same synagogue were seriously injured as were 4 police officers who rushed in at great risk to get the gunman and protect other attendees. It was a bris for fucks sake--a celebration for the birth/naming of a child. Coming into who knows what kind of world. Me wondering what I can explain to grandchildren.
Don't tell me we need to have armed guards in my synagogue. Don't tell me about the Constitution and the right to bear arms. Don't tell me that the possession of an automatic weapon is protected by that Constitution. Just don't. They have made this very personal--those people hate me and my tribe. Just don't.
Our former President (and let's not quibble about this ) sang Amazing Grace with the congregants at the Charleston church (as Joan Baez has sung). What will this President do? So far, he has told us that our synagogues should have armed guards. Said the same thing about schools after the Parkland massacre. Houses of prayers and schools once were safe places and now they are targets. Innocent people--adults and children-- are slaughtered.
The context of course is the language of our President. He is verbally fomenting fringe elements of his base. He denies responsibility for anything and has no human empathy. Don't tell me I should be compassionate--that I should try and understand and reach out to his supporters. I won't and I can't. Just don't.
We returned last Saturday from our self guided and self planned tour of the Civil Rights monuments, memorials, and museums in the South--Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham. This South was way different than the South of my childhood. These places continue to deal with the legacy of slavery and the subjugation and frequent murder of African Americans. The places we went to were profoundly sad and deeply moving.
Now there will be other "memorialized" places in the Charleston AME church, Parkland High School, and the Tree of Life synagogue. I don't want anymore memorials. I don't want to understand. I just want my leaders to step up and not be silent. Be brave and not be chicken shits who want to be re-elected.
Enough.
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Monday, October 1, 2018
LEST WE FORGET
Look, I know how important the Kavanaugh nomination is--but before I give you my take, I want to remind all of us about 4 things:
1. Too many (and one is too many) kids remain separated from their parents without a public crisis.
2. Woodward's book exposed many ugly things.
3. The op-ed by that anonymous person exposed many other ugly things.
4. Manafort is going to the pokey.
Kavanaugh is likely an alcoholic and a liar. and spare me the "boys will be boys" lament and the "that stuff happened in high school" as if that makes it any less despicable. And I read today that the Republicans have told the FBI that his drinking is a non issue--which is pathetic since the drinking is very much related to the sexual assaults. POTUS himself is a perpetrator so having him give us his thoughts on the topic is like the old timey saying of the pot calling the kettle black. The whole thing is sordid. It has, however, at least made it clear that these nomination processes are very much political--to underline that, that Garland fellow should already be on the court. My last thought on this topic (for now): there is something scary that both Hatch and Grassley (as well as Biden) were involved in the Anita Hill nastiness and Clarence is still up there sitting oh so silently.
ODDS AND ENDS
--I forgot to mention that the guy POTUS believes is not very smart has funded a school in his hometown. that serves not just the children but their families and the broader community. His name is Lebron. So there.
--The media matters. About 10 days ago, the Times (supposedly the failing Times) had a whole section devoted to a group of men and women service people who have died in either Iraq or Afghanistan. A sobering piece about the loss of the some of our best and brightest.
--The New Yorker had a lengthy piece about Sarah Sanders--she is the mouth piece for POTUS. That's bad enough but she is a fervent evangelical and that makes her dangerous. Her pearls clash daily with her disdain for the media folks in the room. She absolutely hates that Acosta.
--The animal report: Bears are wandering in the suburbs of Boston. Lock your doors but first take in your bird feeders. A gun toting resident of NH (live free or die) killed a mother bear and her cubs because they were killing his chickens. Seriously, folks, if you live in rural NH, what can you expect except wildlife. You can, as well, expect to see sharks in the ocean off Cape Cod. Sadly, one of those sharks killed a swimmer recently. In response, some 300 residents of the Cape attended a meeting to "get something done" about those sharks. Maybe put up a fence!!
--Then, finally, we have the dead squirrel problem which merited an long article in, yup, the Globe. Seems due to an abundance of acorns (who knew), the squirrels are out of their mind with storing them up for winter. Taking big risks like crossing the streets outside the pedestrian crosswalks. Getting themselves killed in record numbers. I suggest a fence for them too but a different one than the one for the sharks..
SPORTS TALK
The MLB playoffs begin this week. Even if my boys beat Oakland, I think they are too inconsistent. The Red Flops have some mighty good hitters but both Houston and Cleveland have much better pitching. We are no longer hysterical about the Pats since they won yesterday. But I admit I was wondering if we were seeing the beginning of the end of Mr. Brady. It is worrisome that we are so optimistic about the Celtics and the Bruins. Is disappointment around the proverbial corner?
Shalom
1. Too many (and one is too many) kids remain separated from their parents without a public crisis.
2. Woodward's book exposed many ugly things.
3. The op-ed by that anonymous person exposed many other ugly things.
4. Manafort is going to the pokey.
Kavanaugh is likely an alcoholic and a liar. and spare me the "boys will be boys" lament and the "that stuff happened in high school" as if that makes it any less despicable. And I read today that the Republicans have told the FBI that his drinking is a non issue--which is pathetic since the drinking is very much related to the sexual assaults. POTUS himself is a perpetrator so having him give us his thoughts on the topic is like the old timey saying of the pot calling the kettle black. The whole thing is sordid. It has, however, at least made it clear that these nomination processes are very much political--to underline that, that Garland fellow should already be on the court. My last thought on this topic (for now): there is something scary that both Hatch and Grassley (as well as Biden) were involved in the Anita Hill nastiness and Clarence is still up there sitting oh so silently.
ODDS AND ENDS
--I forgot to mention that the guy POTUS believes is not very smart has funded a school in his hometown. that serves not just the children but their families and the broader community. His name is Lebron. So there.
--The media matters. About 10 days ago, the Times (supposedly the failing Times) had a whole section devoted to a group of men and women service people who have died in either Iraq or Afghanistan. A sobering piece about the loss of the some of our best and brightest.
--The New Yorker had a lengthy piece about Sarah Sanders--she is the mouth piece for POTUS. That's bad enough but she is a fervent evangelical and that makes her dangerous. Her pearls clash daily with her disdain for the media folks in the room. She absolutely hates that Acosta.
--The animal report: Bears are wandering in the suburbs of Boston. Lock your doors but first take in your bird feeders. A gun toting resident of NH (live free or die) killed a mother bear and her cubs because they were killing his chickens. Seriously, folks, if you live in rural NH, what can you expect except wildlife. You can, as well, expect to see sharks in the ocean off Cape Cod. Sadly, one of those sharks killed a swimmer recently. In response, some 300 residents of the Cape attended a meeting to "get something done" about those sharks. Maybe put up a fence!!
--Then, finally, we have the dead squirrel problem which merited an long article in, yup, the Globe. Seems due to an abundance of acorns (who knew), the squirrels are out of their mind with storing them up for winter. Taking big risks like crossing the streets outside the pedestrian crosswalks. Getting themselves killed in record numbers. I suggest a fence for them too but a different one than the one for the sharks..
SPORTS TALK
The MLB playoffs begin this week. Even if my boys beat Oakland, I think they are too inconsistent. The Red Flops have some mighty good hitters but both Houston and Cleveland have much better pitching. We are no longer hysterical about the Pats since they won yesterday. But I admit I was wondering if we were seeing the beginning of the end of Mr. Brady. It is worrisome that we are so optimistic about the Celtics and the Bruins. Is disappointment around the proverbial corner?
Shalom
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