ATT

Normally I do not blog on Fri. However, I am sitting by the phone trying to get service from ATT.They are the worst in handling phone complaints.You can sit for 1 hour awaiting to talk to a human, until out of frustration you hang up.
Every 20 seconds the voice on the phone announces they are hiring sales associates.
Compared to Bell South which we have in NJ they rate NEG_NEG NEG
Similarly in Rockland we had good phone SERVICE-as I have with Verizon on my cell.
Now after 20 minutes I was about to hang up,when someone came on--SORRY HE IS
FROM SALES-BACK TO MUSIC
SHABBAT SHALOM

Mattisyahu / Syria

Today was Sheila's birthday.A number of months ago we bought tickets for Mattisyahu at the Kravis Center in W. Palm Beach.
When our kids found out , they laughed and bet we would a) not last 10 minutes b) not last 3 songs and c)did we know he shaves his beard,and sang no Hebrew ?
The 2000 + people looked like they were 75% non-Jewish.They were young,although some seniors brought young grandchildren.I cannot verify which language he sang in.I do know he cane out 20 minutes late,with the audience applauding and getting restless.
The program dod not mention "Israel " or "Jewish" in his bio.He wore dark glasses.did not move from his seat,except to sip a can of water.He certainly has no personality.
The accompanist was a local guitar player.
Oh yes-we lasted about 20 minutes-maybe 5 "songs" which sounded all the same.He did wear tzizis sans beard.
At least there was no rush to get out of the parking lot.

Sudanese General Mustafa Al-Dab is the head of the Arab League team in Syria investigating the Syrian brutality on their population.
By the way-he is under indictment for crimes against humanity as part of the genocide in Darfur.

BIBI AND BEIT SHEMESH / PAUL AND 9/11

WHAT WAS BIBI THINKING?
The suggestion that Beit Shemesh be divided into an ultra-orthodox-charedi city, and another city for everyone else is crazy.
You do not deal with with criminals by buying them off.A civil society cannot be segregated to the point that they are above the law.
Making 2 cities is a band-aid approach that will only encourage more law-breaking. As someone pointed out can Israel have seperate cities for every ethnic and religious group?
The solution is clear.Isolate this small segement of the Charedi community.Arrest and punish them and their parents.Penalize their schools and centers getting government funding until they get with the program.

In an interview with Haaretz published today, Ron Paul place blame on U.S. support for Israel as the major cause of 9/11.
When you consider there are 3 million citzens in Iowa,and if it sets a record 120,000 will participate in the caucuses, you realize how truly inconsequential this event is.After N.H.where does Paul go?- nowhere

Ben Nelson /Iowa / Al Queda

Although I am rooting for a Republican Senate,I was saddened to learn of the decision by Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson to retire.I met with him during my PAC days,and found him to be bright and independent.He is a great friend of the US-Israel relationship.
There is a good chance that his seat will go Republican in this "Red State".Nelson was the deciding vote to pass Obamacare-an unpopular decision in his home State.

An interesting WSJ op-ed on the Iowa caucus,showng that for all the hoopla,it not really a representative election.What with small turnouts,and cross-over from Democratic voters who want to confuse the results,only 2 recent Republican nominees have won Iowa.

The reports that an Islamist army with Al Queda members,together with Libyan fighters supported by Quatar and Saudia Arabia set to attack Syria is not good news.Anything that brings Al Queda closer to Israel geographically is dangerous down the road.

RON PAUL / CHAREDIM IN BEIT SHEMESH

Eric Dondero whow was an aide for Ron Paul for 16 years has now revealed Paul's true beliefs.
He believes that Israel should not exist,and all the land given back to the Arabs.
It is no wonder that he would be happy with a nuclear Iran threatening or nuking Israel.
Paul is a disgrace to Congress ,and those who support him,do not (unless they are so anti-semitic and racist) appreciate that it is not isolationism buyt hatred he is selling.

The events in Beit Shemesh are disgraceful.
The ugly harrasment of modern orthodox students and females cannot be tolerated.
The police have to crack down.
1-children and minors who commit acts like spitting abd chasing,cursing etc should be arrested. Their parents should be sent to jail.
2- Those charedim involved should lose all government stipends.
3-Repeat offenders should be taken out of their parents home,defrocked and sent to youth camps for retraining.
4-Hate crimes should so be designated with additional penalties of fines and jail.

NEWT / BIBI// OBAMA

For a while I thought Newt could go all the way.Over and above the onslaught of negative ads we witness his own missteps.
Firstly he got off message with this nonsense about arresting Judges.What possible gain could come from such a position.He should have stressed appointing th right Judges,and tightening up laws that are being misinterpreted.
Then he has spent time at book signings.His failure to get on the ballot in Virginia is a sign of poor organization.
HE HAS TO GET TOUGH WITH PAUL NOT ON"FOREIGN POLICY" BUT ON A PHILOSOPHY OF HATE AND BIGOTRY,FROM WHICH HE HAS MADE MILLIONS OVER THE YEARS.

Bibi is right on target when he clearly states that he will not negotiate with Abbas if he joins with Hamas.If (AND THEY SHOULD) STOP THE TRANSFER OF TAX MONEY TO THE PA, IT SHOULD BE PERMANENT.ABBAS SHOULD LOSE ANY DIPLOMATIC COURTESIES HE NOW HAS.

It is already clear, that Obama has lost Egypt to the Islamists.We are witnessing the beginning of Iraq falling apart,thanks to Obama's leadership.I URGE YOU TO READ AN ARTICLE IN TODAYS JP BY BARRY RUBIN ON HOW THE WORLDS DICTATORS ARE LAUGHING AT OBAMA ,AS THE US BECOMES WEAKER.SIMILARLY THERE IS LEAD ARTICLE IN THIS MONTHS COMMENTARY MAGAZINE BY MAX BOOT, ON HOW DANGEROUS HAS OUR POSITION BECOME SECONDARY TO OUR DEFENSE CUTS.

RON PAUL-BIGOT / HAMAS / HAPPY CHANUKAH

The disclosure of the existance of years and years of anti-israel and anti-black articles by Ron Paul should shake up the race.He has ascribed to all types of conspiracy theories including 9/11.
When asked about the Iranian plot to assasinate the Saudi Ambassador,he called it a "propoganda stunt"
All of this and more is included in an article in this weeks Weekly Standard
by James Kirchil,entitled "The Company Ron Paul Keeps".
Paul walked away from a CNN interview when asked about these articles.He will now get the full examination by the media,since he is a "top-tier" candidate.

The agreement for the PA to join with Hamas and other terrorist groups could mean the end of any type of rapport between Israel and the Palestinians.

My Rav Rabbi Dr Moshe Tendler shlita, noted that the message of Chanukah is to live up to our potential.This little flask of oil had more in it than we suspected.So too,every Jew even the smallest "flask" contains the energy to give more light than one might imagine.
HAPPY CHANUKAH

The news that Turkey and Israel have renewed their air force cooperation is welcome news.Prior to the Turkish verbal attacks on Israel for the raid on the ship rying to run the Gaza blockade,military cooperation was a given.
Much of that was suspended.However this may be thawing.
Syria has turned Turkey off.Iran threatened to attack Turkey if Israel or rhe US attack.Turkey's friends are thinning out.

Despite blistering political attacks on them,the freshman class of the GOP are holding the line on not giving in to the Senate on a 2 months extension OF THE PAYROLL TAX.
Their best line, is tha they don't care about politics or re-election.I think they are right on target.
ANOTHER THOUGHT FOR AN AD
IF YOU SEE A DEMOCRATIC SENATOR RELAXING ON VACATION-SEND US THEIR PICTURE-SO WE CAN ADVERTISE --MR SENATOR -GET BACK TO WORK-FINISH YOUR JOB ON THE 1 YEAR PAYROLL TAX

iT IS INTERESTING THAT oCCUPY WS, WAS SUPPOSED TO HELP THE 99%.nOW CITIES ARE IN TROUBLE BECAUSE OF POLICE OVERTIME,AND WILL HAVE TO LAYOFF WORKERS(PART OF THE 99%) AND PEOPLE WORKING NEAR THEIR RALLIES HAVE PERMANENTLY LOST THEIR JOBS IN RETAIL AREAS LIKE RESTAURANTS.

Get Back to Work!

If I were advising the RNC, I would say get ads out that say,"Mr President,GET YOUR DEMOCRATS BACK FROM VACATION, AND CONDUCT THE SENATE BUSINESS THEY WERE SENT TO WASHINGTON FOR."
IN THIS GAME OF POLITICAL CHICKEN, IT IS THE PEOPLE WHO LOSE.

As I said previously, Rick Santorum is the sweetest gentlemen you would want to meet, or go to dinner with.Despite todays endorsements, it still is doubtful he can get into the upper tier.
This is a long campaign, and I hope after Iowa a few will drop out.
There is only one way I could vote for Obama,and that is if G-d forbid Paul was the GOP nominee.

The Europeans including Britan,France,Germany and Portugal have joined the chorus in attacking the "ROOT CAUSE"( my terminology) of a lack of PA-Israel negotiations.They are settlements and the attacks by a few settlers.
No mention of rocket attacks-no mention on the failure to accept Israel as the State of the Jewish people and no mention on the failure to renounce the "Right of Return'.
Those terrible Israelis!

Newt and Sharia / payroll tax

Newt is getting killed from his own party,and the "conservative press"
The latest attack that I saw was in the Palm Beach Post from Michael Gerson who is a Washington Post columnist.The editorial page daily has 2 guest columnists one from the "left" and the other from the "right".
Mr. Gerson was on the right,and his article was entitled "Gingrich's war on Shariah".
He notes that since Sharia is a mortal threat to the US and the world (Newt's wordsss) then we need a federal law that Sharia cannot be recognized by any court in the U.S.
For this suggestion,Newt is attacked as a party with "totalitarianism " and in bed with despotism.
I don't know how the election will turn out,however Newt's disregard for PC in connection with the Palestinians,the "peace process" and radical Islam make him the most favorable candidate on our issues.

I commend Boehner and the House GOP for so-far standing up to this 2 month nonsense on the payroll tax.In 2 months to have to refight this battle makes no sense.The fact that Senators of both parties just wanted to get out of town for the holidays, is no reason to kick the can down the street.

SHELLY RUDOFF 'OBM

I WAS SADDENED TODAY TO LEARN OF THE PASSING OF SHELDON RUDOFF.My association
with him goes back about 60 plus years.
In high school we had a group(club) in the Young Israel of Eastern Parkway.Shelly was our leader.Of course we renewed our friendship when I became active in the OU.Shelly was my predecessor as OU President,and he was always dedicated to the mission of Torah in the modern world.
He was a gifted lawyer,and a scholar.I last spoke to him about 2 weeks ago regarding a chapter that he submitted to our new volume on Bar-Bat mitzvah which is now at the publisher.
May Hedda and the family be comfoted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim.

Those who knew of Sholom Auslander from his youth in Monsey,and who read his first book should not be suprised with his article today in the NY Times magazine section (rear inside cover).If you don't know him, you might think that he was being cute describing hiS jewish mother.A reread, makes you realize it represents his style and anger at his upbringing.
Incidentally when I was in the Army at Fort Monmouth, I too was asked by a neighbor where our horns were?

tHE GROWTH OF BOYNTON / HALACHIC ORGAN DONOR SOCIETY

It is exciting to witness and be part of a growing orthodox community.
This week,4 new families have moved into our area,and have come to pray in our shul.
Five weeks ago,a new kosher meat restaurant -Goldas -opened a few blocks away.This is the first kosher establishment in Boynton.Until now we have had to travel to Boca.Last nite, we went to Goldas, enjoyed the food, ambiance and service.It was quite a large place with a bar,and the prices were moderate,and the portions large.
Today ,they are pouring concrete in the driveway of our shul Anshe Chesed.I took a tour inside last week,and it will be beautiful.It will be able to acccomodate 250-300 people with the balcony filled. (alavei we should need it).I suspect that we will move in late Jan-Feb.

This week I joined HOD the Halachic Organ Donor Society.They have a network of Orthodox Jewish physicians who are committed to modern medicine,Jewish tradition who will carry organ donor cards,and contribute a small amount to raise awareness.This is a great mitzvah .Information from HODS.ORG

Settler violence / Mitt / logjam

As much as individual settlers dislike or hate the actions of the govt.,and the IDF ,there is no room in any democracy for attacks against the Army.The IDF is a citizens Army and it depends upon the support of the population to carry out its task.
Yes there is room for civil disobedience.However what has been reported is criminal in nature.
The area that these young people should direct their energies to is the voting booth, as well as convincing the electorate of the justice of their cause.

I saw a clip, on MSNBC when Mitt was running for Gov.He was saying that he is not a conservative, but a "moderate and progressive". It is true, that individuals change their political orientation over years.
The question is whether in Mitt's case it is due to maturity and experience, or secondary to polling results?

This MICKEY MOUSE LOGJAM on the omnibus bill, and the payroll tax-unemployment extension, is purely contrived by Obama for political purposes.I believe tghe WH will blink first.

Iowa / Keystone / Iran

The rise of Paul in Iowa, represents a well developed Liberatarion team on the ground.I doubt he can repeat that in S.C., Florida and NH.
The comments of Rudy Guliani that Newt would be stronger than Mitt against Obama is my impression.Even though the polls now don't show that,

It is amazing that the Obama fear of the environmentalists is threatening to close down the govt.We are currently net exporters of oil,however the Keystone oil pipe will not only add 20000 jobs,it will cement our ability to cut down on OPEC fuel.

It is a joke .a sick one at that that Obama requested Iran to return the drone.As Cheney and Bolton said, it should have been destroyed by a surgical air strike.
The move by Iran to practice cuting off the Staits of Hormuz is a provocative one, that should be met with an armada of naval vessels from various western countries.

Efrat and Ban / Newt

It's always nice when you see fairness and evenhandedness on the part of international leaders.
UN Sec. Gen Ban has attacked the construction of 40 homes in Efrat, as being dangerous to the peace process ,and by way against International law.
He neglected to comment on the daily rockets of Hamas from Gaza,and their production in the Sinai as a cause for concern.

Years ago when I was in practice, one of my partners had a bad temper on occasion.It could happen in the O.R.,or on the tennis court.He was a perfectionist.Some of the less self-confident nurses did not want to scrub with him.
However those who were self-confident fought to be in his room.For you see,he had a pair of golden hands.It was a pleasure to watch him operate.His clinical judgement was superior.If I or any of my family would have needed surgery,I would be confident in him.
I write this because of all the attacks on Newt.I never served under him,but was friendly with key staffers and leaders.I never heard a word about hid leadership abilities in a negative sense.
However, when your task is to balance the budget, and create a "Contract with America",it is inevitable that you will step on toes.
The criteria for my partner was -A great doctor-or Not?-for Newt- a proven leader who can accomplish that which he sets out to undertake-or someone who is a Republican Carter?

MAY G-D LOOK OVER NEWT'S EFFORTS

Indeed,there is no such a thing as a "Palestinian " People.There are Arabs who came down from sorrounding countries as Jews started to build the land.Those Arabs who were already living there never considered themselves Palestinian.
It was the Jews pre-Israel who were the true "Palestinians". To wit,the name of the newspaper was the "PALESTINIAN POST" -now the Jerusalem Post.
The name of the symphony was the "Palesinian......-now the Israel Symphony.
The whole idea of a Palestinian State was from EU and WH pressure which made it politically incorrect to say or claim "Jordan is Palestine"
Newt is right on target in sticking to his guns,and to naming JOHN BOLTON as his Sec. of State. It was Sem Obama who prevented Bush from naming him to the permanent UN position.

The attacks against Newt by former colleagues, speaks to his toughness as a leader.He took no crap,and accomplished his goals.These small-minded politicos, aare bringing up their 30 year old grievances because they lost power.
I believe these Romney attacks will backfire,
The polls showing Obama beating Newt and Mitt, should be taken with a little grain of salt.
It is early
The enthusiasm level favors the Rep.
How about turnout?
How about that Obama's polls show a maximum 44% approval
When the dust clears and it is Obama vs--- we shall see
If Newt picks a Hispanic as a VP nominee, ie. Rubio--lets look at
Florida again

Laugh of the week-Turkish President Gul after refusing to be in the room with Ehud Barak,praises HAMAS FOR ITS PEACE EFFORTS.
Followup laugh- Abbas again refuses direct talks without Pre-conditions of "67 borders,and end to settlement construction.-Then Panetta yells to the Israelis "JUST GET BACK TO THE DAMN TABLE,"

Newt / sex in NYC

The charge that Newt is a full time politician,while Mitt is a businessman doesn't hold up.
Mitt ran for Gov. and when his polls were low did not run for re-election.He ran for the Senate and was defeated-for President and did not make it.He has spent a good deal of his life running for office.
Newt since leaving office has been involved in consulting work and like most in the beltway,never lost touch.He has lectured,written books,and been a consultant for Fox.
The attacks on him are way out of line,and so far have not hurt him.
They will certainly immunize him when the election season post convention starts,if he is the candidate.

Sadly an on-line student newspaper at Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University (The Beacon) has a story of a sex tryst by a 20 year old woman in a NY hotel room.Why people think that washing dirty laundry in public is helpful is beyond me.Nor do I sympathize with the editors who refused to tone down the story.
There is a difference between censorship which I oppose,and shame on our traditions which such a story produces.

Caroline Glick

yOU MUST READ AN OP-ED FROM THE JERUSALEM POST BY CAROLINE GLICK.IT IS REPRINTED IN REALCLEARPOLITICS.COM TODAY.
THE TITLE IS " UNDER OBAMA,US IS NO LONGER ISRAEL'S ALLY".
For the most part it contains the charges that I wrote about here for the last 2 days,with amplifications.

The knives are out against Newt,by Paul, Romney, Obama and the press.There is an article in the Wash. Post based upon what she has not said(Pelosi),because it is sealed,proves what kind of a terrible person Newt is.
Pelosi knows that Newt was absolved of all but 1 charge years ago,The records are closed,and her fake attempt to use that material,is illegal and unethical.Yet even the suggestion that she knows some dirt is enough to convict Newt.
Despite the fact ,that MSNBC keeps saying they are happy that Newt might be the candidate,I am not so sure they willel that way after the debates.

More and more the evidence is that Obama lost Egypt,and has litle interest in Iran despite a 100-0 Senate vote on sanctions.He is concentrating on Asia and golf.

Hillary followup

I neglected to complete Hillary's outrageous charges against Israel.That because in charedi areas women sit in the back of the bus -it reminds her of Iran.
She should know in Monsey and Monroe USA this is the NORM.
She also was upset that male soldiers walked out while females sang.She has no feeing for Jewish law,and the rules of modesty in our traditions.
She should concentrate on the role of women slaves in Arab-African countries.Her worry about the role of women in the Israeli body politic is outrageous-look at the heads of Kadimah and the Supreme Court.
This is classical anti-semitism dressed up as anti-zionism.
Would it be that womens rights in the Arab world would even be 50% of that in Israel,then perhaps someone in the diaspora could complain.
For the Sec. of State to try to undermine Israel as a pure DEMOCRACY-IS EVIL.
My Democratic friends should remember this in 4 years when Hillary challenges Pres. Gingrich

MUCH WILL BE WRITTEN RE; BIBI'S SNAP CALL FOR LIKUD ELECTIONS.
The clearest explanation so far is that he is preparing for an Obama win,and wants to have
1-the election out of the way, so Obama cannot influence it.
2-a mandate, so that when he fights with Obama,he will feel secure.This might include an attack on Iran,increased settlement growth,war with Syria,Hamas and/or Hezbollah.

It never stops!

The real face of the anti-Israel dogma is coming to the fore once again by the Obama left-wing team
Item. Panetta bangs on the table, and blames Israel for lack of direct talks with PA. Israel says let's talk without pre-conditions
Abbas sets conditions-Where is the fairness? or the friendship?
Item.The US Ambassador to Belgium at a public forum,blames anti-semitism on Israel's policies.He probably is Jewish,Where is the outrage?
Item.Hillary Clinton attacks Knesset for the bills limiting outside funding to Israeli NGO's for the purpose of subverting Israel.Where is her attack on Saudia Arabia for preventing women fromm driving?
Israel is under the gun and even friends like Germany forced Israel to submit to the PA the tax money, or lose the sixth submarine they are going to build for Israel.Where is the attack on Abbas for violating Oslo ,by unilaterally going to the UN?

Obama a friend of Israel?

YES, the President has for the most part been good on supplying military and intelligence support to Israel.He follows in the path of Bush.
However,as Sen. Lieberman implied,he has been the worst disaster for Israel diplomatically,and politically.
From day 1 he has tried to embarress Bibi,gigve lukewarm support in the UN,
and supportED the PA over Israel.His ambush of Bibi just prior to the last trip was a classical case of screwing your friend.
His support for a left wing govt change in Israel backfired.His pressure on settlements poisoned the atmosphere.His announcement that IsraEl should go back to '67 was disgusting.
Now he has refused to lead on Iran ,and Israel will probably have no choice but to attack.
He lost Egypt,and now we have a surge of Islamic fundamentalists.
He is nowhere on Syria.He led Libya from behind and he was silent when the Iranian people took to the streets.
He is not a friend of Israel.His speech in Cairo points to Israel as a product of the Holocaust -ignoring Jewish history.
We pray for his defeat, and the creation of a real pro-Israel administration.

NEWT

AS THE POLLS START COMING IN FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY,IT IS EVIDENT THAT NEWT IS NOT A PASSING FANCY.HOW THIS WILL HOLD UP AFTER CAIN LEAVES IS STILL UP IN THE AIR.
I personally believe that Mitt has reached his peak,and GOP primary voters above all else want someone who can win ,as well as be true to conservative standards.
We all know Newt is not the perfect candidate,however his mastery of the issues is second to none.many of us would love to see obama debate Newt-someone said it would make great pay-tv.Although Newt has said he would challenge Obama to a Lincoln-Douglass debate(s), no one believes Obama would agree.
I also feel that the polls are a little behind events ,and in the next few days-week(s),Newt'a lead will become unbeatable-provided nothing unforeseen develops-such as Palin jumping into the race.
If he can win Iowa,S.C. and Florida,as well as come close in N.H. then this is a recipe for victory.

CAIN

I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER CAIN WILL WITHDRAW OR NOT,BUT I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT A SCENARIO TO WHY HE IS IN THIS PREDICAMENT.
I don't believ he was ever serious about running.He was trying to sell a book he authored,and what with the TV debates giving massive publicity at no cost, he figured "why not?"
Because he never held office,and was an unknown, he was never vetted.He never gave any thought to reporters looking at every aspect of his life with a microscope.
In the beginning it was simple.He avoided foreign policy and at the same time sliding by difficult questions by referring to his advisors.
Then he hit upon "999" and it was simple, even simplistic and with his warm personality he caught on.He himself was suprised.
In addition it was a way for conservatives to show that there was no prejudice in the GOP.
Then came the sex accusations, followed by the Libya goof,and suddenly his star was dimming.
Now with a full blown adulterous affair , proven by e-mails etc,you have to ask,"HOW DID HE THINK HE COULD GET AWAY WITH IT?"
At least Sen. Edwards,had a plan,to blame his aide for the baby.
Running for Pres. is a fulltime job,that requires years of preperation to learn the issues,put together a team and ask yourself the real hard question-"-Do I have anything to hide?"
It is time for Cain to get out and avoid further pain for his family,and the country.

Back to warm weather

It was a tiring experience driving down from N.J..We thought we would have traffic congestion yesterday in N.J and the beltway-it being part of the Thanksgiving drive-home.However, perhap because we left early, it was a breeze, until Virginia.then it was bumper to bumper.
Driving in the car we heard about Newt's endoresment in N.H. from the leading paper.I suspect that Palin will endorse him.
The new charges against Cain could be the final blow.
Driving down and listening to talk radio,we were impressed with the number of anti-Obama talk show hosts.As a matter of fact, we did not hear a single liberal voice.If we were from outer space,I would not be able to understand how America elected such an incompetent.
Good-bye Barney Frank-words cannot describe the negative role he has played in the housing meltdown etc.
I cannot believe Bibi is bending on the issue of giving the PA tax money.

THANKSGIVING

For those of us of the jewish faith,we have much to be thankful for as Americans.Certainly not in modern times have we enjoyed the rights as equal citizens to practice our religion,and attain economic heights without fear ,as we enjoy today..
Yes there is still seen anti-semitism (as in OWS) ,however these are rare events, even in an economic downturn.
If there is any complaint,it is that the "golden" opportunities,have fostered a lost generation of Jews.I see it in Florida,and in our hi-rise in N.J.
Senior citzens either totally ignorant of their traditions (and that of their grandparents) or so weddded to golf,card plying,trying out the new restaurant and so on,that even Yom Kippur has little meaning or attraction for them.In essence it is a spiritual holocaust.For not only have we lost them, but their children and so on.
Thank G-d ,the yeshiva movement has grown exponentially.Outreach programs like NCSY and Chabad are reaching more young people on the college campus(and high school).NCSY in one program alone has 40,000 young people.
The demographic truth is that were it not for the Orthodox and Charedi poulations, there would not be an authentic Jewish tradition in America in 50-100 years.The Conservative movement is shrinking,the Reform 50% intermarried,the secular couldn't care less.
As we prepare to go to Boynton Beach for the season,yesterday I completed my portion of the Good Samaritan Hospital Talmud shiur.I believe we are going on to our 24th year.This to me is a very exciting class, that illustrates that educating adults,not for the purpose of making them Orthodox,but to inculcate our traditions and our Judaic philosophy does work.It is up to each individual to decide what to do with the knowledge they accrue.
In truth both I and the members of the shiur have all become more attuned to Jewish needs and the central role of Israel in our lives.Our shiur has visited Israel 5 times,and among other contributions were a Sefer Torah to the Navy at Ashdod,and an x-ray machine to Shaare Zedek Hospial in Jerusalem.
During the months that I am away,Dr. Michael Muschel a cardiologist and torah scholar teaches the class.Today he sits shiva for his mother Sara of blessed memory.May he be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL

The campaig.

Today Rasmussen has Obama widening his lead over Romney.While it is still early,Romney has not caught on.
I spoke today to an old friend very close to Newt Gingrich.My impression is that the next few weeks will see an emphasis on S.Carolina and Iowa.If they do well there, then money will come in, and they can put together an effective team in Florida.
I do not personally know Cong Mack who is running for the Florida Senate seat of Nelson.I was very friendly with his father Connie Mack from his Congrssional and Senatorial days.They are desescendents of the great Connie Mack of baseball fame.
More importantly both are great friends of Israel.

AN UPDATE

Just a few thoughts on the Republican race so far.
Herman Cain is a nice man,who should save us the embarressment of his phumphing on foreign policy.999 is not an answer to the ills of the world,Nor is saying you will rely on your advisors.He never thought he would get this far,and he should get out while he is ahead.-UNLIKELY ,since he is still ahead of Huntsman etc.

Mitt Romney,is looking better after each debate.His strong statement on Israel tonite was reassuring.The question is can you believe him?His record is not stellar from the conservative point of view.

Newt, is a master of policy and history.He shines against all the other candidates.He would wipe the floor against Obama in debates.
Will his baggage weigh him down?
The ultimate question is who can beat Obama? That is goal number 1.
I hope as the campaign develops, Newt starts running away with it,SO ALL REPUBLICANS CAN COALESCE BEHIND HIS CANDIDACY.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE MINEFIELDS AVAILABLE ON KINDLE / OBAMA ON THE SUPERCOMMITTEE

I RECIEVED A CALL FROM THE PUBLISHER OF MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY "JOURNEY THROUGH THE MINEFIELDS -FROM VIETNAM TO WASHINGTON".HE INFORMED ME THAT AMAZON HAS COPIES OF THE BOOK.IN ADDITION EITHER IT IS AVAILABLE ON KINDLE,OR WILL BE AVAILABLE SHORTLY.

WHERE WAS THE PRESIDENT DURING ALL THE SUPERCOMMITTEE DELIBERATIONS ?
WHERE WAS HIS LEADERSHIP ?
IN FACT HE WAS COUNTING ON FAILURE-IN ORDER TO CONTINUE THE CLASS WARFARE CAMPAIGN HE INITIATED.

Sec Panetta and Israel

Defense Sec. Panetta gave 3 reasons why Israel should not attack Iran.
1-It will harm world economy
2-It will only impede the Iranian nuclear effort 2-3 years
3-there may be unexpected conequences

Whether an attack would harm the economy is not a given.If he refers to oil supplies,then the US has plenty of ability over the short and long run to correct the problem.
Open up ANWAR in Alaska,allow drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.encourage fracking,and approve the Canadian oil pipeline.

Even if it only stops the Iranians for a limited number of years,that represents a period without a nuclear Iran hanging over Israel.Who knows what will happen in 3 years? Perhaps there will be a new Iranian Govt? or a new US President with a backbone? Or Israel might have to attack again?

Why worry only about the world,when from the point of view of Israel, there is an existential threat to its existance.
Yes there can be unexpected consequences if Israel attacks-but there may be unexpected consequences if Iran obtains the bomb,and either uses it or threatens its region.

OWL / E-1

Everyone understands there are inequities in life-whether it is children born with disabilities or with a gift of intellect.There are those who drop out of school and become billionaires (Steve Jobs) or those with multiple degrees who cannot find their way in life.
There are those who wish to take no chances and settle for a 9-5 job.While others will borrow money and open a business in a garage,and grow to a mega -empire.
What is that the OWS crowd wants? Each one has their own frustrations.I just saw a man on a news program who works on Wall Street but is unhappy about salary inequalities.He is not prepared to wait to move up the ladder.
America is not prepared to throw out capitalism because ten thousand demonstrators supported by unions are going to decefecate on police cars or bang drums in the middle of the nite.
Let them organize in each Congreesional district and run candidates like the Tea Party. Absent that ,they are entitled to march,but not interfere with people going to work or about their business.
City administrations,have to toughen up their responses.

Over the years I have mentioned the need for Israel to build in the E-1 area.Now is the perfect time to build this link between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem.Every Israeli PM has approved this project,however American pressure has put in on hold.
With no peace partner,this area which covers 12,000 dunam is on State owned property.It is planned to have 3500 housing units,a commercial area and a hotel.It would connect the 36,000 residents of Maale Adumim to Jerusalem.We must connect Mount Scopus to Maale Adumim to protect Jerusalem.
Of course the EU will object along with Obama,but "MA NISHTANA?"

The Forward 50

There was a time when the Forward published a list annually of the top 50 Jewish leaders.One year I was priviledged to be in the top 2 or 3.
When the paper changed editors and owners, I stopped following the weekly edition.Howevwe I was in Israel 10 days ago and the Forward wad given out with Haaretz.
To my suprise, the list is currently "jews" who are in the news
For example Cong. Gabrielle Giffords is on the list for being "brave".Unfortunately her father was Jewish not her mother.
Of course people like Jennifer Laszio Mizrachi of the Israel Project deserves to be included.As does Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, President of the Rabbinical Council of America.
HOW IN THE WORLD IS CONG ANTHONY WEINER or Fred Wilpon of the Mets included?

The new Knesset controls on foreign funds for NGO's

During my 23 years as Pres of Huvpac,I became very familiar with federal election law.On one occasion we accidentally accepted a check from a union,cashed it,but then realized our error and sent the money back.Nevertheless we were fined by the Federal Election Commission (a few thousand dollars).
One key element of US federal law is that foreign corporations and non-US citizens cannot contribute to PAC's or to election campaigns.It goes without saying that foreign governments cannot contribute to American campaigns.
Thus it is difficult to understand the yelling by the EU,and left wing groups in Israel,now that the Knesset is putting the brakes on foreign govt contributions, and limiting them to 20,000 shekalim ( 3.5 to the dollar).
The Left has used these funds to smear and delegitimize Israel in the court
of world opinion.Sure they can do this if they can raise the funds within Israel.
An examination shows the extent of the problem.
After each organization is the amount recieved from foreign govts of their whole budget
PEACE NOW----1.5 /3.5 SHEKELS
IR AMIN ----1.5 /3.5
ASSOC. CIVIL RIGHTS --1.3 /8.5
BTSELEM ---4.8/ 9.0
BREAKING THE SILENCE 1.6 /3.0
YESH DIN --4.7 / 5.0
PHYSICIANS FOR HUM--3.6 / 4.5

This is not a cap on criticism of the govt.,but on foreign intervention.
This and the accompanying bill to tax these monies at 45 % are long overdue.
Israel has enough enemies without allowing foreign governments to shape the internal debate.

Netanyahu the 'LIAR' / last nites debate

I recall sitting in the Roosvelt Room of the WH as the head of an OU delegation meeting with Pres. Bush.(I).The Pres. said he would not speak to Begin since he was a"liar".
If you read the the book "The Prime Ministers" you note that every US President has problems with the Israeli PM, primarily because the Israel-Palestinian issue is not solveable.
There is an old adage, that when you accept money from a rich uncle,beware of the desires of the uncle to control your actions.Yes direct economic aid has gone down and only military aiud exists,however the WH would like to consider Israel as a vassal State.
Obama came to office with his inner Muslim feelings,and felt he could solve the Iranian nuclear issue,and the Isael-Palestinian issue with talk..talk...and more talk.
He has no feelings for the Islamic history of Iran which desires to conquer Iraq,Saudia Arabia etc not from today,but for centuries.To them a nuclear bomb may not be needed ,only the threat of one could cause panic among their neighbors.
In Israel,Obama has no feeling for the traditions and history of the Jewish
people.He believes that Israel is a product of the Holocaust, and there is moral equivalency between the claims of the Arabs and the Jews.
Thus when he came to office he planned to undermine Bibi, and hoped for a more moderate govt.He failed,and only strengthened Netanyahu.
Then was his ploy demanding a cessation of settlement building.Finally Bibi gave in,yet no Abbas talks, because he has no interest in making concessions on "the right of return and Jerusalem.
Obama failed again.Finally he pulled this shtick of embarressing Bibi just prior to the Oval Office meeting-regarding the '67 borders.
However, Bibi upstageds him with a forceful-live for- TV attack on his policies,This was followed by a Joint sesssion before the Congress, that was greeted with tumultuous applause. No wonder he can't stand him.His problem with such low ratings,Obama cannot ignore his pro-Israel constituents by not vetoing if necessary a "Palestinian State".If the issue came up after the elections,believe me he would screw Israel.

Looking at last nites debate,I came away again with the picture of Romney as an automated programmed politico.However as I see more of him I would feel less uncomfortable were he the nominee.
Cain -nice man is not ready to be President.Yes he has Ambassador Bolton as his adviser.However if Bolton were the candidate I would feel better.
Gingrich as always is deeply immersed in the issues,and right now, I am rooting for him.
Perry looked better than his previous debates, but is unlikely to recoup his loss.
The rest had some good answers,however there are too many candidates on the podium.

Perry--Newt and Co.

last nite I started to watch the debate,however jet lag kicked in and I missed the 53 seconds of Perry memory lapse.
A few weeks ago I thought Perry was THE MAN. However , that was not to be.It takes more than money to get ready to come on the big-stage with programs and policies in the domesic and foreign arena.
While Herman Cain may be believable,he too does not appear ready on the issues.
Newt is coming up,and yesterday Dorothy Rabin owita wrote a terrific op-ed in the WSJ on the ASCENDENCY of Newt.Intellectually he is the most in command of the issues.
Can his personal baggage get in the way of victory?

As I analyzed a few months ago, it appears thet the cancer-ridden Pres. Chavez is doing poorly, and may have 6 months to live..Yes there is payback time!

The action of the Senate Judiciary Comm -on party lines to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act,which defines a marriage AS BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN is disgusting. The gay-loving Dems carried the day .

The announcement that Amb. Dennis Ross will leaveas a special representative of the WH toward Middle-East peace talks proves again that Obama has no viable options in that area.

Cigarette smoking in Israel / Obama response to Iran nuclear policy

It is good to be home after 3 1/2 weeks in Israel and on an Israeli cruise vessel that went from Haifa to the Greek Isles and Italy.
Despite having been to Israel so many times,the most overiding cultural phenomonon that perhaps I never fully appreciated ,and that is the huge number of people smoking cigarettes.
Young and old, religious and secular not only do people smoke,including next to young children, but think nothing is wrong.
I do not recall seeing any posters in the public arena warning about the dangers of cigarettes.Nor did restaurants etc have non-smokong areas.

The response so far of the Obama administration to the UN report on Iran ( as well as their own intelligence) has been tepid and will not solve the problem-unless they go for the oil jugular.Yes it might cause oil prices to rise ,but that is a lesser price than a nuclear Iran.

The "closed-mic" comments of Obama-and Sarkozy should not be a suuprise.Obama can never fogive Bibi for standing tall and for putting him in his place in the Oval office meeting-on air.

Cain Allegations III/UNESCO and Abbas

EDG writes:

It was disappointing to me to hear a number of conservatives defending Herman Cain. The allegations against Cain are extraordinarily serious and many Republicans are treating them like a liberal attack against him. The conservatives who are blaming Cain's problems on others are doing a tremendous disservice to the Republican Party and to the conservative movement. The emergence of a third woman makes it more likely that this episode will put a stop to the Cain candidacy. One final point- who cares which campaign leaked this story to Politico? As Redstate pointed out, the leaking campaign deserves our thanks since if Cain had become our nominee, this story surely would have emerged during the general campaign which could have proved disastrous.

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It was encourging to watch a full American cutoff of funding to the anti-Israeli UNESCO following its acceptance of "Palestine" as a member. Beside the savings of money which we otherwise would have sent to this cultural wasteland, the US has shown that these decisions to prematurely recogize a Palestinian entity will trigger negative reactions from the US. The UNESCO move, along with Abbas' remarks that he will never recognize a Jewish state, exhibit that negotiations with the Palestinians are a waste of time. Israel should push forward with massive construction in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

Cain Allegations II// Electric lines/Nassau Elections

EDG writes:

The good news is that Herman Cain responded to the sexual harrassment allegations today. The bad news is that his explanation was not ovrly satisfying. First, he responded that these were anonymous sources that were leaking the allegations. So the allegations are false because the leakers don't want their names in the papers? The claims were settled for cash so it should be clear to him and the campaign who the accusers are. Second, and more important, he claimed on Fox News that he didn't know that both allegations were settled. He didn't know??? He was never told by his employer's attorney that two claims of sexual harrassment resulted in settlements and non-disclosure agreements??? His claims are absurd as to be improbable. Did he just find out about the settlements today? Was he shocked to find out that both claims resulted in settlements? While its not clear how much damage this will do to his campaign, for those of us who were disturbed by allegations by Paula Jones against Bill Clinton, these allegations should be just as disturbing to us. Personally I could not support a candidate who has been accused multiple times in a sexual harrassment context. Herman Cain should not be a candidate for President.

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With millions of people losing power after this weekend's snow storms, isn't it time that electric companies begin putting lines underground. Losing power for a week was acceptable in 1965. We shouldn't have the same mode of delivery in 2011.
__________________________________________________________________________
Next week's Nassau elections brings a real dilemma for a conservative like myself. Howard Kope the Republican county legislator for my area, supported the disgraceful Nassau Colliseum giveaway which was defeated by the voters. Yet his opponent is a Democrat and is worse on the other issues. Kopel deserves to lose but I will likely hold my nose and vote for him. I don't know what I will do what our State Senator, Dean Skelos, is up for re-election next year. Skelos, as the Senate head, allowed the gay marriage vote, the worst piece of state legislation in my lifetime. I will be voting against him next year- if the Senate can pass gay marriage with a Republican majority then a Republican majority is useless.

Cain Allegations

EDG writes:

In a story which is making its rounds on the blogosphere, Herman Cain is being accused of being inappropriate with female employees at a previous job. It appears that so far the Cain campaign is being cute about the allegations and is hoping that they go away. I don't believe these allegations are going to go away without a strong statement by Cain that there are no truth to them. Despite his small lead in some polls, Cain remains a big question mark in the minds of many Republicans. He has never held public office and most had never heard of him before a few weeks ago. Any negative information could raise doubts in voters's minds, halt his momentum and throw him back to the end of the line.

Global Warming/Occupy Wall Street

EDG writes:

More evidence of global warming- the forecast for this Saturday (October 29) on Long Island is 36 degrees with a chance of snow.

____________________________________________________________________________

As much as I would like to see the arrest of all of left wing hooligans who are treating Zuccotti Park as a public toilet, it will be entertaining to watch them try to survive a New York winter in an outdoor tent. As anyone who has worked downtown by the old World Trade Center can attest, the wind whipping off the water makes the winters in that area especially bitter.

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Marco Rubio/Ghaddafi/Cain/Shalit

EDG writes:

I am a big fan of Marco Rubio, the Republican Senator from Florida, but I didn't particularly like his response to the Washington Post's article about him this past week. The Post revealed that Rubio's parents left Cuba before Castro rose to power, not afterwards (as Rubio claims on his website). Rubio claims that he based his information on the fact that his parents always said that they arrived in the US in the 50's snd that they couldn't return to Cuba because of Castro. Therefore, he called his parents "exiles". He never asked his parents what year they got to the US? He never asked if they fled Cuba because of communism or because they simply sought a better life in the US? The story sounds implausible. He should apologize to the public and hope that this story does not interfere with his expected rise in Republican politics.

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Ghaddafi's end was quite fitting for the evil life that he led. Perhaps because much of his evil was purpetrated during the 70s and 80s, many have forgotten how murderous Ghaddafi was. The world is a better place without him. Some credit must go to Obama for helping the rebels to victory, although the post-victory direction of Libya is as important as as the victory itself. It will be interesting to see how Libya is governed going forward. Meanwhile, the US should tell Assad that we are prepared to send him to the same place that Saddam Hussein, Ghaddafi and Bin Laden ended up unless he puts down his weapons aginst his citizens.

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Herman Cain continues to lead in the polls which wouldn't be so scary if not for two facts- 1. He is wholly unprepared to be President or to answer interviewer's questions in a coherent fashion and 2.He has not even made an effort to build a national organization. As was pointed out today on ABC, his rise has much to do with Romney than with anything Cain has done or said.

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Whatever one thinks of the Shalit exchange, one could not have been filled with joy at the sight of Shalit being reunited with his family. Nevertheless the Wall Street Journal's words in its editorial should be heeded "Sooner or later, Israel will learn the name of its next Gilad Shalit. Sooner or later, too, it will learn that the better course is to give its enemies reasons to think twice before taking hostages in the first place."

Tonight's Debate

EDG writes:

I got a chance to watch most of the Republican debate tonight. The two most interesting parts was Rick Santorum telling Mitt Romney that he has no credibility on abolishing ObamaCare and the candidates ganging up on Herman Cain in challenging his ridiculous 9-9-9 plan. I thought Rick Perry did better tonight than he has in past debates. Maybe its not too late for him (or another candidate) to knock off Romney.

CHAG SAMEACH

during my absence -as I leave for Israel in the AM , my son Elli will blog if he has the time.

CHAG SAMEACH

CHAG SAMEACH A HAPPY AND WONDERFUL SUCCOTH

IRAN _WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE? / Romney-inevitable?

If it is not an act of war, then what is?
This is what they did in Argentina, and mostly got away with it.I stood at the site of the bombed out Jewish Center in Buuenos Aires, as we said Kaddish for the victims.
The Iranians look at the US as a paper tiger,who will not respond.We have 2 wars and will condemn but not act.This is all the "Jimmy Carter foreign policy " of Obama.
Yes it was a lucky break that the perp chose an undercover DEA person to try to arrange the hit and the bombing.
If they had suceeded, but not taken blame, you would have fingers pointing at Al Quida, the radical right and a hundred other groups.The question is what will be ouir response?

The endorsement by Christie today,underines the weakness of Romney in the conservative world.The NYT reports Romney aides met often with the WH on his health care program.The Cain spurt may be real and lasting, because he does not change his position.Does he have a foreign policy?
Yet you may see the insiders _Thomas Dewey-Dole-Bush II and McCain wing be blown away by the grass roots.(IF PERRY FALTERS).
There is the question of money,staff and organization.However Cain is moving on his own momentum,and Black leaders are not happy.

Intern Strike

THE INTERNS STRIKE IN ISRAEL BRINGS BACK MEMORIES.
In 1962 I was an intern in Beth-El Hospital in Brooklyn (now Brookdale).We were paid $1800 a year.We were allowed to bring our spouses to dinner(it was a kosher hospital)Sometime in the middle of the year we threatened to go on strike (perhaps we were out for a few hours).Our hours were terrible, especially on the surgery or emergency room rotation.
The hospital quickly gave in and our salary went to $4500,although they restricted the meals of spouses to 2 or 3 times per week.
I do not know enough about the conditions in Israeli hospitals to comment intelligently.

The NY Post as described in the Drudge Report shows clearly the atmosphere within the Wall Street mob.No doubt that the Socialist,communists,move-on.org the Soros -like crowd are calling the shots.
The left thinks they are making progress,however as in Wisconsin when all the drums stopped beating the unions and the left could not win.

Fred Barnes has a column on the negative side effects of the multiple debates.Tomorrow will be a major test for Perry-if he cannot master the questions with style and clarity,I believe he will not be able to succeed.

Succoth embargo / anti-semitism on "WALL STREET"

Leave it to the Arabs to screw themselves, and spite themselves.As we approach succoth,Hamas has prevented farmers in Gaza from exporting Lulavim (FRONDS) to Israel.The loss is 1 million dollars.Similarly Egypt has done the same,although I am not sure it is a complete embargo.

The report that Iraq has been aiding Iran and Syria, shows the
ineffectiveness of the Obama leadership.When we withdraw, look for Iran to replace us as the major force.

It was very sad to see 2 films from U-tube shwing the anti-semitism of some "wall street demostrators" yelling about Jewish bankers and Jewish Wall Street.It is obvious that in addition to paid demonstraters,the union influence with the encouragement of the left wing of the Democratic Party is aiming to create havoc in America.As Herman Cain pointed out, it is to deflect Americans from the root cause of our problems-OBAMA
George Will has a column in which he points out the similarities to the anti-war demonstration and their negative effect on independent voters,with resultant Dem. losses.
How these Marxists could refuse to allow Cong. John Lewis to speak is dreadful.When I was involved,I knew Cong. Lewis from the day he came to Congress.A real civil-rights hero who marched with MLK.Though I don't necessarily share his views on many issues, he is a true gentleman and leader.The disrespect they showed to him, speaks to their views of AMERIKA!
Similarly the anti-war demonstration (anti-drone)at the Air and Space Museum where the demonstrators tried to abduct a security guard shows we are not dealing with"disgruntled " citizens, but anarchists intent to destroy our way of life.
Dems beware!

CHATIMAH TOVAH

GMAR CHATIMAH TOVAH TO ALL
A HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR -ANDF AN EASY FAST

CAPTURE WALL STREET

The attempt by the liberal -left to portray the demonstrations on Wall Street as the beginning of the "LEFT TEA PARTY" is really not a serious description.
Firstly-the Move-On.Org group is already affiliated with the Democratic Party. They have no place to go but stick with Obama and Pelosi.
Secondly -the infusion of the labor unions and allegedly Soros et al, simply says this is a way to embarress the Republican Party.
Thirdly-this group appears to be a copycat of the anti-war groups,and their ideas are more in the socialistic mode.
They have become confrontational and causing havoc in the streets.They want to change our way of govt.They could become more organized and help the Dems in Congressional races.however 2010 proved the left is in a free fall.
The American people have not aligned themselves with way out left groups in the past except in some very left leaning areas.
The battle will resemble Europe, and the generation expecting entitlments in every aspect of life.Today we found out that 50% of Americans are on the US dole-just as 50% pay no taxes.
This group will keep the press covering them as they become perhaps more violent.In the end they will dsappear back to their little minority niche,as the country turns against Obama and his economic policies.

Nobel Prize /Washington doings / Cong Nadler

The awarding of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Dr Dan Shechtman is a great tribute to the man and to Israeli academic achievement.
The Arab world should lower their heads, and ask from all their billions of people,and billions spent on oil and armaments,how many Nobel Prizes have they earned?
The awards again are a recognition of Jewish intellect, as our people are well represented among the awardees.

I did not realize yesterday that Hillary Clinton actually submitted a brief to the Supreme Court asking them not to decide on the Jerusalem issue.
All of the religious streams plan to attack VP Biden's stridor in opposing the release of POLLARD
"Over my dead body"'WAS THE APPARENT QUOTE.
He has a big mouth and a loose tongue anyway.
Today the Supreme Court heard arguments in the Hosanna Tabor vs EEOC case..
This is a far reaching case that deals with the autonomy of religious institutions.The OU like many religious groups filed an amicus brief before the Court.The Govt contends that the First Amendement does not offer special protection to religious vs secular institutions.
Lile so many important cases this season, we will have to wait.

The rise of Herman Cain is an American fairy tale.I had never heard of him before he announced.I thought it was a joke.
The potential reality of a Cain nomination has yet to sink in.Certainly Obama could not pull the racism card.
The next debate will be critical.ain does not get flustered,and peopleike his straight talk.

Cong. Jerry Nadler today attacked the Republican House for increasing the amount to be spent in defense of the legal battle over the
"Defense of Marriage Act", since the administration refuses to do it.
I am sad to say that Jerry Nadler is a fellow graduate of Crown Heights Yeshiva.I traveled with him to Eastern Europe on one occasion, and i know he is no longer Orthodox.However to have lost the sense of committment to the definition of marriage as being between a MAN AND A WOMAN,to me represents the height of a misguided anti-religious intellectualism that feeds on a degenerate lifestyle and is a rallying call for a liberalism gone wild.
Like those in San Francisco who sought to ban cicumcision,there is a subset of Americans who abhor religion and conservatives and they are quite vociferous in their pleadings.

Jobs bill hypocricy /

You have to love the President-He runs ALL over the country yelling that he wants his "jobs bill" passed and back on his desk, and it is the Republicans who are blocking it.
Yoday Sen. Mitch McConnell took up the challenge and offered to bring the bill up for a vote.
Guess what-Sen Reid blocked it on a procedural matter,and in essence did not allow the vote-WHY?-NO DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT!
The problem is,that if the Pres. keeps yelling about the Rep. inaction, some people might actually believe him.

I assume in another 1-2 hours we will have the results from the W. Virginia special election.A Republican win will be another hit against Obama, who is very unpopular in this Democratic State.

Hillary Clinton attacked the US Supreme Court case that may force our country to recognize Jerusalem as part of Israel.I remember when she was a Senator, she spoke differently.She is as two-faced as they come.

Shabbat in London / Chriustie

It is very interesting that an area in London right outside a large synagogue has announced that they have created a hands -free traffic light for shabbat.The synagogue abuts a very busy and dangerous traffic crossing.Until now,if you dsired to have the traffic stop,you pressed a button that controlled the red-green light.Now,for the shabbat it will be on automatic,avoiding the dangers of a busy crossing, and of desecrating the shabbat.

The Christie phenomonon will come to a head on Thurs.Yes he may never get such an opportunity again.Yes he is not a perfect conservative, especially on social issues.I myself am not a gun advocate.
Howevever, in the real world,perfection may not be possible.We know he is tough.We also have seen him balance a budget,go head-to-head with unions,and be successful in dealing with Dems in Trenton.
Romney has no personality,too much a liberal on taxes,and his health bill is classical Obamacare.Can he master foreign policy and other economic issue quickly?
Perry I have to say may not have the intellect to stand up to Obama in debates.Too much of a cowboy.Bachmann ,Huntsman and Paul should call it a day.Newt, Cain are still longshots as is Palin-however I hope she does not decide to run. You cannot lose a Senate race by 17 points and then run for Pres.

The Wall Street Demonstrations

Watching the Wall Street demonstrators as they block traffic, make noise raises some interesting questions.
The liberal press is trying to paint them as "tea party" activists on the left.
To me,they seem like a bunch of hippies,at an anti-war demonstration.They are loud,and annoying people at work(banging drums).They hold up bridge traffic, in violation of the law.They are poorly dressed except if you are in a revolutionary mode.The Tea -party came to political events,they confronted elected officials.They organized to run candidates for national office.They did not confront police.
When they went to Washington, they avoided inflammatory posters,and they cleaned up after themselves.
While it is not clear 100% what they are protesting,the economic crisis is hurting everyone.
If they are angry at the new $5 fee for debit cards,then firstly get rid of your debit card.Secondly go picket Sen Durbin or Barney Frank.
If they are angry at corporations,what are their solutions-? socialism-communism-anarchy?The European socialistic welfare state models have not been doing too well lately.
The wonderful thing about America is the potential for each citizen to get ahead, and become even wealthy.This is not the first economic downturn in America.Yet, despite people suffering at that moment of stress,when the economy turned around the country and individuals prospered.
The mortgage crisis and unemployment should be protested right at the door of the Democratic leadership who through Freddie and Fannie forced banks to give mortgages to unworthy applicants.
High taxes,massive regulations, mega-debt, political stalemate are all causes that should bring these people to Washington not the Brookly Bridge.
Class warfare sounds like a good slogan, but higher taxes will not create more jobs-it is only a mechanism for WEALTH REDISTISTRABUTION-AN OBAMA GOAL.

SHANA TOVAH

SHEILA AND I WISH ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY A KTIVA VACHATIMA TOVAH

MENDY

More Taxes Mr President /

"Raise my taxes" the Buffett cry and now joined in by a retired Google shill.
I think anyone who wants to pay mmore taxes,need not wait for Congrssional action.Not only can Buffett set an example by writing a quarterly check , but he can get 100 0r 1000, or 10,000 followers to do likewise and send the govt. mucho dinero.
As for most Americans,they believe the govt. spends too much,with much too much waste.
As the critcs are pointing out.if Buffett wants to be a poster boy for taxes, he should make his returns open for inspection.

I saw this beautiful you-tube film of Gov. Perry dancing around his desk with a group of Chabad leaders in honor of Chanukah.truly amazing.ebtitled "Dancing with the Rabbis".


Today Israel approved 1100 housing units in Gilo .As expected the cry goes out "this will complicate the peace process".
What peace process?
To the contrary this is a great time for Israel to build in Area A,and to annex all settlements.The Europeans are in chaos.Sarkozy and the Germans have plenty on their plate.The Eurozone is in danger,and the political unity they spoke about is not there.
Obama as we discussed cannot act with full vigor against Israel until the elections.The Israeli left is but a shadow of itself.
Now is the time for vigor and action to move ahead on Judea and Samaria.
In addition if a Republican wins the presidency-it will be a new ballgame.

Obama

PM Erdogan is turning himself into a junior Ahmedajean with his outrageous lies about Israel including that they have killed thousands of Palestinians,while suffering little losses from rockets.In addition he accuses Israel of using the Holocaust as a crutch for support.
I wonder how forgiving he would be if rockets came into Izmir, or car bombs in Ankara.Or, if Greece stood up and said Turkey should not exist.

The more I tink about it, the more I realize how pitiful was the Obama talk at the UN, if you were a left winger.or a "peacenik"
HERE 1 YEAR AGO HE PROMISED ABBAS A STATE,HE SUGGESTED -NO DEMANDED A SETTLEMENT FREEZE,GOT IT,AND THEN iSRAEL SAID "NOT AGAIN" AFTER NO NEGOTIATIONS.
Now, in the midst of a political campaign, he went into campaign mode in the UN, held his nose,bit his lip and said nice things about Israel etc.
However,if G-d forbid he wins re-election and thus becomes LAME DUCK one day after the election, he will go out of his way to pay Israel back and screw them in any way possible.
Interestingly today the American Jewish Comm showed that there is a wide chasm between orthodox conservative and reform Jews in their feelings toward Obama and his handling of Israel.
For example on the question of Obama's handling of US relations with Israel.Orthodox disapproved 80-15,conservative disapproved 59-33 while reform was 46-45.Similarly only the orthodox favored Romney or Perry over Obama.We Jews are not monolithic, and the old Democratic DNA of liberal Jews still is alive, but perhaps diminishing

Perry?

It is hard to know if this weekend saw a fatal implosion of the Perry campaign,or even the beginning of new elements in the Republican race.It is clear, that Perry was not prepared for the debates with well-thought-out approaches to immigration,social security and foreign policy among other issues.
IT IS ONE THING TO BE A TOUGH GOVERNOR,AND ANOTHER TO BE AN INSTANT FRONT-RUNNER BEING HAMMERED BY 9 OPPONENTS AND THE MEDIA.

While conservatives are not happy with Romneycare,and its role in formulating Obamacare,they are not pleased with Perry's approach to illegal immigration.
For the state to grant thousands of dollars in grants to attend in-state colleges (to the children of illegals),while not granting such "mercy" to US citizens from out-of-state is crazy.For Perry to call his opponents on this "heartless"is way off base,and insulting. To be against E-verify makes no sense.
The Caine victory in the Forida straw poll speaks to the unease of the Repblican voters with their cast of candidates.

Personally I would not be suprised if these events will precipitate Palin and possibly Christie as well as Giuliani from entering the race.
The lessons of Perry,underline the importance of a candidate spending a long time before announcing their candidacies in order to make themselves educated on the nuances of each issue.
Romney has been criticized as following the results of polls with his talking points-like Obama.Republicans would like someone who speaks from the heart-thus a Caine victory.
A note to Peggy Noonan, who in her column noted tha the editorial page of Haaretz criticized Perry for being too right-wing.
She should know this is the most left wing-anti- nationalistic paper in Israel.

Bill Clinton

To0day former Pres. Bill Clinton blasted PM Bibi Netanyahu as the cause for the lack of peace in the ME. Speaking to the Clinton Initiative,he placed the lack of progress aquarely on Bibi's head.
Two factors were at play he said.
1-the refusal to accept the Camp David
2-the influx of Russian Jews,and the demographic changes that make the population less interested in peace.
I do not recall that the PLO or Arafat accepted any agreement with Israel.To the contrary, the answer of the PLO was suicide bombers,terrorism and "NO" acceptance of Israel as a Jewish State.
That attitude with the refusal to accept Jerusalem as an undivided capitol of Israel,as well as in sisting on the pre-"67 borders,and the right of return,showed the world and the ISRAELIS THAT THEY WERE NOT SERIOUS ABOUT PEACE.They did not carry out even 1 aspect of the Oslo accord.
The influx of over a million Russsian Jews together with orthodox Jews from the US,represent the beaty of Israel.It also speaks to the vitality of its democracy.
Where is the the democracy of the PA? IN GAZA? Abbas cannot even enter there.
Nowhere does Clinton mention Iran,Hamas,Hezbollah, rocket fire and the constant threats that make it impossible to believe any Arab.

Obama speech / Dr Barry Hochdor A'H

yes it was a good speech.
However we would not be in this situation had Obama not screwed up from the beginning until the present.-as we have discussed.
Luckily this is an election cycle and the WH is scared crap of Koch going to Florida and speakin g to Jewish audiences.
It is true that most Jews are n ot registered Republicans ( I AM ), but thewy will lay a critical role in the election.

I was saddened to learn of the untimely death of an old friend and neighbor-Dr Barry Hochdorf.He was a retired dentist,who for 30 years has run the Passover program at the Granit Hotel,where for the last 5 years I have served as a scholar-in-residence.He was known for his hospitality and leadership in the Monsey community.
He was visiting his family in Israel,when he became ill and passed away.
May the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and and Jerusalem.

Perry and Romney on the UN

Todays news conference by Gov. Perry on the UN -Palestinian crisis is right on target.Similarly the attack by Gov. Romney and the letter by 14 US Senators to the President all cover the same issues.Perry and Romney of cours are looking to the Florida primary and susequent election.
The bottom line is that Obama does not have in his gut a feeling for the Jewish people and their history with the land of Israel.His frame of reference is the post-Holocaust era,and thus 2 people with competing claims.
As a born Muslim,no matter what he calls himself today,he cannot seperate his feelings from his attachment to his people.Only the politics of the day,the need to win re-election and keep the Jewish vote at a high level for his candidacy forces him to hold his nose and smile at Bibi.Inside he would love to be able to unseat him.Howevever every public slight only strengthens him in Israel.

Egypt has resumed natural gas shipments to Jordan and not to Israel.The excuse-differences over price.
The Turks have put up a public show trying to prevent the Israels from using the new NATO radar system, which will be run by the US. We have course have turned their request down.

It's Obamas fault

The announcement that Turkey will soon have some sort of fellowship with Egypt brings to mind another failed union.I refer to Syria and Egypt who once thought they could have a pincer movement against Israel.

This whole mess with Abbas and the UN is the fault of Obama.By placing public pressure on Israel in areas such as announcing the '67 boundries as a starting point,and the freeze on settlement construction encouraged Abbasa.
How can the world even consider Statehood, when he cannot control Gaza,has no borders and is an economic basket case, all raise the question,How are they ready for Statehood.?
From the very beginning of his administration,Obama felt the Dem. Jews would not leave him-place pressure on Bibi-bring down his coalition-replace it with a left wing group that he could pressure.That didn't work out.
The he screwed Mubarek who was protecting the treaty with Israel ,and said at the UN last year the Palestine was next in line for statehood.
He has allowed Iran to continue nuclear preperation,and paid lip service to their downfall.
He dangled a divided Jerusalem before Abbas,despite their refusal to
recognize Israel as a Jewish State,or renounce the "right of return".
He has not visited Israel,and he is not liked or respected there.
He has no feeling for the Jewish homeland or the Jewish people,beyond Dem. votes.
The Chicago Tribune writer has it right,it is time for him him to say-no second term-"I have had it".

The Arab gambit

Many years ago, I had the experience of negotiating with an Arab lawyer in Jerusalem over a building that his church owned,and we (the OU ) wanted to buy.They refused to sell, but were willing to lease,and thus began a marathon which had me negotiating against myself.
Never did he budge from his position,always saying "Dr Ganchrow,do you really expect me to come back to my people with such an offer? "
If we look at the history of dealings between Israel and the PLO/PA you find the Arabs have never changed their positions-Jerusalem as their capitol, the "right of return" 1967 borders,no recognition of Israel as a Jewish State etc.
Israel always makes concessions-withdraw from Gaza,halting settlement construction for 10 months ,taking down barriers and so on.

Gov. Rick Perry is reaching out to the pro-Israel community.In addition to his WSJ op-ed, he had a Jerusalem Post op-ed on 9/16 entitled "The Palestinians illegitimate UN gambit".
Whoever the Republican nominee will be,it will be like a breath of fresh air if they are victorious ( in regard to our peo-Israel policy).

Jews and Obama / NLRB

CONG HENRY WAXMAN (D- CALIF) is one of the most liberal of the left wing of the Dem. party.In describing the loss of the 9th Congressional district, and the exodus of traditional Democratic Jews from the party,he blamed 2 factors.
1 -Jews "misunderstood" the Obama policy toward Israel , and
2 -Jews want to "protect their wealth"
Rashi--Jews are not smart enough to recognize the anti-Israel policies that place blame on Israel but support the PA. (divide Jerusalem, stop settlements,embarress Netanyahu , go back to '67 and so on).
In addition Jews like other Americans see their wealth diminish,the economy screwed up,no jobs,taxes and more taxes and are upset.
Too bad for Henry that Jews are like all Americans in this regard.

Three cheers for the GOP, for voting in the House to stop the idiocy of the NLRB who want to prevent Boeing from opening a plant in South Carolina.Harry Reid should bring this bill up, and forget his defense of millions for bike lanes.

POST-ELECTION

Months ago I wrote that the orthodox and traditioinal Jewish Community was unhappy with Obama and his treatment of Israel. All the left wingers, and the inner city liberals not only denied this claim, but doubled down and said they supported his dom estic AGENDA AS WELL.
Last nite , speaks for itself on this issue.
You have to love the professional politicians-They lie as they smile.I believe Debbie Wasserman Schultz takes the cake.She said,"this is a difficult district for Democrats".She forgot 90 years of Weiner,Schumer,Manny Celler and so on.
Now some self -hating blogger,says the district is atypical because there are orthodox Jews there.Howevever,luckily they don't exist elsewhere.
Monsey,Teaneck,Englewood,Miami,Boca Raton,and the other 750 -850 communities with flourishing orthodox communities ARE NOT PART OF HIS AMERICA..
TODAYS WSJ HAS A FULL PAGE OP-ED ON WHY OBAMA IS LOSING THE JEWISH VOTE-WRITTEN BEFORE THE ELECTION RESULTS.THE WH AND THE DEMS SHOULD TAKE HEED.

J Street the anti-zionist -"pro-Israel" group, is calling on Congress not to cut off funding for the PA if they go to the UN. TERRIFIC !

Obama is tone deaf-taxes-taxes and more taxes -all of which have been rejected by Congress previously.

Erdogan / Obama

Todays WSJ had a very nice story on the Turkish economy and the growth of tourism.Thus it is hard to understand the threats by PM Erdogan suggesting he could go to was against Israel .His bellicose statements that their jets can hit Israeli targets is primarily for Islamic audiences.
Surely Israel will not be frightened.Moreover, Israeli jet planes etc would surely respond on Turkish territory.What does he think would happen to his tourism etc.?
He is hoping to exert leadership in the Islamic world.He should be careful not to allow himself to be carried away and do something he and the region will regret.
If anything he is acting like a spoiled brat.

What is Obama thinking or smoking?
HIS JOBS BILL WHICH HAS TO BE "PASSED TODAY", is based upon increased TAXATION AND LESS JOBS .
Of course the bill has to be scored,howevever there is not one fresh idea in the package.
He is out campaigning, and since his speech his disapproval numbers are up.
In an hour or so the numbers from the NY 9 will be in,and that may change the debate.

The media attack on Israel /Turkey / Election Day

The attack by the NYT on Israel is classical.One of the best things I did years ago was to cancel my subscription.
The attempt by Abbas to avoid diurect negotiations is a clear violation of Oslo.In truth Golda Meir said it clearly"there is no such a thing as a Palestinian people".
There is no way that Jerusalem can be divided, or that 2 "Nations" shall share the city as a capitol.
There is no way to deal with an entity whose underlying motives and intentions are to destroy you and create another Islamic State.
That Benny Morris can write an op-ed about the end of the Jewish State is not suprising considering from whom it originates.
Compared to any other State in the region,Israel is prospering and this week had its credit rating elevated.
Someone pointed out that should Palestine gain UN recognition as a State,every rocket from Gaza is a violation of international law.
The Gates quote that Netanyahu(Israel) is ungrateful to Obama is way off.Being friends does not mean committing national suicide.That Obama in campaign mode says "back to '67" and he expects the Israelis to jump,is ludicrous.Indeed every single PM of Israel has faced these pressures from the WH and State Dept.Each President leaves, but Israel despite the threats of Turkey etc is stronger.
In all he stories I have read of the Turkish threat to send 3 warships into the area and claiming this is a danger for Israel, two important facts are not mentioned.
Firstly the oil/gas drilling will also have cover from drones and the IAF. Secondly the Israeli submarine units can play havoc if needed with Turkish surface vessels.

Let us see what happens tomorrow in the 2 Congressional races.Nevada is a sure GOP win.Whether the the Dems are "lowballing " the polls so that if they win it will look like a great victory, or whether we are seeing a bellweather result of voter anger at Obama is not clear.Since the GOP expected nothing until recently,it appears that the Dems are panicking.A GOP win will send shivers down the spines of Dem candidates.

Abbas and the UN

Sept is well underway,as we approach Rosh Hashonah.Today is 9/11 and with it not only all the sad memories,but the realization that despite the Administrations claim Al Quida is on its death bed,we all know that a theologic terrorist organization operating within billions of human beings will not simply fade away.They must be starved,humiliated and DEFEATED.
A current Foreign Affairs article on the Moslem Brotherhood in Egypt explains why this radical organization picks and chooses its recruits from teen age until adulthood.This requires many steps until final initiation.It too will not fade away,as it has been in existance for many decades.
Sept. is also the UN meetings and Mahmoud Abbas has apparently decided to go for broke.By publicly challenging and ignoring the President,he will wind up with very little plus a US veto.
On the ground nothing will change for him for the positive.I found it intersting that Susan Rice our UN representative demanded--demanded the immediate release of Shalit. A message-- how can you call yourself a responsible entity if you kidnap humans?
What Abbas is thinking is not clear.Perhaps he feels he can face down Obama and get away with it.After all the Israelis do it all the time.
He forgets that when Netanyahu is invited to a Joint Session to turn down the President,he has the backing not only of the Republican Party, but the overwhelming majority of both parties,and the American people.The Jewish electorate is primarily Democratic.
We have a national election coming up, and the Dems are in trouble in this weeks Congrsseional race primarily over Israel-and the economy.The President and his pollsters will be watching for any DIMINUTION in Jewish support for Weprin,which will send a message that will easily be understood.
In addition the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Elana Ros Lehntinan is as strong a Zionist as one would ever meet.She has said clearly-"you go to the UN-bye-bye US aid".
All this is in addition to the possible changes of the relationship between the PA and Israel post-Oslo.
Finally,how can the UN -even General Assembly give Abbas a nod-
1-his term of office long ago ex[pired.
2-he does not control Gaza
3-he is totally bankrupt ,and
4-refuses to accept Israel as a State of the Jewish People.

The special election / Jobs Talk?

Next Tuesday is the special Congressional election in the old Anthony Weiner district.Normally this should have been an easy Democratic win.However this is a highly Jewish /Orthodox area, and the Jewish people,certainly the traditional ones are very unhappy with Obama over his treatment of Israel.The recent polls are close.Now, the Republican Jewish Coalition is sending 30,00 mailings to every Jewish home attacking Obama on Israel.
What with Ed Koch endorsing the Republican,we could have an important upset in the making.

Sadly the President turnrd down an opportunity to meet with Boehner and Cantor prior to tomorrow nites speech, to see if they have some common ground on jobs.
Wisely the Republicans have chosen not to respond to the talk.Firstly the football game will be starting.Secondly it appears that there will be nothing new in the talk-just another campaign talk.
Yesterday, I received a robo-call that started "if the election were held today, who would you vote for-Hillary Clinton or Obama?I hung up because I don't like to waste my time.Yet-interesting.
The Dems are getting a little panicky.

Union rhetoric

Every day we read of new govt. agencies and subdivisions facing economic disaster and default.Today the Rhode Island pension system is being called a Ponzi scheme.
The Post Office will default on a 5 billion dollar loan and in a few months will be bankrupt if no changes are allowed in their union contracts.
When I was a kid,my father taught me to respect unions.He was a product of the depression.I was never allowed to cross a picket line.
Organized labor has changed ,but not for the better.When Hoffa yells to kill the "SOBS", on behalf of America and its workers,he conveniently forgets that the Tea Party people include workers.Furthermore it was the American people who sent the Tea Party to Washington to change the debate.
If this is the best labor can do, or rely on Biden calling on them to prevent thr barbarians from entering the halls of power,they are in big trouble.The less facts you have on your side,the more you tend to insult-it won't work.
The pensions and excess jobs mandated by union agreements were fine when money was no object.Those times have changed.The public will not tolerate throwing away public funds beyond the scale of private industry.
Finally this rhetoric will go over fine at a labor rally, but what does middle America think of such grubbiness?

Boycott Turkey !

I remember when Mexico voted against Israel in the "Zionism is Racism" vote in the UN.
Americans of all faith hit Mexico where it hurt-tourism.
It did not take long after the cancellations of groups and individuals that the empty beaches of Acapulco forced Mexico to see the light.
Turkey is expelling all Israeli diplomats,harrassing passengers with Israeli passports and acting in a manner that spews hate toward Israel.
They deserve to feel the heat.
As I have said here many tiumes-it is time for a Congressional resolution on the Turkish genocide against the Armenians.
If individuals cancel or avoid Turkey,they should convey their reasons to the Turkish Consulate.

Perry vs the rest /Israel

We live in a eorld full of challenges and problems.It is obvious to all but the most die- hard left wingers, that our current Pres. is not up to the job.As a conservative Republican I would vote for any of the big 3 candidates if that were the ultimate nominee.ANYONE BUT OBAMA.
Having said that,there is the question as to who I will vote for in the Florida primary. There are many issues and on some one candidate is more to my liking than the other.For example on Immigration,the Romney plan is more to my liking than Perrry.It is tougher regarding a fence,and not giving Govt. funding to pay for illegal immigrant schooling.
Yet in my mind this is a secondary issue.My first concern is who can better beat Obama.Now we are about to have 3 debates this month,and we will see what the post-debate analysis shows regarding the issues,and their ability to communicate.
Todays Rasmussen poll, show that Perry is ahead of Obama.Yes it is early,however Labor Day is the start of the campaign to weed out the candidates.
If the election were held today,my vote would be for Perry-despite or perhaps because of the hatchet job the NYT is doing on him and Cong. Issa.

The folding of the tents on Rothchild Blvd.in Tel Aviv may mark a new phase of the social -economic protests in Israel. Or it can be the end of this phase awaiting the report of the Govt. commission.In any case the absence of violence speaks to the vibrancy of democracy in Israel.

Racism and other thoughts.

It is unbelievable that as Obama's numbers sink,the black Congressional Caucus and their supporters yell "racism".
That Obama tried to be cute and pull a fast one on Boehner that was ok-for Boehner to stand his ground was a no-no .
The question is are there any issues that one can criticize a President who today predicted 9% unemployment,without being called a racist?
Does anyone who wants smaller govt., less taxes and a smaller govt. defecit be anything less than a racist ( OR WANTS TO SEE BLACK LYNCHING) ?
THE BOTTOM LINE IS ,IF YOU CANNOT RUN ON YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS----GET DIRTY-YELL RACE DISCRIMINATION-PULL THE MEDISCARE LINE.
The problem is "the matter speaks for itself" . The economy and the political environment is being destroyed daily by these lame brain thinkers in the WH.

Someone suggested that the one Republican on the NLRB resign-thereby making it impotent.That is because you must have 3 members for a quorum,and with the retirement of the Chairperson,there are now 2 Dems and i Rep.
Republicans in the Senate would prevent any new new nominees from gaining approval-thus the evil NLRB would cease to function.

It was wonderful to read that construction in Judea and Samaria has jumped 660 % since the beginning of the year.Construction in the rest of the country has likewise gone up.

The threat of Turkey with an ultimatum for Israel to apologize is just so much crap.THEIR THREAT OF SANCTIONS IS NOT REALLY AN ATTACK AGAINST iSRAEL'S SURVIVAL. tHE UN REPORT WILL SAY THAT iSRAEL HAD A RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF-ALBEIT "EXCESSIVELY".
wHEN SOLDIERS HAVE TO DEFENF THEIR LIVES-ALL ACTIONS ARE LEGAL.
tURKEY SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THEIR BOMBING OF THE KURDS.

Chutzpah

Chutzpah and minor league are the 2 words to describe Obama's attempt to schedule a joint session of Congress next week on the same nite as the Republican 2 hour televised Presidential debate.This is a cheap shot,unworthy of the WH.
As is, Cong Paul is objecting,and since Congress comes back that day,a rollcall vote will be needed.Speaker Boehner has asked the President to move his request to Thursday.

A new study by economists in Spain show that for every dollar the Govt. spends on "green" projects,2.2 jobs are "devoured".Green jobs are "economic losers,destroyers of wealth and productivity".

The administration directive to its embassies etc,directs them to shape the 9/11 message in universal terms.This is Obama at his best-avoiding American exceptionalism and our unique pain and suffering of the tragedy.
Another lame-brain idea is Mayor Bloomberg who is excluding clergy from the 9/11 ceremony.We are a nation that believes in G-d, and just as we open up our legislative sessions with a prayer,this solemn day should have our religious leaders (minus Islam- for obvious reasons) be a part of the ceremony.

A jobs program?

It is hard to believe that the chief executive of any company whose balance sheet was falling apart,could tell his Board of Directors that he will have a plan to reoganize etc,but only after the summer.As the suymmer comes to an end,as his company is bleeding ,he announces a 10 day vacation prior to completing his plan.
That executive would be out on his golden parachute.
That describes our President.Probably he has stalled on announcing his plan ,because he has no plan.Only a rehash of old cliches-"BALANCED... HIGHER TAXES...PRIVATE JETS".. AND SO ON.
He should be out on his golden parachute-if we the Board of Directors had any sense.

It is comical that Assemblyman Weprin running as the Dem. candidate for Congress to replace Weiner. cancelled his debate appearance, after he was embarressed in an interview in not knowing the total US debt.He guessed 4 trillion.Sorry he forgot the 1 before the 4. I hope he loses in the special election-sending a message to Obama on Israel.

Loyal Obama supporter should not dance yet over victory in Libya-Khadaffi is still around,and a continued battle a-la Iraq could be in store.

YOU HAVE TO LOVE GORE,COMPARING CLIMATE"DENIERS" TO RACISTS.
How many millions did the friends of Gore make (or are losing) on betting that we would spend trillions on Green technology?

Three cheers for Cong Lehntinen for introducing legislation that would allow the US to support finacially only thos UN programs we support.

Is Perry Dumb?

There was a wonderful Senator from Alabama Howell Heflin.I had invited him a number of times to speak to Huvpac.I also heard speak at AIPAC.
Wheh he started to speak ,he started with a slow southern drawl.You thought some hillbilly was talking. He then would tell some folksy stories.
One in particular was of the rednedck who had never seen an elevator.He stood in the lobby of a building and this ugly fat woman entered.The doors closed.Howevever a few minutes later, the elevator doors opened, and this gorgeous svelt woman exited.
'jasper, go get your mamma", he yelled to his son.
When the laughter died down,and everyone was relaxed,Heflin's accent changed,and he spoke brilliantly.He was after all a former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.
Like Senator Lyndon Johnson, to undeerestimate their intelligence was only at your own peril.
I write this because the politicos are ASKING "iS PERRY DUMB?.THEY ASK THAT OF EVERY REPUBLICAN.OBVIOUSLY IF HE WEREE BRILLIANT OR EVEN PLAIN SMART, HE WOULD BE A DEMOCRAT!
One thing I learned in my years in Washington,very few people can make it to the top year after year without intelligence and the people factors that allow you to advance.Perry is a winner!Dems beware of belittleing him.

The attack on Perry

Its all hands on board to attack Perry.Let us plot to smear him in any way possible and make him look corrupt or another Bush or some stupid cowboy.
Obviously he is ahead,and frightens the WH and its media allies.

CREATIONIST- wow isn't that terrible-Perhaps time for another Scopes trial.Now those of us who believe in the old Testament must obviously be stupid,backward and anti-science.
Honestly I don't care if my President's ancestors were apes.I am interested in unemploymment,spending etc.Interestingly enough in the introduction of the Hertz chumash,Rabbi Hertz discusses the famous medrash that befor G-d created this world,he created and destroyed many worlds.So if you find a "million year old bone"-so what?
On a personal note,I and a myriad of Orthodox scientist ,physicians and scholars have contributed much to "science" and still believe in G-D WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH,ADAM AND EVE.

He was a DEMOCRAT WHO SUPPORTED GORE-as I wrote ,so was I.I was born a Democrat,and was President of the Young Dems in Yeshiva College.
Yet except for Lyndon JohnsOver the years after Vietnam,Ion I have not voted for a Dem. for President.I came to my senses and came to my senses.

He denies GLOBAL WARMING AS A GIVEN. -so do I whatever the science it is not clear. To spend billions on "GREEN JOBS" and subsidizing electric cars and so on for super-wealthy makes no sense.
We need to be energy independent-stop subsidizing coal in Brazil and lets start fracdking,diggin g oil and gas,allow new coal burners to be built,and crush OPEC.

His record on JOBS is terrible,becaUSE THEY ARE EITHER GOVT. OR LOW PAYING.lISTEN THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE BOTTOM LINE.
A few months ago McDonalds added 75,000 (or so jobs) None on the left yelled saying "how can you add these to the total when they are low paying."

He shoots from the HIP AND IS A COWBOY
He has style,and it may turn some people off.Howevever who is going to turn America around is the question,not who wears cowboy boots.Incidentally my friend Yoram Ettinger who is currently a political analyst,was the Israel Consul-General in Houston,before moving to Washington as the Israeli representative to Congress.He wears cowboy boots because they are comfortable.

HE GAVE money men JOBS.
WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE OBAMA MONEY AND HAVE JOBS-OR ENTREE INTO THE WH -ie the PRES. OF THE AFL-CIO

various thoughts

The report that huge amounts of post 9/11 charities were not on the up and up to me is not suprising.After each disaster funds develop,yet months later you ask -what happened to the money? expenses? SALARIES FOR SELF AND FAMILIES ETC-A WARNING REGARDING CHARITIES THAT SPRING UP.

The news from Libya is confusing-we do/don't have him.
Wild gunfire in the air-no sign of police or security.
Shouldn't we make Iraq/Libya pay for our expenditures from oil money?

Glenn Beck finished up with a 2000 person rally in Israel-along with a few anti-Beck protestors.Eric Yoffe former head of the Reform clergy attacked Beck.
Hallevai Yaffe should be as pro-Israel as Beck!

The results of the Israeli cabinet meeting that Israel lacks "legitimacy" to attack Gaza is sad.Due to the situation with Egypt,and the UN vote they are holding back despite daily rocket attacks.

Shimon Peres as I have said here many times is a brilliant man who has violated the tenets of the office of the Presidency,by forgetting he is a ceremonial Pres. and not the Prime Minister.He stood for that and lost.The picture of him in the JP with the "leader" of tent city Daphne Leif which is involved in a dispute with rivals is a caSE in point.

The news for Obama gets worse every day. Aside from the economy, the numbers of potential voters in states like NJ,Florida and others who think he should be a
one term President is rising.
So far my prediction that Perry will move to the top is hoding up.

AIPAC

The turnover rate in Congress last election was 20%. Many of the new members come from districts or States that either have few Jews,or where the US-Israel relationship is not at the top of the list of critical issues.
Yet, as we approach Sept.,as Abbas seeks to go to the UN for membership, it is the united bipartisan Congressional pressure, that will ensure a US veto.However, even with that,the Palestinians can try to obtain enhanced status in the General Assembly.Here the US has only 1 vote,however it can provide the leadership to defeat the move.
There will also be a move to cut off or reduce US funding to the PA if they go to the UN.
Coming soon in this difficult economic period, is the request to renew 3.075 billion to the Israel Defense needs.This requires educationg members of Congress to the absolute importance this is for US security.
The months ahead as Assad faces a tightening noose,he could play the Israel card by stirring up trouble in Lebanon or on the Golan.
There are many more issues,and as the Congressional and Presidential race takes shape,we have to demand NOT PLATITUDES but committments from candidates.
For us Israel has to be a non-partisan ,bi-partisan -pro-American issue.
I urge all who reads this to join or renew your pledges to AIPAC.
In my over 40 years of communal life,and close to 35 years as an observer of the US-Israel relationship,AIPAC is second to none.

Earthquake / Libya

I was resting for a few moments,and when I woke up-an earthquake had caused bedlam on the East coast.The closure of the airports reminds me of my Sunday ordeal.
My son Ari tells me that his building near 42nd street was evacuated,but his observation was that if serious damage had been done -'millions' of people standing around with falling glass could have been disasterous.
The question is what type of evacuation plan could be possible in NYC?

The apparent victory of the rebels, is a 'backhanded victory' for the Obama administration.It reminds me of a doctor who examines a child with a ruptured appendicitis, advises Tylenol and rest.Luckily for the patient ,the infection is localized and in 6-8 weeks feels well.
GOOD LUCK-not good treatment.
The President told us about the 'bad luck' that hit our economy.Libya is a (so far) good result -not because of good leadership,but good luck.

A lousy plane trip / Libya

Many times when we have flown to Florida for short periods, I lament that we did not drive.What with security,waiting in the airport etc.,Iam not a happy camper.
Yesterday took the cake.Being put on the JETBLUE plane for 75 minutes in case we would get clearance to take off,circling around N. Carolna, and later around Virginia.Then we were told we could not land in Newark,and 20 minutes before arriving at JFK,we were told that we would proceed to Newark our original destination. Time about 5 plus hours.
To top it off I woke up this morning ill, and diagnosed with pneumonia-so I am in for the week.

Watching these 'rebels' shooting their weapons into the air,proves their lack of military decorum.They could not have achieved their victory without msssive NATO bombings, drone intelligence and so on.Even without boots on the ground, our bill (USA) is close to 1 billion dollars.Now comes the hard part protecting the poison gas supplies from Al Quida, some sort of democratic regime,and stability among all the tribes.
Assad must be next,and we have to prevent the Iranian influence from subverting the will of the world.

Blacks and Obama / The Hamas attack

I cannot for the life of me understand why the black community with a 20% unemployment level is still in the hands of Obama.Yes he is black,however there comes a time when common sense and your pocketbook should show you that the Democratic party has kept your community in poverty.
THE WELFARE STATE is not a solution to their educational problems.
That is why Cong West in Florida would make not only a great Senator,but a "poster-boy" for a new outreach to his community.

The attack in the Eilat area is but the latest example of the incompetency of OUR foreign policy.We lost Egypt and when Mubarak went, so did the protection of Israel's border with Egypt.
In contrast to a rapid attack on Mubarak's legitimacy,we have dilly-dallied with Assad, been unable to crush Khadaffi,and have allowed Iran to proceed with its path to nuclear weaponry.
Israel will now have to re-evaluate its military approach to Hamas.