If your family has a tape like this, make like the CIA and destroy it immediately.

 

When I first read through Mitt Romney's religion speech today, even I cringed when I read "freedom requires religion".  If I were a Democrat, I would be using this cringe factor to rail against the evils of conservative Jesus-lovers so that I could feel warm and fuzzy in my liberal righteousness.  However, given that I am Republican, I realize that I must try to rationalize Romney's statement and explain what he meant to those who choose not to actually think the issue through, if not just to confirm their own deeply held beliefs.

Not too long ago, I came across a comment or essay regarding the phrase "all Men are created Equal" and how belief in God was necessary for the founding fathers to have written and agreed to that phrase.  (I wish I could remember where I saw it).  The basic argument was that stripped of all of the moral teachings that we have been brought up with, it's pretty obvious that on almost any scale - physical, mental, spiritual - not one human is truly "equal" to any other human.  That certainly would have been true in the time of slavery to the outside observer.  The only reason we are able to base our society on "all Men are created Equal" is because our underlying equality rests solely on the belief that we are all made in G-d's image.  That is the lowest common denominator of our "equalness".   And without the belief that we are all equal based on G-d's creation, any one person could claim superiority and dominance over any other person for just about any reason imaginable, which is how the erosion of freedom begins.

I realize that in times past, Kings and religious leaders alike used their power and claim to divine authority to enslave people.  But that was then and this is now.  Perhaps that is why Romney tacked on the second part of the phrase "and religion requires freedom".  Without freedom (and along with it, education) you would sink back to those heinous "religious" realms of olden times.

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There are some headlines that just cry out for attention.  Kangaroo Farts Could Ease Global Warming.

My question isn't whether the sign below is somehow inappropriate (see here for more)...I'm just wondering if the price per pound was marked up like kosher meats!

A small plane crashed into an Augusta, Georgia synagogue yesterday, killing the pilot.

Superman has his kryptonite - Kiefer Sutherland has alcohol.  48 days in the slammer for Jack Bauer.

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They say that George Bush was lying when he claimed to be a "uniter, not a divider".  I disagree - Americans both on the left and the right now believe that America is going to hell in a handbasket.

From the Left,  Thomas Friedman - "...9/11 has made America afraid and therefore stupid.....America’s bridges, roads, airports and Internet bandwidth have fallen behind other industrial powers, including China...it is highly unlikely that America will arrest its decline."

From the Right, Pat Buchanan - "America is coming apart at the seams..Bush (has) led us to the precipice of strategic disaster abroad and savage division at home...one of every six U.S. manufacturing jobs vanished under Bush.  The Third World invasion through Mexico is a graver threat to U.S. survival than anything happening in Afghanistan or Iraq....IS OUR DAY OF RECKONING JUST AHEAD?

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Israeli archaeologists find 2,000-year-old mansion linked to historic queen.

You still have a few days left to get that child in your life a special gift for Hanukkah.  Here's oytoys.com to help.

The employment situation is looking bad....

"U.S. companies announced layoffs jumped 15.9 percent last month as the economy grappled with a worsening housing slump and credit crisis, outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas reported on Wednesday....

The unemployment situation is looking good....

Private payrolls grew by 189,000 jobs in November, far more than analysts had expected, according to Automated Data Processing, an independent company.

These reports don't necessarily contradict each other really, after all, you could have an increase in new hires which outstrips an increase in new layoffs. I guess it's like they say - if you have a job things are great, if your neighbor loses his job it's a recession, and if you lose your job, it's a depression.

Then again, getting let go is not always such a bad thing...


.

Apparently, the Venezuelan police think that Jews have a habit of hiding guns and explosives in their community centers. They broke down the main gate and raided La Hebraica this past Sunday on the eve of Hugo Chavez' referendum on constitutional changes.

“..The descendants of those who crucified Christ... have taken ownership of the riches of the world, a minority has taken ownership of the gold of the world, the silver, the minerals, water, the good lands, petrol, well, the riches, and they have concentrated the riches in a small number of hands.” - Hugo Chavez, December 24, 2005

President Bush's annual Hanukkah message is here. The White House 2007 Holiday page actually has some pretty interesting videos of the various celebrations and decorations in and around the President's home this time of year.

If you forget what day of Hanukkah it is, there's an on-line menorah here.

I watched the movie "Waitress" last night.  To me it was a great movie for the first 30-45 minutes or so and then the joke got kind of tired. 7 out of 10.  You may recall that one of the supporting actresses, Adrienne Shelly, was murdered in New York in October 2006.

Ashley Tisdale gets a nose job.  Hey - this would be important to you to if you had a 7-year old daughter.  Deviated septum, my ass!

Crime in Dallas is so bad....that a film crew from a local news team parked in a south Dallas neighborhood to do a story about a victim of an armed robbery...and had their van broken into.

Lost - box of depleted uranium somewhere in the Fort Worth area.  Not to worry.  A man found it on a roadway and took it to his house.  "The man's wife saw news reports this morning about the device and call 911".  Add a check to the "female" column for which is the smarter sex.  Jeez.  Maybe my wife won't complain the next time I track a little mud into the kitchen.  I'm wondering which part of "Caution - Radioactive Material" the husband didn't understand.

Usually, I find latkes very hard to make - they keep falling apart or I make a huge mess with the frying.  Last night I followed this recipe in the December issue of Gourmet magazine and they came out excellent as far as shape and texture.  Could have used a little more salt and pepper though.



My 7 year old daughter asked me for either a Webkinz pet or a laptop computer for Hannukah.  Guess which one I got for her?



Better luck next year, kid.

Someone please explain something to me.  If the new NIE suggesting that Iran had stopped it's nuclear weapons program in 2003 is proof that a previous NIE from 2005 was wrong - what makes this one so definitively correct?  One would think this would throw doubt on the subject, but instead, the latest report is being taken as gospel.  Is it just because it bolsters the pacifist cause?  NIE's are either based on good intelligence or they're not.  Are Democrats now ready to admit that the Bush administration has bolstered our intelligence capabilites which was one of their main claims that Bush had not done post 9/11?  What a bunch of political bullsh*t this is.

NPR has it's annual Hanukkah Lights: Stories of the Season up for 2007.  I don't think they're downloadable for some reason, but I'm going to try to listen to one each night before bed time.



From Dec 4-12, XM Radio is providing free trial access so that you can herar it's Radio Hanukkah - XM 108.

Funniest "Christmas" story ever.   Lemony Snicket's The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming



Don Imus is back on the air at WABC.  I listened to about a half an hour of his show and it was just as boring as it it ever was.  I think WABC really f*cked up with this one.  I really enjoyed the occasional Curtis & Kuby in the morning to get my NY fix.

In a rare venture out to an actual movie theater, we saw Disney's "Enchnated" with the girls.  I would highly recommend it - actually for adults more than children since it's really a send-up of classic Disney movies and smaller kids may not be in on the joke.  The best part was when we came to the typical "prince kisses the sleeping princess" scene towards the end of the movie.  The theater is silent, anticipating the big moment we've waited an hour and a half for - will she wake up, or won't she? - when my 4 year old lets out the biggest, loudest yawn I've ever heard.  Everyone started cracking up.  Thank G-d it was a Disney movie or they would have chased us out with pitchforks!

The other day, I came across this post from a convert to Judaism who co-authors a group blog with others who have converted and/or are trying to ramp up their religious observance. He writes about his frustration with finding the right branch of Judaism that will fully accept him as a convert, allow him the best expression of his Judaism, and also provide a sense of comfort and community. His words were so heartfelt and describe so closely what I feel myself that I was compelled to post a comment.

My comments are posted below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avi,
I came across your post via a Jewish blogpost aggregator and I felt like I was reading my own life story, but with one small difference - I was born Jewish.
Although my parents were always Conservative in practice, we belonged to a modern orthodox synagogue in New York in the ’60s and 70’s until I was about 12. Like many Jews at the time, my parents chose comfort and a nicer neighborhood over religiosity, moved to the suburbs and joined a Conservative shul. It was a little hard making the adjustment “down” at first, but as a kid I just got used to it after awhile. Besides, we had always really been living “observant Conservative” - keeping kosher at home but not outside, going to services and even weekday evening minyanim much of the time, but not all of the time, etc.
About 10 years ago, I finally met the woman of my dreams. She is the daughter of a convert of the Conservative movement. As such neither she nor my daughters are considered Jewish by the Orthodox. So now, I find that the movement I grew up in and actually respect a great deal for their level of education and observance is off limits to me. Not only that, but even on the rare occasion where I have come to attend an orthodox service, I feel out of place and out of touch - I sometimes can’t believe how much of the full ritual and prayer I’ve forgotten. (I do enjoy the occasional Chabad learning series, but it’s really just for me personally).
Anyhow, now that my family and I am firmly planted in the Conservative movement in a large Texas city, I often get frustrated by the lack of involvement and interest in the halacha, outside of the usual 10% of the congregation that does particpate regularly. When I do go to Shabbat services, I often find that I’m one of a few dozen people fully comfortable with the Hebrew and the singing in a crowd of 100-150. I know that if I turn to the next guy (or gal) and say, “Hey what do you think of this particular passage in this week’s parsha?”, I’d just get a shrug from most people.
I am in no way perfect, shomer Shabbos, completely kosher, etc. but I want to strive towards that goal and there is very little guidance or support for increasing one’s observance in the Conservative community. More importantly there is zero community pressure. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I was actually a little embarrassed to meet someone during dinner on a Friday night at the local babrbecue joint or Chinese restaurant.
I send my kids to a Conservative Day School where I do believe they are receving an excellent Jewish education. But don’t even get me started on the lack of seriousness on the part of the majority of parents who allow the kids to leave their Judaism behind in the classroom as mommy picks them up with a cup from McDonalds in their hand (seriously).
And the point of all this is…..
What I am slowly discovering is that the more I think about Judaism in general and take a look around, the more I realize that each individual Jew maintains their own level of education and observance and that it’s almost impossible to find a congregation that will meet one’s spiritual needs perfectly.
I don’t get upset anymore at the Orthodox who don’t accept my family, I don’t get upset with the Conservative shuls (even my own) that try to push the boundaries of ritual and are making constant changes to their rituals to “stay fresh” and I don’t get upset with Reform Jews because I guess I’m just happy that they care at all. All I know is that I will do the best I can and I believe that Hashem will accept me wherever and however I turn to Him as long as I strive to learn the mitzvot, do as many mitzvot as I feel comfortable with, and treat all my fellow Jews with respect. And, with any luck, someone less observant than even myself (not to mention my children) will see how much joy I take in my Judaism and will perhaps think of getting more involved, or want to learn a little bit more. That’s really what it’s all about to me.
Now it’s my turn to apologize for the rant, but your post really struck a chord in me that I’ve been hard pressed to express or explain.
Bets of luck to you and yours.

Best headline I've read in long time - Thief lifts, separates 55 bras from Victoria's Secret

The Ghost Whisperer is engaged.

Jewish inventions I wish I could give for Hanukkah

There's been a lot of rhetoric spewed by both sides of the SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) debate.   Commenters on the left are convinced that Bush just hates children and wants to deny health care coverage for poor children.  On the right, Democrats are accused of wanting to tax the middle class to bring nationalized health care to the well off as part of an evil plan to nationalize healthcare for everyone.

I have done a little research to try and separate fact from fiction.

SCHIP current budget - $5 billion per year

Bush's proposal - $6 billion per year (20% or $1bn annual increase)

Democrats' proposal - $12 billion per year (140% or $7bn annual increase)

The Congressional Budget Office's estimates, the net additional federal cost to maintain current programs under SCHIP would be $8bn over the next five years - an increase of $1.6bn per year (see page 14 at link).  Then again, they overestimated this year's budget deficit by about 50% and they only had to look one or two years into the future). Nevertheless, seems like a great compromise opportunity - 1.8 is between 1 and 7 - guess not!

(To cover the cost, the bill relies on tobacco taxes, especially the cigarette tax, which would be increased to $1 a pack, from the current 39 cents.)

SCHIP current goal - coverage for children of families making 200% of the poverty level (approx. $40,000 per year for a family of four)

Bush proposal - maintain existing coverage levels, providing more funds to cover inflation

Democrats' proposal - allowing for coverage for children of families making 300% of the poverty level (approx $60,000 per year) with certain excpetions for states like NY  and NJ where the limits would be 350-400% of the poverty level (approx $70,000-$80,000 per year).  According to my calculations, this would extend coverage to about half the families in the United States and it is reported that the bill would double the number of children covered.

You would think they could find some middle ground, wouldn't you?  The issue is not coverage for children who are "poor" (i.e., living below the poverty line).  They are already covered by Medicaid.  The question is how many children above the poverty line should be offered government provided health care benefits. 

All in all the question comes down to this - is health care for children something that we should treat as a human right, and if so, who gets it for free and who doesn't?  I don't have the answer, but I wish those that are running the country would just have that specific debate instead of calling each other names.

If you read this, please let me know if you have any other interesting info that a concerned citizen might rely on to make their decision.

Hapoel Tel Aviv supporters who were ejected from Thursday night's soccer match against Bosnian side Siroki Brijeg after throwing firecrackers blamed the home supporters for provoking the trouble with anti-Semitic chanting....

Hapoel supporter Eyal Heled gave his account of events to Army Radio on Friday: "Disturbances broke out when fans in the Bosnian supporters' section started shouting 'Sieg Heil' and making Nazi salutes. One of our fans then threw a firecracker into their section and then the Bosnian security forces rushed in and started hitting us indiscriminately."

Wouldn't it have been better if the Tel Aviv fans just started singing Amy Israel Chai or David Melech Yisrael? I guess they didn't belong to USY.

Yes, I'm in my early 40's and yes, I'm a little embarrassed to admit it.

I can't wait for Disney's debut of High School Musical 2 tonight.

The Dallas Morning News raves.

Regarding the original "HSM", it's not that the lyrics are super insightful or that the story is compelling - but damn the music is catchy once your little girls have played everything for the hundredth time - on the DVD, on the CD, on the TV. More importantly, the movie's message is important and I love that my kids have found a super-fun way to learn it - "We're all in this together".

Go Wildcats!

Kosher vending machines selling hot food.

The good news is that suicide bombings on Israeli buses have practically come to a halt. Now the question arises over which additional security measures, if any, can be pulled back.

The public transportation security unit, established during the second Intifada in order to prevent suicide terror attacks against Israeli buses, will be shut down due to the sharp decline in such attacks in recent years, Maariv reported on Thursday.

According to the report, a number of days ago commanding officers in the unit were given notice and were apprised of the decision to put an end to their activities as of September 1.

The report said sources in the Transportation Ministry attributed the closedown to the Finance Ministry, which reportedly cited the program's cost as the grounds for its termination. Bus companies such as Egged, as well as Israel Police, expressed their opposition to the shutdown of a unit that has been commended for its excellence in preventing attacks and generating deterrence amongst terror groups.

The American Jewish Committee sponsored a very strong ad consisting of hundreds of University professors signing off on the statement below by Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University.

Boycott Israeli Universities?
Boycott Ours,Too!

“As a citizen, I am profoundly disturbed by the recent vote by Britain’s new University
and College Union to advance a boycott against Israeli academic institutions. As a
university professor and president, I find this idea utterly antithetical to the fundamental
values of the academy, where we will not hold intellectual exchange hostage to
the political disagreements of the moment. In seeking to quarantine Israeli universities
and scholars, this vote threatens every university committed to fostering scholarly
and cultural exchanges that lead to enlightenment, empathy, and a much-needed
international marketplace of ideas.

“At Columbia, I am proud to say that we embrace Israeli scholars and universities that
the UCU is now all too eager to isolate—as we embrace scholars from many countries
regardless of divergent views on their government’s policies. Therefore, if the
British UCU is intent on pursuing its deeply misguided policy, then it should add
Columbia to its boycott list, for we do not intend to draw distinctions between our
mission and that of the universities you are seeking to punish. Boycott us, then, for
we gladly stand together with our many colleagues in British, American and Israeli
universities against such intellectually shoddy and politically biased attempts to
hijack the central mission of higher education.”

Bollinger's name on the bottom is presented in a very John Hancock-ian way, making his declaration all the more forceful.

Some are wondering where Yale's president was when the sign-up sheet came around. Then again, I don't think I see Harvard or NYU either.

UPDATE: Add NYU and 41 others....

Patience, my liberal friends, patience.....

Der Spiegel, which not too long ago ran this cover story....



(Power and Lies: George W. Bush and the Lost War in Iraq)

....sings a slightly different tune today. Here's some excerpts....

Truth be told, the Americans have restored order to many parts of the county.

The US military is more successful in Iraq than the world wants to believe.

The Americans run into acquaintances in the crowd. After being stationed in the city for 10 months, they have become a familiar sight. Bearded men greet the soldiers with hugs and kisses, and passersby hand them cold cans of lemonade. "Thank you, Mister," "Hello, Mister," "How are you, Mister?" they say. They talk about paint for schools and soccer jerseys, and they invite the Americans over for lunch. The Iraqis pose for photos with them, making "V's" for "victory" with their fingers.


It may not matter in the end whether they greeted us as liberators 4 years ago, as long as they believe in what we have been trying to do 20 years from now.

Via Gothamist, check out this 1950's Circle Line tour around NY with period radio commercials playing on the audio track.

In response to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's opinion piece "So You Want to Be Rich?" regarding the evils of working for an investment bank, I sent him the following e-mail:

Rabbi Boteach,

My wife and I are big fans of your show, "Shalom in the Home" and we own several of your books regarding family life.

Having just read your article "So You Want to Be Rich" in the Jerusalem Post, I wanted to respond as someone who has worked in and around Investment Banking for almost 20 years, most of the time alongside the multi-millionaire bankers you feel so strongly about.

Firstly, I don't believe that anyone, regardless of their profession, can easily avoid the rarefied air of the wealthy that you describe if they are successful in their field. There are plenty of doctors and lawyers who spend the majority of their time in the exclusive boardrooms and country clubs of America, far away from family and "friends". The question becomes, "why do they all work so hard"? Is it merely for the accumulation of wealth and comfort? Could it be a fear of failure? What of those who never had a large or well-off family to support them, knowing that everyone relies on them, and them alone?

I am a Conservative Jew living in a large sunbelt city. If it were not for working a 55-60 hour a week job in Investment Banking, I'm not sure that I could afford a Jewish dayschool education for my two girls, membership in my shul, keeping a kosher kitchen, maintenance of an appropriate level of tzedakah, etc.

Please also do some research on the tzedakah given by some of the Investment Bankers you criticize. Millions have been donated to hospitals, universities, etc. to assist the doctors and lawyers who I think it fair to say, we both admire. In one of my recent positions, I helped to process the paperwork for many extremely generous donations to charitable organizations which in turn are chaired and managed by Wall Street's rich and famous.

We all do our part to the best of our abilities. With any luck, we remember where we came from and try help others to have the future they desire.

I realize that in your position as an opinion-maker that a strong viewpoint garners more attention, but please don't paint everyone in my industry with the same broad brush. Some of us are just trying to do what we feel is best for ourselves, our family, and our community.

It's hard to imagine in today's world that America will ever take part in another "just" war. The kind of fight where you actually root for the American soldier to vanquish the enemy, with no doubts in your mind as to right or wrong.

Ruibcon3 has a video preview of About Face, the story of newly arrived Jewish immigrants who returned to continental Europe to fight against the Nazis in WWII. Would anyone question these soldier's duty to do what they had done?

Perhaps this question is easier to answer with the hindsight of 60 years of peace in most of Europe.

Photos relating to the discovery of King Herod's tomb can be found at National Geographic.

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AUSTIN – Relief from soaring summer gas prices may soon be on the way.

The Texas House tentatively adopted a measure Tuesday that would suspend the state's 20-cent gas tax through the summer months.

That would mean an immediate 20-cent drop in the price per gallon.

Right - until the oil companies jack up the price by 20 cents so that no one notices the difference. The tax itself may be a bad idea, but removing it now won't save the average Joe a penny in the long run.

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Governor Rick Perry signed an executive order in February requiring the immunization of 6th grade girls against an STD which could lead to cancer. One imagines he was concerned about saving young women's lives. Now that the state legislature has passed a bill to override his order, he won't veto it since the veto will be overriden anyway.

I guess it's OK for people to die then - that, or he never believed in it in the first place. At least take a stand, Governor.

(I admittedly got the idea for this post from a local talk radio show).

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Cate Blanchett looking creepily thin.

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Saw this bumper sticker on a car the other day. Have to admit it's funny.


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Missed this story about a month ago - Large, drunken man falls on woman at Shea Stadium, breaking her back. Woman is a lawyer, sues everyone who ever wore a Mets hat. No one has seen the drunken jerk who actually caused the problem since, everyone else is screwed. REVENGE! REVENGE!

Gothamist covered it back then, including a picture of the victim, enjoying the game before the incident.

**********


An archaeologist who has spent 35 years looking for Herod's tomb has found it, according to Hebrew University which was planning a press conference tomorrow before the story broke in Ha'aretz.

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Beth Sholom, a soaring glass-and-concrete temple just outside Philadelphia designed by U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has been designated a National Historic Site.

The Democratic Governer of Kansas, Kathleen Sibelius, worries about the toll that Iraq has taken on the Kansas National Guard's ability to respond to the recent disaster in Greensburg. "About 50 percent of our trucks are gone...and we can't borrow them from other states because their equipment is gone".

There are some at Little Green Footballs who were quick to jump on the Governor's words as being affected by Bush Derangement Syndrome. The fact is that she didn't say Bush caused the tornado, just that the response would be slower, which is actually quite logical. We conservatives have to suck it up and admit that a decent chunk of our National Guard is serving in Iraq, Kosovo, on the Mexican border etc., and their bodies and equipment are not replaced in-state on a one-to-one basis.

That being said, here's some interesting information released today, several days after the tornado, from the Department of Defense.

Currently, the Kansas National Guard has 88 percent of its forces available, 60 percent of its Army Guard dual-use equipment on hand, and more than 85 percent of its Air Guard equipment on hand, said Randal Noller, public affairs officer for the National Guard Bureau. Under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is a national partnership agreement that allows state-to-state assistance during governor or federally declared emergencies, Kansas has more than 400,000 Guardsmen available to it, he pointed out. However, Kansas has not yet requested assistance from other states.

The Bush administration's argument that there's plenty enough from other states to move around in cases of emergency is no doubt true. Let's face it - Greensburg isn't New Orleans, nor is it an area the size of England which was the actually size of the zone afffected by Katrina. It should not be unmanageable.

Well, at least they can't say there's any lack of help because Bush hates white people.

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The New York Times brings us the plight of a former Palestinian "militant" and wants us to feel sorry for what his poor descisions have done to his family. Unfortunately for them, the aren't refugees under Israeli authority, where at least they'd have some rights. They are currently non-persons in Lebanon.

Of course if Israel would just let every Palestinian return (including the militants of course) everything would be solved, so it's really their fault anyway.
**********


Apparently, 3-D printing has been a reality for some time, and in a few years may become a consumer technology. No mention of porn though, which is the motherf***er of all invention.

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The Earthquake That Rocked Yellowstone - August 17, 1959

I was thinking of writing something along these lines, but the guys at Powerline beat me to it.

The U.S. has now seen the leadership of both France and Germany pass to figures who believe, as a general matter, that American power is a force for good in the world, and not something that needs persistently to be constrained. Let's hope that in 2009 the U.S. still has a leader who concurs.

Granted, I'm sure it was economic malaise more than American policy that turned the tide, but I'll take the support however it comes.

Meanwhile at home, the ecomomy is humming along pretty peacefully, yet President Bush has Jimmy Carter level ratings. There is very little chance that this decade will be written as anything other than one of steady growth, historically low interest rates, low inflation and low unemployment (with a blip around 9/11). It just goes to show how Bush's Iraq policy is the be all and end all of his legacy. This decade may be remembered as one where the people and the press followed Bush's lead for a time and then revolted, but Bush will never be accused of pandering to polls as did his predecessor, the "Pander Bear".

I'm a big Shmuley fan. "Spread Jewish Radiance" talks about the success of his Shalom in the Home series in getting non-Jews more interested in the Jewish faith.

Whether or not non-Jews decide to actively embrace the faith is entirely up to them. Even if they do not, they can still extract elements of the religion which they find healing and uplifting.

That is a great attitude to have. How much easier would all Jews' lives be if there was just a little more understanding of all those things that the observant among us do that seem so non-sensical to others, but in fact are due to thousands of years of study and debate.

I wonder how many Jews there are like myself who would love to be more observant but are afraid of the reaction that otheres might have. I can pretend to be a confident extrovert when the need arises, but if I forget to take off my yarmulke after services and I waltz into the local Kroger, I need another trip to the therapist.

I would fly to Toronto just to see this. The Israeli-Palestinian Comedy Tour. I hope one of their performances comes out on video.

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Newsweek has a long excerpt about President Truman and his friend Eddie Jacobson's role in the founding of the State of Israel. I was familiar with the story in general, but the details are fascinating. The excerpt comes from the book, "Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989". It's very interesting trying to sort out Truman's love/hate relationship with Jews and Zionists.

Wow.

Democrats in America are evenly divided on the question of whether George W. Bush knew about the 9/11 terrorist attacks in advance. Thirty-five percent (35%) of Democrats believe he did know, 39% say he did not know, and 26% are not sure.

No wonder he didn't jump up with surprise at that Florida elementary school!

That means in essence that a solid majority of Democrats can't say with certainty that the President of the United States did nothing to prevent an attack that was designed to kill tens of thousands of Americans, cripple the military and destroy the U.S. Capitol. Do you think he told Giuliani too?

Whether they're right or not, I don't think I want to live in their cynical world. I'm thinking of building a "separation wall" around my nice Republican town.

An aerial video of the terrible damage done by the tornado that destroyed Greensburg Kansas can be seen here. Day after reporting here. It is being reported that the tornado was at least a mile wide. The videos really do look like the old photos you've seen of Hiroshima after an atomic bomb blast. It's a miracle that fewer than a dozen people have been reported killed. The town of 1,500 suffered "100 percent damage" in the words of the city administrator.

If people want to help with recovery, the Red Cross is encouraging donations, or volunteers can check in at 114 N Main Street in Pratt. They will likely be assigned to the shelter areas. To donate, call 800-REDCROSS.

The Salvation Army will also have pastors on hand to provide spiritual comfort. Anyone wishing to donate to The Salvation Army's emergency disaster relief efforts may do so by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

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In related news, a man has reconstructed Noah's Ark in the Netherlands.

Needless to say polls taken on blogs are incredibly unscientific. However, I found it intriguing that after almost 6,000 votes (as of 10:19AM ET) readers of Little Green Footballs are almost equally divided regarding Rudy Giuliani's declared position on abortion. I voted in favor.

Paris Hilton sentenced to 45 days in jail.



Does this mean she can't ever be President now? Oh, the humanity! Her mom is upset of course...at the judge. What can Paris expect behind bars?

You know I just have to write it because I think it's one of the great word inventions of the 21st century.....what a celebutard.

Interesting......

Treasury Dept policy states that "while pennies are legal tender as payment for a contractual debt or payment to a government organization, private merchants are free to determine whatever legal tender they do and do not want to accept."

Hat tip to Gothamist which posts about the brou-ha-ha about a Chinese restaurant in NY which reportedly refused to accept pennies (and not as payment for the whole bill - just as part of the change).

Plan for Arabic School in Brooklyn Spurs Protests

The Khalil Gibran International Academy was conceived as a public embrace of New York City’s growing Arab population and of internationalism, the first public school dedicated to the study of the Arabic language and culture and open to students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

But nearly three months after plans for the middle school were first announced, a beleaguered Department of Education is fending off attacks from two angry camps: parents from Public School 282, the elementary school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, that was assigned to share building space with the Khalil Gibran school, and a handful of columnists who have called the proposed academy a madrassa, which teaches the Koran.

Daniel Pipes, the famous (or infamous) anti-Islamist has multiple concerns. Normally, I tend to agree with him on various issues, but here he seems a little paranoid, especially given that the proposed school is seeking to be part of the NYC education system, not apart from it. I would be much more concerned with real-life madrassas that might be open privately.

I found this post 9/11 article written by the proposed principal, Yemini-American Debbie Almontaser. I can't believe that this woman would run anything but a school that was for the benefit of every American.

By the way, Khalil Gibran was a Lebanese Christian poet who came to America at the age of 12 over a hundred years ago.

A sample of his writings can be found here.

THE WISE DOG

One day there passed by a company of cats a wise dog.

And as he came near and saw that they were very intent and heeded him not, he stopped.

Then there arose in the midst of the company a large, grave cat and looked upon them and said, “Brethren, pray ye; and when ye have prayed again and yet again, nothing doubting, verily then it shall rain mice.”

And when the dog heard this he laughed in his heart and turned from them saying, “O blind and foolish cats, has it not been written and have I not known and my fathers before me, that that which raineth for prayer and faith and supplication is not mice but bones.”

Three of the Republican candidates for President apparently do not believe in evolution. Most of the country does not believe in Republicans - so there you go.

Each of the last three weeks, we've had some pretty powerful storms move through the Dallas area. The latest was Wednesday evening at about 7PM. This video was taken from someone's home in Arlington. Although I live a good 30 miles away, the worst of what you see is exactly how we experienced the storm for a solid 15-20 minutes. It was like a hurricane.

This picture was taken by a Dallas Morning News reader within walking distance of our house. Luckily we just had a small branch come off one of our trees. My parents had a few tiles blown off their roof on the other side of town.

For a great insight into the Jewish community in Buenos Aires, check out Nathan Englander's "cover" story over at Nextbook - "This Country of Mothers". A related podcast can be found here. Englander is the author of "The Ministry of Special Cases" which deals with both Argentina's Dirty War and the dark legacy of Jewish whores and pimps who plied their trade as newly arrived immigrants a generation earlier.

Another book that is receiving quite a bit of attention is "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" by Michael Chabon - a "what if" story about a post-World War II enclave created in Alaska for two million displaced Jews.

Best response to a debate moderator's question ever....

Williams: Senator Biden, words have, in the past, gotten you in trouble, words that were borrowed and words that some found hateful.

An editorial in the Los Angeles Times said, "In addition to his uncontrolled verbosity, Biden is a gaff machine."

Can you reassure voters in this country that you would have the discipline you would need on the world stage, Senator?

Biden: Yes.

Earlier today, General Petraeus gave a press conference on the current state of affairs in Iraq. The transcript of that press conference is here. Allow me to quote the General. If you haven't read the news accounts yet, please don't cheat by checking now.

The operational environment in Iraq is the most complex and challenging I have ever seen -- much more complex than it was when I left last in September 2005.....

The situation is, in short, exceedingly challenging, though as I will briefly explain, there has been progress in several areas in recent months despite the sensational attacks by al Qaeda.....

We have achieved some notable successes in the past two months, killing the security emir of eastern Anbar province, detaining a number of key network leaders, discovering how various elements of al Qaeda Iraq operate, taking apart a car bomb network that had killed 650 citizens of Baghdad, and destroying several significant car bomb factories. Nonetheless, al Qaeda Iraq remains a formidable foe with considerable resilience and a capability to produce horrific attacks, but a group whose ideology and methods have increasingly alienated many in Iraq.

This group's activities must be significantly disrupted, at the least, for the new Iraq to succeed, and it has been heartening to see Sunni Arabs in Anbar province and several other areas turning against al Qaeda and joining the Iraqi security forces to fight against it. That has been a very significant development.....

The extremist militias in Iraq also are a substantial problem and must be significantly disrupted. There can be no sustainable outcome if militia death squads are allowed to lie low during the surge (they are no longer active now - ed.) only to resurface later and resume killing and intimidation. There have been some significant successes in this arena as well..... However, while we continue to battle a number of such groups, we are seeing some others joining Sunni Arab tribes in turning against al Qaeda Iraq and helping transform Anbar province and other areas from being assessed as lost as little as six months ago to being relatively heartening.....

....progress on key laws has been slow, though there has been some progress....

The presence of coalition and Iraqi forces and increased operational tempo, especially in areas where until recently we had no sustained presence, have begun to produce results. Most significantly, Iraqi and coalition forces have helped to bring about a substantial reduction in the rate of sectarian murders each month from January until now in Baghdad, a reduction of about two-thirds. There have also been increases in weapons caches seized and the number of actionable tips received.

In the Ramadi area, for example, U.S. and Iraqi forces have found nearly as many caches in the first four months of this year as they found in all of last year.

Beyond this, we are seeing a revival of markets, renewed commerce, the return of some displaced families and the slow resumption of services, though I want to be very clear that there is vastly more work to be done across the board and in many areas, and I again note that we are really just getting started with the new effort.....

Our achievements have not come without sacrifice. Our increase in operational tempo, location of our forces in the populations they are securing and conduct of operations in areas where we previously had no presence...have led to an increase in our losses. Our Iraqi partners have sacrificed heavily as well, with losses generally two to three times ours or even more.
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Now, based on this, I might suggest that the headline could be "Surge Shows Signs Of Slow and Steady Progress" or "Improvements Seen in Ramadi and Anbar Hot Spots" or "Extrajudicial Killings in Iraq down by Two-Thirds - Families Begin to Return". Even "Losses Increasing Amid Signs of Improvement". But noooooooooo....

The NY Times apparently felt "Petraeus Eyes Long Commitment in Iraq" is more appropriate. MSNBC leads with "Iraq War May Get Tougher". CBS News has "War May Get Harder". All of these reports were sourced through the Associated Press. This twisting of words apparently comes primarily from the following exchange....

Q General Petraeus, you said that things may get worse before they get better in this effort. Can you expand a little on what the American and Iraqi public should be potentially braced for?

And are higher U.S. casualties inevitable as a result of your new approach? You mentioned that your losses have gone up since you moved into the neighborhoods. Is that likely to continue? Is that something they should also be braced for?

GEN. PETRAEUS: I mentioned this because as you move into areas that you've not operated in before, as you contend with elements that were in those areas that in some cases were not challenged -- I mean, there are some element -- areas that were -- that had become, to some degree, sanctuaries for certain extremist organizations.

As that takes place, I think there is a very real possibility that there's going to be more combat action and that, therefore, there could be more casualties, and that's really all that I am implying with that. I don't want that to become the central message of this by any means.

Nevertheless, this did become the central message, even though it should be pretty obvious to any idiot that when you step up military operations against the enemy you will have more casualties. Everything mentioned at the top of this post was totally ignored.

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en·e·my (ĕn'ə-mē)
n., pl. -mies.

1. One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; a foe.

The Associated Press reporter is clearly an enemy. At least of the General.

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I should mention that Petraeus did also say, "Because we are operating in new areas and challenging elements in those areas, this effort may get harder before it gets easier."

There is a big difference between "harder" and "worse". "Harder" is an expectation, "worse" is an outcome. Of course the AP reporter doesn't see the distinction.

Q General, Lolita Baldor with AP. You said just now that things are likely to get -- may get worse before they get better. (At least she caught herself with the subconscious "likely" slip of the tongue). Again, Petraeus didn't say this. And later another reporter parrots their AP colleague's mistake.

And I return to the statement above.

Q General Petraeus, you said that things may get worse before they get better in this effort. Can you expand a little on what the American and Iraqi public should be potentially braced for?

If you comment, please do not tell me how the war is screwed up and Bush is a failed commander in chief. I won't deny that. I am strictly talking about how the themes of this press conference are being transmitted to the American people, relatively few of whom will bother to read or watch the entire event.

Dennis Miller has his debut as a talk radio host tonight. Click here to find your local radio outlet. Tonight's guest list inlcudes Rudy Giuliani.

I head Dennis being interviewed on local talk radio here in Dallas this morning. When asked about his turn towards conservatism after 9/11, he clarified that "if Hillary Clinton were to become president, I'm backing her because she's my president." That to him, is what being a good American is. I agree.

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Jewish Theological Seminary to Accept Qualified Gay and Lesbian Rabbinical And Cantorial School Students

"Moreover, the decision to ordain gay and lesbian clergy at JTS is in keeping with the longstanding commitment of the Jewish tradition to pluralism. That commitment has been all the more central to Conservative Judaism. Pluralism means that we recognize more than one way to be a good Conservative Jew, more than one way of walking authentically in the path of our tradition and of carrying that tradition forward. It means, too, that we respect those who disagree with us and understand that in the context of all that unites us, diversity makes us stronger."

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I've heard of the Mitvah Tank, but the "Matzoh Bus" is new to me.

(CBS/AP) SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. A full-size school bus that had been converted into an oven, complete with smokestack, exhaust fans and working fire, was discovered by police after a neighbor said he smelled smoke.

The red and white bus, in the backyard of a residence owned by the rabbi of a Hasidic Jewish congregation, was turning out thin crisp matzo crackers for next week's Passover holiday, said Sgt. Lou Scorziello of the Spring Valley police.

Jeez, it's been a long time since I've been around these parts. I've been spending a lot of time networking, seeing recruiters and going on interviews to try and find a new job. After giving things a lot of thought, I've decided to say "screw it" and go into business for myself. I have a CPA license which I'm going to transfer from NY to Texas and hope to formally start my own practice in June. While I plan on doing the usual tax returns, payroll, etc. I am hoping to build a nice base of small corporate clients for whom I can do a little audit work / operations consulting.

Now that I've decided what I want to be when I grow up (isn't 40 the new 20 - or something like that?), maybe I can spend some more time here.

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An Arizona principal tells an army wife that her 8 and 11 year old kids can't take an extra week off to be with their dad who is coming home from Iraq on a two week leave. Principal says he was in the army too and "supports the troops", but "rules are rules".

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Can someone tell me where I can find a clip of the original "Jane, you ignorant slut" segment of the old SNL with Dan Akroyd and Jane Curtain. I remember seeing it again awhile ago and even though I knew what was coming, it was still one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

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SEATTLE - The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle returned to its old building in downtown Seattle on Sunday months after a fatal shooting spree forced the group to move out last summer. On July 28, 2006, accused gunman Naveed Haq walked into the building and opened fire, killing one woman, Pam Waechter, and seriously injuring five others, including a pregnant woman.

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Iran captures British soldiers. Accuses them of spying. Britain denies it and demands their return. According to the Geneva Conventions, soldiers in uniform can't be considered spies. Dozens of civil rights lawyers fly to the Middle East to defend the soldiers. (You didn't really believe the last one, did you?)

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Saw Rocky Balboa. Liked it more than I thought I would. I think my decision to open my own business and the "go for your dream" philosophy of the movie, campy as it is, made me feel a lot better about my decision. Isn't that what movies are supposed to do in the first place?

Saw Quinceanera. Started off a little depressing, but turned out to be a pretty good movie. After seeing that and Babel (which I liked only because I was fascinated with the different cultures that were represented), I'm a little overloaded on Mexican-American culture and hispanic hip-hop, mijo.

Casino Royale was just plain old fun. The Illusionist didn't do it for me, but I know it did for a lot of other's including the wife and the guy at Blockbuster who rented it to me. I believe both were filmed, at least in part, in Prague which looks like a beautiful place to go.

This morning, I went to the Dallas Holocaust Museum with my parents.  It is currently housed in temporary quarters a block behind the old Book Depository which houses the Sixth Floor (JFK) Museum.  Due to the temporary nature of the exhibits, the space is relatively small.  Nevertheless it is extremely well done, catering mostly to high school classes who come there for field trips.  I was personally familiar with most of what was on display, but there was one part of the exhibit relating to a "The Bermuda Conference" with which I wasn't familiar.  The  conference was a futile effort by the Allies to come up with a plan for rescuing Jews from Europe during the war (held at a luxury resort of course).

We were lucky enough to be present for a lecture and slide show presentation given by the museum's founder, holocaust survivor Mike Jacobs. At first, I was interested in going more to see the reaction of the hundred or so mostly gentile high school students than to hear Mr. Jacobs' personal history.  I had recently read several fiction and non-fiction books relating to the Holocaust, aside from learning extensively about the subject since I was little, and didn't really feel the need to hear more right then and there. I am now incredibly embarrassed that I even entertained those feelings.

It's one thing to read an account of Nazi torture and barbarism in a book.  It's quite another to listen to a man as he tells the story of German soldiers throwing babies out of top-floor windows and shooting at them on the way down as he was forced to watch, helpless to do anything.  You could see Mr. Jacob's eyes move up towards the ceiling as he began the story, obviously reliving the scene in his mind at that very moment.

The students were extremely well-behaved (aside from the one girl who couldn't figure out how to put here phone on "vibrate"). Of the few questions offered up at the end, two students just commented on how much respect they had for Mr. Jacobs while thanking him for sharing his story with them.  I'll never know what the majority of the kids were thinking, but I left feeling good about the future after leaving the lecture.  As a Jew, it is sometimes hard to imagine that anyone could grow up in this country not knowing much about the Holocaust given the significant media attention given to the subject.  And yet.....

Below is a rendering of the new building that the museum is hoping to erect, with the large yahrzeit-candle style detail on one corner.



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I meant to post this awhile ago, but never got around to it.

Hate crime charges have been dropped against the five Jewish teens arrested for attacking a Pakistani man outside a Midwood Dunkin’ Donuts late last year.  Several of the teens are still up on assault charges though that can bring a sentence of up to 15 years in jail.

Sportswriter's son and Messianic (not a real) Jew David Newhan tries for a roster spot with the Mets.

Newhan bounced around the A's organization and was traded to the Padres in 1997. He made his major league debut with San Diego in 1999.

Then, Newhan said, it all started going wrong. He batted .140 in 32 games. The next year he hit .150. He was traded to Philadelphia and made the team out of spring training in 2001, but he injured his shoulder crashing into a left-field wall and missed most of that season and all of 2002 after having his second shoulder operation.

It was about this time that Newhan started reading scripture and the Old Testament for guidance, and soon, he said, “a different train pulled into the station.” He still held fast to his Jewish beliefs — he had his Bar Mitzvah at a conservative synagogue — but he said that accepting Jesus Christ helped guide him through this rocky period. He observes Passover and Hanukkah and considers himself a Messianic Jew.

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A Cailfornia camera store owner says "some of my best customers are Jews" after refusing a man service because photos of his turn-of-the-century relatives were considered to be  "Jewish terrorists"

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Did supporters of a Scottish soccer club give their Israeli hosts the "Red Hand of Ulster" or "Heil Hitler" salutes?  It appears to have been the first, although their is quite a bit of on-the-field acrimony nevertheless.

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Better late than never, I guess, but this smacks of political pandering and is somewhat offensive.

Islip leader urges U.S. citizenship for Anne Frank

Anne's cousin Edith Gordon, 78, who recently moved from Setauket to San Diego, questioned whether the U.S. should try to claim Anne for its own.

"It doesn't seem right to me somehow, when we didn't let her into the country," she said.

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Too many of these stories wind up in tiny local papers instead of on page A1 of the national papers (you know who you are).  And I know this story is not unique at all.  Thanks for your service and your honesty, sir.

It is one medal no soldier wants to earn.

U.S. Army Cpl. Matt Murray is one of the lucky ones. In person, he accepted his Purple Heart medal for being wounded in combat, the result of an improvised explosive device that detonated under the vehicle in which he was riding. He found out later his neck was broken.

The 2002 Plano Senior High graduate joined the Army Feb. 24, 2004. He arrived in Iraq in August 2006 and his stay was shortened by the attack......

Now, he’s at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. in recovery. He only stayed in Texas for about two weeks in mid-January. He said his recovery and therapy should be complete by the end of March, at which time he will return to his unit in Iraq.

“I have good friends in Plano, but not in the same way as the brotherhood built in the Army. I wouldn’t have wanted to fight next to my friends in Plano,” Murray said. “It’ll be nice to be with my brothers again. They’re still over there and I’m laying in a hospital bed watching this …. on T.V. I need to be over there with my brothers. Nothing is under my control. I think we need to get out of there, personally. I think we are getting caught in the cross fire of a civil war.”

But Murray said he is proud of his service to his country and “if we don’t fight the fight, then who will?”

Is There a Historical Right to the Land of Israel? A serious, scholarly look at the issue.

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Fox News is coming out with it's own version of The Daily Show called The 1/2 Hour Newshour. First airing Sunday night at 10PM ET.

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LA's mayor wants the whole city Wi-Fi'd by 2009. Houston and other cities also have plans underway.

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Howard Stern has gotten engaged to long-time girlfriend Beth Ostrosky. All the x-rated details here.

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Is "Studio 60" on it's last legs? I've enjoyed it, but maybe because I didn't overdose on the West Wing, so it's style is relatively fresh to me. I do have to say that I was not happy about giving one of the major characters a drug problem.

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Yes, it's real.

From President Bush's press conference today:

Q As you know, a growing number of troops are on their second, third or fourth tour in Iraq. There have been a growing number of reports about declining morale among fighting men. I spoke personally to an infantry commander -- tough guy, patriot -- who says more and more of the troops are asking, questioning what they're doing here. Does this come as a surprise to you? Are you aware of this? Is it a minority opinion, is it a growing opinion, and does it concern you?
THE PRESIDENT: I am -- what I hear from commanders is that the place where there is concern is with the family members; that our troops, who have volunteered to serve the country, are willing to go into combat multiple times, but that the concern is with the people on the home front.

Now, obviously one can find voices from the military that express discontent at the current state of things in Iraq and think that the planned surge will be useless. I also imagine that I'd be pretty upset if I had to spend so much time away from my family on life threatening missions. Then again, I'm not in the military.

In this news report, ABC News was able to find troops who wanted to be clear about their feelings regarding the anti-surge resolutions being pushed by the Democrats.

If a deficit falls in a budget report, does anyone hear it?  From BizzyBlog.

The federal budget deficit, already down almost 50% from a few years ago, is down another 50% through the first four months of this year compared to 2006.

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Jennifer Rubin, a freelance writer for ABCNews uses the Mitt Romney flap I posted about earlier to pontificate about Why So Few Jews Vote  for Republicans.  I do give her credit for writing that, " It is doubtful either of these groups (the NJDC or RJC) believe Romney is really an anti-Semite."   However, she does write that Romney's probable excuse is that he is oblivious to Jewish concerns. She then goes on to assume that Romney just must not have Jewish advisors, which is easily debunked based on my last post regarding Romney's recent trip to Israel with Jewish supporters and campaign staff. 

She then writes that if they were better informed, they would have said to themselves, "You know, a lot of Jews really hate Ford, and it might mess up your message. Let's try Edison's lab to make a point about American innovation."

Miss Rubin might be interested to know that Neil Baldwin, author of Henry Ford and the Jews: The Mass Production of Hate writes that Edison was at best, "a passive anti-Semite".  Maybe if she would have googled "Edison" and "anti-semitic", she could have found this out pretty easily, as well as a number of other sources that raise concerns about Edison's attitude towards Jews.  Then again, Ms. Rubin, like the Democrats, must know all there is to know about Jewish issues.

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More Global....Cooling?  Just got my electric bill from January.  I live in north Texas.  The average temperature in January 2007 was 19 degrees colder than in January 2006.  Tomorrow's high is 36.  Thursday it will be 38.  I wonder how it's going in NYC?  If you look at these pictures, you'd think the melting polar ice caps have just relocated.

Earlier today, Mitt Romney announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.  The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) has made a big deal of the fact that Romney chose the Henry Ford Museum as the site for his announcement claiming it as an "embrace of Henry Ford".  It should be mentioned that the Museum is really a tribute to Americana more than to Ford himself, and there are several prominent Jewish members of the museum's board of trustees. I'm having trouble even finding a biography of Henry Ford of any kind on their website.  The NJDC says that the museum is "a testament to the life of Henry Ford".  I've never been, but it sure doesn't seem that way from where I'm sitting.

Part of the reason for the NJDC's anger might be that they got cut out of a Romney trip to Israel a few weeks ago.

The former Republican governor of Massachusetts returned last week from a five-day trip to Israel, accompanied by Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), and Mel Sembler, a member of its board of directors.

In this and other links, the NJDC makes a point about Romney's veto of a bill that would have provided reimbursement to some Medicaid patients for the extra costs of kosher meals back in 2003.  I don't know enough about the specifics to comment (was that part of a larger spending bill without a line item veto?), but in any case, I hardly find the granting of additional moneys to a particular interest group to be anti-Semitic.

Personally, I do contribute the annual membership fee to the RJC, although I think the professionalism of that organization's campaigns leave a lot to be desired as well.

I'm sorry I can't find the blog where I read this particular thought last night, but until the NJDC can convince me that no Democratic Jews drive Fords or work for Ford, use IBM equipment, etc. I'm not buying their case that Romney is fanning the flame of anti-Semitism. 

I recently finished reading "The Lost: A Search for Six of the Six Million" by Daniel Mendolsohn.  It's a fascinating story about finding one's lost roots, even if it means traveling the globe - several times, hiring interpreters and tour guides, and reconciling with ones most immediate family members.

I mentioned to my rabbi that I was reading the book and he said he heard an interview with the author on NPR, something which I actually waited to hear until after I finished the book.  We wondered whether Mendelsohn does any public speaking on the subject and I suggested that the "voice" of the author in the book seemed to be one of a relatively shy, sensitive man, who might not be comfortable doing a lot of public speaking.

Oddly enough, when I started listening to the interview, I couldn't help but think to myself - "he does sound, well, not just soft-spoken, but gay" (not that there's anything wrong with that).  I did a little more online research, and he seems to have received much critical acclaim for writing about his experiences coming out, and living openly as, a gay man in New York, so no secret there.  It was only then that I realized that he didn't mention any romantic interests although the book is extremely personal and takes place over a period of several years.

It also made me wonder - considering the strict German upbringing of much of his family - wouldn't his open homosexuality have had some bearing on the feelings towards his family, or theirs to him?  When he talks about strains between he and his brothers, does his sexual orientation have anything to do with it at all?  If so, he doesn't say.  Was he perhaps even looking for some sign of homosexuality in his search for his great-uncle?  The one who looked so similar to him that survivors would cry just because of his resemblance?  I think I would have wanted to know, assuming I had written a book openly describing my sexual history as a sort of biography.  But I digress - I'm just curious, really.

This book is a must read for anyone, like myself, who has family that perished in the Holocaust - many of whom we know nothing about.  Mendelsohn frequently brings up a salient point - shouldn't we be just as interested in how these people lived as how they died?

It took me awhile to find the time to get through the first half of this 500-page book.  However, as you get closer and closer  to finding the truth of his family's history, there's no putting the book down.  I read the second half in one long sitting that ended at 12:30AM.

More on the author's work can be found here.

It all started this weekend when the AP reported that, "U.S. military commanders in Iraq have shown members of Congress explosive devices that bear Iranian markings as evidence Tehran is supplying Iraqi militants with bombs".

The article clearly mentioned that members of Congress were being allowed to see the evidence and that the administration is being cautious in making the direct accusation that the Iranian government is behind attacks on coalition forces, so there shouldn't be a problem.  After all, someone is sending arms to the militants - I imagine they don't have RPG factories in Fallujah.

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A short while ago, MSNBC's lead article was "U.S. general: No evidence Iran is arming Iraqis".  Apparently, this is meant to prove that the Bush administration is already cooking the intelligence books so that it can invade Iran to make more blood/oil money for their friends or Israel, or whatever it is that people think.

Part of the problem is that MSNBC confuses the words "evidence" and "proof".   According to the news report, the General in question, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said:

 - Iranians had been arrested as part of militant networks that produced roadside bombs
 - Some of the material used in the devices were made in Iran.

And more specifically:

“What it does say is that things made in Iran are being used in Iraq to kill coalition soldiers.”

This is all evidence of Iranian government involvement.  Of course there's circumstantial evidence such as Iran's providing weapons and money to other groups fighting against the West such as Hamas and Hizbollah, but that is besides the point.  What all this is not, is proof, which is the accumulation of evidence which allows one to assert something is true.

Now, getting back to the main topic.  Did the administration earlier claim as truth that Iran was supplying our enemies, or only that we have some evidence that suggests that the Iranian government might be involved?

Tony Snow did seem to definitively accuse the Iranian government in the following exchange in yesterday's press briefing:

Q Tony, when Diane Sawyer interviewed Iranian President Ahmadinejad earlier today, he said that this presentation was based on fabrication. Is the U.S. administration confident that there is conclusive evidence that Iran is providing these weapons to Iraq?

MR. SNOW: Yes.

I'm willing to give Snow the benefit of the doubt here, and perhaps more than I should, in that he may have misspoke and the question is taken somewhat out of context when looking at the entire press briefing.  Obviously he doesn't mean "the Iraqi government" when he said that "Iran" is giving weapons to "Iraq", so maybe he meant to say Iranians in general as opposed to the Iranian government.  (Going to my earlier point, the proper phrase would have been "conclusive proof", not "conclusive evidence".  They obviously have evidence, both physical and circumstantial).  A few minutes earlier, the following was asked:

Q Tony, the senior military officials made this presentation in Baghdad on background about the evidence against Iran active inside Iraq. Can you talk about the significance of that presentation, about its timing, and what it really means in context of the war right now?

MR. SNOW: What it means is that there is evidence that there's been some weaponry coming across the border into Iraq and it's being used to kill Americans.

Snow did not mention or accuse Iranian personnel of being involved - I imagine on purpose.
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My favorite part of the article comes at the end, when an Iranian government official is reported to have said, “Such accusations cannot be relied upon or be presented as evidence. The United States has a long history in fabricating evidence."

This from the folks who can't find enough evidence that the Holocaust occurred.

Iranians live in some kind of bizarro world.  In my opinion:

The Iranians say the Holocaust never happened - it did
The Iranians say they are not supplying the insurgency in Iraq - they are
The Iranians say that any day now they will have a nuclear weapon - they won't.

In some ways, it's easier to read the Iranian government than our own - at least we know when they are lying, which is always.