Don't Let History Repeat Itself

ב"ה

I am a student of history. I love reading book about history, particularly those things that take something we think we know but that our history classes have sanitized or outright lied about and tell you what really happened.

Don't Know Much about History is just such a book. I was reading it yesterday and I was reading about the Indian wars, the 19th Century Genocide of the Native Americans by the Americans who originated in Europe. It was a horrible thing and, while there's not a lot we can do about it at this point, we can do what we need to do, which is learn from history.

One of the things that hit me about this was that often one tribe would be promised "friendship" or other benefits for joining the Euro-Americans against another tribe. Those promises weren't worth the paper they were written on because as soon as the Euro-Americans "finished off" the first tribe, they would turn around and do the same thing to the other tribe (one big perpetrator of this sort of action was 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, not my favorite president, but I digress). The Native American tribes, therefore, would contribute to their own destruction (just as the Africans did by turning over members of other tribes to be brought over to the new world by the slave ships -- the slavers didn't care what tribe their slaves came from). 

I was thinking about this today when I was doing something so mindlessly boring that I needed to give my mind something to do. And I had an epiphany. 

If we are going to learn from history, which we rarely do, we need to learn that The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend. In other words, if you don't like Jews or Israel, don't think that the Palestinians and/or ISIS (or other terrorist group) is your friend!!!!!! 

That's right. No matter how much you hate us, we Jews are your best chance of saving yourself from the Hydra-headed Terrorist Monster.

The Hydra-headed Terrorist Monster is already trying to inveigle the American people to accept them as allies, by making the downtrodden minorities, the people who, whether true or not, think they are being singled out for persecution and prosecution, trying to make them think that under their Sharia law (one of the most, if not the most, oppressive, suppressive, bigoted, Anti-Black, Anti-Women, Anti-Gay, Anti-Christian and Anti-Jewish "justice" system in the world) will be the salvation of the inner city black.

But it will never work. You can't expect civil rights from terrorists. Just like the Native American population should have unified against the Euro-Americans back in the 19th Century, African Americans need to join together with Latinos, Jews, Indians (Native Americans and those from India), East Asians, Women, Gays and all other people who in the US have to or have had to fight to get their rights in this initially Landed-White-Anglo-Saxon-Germanic-Protestant-Male country. We have come a long way (and, if you check it out, so have you) since the 1820s, the 1890s, the 1900s, even the 1950s and 1960s. Bad things happen when people want too much too soon. Susan B Anthony never did legally vote (she died in 1906), neither did Nat Turner. But now there are African Americans, Women, East Asians, Latinos in congress, there was even an African American President. There are no longer signs in stores that say "No dogs or Jews" and people of any ethnicity and gender can sit where they want in restaurants and on buses. Schools are desegregated. 

This isn't a perfect world, but it can get better only if we work hard to make it better. IMHO, this means caring more about a 14 year old Moore Oklahoma girl or a 5 year old Milwaukee girl both of whom were killed in drive by shootings than we do about a dangerous criminal who is on videotape stealing from a shop and shoving the shopkeeper and who forensic evidence has shown was running at the police officer who shot him. This also means caring more about Tibetans, whose country is truly occupied by invading China; Indonesian Christians who are being persecuted (to the point where their lives are in danger) in Muslim Indonesia; "Palestinian" people who are being kept in squalor and poverty, taught only hatred and how to kill themselves and others; Syrians being slaughtered day in and day out by ISIS; or any of a number of other groups of people (Khurds, Basques, etc.) than you do about Hamas terrorists killed by Israel defending Israel. Just as the people supporting Ferguson marchers are only enraged and "up in arms" by the death of an African American because it was caused by the gun of a white police office and not by the gun of a black drive-by gang-banger, the world is only enraged if Israel kills people (in self-defense) and not bothered in the least when Hamas kills Palestinians or uses their children as human shields.

We need to know what side our bread is buttered on. We need to know who is the better ally in our fights to make the world a better place. If we don't, we just might end up in some distopic "Hunger Games on Steroids" Totalitarian Dictatorship of the Haters. In such a world, civil rights have no meaning and life is cheap. We are each only given one life. Make sure you know who you are spending it on.

Klinging to Their Lies

ב"ה

A number of years ago, New York's local PBS station, WNET Channel 13, decided they would air a very pro-Palestinian anti-Israel program. Within a few months, WNET was feeling the financial pinch of offending New York's Jewish population.

The Metropolitan Opera in NY is about the feel the same pinch. Having decided they will include "Death of Klinghoffer", an opera about the murder of Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly Jewish man in a wheelchair, who was a passenger on the cruise liner Achile Lauro when it was hijacked by pro-Palestinian terrorists (yes, TERRORISTS). The terrorists singled out Mr. Klinghoffer because he was Jewish; period, exclamation point. 

Lest you think that these terrorists are only after Jews and Israelis (whether or not they are Jewish, by the way), these terrorists are part of the hydra monster that IS the base of Al Qaida, ISIS (ISIL, Islamic State, whatever alias you want to use), Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Aksa Brigade, you name it, they're part of the Terrorist Monster -- cut off a head, 3 more grow back in its place. 

So the Metropolitan Opera, despite non-violent protests, is determined to put this Antisemitic, pro-Terrorist work on the stage, to give a platform to a work that was written, according to John Adams, who wrote the Opera along with Librettist Alice Goodman (born a Reform Jew, now an anti-Semitic Anglican minister), to “humanize” the terrorists -- their goal in writing this work was to "humanize" the inhuman, lionize the murderers, minimize the murder of a defenseless eldery gentleman and make this proud Jewish man appear to be the evil one. The Met is becoming a purveyor of lies that ranks right up there with "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" and they don't seem to think anything of it.

As a rule, we Jews don't come into buildings with sub-machine guns shooting up civilians. We Jews don't go around murdering innocent people. We Jews speak with our words, our protest demostrations and our purses. And, since a lot of the large donors in NY to places like WNET and the Met are Jewish, our voices are sometimes loud. I hope the Metropolitan Opera decides to take this work off their program and doesn't allow itself to get commandeered by the voices of the terrorist apologists, the voices of the people who are trying to "humanize" the evil people who murdered an elderly man just because he was Jewish, the voices of hatred. 

The Value of Jewish Life

ב"ה

My parents and I were watching the news last night and one of the top stories was about the "escalation of fighting" in Israel. The US is calling for a cessation of the attacks; the EU is calling for a cessation of the attacks; the UN is calling for a cessation of the attacks; the whole world is calling for a cessation of the attacks. Isn't that just sweet and lovely? All these peace-loving people showering the world with love?

Only one problem -- where was the worldwide outcry when, almost the moment that Ariel Sharon (ימח שמו) handed over our beautiful Gush Katif it became a Hamas stronghold and a missile launching pad to shower down missiles on populated areas of Israel in a relentless war against civilians. Instead of having peace for a unilateral withdrawal we got war and more war. Where was the worldwide outcry when three Israeli boys (yes boys), civilians all, walking home from school, were kidnapped? Where was the worldwide outcry weeks later when their murdered bodies were found? And where IS the worldwide outcry when Israel, far from bombing civilians, is warning civilians to leave the area because they will be bombing the missile launchers and other military targets, is dealing with bombings on civilian populations?

I find it amazing (though after all the Antisemitic, anti-Israel bilgewater I've had to deal with over the past 40 or so years you'd think I'd be used to it) that the world is so bent on Israel making unilateral concessions to the terrorists (not, CBS News, militants) for a peace that is tenuous at best, non-existant being more realistic. 

To Obama, the EU and the UN (and everyone else on the "peace" bandwagon) don't you know who these terrorists ARE? They want you, too. They have been murdering Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., their own women and gays, anyone who isn't "one of them" all along. This doesn't seem to make the news either. One Palestinian teen is murdered and the world is up in arms (not that it shouldn't be, just that the world is rather unbalanced in its outrage). Hundreds of Jews are killed and there is silence. Silence, that is, until we fight back. 

I am thrilled that Bibi (Prime Minister Netanyahu) is finally fighting back. I am thrilled that our people are finally saying enough is too much. 

And I hope it continues. I hope G-d gives strength to the IDF and the Israeli people. I hope G-d protects them and all Jews in the world. I hope G-d watches over all the "voices in the forest" who are speaking out FOR Israel. And I hope G-d helps us root out all the evil and leave the world a better and safer and truly peaceful place.

Are We There Yet?

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Have we reached the breaking point yet? Have we reached the point of no return? Have we reached the point where we will start fighting back and stop making excuses for our enemies?

Hundreds of Israelis, thousands of people, millions of Jews worldwide have been murdered just for being Jews or Israelis or someone visiting or living in Israel or helping Jews. Antisemitism is rampant and we worry about the opinions of the Jew-haters. Ours and our children's safety is in the hands of those who think appeasement is the answer. The kidnapping and murder of 3 High Schoolers on their way home from school might just be the murder that broke our straw backs. 

I know I'm hardly well versed in the ways of war. I know that perhaps when it comes to war and defending our people I'm naive. But please tell me, those out there who are more knowledgeable in the ways of war, why can't we start by bombing the missile launchers in Gaza, the waste station that was our beloved Gush Katif? Why can't we attack the terrorist hideouts? Why can't we take back Gush Katif?

And, while we're at it, why can't we work at dismantling the infrastructure (such as it is) of the terrorist regimes? They are, after all, operating in our very own house, our home, our nation, our country, our hope (HaTikva). Can't we clean out our own basement? Can't we fight the enemies living and operating in our own backyard?

Yes, we need to trust in Hashem (G-d) and pray. But we also need to do our own hishtadlut (due diligence).

As I said, I'm not a meivina or a b'kiya (knower or delver into the depths of knowledge) in the area of war or defense. But isn't there something we can do? 

Piece Talks?

ב"ה

All they want is a piece, right? All they want is a place for their people, right?

Well, not right. Not even close.

So far, the people who don't want peace (aka the Palestinian Authority) keeps making demand after demand from the people who do want peace. They want this, they want that. They want Jewish Israelis to stop building homes (and fixing up the homes they already have). They want "their own country" (which, in actuality, they could have had on numerous occasions -- Israel just doesn't want them to have the entire country, which is, in reality, what they want).

In exchange for just talking about this the "Palestinian Leadership" (and I use that term loosely) wants Israel to release hundreds (is it 400?) murderers. That's just to talk.

I don't understand why Israel is even entertaining this. In the past when Israel traded one person for hundreds of murderers (or anything else for hundreds of murderers) they were rewarded with more murders, more Israeli citizens blown up or shot or families murdered in their beds. Why in heaven's name would they even consider such a lamebrained move?

Seems to me that other countries' leaders are putting pressure on the Israeli government to do this. Why? I don't know. Don't they realize that a strong Israel is in their own best interest? Don't they realize that the Islamists in the Middle East don't just want Israel, they want every country? Don't they realize that the Palestiian people are not to be trusted? They have reneged on just about every agreement they have made. They don't even recognize Israel's right to exist. I wouldn't talk to them, particularly under their conditions. You attack us, we attack you; isn't that how it's supposed to go? Why is Israel the only country lambasted for protecting her own people?

Don't only think about what Israel is to the Jewish people; think about what Israel means to the entire world. Israel is the safety valve. Israel, by its very existance, keeps that part of the world from exploding.

And, remember, also, that Israel can no more make peace than a child's mother can make it snow for him.

Fictional Witches Teaching Morality

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Morality and the Media

The Media lately seems to be a place where morality "goes by the wayside" so to speak. Where does morality shine in the media? Strangely enough, in the TV program Charmed and in the pages of the ultra-popular Harry Potterseries of books.

How "Charmed" and "Harry Potter" show the way to Morality

The popular ideology of late states that there is no such thing as good and evil -- it is all relative. There is a strong "ethic" (if I can use that word for it) pushing moral relativism. "Moral Relativism" basically holds that there is no "good" or "evil", everything is relative and must be taken within the context of the setting of the society in which it happens.

The Tora and people of strong moral fiber know this is not the case. There are absolutes of "good" and "evil". Murder is evil, this is why it is called "murder" and not "killing". "Killing" can be justified; "Murder" cannot. This is why the Tora says "you shall not murder" not, despite multiple inaccurate translations, "you shall not kill".

J.K. Rowling, in her Harry Potter series, makes it quite clear that there is morality, there is a system of "good" and "evil" and there are absolutes of each. Lord Voldemort is evil, not because of who he is or what his standing in the community is. He is evil because he chooses to murder and destroy, control and subjugate others.

There are too many people out there who don't understand the concept of good vs. evil. Thankfully, J. K. Rowling gave us a road map. Her road map is a guide not only to what constitutes good and what constitutes evil; her road map is a guide for the eradication of evil and the ultimate triumph of good.

If the leaders of the free world had read Harry Potter the way millions of children, teenagers and even adults had, they might see that while Harry Potter is a magnificently crafted children's story, a modern fairy tale, it is also an allegory of the millennia-old battles between good and evil.

Lord Voldemort, the main villain in the Harry Potter books, tries to blur the lines. He tries to convince Harry that there is truly no good or evil, only power. But Harry's fight throughout the series is not simply with Lord Voldemort, it is also within himself.

When Harry begins Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry he and the other "first year" students are separated into houses by the "sorting hat". While the hat is on Harry's head, the hat says that he can't decide whether to place Harry in Gryffindor house, the house of the most valiant wizards, or Slytherin house, the house Lord Voldemort and most of his followers come from. Harry says over and over "not Slytherin" so the hat places him in Gryffindor. Later on, when Harry asks Professor Dumbledore, the school's headmaster and Harry's mentor, why he was put in Gryffindor and not Slytherin, Dumbledore tells him it was because he used his force of will -- that HE, Harry, had asked for it. In other words, it's not the situation you are born into that shows who and what you are, it's the decisions you make in your life. Day in and day out we have decisions to make and it is these decisions that show our "house", so to speak. It is our decisions that show who we are.

Perhaps not as popular as the Harry Potter series, but equally moral in its message, is the television program "Charmed". "Charmed" is about three sisters who are witches. They use their powers on demons and warlocks (the forces of evil). They make no bones about their mission in this world -- they are here to fight evil. Throughout the years this series was in first run (it is currently shown in reruns) the sisters "vanquished" (which, basically, means killed) demons and other evil beings. These demons were looking for power and would murder anyone who got in their way (they would also murder people or other beings who could give them power).

What I loved about "Charmed" was that they were unapologetic about the sisters' work. The program didn't get wishy-washy. Even when it seemed counter-intuitive, they fought evil.

And that is what we need to do. We need to realize that there is only one way to defeat evil -- we need to destroy evil. As long as evil is out there, we are in danger. Both "Charmed" and "Harry Potter" ended their series with good triumphing over evil and a look into the future -- a future without evil.

Many people in the world take the easy way out. They think they can placate evil by doing what evil asks of them. But what they don't realize or don't want to realize is that evil can never be placated. Hitler proved this at Munich; Arafat proved this when Barak offered him 95% of what he asked for and Arafat's answer was to start the intifada; the Islamofascists of Hamas and Fatah have proven this by turning the thriving Gaza community of Gush Katif into a launching pad for missiles (missiles they rain down on the population of Israel); Al Qaida proved it when they took credit for murdering people; the Taliban proved it when they destroyed historic statues in Afghanistan and by subjugating women. Evil shows its evil by its actions. And good needs to defeat evil. This does not happen with negotiations. This does not happen with wimpy "all for show" military engagements. This only happens when the standard bearers for good are willing to fight an all out war with evil, a war like the final battle of the final installment of the Harry Potter saga. Only that sort of war will clear the way for good to triumph.

The fight, no matter how horrible, is worth the effort. It is worthwhile to do whatever necessary to destroy evil and returnGood in the essential sense. It is the Platonic Good, the ideal Good, the quintessential Good. And, after all, isn't that what we all want?

Witch Design from Compugraph Designs' Printfection Store

In addition to our Cafe Press and Zazzle sites (see modules above), we also have a store on "Printfection" which includes cutting boards (good wedding or housewarming gifts), mugs and cups, tees, etc.

This stein is only one of several Witch/magic themed items at our store:

Compugraphd Printfection site

(Click on the picture to go directly to this product's page)