This Says It All
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Via Drudge
Labels: America, American elections, Israel, Obama, palestinians, President, Presidential Election
posted by Shoshana @ 8:55 AM
Redemption in Obama's "Jesus Story"
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Greek columns. Fanfare. Shouting, jumping, and rolling in the aisles.
I'm not talking about a revival meeting in a megachurch; I'm talking about just an average day on the Obama campaign trail.
Now, in a desperate attempt to woo Christians to the left, a PAC called "The Matthew 25 Network" has cropped up to cast B. Hussein Obama in a holy light. Not like Louis Farrakhan did when he dubbed B. Hussein the Islamic Messiah, oh no. M25N wants to bless Obama in a more, shall we say, Judeo-Christian fashion.
One might be tempted to ask how a Christian PAC go about appropriating Matthew 25, a chapter about unprepared Virgin Brides with no oil for their lamps, paranoid servants making unwise investments, and the Messiah separating the sheep from the goats at the second coming, to endorse Barack Obama.
Sure, the organization performs some quick exegesis, taking from the chapter one verse that comes in handy, in this case, verse 40: "The King will say to them, 'Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for me!'," a verse rich in moral teaching when placed in perspective. But, one might inquire as to the relevance of verse 41 that reads: "Then he will also speak to those on his left saying, 'Get away from me, you who are cursed! Go off into the fire prepared for the Adversary and his angels!'"
Somehow, interpreting that verse in light of the current political climate might cause more than one Bible-believing voter to think twice before associating the most left-leaning Senator in this nation's history with Jesus Christ.
And yet, that is exactly the association a Matthew 25 Network representative made this morning on CNN. "Barack Obama's got a Jesus story," were his exact words.
A "Jesus Story"? What exactly is a "Jesus Story" anyway? As far as I know, there is only one Jesus Story because there is only one Jesus. I happen to think of Him as an Israeli carpenter from Judea who fulfilled the prophetic words in Torah (Genesis 22) and the prophets (Isaiah 53) regarding the Messiah who would come to redeem Israel and the nations.
Liberals, however, happen to think of him as an African-American who grew up as a Muslim in Indonesia, purposefully surrounded himself with "radicals" including "Marxist professors" during his college years, and whose ideology fulfills the Marxist axiom, "From each according to his ability to each according to his needs."
Now there's a guy to whom I want to bow.
Hey, they hail him in Germany:
That's always a good sign ...right?
My Jesus had working schlubs-- fishermen, tax collectors, and prostitutes-- for followers. Sure, they gave up their bad habits and all they owned to devote their lives to serving their Messiah and living out the principles He taught them, including humility and servitude towards one another and their neighbor through great personal sacrifice.
The Liberals' messiah has cultured, educated, traveled, professional men and women working for him. Sure, they embrace murder and general acts of terrorism both in America and against American allies abroad, destruction, fraud, racism, anti-Semitism and generalized hatred, but they've given their lives to their causes. In fact, at least one of them still wishes he could do more, insisting that he and his wife "haven't done enough."
My Jesus was sacrificed for world redemption.
The Liberals' messiah would like to sacrifice Americans in order to redeem world opinion.
My Messiah preached personal freedom through an end to slavery.
From Glenn Beck [via Israpundit]:
Gang, this is the final warning. I mean it. This is the final warning. You cannot become — you cannot get any clearer on what is coming. It amazes me day after day after day after day that America just doesn’t seem to care anymore, but you cannot get any clearer. If this is out here and this man is elected, you are going to elect the most arrogant Marxist who will not be stopped because he came into office fully uncovered. Every — do not pretend to be shocked when we begin to see a Marxist and who I believe will become a fascist President. And he will become fascist because he will not understand how you suddenly don’t want to become Marxist.My Messiah identified with and has a strong love for Israel and the Jewish people.
The Liberals' messiah identifies with and has a strong love for the enemies of Israel and the Jewish people.
Barack Obama Accepted Jeremiah Wright’s and Michael Pfleger’s Endorsement
...Sarkozy told Obama at that meeting that if the new American president elected in November changed his country’s policy toward Iran, that would be "very problematic."
Obama Advisor Suggested that the U.S. Attack Israel
MSM Holds Video Of Barack Obama Attending Jew-Bash & Toasting a Former PLO Operative…
Today, a "Jewish American Senior" asked Joe the Plumber, "Am I right in saying that an Obama Presidency would mean Death to Israel?"
Joe the Plumber, an average working-class middle American said, "Yes, I'd have to agree with you on that."
Somehow, when it comes to Jesus, Barack Obama just can't measure up.
And, yet, Americans are being led to believe that, come November 4th, they will crown their Messiah.
So, dear voter, who is your God?
Labels: American elections, Christian, Israel, Jesus, Judaism, Matthew 25 Network, Messiah, Messianic Judaism, Obama, President, Yeshua
posted by Shoshana @ 7:12 PM
URGENT: A Night of Prayer & Fasting for America
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Tonight begins the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur. We gather together as a community to ask G-d for His mercy in forgiving our sins and blessing us with another year of life. Quick Biblical reference is Leviticus 23.
This year, Yom Kippur isn't just a Jewish thing.
Our nation is in serious need of G-d's mercy. We've got a "friend to the terrorists" running for President of the United States. Nothing is more serious than the possibility of a Hussein in the White House.
That's why I'm asking everyone who reads this blog--Jewish or not--to participate in a night of prayer and fasting for America. Since Yom Kippur starts at sundown, it can be as simple as skipping your nightly snack and humbling yourself for a few minutes before G-d in honest prayer.
Our nation is at stake. Can we do at least that much to help?
Pass it along to your friends, your family, your Pastors, and your Rabbis: tonight is a night to get serious before the Almighty and pray for this nation, to sacrifice a meal so we don't have to sacrifice our lives to the threat of a socialized government and anti-American ideologies both here and abroad receiving carte blanche from the highest office in the land.
Tonight. Sundown. Skip the snack and pray:
May G-d Bless America.
Cross-posted at The Jewish Cowgirl
Labels: America, American elections, Biden, McCain, Obama, Sarah Palin, Yom Kippur
posted by Shoshana @ 8:40 AM
Conversations with Christians on Barack Obama [Excerpts]
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Background: A couple, married for a long time; he is going to be 80, she is probably in her late 50s. White, middle class. Educated professionals. No children. Very active in a rather large church (membership near 1,000-- 3 Sunday services, one Saturday night service, multiple Bible studies/groups meeting weekly) and with the children in the neighborhood where they live.
She: "So, your parents are probably voting for John McCain, aren't they?"
Me: "All of us are."
He: "All of you? You mean your parents."
Me: "All of us."
He: "Even you? Someone of your age is voting for John McCain?"
Me: "Yes."
He: "Why?" (He is clearly aghast.) Everyone your age is voting for Barack Obama!
Me: I don't trust him.
He: Why?
Me: I don't trust his background.
He: Because of all that Muslim stuff?
Me: Yes.
He: Oh, that's just.... (trails off without responding) I think he's an educated man. We need that!
Me: He's a very good speaker.
He: We need education! He wants everyone to get a free education; that's what the government should do. We need educated people!
Me: I agree. But before the government sponsors free education, we need to reform the system.
He: I think a lot of people are denied an education based on economic reasons that are really, (he leans forward) more racially based than anything else.
Me: So, you're talking about white males, like my brother, who are denied scholarships that are then given to African Americans solely based on their race, right?
He: (Blinks. No response.)
Friend 1 (White American male, mid-50s): That's right.
Friend 2 (Hispanic Immigrant, mid-40s): That's right. White American males get nothing.
He: What do you mean, "reform"?
Me: I taught white male students who walked out of classes on feminist film theory feeling guilty of being rapists, colonizers, and murderers-- just because they happened to be white males.
He: That's ridiculous! What are you talking about?
Me: Feminist film theory-- a branch of literary and cultural criticism.
He: What is that? That's just one teacher, not an entire school.
Me: It is an entire school of thought that is taught on every college campus in this country.
He: What do you mean "every campus"? What college was this?
Me: A public, state-funded university.
He: Well, where does this come from? What is this theory?
Me: Literary and cultural studies, a branch of study that teaches you how to interpret the world around you and the media being produced by and for that world. It came out of English departments in the 1930s and expanded further in the 60s and into today. It is the basis of Liberal Arts education.
He: (Says nothing. A while later in the conversation, he returns to the topic.) Government should educate the citizens!
Me: That's all well and good, but we need to reform the system before we begin giving free educations to students.
He: Well, why is that the government's responsibility?
Me: (Laughing to myself.) Well, if you want the government to send every student to school for free, but they send them to an institution that is so drastically biased in its teaching, what kind of citizens are you getting? You're getting more people into the same work force that says (Friend 1) can't get a small business loan because he happens to be a white American male. So what good is a free education?
He: (Says nothing for a moment.) Well, why is the reform the government's responsibility?
[Ed. Note: I love how liberals like the government to take care of everything except when it comes to correcting their own shortcomings and faux ideologies. Then, suddenly, the libs aren't responsible.]
Later, in the conversation:
She: Well, I couldn't vote for any candidate who wasn't pro-choice. My sister got pregnant when she was 15, and she had no choice back then-- she didn't want to give the baby up for adoption, so she married the guy and had a miserable life. She was an alcoholic for 32 years. It was terrible.
Me: (Sometimes, saying nothing is the best response.)
She: I think the right has been horribly abused, but still, women should have the choice.
Me: (Again, I say nothing. But, I think to myself: My mother had a miscarriage and a blood disease, and was told that one of her options when she got pregnant with me was to have an abortion because of her medical history. Hm. She had a choice, and in exercising that choice, she respected her unborn daughter's right to choose life as well.
Later, it occurs to me that this woman's sister had a choice, too. She could have put the baby up for adoption; she chose not to. She could have raised the baby alone; she chose not to. She could have sought out refuge in positive things; she chose not to. And because her sister has sympathy for her, her sister chooses not to sympathize with every other woman, born and unborn, and their choice. Ironic, isn't it?)
Still, later in the conversation:
He: Hey, can you take a joke?
Me: Sure.
He: You know why I don't want to vote for McCain?
Me: No, why?
He: Because I don't want another Bush in the White House!
Me: (Shuddering at the lame vulgarity of the double-entendre, I choke out a polite chuckle.)
She: Oh, that's terrible.
Me: (Trying to change the topic.) One of my friends goes to your church.
She: Oh, really? What's her name?
Me: (I give her the name.)
She: Does she do music? Is she in the youth group? Is she active in the leadership?
Me: Oh, I don't know.
She: Well, it's such a large church... there's over 900 people. They do three services on Sunday, you know. And they're doing Saturday night services now!
Me: Really? Wow.
She: Yeah, it's great. I'm not a morning person, so this will be perfect.
Me: (I nod and wonder at the mercy of G-d, fitting Himself so politely into her schedule.)
He: You know, everyone in the world loves Barack Obama.
Me: I don't really care what the world thinks.
He: Why not? We have to deal with these people!
Me: The last thing I'm worried about are the opinions of overly socialized governments that coalesce to Islam.
He: (Says nothing.)
***
And that is faith impacting someone's political viewpoint. Well, faith, or a lack thereof. You know, Christians really need to get their heads on straight when it comes to what it means to live out faith. I think they're starting to, in drips, drabs, leaps and bounds. It's tough to verbalize and communicate, though, because expressing a faith lifestyle requires the equivalent of speaking a foreign language for most Christians.
Christianity's vocabulary is so diluted with pagan thought-processes that it is very hard to create and come to terms with the idea of living a life totally defined by Messiah. My heart goes out to these people who are trying so hard to do the right thing in everyone else's eyes that they've lost the vision G-d has for them. It's frustratingly pathetic on one hand, but seriously sad on the other.
I tend to be extremely critical on this blog because I have been trained, through education and experience, to view situations with a critical eye. Sometimes I come off as glib, and other times I come off as downright unforgiving. But, truly, as angry as I am with leadership that have let their flocks go astray, I have just as much, if not more compassion for the millions of sheep searching for the right path home, and I am just as easily able to laugh at the irony of G-d's truth in action. I hope everyone else is the same way because experiencing that depth and range of emotion draws us closer to knowing our G-d. And knowing our G-d is the only way to know and to be our true self.
Labels: American elections, Christianity, christians, Obama
posted by Shoshana @ 11:39 AM
Sarah Palin: Standing With Israel
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Via Israpundit:
I just attended a rally for her (Gov Palin) here in Anchorage where she spoke before going back on the campaign trail. I wore an Israeli/USA flags lapel pin on my shirt. Knowing that Sarah Palin flies a small Israeli flag in the window of her Juneau office. When she made it to me I stuck my hand out, with the pin I’d removed from my shirt in my hand, and left it in her hand when we shook. She was taken aback, wondering, what the heck is this? After she looked down to see what it was, she looked back up at me and kind of gasped, holding her hand over her heart and saying "THANK YOU!" I shouted back, "STAND WITH ISRAEL! She nodded and paused and looked me right in the eyes and said very seriously with a stiff and confident nod, "I WILL wear this." She is a real person, very sincere. I was glad to hear her tell Charlie Gibson repeatedly that we should NEVER 2nd guess ANYTHING Israel decides it needs to do to protect themselves.
Labels: America, American elections, Israel, Sarah Palin
posted by Shoshana @ 9:55 PM
Why I Like Sarah Palin:
Thursday, September 04, 2008
[Ed. Note: I know, I know, this is supposed to be a blog that focuses on the Messianic movement and subsequent veins thereof; since we live in a world in which "we are all links in a chain" as my mother would say, political commentary matters-- especially to believers, and especially to Jewish people. So, I'm getting political; so should the yeshiva-boys. (Like they already don't in their own way....)]
I'm sitting here listening to Chris Thile's album Not All Who Wander Are Lost which is *the* perfect soundtrack to accompany a discussion about the Republican Veep nom, because the bluegrass tunes, much like the hockey mom-turned-Governor, are so inherently American. As much as I hesitate to admit it sometimes, there is something so freaking beautiful about the soul of this country. According to the democrats, because I am a white, middle class, Jewish female in a certain age bracket, with a certain level of education under her belt, who lives in a certain area of the country, I am supposed to be a cynical, self-loathing, nation-hating anti-patriot bent on self-destruction through the socialization of my federal government. But, you know what? I can't be. I like this place too much.
There are a lot of perspectives I could take on Sarah Palin.
I could write as a woman about how great it is to see another woman get nominated for V.P., but honestly, in the world of feminist tripe, how shallow of a comment is that?
I could write as a Jew and get antsy about her Evangelical background and attendance at a church where David Brickner from Jews for Jesus was invited to speak, but honestly, I find her faith more helpful than harmful. After all, it isn't like the woman or her pastor are strapping explosive vests onto their kids and sending them into crowds of Jews; her son is going into the Army to beat Al-Quaida, not crash himself into a national landmark.
Heck, I could even write within my democrat-approved demographic and say that because of my age, my gender, my education, my geographical region, and my ethnic makeup that I think Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton, which is true. Sarah Palin is no Hillary Clinton-- which is why I would vote for her in a heartbeat.
But, I think I'm going to write this one out as a working class, Wal Mart-shopping, cowboy-boots wearing, ponytail-bearing, once-and-therefore-always-Texan, history-loving American with hardcore flag-waving roots. So, let me begin by saying: I like Sarah Palin because she's an American, just like me. She's a wife and mother with normal kids and a husband who works hard. She goes to church and actually believes in the Bible she holds every Sunday, because she understands that leaders must have the attitude of servants. Yet, she's proud enough of her history to "take the bull by the horns," as my grandfather often said, and "tell it like it is." The best thing the McCain camp could have done, they did: They researched and found a politician with the right combination of government experience and down to earth American character.
Joe Biden was all over the mainstream media during this morning's news hour, scrambling with his liberal newscaster cohorts to throw half-hearted blows in Palin's direction. It is evident that they don't have a thing to go on. Sure, Sarah's delivery was great, and her one-liners about B. Hussein Obama were fantastic, but even more than that: everything she said about energy independence, fighting terrorism (and B. Hussein's willingness to negotiate), and the economy was right on the money. As Clive Crooks over at the Atlantic Monthly notes:
Well, the Democrats have a problem. They had a few days of calling her a clueless redneck, a stewardess, a nonentity, and she has hurled that back in their bleeding gums. (If I were Joe Biden, I'd start practising for October 2nd right now.) Even before tonight's speech, they had backed off the "no experience" strategy, because (as the Republicans intended) that was sending shrapnel in Obama's direction.But, here's the kicker: Most who can't beat 'em, join 'em, but Palin is forcing the hardcore liberals to draw a line in the sand. Crooks goes on to say:
Where they will have to end up is obvious: McCain-Palin is an extreme right-wing ticket. It is a team that will prosecute the culture war against all that is decent and civilized in the United States: that must be the line.Classic Marxists to the end, the liberals play the pot calling the kettle black. Suddenly, Sarah Palin, who represents the majority of American citizens (what one bleeding-heart liberal I know called "the poor farm girls of the American midwest"), is the one attacking all that is "holy and good" (and I use those terms very loosely in this context) in the eyes of liberals the nation-over. Liberals who would sooner sell us out to Iran than stick a few drills into barren Alaskan tundra. Liberals accuse the Evangelical Hockey Mom of waging a war they created and are busy fighting every day: a war against the culture and values that made this country great. Do they really think all us lipsticked pit bulls will let them get away with that?
You see, the thing about Sarah is that she resonates with a person who is tired of being let down by a system that is so overloaded, you can't half-see the pork from the bull, let alone wade through it all. Perhaps the mainstream media is having such a hard time criticizing her because she isn't this or that-- like so many of the rest of us average Americans, Sarah Palin just is, and there's not much arguing with that.
Yesterday, I couldn't have given a hoot about this election. My only concern was keeping my passport updated so I could make a quick run for it if B. Hussein got elected. Now, I'm interested. I'm interested to see if the real America I love is all it's cracked up to be. I'm interested to see the real America put up a fight-- and win.
Labels: America, American elections, culture, Liberals, McCain, Sarah Palin
posted by Shoshana @ 5:45 PM
All the News that's Fit to Print
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Full Disclosure: I dislike John Kerry. A lot. He's an embarassment as a human being. And, in my book, the Swift Boat Veterans had every single right to publicize his shameful behavior to the world, and thank G-d they did-- at least there are a few people left who don't mind telling the truth when it counts. That being said:
"John F. Kerry has been mentioned as a potential Secretary of State in an administration led by - God forbid - Barack Hussein Obama."
But, on the bright side:
"According to a report in the Politico, Republican Presidential nominee John Sidney McCain is vetting Virginia Republican Representative Eric Cantor as a possible running mate."
Need important American political news quickly? Check out Israeli blogs. Duh.
Israpundit has become practically nothing more than a glorified laundry-list of Obama's campaign foul-ups. I dislike reprinting all of them here because, IMHO, if you're an informed voter, you already know most of this stuff. However, some things are just too fantastic not to garner special attention, like this letter from one Obama staffer to an Obama fan who posts on the campaign website:
"Hi [EMK],
Thank you so much for your involvement in the My.BarackObama online community. Your voice is valued here; however, we were forced to remove your recent blog post that referred to the "Jewish lobby." Please use the more specific and accurate term "Israel lobby." We appreciate your understanding and hope that you continue to be active in our online community.
Emily
Obama for America"
Wait, wait, let me guess. Hitler got a similar telegraph from Henry Ford in the 1920's, after receiving the future Dictator's "Letter to the Editor" for the Dearborn Independent.
Full Disclosure: I dislike Nancy Pelosi.
Fuller Disclosure: I dislike all Democrats in general. I'm not a Republican; I just dislike Democrats.
House Speaker adjourns Congress to prevent debate on offshore drilling that could give U.S. relief from oil prices.
I hope Pelosi freezes inside her hybrid this winter.
Missouri Cherokee Tribes proclaim Jewish Heritage This doesn't totally surprise me. As a fan of old book shops, I've come across more than one worn volume from the 1800s about the Cherokee people being the "lost tribe" or "13th tribe" of Abraham. I'm not quite sure how justifiable the claims are, since many of them are based in missionary-interpretations of Cherokee culture, but in this particular case, the claim is actually coming from the Cherokee people themselves. So, who knows? My only question is, if my ancestors belonged to another tribe, does that mean I'm really at war with myself?
And, finally, filed under the "Whoop-dee-Doo, We Knew This Five Years Ago" Column:
U.S. OFFICIAL: IRAQIS SAID SADDAM’S WMD’s WERE SENT TO SYRIA
I like to do a lot of outlining in this blog. I copy and paste headline after headline, then I step back and take a good hard look and, hopefully, with the help of HaShem's wisdom, I'm able to connect the dots.
Now, it's your turn.
Labels: American elections, Cherokee, Israel, Jewish, Obama
posted by Shoshana @ 9:24 PM
I Vote Aliyah
Sunday, June 29, 2008
**Ed. Note: Because of this disturbing news all future posts on this site will be cross-posted at our WordPress location: http://unifiedbody.wordpress.com a backup location I started at the nascence of this blog for times and situations like these.
If you're a fan (and I know you're out there-- thank you for the emails of support!) bookmark the link. I'm going to try and update the sidebar links at the wordpress location this week so the two sites mirror each other in content, if not in design.
Thanks for reading, and keep those comments coming! /Ed. Note**
Now, onto the weekly commentary.
If you think gas prices are bad in America, check out Carl in Jerusalem's blog post, Islamists seek to collapse the dollar? over at IsraelMatzav. And while you're there (or if you're still here) check out the Middle East Media Research Institute's report Mujahideen Monitor U.S. Economy, Attempt to Undermine Dollar which begins by stating:
Numerous postings on Islamist websites in the past two years reflect the mujahideen's growing interest in the state of the U.S. economy. As was argued in a 2007 MEMRI analysis, many of the jihadists and their supporters have come to view their struggle against the U.S. and the West as an economic war. More specifically, they have come to the conclusion that it is financial, rather than military, losses that will prompt the U.S. to change its policies in the Middle East and elsewhere. Consequently, they emphasize the importance of targeting U.S. interests around the world, and of directing their military jihad primarily at targets that affect the U.S. economy.In brief, the Islamic nutballs are ordering their followers to invest in gold and real estate. Larry Kudlow, of CNBC's Kudlow & Company spent Friday night telling his audience that gold going high is a bad thing for the US Economy, and Saturday morning I go online to find this post. Great. Now I know why gold inflation is bad. Moreover, I also question the Arab influence behind the mortgage crisis-- less American ownership of American land makes it all the easier for the caliphate to attempt takeover. (Note: I said "attempt".) And how much easier is it to buy up land when Ma and Pa America are busy trying to put gas in their cars and make their meager paychecks cover their rising food bills?
Speaking of Ma and Pa America, Sultan Knish over at Israpundit comments on another great OpEd by JPost writer Caroline Glick: Religious Zionism Holds the Future of Israel in its Hands:
A nation can’t exist for long cannot exist without both a national identity and a national structure. The latter has to come from the political and practical institutions of the state. The former has to come from a shared value and belief system. A state without a shared positive value system is on the way to extinction, as first world nations can amply demonstrate for us. A value system without a state leaves only victims and exiles.Want an example of a mannequin nation? Try assessing the average Obama supporter. The only two things they're sure of are: 1. Barack Obama has roughly the same demographic makeup (age, race, economic status) as Dave Chappelle and, 2. His wife is the height of fashion. This is enough for them to elect a racist, anti-Israel socialist who wants to negotiate with the most maniacal world leader since Hitler as President of the United States. Brilliant.
The collapse of the first world nations is occurring precisely because those value systems are being ruthlessly torn down, leaving hollowed out states that have the structure of a nation but no defense again attack or ability to rally morale. Like mannequins they have the appearance of states, but not the content. This is occurring across America, Europe and Israel.
If George Orwell were alive today, I don't know if he'd be crying in the corner or just staring blankly and remarking, "Told you so."
Has Obama said one word about his platform? Has he uttered one sentence about the policies he'd actually attempt to implement were he to be elected? No. Absolutely not. Why? Because Reality TV has seeped into politics? Yes. Absolutely true. Need the proof? Check out OBAMA’S NEW STRATEGY on Israpundit:
Obama and the conservative right are mutually trying to keep the debate about his candidacy on the existential level — is he the hope for America’s future or a Manchurian Candidate, a kind of sleeper agent sent to destroy our democracy? That debate, which pits Obamas rhetoric against the Rev. Wright's rantings, is a contest that could go on all day, and Obama would win it. It is simply a bridge too far to believe that Obama is that evil and that invidious.How does he get away with providing such a TOTAL LACK of solid information to the mainstream newsmedia? More importantly, how are so many Americans falling under Obama's spell when they are obviously nearly totally completely uninformed about his policies?
But the more the debate covers such fundamental questions, the more it ignores the details — details which could bring Obama down.
Quite simply, Obama would rather address his religious views and his optimism about America and his embrace of diversity than talk about his plans to raise taxes, let gasoline prices soar and socialize healthcare.
They're morons.
Seriously, their entire philosophy is, "Well, If Oprah likes him, he must be okay." Americans, especially those between the ages of 18 and 39, who constitute the majority of Obama supporters appearing in rally audiences, have been totally desensitized and sedated by the crack that is reality TV. They could care less about issues: They want the sex, the violence, the drama. Okay, so Barack isn't exactly a pimp daddy, but he has openly admitted to using illegal drugs (check out his autobiography) he's embroiled in religious controversy, and visually, he's a D.C. version of Dave Chappelle without the bloodshot eyes and munchies. If only the Jewish people could produce a D.C. version of Jon Stewart to run for office, we'd have it made with today's young voters-- and more of these kids are graduating college than ever before! So much for higher education; I suppose that's what happens when you staff the ivy halls with professors so hell-bent on the benefits of tenure that they literally tell students what sentences to highlight and recopy from their textbooks onto their final exams. We have produced a nation of robots: turn on the TV and watch "reality" take over the White House.
Aliyah is sounding better and better.
Labels: America, American elections, Economy, Obama
posted by Shoshana @ 8:11 PM
LONG LIVE ISRAEL!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
This week was a momentous one in a number of ways.
We celebrated my Jewish father's birthday. His initials are V.E. because he was born on Victory in Europe day; oddly enough, I was the only one to know what V.E. Day was in my WW2 films class back in college. None of my peers--educated ones at that--knew what V.E. stood for.
Along with about 40 others, I took my turn to speak up and speak out against a proposed zoning ordinance during a public hearing with my city's commissioners. The proposed ordinance would have turned my 326 year old small town into a "smart growth transit village"-- a postmodern term for squishing as many people into as tiny a space as possible, in order to "save the wildlife" (and do G-d knows what else-- as a Jew, I despise ghetto mentality in any form for good reason). Penned by the local bunch of eco-nazis, the ordinance would have plowed over our history, character, and beauty for developers keen on building low income housing, multi-tiered parking garages, and hotels on wetlands. It was a classic case of the few and the powerful looking to make a profit off the weak and the uninformed, and looking to do so in a sneaky matter. When they realized that our small group had caught on and actually read the document, one city planner said, "Uh oh, the rats are out of the bag." (Not kidding.) Needless to say, our grass-roots efforts were nothing short of democracy at work; the public hearing was packed with people I didn't even know, speaking out against the ordinance. Fortunately (and fearfully) the commissioners heard us and responded to the public's outcry, tabling the ordinance for further re-write and review, with citizen input. I'm pretty sure this summer in town will be akin to the summer of Philadelphia, circa 1776. But, Thank G-d free speech still exists in this country, to some extent at least.
Most importantly, this week we celebrated Israel's 60th Birthday. We did so by investigating Olmert's gross corruption, witnessing John McCain (finally) publicly announce that Hamas supports Barack Obama, and watching as the Lebanese PM succumbed to Hizbullah terrorist demands and resigned.
This world is in a weird place. Even in my own small way, in my two minute speech to my commissioners and fellow citizens, I felt as if I were "raging against the dying of the light." We need a perspective change. We need to realize that, as Jews and as believers in Messiah, we are the light, and we aren't dying. Whether it is hearing people applaud when you speak the truth, or watching fireworks over Jerusalem, we need to be aware that we are the winners here-- that being Jewish means we align ourselves with G-d and, in doing so, WE ALWAYS WIN.
We're the winners here. We're the ones doing the right thing. And in that, I rejoice.
Last weekend I happened to pick up a Victorian print I'd had my eye on for a while. It's a close-up of three horses staring at you with the sea in the distance. I don't know why I like it-- I'm generally not into animals or animal prints-- but something about them spoke to me.
After doing a little research, I found out that the print is actually from a famous painting done for Queen Victoria by an artist and horse trainer named J.F. Herring. Ironically, the painting is titled "Pharaoh's Horses"-- hence the oceanic background; these are the horses leading the chariots on the chase after the Hebrews, about to be washed assunder by the waves of the Red Sea. Now, every time I look at them I can see clearly the fear in their eyes: being knowingly led by a cruel master into their demise, and not being able to do anything about it. These were the animals chasing after my ancestors (after me, after all of us really, since we are to feel that we have been personally freed from Egypt) yet the horses are the ones in fear, not us. Because we always win.
Happy Birthday, Israel. We always win!
Labels: American elections, Freedom, Israel Independence Day, Jerusalem, Jewish
posted by Shoshana @ 10:44 AM
