Sarah Palin’s Sin

There is a seemingly constant stream of news reports listing the newest and various misspeaks, gaffs, inaccuracies, and purported misuse of code words or special phrases such as the recent manufactured uproar over her using “blood libel’ in reference to the media placing blame for the Arizona shootings by a madman on her use of bullseyes on a campaign map to show seats considered competitive. Every week, sometimes daily, Mrs. Palin is dragged before the court of public opinion over something she said that somebody, anybody found distasteful, erroneous, or simply questionable, often on the flimsiest of grounds. But why is Sarah Palin so often, pardon the word, targeted by the liberal media icons and foot-soldiers alike? What is her crime that makes her so viscously maligned?

Sarah Palin’s sin is not simply that she is a conservative. It is not just because she did not attend the correct high minded schools. It is not because she speaks in plain words without any pretense or air of superiority. It is definitely not because what she says is untrue as if she makes the smallest of errors in speaking you would think the world was coming unraveled due to her simple misspeak. The real reason Sarah Palin is so viscously attacked is because she connects with people who hear her message. She makes difficult and complex ideas understandable by speaking in what can be called vernacular English rather than taking on a pretentious air using obscure references and what I like to call polysyllabic linguistics, simply put, big words. What makes her connecting with everyday people in a comforting manner even more dangerous is that she is explaining the tenets of conservatism allowing people to realize that what she says conforms to what they believe. Her simple, straightforward, honest, and easy style of speaking unravels all the fear and loathing the media pushes against conservatives in an effort to scare people. The attacks are out of fear that all the extensive and duplicitous efforts to push the liberal, post-modern, secular-humanist message as the only truth on the voting public will all be for naught by the plain speaking Sarah Palin. Because she connects with real people in a real and honest way that presents the conservative, Constitutional message in an easily understood and comfortable nonthreatening manner, Mrs. Palin is a constant threat to upset their apple cart. We can’t have that, now, can we.

Sarah Palin may not be another Ronald Reagan, but that does not mean that her style and her honest and forthright manner reminds many of President Reagan. Sarah Palin’s strength goes beyond her communication style to her brave, self-assured core which gives her the fortitude to withstand the near constant assaults made against her honor, integrity, and intelligence. It takes a rare person to step forward knowing that by doing so one is guaranteed to face a maelstrom of abuse and the vindictive barbs of a hostile media. After running for national office myself, I know of what I speak. I hope to never have to face such hostile vindictiveness again in my life and I hold the greatest respect for Mrs. Palin for stepping forward day in and day out week after week knowing full well what she faces. My hat is off to you, Mrs. Palin, and my gratitude.

Beyond the Cusp

International Peacekeeping Troops? Stop the Joking Please!

The idea that United Nations or NATO troops be placed in the West Bank and Gaza to keep the peace, stop terrorist attacks, and enforce an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement would be a hysterical joke if the results of such a ridiculous plan would produce such tragic ends. It is not like this half-baked idea has not been tried and proven to be worse than useless because such is the case currently with the UNIFIL troops farcical ineffectiveness at reining in Hezballah from rebuilding and rearming without even a single reported action impeding their efforts. We saw exactly how effective international troops were in the build-up to the Six Day War in June of 1967. No sooner had Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser decided to attack Israel and wipe her off the map than did he demand all United Nations Peacekeeping Troops be removed from the Sinai Peninsula and especially the Israel-Gaza armistice line. Secretary General of the United Nations U Thant immediately complied and the nations whose troops were stationed to prevent a war evacuated them with the expressed purpose of allowing a war to be initiated.

Another reality that either escapes notice or is proven to be beyond peoples ability to understand, Israel does not desire even in the slightest to have the young men and women serving in other country’s militaries to become casualties defending Israel. Not once has Israel requested foreign troops be placed in harms way protecting Israel. Unfortunately, nations and organizations have insisted Israel accept foreign troops to act as peacekeepers. Fortunately, and this is a blessing, very few of these brave souls been killed or injured when placed in such a perilous position. Israeli military commanders are fully aware that the only troops who would go to any length and take any risk to defend Israel are Israelis. Ask most Israeli commanders for their view, they are very likely to quote Rabbi Hillel famous dictum, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?”

Truth be told, I doubt anyone could come up with an even more insane and problematic idea than to place innocent third party troops in the Palestinian areas with the completely misguided assumption that such troops could keep the peace. As has been proven repeatedly in Lebanon, where this plan failed so miserably in its initial implementation that the United Nations reached the brilliant idea to double down placing far more innocents in harm’s way who, when violence eventually does break out, will serve as human shields for Hezballah rocket, mortar and bunker positions. Examples of the problems caused by having peacekeepers caught in the crossfire was made evident in the Second Lebanon War where many times the Israelis refrained from targeting Hezballah positions due to their close proximity to UN buildings and personnel. This sad excuse of an idea should be rejected by Israel because peacekeeping troops’ presence makes the IDF’s tactical considerations extremely problematic. Furthermore, the last thing Israel needs to place her in a bad light and further erode any semblance of friendship with many countries would be having those countries soldiers coming home in caskets and body-bags. Please, remove placing peacekeepers to protect Israeli concerns from your list of bright ideas; it really is not that bright an idea. Thank you.

Beyond the Cusp

Why Are There No Longer Prophets?

Most who have read or even have the slightest familiarity with the Bible, in this case particularly the Old Testament, know that long ago great Prophets were born in many generations who were able to warn the people of the dire consequences of straying from the ways of the L-rd. Not too surprisingly, they were proven right with the passage of time. Modernists explain that the Prophets talked in such general terms that of course the events they predicted would come true sooner or later. It would be like explaining to the people of New Orleans, which many prophetic engineers had warned, that a sufficiently powerful hurricane would come and breach the levy system if they were not upgraded and maintained. Not much soothsaying happening there, but still, that prophecy did indeed come true with devastating results and footage on the nations television news for months. The same could be said for the Biblical predictions of conquering invading armies when a neighbor was noted to be expanding and building their military. Warning that straying from the chosen path and not also training an army to defend G-d’s precious gift, the Land of Israel, would lead to a devastating foreign conquest and being enslaved did not exactly require rocket science to predict.

So, why did there stop being Prophets? Perhaps it was because the people grew so tired of Prophets that they became seen as doom-sayers and were simply no longer welcome. Whatever the reason, once Rome was finished with the Hebrew people, for a Prophet to rise up amongst them after their dispersal to the far corners of the empire became improbable if not impossible. Now, with about half the Jews we know about in the world living in Israel, and most of the other half in the United States, once again the conditions exist for a Prophet to arrive. The problem today is that nobody would believe or even care should a Prophet rise from among the people. Such a person would be at best ignored, even placed in protective custody, or even assassinated, as was Rabbi Meir Kahane. Currently, we would like to believe we are above such primitive superstitions and the truth lies in scientific proofs and not from Biblical sages. Personally, I think that is sad as we are so very in need of a true Prophet to guide and inspire us.

Looking at the situation in Israel today, a familiar pattern is emerging mirroring many periods from Biblical antiquity. The people are quietly becoming more observant and turning to our Jewish source of saving grace through all times, G-d and the performance of Mitzvoth. But, in the other end of Israeli society is an excessively boisterous minority of what are called post-Zionists who view Israel as just another multi-cultural country amongst an enlightened world of multi-cultural states. Many in this group see holding Israel to be the Jewish State as provincial and archaic. They do not hold with the idea that Israel is a place of special merit where Jews can live up to their Biblical obligations and practice those Mitzvoth and customs that were difficult for us during the nearly two-thousand-years in the Diaspora. They do not hold that Jerusalem is Holy ground, G-d’s City, and a blessing to be treasured and kept whole and cherished with special prayers and loving care. These post-Zionists have no clue to the importance of our Biblical lands and the Holy City of Jerusalem. They see the stories from the Bible of the varied and numerous events that took place in the Judean Hills as well as in the plains between them and the Sea as our rightful claim to the land. To these secularists, everything is negotiable and may be traded for the chimera of peace that will only result if we hold to our traditional lands and our traditional ways. They do not believe the predictions made by Prophets over two-thousand-years ago of the great conflagration that will follow the dividing of the land and Jerusalem will bring down upon us again.

A walk through the Jewish Bible one finds unbelievable miracles that came to the Jews, both individually and as a people, when we valued the L-rd, performed Mitzvoth and lived a life of Torah. Such evidence and purpose has begun to grow amongst the Jews in Israel as well as among some in the Diaspora. This is a positive sign as Israel has flourished when the L-rd our G-d was our inspiration and the ways of man were a secondary consideration. This aggravates the secularists who place mankind and the laws of men above all else. This is where a modern day Prophet would come against their most difficult of obstacles. Upon first glance, a religious Haredi and other Orthodox Jews appear to exist in such a structured society that deviations would seem impossible while the secular Jews appear to be a varied conglomerate where open-mindedness is claimed to be a central tenet in their lives. Yet, upon closer evaluation, quite the opposite is found to be the truth. Where the religious Jews wish that their fellow secular Jews would realize their error in not living a life of Torah, they do not wish them ill will or out of hand dismiss everything they stand for. Even the most strident of the religious Jews look upon all Jews as their brothers and sisters and pray for the best for them. On the other hand, among the secular community you find many who have open contempt and even hatred for the very religious Jews. The secularists oppose almost everything they believe the religious Jews stand for. They ridicule the religious as living in an archaic past with little or no connection to the present and often blame them for many of the problems Jews face from anti-Semitism and other sources. The most extreme of the secular Jews who would be classified as post-modern and post-Zionist live by standards that tolerate absolutely no deviance from their “known truths”, tolerating no debate, no questions. Any person, say a politician, who presents a logical argument may find debate for the most part from the religious Jews with only a few unwilling to listen. On the other hand, a Prophet would not be allowed to even make a presentation and would likely find a riotous mob waiting to violently prevent him from even appearing, let alone speaking. Perhaps this is why we have no Prophets any longer. Maybe such persons of vision can see the futility and have decided they have better things to do. Maybe they exist but end up preaching to the choir not being allowed any venue outside those who believe.

Beyond the Cusp