Caught My Eye

I've never thought about the required for Star Trek.

Also, some of misgivings I share.

A Little More Than Six Hours...

... then I can have this:

Fair Play

When of the things I've always loved about the United States was it's sense of fair play on issues of justice. But some things that have happened in the past 20-30 years have made me wonder about the direction our country is going. With the advent of the War on Drugs, some of our precious freedoms were lost and there was hardly an out cry. When someones money and property can be confiscated by the government on the mere suspicion of drug use or trafficking, something is terribly wrong. In far too many cases, these people are not even charged with any crimes.

California voted in the 3 strikes you're out law in which those criminals with prior convictions had to serve mandatory sentences if they had two prior convictions. This was not justice and I believe it has since been rescinded.

I'm currently reading John Adams by David McCullough. John Adams was the lawyer for the British soldiers arrested for their part in the Boston Massacre. When asked why, he stated "The reason is because it's of more importance to the community, that innocence should be protected, than it is, that guilt should be punished".

The Supreme Court recently ruled on a case which may and can lead to the erosion of more precious rights. We are a country that seeks fair play even for those charged with crimes. We provide money for lawyers to those who cannot afford them. Defendants do not have to testify against themselves. Those charged are considered innocent until proven guilty.

There have been trends to erode these time honored traits of American justice. I do not like it when someone is freed on a technicality. However, like Adams, I believe that innocence should be protected than guilt be punished. When a case is thrown out because of a technicality, it protects all of us from a court system that could all to soon become grossly unfair if those safeguards are loosened the least bit.

I want the safeguards in place. I want our court system to be a place of justice and one that adheres to fair play.

Art Break

There is something about Monet's Garden at Sainte-Adresse that keeps drawing me. I have an inexpensive print of it in my room. It reminds me of the pier at the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor with all the people, the boats, and the flags.




I still don't get Picasso. I did find Courtesan With Hat. I can add this the ones I like.



I hope to do these more frequently. It has been over a year since my last art break.

Earth

Sometimes, we tend to forget just how wonderful is our Earth. From Life image archives of the 1960's:

Internet Withdrawal

I've been without access to Internet at my home for about two weeks now. I've been accessing it while at work or at my sister's. I'm fortunate my boss doesn't mind me doing posts on my lunch break and that blogger allows posts to be scheduled. I can continue to do my Shabbat posts and have them appear 15 minutes before Shabbat starts, my time.

I miss being to read at will my favorite blogs and making comments. I miss being able to follow the news on being able to research on topics ranging from Torah study to learning Hebrew to photography to space exploration.

I am suffering from a bit of internet withdrawal. I have been able to catch up on my reading.

Blogging Will Be Light

Due to circumstances beyond my control, posting will be very light.

Jews in Name Only?

I used to be somewhat dismayed by the perception I had of my congregation. It seemed as though the majority were secular Jews, Jews whose only ties were secular in nature. As I became more open and aware of those in my congregation, I thought less why they remained Jews and more of how I can learn by their example. I used to wonder why so many didn't make the effort to learn the Kabbalat Shabbat prayers in Hebrew and were content just to be there. And there was my clue. They werethere.

Perhaps the majority don't keep Shomeir Shabbat. Perhaps the majority don't keep kosher. They do keep our community going. They are there when someone needs a ride to services, to the hospital, or someone is sick and needs a visit.

They are there when someone dies in our very small Jewish community. They come and say the Mourner's Kaddish for the prescribed period when their parent or child has died.

They are there when we joyfully celebrate the groundbreaking of our new shul. They are there to greet the visiting rabbis. They are there when we dance with our Torahs on Simchat Torah.

They struggle and have struggled so their children can have bar/bat mitzvahs. These parents have to find a rabbi who is willing to help their children learn the trope via phone, email, webcam, etc. And thank HaShem there are rabbis who are willing to take the time to help these children and their families.

I used think why do they remain Jews. Now I think of the great strength it has taken each of them to remain Jewish when we live in the Bible Belt. It would have been so much easier to just assimilate.

The very essence of Jewish life is community. Our small community is made up of both observant and non-observant. We remain a strong community because we look out for one another. That is our greatest strength.

Another Question

Jameel left a comment at my post Overturned Shovels. He said he had never heard of the custom of overturning shovels at Jewish funerals. I had never heard of it before Rabbie Annie talked about it. I like the idea. I did a quick google search and only saw one entry in which it was mentioned. Has anyone else heard of it?

Question of the Day

The election of Barack Obama is historic. The United States has looked beyond the color of person's skin and judged on character. Another historic election comes to mind, that of John Kennedy, the first non-Protestant president.

I have one question. Could a non-Christian be elected president?

Looking for Sense

Jack has summed up nicely and graphically some of the contradictions of those who oppose gay marriage. I must admit, over the years, I've overturned my opposition. Perhaps the older you get, the more compassionate you become. Who are we to deny two people who love one another the chance to marry?

Overturned Shovels

A few short weeks ago, Mark was able to join us in our ground-breaking. He had been struggling with illness for the past two years and he seemed to be improving. On November 4, he passed away. Friday, our congregation performed the mitzva of burying the dead. Rabbi Annie, from the Princeton Jewish Center, was here with a group of Jewish teenagers who are helping to rebuild the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She explained why we turn the shovels upside down and do not pass it from person to person.
It is done this way because even though we are doing a mitzva, it is one that should be done without haste. It also has to be done as a community.




Mark was full of laughter. He was one of those people that you almost immediately feel a sense of friendship. He was the caretaker for our shul before Hurricane Katrina damaged it beyond repair. He saved our Torah scrolls by evacuating them to a safe place. It has been hard watching he and Mom struggle these past few years. He did it while keeping a sense of humor. We are going to miss him.

The Strength of a Nation

The United States is unique. We somehow are able to weave the 300 million individual opinions that exist and still strive to work together. Sometimes we have arguments that can be very contentious. I know I've been very outspoken about my views on Sarah Palin. Some of my readers, many I consider friends, may have been bewildered at the direction I've been gone these last few weeks. I'm hoping the Republican Party can once again the Big Tent it used to be and no longer consider some parts of America to be 'real' and by that implication, other parts not 'real'.

Our greatest strength has always been us. Some examples:

My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Crossing the Rubicon

Jack's

Yourish

Seraphic Press

Volokh Conspiracy

Confederate Yankee

Likelihood of Success
Here's to the real America: All of us!!

Update: I'll be adding other links as the day goes by.

DovBear

Daisy Cuter

Role Models

Have you ever had a role model that helped you change your life around? When I was growing up, there were two people I had as role models. They were John Wayne and my 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Sherman. John Wayne helped to teach me about integrity and personal responsibility. Ms. Sherman ignited in me a love for reading that I still have today.

This video, Obama Youth has been making the rounds. I finally finally watched it. I don't see what is wrong with these youths looking at Barack Obama as a positive role model. If you get past the hunting pants they are wearing and the alpha-omega part at the beginning and listen to what the kids are saying, it's a positive message. Instead of having a role model like Mike Tyson, Michael Vick, other sports stars, or gangsta rappers, these kids chose Obama as a role model.

Even with the recitation of Obama's health care plan and other things in the video, the message I came away with is these kids have chosen a positive role model. They state because of his example, they dare to dream about being engineers and see accepting personal responsibility as a good thing. Is that bad?

Kol HaTorah

During the Shachrit services Tuesday, I was given the honor of the fifth aliyah. This was only my second aliyah and the first for Rosh HaShanah. Seeing the Torah scrolls and hearing the chanting pierces me in a way I still cannot articulate. The whole of my neshama responds to the kol of Torah.

The notes of the shofar remind me that I need to listen and heed.

No Longer in A Pickle

First, the tests on my son all came back normal. YEAH!!!

Second, Mickle's Pickles profusely pleased: purloined ponderous pickle placard produced.

Questions, Questions

I consider myself an independent, more accurately a social conservative as far as politics. I receive emails from a Jewish Republican group. I try to balance by reading liberal, conservative, and other blogs. Lately, I've been wondering if Republican presidents have really been on the side of Israel. This is one of the issues I look at very closely as an American citizen.

Some troubling history makes me reconsider if a Republican president is more likely to support Israel. Starting with President Reagan and Secretary if State Weinberger, we have the nefarious prosecution of Jonathan Pollard. Jonathan Pollard was a US Naval Intelligence officer who passed on information to Israel. Under Reagan's term, he was sentenced to life for spying. This sentence is harsh in that most others who were sentenced for the same offense of passing on information to allies of the US were given sentences of around two years. Pollard's sentencing is even harsher than some American spies who passed on information to countries who are not considered allies of the US.

Also, President George W. Bush proclaimed after 9-11 that there is no negotiating with terrorists. The rhetoric coming from Secretary of State Rice gives lie to that stance. Increasingly, Israel is asked to give up more and more to bolster Abbas and Fatah. Fatah is little more than Hamas in nice business suits.

I have a sense of disillusionment when it comes to the rhetoric of Republican candidates regarding Israel. McCain says over and over that the Iranian nuclear threat to Israel is one of his biggest concerns. And yet, time after time, the Republican assurances to Israel seem to falter at some point.

In the past, it has been the Democratic presidents who have responded more quickly when Israel was in danger. President Johnson, unlike President Eisenhower supported Israel.

The past history of Democratic and Republican presidents makes me question which will truly be on the side of Israel when Iran tries to make good on its threat to annihilate Israel.

There are other issues I'm looking at. One being the United States energy needs and the dismal state of infrastructure. Popular Mechanics has a good breakdown of McCain's and Obama's views. McCain supports the building of more nuclear plants while Obama supports more clean-coal plants. In my opinion, McCain's option would be the best. However, McCain doesn't address the critical state of US infrastructure. Obama does and Obama also has stated his ideas for improving the US's electrical grid.

McCain decried the money from taxes collected from gas sales were being earmarked for stuff other than infrastructure. He also supported a national gas tax "holiday" which seems a contradiction.

Also, Obama has plans to help protect New Orleans as well as build-up the marsh lands to help coastal areas along the Gulf Coast, not just in Louisiana. McCain hasn't shared his plans.

I'm going to do more research. I have questions about health care and education. There are other things that I'm bitterly disappointed with President Bush. He promised to increase funding for college grants and yet after he made his speech, funding was cut.

In the end, all politicians make promises which cannot be kept. Some of those promises are vitally important to the safety of millions. Questions, questions.

Time for....

shoes! A quick google search found these. Should I or shouldn't I?



These are barefoot running shoes. They look fun.

Self-Criticism

Does there become a point when self-criticism causes more harm than good? Is there a tendency to reflect more on the bad than the good?

Strange questions to ponder while watching Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

This movie is so unabashedly pro-American that I doubt anything similar could be made today. I cannot picture any of today's stars singing these lyrics from Strictly USA:

Go to a picnic, go to clambake,
Go to a bar tent, or county fair,
You'll be the happy resident,
Maybe get to be the future president,
Take a man like Abraham Lincoln,
Take a state like I-O-Way
Take a sugar-cured ham, a candied yam,
Or take your favorite Uncle Sam,
And shout a big hooray, it's strictly USA.
You never can know a country
Till you know the folks, see them
In their own native locales.
If you wanna see young acorns
Growing into oaks, you gotta
See the fellas and gals.
And inspecting extra special,
A bunch of merchandise,
The all-American Cow wins the prize.
Your All-American man is nice young man,
He is a handy man in a pinch,

Self-criticism is supposed to rectify short-comings but if criticism is not tempered with self-pride, it can become self-destructive. Can anyone picture the Dixie Chicks singing the above song?

Friday Wasn't the Best Day

I've been having problems with a tooth for over a month. I decided Friday to call the dentist about it. The pain has now reached the point that I'm having trouble eating. After being on hold for over 30 minutes, I decided Fridays aren't the best days to try to schedule a dentist appointment. I will make one tomorrow.