Baruch Dyan Emet

Jackson Mississippi Mayor Melton died a couple of days ago. He had a heart attack shortly after losing his bid for re-election. He's had heart problems. Once again, Marshall Ramsey of the Clarion-Ledger is poetic:

Birds

I was going to call this post "Death in the Neighborhood" but that might be a tad melodramatic. One of the best things about working where I do is that I have 3 windows. During the day, I can glance up and see what's going on the 'hood. I get great enjoyment from watching the birds. On day, there be a great flock of grackles. Another day, a beautiful white egret against a deep blue sky.

There are a lot of birds that nest close by. The osprey are less than a quarter of a mile away. There's a pair of little birds that nest in a camellia bush. Mockingbirds, grackles, woodpeckers, and other birds nest in the pecan and live trees close by. Marsh wrens, red wings, great blue herons, sea gulls, and pelicans are close by as well.

The other day I watched as a brave mockingbird defended his nest against not one, not two, but three crows. It was a dogfight extraordinaire. He was successful.

Today, I happened to glance up and saw one of the ospreys. It was being chased and harried by one of the grackles. Grackles are not known for being aggressive and are usually gregarious and social. As the osprey, came closer, I realized why the grackle was so desperate. Clutched in the osprey's talons was a very tiny shape and I realized it was a hatchling.

The grackle continued to chase the osprey and he was joined by his mate. There was nothing they could do. For the next 10-15 minutes, when I would look up, I would see the two grackles aimlessly flying and trying to do something.

The osprey has a mate and hatchlings of his own to protect. But it was like seeing friend hurt friend. The neighborhood has calmed down for now. The grackles have returned to their nest and the osprey is off to find more prey.

That Is the Question

For the Common Good

This past week, the Torah portion was Acharei Mot-Kedoshim. There are so many things in this parasha that promote the common good and general welfare of all. In it are various mitzvah such as:

Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Hillel, a very famous Sage, addressed it this way:

"That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Go and study it."

I sort of gave the punch line to this parasha, for if we are to love our neighbor as our self, how do we go about it?

One of the most striking instructions for me is this:

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest.

And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your G-d.

Not only are we to help provide for the stranger and the poor, but the above implies that we must do it in such a way as not to cause embarrassment to those in need. This brought to mind the EBT cards that have now replaced food stamps. Not only are we in the United States, through our government leaving the corners of the field for the stranger, we are also doing in it a way that will not cause embarrassment. Some may argue that it shouldn't the function of the government to provide such things as food stamps, housing, and medical care to those who can't afford it. I feel that in addition to our various donations to various charities and causes, taxes can and should be used for social programs tho help those in need. I've written before that the label given to these programs of Entitlements should be changed to Investments.

Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbour, nor rob him; the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

This verse reminds of two things: The Civil Rights Movement and the rise of labor unions. Even after the Civil War, blacks were still oppressed. It took the bravery of blacks in places like Selma Alabama who were joined hand-in-hand with a few whites to break the injustice and cruelty of the inherent racism so prevalent in the South.

At the turn of the last century, the conditions American in which workers lived and worked were atrocious. The labor unions helped to rectify this injustice.

Blacks and workers both faced, beatings, false imprisonment, and death by those who wished to keep their neighbors oppressed. It took a strong central government and justice system to lift the oppression.

There is one other section from this parasha:

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor favour the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

In short, justice should be blind. Justice should not favor the poor and it should not show deference to the rich. It should be an equal playing field for the lowest beggar to the richest person. The United States provides an attorney to those who cannot afford it. It tries its best to ensure that justice is blind.

A lot of the programs that the United States has in place is for the common good of the nation as well as the general welfare. For a long time, some of these programs have been considered Socialistic and/or Communistic. Some feel that the Civil Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act are in violation of our Constitution. I feel their are an affirmation of the notion that "all men are created equal".

Some argue that it isn't the place of our government to provide these social programs and that those in need should rely on themselves, family, churches, etc. Again, I feel that all of the social programs provide for the common good and general welfare of all Americans.

Occupied

The flower looks innocuous enough, doesn't it? However, it is my nemesis. Each spring I go through turmoil and all caused by those flowers. Some years the allergy symptoms are so bad, I lose my hearing. I did this year. I'm rejoicing today because I could hear well enough that I didn't have to ask others to repeat themselves 5 gizillion times. It was so bad Friday, some had taken to writing what they were trying to tell me.

Enough about me. If you are suffering from allergies, the regular flu, or other maladies, here's a remedy: Haveil Havalim 215-One Topic Edition.

Shabbat Shalom!

Anne Frank Banned!

This year, UNESCO is holding its "World Book Capitol Day" in Beirut Lebanon. The Dairy of Anne Frank has been banned. Others banned include:

Even a partial list of books banned in Lebanon gives pause: William Styron's "Sophie's Choice"; Thomas Keneally's "Schindler's List"; Thomas Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem"; books by Philip Roth, Saul Bellow and Isaac Bashevis Singer. In fact, all books that portray Jews, Israel or Zionism favorably are banned.

Writers in Arabic are not exempt. Abdo Wazen's "The Garden of the Senses" and Layla Baalbaki's "Hana's Voyage to the Moon" were taken to court. Syria's Sadiq Jalal al-Azm was prosecuted for his "Critique of Religious Thinking."

Censorship is carried out by the Sûreté General, which combines the functions of the FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security. It does not post a list of banned works, much less answer questions. However a major book importer, in an email, provided a list of banned films and the reasons given by the Sûreté. Here are some: "A Voice From Heaven" (verses of Koran recited during dance scenes); "Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" (homosexuality); "Barfly" ( blacklisted company Canon); and "Daniel Deronda" (shot in Israel).

All of Jane Fonda's films are banned, since she visited Israel in 1982 to court votes for Tom Hayden's Senate run. "Torn Curtain" is banned: Paul Newman starred in "Exodus." And the television series "The Nanny" is banned because of Fran Drescher.

According to Beirut newspaper L'Orient, any one of the recognized religions (a system known as "confessionalism") can ask the Sûreté to ban any book unilaterally. The Muslim Dar al-Fatwa and the Catholic Information Center are the most active and effective. (The latter got Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" banned.) Even works by self-proclaimed Islamists such as Assadeq al-Nayhoum's "Islam Held Hostage," have been banned, and issued only when re-edited in sympathetic editions (in Syria).

Censorship is a problem throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Though a signatory of the Florence Agreement, the Academy of Islamic Research in Egypt, through its censorship board al-Azhar, decides what may not be printed: Nobel Prize winner Naghib Mahfouz's "Awlad Haratina" (The Sons of the Medina) was found sacrilegious and only printed in bowdlerized form in Egypt in 2006. Saudi Arabia sponsors international book fairs in Riyadh, but Katia Ghosn reported in L'Orient that it sends undercover agents into book stores regularly.

It is troubling that many books and movies that have are about Jews and the Shoah are banned. It is troubling that shows and movies that have Jews in them are banned. It is troubling that any books are banned at an event sponsored by the United Nations, especially and event that is supposed to celebrate freedom of expression. Jews have cooties?


H/t: Soccer Dad

Least Tern Duet

Monday, at the beach in Gulfport Mississippi I was fortunate to stumble upon this courting ritual of least terns. I sat down about 200 feet from them and watched and photographed for about 10-15 minutes. I felt thankful and full of wonder as I watched their duet.

Am Yisrael Chai!

The Jewish nation of Israel is 61! Our hope has continued to sustain us. Am Yisrael Chai!

Mississippi Lost and Can't Get Over It

I know Mississippi wasn't the only state that closed offices for Confederate Memorial Day on Monday. Like St Casserole, I feel it is time to stop doing stuff like this that keeps holding us back. Like her, I've had ancestors who fought in the Civil War, one killed and another who lost an arm.