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There’s an article on Israel Matzav discussing the troubling political atmosphere at Hebrew Union College, and it raises what I think is an interesting question. Should rabbis preach about political issues from the bimah? The answer to this question is, I believe, no. I believe this for a few reasons. First, the synagogue is a place for prayer and worship. If rabbis want to discuss political issues, they should do so outside the prayers. Secondly, I see a problem with the idea of rabbi as political leader. I’m only familiar with what goes on in more liberal synagogues, but I see this kind of political involvement as getting very close to a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Rabbis are supposed to be spiritual leaders, not political ones, and I don’t think the bimah is the place for political discussion. I would believe this way even if I happened to share the political views of my synagogue. I don’t. As a matter of fact, I think I’m the only one in attendance who would classify myself as conservative. For me, this creates issues, because I know that I’m going to be on the other side of whatever gets discussed, and since political discussions can become very heated, I think that kind of divisiveness should be kept on the sidelines. There’s mention in the linked piece of how the Torah supports what are considered liberal points of view, specifically the view that government is supposed to take care of its citizens. This is true, but only to a point. The Torah also supports some very conservative positions, and I don’t think it’s accurate to try to mold the Torah to our political views, because it does support views on either side of the proverbial isle. I also believe that if those of the liberal persuasion have a problem with clergy of the conservative persuasion preaching on issues from the pulpit, then they ought to take a page out of their own book and refrain from such preaching, or, if they are congregants, refrain from expecting their clergy to preach on said issues. I believe that social action/social justice is a very thin disguise for politics, and I also believe that the two should be separated, because people of very divergent political views can often believe in a socially just cause, for very different reasons. And I think that by confusing the two, the waters are muddied in a way they never should have been.

In conclusion: Keep prayer and politics separate, no matter which side you’re on, and I think the congregational prayer experience will be better for everybody.

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If only we could have seen it on TV!
According to the AP via Yahoo!, things got pretty rowdy during the latest phase of Saddam Hosein’s trial.
Hosein’s defense team staged a walk-out, Saddam yelled at the judge, and the first witness testified concerning the random arrests and torturing that went on during Saddam’s regime.
Former U.S. Attorney General turned part of Saddam’s dream team threatened to take his toys and go home, but Judge Rizgar Mohammed Amin informed him that if he and his colleagues walked out, then new defense lawyers would be appointed.
Way to go!
And now, some wisdom from Saddam: “You are imposing
lawyers on us. They are imposed lawyers. The
court is imposed by itself. We reject that.”
Something worth pondering, about as much as pondering whether or not chalk has a soul.

Taken from customerservant.com

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Two items caught my attention while watching CNN this evening.
The first had to do with the recent news that Katrina’s victims who are now staying in hotels will be required to vacate those hotels by December first.
Jessie Jackson made an appearance, and basically said that the evaccuees could be housed at unused military bases near New Orleans, opining that they should be housed near their former homes, allowed to work and be housed by the government on military bases, and that money being used to fund the Iraq war could be used to pay the tab.
There were video clips of evaccuees yelling at FEMA representatives, and mention of a letter written by New York City’s mayor asking that the deadline be extended.
Nobody mentioned that this money doesn’t grow on trees, and hotels anywhere, but especially in the Big Apple, are expensive.
I imagine the residents aren’t getting a group rate, and that FEMA, through American tax dollars, is footing the bill for every person staying there, and that bill is probably upwards of $80 a night.
They’ve been there since September.
You do the math.
And don’t forget that, along with New York, there are 40 other states with similar tabs.
Throughout this entire episode, I’ve been completely amazed that, not only are the New Orleans evaccuees acting as if they’re owed, it’s portrayed as completely acceptable behavior by the leftist media.
What happened to the American ideal of working hard, and accepting help graciously?
These people can’t actually think that the feds are just going to keep paying the bill.
I, for one, am growing quite tired of this kind of ingrattitude.
Being a victim of a major natural disaster is no excuse.
The citizens of Louisiana, (especially those of New Orleans), have been raised on the idea that the government is supposed to take care of you.
Welcome to the real world folks.
In the rest of America, that’s not the way it is.
Most of us have to take care of ourselves, disaster or not.
Here’s a thought.
Instead of yelling about what you’re not getting, take a moment to thank the proprietor of the hotel you’re staying in.
He or she is most likely losing business due to your occupying rooms, eating at the hotel restaurant, ETC., and is having to deal with just as much government bureaucracy as you are.
Take a moment also to be thankful for the generosity you’ve received, and continue to receive, from the rest of the citizens of this country.
We’ve been gracious enough to put up with the tantrums, with little to no outcry against them.
Keep in mind that the people you elected to represent yourselves failed to ask for a declaration of a state of emergency, and that, despite this, you have been evacuated, and have been able to live off the generosity of others for months now.
No, the government we have isn’t perfect by any stretch of the word, but part of what has happend is a direct result of corruption within your own local government, which you bear the responsibility for electing.
How long is anyone really supposed to be expected to house you for free?
Indefinitely?
Rest assured that there is no possible way that can be accomplished.
And now, for tonight’s other gem.
In California, at San Quentin, there is actually a man on death row, who, believe it or not, is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
This man is a former gangster, specifically the founder of the Cripts, who has, since his incarceration, written children’s books and been a staunch advocate of peace, and spoken out against gang violence.
That, in and of itself is a good thing.
It means he’s had a serious change of heart, and can be confident that, when he meets his Maker, he will find that he’s earned some eternal reward.
But there’s still the matter of paying the penalty for the crimes (robbing and murdering four people), he was convicted of, by a jury of his peers.
There have been vigils outside the prison, and even the “illustrious” Snoop Dog has written to Governor Schwartzeneger requesting clemency.
If I were the governor, it would be a no-go.
It’s great that this individual has devoted the rest of his life to good causes, but he still has to pay for the crimes he committed.
The fact that people can bring themselves to request clemency for a murderer on such grounds as “Look at what he’s become,” and the fact that the media can report this story in a positive light without recrimination from society in general demonstrates the level of degeneracy our society has descended to.
Anyone who has truly had a change of heart and repented of his wrongdoings would accept the penalty.
I would say I’m surprised the man is nominated for a Peace Prize, but if Yacir Arafat can get the Prize, anyone can.
I can’t help but wonder what the reports will look like when the man is actually executed.
I imagine all his supporters will go into mourning, and, God forbid, we’ll be subjected to op-eds about how corrupt we are for executing a man despite the good he’s done.
If we take the time to remember the people he killed, or, even more abstractly, the fact that four lives were needlessly extinguished, it should put things back in their proper perspective.

Taken from customerservant.com