Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Vacation

I will be on vacation from December 26 through the beginning of January, so I won't post a whole lot until 2007.

Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing my family and having more luck socially and in other ways.

With respect to the last post, suffice it to say that I hope it all works out but I have lost respect for Toward Tradition. At least Chabad tries to bring people into Judaism, even if I wouldn't do things the way that they do. Why would any religious or Jewishly conscious (not necessarily observant) Jew, want to SIGN A petition that endorses Avodah Zarah or a secular and pagan custom is beyond me other than publicity.



Happy Hanukkah.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Airport tree controversy

In my hometown of Seattle, there's a controversy because a Chabad Rabbi wanted to put up a menorah (candelabra) commemorating the Festival of Chanukah. They (airport) said no and he threatened a lawsuit so the airport took down the trees. He then dropped the lawsuit and got together with Toward Tradition (conservative Jewish organization politically, not religiously) and the trees were restored.

Personally, this is bothersome because I don't feel that as an Orthodox Jew, I need to fight to put up a Christmas tree and also, while Persumei Nisa (publicizing the Hanukah miracle) is important, the airport wasn't the right place for it.

I wish that Toward Tradition (TT) and Chabad would stop trying to claim to speak for all religious Jews on this issue.

We have a country of 300 million and there's enough room to celebrate Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, the Haji, etc. Live and let live, this ain't 1850's Poland.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

ignore Fox, ESPN, etc.

A memo to all Bears and Seahawks fans:

Please ignore the elite sports media with respect to their opinions on who will win the NFC. The media template is that the Cowboys are the team to beat because they beat the Giants.

According to the elite media, there are only six to eight teams worth discussing, the Cowboys, Giants (Bears), Raiders, Dolphins and Steelers. Throw in the Patriots and Jets and there you go.

Another Obasm

There's a new phenomenon in the elite media today, it's called an Obasm. Getting worked up or having an orgasm over Barack Obama, aka He Who Walks on Water.

From Rush Limbaugh's website.

Barack Hussein Obama is the Man of Hope!

December 11, 2006




BEGIN TRANSCRIPT



RUSH: I don't believe what I just saw on MSNBC. They had a little graphic up there under Barack Obama -- who, by the way, called Republicans racists in New Hampshire yesterday. We'll have that audio sound bite. They just had a graphic up there: "Obama Suspicious of the Hype." Really? Well, then so am I. We all ought to be suspicious of this hype.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Okay, back to the phones we go on the Rush Limbaugh program. A thrill, ladies and gentlemen, to be with you. This is Amy in Rochester, New York. Hello, Amy.

CALLER: The thrill is all mine. I can't believe this. Merry Christmas to me, and merry Christmas to you.

RUSH: Thank you. Thanks very much. I love people that are not afraid to wish themselves good fortune.

CALLER: Well, God's blessings, actually. Anyway, you stole my thunder reading that quote from Barack, or you didn't really read it, alluded to it, but I was driving on the expressway and heard that on the one o'clock news and had to pull over in anger and start dialing you because I don't like being called a racist when I'm far from it.

RUSH: Well, let's listen to what Barack Hussein Obama said --

CALLER: Thank you.

RUSH: -- while in New Hampshire. An unidentified reporter said to Barack Hussein Obama, "Is America ready for a black president?"

OBAMA: Are there some voters who would not vote for an African America candidate because of race? I'm sure there are. Those are the same voters who probably wouldn't vote for me because of my politics.

RUSH: Well, obviously this would be Republicans.

CALLER: That's right.

RUSH: By the way, you are not "African-American," Mr. Obama. (column) You do not share the heritage of this country that African-American implies. You are half white. Of course, that doesn't matter. You can choose what you want to be. Choose to be black, choose to be white if you have half white, half white, choose what you want. He's chosen his side, and is going to try to exploit it all he can. He's basically saying that, yep, some people wouldn't vote for an African-American candidate because of race. Same people wouldn't vote for me because of my politics. How can you interpret that as anything other than Republicans are racists, I ask you?



You can't. Here's the thing. It's gone downhill way fast and I don't know if it's salvageable. He's calling Republicans racists, the same people that nominated and voted for Michael Steele, the same people that nominated and voted for Lynn Swann, the same people that nominated and voted for Ken Blackwell in Ohio, the same people who made Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice secretary of state, Republicans. These are the people that aren't going to vote for Barack Obama because he is an African-American. I'm going to tell you, this hype, this whatever you would call this, this Second Coming-type treatment that he is getting, it defies logic. It defies anything that accompanies achievement.

See, I'm from the old school, and I know this doesn't apply anymore. Paris Hilton is the definition of why I'm wrong. I used to think that celebrity fame, whatever, notoriety came from achievement. You know, something about you that was special. You had done something to excel, and we now know that that's not true. You can be a celebrity because you're a celebrity. Barack Obama is what he is because the media and some people have a desire that a certain kind of figure be present in the political race, so they're going to go make one, and the figure they're making him out to be is not who he is. He's not some great third waver, he's not some above the fray guy. He's not take a little from here and take a little from there and we can all get along. He's a liberal. Look at his voting record. He is a liberal Democrat, make no mistake about it, who's got a smooth tongue.

He can talk smoothly and for some reason there's this aura of... I don't know how to describe it. When you hear him say things like this, that's when he has slipped. Of course the Drive-By Media is not going to make a big deal out of this. It takes people listening to it to be able to read the stitches on a fast ball, read between the lines. I have a solution for Obama, because, I'll tell you, you've seen the stories: "Why, larger crowds in New Hampshire than even Bill Clinton ever attracted!" Well, let's not forget, when Bill Clinton went to New Hampshire, he was almost out of the race, for crying out loud. He had all these controversies swirling around him; he didn't go into New Hampshire with this kind of hype. Nobody has.

But everybody is saying, we're hearing the stories, "I just wanted to touch him! I've never seen a room light up like this! Everybody wanted to touch him. Everybody wanted to be in his presence." Everyone who touches Obama, everyone who hears Obama, everyone who sees Obama, why, ladies and gentlemen, they are healed. They are no longer mean; they are no longer extremists. They're not racists, sexists, bigots, homophobes! Why, they love humanity. They love! Oh, they feel so good about themselves. They have never had such an inner glow of warmth, contentment, and happiness because Obama fills them with peace. Obama fills them with hope. Obama fills them with love and joy. Obama is not "the man from Hope." We've been there, done that, he is the man of hope, ladies and gentlemen: Barack Obama. Well, I want to put this to the test.

Put him on the first plane to Baghdad. Have him walk the streets of Anbar Province, set up a little meeting here to show how we can all get along with Muqtada al-Sadr, have him venture outside the green zone, and then when he finishes there let's send him to Tehran, when he finishes there, let's send him into Damascus, and when he's finished there, we'll send him to meet with the Hamas guys. We'll send him into Lebanon to meet with the Hezbos, and we'll send him to meet with the Palestinians, and when he's finished there, he'll go on up to Riyadh and meet with the Saudi royal family, and his sheer presence for a weekend, in all of these places, our world problems there are solved, then send him to Darfur. Send him to Darfur in the Sudan and stop the militant Islamist genocide of the natives in Sudan.

Obama can do it all. Send him to Somalia. Ladies and gentlemen, send Barack Hussein Obama everywhere there is a problem. Send him to Philadelphia. Well, the murder rate there is unfortunately high. Send Barack Obama to New Orleans, lots of problems there. Send Barack Obama to the Mexico border on California-Arizona-Texas and simply by his presence, simply by virtue of the power of his personality and his aura, Barack Obama single-handedly as the man of hope. Why, look at how these people of New Hampshire reacted. Today, I'll bet there's not one angry pern in New Hampshire. I'll bet there's no bipartisanship in New Hampshire.

I'll bet there's nothing but love and joy and hope for a better life for all peoples of the planet, now and forevermore. I would even suspect that the homeless have gotten drift of the aura sounding Barack Hussein Obama, and even they are feeling uplifted and on the cusp of salvation all because Barack Hussein Obama set foot in New Hampshire. Well, my gosh, folks, if it can work there, it could work in Baghdad. It can work with Muqtada al-Sadr; it could work in Riyadh, it could work in Tehran, it could work in Damascus, it could work in Lebanon, it could work. Send him to Jerusalem, ladies and gentlemen. Solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem once and for all, Barack Hussein Obama. All he has to do is make a speech, show up, let himself be touched and mauled and mobbed by a people hungry and thirsty for real hope and real leadership and real love and real phoniness.

Phoniness sells.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Hall of Fame and Steroids

With the HOF announcement due in a month we have heard a lot about Mark McGwire and steroids and how he doesn't deserve to be in, etc.

Here is my question: Can one honor someone's accomplishments without honoring the person? For example, should the hit record belong to Ty Cobb instead of Pete Rose? No, Pete Rose holds the hit record. His accomplishment is in the Hall of Fame, not his plaque.

Also, how many hitters and or pitchers will the steroid issue affect (beyond McGwire)? Will pitchers be impacted? How do we know that pitchers didn't use steroids 10+ years ago? Guillermo Mota has a fifty day suspension awaiting whenever he signs with another club.

I really don't like the stance of Rick Reilly of SI who claims to speak for all of sportsdom when he says that all of these guys are cheaters. How far back are we supposed to go to undo the damage done to the game?