Enforcing Provincial COVID Regulations

 Good afternoon to all....

I have been going to minyan almost daily for years.  The following incident happened this week.

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Apparently, someone had spread a rumour to the province that the shul has not been following COVID requirements.  There were too many in the building.

One morning recently, the provincial authorities came by and counted.  They looked around, and immediately ordered everyone to disperse. The shul was levied a hefty fine.

Everyone had been very careful.  So the executive director called.  "We checked and we checked.  Our numbers were consistent.  We required registration.  We did not have too many in the building."

The person from the province responded: "it was a Thursday, right?"

Shul: "Yes, but what does that have to do with it?"

Province: "You opened the ark, right?"

Shul: "Uhhh...yes."

Province: "We counted the Torah."

--------

With a little help on one of the internal lines from a colleague.

Shabbat Shalom.

R/SCG

Reverting to the Old Ways...How Refreshing...

 My friends....

We have all been subject to way too much in the way of politics lately.  COVID, elections, Supreme Court, WE scandals...I need a break.  In fact, we all do.

You are all aware that the elections to the US Senate from the State of Georgia are not yet complete.  There were multiple candidates.  Georgia law requires that a winning candidate must get more than 50% of the vote.  Both senate seats are up for election.  No candidate got to that 50.1%.  The result of this is that there must be a runoff.  It will take place in January.

Apparently, the runoff election may not be by a vote.  Here is a picture of the headline from Fox News.

Duel victories?  I am so watching the live returns on this one.  Well, maybe I will watch the live return.  

Is it at all possible that the headline was supposed to be about dual victories?

Have a good evening.

R/SCG

P.S.  To the nice folks at Fox, I remind you that spelling counts.

The Morning After....

 Good morning everyone...

I am not a bartender.  I do not play one on TV.  I do know, however, that there are a couple of drinks that are designed to keep the different ingredients separate.  For example, a Black and Tan should involve a much darker beer and a beer lighter in colour.  They should, if done right, stay separate in the glass.

I would like to suggest a new drink.  People with greater knowledge of bartending and of chemistry can figure out the exact ingredients.  The visual effect would be similar to that of the Black and Tan.  In this case, one of the beverages would be blue.  The other would be red.

I would call this drink...

The Hangover.

Oy...

Have a good day.

R/SCG

The Beatles and Analogies...

 Good afternoon to all.

I have had the occasion to use this analogy twice today, and all too many times recently.  It thus bears comment.

The last song on side 1 of Sergeant Pepper is "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite."  At about 1:00 of the song, there is a musical bridge.  In that bridge is a swirling musical sound that is difficult to describe.  

George Martin worked very hard to get that sound.  Numerous things he tried before that just did not work.  Where he finally settled was to tell the recording engineer to take what had been recorded, cut it into little pieces, throw it in the air, and then splice it back together.

I have used this analogy in describing my impressions of the impact of today's presidential election on US society.

The good news is this: this song was my favourite on that particular album for many years.

Good luck, Mr. Kite.

Have a good day everyone.

R/SCG

To the Nice Folks at WaPo...

 Top of the evening to all...

One month after President Trump assumed the office of President of the United States, The Washington Post finalized the decision that its official slogan should be "Democracy Dies in Darkness."  The folks there said that the decision had been in the works for a year and had nothing to do with President Trump.  Let us give them the benefit of the doubt.

Several incidents of late might indicate a need for a new slogan.

The Washington Post reported on October 15th that Twitter and Facebook took unusual steps to limit the exposure of allegations against Hunter Biden.  By the way, at an open Q&A session with Mr. Biden, no one even asked him about it.  As well, the New York Post, which originally broke the story, has had its Twitter page locked.  Twitter will not unlock it unless the Post pulls the story.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this week that the organizer of a pro-Trump rally lost a tooth when he was sucker-punched.  This is not the only case of violence against people with particular views.  

The Steele dossier has been shown time and again to be little more than drunken musings.  It led directly to an impeachment trial.  I do not understand why this is not important.  Here is the link: https://nypost.com/2020/08/04/bogus-russia-scandal-sourced-to-man-with-history-of-drunkenness/.  

Mr. Biden has decided that he will state his opinion on stacking the court system closer to Election Day, stating that those who ask do not deserve to know.  Here is the link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewsolender/2020/10/10/biden-says-voters-dont-deserve-to-know-stance-on-court-packing/#5585249e7aac.  I note here that some people did call him on it.

COVID lockdowns are okay, especially when targeted towards religious organizations.  Protests and riots are exceptions to COVID rules.

Governor Cuomo forced nursing homes to take COVID patients, resulting in an appalling death toll in those nursing homes.  In other news, he is also New York's most eligible bachelor.

Anyway, collusion...impeachment...Steele...Twitter...SCOTUS...Nursing homes...

My friends, with deep respect for the Washington Post, democracy does not die in darkness.  It dies in broad daylight.  The 4th Estate fails in its job when it is so deliberately selective in its reporting.  The 4th Estate fails in its obligations to the country when follow-up questions are not asked.  Whatever one's feelings about President Trump, VP Biden, or any issue out there, democracies require tenacious, nosy, and noisy reporters as a check on absolute power.  To do otherwise is an abdication of responsibility.  To accept otherwise is laziness.  To squelch such reporters is the stuff of dictatorships.

Cry havoc, and let slip any responses I may get for this blog post.

R/SCG

P.S.  I have not endorsed any candidate, and will not endorse any candidate.  If any of my loyal readers might wish to comment either in the comments section or to me privately, I am happy to respond.  I desperately want for there to be something that I am missing.  As always, polite disagreement is both allowed and encouraged.  Snarky disagreement (and snarky agreement!) will be deleted.

614 Commandments??

 Good afternoon to all....

Many of you are familiar with the tradition that there are 613 commandments in the Torah.  I can tell you without reservation that this tradition is not correct.  Last Shavuot, I attempted to teach that subject for the holiday. It turned to be one of the most complex issues I have ever seen.  613 is a literary device of the Talmud.  How it becomes a literal device is fascinating.

As well, the title of this blog entry is "614 Commandments??"  Perhaps it should be "615 Commandments??"  The reason is that a local writer, Emil Fackenheim, said after the attempted destruction of European Jewry that #614 is to survive.

On the other hand, perhaps 614 can stand.  The suggestion you will shortly see might be a subset of a couple of others.

Most of you are familiar with the Decalogue.  The last commandment there is that you should not covet your neighbour's spouse.  As well, we are enjoined in other places not to endanger ourselves or others.

I humbly suggest the following:

Thou shalt not COVID thy neighbour's spouse.

Have a nice day.

R/SCG

The 1960s and COVID...

Good evening to all...

There was some splendid music that came out of the 1960s.  Even with music that would not be politically correct, there was some great stuff.

For example, I will never change the station when hearing the music of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. One of their great songs is "Love the One You're With."  Please note that everything I have every written about home-wrecking stands.  Still, it is a great song.

In this age of COVID, however, the lyrics might need some revision.

With apologies to CSN, I humbly suggest the following for the chorus:

Well there's a rose in a distant glove...

And the eagle flies with the dove...

And if you can't be with the one you love honey,

You can watch Netflix.  You can watch Netflix.

Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG

How Nobel in Reason...

 Good afternoon to all.

It is Friday afternoon.  Candle-lighting is in less than four hours.  The hallah is not baked.  I have two sermons to write for Rosh Hashanah, as well as a little bit of music to learn.  Naturally, I am writing a blog entry.

Nominations for the Nobel Prize close on January 31st.  Winners are announced in October.  President Obama was nominated less than two weeks after he assumed the Oval Office.  In no way is it my intention to disparage him or the award.  Still, even he was surprised at receiving it.

In the last several weeks, Israel has signed a treaty with the United Arab Emirates.  As well, Kosovo and Serbia have made economic agreements with each other, and have recognized Israel.

Today, the news reports that Bahrain has also agreed to normalize relations with Israel.

All of these events came to fruition with the help of President Trump.

President Trump was also formally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.  The cynic in me doubts that he will receive the honour.  This is not because he does not deserve it.  It is because he would be fact-checked for saying that the sky is blue.  People will vote against him just because he is President Trump.

That being said, it is absolutely clear that the nomination of President Trump is entirely appropriate.  

Mr. President, congratulations on the nomination, and more importantly on the achievements behind it.

Shabbat Shalom to all.

R/SCG

The Importance of Proper Spelling...

 Good afternoon to all...

NYPD has throughout its history attempted to maintain good community relations.  In general, it has been successful.  I suspect further that it has been successful even in the last several months.  The reasons have finally become clear.  Besides having loyal and dedicated police officers, support staff, and up until recently, support from the city government, NYPD has also brought good theatre to the City of New York.

We observe such a commitment to theatre in the following screen shot.

Please note what I have highlighted.  Above and beyond the obligation to serve and protect, above and beyond maintaining good community relations, above and beyond the selfless willingness to pay the ultimate price in the service of the good people of New York (and the others), it appears that NYPD has a vaudeville actor on staff.  Sadly, it also appears that Mr. Chaplin is subject to the same challenges that many other New Yorkers face these days.

And more seriously, having initially seen this in the New York Post, the incident involved the chaplain.  There was no vaudeville.  Rav Jen and I happen to know Rabbi Kass.  He is a senior colleague, and has been with NYPD for as long as I can remember.  It appears he was injured very lightly.

To the nice folks at Fox, spelling counts.

Have a good day everyone.

R/SCG

Science...

Good afternoon everyone.

Throughout the COVID pandemic, there has been no shortage of people saying that the process of reopening economies and societies will be dictated by science.  I support this, I suppose.  My only question is which science will be determinative.  

Let us examine:

1.  A study conducted by a pharmaceutical company determined that the number of prescriptions for anti-depressants spiked more than 34% in the early days of the pandemic.

2.  An article in QJM, which is an international journal of medicine associated with physicians in Great Britain and Ireland, notes several studies.  On-line purchases of alcohol increased 243%.  Studies cited within indicate increases in depression, anxiety, and insomnia.  Still other research indicates significant increases in suicide when economies take significant, long-term downturns.  Here is the link to the article: https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/advance-article/doi/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa202/5857612.  

3.  Research shows a marked decrease in emergency room visits for heart attacks and strokes (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6925e2.htm).  

To those who say that we will rely on the science, well and good.  Depression, alcohol abuse, heart attacks, stroke, insomnia, and anxiety are medical issues, no less and no more than COVID.  Which science will dominate in making the decision?  Will it be the science of preventing the spread, which could lead to the other medical issues studied?  Will it be the science of combatting depression, which may mean that we have to get out of our homes?

I do not know the answer to how to balance legitimate science that per force will require different, opposing responses.  What I do know is that the folks who have to make such decisions have a significant challenge in this regard.  I also know that research organizations usually have someone on staff to deal with thorny ethical issues like these.  Science then demands an ethicist, or perhaps, a chaplain.  Science is more than data.  It must respond to the people who are affected.

May the best of the day be yours.

R/SCG

There Is Hope...

Good morning to all...

In my most recent blog entry, I expressed concern that there was very little response to DeSean Jackson's anti-Semitic postings on Instagram.  Worse, some of his friends supported him.

In that entry, I also noted that Mitch Albom had written a lovely article in one of the Detroit newspapers expressing similar concerns.  Mitch Albom is Jewish.  He went to Brandeis University.  In one of his books, he documents time he spent with an aging rabbi, as that rabbi wanted Mr. Albom to write his eulogy.  So while it was an appropriate article, I expect Jews to be concerned about anti-Semitism.

There are two other things to note though.  They give reason to hope.

1.  ViacomCBS ended its relationship with Nick Cannon due to Mr. Cannon's voicing of anti-Semitic beliefs.

2.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, actor ("Game of Death," "Airplane," and many other roles) and former NBA star, wrote a piece in the 'Hollywood Reporter.'  In the article, he points out the lack of outrage from Hollywood, as well as from the wide world of sports, to the statements from Mr. Jackson and others.  At the end of the article, he writes that "if we're going to be outraged by injustice, let's be outraged by injustice against anyone."

Maybe the pendulum is swinging back.  As long as one is not strapped to the table underneath the pendulum*, that is a welcome thing to see.

Have a good day.

R/SCG

* Edgar Allan Poe, "The Pit and the Pendulum"

Trying Not to Be Cynical....

Good evening everyone...

I am trying not to be cynical.  Looking at some of my recent posts, I am worried about becoming expert in finding the cloud in any silver lining.  As such, this blog entry has had a delay of several days in publishing.

Several weeks ago, the quarterback for the New Orleans Saints was forced to make several public apologies.  His crime?  He said that he would "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or (disrespecting) our country."  For that, the entire world descended on him.  He was told that he does not care enough to fight for justice.  He was called ignorant.  There was plenty more.  Thank God he is now socially sensitive.

The last week has been comparatively quiet, but that should not have been the case.  The opprobrium that Mr. Brees suffered at the hands of those who are woke should have been equally loud and equally vicious over the last several days.  It was not.

If you blinked, you might have missed it.  DeSean Jackson, wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles,  published some significantly anti-Semitic tropes on his Instagram page.  He has apologized for his screed, twice.  The first apology needed some work.  It took ten minutes to find the text of that apology.  He said that "when I posted what I posted, I definitely didn't mean it to the extent that you guys took it."

Three questions:

1.  To what extent did you intend these statements about Jews?

2.  Is there an extent that is acceptable?

3.  Why are you blaming the Jewish community for reading too much into quotations that you (incorrectly) attributed to a man who destroyed 1/3 of Jewish Europe, and who, by the way, refused to shake the hand of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin?

Giving credit where credit is due, Mr. Jackson's second apology was much better.

All of that being said, people have lost jobs and reputations over the last few weeks for saying things that are far more benign than this.  Why did the woke crowd not descend on Mr. Jackson like they did to so many others?  Why was his friend, retired NBA player Stephen Jackson, not castigated for his own remarks in support of DeSean Jackson?

I have worried over the years that I am becoming more and more right-wing in my approach to the world.  Maybe, but when the social justice warriors refuse to label anti-Semitism as a hatred no less repugnant than any other hatred, it is hard to miss the double standard.  Please note that Mitch Album wrote about this far more eloquently than I can.  Here is a link to his article: Mitch Albom.

For the record, as much as it is in my place to forgive Mr. Jackson, I forgive him.  He has apologized.  He hopes to do better.  Let's give him both the chance and the support.

And with that, I add the following: yes, in every respect, Black lives matter.  What happened that sparked the current craziness in the US was appalling.  But now, I must also add: Jewish lives matter.  Women's lives matter.  Men's lives matter.  Mexican lives matter.  Russian lives matter.  All lives matter.  The failure to call out hatred when it happens to someone else is not social justice.  It is merely selective justice, which, in another word, is racism.

Good day everyone.

R/SCG

When Enough Is Enough...

Good evening everyone....

You may remember that back in May, a woman in Central Park called the police on a black man who was bird-watching.  He had asked her to keep her dog on a leash, in accordance with posted signage.

This turned into a whole big mess.  The woman lost her job.  She temporarily lost her dog.  This week, the DA in NYC filed charges against her for falsely reporting an incident.

Mr. Christian Cooper, the gentleman who was the victim of her racist tirade, publicly forgave her soon after the incident.  Today, the New York Post reported that he has refused to cooperate with the DA in the investigation.

"She's already paid a steep price."

Mr. Cooper, thank you.  Thank you for taking a public stance about forgiveness in a world that seems to have lost that ability.

Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG

When Does It End?

Top of the evening to all...

Jewish Law forbids bowing down to statues.  I wonder if the vandals who keep toppling statues everywhere realize that they are helping to avoid the challenges of idolatry.

The latest...

A statue of Frederick Douglass was toppled damaged beyond repair in Rochester.  Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave.  He spoke eloquently at the 1848 Seneca Falls convention for women's suffrage, believing that he could not advocate for his own suffrage without advocating for others.  I do not get this one.

They also got the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.  Written on the statue was "racist fish."  One wonders who the target of that graffiti might have been.  That was English.  It would have been "racistiske fisk" in Danish, if google translate is correct.

Given the destruction of one and the damaging of the other, I have realized that other statues and monuments must go the way of the world.

We go then from Copenhagen to Brussels.  In the town centre, there is a statue called "Manneken Pis."  It is a statue of a small child answering the call of nature.  This statue is glaring sexism.  Men do not have to wait in long lines to go to the washroom.  It must go.

Michelangelo's "David" must go, as it is anatomically incorrect.

In the Boston Public Garden, there is a statue of a mother duck and her ducklings.  The statue comes from the story "Make Way for Ducklings."  The statue must go, as it points to the absolute lie that the police could ever be so nice.  By the way, I would like to add in that the statue and the story are both sexist.  Ducks mate for life.  Where is the father?  Something is a-fowl here.

The legend (probably not right) of the naming of the city of Buffalo is that it got its name from French explorers.  Upon seeing the Niagara River, they exclaimed "what a beautiful river!"  They would have said that in French though - "quel beau fleuve!"  Say 'beau fleuve' a few times.  It probably did not happen, but since a statue was defaced with the words "probably racist" thereupon, we need to rename the city just in case.  Explorers were horrible to indigenous populations.

We must also rename the Nobel Prize.  While it is named in fact for the man who first endowed it, that man did extensive work in military-grade explosives.  His sins in creating weapons of war far outweigh the utter change of heart based on a newspaper mistake.

Please note: some of what is written above is tongue-in-cheek.

There are no perfect people.  If the only people we wish to honour in our statues, our currency, our stamps, and our building names must all have been perfect, then we will remember nothing about our past.  Demanding perfection will only leave us in a void, unable to build a future due to lacking a past.

I support having statues of imperfect people.  I would even like to consider a statue that is quite out of the ordinary.  A statue of Mikhail Kalishnikov would be appropriate.  In his closing years, he wrote a letter to the Russian Patriarch: "I keep having the same unsolved question: if my rifle claimed other people's lives, then can it be that I, a Christian and an Orthodox believer, was to blame for their deaths?"  That is a man whom we should consider.  He was accomplished, and troubled by his accomplishments.  He struggled.  That is real.  That is human.  And that is coming to terms with the imperfection of humanity.

Have a good evening.

R/SCG

הא גופא קשיא...

Top of the afternoon folks...

The phrase in the title is a common phrase from the Talmud.  It means that there is some sort of contradiction between two or more statements.

That was one possible title to this blog entry.  The other was going to say something disparaging about the mayor of New York City.  We have had enough disparagement over the last several weeks.

Instead of disparagement, I will refer to articles I have read.  I will then ask pertinent (or perhaps impertinent) questions.

The contradiction to which I refer is in the New York Post.

Part A:

1."My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed.  I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups.  This is about stopping this disease and saving lives.  Period."

Mayor Bill de Blasio, April 29, 2020

2.  Referring to the rising number of shootings in New York City, the shootings "were directly related to all the dislocation we've seen over the last four months," and "people have been pent up for months and months."

Mayor Bill de Blasio, July 6, 2020

Part B:

1.  The Supreme Court of the State of New York said that it was unconstitutional for the state to permit outdoor gatherings of up to 150 people while limiting outdoor religious services to 25.

2.  In order to respond to the increase in shootings, "of course, it's going to take neighbourhood policing" and efforts of "the clergy."

Mayor Bill de Blasio, July 6, 2020

Uhhhh, Mr. Mayor, it seems you should check your statements against your other statements before speaking.  If I may....

1.  You told the Jewish community not to gather (while actively encouraging protestors, but that is another issue).

2.  The State tried not to allow minyan, mass, and the like.

If I may ask, precisely what efforts of the clergy did you have in mind when the state seems hell-bent on denying my colleagues full use of their pulpits and you seem hell-bent on criticizing congregations that meet?

If I may ask, where exactly did the clergy fail in responding to everyone being pent up?  My colleagues did not make that decision.  We have been doing our best in a bad situation.  We would respond to suggestions from city leadership, if there were any.  Furthermore, if the failures are not those of the clergy, can you please explain clergy's role in clean-up?  There is a role, and I am sure that I can articulate it.  I want to know if you can.

If I may ask, since New York City's most recent budget eliminates more than $1,000,000,000 from NYPD's operating expenses, and since that budget eliminates two classes of recruits, and since the utter lack of support from City Hall leaves NYPD paralyzed and short-staffed, where do you anticipate finding the people for neighbourhood policing?  In answering that question, you may also wish to address the spate of NYPD retirements as a result of the violence and lack of support.

May the best of the day be yours.

R/SCG

Cheap Laughs....

Top of the evening everyone.

Those of you who have been in my office know my little brown coffee pot.  I have had that little coffee pot longer than I have had my children.  It lived in the apartment that my student pulpit maintained.  It has lived in five offices.  That little coffee pot was a gift from a coffee company for starting to get my coffee delivered.  More than 20 years later, it still makes a great cup of coffee.  It was used this morning.

It is to this morning's events that I dedicate this blog entry.  First, a picture of the coffee pot...

Take note.  If one wishes to fill the back part with water to make the coffee, one must open it from the left side of the pot.  Then, one pours in the water holding the carafe in one's left hand.  As a lefty, this is a dream.  Come to think of it, not only is it a dream.  It is such a dream that for years it never dawned on me that this particular pot was a left-handed pot.

My medium child wanted to make a cup of coffee this morning.  He is decidedly right-handed.  He is also very scientific, such that he is the total killjoy on the literary and theatrical journeys my other two children will take at the kitchen table.  "That would never work because (insert scientific claptrap here)."  It was thus quite the laugh watching him try to figure out how to open the top.   He finally figured it out.  Then, rather than pour the water with his left hand, he turned the pot so that he could pour with his right hand.

Having lived in a world that is designed decidedly for the right-handed, it is nice to realize that every once in a while, something is there for us lefties.  It is also nice to enjoy the cheap laugh as my otherwise-brilliant son could not figure it out.

Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG

Licensing of Cyclists Redux...

Top of the evening to all...

Over the last several years, I have written several times about licensing cyclists.  Here are two of my blog entries on that: Licensing of Cyclists and Safety Blitz.

My thoughts have not changed much from either of these listings.  Still, it never hurts to look at things again.  So....

Mayor Tory has announced that a program to photograph speeding cars and then to issue citations to the vehicle owners will finally commence in July.  Here is the article from 680 News: Speed Cameras. 

Before I respond to the details of the article, I remind the good folks at 680 News that grammar is important.  Please note the following paragraph:

An image of the license plate will be captured and stored and if an offence is confirmed, a ticket will be mailed to who the license plate is registered too, regardless of who is driving.

Better would be that "a ticket will be mailed to the vehicle registrant."  I object to the above sentence on the grounds that it ought to be taken out and shot.  The sentence is so bad that the only way to save it is to rework it.

Anyway, the article lists several safety concerns.  These are issues that have become more prevalent since the rise of COVID-19.

1.  In nine locations throughout the city, 142,000 vehicles were caught speeding.  That averages out to 986 a day.  It averages out to 15,778 per location.
2.  Since COVID began, the number of cars on the road has plummeted.  However, the number of citations for stunt-driving has increased 600%.

In other news, the Globe and Mail reports that bike sales surge during the pandemic.  It is considered a safe, socially distant activity.  As well, people are not comfortable commuting in crowded trains full of potential carriers.  The article says that car traffic in Toronto was down 55% between March and May.  In the same time period, cycling traffic was up 20%.  

It is possible that once in my cycling career, I could have gotten a speeding ticket.  I managed to hit 63 kph.  I was pedalling downhill with a lovely tailwind.  Beyond that, Mayor Tory has not reported cyclists getting caught stunt-riding.  He has not reported nine locations throughout the city in which cyclists show flagrant disregard for the speed limit.

As I stated in both of my blog entries above, a license is not a guarantee that someone will obey the law.  I further repeat what I wrote in one of those entries: "I would appreciate it if someone could explain to me how licensing cyclists would bring about citywide sunshine and lollipops.  Licensing drivers has clearly not had that effect.  There is no logic whatsoever in assuming it would work on cyclists any more than it does on drivers."

At some point, people will yet again bring up the idea of licensing cyclists.  The idea is useless and irrelevant.  Enforce the laws as they exist.  Everything else will fall into place.

Good night.

R/SCG

Falling Church Attendance...

Top of the evening Ladies and Gentlemen...

I know.  I know.  Why does a rabbi care about falling church attendance?  It is more than just professional respect for my colleagues.

I have been watching with appall as the social upheaval in the United States continues.  Pulling down the statues of people deemed not to be sufficiently woke is the latest crusade of the politically correct.

On some level, I suppose that there is some merit to the removal of some of the monuments.  Many of the statues of the Confederate generals of the US Civil War were put there after the fact, as a backlash to the results of that war.  Perhaps their removal is appropriate.  It is certainly worthy of discussion.

I drew the line today.  Why?  Today was the day I found out that folks in San Francisco pulled down a statue of Ulysses Grant.  General Grant was a slaveowner.  He owned one, to whom he granted freedom in 1859.  He later wrote that "as time passes, people, even of the South, will begin to wonder how it was possible that their ancestors ever fought for or justified institutions which acknowledged the right of property in man."  We know that he led Union troops to end slavery.  We know that he advocated for the rights of freed slaves.

Other statues were pulled down in San Francisco as well.  After toppling the statue of George Washington, it was burned with an American flag wrapped around it.  I am unimpressed at this temper tantrum.

I guess for starters, it might have been nice to have other limited pictures of President Grant in mind in toppling his statue.  Perhaps someone might have said his statue was inappropriate due to his treatment of the Jews.  As a general, he signed an order that President Lincoln had to override ordering the Jewish community out of Tennessee.  Why is that not an issue for me?  When he was President, he and his entire cabinet attended the dedication of Congregation Adas Israel in Washington DC.  He made amends.

A note from Jewish tradition:

בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁבַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה עוֹמְדִין אֵין צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים יְכוֹלִין לַעֲמֹד

In a place where those who have returned (repented) stand, even the entirely righteous cannot stand.

I shudder to think that we now live in a world where there is no forgiveness.  I shudder to think that only absolute purity in thought and in deed, from cradle to grave, is the only type of role model we now accept.

No one is without sin.

I wonder whether or not those who are on the rampage are willing to tear down statues of Martin Luther King.  Whatever else he might have done, he was a known philanderer.  That is spouse abuse.  Here is only a small part of that history: https://nypost.com/2006/01/02/mlk-confessed-to-wife/.

However, if we are going to discuss Martin Luther King, I am going to invent a couple of lines to add to one of the most compelling pieces of oratory ever delivered, "I Have a Dream."

I have a dream that we might be remembered for our successes instead of, or even despite, our failures.

I have a dream that we might one day be judged on our growth instead of on our errors.

I have a dream that we might accept that no one is morally pure.

I have a dream that we might accept and be thankful that the list of people in history who oozed evil from every pore is a very short list.

And why did I mention church attendance?  The parable from Christian Testament (John 8:7) leaves us with the famous saying: let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.

Please let this madness end.

Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG

Saturday Night Fever...A Parody...

Good evening to all...

I had a different title for this blog entry in mind. This title works on its own, and I am writing it on a Saturday night.

The following is sung to the tune of "Stayin' Alive," with my deepest apologies to the Bee Gees.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, you can tell by the that I don't cough, I'm a healthy man, don't stand close to talk.

I've been home for three months straight, binge-watching "50 First Dates."

'Cause now it's COVID, a new disease...

And we can't run away it seems.

So we hide, beneath our beds,

And go to work in pajamas.

Whether you're with Brother or whether you're with Mother you're stayin' at home, stayin' at home.

Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin' and we're stayin' at home, stayin' at home.

Oy...Oy...Oy...Oy....stayin' at home, stayin' at home.

Oy...Oy...Oy...Oy....stayin' at home.

                                                                                                                                                              Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG

Social Distancing - Rated R...

Top of the evening to all...

Onward we blunder through the wackiness of COVID.  What is fascinating about this wackiness, and probably about all wackiness, is that wackiness yields wackiness.  For example, I have just managed to use the word 'wackiness' four times in the same sentence.  That would not have happened without the wackiness of COVID.

Anyway, regarding the wackiness of COVID, there is the next generation of COVID wackiness (that is now twice in the same sentence).  What is this next generation of wackiness?  Take note of the following article from the New York Post: NYC Health Department.  

I will cite some of the paragraphs from this article:

"The newest advisory is an expanded version of one released in March, 

which warned against kissing and in-person dates, 

saying masturbation was the safest type of sex."

"That's still the case - with officials suggesting hopping on a computer in order to get off."

"Video dates, sexting, subscription-based fan platforms, 

sexy 'Zoom parties' or chat rooms may be the best option for you."*

There are other ideas in this article.  There are, however, at least two obvious pieces of advice that are absent from the New York City Department of Health's guidelines.  As well, at least one suggestion could hold hidden dangers.

The obvious pieces of advice?  First, it is entirely safe regarding COVID to have no partner whatsoever.  There is no need for a mask, though a mask could be fun in its own right.  The other obvious piece of advice, if abstaining is not the right choice, is to have only one partner on a permanent basis. Above and beyond questions of COVID, this is a recipe for good physical, mental, and emotional health.

The dangerous piece of advice is "officials suggesting hopping on a computer in order to get off."  I mean...really!  There is hardly enough room for one person on the computer.  Two people on it...you might end up breaking the hard drive.  The washing machine is really much better suited for this than the computer.  And what if the computer has a virus?  I thought we were trying to avoid viruses.  And do you really want to zoom through this?

Despite the last paragraph, this was a serious blog entry.

Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG

Improper Use of Metaphor...

Good morning to all.

I have been too serious of late.  This blog entry is more tongue-in-cheek.

You are all aware of my dislike of the misuse of words.  I poked fun at it in a previous blog entry: Apologies to My Unpaid Editors... 

It has been almost five years since I wrote that entry.  Sadly, little has changed.  My least favourite word is present in that entry, and is still a problem today.  The word is 'literally.'

In general, adverbs are often not necessary.  The strength of the word on its own should be sufficient to eliminate the need for an adverb.  Adverbs can be useful if a homework assignment requires a certain number of words.  Beyond that, they are usually best left alone.

The lack of necessity should be sufficient to remove the word 'literally' from daily use.  However, and alas, it is far worse than the use of an unnecessary word.  It is also the improper use of a word.

A couple of definitions are in order.

According to Merriam-Webster:

Simile - a comparison of two unlike things that is often introduced by 'like' or 'as.'

Example: he was like the fly on Aesop's chariot crying oh what a dust do I raise.

Metaphor: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.

Example: I cannot match the senator from Massachusetts in decibels or Jezebels.

*Please note that the use of 'literally' in the definition of metaphor is Merriam-Webster's.  Also, the late Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia once used the first piece from Aesop's fables in reference to another senator.  The late Jesse Helms of North Carolina used the metaphor of Jezebel (check your Bible) in reference to the late Senator Ted Kennedy.

I point this out because of what I believe to be the questionable use of metaphor as a literal term.  

Please note the following quotation:

"I am literally going to explode."

I hear this all too often.  I guess it is technically possible.  Still, even Calvin has challenges with it:

 Calvin and Hobbes

Notwithstanding the comic genius of Bill Waterson in the comic above, human beings likely do not explode, at least not in the literal sense.  It is okay.  To use explosion as metaphor is quite appropriate.  Furthermore, the use of an adverb to modify a metaphor is also appropriate.  However, when the adverb forces the metaphor out of its use as a literary device, there is a problem.  Is a person literally going to explode?  Okay.  Clear the area and get a mop.  

It is probably easier to get rid of the adverb.

Enjoy your day.

R/SCG

The Wisdom of Ambassador Spock...

Top of the evening to all.

When Leonard Nimoy died, I tried to develop a sermon for Yizkor based on the wisdom he offered throughout the years of "Star Trek," both the show and the movies.  The sermon did not come together.  The overwhelming logic did not mesh well with the emotional time that Yizkor is for so many people.  That being said, the research for this sermon is still useful.

With cries for defunding or disbanding the police growing in volume, the city council in Minneapolis is preparing to vote to dissolve its municipal police force.  I suppose that it is prudent to see what is going to happen before passing final judgment.  However, Ambassador Spock has great wisdom to share in the meantime.

What are Minneapolis's reasons for doing it?  "Insufficient facts always invite danger, Captain."  Whatever the reason is, it should be more than one reason.  It should not be a decision made in the moment.  The heinous behaviour of one police officer should not cut it for anyone.

What is the plan?  If the nice folks in Minneapolis really think that everyone is just going to be excellent unto each other, there may be a rude awakening.  If crime has no means of enforcement, it will increase.  The riots in the US last week prove that.  As well, if crime has no means of enforcement, people will take steps to protect themselves and their property.  If you are concerned about people getting shot by the police, what will happen when people who purchase means of self-defense fail to spend the necessary time to become proficient with those means?  So, on behalf of Ambassador Spock, "after a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting.  It is not logical, but it is often true."  To the folks in Minneapolis, please be careful what you ask for.  You may get it.

Last, such an abrupt decision carries another long-term danger.  City council could easily tell the police force that the workweek ends on Friday and not to come in on Monday.  What is the plan if this does not work?  We must remember that "as a matter of cosmic wisdom, it has always been easier to destroy than to create."

Again, every policy and procedure at every level of any organization should be subject to constant and ongoing review.  Societies change.  People change.  Technology changes.  All of these changes should have an impact on how we make decisions.  Change is not necessarily bad.  Throwing out the baby with the bathwater though is not going to be the way to go.

Live long and prosper.

R/SCG

Can we stop screaming long enough to talk?

Top of the evening to all.

Wow!!  Please let the carnage that is seizing the United States see a speedy, safe, and productive conclusion.  Part of that conclusion would be helped by protestors making some sort of statement about what they want.

My friends, there is not a single person in the United States, in Canada, or anywhere else in the civilized world who is not completely appalled by the police killing of George Floyd.  It is rare that there is universal agreement on whether the sky is blue.

That being said....

You are all aware that I am military.  In the planning of anything, there are meetings beforehand.  There are meetings during, if possible.  There are meetings afterward.  There is an after-action report filed up the chain of command.  This happens, whether the operation was successful or not.  There is always a lesson to be learned.  There is never complacency based on success.

I point this out because police departments perhaps should follow similar rules.  Many of them likely do.  Just because something worked yesterday does not mean it will work tomorrow.  It is axiomatic that the operation plan will never survive first contact.

With that in mind, the city of Minneapolis has this week banned the use of chokeholds in making arrests.  NYPD banned them back in 1993.  Crime in New York City hit its lowest rates in the late 1990s.  I agree with banning chokeholds.  They are dangerous. They can render a person unconscious in seconds.  There are other ways of restraining someone who is presenting an immediate physical danger.

Many communities are also discussing reducing or defunding the local police services.  Perhaps there are certain things that we can and should do differently.  Just because the current system maintains some semblance of public order, and just because that system more or less allows us to live our lives, does not mean that we cannot do it better.  Perhaps someone sleeping on a park bench illegally might be better handled by a social worker than by the police, both in terms of the situation and terms of the fact that Toronto police recently said that they spend all of their time dealing with 911 calls.  Someone sleeping on a park bench should be handled differently.  A response from a social worker might be better way, or perhaps not, but we can discuss, and we should.

Regarding defunding, be careful what you ask for.  (One wonders how many of the people requesting such defunding live in gated communities, have additional home security, and travel with bodyguards.)  Defunding is a great idea, until someone is breaking into your house.    If nothing else, before defunding, have a plan in place.  Absent that, the US will devolve into the Wild West overnight.  It will be ugly, and it will be bloody.

With concern and fear for the country that birthed me.

R/SCG

Exculpatory Statements...

Top of the afternoon everyone...

It is with revulsion, sadness, and fear that I watch what is going on in the United States right now.  Whatever discussions need to take place on matters of race cannot do so in an atmosphere that has been taken over by violence.

Please note: without question, and without reservation, I stand with those seeking full evidence, disclosure, and trial as necessary for the police officer accused in the murder of George Floyd.

Two things come to mind right now though, and I am curious about your thoughts on both.

1.  The US Park Police used either smoke or tear gas to clear the park right before President Trump walked over to the 'Church of Presidents.'  The New York Post and WTOP report that several people from the US Park Police said that they did know that the President was going to be walking there.  They also denied using tear gas.

Do we believe the Park Police?

2.  Mayor deBlasio of New York City said that the NYPD officer who drew his weapon should lose his badge.  The Police Benevolent Association (PBA) showed a longer video in which the officer's boss was hit over the head with a brick.

Do we believe the PBA?

And I guess that the disturbing part of this is that the answer to both of my questions is going to be a resounding no.  That answer is not from me, and it may or not be from my trusted readers.  It is the resounding answer though because it is far easier for many to believe that the evil President and his misguided minions ordered the tear gas.  It is far easier to believe that a police officer is nothing more than a trigger-happy thug just waiting for an opportunity.

I welcome your thoughts, and absolutely insist that they be civil.  As always, I will delete any comments that do not reflect the friendly tenor that I have tried to maintain on this blog.

Hug the folks around you everyone.

R/SCG

Elections and Gender...

Top of the evening to all.

The Washington Post published a profile of Stacey Abrams.  You may remember that she ran for governor in Georgia and lost.

In the profile, we find the following: 

"Pandemonium ensues as she walks to the far left of the stage, like a runway supermodel, stops on a dime, poses, tilts her head slightly and smiles. Camera flashes explode. She next pivots and walks slowly to the center of the stage, freezes there and repeats the pose." 

The rest of the article is a superb profile.  Hopefully, regardless of one's politics, people will read it.  She is smart, and she has worked hard.

The simile to supermodel bothers me though.  Perhaps we will see more women in the highest echelons of the political world when we stop comparing them to supermodels.  Perhaps we will see more women in the highest echelons of the political world when we talk about hallways (of power) instead of runways.  And perhaps those who publish some of those images might consider that the images they perpetuate do not help shatter glass ceilings.  I do not recall such tripe about Lady Thatcher.

And to the nice folks at Fox News, as well as those whose tweets they published about this article, it is worth reading the article.  This is one very bad paragraph in an otherwise well-written article.  Ms. Abrams is not going away.  Please comment on the rest of the article.

Good night everyone.

R/SCG

Agreeing with Political Correctness? Me? What Next?

Top of the evening everyone.

In its never-ending quest to do...something, the Associated Press decided this week that the use of the word 'mistress' is sexist and offensive.  The AP suggests instead the use of either 'companion' or 'lover.'  Here is what they wrote:

"We now say not to use the archaic and sexist term "mistress" for a woman in a long-term sexual relationship with, and financially supported by, a man who is married to someone else.  Instead, use an alternative like companion or lover on first reference."

(Please note that the citation is copied word for word and mark for mark.  I probably would have put "companion" and "lover" inside quotation marks, to remain consistent with "mistress" in the first sentence.  As well, I would have used single quotation marks, bearing strong resemblance to an apostrophe, as I did in my opening paragraph.)

Now this change is a big deal.  In standard writing styles, there are two major systems of grammar and usage, MLA and AP.  I was taught MLA.  For the AP to say this could really bring about changes to the way that people write.

Let us evaluate their suggestions.

'Companion' is an utterly useless term.  We talk about companions often.  Rav Jen and I have three cats.  They are great companions.  'Lover' should, in an ideal world, be very specific and unique.  Your spouse should be your lover.  To have a second one referred to with the same word puts both of these people on the same level and creates ambiguity as to which one is the topic of discussion, thought, etc.

Despite their feeble alternatives, in this regard, the AP is right.  There really is not such a great equivalent for men.  If there is a woman sleeping with a married man who is not her spouse, it necessarily follows that there is a married man who is sleeping around.  I suppose that 'philanderer' is a possibility, but a philanderer is not necessarily married.

The term 'mistress' definitely has adulterous connotations; however, we must consider that we use that term often, even daily.  It is polite.  The shortened form of it is 'Mrs.'

So what are some other possibilities?  How about...?

1.  Willing to accept leftovers

2.  Accomplice to spousal abuse

Those are both too wordy.

We thus require an appropriate, gender-neutral term.  The term should leave no ambiguity as to what adultery can do to a marriage.  It should clearly identify both parties to the affair.

I humbly suggest 'homewrecker.'  It works for both parties simultaneously.  It is to the point, and is gender-neutral.

Folks, I have written in the past that there is nothing one can do with a potential homewrecker that one cannot do with a spouse.  That remains true.  Avoid the homewrecker.  Look in your own bed.  You might find that your spouse likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain (the name of that song is "Escape").

Have a great evening.

R/SCG

Earworms...

Top of the evening everyone.

Apparently, one of the new terms out there is an earworm.  It is when a song gets stuck in your head. Thank God there is YouTube and Vemo to take care of this problem.

One of the songs in my head lately has been Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Find the Cost of Freedom."  It really is a stupendous song about the costs of war.

The first lyric: "find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground."

It says that when we go to war, people die.  They pay the ultimate sacrifice to maintain the freedoms we cherish.

I have been thinking about that song.  Why?  Back in 2019, one of my former Marines (and my martial arts instructor for Grey Belt) took his life.  I found out about it a couple of months later.  I found the obituary.  One of the people who left a condolence note was also a Marine.  He wrote that he would be coming to see his friend soon.

Two fellow chaplains and I spent the afternoon tracking down the Marine who had written the condolence note.  He has started a business, with a focus on helping veterans.  Since then, I have made the mental decision to switch to using products and businesses that are veteran-owned and run.

Veterans in both the US and Canada suffer from all matter of challenges - mental illness, unemployment, homelessness.  As nations, we have a responsibility to them, even after the hurly burly is done.

As such, with great respect to CSN, I am reworking that lyric.

"Find the cost of freedom, sleeping on that bench."

R/SCG

Bad Joke...

Hi everyone...

So there was a rock concert.  However, the booking agents made a couple of mistakes.  As such, two bands came out on the stage at the same time.

One band started playing music from "Paradise Theatre."  The other band started playing "Satisfaction."

Everyone loved it.

The evening came to be known as (wait for it)....Styx and Stones.

Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG

It Has Been a While...

Top of the evening to all.

With humble apologies, I have not been writing during the pandemic. As such, you will this evening be subject to a slew of blog entries.

Over the course of this craziness, we have all been told about social distancing. The virus can only travel a certain distance. As long as we stay beyond that distance, there is no chance of contracting this nasty affliction.

On those occasions that I have been able to get out and take a walk, I have followed those conventions. Nonetheless, I say hello to everyone. Social distancing does not have to be anti-social distancing. We are all still neighbours. We must remember that, especially now.

Thinking about it further, it is both heartening and affirming that the ancient wisdom of the Torah remains true. Specifically,

לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ

It is not good for a person to be alone. All of the ways that we have tried to reach out to each other - on-line conferences, window visits, yelling hello to random strangers across the street - we do not accept this forced being alone. That is a good thing, and a powerful statement about humanity.

Here is hoping that the societal semi-quarantine becomes less necessary sooner rather than later.

Have a good evening everyone.

R/SCG