Top of the evening to all....
In the world of LinkedIn, you never know what could happen. The genesis of this conversation goes back to when we lived in Honolulu 24 years ago. The message to which I just responded has the following question in it:
"Were you the chaplain that rode around base on a bicycle from time to time?"
It is nice to be remembered.
Have a good evening.
R/SCG
Top of the afternoon too all...
I have had my criticisms of President Biden. No matter how loyal a supporter one might be, there is a difference between loyalty and blindness. Hopefully, even his most ardent supporters (and I am not in that category) also have criticisms.
The news reports today that President Biden has spent a great deal of taxpayer money going to his home in Delaware for weekends. The usual suspects have criticized him for this.
The usual suspects on the other side of the political spectrum called former President Trump on the carpet for the same thing.
(Yawn...Nothing to see here.)
To expect the President to take weekends on the couch in the White House is not reasonable. No other federal employee makes a regular practice of staying in the office over the weekend. No other federal employee has the responsibilities of POTUS. He has a right to go home and to relax with the trappings of his personal life. Instead of being critical, maybe we should be happy that in the hardest job in the world, he still tries to strike a life-work balance.
Shabbat Shalom to all.
R/SCG
Good afternoon to all.
I am now locked in the primary bedroom for the foreseeable future. Rav Jen brings me my meals.
Why, pray tell, am I locked in my bedroom? You guessed it. I have Covid.
I can deal with the sniffles. I can deal with the fever. So what is the problem?
There was a cartoon on the fridge back in my youth. The cartoon said that cats only allowed themselves to be domesticated because they cannot open doors.
Two cats, both alike in dignity, a window facing due south, a wide window sill, and a kitty tower all mean that I am up and down constantly. If one cat crosses the threshold, the other crosses the threshold, eventually. I have COVID, but it is really a tail of two kitties.
Please do not be concerned about me. I just did 35 push-ups. It took 28 seconds. Any concern is better directed towards Rav Jen. She got sent home from work Wednesday on the 'if a then b' clause. She is trying to navigate her workday and prepare Shabbat dinner. That, and the laundry machine is broken. This is no big loss on its own, as we were going to replace it anyway. However, the laundry has piled up.
I again remind everyone of the 614th commandment: thou shalt not COVID thy neighbour's home.
Shabbat Shalom.
R/SCG
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen....
Several years back, I wrote a blog entry regarding the Obama administration's discussions with Iran. In that entry, I noted the words of President Reagan: "for a government that will break faith with its own people can not be trusted to keep faith with foreign powers.:
Last week, I cited President Reagan's words in an e-mail to the White House, urging the immediate cessation of nuclear negotiations during the civil riots currently taking place in Iran.
I also added this:
Her name is Mahsa Amini.
Say her name.
R/SCG
Good evening everyone.
Please note that I am about to risk being unpopular again.
We are all likely aware of the mass shooting that happened in Buffalo earlier this week. We have learned from the shooter's internet history that he is quite racist. Such racism is thus thought to be the underlying motivation of his crime.
Perhaps...
There is another piece to this that badly needs attention, if only to discount the possibility. As we look at the history of mass shootings (and we can add mass killings with an automobile), we note that the perpetrators of 122 of those shootings were men (plus two vehicular mass homicides as well). The perpetrators in another three shootings were women. In another two, it was a man and a woman together.
My friends, as I have pointed out in another posting from a few years ago, another question desperately demands consideration. Maybe it is the guns. Maybe it is not. But if the perpetrators in over 96% of these mass homicides were men, can we PLEASE have a discussion about men's mental health?
Have a good evening.
R/SCG
Good evening everyone...
As the country of my birth seems to be finding yet another avenue to self-immolation, different approaches to some of the questions at hand might provide a less destructive solution.
As most of you are aware, the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of the United States is a lifetime appointment. This also holds true for the courts at the appellate level. The reason for this was to isolate the legal system from the ebb and flow of political discourse, freeing judges to make decisions without their jobs in mind. As well, it allows a more measured pace in the country's legal development.
With the leaking of the draft of the Supreme Court decision that will likely overturn Roe v. Wade, the cries for term limits and court packing have crescendoed yet again.
I have a more elegant solution. It is entirely within the letter of the Constitution as it currently stands. It requires not a single word of new legislation. All it requires is a commitment from the President on nominations.
I would have great respect for any POTUS who made a couple of very simple promises.
1. No President would nominate for the Supreme Court any judge who has not been at the appellate level for at least a decade. Given that the President is only in office for eight years, it would mean that the President would not be able to nominate the same judge both to the appellate courts and to the Supreme Court.
2. Rather than have age or term limits, a simple practice of requiring a minimum age of 60 before the President is even willing to consider a judge to SCOTUS would limit the amount of time that judges could serve from the beginning instead of at the end.
Presidential traditions are important. President Washington started the tradition of not serving more than two terms, a tradition that lasted until well into the 20th century. It was ensconced in law as an amendment to the Constitution only after FDR died during his fourth term.
Have a good evening.
R/SCG
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is time.
We can debate the degree to which we should get involved in the conflagration in Ukraine. At what point is our involvement causis belli, at the risk of sparking a larger-scale war? It is a legitimate worry.
What is unjustifiable though is to allow any country to execute civilians. Yes, in war, civilians die. they die when they get caught in the crossfire. Right and proper armies do their best to prevent civilian casualties.
Civilians with their hands tied behind their backs and then shot execution-style were not caught in the crossfire. They were not taking up arms. We have now entered the area in which civilized men and women must raise a collective voice and say "enough!" That collective voice must be followed with a collective effort.
I do not know what such an effort might look like. It can certainly start with the MiGs in Poland.
If we as a nation look at this and do nothing more than wring our hands, then we do not deserve the countries we are so fortunate to have.
It is time. It is time to cease standing idly by the blood of our neighbours.
R/SCG
Top of the evening to all...
You are all familiar with the original idiom. Biting the hand that feeds you reflects a basic lack of gratitude to those who would do well by you.
Feeding the hand that bites you is remarkably self-defeating. It is the idea of giving someone the necessary means by which to visit evil on you. It is with this thought in mind that I have virtually no clue as to the failure of both Europe and North America to stop paying for Russian oil. Most other economic connections with Russia have been cut off, either as national policy or as individual company decisions.
Vladimir Putin is a blight on the world. Every penny that flows into Russia exacerbates that blight. As this conflict spirals from bad to worse, and as the world is dragged more and more into it, the countries of Europe and North America must not pay for the war efforts of an adversary. It is sheer folly to do so.
R/SCG
Good afternoon to all...
The title of this blog comes from the opening words of the United States Declaration of Independence. Most people are more familiar with "we hold these truths to be self-evident..."
The course of human events has yielded an inhuman nightmare unfolding in Ukraine. I find myself utterly perplexed about why this is happening. Whatever it is that is driving Vladimir Putin contains a logic that I cannot fathom, and do not wish to fathom.
Confusing this further is the age-old rule of combat: battle plan never survives first contact. The reason is that the other side gets to have a battle plan. As well, it is impossible to predict the intangibles - weather, mistakes, dumb luck, and a complete disconnect with the local population are all factors. One presumes that Putin understands this.
In any event, we are in the course of human events. And in the midst of these events, we must not allow the events to make us inhuman. Part of maintaining our humanity is contained in the commandment לא תעמוד על דם רעך. Do not stand idly over the blood of your neighbour.
I understand the concerns about committing troops to any battle theatre. What interest does anyone have in the people of another country? As well, it opens up a whole new potential for the battle theatre to expand well beyond its current location.
We have interest. When people need help, we do not ask the address. When people need help, we show up. Basic compassion and basic honour demand no less.
I will leave it to the combatant commanders to advise on how to influence the battle theatre more aggressively. However, it is time. Putin will not lose on his own.
R/SCG
Top of the evening to all...
As we watch the continuing carnage in Ukraine, it is both easy and appropriate to be in awe of the resilience and toughness of the Ukrainian people. It is also easy to wonder how the Russian military machine seems not to be able to deliver a knockout punch to a much smaller military.
Regarding the second point, please allow me to offer a couple of possibilities:
1. If the rumours are correct, the military units are not well-trained and were not informed about the mission objectives. Folks, the success of any operation depends on everyone knowing the plan and training for it. This applies in the civilian world no less than in the military world.
2. Without training and information, it is impossible to develop unit cohesion. This will cause morale to plummet. It will eviscerate any loyalty to those in command.
3. Speaking of those in command, I have heard time and again that the Russian officers are downright brutal to their soldiers. Especially when dealing with conscripts, this is a recipe for operational failure. It leads to stories of Russian soldiers damaging the gas tanks of their vehicles. Every military officer in the world has read Sun Tzu. To the Russian officers, it is not enough to read Sun Tzu. Absorbing the lessons is useful as well.
4. Never lose sight of the importance of the SuppO, the supply officer. Again, if the rumours are correct, the soldiers do not have enough food. US field rations assume a calorie requirement of 3000 per day. That is 50% more than the average for being at home. When moving long distances while carrying heavy packs, a soldier needs more. Yes, hunger will degrade mission capability quickly and emphatically.
May this craziness end soon.
R/SCG
Good evening everyone.
The Russians are unleashing quite the arsenal on Ukraine even as we speak. I commend the plucky Ukrainians for putting up such a fight.
The West, in its wisdom, has finally cut off select Russian banks from SWIFT. SWIFT simplifies much of the process for international banking and commerce. Please note that the decision on these sanctions only affects select Russian banks, and not all of them.
I believe a sense of proportion is important.
*Last week, an Ontario government employee lost her job. She had donated $100.00 anonymously to the trucker strike that paralyzed Ottawa for several weeks. Her identity was revealed in a hack of the funding organization.
If it takes until Day 4 to do something substantial, and if the Russians still have some access to SWIFT, a question seems glaringly lacking in an answer:
Can the woman have her job back?
Have a good evening.
R/SCG
*Please do not attempt to tease out my opinion regarding the truckers from this blog entry. I have not stated any opinion in this blog.
Top of the evening Ladies and Gentlemen...
The events of the last few days brought the following to mind.
"You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war."
- Sir Winston Churchill to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, 1938
Have a calm evening.
R/SCG
Good morning to all...
From the New York Post: "Every single adult New Yorker can go get a vaccine as easily as they can get a bagel, and since we know that drastically reduces severe illness, then hooray, the COVID crisis is over."
Pfizer? Moderna? J&J? Billions of dollars of research...and we finally come to the simple truth. Bagels drastically reduce severe illness.
I like either sesame seed or pumpernickel.
May you have a wonderful, holy day.
R/SCG
***DISCLAIMER***
I am a rabbi, not a doctor. Please do not take the above as medical advice.
Good evening everyone.
As we are all painfully aware, COVID has wrought many changes in communal life. One of those changes is that people often have had religious services outside. Synagogues have used parking lots. There were many backyard services as well.
We hosted several of those backyard services. We assumed that everyone had gone home. However, the weather has been so awful that we did not check. Apparently, someone is still here. If you know who this person is, please advise.
Thank you.
R/SCG
Top of the evening to all....
The director of the Jewish Welfare Board asked one of the military rabbis to write something in response to the events that took place in Texas. I volunteered. Below is my article.
R/SCG
-----Break-----
When Words Fail Us
There was a time when such disturbing events took place far away. We would read about a terrorist attack in Europe or on a subway in Japan. We might have glanced at the article, but quickly turned to the crossword puzzle. Even if it involved the local Jewish community, this was still elsewhere. This did not happen in our country. This was not the United States.
The last several years have shattered that sense of distance. Pittsburgh, Poway, and now Texas...these are places we know. Our friends live in these communities. These are shuls where we might daven. When violence takes place in our backyard, we find ourselves without words, wondering what to say. How do we find comfort in words when circumstances leave us speechless?
I have been privileged to witness reaction without words. In December, I took part in rehearsals for Dignified Transfers at Dover Air Force Base (AFB). When the remains of US combat deaths are repatriated, Dover AFB stands ready to honor our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Guardsmen, Airmen, and Guardians. Dover AFB neither slumbers nor sleeps.
Quiet conversations on the tarmac come to an abrupt halt at the words "family in sight." Inside the C-130, a chaplain offers a short prayer. The carry teams lift each transfer case. Uniformed personnel execute a slow salute, holding that salute until the transfer case is placed in the vehicle. Throughout the transfer, those present will hear only the commands of the officer in charge. Dignified Transfer is otherwise silent.
In January, I accompanied my colleague and friend, Rabbi (Major) Steven Rein, USAF, to the funeral of a Jewish Air Force officer at Arlington National Cemetery. Again, the absence of spoken word was striking, broken only by terse orders to the casket team during the transfer of the casket to the caisson and a muffled drum beat as the deceased is borne on this final journey. As military honors conclude, the concussion of a rifle volley tears through that silence. A lone bugler sounds "Taps," the gentle lament of a nation in mourning.
The aura of military ritual is gripping. To witness Dignified Transfers and Military Honors...to hear the clipped phrasing..."family in sight..." orders to the carry team...slow salutes...walking behind the caisson...rifle volley..."Taps..." and silence. That silence is part of the ritual. It is as heart-rending as the bugle call. That silence reminds us that for many situations, there are no words.
Words of solace will come only in their time. They will have meaning only when we are able to hear them. For now, we remember Aharon's reaction at the tragic death of two of his sons (Leviticus 10:3). וידם אהרן - Aharon fell silent. As we struggle to find words, as Aharon's silence is suddenly, unwillingly our own, let us remember that words often fail to capture magnitude of trauma or depth of emotion. We hear instead the power of ritual and hopefully find comfort in the solemnity of silence.
May we be comforted from the Heavens - מן השמיים ננוחם.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rav Sean Gorman
LCDR, CHC, USN
Good evening everyone.
We are all likely aware of the events that took place at Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas over Shabbat. Thank God that synagogue attendance was low due to COVID (I just love that irony) and that those present persevered and survived without physical injury.
I follow the news assiduously. I also keep making the remarkably stupid error of reading comments after the news articles. (Note to self: STOP!!) In comments after one article, many people extolled the virtues of attending such events with a concealed weapon. In and of itself, I have no issue with personal firearms. Conceptually, even in such situations, there might be room to discuss having a weapon handy.
However, and it is a huge "however," what might seem intelligent as a concept often does not make the jump into reality.
All of the comments supporting bringing a weapon to shul mention Constitutional rights and self-defence. The use of lethal force in self-defence requires training and preparation. Training with a weapon is only part of the issue. Do the folks in the pews know what to do? When the rounds start flying, people will panic. Some may duck. Others may freeze. Do we want a situation in which one of the good guys has to make a decision with a human shield as part of the equation? Still others may hamper the good guys in a panicked rush to find safety. Being armed will not mitigate the panic. A weapon will not bring order to chaos. The presence of a firearm will not level the playing field. It is not a good idea.
What might we do instead?
Let's start with the fundamentals, beginning at the synagogue door. In Alexandria, VA, the cost to a synagogue to have a uniformed police officer on the property is $35/hour. In Toronto, it is $100/hour with a minimum of four hours. With the assumption of four hours here in Virginia, the cost for 52 Saturdays would be ~$7280.00 USD. In Toronto, it is ~$20800.00 CAD. Even before considering synagogue policy, there is room for local government to ease the financial burden and help organizations figure out policy.
For synagogue policy, a fence around the synagogue is a solid beginning. Keeping people off of the property limits the concerns with getting into the building. Beyond that, it is entirely appropriate to ask people to show the contents of backpacks, purses, and diaper bags before allowing entry to the building. A metal detector can also go far in initial security.
Synagogue websites all have COVID policies. Policies include advance registration for services and showing proof of vaccine. We do not blink over having to do that. In coming to DC, I chose my hotel based in part on walking distance to a synagogue. I checked the synagogue's COVID policy. If the synagogue had asked for registration, I would have registered. Okay...what is the difference between such requirements for COVID and asking for identification and registration for attendees as a matter of physical security?
The place I attended services yesterday had only one available entrance into the building. The synagogue was able to afford police protection. Two people were checking COVID records. That means that anyone with nefarious intent would have had to pass three people. Extra training for the folks checking COVID records might be in order to facilitate reaction to such intent.
In the pews, laminated cards outlined what to do in case of a bomb threat, active shooter, fire, and other emergencies (there were also instructions for what to do in the unlikely event of a water landing). This congregation takes the security concerns seriously enough to talk about it and to communicate with the membership.
Congregations should address whether the greeters at the sanctuary door know what to do. Immediate action on their part can buy precious seconds for others to run or hide.
Please note that in general, I agree that the physical security of the synagogue is the concern of the board, not of the bimah (pulpit). However, when people are scared about coming to shul, that fear becomes a pastoral issue for the bimah. As well, given that many synagogues have a panic button on the pulpit, the rabbi is a necessary part of the discussion.
The rabbi of the shul in Texas said today that they are "going to tighten security." Without knowing what the security practices have been, deliberate thought about the security of a synagogue (or any other institution) needs to happen before an attack. Making tomorrow's policy based on yesterday's events is too little, too late. When the train has already left the station, running after it is an exercise in futility.
To our friends in Colleyville, we stand behind you and next to you in support as you recover from this violation.
Stay warm. Stay dry.
R/SCG
Top of the evening to all...
Apparently, a certain Congresswoman from New York is in Florida on vacation. Good for her! While in Florida, she has been seen twice unmasked (oh the humanity!). The second time was at a packed bar.
At this time, I would like to remind everyone of the 614th Commandment: thou shalt not COVID thy neighbour's house.
Anyway, because the Twitter world is...well...the Twitter world, the Congresswoman in question was called for hypocrisy. She has left her blue state, land of quarantines and masks, to go to a dreaded red state, land of sun and sand.
And again, good for her. Everyone deserves a vacation.
Her hypocrisy was pointed out to her. Her response: "it's starting to get old ignoring the very obvious, strange, and deranged sexual frustrations that underpin the Republican fixation on me, women, and LGBT+ people in general."
Since her tweet was directed at those pointing out the seeming hypocrisy, let's have the conversation. For one who is quite happy to point out sexism wherever it exists (and even where it does not), she might start by looking in the mirror. To assume that men might disagree with her only because we want to get her into bed is misandrist. It reduces men to little more than libidinous creatures. If a man were to say the exact same thing, the Twitter attacks would be vicious. They would also be correct.
I would thus like to inform the Congresswoman in question that men have brains. I dare say further that even conservative men have brains. Try engaging us on that level. Maybe we will all learn something.
In the meantime, no, I am not interested...not remotely.
Enjoy your vacation.
R/SCG
