Sunday, September 17, 2017

"In the Arctic, a Cold War Rosh Hashana" -- link below -- My letter to the Globe's Jeff Jacoby

Jeff, I do not often agree with your political point of view but this story entitled above and linked below touched my heart and I found myself crying at the end.  Knowing how rancid Russia has historically been to its Jews it would be unthinkable that they would have allowed what our military did for Elihu Schimmel that is for all its Jewish soldiers stationed in the arctic that year to pray on this holiest of days of the Jewish calendar. 

No matter how divided we are politically I believe the heart of our nation beats strong and for that I am grateful.  I had the occasion last evening to watch the CNN special "Inside North Korea"  to see the remarkable difference between life in western style nations and the tyranny that is North Korea.  North Korea is an Orwellian authoritarian's dream.  Its populous, strictly controlled, never dare to voice opposition to a leader whose sanity is in question ready to take his nation in a split second to war that would kill hundreds of thousands if not millions.  He is wide-eyed smiling at each rocket launch and especially proud of his nuclear weaponry.  The people say in rote manner that the enemy is the United States and they are taught this nearly from birth. 

An accident of birth placed me here and I thought at a very young age how wonderful it was  that I could say anything to anyone, question everything without a knock at the door in the wee hours of the morning to take me away to a destination unknown.  Those who dare in North Korea to challenge their government it is said by experts among the few who have seen that nation up close end up in special prisons starved or beaten to death because they dared question their "divine" leader Kim Jong-Un.   Kim Jong-Un smiles with glee at the thought that a nuclear weapon could take out Guam, Japan, South Korea and even go as far as Chicago to unleash the atomic bomb's horror on innocent people.

I think on Robert Oppenheimer's serious quote when the first nuclear bomb was dropped.   He said:

“We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty, and to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”

It is in serious contemplation of our nuclear world's scientific information that has been unleashed into the hands of democracies and despots alike trying to get hold of its payload that could eliminate life on earth as we know it that I wish for you, all of our nation and its allies during this serious time of year a safe and sweet new year as well.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/09/16/above-arctic-circle-cold-war-rosh-hashana/WEtwem9FuqZcOKY97NcFCJ/story.html

First the Good News

Viewed the wonderful film "La La Land" on HBO last evening. If you want to watch a beautiful film, talented acting, tremendous choreography and an all around great musical in the genre of the some of the ones made in times past I urge you to see it. It's set in contemporary time but hearkens back to another era which showed wonderful musicals with little to no profanity, no nudity and no explicit sex scenes which is I believe much more erotic then leaving nothing to the imagination. It had some depth as well. The creativity was amazing.

Some humans create great things with staggering talent and intellect of the homo sapiens big brain. They are blessed. It stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. The film won numerous Academy Awards. We saw it on HBO but if you missed it last evening then you probably can get it on Video on Demand or HBO Go if you have cable channels. It is worth it to take time to see it. I do not think you will be disappointed.

This film was refreshing in our explosive, fearful and sad time with a president who does not know what he is doing.  Now for the bad news.  Headline on Huffington: 

"Don’t Look Now, But Full Obamacare Repeal Is Back On The Table.  A bill nobody took seriously suddenly sounds serious."  I was awakened at 3:00 a.m. and just happened to check the news which is always a bad move.  I could not get back to sleep!  It was frightening for all of us but especially serious for the poor, the middle class with expensive medical issues and those with pre-existing conditions.  It could also affect nursing homes as patients would have to relinquish their homes to pay for care.  When their money ran out god only knows what would happen.  This bill is worse than the last Republican evisceration of health care.  It is mean, it is sadistic and most of all it is wrong.  The nation is so decimated by what Trump has done that no one sane would call America "Great."   He is making America anything but great again.  He is making it poor, toxic, climate brutalized, divided at home and alienated in the world.  I urge you to RESIST this with all the effort you can muster, call Congress and then call them again.  Write letters, attend protests if you can but do something so that people who get sick and have little to no money can have a shot at life.  It is that important.  The Republican Party who says they care for life of the "unborn" has no care for those who are already born and many who come into this world with a preexisting expensive condition or develop one soon after.  Ask me I know.

 I will post below the essence of what is going to be offered this time by Republicans (of course) Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.  Graham is friendly with McCain so who knows if McCain will be still healthy enough to cast a no vote again although Graham and he are friends.  Pass this on to anyone you choose.

RESIST as if you or your children's lives depend upon it because they do  --   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dont-look-now-but-full-obamacare-repeal-is-back-on-the-table_us_59bd9f2de4b086432b07a12a?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

NOT ANYMORE

  I wrote this last week and for the most part sat on it because I did not want my writing to imply anything against Israel. As stated agai...