Trump's Women and Where to go from Here

...And here we go.

Women have started coming out of the woodwork accusing Trump of assaulting them. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Are these women being truthful? Are they there simply to destroy Trump as per a Democratic playbook? The answer is that it does not matter. After the audio going public of Donald Trump bragging about what he can do to women (and denying that he actually did it), it really doesn't matter if these women are for real or not. All that matters now is that it is plausible that they were assaulted. Plausibility matters.

The question is what Vice President Mike Pence is going to do now. He seems like a decent guy. What does he want to do? If he drops out, what happens? Does that take down the whole ticket? I really don't know. What would be good would be for Trump to step aside (Hillary should too) and for Pence to replace him at the top of the ticket and make a woman his vice presidential pick. I would like to see Joni Ernst, senator from Iowa after having served in the military for 23 years. I would also be happy to see Susana Martinez, very successful governor of New Mexico in the VP slot.

We have about a month to go. Trump looks like he plans on spending these last few days defending himself from these charges - which means he will lose. Trump may lose anyway even if he doesn't spend the time defending himself. The GOP may still have a chance to turn this whole election on its head - if - they can get rid of Trump and get themselves a respectable ticket. Hillary Clinton is a terrible candidate, and anyone other than Trump would have an easy time beating her. It may be time to consider other options.

Good-bye Political Facebook

I posted this rant on Facebook tonight. I will (try to) limit my political postings to my blog here. Facebook has become as insane as this election is - the abusiveness and the lack of civility has grown exponentially.

I've had it. Vote for who you wish. I have never attacked anyone for their choice, even if I disagree with it. It's a free country. You may have noticed that I'm voting Trump. I don't like his character, and would be plenty happy if he were replaced. I do not defend him. I also don't appreciate having my motivations questioned or being called names. I also don't like Hillary Clinton, and there is no chance of voting for her. She is a liar, has 'private and public positions', I believe her to be corrupt, unethical, with no care for anyone but herself. She is an enabler to her husband who has a long history of assaulting women. I do not have to defend Trump any more than anyone has to defend Clinton. They are both pigs. We can thank Bill Clinton who in 1998, claimed his power imbalanced "relationship" with Lewinsky was a private affair and no ones business but his own. "Even presidents have private lives. It is time to stop the pursuit of personal destruction and the prying into private lives and get on with our national life." If we are keeping to Bill Clinton's standard, then Trump gets a pass, just like Clinton got a pass. He's still the godfather of the Democratic Party. Self-identified feminists didn't seem to care about his abusive womanizing record even before he sullied the Oval Office. But Donald Trump, the pig he is, saying horrible things, can't be measured by the same yardstick that Bill Clinton brought to the Presidency because he has a "R" next to his name instead of a "D". All is forgiven for the all powerful "D". Realize Democrats that your candidate is as flawed as the Republicans. The GOP tried to get rid of Trump and continues to try to find ways to replace him. He was never their first choice or even their 17th. The Democratic Party pushed Hillary Clinton on the American liberal, paving her way to the nomination, steamrolling Bernie Sanders, because it was "her turn". The Democratic Party thinks so little of the American People that Hillary was the only choice for them. Pathetic. I will be trying to avoid posting political stuff as best I can from here on. My rant is over. I wish everyone a Shana Tova, a happy sweet new year with only good things for everyone.

VP Debate 2016

Watching the debate last night, the thought that kept running through my mind was... why aren't we running Mike Pence at the top of the ticket? Seriously - calm, cool, collected... smart, knows how to communicate, knows when to attack, when to defend...

Truthfully, I think the debate was a draw. Tim Kaine didn't do himself any favors. For someone who we know nothing about, his debut was a disaster.  He interrupted Pence 70+ times, which I found incredibly annoying and not professional.

Pence was articulate in explaining and defending the conservative vision for the United States. I wish the Republican Party would do this regularly, not allowing the media and the liberals/Democrats to take that vision and skew it for the public. I've said for a long time, that the GOP needs to buy commercial television time and explain what they stand for - otherwise, they let the Democrats define them.

The moderator seemed overwhelmed. Tim Kaine wouldn't shut up. She needed to shut him down and let them each have their two minutes then let them go at it without interruption. It's a tough job she had, but I don't think she was prepared for the sparring and arguments.

Pence was brave to bring up the abortion issue. I think though that the GOP needs to sort out their abortion position. Kaine made a good point about - don't you trust women to make their own medical decisions? Except that wasn't the point that Pence was making. Pence was talking about partial-birth abortions, basically infanticide.

A majority of Americans are pro-choice about abortion for the first trimester. After that, second and third term abortions don't have that support. The GOP needs to understand and focus on consolidating support against 2nd and 3rd trimester abortions, rather that attacking all abortions. Adoption needs to be a viable alternative as well as support for women who would like to keep their babies but are unable to for financial reasons.

It's all nice and good that Democrats frame the abortion issue as a "feminist" issue. Really, this is the only real "feminist" issue out there that Democrats really care about. My body, my choice. That's garbage. It may be your body, but you made a choice and got pregnant. It then becomes an issue of rights. The woman's right and the baby's right. At some point, that pregnancy becomes a real person. At only 5 weeks, there is a heartbeat. That's not life?

A Canadian journalist Barbara Kay, made an excellent point a few months ago in an article I came across. She said that since doctors are able to save babies earlier and earlier in a pregnancy, (the earliest I've found was a baby born at 21 wks. 5 days), Kay asks, when medically they are able to save babies earlier in a pregnancy - and you're still allowed to legally abort them - when are we going to realize that there's a problem? It's obviously not just a bunch of cells that don't matter anymore - it never was... but science and medicine have come a long way since Roe v. Wade in 1973. It's foolish of us to hang onto science that has long been disproven just because it fits a "feminist" ideology that is tied to it. Liberals poke fun at conservatives for not believing in science - I think it would be quite fair to call the kettle black and make the point that science no longer supports Roe v. Wade.

Putting abortion aside, it's too bad Pence didn't bring up Kaine's Islamists connections.

I guess we will see what Round 2 of Trump v. Clinton brings us Sunday night.

**To be clear, there will always be extenuating circumstances regarding abortion. I would never say that a woman could never have an abortion. Life of the mother is paramount and I'm sure we could find other circumstances to have agreement on as well.

Those Damn Amish Are At It Again!

These "apparent terrorist" attacks have been so entertaining! I just knew it was a matter of time before we could blame the Amish for these so-called attacks. They're just blowing stuff up all the time these days. Attacks in France, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Lebanon, United Kingdom... and now New Jersey, New York, Minnesota and Utah! Those Amish sure get around. I'm so glad after mistakenly giving 868 US citizenships to uh, 'problematic people'... we're importing thousands more that we aren't 100% sure that we can vet properly. I'm feeling good today!

The U.S. government has mistakenly granted citizenship to at least 858 immigrants from countries of concern to national security or with high rates of immigration fraud who had pending deportation orders, according to an internal Homeland Security audit released Monday.

Whoops. Well, you know, whatever... 

Maybe I'll Actually Vote *For* Trump

Finally.

I caught the last 15 minutes of Donald Trump's Child Care announcement last night. I'm not a huge fan of Trump (at all), but I dislike and distrust Hillary Clinton even more. Finally last night, Trump may have me on board, actually voting for him rather than against Hillary. He outlined a proposal for helping women and their families with their child care expenses. Including... giving tax child care tax breaks for stay at home mothers - finally recognizing their financial worth. I also like the tax free "dependent accounts" that can be used toward school choice - another important issue that could make a real difference in our poor urban areas.

I'm excited (finally). I've started looking over the proposal, I haven't finished, but it makes sense.

If Trump can stay on message, he may have a chance.

The Trump Plan Will Help Working Mothers 

'We'll start with that child!': Trump works squealing BABY into speech on erasing crippling childcare and providing six weeks of paid leave to new moms - as toddler (and Ivanka) steal the show 

Trump/Pence website

Is there something wrong with Hillary?

Is there something medically wrong with Hillary Clinton? We don't know... and we won't know until she collapses... oh, wait - she did that already. Surprise, her campaign has announced that she was diagnosed with pneumonia last Friday. Were they going to mention it to anyone?

The problem with Hillary is that you never actually know when she's telling the truth. Maybe it is pneumonia, maybe it isn't. There's no chance she's going to be transparent about her health.

CNN made a documentary about Hillary titled "Unfinished Business". I didn't watch it. I don't have the time in my life to spend thinking deeply about her. However, the title bothered me. It assumed that she has a right to the presidency. Her life is not complete without becoming the President of the United States. Hillary Clinton is a lawyer in her own right (also being fired for being unethical). She's been the 1st Lady. She's also been a US Senator and Secretary of State.  These are all respectable roles for anyone to have and be perfectly happy walking away feeling accomplished (whether or not they *actually* were accomplished is something else). But not Hillary Clinton, she has "unfinished business".

Truthfully, I'd like to see both candidates examined by an independent 3rd party doctor who has no skin in the game. Good luck with that. So instead, we'll wait and see what is served to us next by the Clinton campaign.

Proud to be an American

The iconic question for my generation, where were you the morning of 9/11?

It was a regular sort of morning. I was home, preparing for teaching my afternoon social studies classes of 7th and 8th graders, when I got a phone call from an acquaintance of my sister. He asked if I'd seen the news, the Pentagon and the Twin Towers had been attacked. We hung up the phone and I turned on the television.

It was shocking. Both of the Twin Towers had been hit and we were watching the smoke billow out of them. Reporters were talking about the firemen who had run into the buildings to save those inside. Then all of a sudden the Towers came tumbling down. The terrible question in my head - were the first responders still inside? Oh my G-d, they were. It was a horrible scene to watch - but I dragged myself away around noon... I still had classes to teach.

What was amazing was that Americans banded together. Congress even got together and sang God Bless America on national television. Being from Michigan, we used to make fun of New Yorkers - but that morning changed everything. We were all New Yorkers, we were all Americans... no matter where you were from. Life had changed. We, all Americans, were under attack that morning.

E Pluribus Unum - from many, one. The phrase printed on our Great Seal of the USA and on much of our money. The focus is not on where we come from - but who we become. There's so much talk about multiculturalism, the color of our skin, being from different working classes... but this is not what the United States is about. Certainly we can respect each other and our differences, but we are all Americans. Americans, period. Without qualifying adjectives added or needed.

The Islamic terrorists who attacked America's financial center, military center and attempted to attack our democracy at the core - who were stopped by the Flight 93 martyrs, bless them and their families - were attacking all of us. They did not care who we were as individuals, what color our skin was, what countries our families immigrated from... these terrorists cared about bringing death and destruction to Americans.

On September 11th, we were reminded that we are all Americans. We, as a whole, were and still are, under attack. America is a special place, and American exceptionalism is still a very real concept. We must not forget who we are. While other countries, thankfully, have followed our lead - the United States was the first to be founded on the concepts of religious freedom, the freedom of the individual to follow their dreams, the right of the individual to be greater than the class that they were born into, and so many G-d given rights that we take for granted each and every day - even the basic right to self defense... we must be thankful every day to be an American.

G-d Bless America. May G-d bless those who lost their lives and their families that terrible day 15 years ago in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and in a field in Pennsylvania. G-d bless those first responders who ran bravely into the Towers not knowing if they would be coming out again. G-d bless those first responders who have since passed away and those who are sick because of their bravery that day. We honor your service to us all.

The Future of Attawapiskat

The disaster of Attawapiskat has been going on for years. The people are suffering, but it does not appear that the proposed solutions, which include sending in more social workers, will truly help them. It is time to think outside the box.

No one doubts that the First Nations have been historically mistreated on many levels (a major understatement), but we have to look forward in order to save the people living there. It has been acknowledged by some that the population of Attawapiskat cannot reasonably continue living there. There are no jobs and no jobs forthcoming. The people of Attawapiskat are understandably attached to the land they live on - especially since they have been forcibly relocated by governments over the last 200 years. But where do we go from here?

As a religious Jew, I am reminded of the Second Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the focal point of Judaism. Pilgrimage was made to this holy place three times a year by Jews from across the ancient land of Judea. They travelled to Jerusalem to partake and celebrate in communal activities. In 70 CE (AD), that Temple was destroyed by the Romans. The Jewish People had to come up with an alternative system to that of the pilgrimage. The synagogue is a reflection of that alternative system. While it is debated when the synagogue came into common use, there is no doubt that the local synagogue really came into its own after the destruction of the Temple.

The synagogue, with Jews praying in a quorum three times daily, helped recreate and re-enforce the communal closeness that the pilgrimage to Jerusalem had once established. This sense of community as well as religious laws helped keep the Jewish identity alive for more than 3000 years, even as we were scattered across the known world.

How can we relate Jewish history to the tragedy of Attawapiskat? Attawapiskat and other native populations are in the midst of self-destruction through abuse, sexual abuse, suicide, and alcoholism -a situation that is continually getting worse. A creative solution is the only key.

When the Second Temple was destroyed, Jews had to find a new way to live outside of the Land of Israel, the holy land given to us by G-d. They created a "diaspora" with the heart of the religion still focused in Jerusalem. First Nations need to create a "diaspora" as well, with their heart still in their ancestral homelands. The leaders of these First Nations need to realize that their proud heritage can be used as an anchor while living productive lives in other locations.

The terrible issues of abuse, sexual abuse, suicide and alcoholism cannot be properly dealt with when those affected have no job, no sense of self worth and see no point in living. A "diaspora" must be created. Community centres teaching Native education along with vocational skills and a good general education can create a tight knit community. This will create opportunity for those who are interested to move onto higher education and bring the best of Canada back to their Native communities. In addition to creating these community centres, government monies can be used to establish a mental health framework where people can have a real chance for rehabilitation. Attawapiskat does not have to fade into the woodwork, rather it can be made a pilgrimage site, where the tribe can assemble once or twice a year to strengthen their relationships with one another.

The next generation is already being destroyed. How much longer are those in government and those leading the Native communities going to let this go on? There are solutions, but none of them will be easy. It will take creativity and courage, especially by Native leaders, to reshape the future of their people. I hope they can take the first step.

Happy 68th Birthday Israel!

There's a great collection of videos to be seen related to Israel's 68th Birthday. Go take a look!

Happy Birthday Israel!

Fun with Hillary

I found these on Facebook, I can't claim responsibility.

This one is fun, I haven't seen it before:

Or this one?

Let's all vote for Hillary Clinton (and her husband).

History in the Original - Must See!

I just came across this website, it is fantastic if you love history in primary sources. And even if you don't care for history - you should check it out anyway.

The Shapell Manuscript Foundation - Explore American History Online

I've only just begun looking through what is available, I can see I'll be spending a lot more time here.

Enjoy!

The Year of the Revolution

Maybe you hadn't noticed but Donald Trump is the Republican nominee. But for some reason, I'm seeing a whole lot of Republicans suggesting a third party run by someone else... anyone else. This doesn't make any sense to me at all. They want to see Hillary Clinton win the Presidency? By not supporting Trump, we are looking at another Clinton presidency.

Democrats support anyone with the letter "D" next to their name, whether they like the person or not. Kudos to them. They like winning. Republicans, on the other hand, if they don't like the person running, they are willing to shoot him down and let the other party win. There's something seriously wrong with this. Do you want to win or not?

It's not even about keeping the party together either. While Trump was not my first choice, I think his candidacy is a good thing for the party. The Republican establishment screwed up - ignoring the pain of the working middle class, not fighting to keep President Obama's agenda from being successful, ostracizing the "tea party" conservatives inside and outside Congress, not fighting to keep the deficit down - the establishment deserves what they are getting, they brought Trump unto themselves. This is a real opportunity to revisit the basics of the Republican platform. What do we stand for? Who do we stand for? But I'm not sure that they even understand why they lost this presidential primary.

If somehow Trump manages to lose the presidential election because of a third party candidate, put up by the Republicans who won't support him, this will prove the point - the establishment is only there for themselves. They will destroy the party themselves, not Trump.

This is the year of the revolution - in both parties. Bernie Sanders, while he seems unable to win in a rigged system, is pulling huge crowds. Clinton is working much harder than she expected, trying to co-opt his successful message to the masses. It looks like the Sanders supporters may be more interested in supporting Trump than Clinton come election day. That "D" may not sway them this time.

This is a year where both parties are going to need to re-evaluate who they are and who they represent. What are their ideologies going forward? The establishment lost on the Republican side of the aisle. The Democratic establishment is barely hanging on.

It's time for Republicans to suck it up and support Trump. Clinton will only continue on the same path of destruction as Obama. How can we let this happen? We can't. We have to win.

Time to Support Trump (sob)

Donald Trump easily swept five primaries yesterday. It was a blowout. We know that Trump is the only one who is mathematically even able to hit the 1237 delegate mark, Ted Cruz cannot (and Rubio is still beating Kasich in delegates.)

Today Cruz announced Carly Fiorina as his VP running mate. Very nice, but what is the point here? The race has been lost. It's time to let it go. I know, he wants to fight it out at the convention. I would agree if the race were neck and neck between Trump and Cruz, but it's not. Trump is way ahead in the number of states he has won. Unless something major happens between today and the convention and Cruz magically makes up a crazy number of states and it becomes even between them - it would be ridiculous not to give the nomination to Trump.

Again, I am not a Trump supporter. Rather, I am simply looking at this race and trying to understand what's going on. For Cruz (and Kasich) to keep fighting is silly. It's time to be gracious losers and bow out.

Prediction: John Kasich vs. Donald Trump

My prediction is that Governor John Kasich is not going to support Donald Trump if he gets the Republican nomination. I've been thinking this thought the last few days and I think I'm getting "official" confirmation of that tonight... CNN's Anderson Cooper asked Kasich if he'd support Trump if he were the nominee and he declined to answer. Basically he said, we'll see.

If Kasich does announce that he will not support Trump as the nominee, it will open the door to other establishment candidates to announce the same.

I hope Kasich understands that he will be destroying the party when he makes his announcement.

Vote Trump Over Clinton or Sanders

I can tell you why I'd vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I trust Clinton as far as I can throw her. Median income is down, minorities are doing worse than they've done in a long time. Clinton is part of the problem. She is doing nothing to differentiate herself from the policies of this president. People are hurting across the board. And yes, I do blame Clinton for the death of four Americans, and lying to their families about a stupid video which she admitted under oath she knew not to be the problem.

Bernie Sanders, I believe is more sincere, but seriously flawed. We're so far in debt right now, all the programs he's proposing would destroy the country. Socialism is not a good solution to our problems, and we have serious problems. Blue collar workers are working ever harder, competing against legal and illegal immigrants. The establishment on both sides of the aisle don't get why Sanders and Trump people are upset. I'd vote Trump any day if he were the option.

Let Democracy Work

I am clearly not a Donald Trump fan, nor will I pretend to be.

There is a lot of talk revolving around what will happen if Donald Trump is able to collect enough delegates to win the Republican nomination for President. Some are suggesting that the "establishment" do something and somehow make it impossible for Trump to gain the nomination. I think this would be a terrible mistake.

Just because the Democratic party's nomination is rigged, doesn't mean that the Republicans should follow suit. Trump's rise is due to the Republican "establishment" ignoring the will of the people who put them in office. We gave them both the Senate and House of Representatives believing that they would stop the Obama Administration, and they didn't. Just a couple months ago the Republicans passed a budget that would add another trillion dollars to the deficit. A trillion more here and a trillion more there, maybe we'll be talking about real money. It's almost laughable.

If the establishment does anything to stop Trump, outside of Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz getting enough delegates - Trump can rightly say that the nomination was stolen from him. He can point at the establishment's interference... the same establishment that created him as the leading candidate. His supporters will not support the establishment nominee (and those who may not have supported him originally), the Democrats will win, and the Republican party will fracture. To even consider intentionally handing the election to the Democrats, is beyond my comprehension.

The party must let this nomination process take its course. Elections are about choices. The establishment blew their chance to lead. I do not support Trump, but I do support democracy in action. If he ends up being the Republican nominee, the party must work with him and put the country back on track. For the establishment to expect our support after derailing Trump (if it comes to that), they would be delusional.

Let democracy work.

Edmund Burke and the Presidential Election of 2016

After the South Carolina primary, the Republican race looks like it is finally shaping up... sort of. Donald Trump won handily. Jeb Bush did the honorable thing by leaving the race. I wish some of the other second tier guys would too.

Hillary Clinton won Nevada in a squeaker against Bernie Sanders. Whether or not she wins the nomination, which seems somewhat probable, Sanders is putting up quite a fight. A self-identified Socialist is neck and neck with wannabe-Socialist Hillary Clinton. Quite a show.

I am currently reading Edmund Burke, his speech on Conciliation with America (1775). I highly recommend it. It's an English perspective on the difficulties they were having with the American colonies and Burke's suggestions on what to do about them. I haven't finished it yet, but his perspective is fascinating - he focuses on what makes Americans special - the focus on freedom.

In this character of the Americans, a love of freedom is the predominating feature which marks and distinguishes the whole; and as an ardent is always a jealous affection, your Colonies become suspicious, restive, and untractable whenever they see the least attempt to wrest from them by force, or shuffle from them by chicane, what they think the only advantage worth living for. This fierce spirit of liberty is stronger in the English Colonies probably than in any other people of the earth...

Reading Edmund Burke, brings the reminder of who we, Americans, are at our core. The harsh dissonance between who we are in our being and who is leading the polls in our ongoing Presidential election is painful and disheartening.

Donald Trump, Republican front-runner is a demagogue. While some of what he says may be true, and much is not, the way he says it and who he insults and blames along the way is disturbing to say the least. He brings out the worst in people. Nativism is making a comeback. He is a populist whose current platform does not reflect other earlier political beliefs. How do we know which policies reflect the "real" Trump?  The lack of respect for his rivals, his putdowns of POWs (while referring to Senator John McCain), along with attacks on women is way out of line and completely unpresidential behavior. It is inexcusable and unacceptable.

The fight between the Socialist and the wannabe-Socialist is uncomfortable to watch. Sanders has always been a Socialist. Clinton has not, and watching her move left, attempting to usurp Sanders' supporters, we can see how far the Democratic Party has fallen. Tax, tax, tax. Free, free, free... are the bywords of the Democrats. While not as obnoxious as Trump, Clinton and Sanders are demagogues in their own right. Identity politics and class warfare are used to divide us, and are so commonplace, we don't even identify them as demagoguery when they clearly are. Our current Demagogue-in-Chief, rather than follow up on his 2004 Democratic National Convention focusing on bringing all Americans together, spent his next 7+ years in office using inflammatory speech and demagoguing anyone and everyone who disagreed with him. I almost fell off my chair when I heard him lament the state of political discourse at his last State of Union address.

This presidential election is painful when we see the frontrunner of one party and both candidates of the other use language that is anti-individual and anti-liberty. Aside from his other nonsense, I have yet to hear Donald Trump condemn the use of eminent domain for private use - taking private property not for the public good, but rather for usage by private companies. I have only heard from Sanders and Clinton about more regulation and more taxation. What we are seeing here, to borrow a phrase, the larger the government, the smaller the individual.

Returning to Burke's description of Americans.

...a love of freedom is the predominating feature which marks and distinguishes the whole; and as an ardent is always a jealous affection, your Colonies become suspicious, restive, and untractable whenever they see the least attempt to wrest from them by force, or shuffle from them by chicane, what they think the only advantage worth living for. 

It worries me that this "jealous affection" of liberty and freedom is no longer, and the suspicion of government is long gone only to be replaced by demagoguery and what can be gotten for "free".

Thomas Jefferson offers this thought, ""The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground." Is this an inevitable truth?

This election should make us look long and hard at ourselves and decide who we are at our core and how we want this to translate into action for the future.

2016 is a turning point in American history. What kind of America will we be leaving our children?

Hillary Clinton "Defender" of Women and Children

Hillary Clinton "Took Me Through Hell" Says 12yr. Old RAPE Victim! (FoxNews)

Rex Murphy: Should it be Trump v. Clinton in 2016, it will be great fun (National Post)

Exclusive–Paula Jones: Hillary Clinton ‘Two Faced,’ ‘Liar,’ ‘Cares Nothing About Women at All’ (Breitbart)

Hillary Clinton heckled over Bill Clinton Sex Scandals (CNN)

2015: The Year of the Power Vacuum

To summarize the crazy year of 2015, it was the year of the power vacuum.

* The United States stepped back on the world stage - Russia and China stepped forward.
* Iraq, Libya and Syria are becoming increasingly lawless - ISIS has established a caliphate, Sharia laws included.
* Establishment Republicans have lost the trust of the mainstream, everyday Republican - Donald Trump is the response.

Most importantly to note, the "war on terror" has been put to rest by the Obama Administration. While this happened already more than a few years ago, as some might say the chickens have finally come home to roost. This lack of proactive anti-terror action has led to a vacuum which Islamic terrorists are comfortable to make their moves against the West. Obviously, any attacks on Jews in Israel doesn't count as "real" terrorism, so we won't discuss those (since nobody seems to notice or care, aggravatingly enough). But the two attacks in Paris, along with the attack in San Bernadino, California are unfortunately just the beginning. Terrorists are stepping into the vacuum of the lack of proactive anti-terrorism action. We will see where this leads us.

2016 awaits with all its promise... I wish all of us a Happy and Healthy New Year ahead.