Brinks Home Security vs. Real Home Security

I've been watching the Brinks Home Security commercials for a while now and I'm still as annoyed by them as I was when I saw the first one.

They all begin the same way. Somebody in a house is doing something normal, like getting ready for bed or getting dressed. Then somehow those people notice an intruder attempting to break in. The intruder breaks a window, the Brinks alarm goes off and the intruder runs away. The telephone rings... and lo and behold it's the Brinks people ready to send someone to come check it out.

Great commercial for Brinks except that it is completely unrealistic. Why should an intruder run away just because an alarm goes off? Maybe he will run away but there's a real chance that he won't and in fact there's a good chance that he's armed.

Let's figure this out. The window is broken... the Brinks people call... perhaps it is possible to answer the phone and maybe not... it's now approximately three minutes since the window was broken. Three minutes is an incredibly long time... especially when it will take Brinks another few more minutes to contact the police and have them respond. We're looking at least six minutes.

You may ask... six minutes? That's not so bad. Really? Six long minutes where the homeowner is in danger of being hurt or murdered. Six long minutes where the homeowner is completely defenseless and at the mercy of the intruder.

Six minutes is also an optimistic estimate. Ask those people who live in an inner city. While teaching at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan I asked those in my political science classes a simple question. How long did it take for the police to respond to their 911 emergency phone call?

The answer was astounding. 45 minutes or longer... or not at all. Those of us to live in the suburbs don't realize that it is not the police's job to protect us, it is our job to protect ourselves. This is not a condemnation of the police. The police are understaffed and underpaid. They cannot be everywhere as much as we may like them to be.

Rather than realizing that we are responsible for our own personal security we'll call out to the intruder on the front porch who just broke in the front window, "Hey, I just called the police... or Brinks Home Security... they're on their way!" Yup, I see that working.

Obviously you've figured out that I'm speaking about owning a firearm. I need to make clear that just because you have a firearm does not mean that you are necessarily going to fire it. There is the possibility of deterrence. The intruder would prefer not to get himself killed.

I'll give another example regarding the police. A few months ago on a Sunday morning, about 10 in the morning I awoke to the sounds of banging on my front door. I drag myself out of bed to look through my little peephole in the door. I see two police officers, one male and one female, neither one small.

I open the door and ask if I can help them. They tell me that they got a 911 emergency phone call from my apartment. I tell them that I only have a cellphone and that I hadn't called them. The officers radio back to the dispatcher to double check that they're in the right place. They were. It seems that a girl had called for help and I suppose didn't give them/or wasn't able to give them an address. I wished the officers well and they were on their way.

What a scary story. A girl is in trouble and does the right thing... she calls 911. The police do the right thing by responding... but end up at the wrong apartment. What's this poor girl going to do? What are her chances when dealing with this unknown (to me) danger?



Recently I've heard several times some interesting comments against self-defense with either pepper spray or a firearm.

"It may be used against you."

"You may escalate the situation."

"Learn Krav Maga/Karate."

I cannot understand this victim mentality. So it's better to be completely defenseless?! On the off chance that the pepper spray or firearm is used against you - it's better to have absolutely no chance to mount a defense at all?

The second argument "You may escalate the situation" is ridiculous. Who started the whole mess to begin with? Why is the victim the one responsible for the situation?

The third argument "Learn Krav Maga/Karate." Sure, no problem. Reality check. That stuff works in the movies. 200 pound fellow versus 125 pound little ole me (G-d forbid). I don't want to be within an arms length of anyone trying to do me harm. I'm not against learning hand-to-hand self defense, but my life better not be dependent on it.

So back to the Brinks commercial. I like that they're so optimistic about how home security works. The alarm sounds and the intruder runs off into the darkness. Any home security system has to be comprehensive. The alarm can be the first line of defense, but it should not be the last. Whether it be pepper spray or firearms - the homeowner or pedestrian on the street should realize that they themselves are the ones ultimately responsible for their own safety, not the police officer who may or may not show up at the wrong address.

Liberal on a Train

On my home tonight on the train I saw a pleasant looking woman, probably in her 50s looking out the window of the train. She was wearing a backpack with a button on it. Of course, I'm the curious sort so I took a closer look.

This is what it said... (I couldn't make this up if I tried)

"Get a feel for fur... slam your hand in a car door." If this statement weren't enough, the button also had a picture of a hand with blood dripping off.

I love liberals... truly a tolerant bunch of people.

Soldiers turned Murderers thanks to the NYT

Yesterday I had the occassion to look at the front page article of the New York Times discussing the number of American soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and becoming murderers. The front page was taken up by photos of the veterans involved and a large full scale article later on in the paper. By the end of the article, you could be convinced (not me) that serving in a theatre of war would automatically turn a respectable, honorable soldier into a cold-blooded murderer. Today I came across a short piece re-examining the numbers - an excellent read. If you haven't already - please stop your subscription to the New York Times. They are involved in libel against our troops, home and abroad.

Not Really Surprised

The United Nations and Hizbollah are best buds. Check out the pictures.

Otherwise, all is thank G-d going well here. Tonight I went to a Breslover class/shiur. Very interesting points were made. The point that struck me was about finding joy in pain.

Mind you of course Simcha doesn't exactly translate to Joy, and Tzar doesn't exactly translate to pain, but it'll have to do. It's a very difficult concept especially when we're involved in the pain. This is my own understandings and spinoff of what he was saying since it was in Hebrew and I was doing my best to understand.

Right now we're going through a painful process here in Israel, but there will be an end. All of Jewish history/and general history will come to an end at some point. At that end point we will finally be able to see the point of the tzar that we had to go through. The rabbi speaking, Rabbi Doron, said that we do not fully understand Joy unless we understand Pain.

A metaphor that I think is easier to understand is physical therapy. My physical therapist put me on a bicycle and told me to pedal. Since my knee was not bending far enough to make a full rotation of the pedals, she told me to go forward as far as I could, then go the other direction. The stationary bike was not my friend.

A couple weeks later (going 3 times a week), I was moving the pedals back and forth (slowly and painfully) when all of a sudden I did a full rotation. This doesn't mean that it didn't hurt, but it did mean that I was getting more motion in my knee. I actually cried from being happy when I did the full rotation. I realized that I was progressing - up till that moment, the bike was my enemy, now it was my friend and nothing to be afraid of. I still remember crying at that moment.

I think that the same thing is true of Jewish history. My goal in PT was to get my knee back to 100% mobility and strength (I'm still working on it). It's easier to keep this goal in mind over a four month period than it is to keep focus on a goal over a 4,000 year period. We are unable to see past the pain of what the Jewish People have gone through and see the goal which we've been aiming for.

If I were on the bike in pain with no idea why I was there, it would have been a horrible experience (even with an idea it was uncomfortable). We need to somehow realize that the pain we've been through is for a reason. We don't always know why, but somehow it makes us stronger and brings us closer to the coming of Moshiach. Rabbi Tauber mentioned at the Shmirat HaLashon (Guarding Our Speech) gathering that we have more merits than we did Egypt when we were taken out. At this point in history we are actually in good shape, why isn't G-d redeeming us? Like the Lubavitcher Rebbe said, we're at the point that we're just shining the buttons on the uniform. We're a soldier waiting for inspection and we're just about cleaned up and the last thing to shine are the buttons.

It's time to love each other as Jews. This war in Lebanon has united the Jews in Israel and across the world like I've never seen before. Jews under attack in Haifa are finally understanding what the Gush Katif (Gaza) Jews went through when they were thrown out of their homes. Sometimes we need a push in order to properly feel for each other.

This is my take on one of many points he made tonight. Hope it made sense.

Brotherly Love

Surprise, surprise. The United States is donating 350 million dollars to the relief effort after the tsunami devastated hundreds of thousands.

Saudi Arabia is donating how much to its fellow Muslims in Indonesia? 10 million. It's good to know they care.

Michael Moore and the Hezbollah Connection

Is it really true? Is there a connection between Michael Moore and the Hezbollah terrorist organization which is responsible for the deaths of many innocent Israelis and Americans?

According to The Guardian Weekly (6/17/04), "in the United Arab Emirates, the film is being offered the kind of support it doesn't need. According to Screen International, the UAE-based distributor Front Row Entertainment has been contacted by organisations related to Hezbollah in Lebanon with offers of help."

The interesting part of this story is not that Hezbollah has offered to help Moore distribute his anti-Bush film of half-truths, but that this help was not turned down. The movie industry publication Screen Daily also records this offer, "In terms of marketing the film, Front Row is getting a boost from organizations related to Hezbollah which have rung up from Lebanon to ask if there's anything they can do to support the film."

The story then quotes Front Row Managing director Gianluca Chacra: "We can't go against these organization as they could strongly boycott the film in Lebanon and Syria."

Goodness! Boycott the film in Lebanon and Syria! How terrible!

It is good to know that Michael Moore and those he chooses to distribute his films are more concerned about the money to be made in Lebanon (a pseudo-state, known for its drug growing) and the terrorist supporting state of Syria. Both known for their physical and vocal attacks on Israel. Capitalism at its worst.

At least we know that Michael Moore has his principles. Money over morality would be number one on his list.

The Insanity of Michael Moore

The amazing thing about Moore's 9/11 film is that people are going to the theatres to actually spend money to see what they think is a documentary.

Which is funny in a sad sort of way. I always thought that documentary films were based in truth and fact. Moore's film is based in neither of those concepts. I'm not sure Moore would recognize those ideas if they bit him in the ankle.

In actuality, the fact that he won a film award in France, and the known terrorist group Hizbollah has given him money to support the distribution of the film should make everyone's eyebrows lift and wonder why Moore hasn't been arrested for being involved in a terrorist organization.

I suppose that Moore would say that he has freedom of speech. On this point he would be correct. Of my many objections to this film is that it is called a "documentary". I should think that there is a specific definition to this word, but I suppose that would be nit picking of me.

I suppose that I am not tolerant of people who make conscious efforts to destroy truth. I am certainly not tolerant of those who not only destroy truth, but make up lies and portray those lies and distortions as truth and reality.

Michael Moore is a disgrace as a person, as an American, as a film maker, and certainly as someone who proports to document reality.

I sincerely hope that people do not go see his movie and keep their hard earned money from filling an undeserving bank account.

"Fervently" Orthodox

Just a thought to pass along from a good friend:

Why is it that we are now calling Orthodox Jews "fervently" Orthodox? It makes us look like we're over the top - a bit on the crazy side of things. Why is it that it's okay to call the Orthodox "fervently" Jewish but it would be terrible to call Conservative or Reform Jews "unfervently" Jewish? Why this one-sidedness?

Guilty Until Proven Innocent?

In these days of corporate scandals and wrongdoing, it is always nice to see the bad guys taken down from their pedestals. Kenneth Lay of Enron, Scott Sullivan and Bernard Ebbers of WorldCom are just a few. Most recently, we have been hearing Martha Stewart’s name among the wrongdoers of the worst kind.

The government had originally charged her with stock fraud, for selling her stock of ImClone before it lost money. But this main charge was dropped because of a lack of evidence. Secondary charges against her included, obstruction of justice, false statements, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

When looking at the main charge of stock fraud the secondary charges make sense. Of course anyone who is charged with stock fraud is going to do what they can to stay out of jail. However, when the primary charge is dropped, these secondary charges are ridiculous.

In truth the only thing that Martha Stewart did wrong was maintaining her innocence throughout the entire case against her. “I have done nothing wrong, I believe in the fairness of the judicial system and remain confident that I will ultimately prevail.” (U.S. News & World Report 3/15/04 “Not a Good Thing”) This is what the federal government calls an “obstruction of justice.” By sticking by her word that she did nothing wrong, the government went ahead and has spent 10 million dollars of our taxpayer money to make sure Stewart went to jail even though there was no case against her.

Business Weekly associate editor, Diane Brady commented that, “The Securities & Exchange Commission has a powerful arsenal....[but] using the criminal justice system to make the point -- or to deter others -- is overkill.” If she had done something wrong the SEC could have fined her or kept her from serving as a director of a public company. Why go to the criminal court system?

Is this an instance where a powerful woman gets taken down where powerful men do not? A N.Y. Post reporter commented, “Nothing infuriates a jury like a woman who refuses to cry, to cave, to kneel before them.” While no feminist myself, it might be something to think about.

Another point to consider is the damage that has been done to the American public. Very little. Enron changed their books to show that they were making more money than they were in reality. Kenneth Lay and the bigwigs of Enron even looted their own company. Billions of dollars were lost by shareholders of that company. And hundreds of jobs along with it. Quoted in Business Week, Thomas Dewey, a securities litigator said, “It is hard to see what harm has been visited on people by her actions.”

The case against Martha Stewart from beginning to end was an opportunity by the Federal Government to make an example of someone rich and famous. There is nothing more to it. Unfortunately, the American public is cheering. So much for justice.

Good-bye

Today I found out about the death of Dr. Otto Feinstein who passed away last week on Tuesday, December 30th. He was an amazing person who I had the honor and privilege to meet and work for over the last year and a half at Wayne State University. I wish his family my condolences and that they be comforted among the mourners of Zion. I will miss him.

My Apologies...

It has been brought to my attention that the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote I used in my “White Supremacy” article printed last week was made up. I quoted from another source that was not aware that it was not a true statement. I am certainly grateful that the editors and readers of The South End are checking the sources of my articles. I pride myself in doing research for my writing and it is very important that I give accurate information. I am quite disappointed in my error.

The excerpt I used was from a “Letter to a Anti-Zionist Friend” supposedly written by Dr. King. While we now know that this letter was never written, it is important to see in what other place this letter has shown itself. According to the media watchdog CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, www.camera.org), this letter is not found anywhere prior to 1999. On the other hand, they did find a copy of it in the book “Shared Dreams” by Marc Shneier whose preface was written by Martin Luther King III. Obviously Dr. King’s family was also unaware that this “Letter” was a hoax.

Actually, there is plenty of evidence to show that Dr. King was a strong supporter of Jews and Israel. In fact, when he spoke at Harvard University in 1968, he was quoted as saying “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism.” (“The Socialism of Fools: The Left, the Jews and Israel” by Seymour Martin Lipset; Encounter magazine, Dec. 1969, p. 24).

U.S. Representative John Lewis, a Democrat from Georgia worked directly with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Lewis wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle January 21, 2002 about Dr. King and his relationship with the State of Israel. Lewis explained that Dr. King saw a strong connection between the Jewish and the African-American communities. He saw that both peoples had been oppressed and murdered just because of who they were. Dr. King was one of the first to bring attention to the persecution of Jews in the former Soviet Union. “I cannot stand idly by....For what happens to them happens to me and you, and we must be concerned.”

Dr. King saw the creation of the Jewish State in 1948 and the miraculous six day victory of Israel over its neighbors in 1967. He saw when Israel took the historic lands of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) back and was clear about his vision for the State of Israel. On March 25, 1968 he stated that, “peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done....Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”

Again, I apologize for the mistake I made in last weeks article in The South End, and I appreciate the opportunity to correct that mistake. Dr. King was a great man, and it would be a dishonor to him to misquote his message of brotherhood between the Jewish and African-American communities.

(www.jewish-history.com/mlk_zionism.html)

Honoring Our Veterans

In commemoration of the end of the First World War, the United States, as well as European countries, established Nov. 11 as Armistice Day. The fighting ended at 11am on November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). In 1921, the United States buried an "unknown

soldier" from the Great War in Arlington National Cemetary. It was done to honor all who had died in the conflict. England and France did the same, each burying an unknown soldier in a most honored place. In England, it was Westminster Abbey. In France, the Arc de Triomphe. All three burials occured on Nov.11.

By the time the United States had gotten involved in the Korean Conflict, much time had passed since World War I, so it was necessary to expand Armistice Day to include all American veterans. This happened in 1954, when Congress changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day; it was now a day to honor all American veterans, dead and alive (in contrast to Memorial Day, when we honor the dead).

When we reflect on the number of volunteers who fight on our behalf, it is quite amazing to think about those lives that have been given to protect us. From the Revolutionary War through the Vietnam Conflict, approximately 626,764 Americans have given their lives to protect and defend our freedom. Another 1.5 million have been wounded.

These soldiers defended the ideals that the United States stands for. These ideals include freedom, equality, individuality, the ability to better your life, and the right to work for positive social change.

Whether fighting the Nazi war machine, stopping the spread of Communism (it was not simply an imaginary threat), or fighting the War on Terrorism, the soldiers who have sacrificed so much for us deserve our recognition.

I am proud to say that many members of my family have been part of the military tradition of defending the United States. My grandfather, was part of the "Greatest Generation". He so desperately wanted to help serve his country that at first he attempted to enlist in the Air Force. They turned him down because he was color blind. He decided to turn to the part of the service that would accept him - the Army Infantry. He served as a doctor in the South Pacific. He was also a sharpshooter, but only had the option of either carrying his medical bag or his gun. He chose his medical bag. No doubt that many of those who made it home alive had my grandfather to thank.

In Europe at this same time, was the destruction of a third of the Jewish People. Of all the Jews in Europe, the Jews of Poland were the most decimated. One of the few Polish Jews who was able to survive the Nazi concentration camps was my cousin Bernard. After WWII, my great-aunt was able to bring him to the United States. He was so grateful to this country, he did not want to wait the five years to become a citizen. The fastest way to his goal was to join the military. He volunteered and was sent to Korea.

My father served in the Army during a relative time of quiet. He was active the last half of 1960, and spent another five and a half years in the reserves. And last but not least, one of my uncles just retired from the U.S. Navy. No doubt he has stories to tell, but I don't know them yet. Every veteran has stories, but it is up to us to ask to hear them.

Unfortunately in today's world, our veterans do not always get the honor that they deserve. It is time to recognize their accomplishments and the great sacrifices they have made, and continue to make, for this country.

Celebrate Death!

Imagine I invited you and a bunch of friends to a party where the focus was devil worship and we wore costumes while we burned people and animals alive. You may think that I was crazy to even suggest the idea. (At least I would hope so.) However in reality this is what we are celebrating every October 31st in the guise of the holiday of Halloween.

Where did Halloween originate? Originally it was a pagan Druid holiday called “The Vigil of Saman” or Samhain where they celebrated death. In 800 CE/AD the Roman Catholic Church decided to Christianize the pagan holiday by moving All Saints Day from May to November 1st. All Saints Day was a day where the saints that did not get their own special day on the calendar were honored by the Church and when Christians would pay respects to the dead. The new Christian holiday was supposed to be called “All Hallow’s Day”. The evening before became known as “All Hallow’s Eve” which eventually got shortened to Halloween. A problem occurred when this “Christianization” of the pagan holiday never took hold, and the pagan rituals became incorporated into mainstream society.

You may be asking what the big deal is. Today Halloween is a secular holiday celebrated by people of different faiths across the United States. This is true, but the question to ask yourself is if you want to be celebrating a holiday of death and pain throughout the centuries.

Where do the costumes fit into this picture? On the evening of October 31st, the Druids built a huge bonfire of sacred oak trees where they burned animals, crops and PEOPLE as sacrifices to their gods. During this ritual, they wore costumes of animal heads and skins. The Druids also looked for omens in the struggle of the victims being burned to death. They even sang and danced as part of the ritual. This was all in order to scare away the evil spirits. They also dressed up as evil spirits themselves to confuse the evil spirits that were supposed to be coming to attack them.

What I find most interesting is where the word “bonfire” comes from. You would never guess. It is a contraction of the words bone-fire, where bones were burned. There were two main festivals where the Druids burned humans and animals as sacrifices to their gods. One was the evening of April 30th, the other Halloween. The next day the Druids would examine the bones and try to prophesize the future.

In case you were not able to dress up and confuse the evil spirits, you could bribe them. If you treated them with food and made them happy, the spirit would not trick you - or cast an evil spell on you. Another example of the house to house blackmail would be when the Druids would ask for an offering to Saman and if the household was not forthcoming with the treat, the Druid would attack the homeowner with a sharp stick and castrate them. How’s that for fun? Trick or Treat!

There are a couple explanations dealing with the pumpkin. People used to hollow out pumpkins as well as turnips putting a candle inside to scare away the evil spirits. The pumpkin was also used as a symbol that the family inside was sympathetic to the Saman rituals and should not be attacked on the evening of Halloween.

It is no surprise to every cat owner that they should keep their pets indoors on Halloween night. Black cats especially were seen by the Druids as witches in disguise and burned. Black cats are still seen as evil and horrible things have been done in the past and even today black cats have been tortured in Satanic rituals. The Humane Society in many cities will not adopt out black cats around Halloween time with the fear that the cats may be hurt, tortured or killed. How disgusting.

Halloween is approaching next week and everybody is getting excited about getting dressed up, going to parties and having a good time. But while it may be a secular holiday, Halloween has a terrible, murderous history that we need to take into account before celebrating. Ask yourself - do you want to be celebrating the Holiday of Death and Murder?

The Wonderful World of Syria

As students here at Wayne State, we believe in education and the educational opportunities that arise. We also believe in open discussion of ideas and ideologies. However, there is a problem when there is an opportunity to do “educational business” with a terrorist country.

In the beginning of January, Wayne State signed an agreement of scientific cooperation and cultural relationship with the state controlled Damascus University in Syria. In any other case this would be a great opportunity to learn about another culture, but in this instance it is clearly wrong to have any connection, scientific or other, to the country of Syria.

Syria is one of the countries on the U.S. State Department list of states that sponsor terrorism. Syria supports and harbors terrorist organizations, including the al-Qaeda connected Hizbullah. Hizbullah is responsible for the murder of hundreds of Americans, in the bombings of the U.S. Embassy, and the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut - and probably the Kohbar towers bombing which murdered 19 American soldiers. Syria is also home to Hamas, a terrorist organization which has murdered hundreds of Israeli civilians as well as many American citizens in homicide bombings. We also must include Syria’s support for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Al-Jihad and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. All of these groups have been involved in murdering Americans around the world. (www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-horowitz102401.shtml)

What about Human Rights? Governmental Syrian security forces rule everyday life in Syria. They arrest and kill citizens for their political and religious beliefs. Not only do they murder individual citizens, they have already massacred thousands. In 1982, in order to end political dissent, Syrian security forces moved into the city of Hama. They proceeded to massacre between 30,000 and 40,000 Syrian men, women and children. In addition to this massacre, thousands of people were displaced. Nobody has ever been held responsible for these murders. In fact, Rifa’at Asad, the uncle to the present president of Syria, who was in charge of the massacre, was rewarded by being appointed to be vice-president of national security. Other officers were given higher ranks. Ever since the massacre in Hama, there have been no protests against the Syrian government. (www.shrc.org/english/99reports/18021999.htm)

As if all this were not enough, Syria is a major center for drug trafficking as well as forging Western bank notes. In November 1997, President Clinton told the Chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee that he wanted Syria and Syrian-occupied Lebanon removed from the list of 30 countries who grow and distribute drugs worldwide. This was based on the fact that those countries had reduced the amount of poppy fields used in the production of opium. They had also reduced the amount of cannabis, used for hashish and marijuana production. However, Clinton failed to notice that Syria and Lebanon had increased production of harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine. These drugs are more profitable, harder to trace and more dangerous. Over the last two years, Syria and Lebanon have increased production of hashish and marijuana and are the number one drug trafficking country in the Middle East. (www.ict.org.il/articles/crime2.htm)

Bringing our focus to Syria’s business practices, Syria has a new program to bring foreign investments to the country. This includes free-trade zones and laws that make it easier to build the country’s economy. Unfortunately, although not surprisingly, this includes doing business with another repressive dictator in the region - Saddam Hussein of Iraq. This agreement was brought forward by the Syrian Ministry of Industry. Syrian and Iraqi officials have said that the value of the trade exchange is holding at about a billion dollars. (http://arutzsheva.com/article.php3?id=2010)

When we look over all these different areas that the Syrian government is involved in: everything from being a haven for and funding terrorist organizations, massacring tens of thousands of their own citizens, and being the number one drug producing and trafficking country in the Middle East, it is inconceivable how Wayne State University has decided to have any connection to the country of Syria. Who knows who the recipients of joint scientific projects will be. Iraq? Al-Qaeda?

Damascus University is not a public university like Wayne State. It is a university that is completely controlled by the state, without any chance of freedom of expression by the professors there. This agreement is being peddled to the students of Wayne as being part of “building bridges” between “equals” and “academic freedom” for those involved. Syrian professors and students do not have a concept of what “academic freedom” means, or even what “freedom” means. By creating such an agreement, we are legitimizing a murderous, terrorist, drug trafficking state. As far as “building bridges” between “equals”, this is not a bridge I in good conscience would like to help build.

Francis Bok: Escaped Sudanese Slave

Last week Thursday, Peace Through Knowledge, my student organization brought in Francis Bok, an escaped Sudanese Slave. It was amazing.

I've been working on and off more than 3 weeks on bringing him into Wayne State. I had other student groups on this also, which was also great. Association of Black Business students, Political Science Department, Hillel of Metro Detroit, and the Grosberg Religious Center. I'm so thrilled that it worked out in the end.

We had something like 80-100 people attend. It was a mixed crowd, black and white. It was a real opportunity to work together. Hopefully this was only the first time that we'll work with the Assoc. of Black Business Students. They were great.

The Muslims were upset and accused Hillel of being racist and using the ABBS to cover themselves. Whatever. It was my group that brought Bok in and had asked Hillel to sign their name on. They're welcome to get upset if they want. They were'nt happy that we said on the flier that it was Arabs who enslaved Bok. Besides the fact that I made the flier straight off his bio on his website, it's too bad they can't deal with reality. It was Muslims who enslaved him.

All in all, the point wasn't to point the finger at them, the point was that I thought this was a great opportunity to pull many different groups together behind something we could all stand behind as far as a humanitarian position - being against slavery. I thought everything went amazingly well.

The website to check out is: www.iabolish.com

The First Jewish KKK Member?

Last week was incredibly insane. I was called a KKK member.

I was called a KKK member during an Arab divestment meeting. I guess that I'm now officially the first Jewish KKK member. He made the generalization that Jews think they're better than everyone else so therefore we're no better than the KKK. So I yelled at him that he wrong about the generalization and that I'd add the KKK idea to my resume.

How stupid. A friend of mine said that the whole concept was dumb. Since I'm Jewish, the whole burning cross thing wouldn't work, in addition if I wanted to burn a Jewish star that would be a problem. To begin with, Jewish stars are hard to bang into the ground, and they don't balance well anyway. The whole sheet over the head thing wouldn't work anyway - it would mess up my hair.

What can I say? How dumb. Divesting from Israel is a bad idea. It would hurt the United States just as much Israel. All the major American companies invest in Israel.

Obviously, we are not dealing with a thinking crowd. It's just another tactic to attack Israel disguised as a "peaceful" method to end the "occupation".

And I, of course, am the first Jewish KKK member.

Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jews

Yesterday we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Wayne State gave us the day off, but did anybody think about his message? Every group uses his message to support the causes that fit their agenda. Arab groups use him too to argue against the existence of the Jewish State of Israel. However the opposite is true.

Most people would be surprised to know that Dr. Martin Luther King was a great supporter of the State of Israel. Dr. King was alive at the time the Jewish State was created in 1948, and around to see the amazing Six Day victory of Israel in 1967. His words stand on their own, and need no explanation. He stated what he believed in.

In 1967, Dr. King wrote to Adolph Held, the president of the Jewish Labor Committee after a meeting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that, “I would have made it crystal clear that I could not have supported any resolution ... calling for a condemnation of Israel and an unqualified endorsement of the policy of the Arab powers.”

In the same letter Dr. King stated, “Israel’s right to exist as a state is incontestable.” Instead of imagining what Dr. King believed about the State of Israel, it is very clear to anyone interested in finding out to read the words that he himself wrote.

In addition to his positive outlook toward Israel, he expressed his opinion about the Arab countries. “At the same time, the great powers have the obligation to recognize that the Arab world is in a state of imposed poverty and backwardness that must threaten peace and harmony.” He puts the blame for this poverty and backwardness on the people who created it. “...some Arab feudal rulers are no less concerned for oil wealth and neglect the plight of their own people.”

On March 25, 1968, two weeks before Dr. King was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee, he was at a Rabbinical Assembly and spoke clearly, “peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”

Dr. King was even more clear in his “Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend,” (Saturday Review Aug. 1967) “...You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are merely ‘anti-Zionist.’... When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews--this is God’s own truth....

“Why is this? You know that Zionism is nothing less than the dream and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land....

“The antisemite rejoices at any opportunity to vent his malice. The times have made it unpopular, in the West, to proclaim openly a hatred of the Jews. This being the case, the antisemite must constantly seek new forms and forums for his poison. How must he revel in the new masquerade! He does not hate the Jews, he is just ‘anti-Zionist!....”

Dr. King was aware of the situation of the world in which he lived. He watched the creation of the State of Israel. He watched the Jews win back and reunify Jerusalem. He watched the Palestinian Liberation Organization as it was founded in 1964, before there were any “occupied territories”. And after all this, he still claimed the territorial integrity of the Jewish State with no exception. The world would be a better place if we would listen to his message.

Women, Clothing and Self-Respect

Thank goodness winter is coming. It will now be easier for us, the women on campus to keep our own self-respect.

What we wear is who we are. We don’t have to like it, but it’s true. Business people wear suits, bank tellers wear business clothes, baggers at the supermarket wear aprons that have the name of the supermarket on it, and some of the women on campus dress like prostitutes.

What the question really comes down to is, who are you dressing to impress? If you wake up in the morning with no thought to what you are wearing and you put on the most comfortable jeans and sweatshirt, then this article is not for you. For the other 95% of women on campus, pay attention.

Most women wear clothing to attract the opposite sex. So who is it that you want to attract and will exhibiting your body get you the man you want? What do want the guy sitting next to you in class to notice first? Your chest, almost covered by a nonexistent shirt, or the great insightful question you just asked the professor?

“Wait a minute”, you yell. “I should be able to wear whatever I want and he should still respect me for my mind.”

As a woman, I would agree with you. You should be able to wear whatever you want. But let us deal with Reality. Are guys dating you because you look like an easy target or are they interested in a real relationship? What image are you projecting?

Are we women so insecure with ourselves that we are dependent on a man to give us an identity? What happens when you “get” a man? Are you going to be able to keep him? What will you give up in order to keep him?

We all know the answer to that one. But what about “love”? You fell in “love” with him. How long does that “love” last - until he finds someone else. Is this a real relationship, or is this sex? How much do you know about him? You both like the same movies? That’s real deep. It’s definitely something on which to base a lifetime relationship.

Let’s go back to the idea of clothing. Clothes are the objects that tell the rest of the world who you are. What kind of a person you are. Wearing clothing that doesn’t show off every curve of your body, leaving nothing to the imagination, is a good thing. It shows that there is more to you than your body. You are more than just your body. Hopefully. If you’re showing off your body, it may be that there is nothing else to show off, no mind to go along with it.

When you go outside in the rain, and you have something that shouldn’t get wet, like a book or a camera, you cover it with something. Not because that object is bad, but because you want to protect it.

The same concept applies. The body is not a bad thing. It is a valuable thing that needs to be protected and not used at anyone’s discretion or as a means to an end. The more valuable something is, the more protection it should be given. This does not include dressing like the Taliban women under a veil, where they were unable to participate as a full member of society. This is unnecessary and cruel.

We are not objects. Our bodies should not become objects. If we want a real relationship with a man, we must show them that we are more than how much skin we show. Show them that you have some self-respect. Otherwise, there’s no difference between us and a prostitute.