Hopeful and Living on the Edge

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” 
― E.E. Cummings

This post marks my last blog post for 2016.  It seems fitting to look back.  It also seems fitting to look forward.  Which, puts us squarely in the middle - between the past and the future - you might also say, "living on the edge."  

This New Year's Eve day also happens to be the day leading into the last night of Hanukkah - the 8th night. Hanukkah being the story of Judah and the Maccabees, a small band of Jewish fighters, who led a successful rebellion against the oppression of the Jews by the Syrian Greeks in the land of Israel in 167 BCE, over 600 years before the birth of Mohammed. 

Looking back in history, sheds light on today's present day events.  But what does it tell us about the future?  After all, much of what we consider in making our New Year's goals is the desires we have to depart from the past. Turning over a new leaf is symbolic of letting go of the past.  

We can get stuck in the past.  Psychologically it is hard to be in two states at the same time.  Five years ago, in 2011, I had to find a way to do just that!  And,  through that experience I discovered a deeper meaning to the word "hopeful." 

In 2011, on the day before Thanksgiving we were told Mary had cancer.  And, it was rather serious, not that any cancer isn't.  On Thanksgiving, a day devoted to being "thankful" and during a season we associate with joy, I struggled with a paradox - my desire to cherish life and live every moment, versus wanting to fast forward a year to be done with the multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and weeks of radiation that Mary was to face. As the doctor put it, "It's going to be a very long year!"  

In the experience of the months that followed, I came to appreciate more than I ever had, what it was like to live on the edge. I learned to accept a paradox about life.

One can both savor the moment and look forward to the future at the same time. The concept is found in the meaning of the word "hopeful." Hopeful is the present value of the future. Being hopeful provides inspiration for today and optimism for tomorrow.  During Rabbi's sermon at last night's Shabbat Candle Light Service, on the 7th Night of Hanukkah, she told a beautiful story about the importance of the symbol of the Light and Hope.  

Being hopeful is more powerful than the tradition of simply making a list of your goals. Being hopeful empowers one to achieve your goals! That is because being hopeful turns a goal into a belief.  Beliefs are when your mind says a goal, something you haven't actually achieved or don't have yet, is a virtual reality. Our brain operates differently when you believe!

What you believe in, you stand for.  Belief overpowers fear.  Belief  = Courage. Who doesn't benefit from having the courage to turn your New Year's goals into reality? Here are quotes on Courage.

What do you believe?  This year, while practicing the Jewish ritual ceremony of Tashlich, I abandoned fears that I held. And on Thanksgiving I came forward with one of the things I believe in - One Love. One State. ISRAEL.  When one believes, Change can make your head spin. 

Happy New Year everyone!  And, THANK YOU for reading my blog!

Russia Reset

IF VIOLENCE BEGETS VIOLENCE, THEN MAYBE IT IS TIME FOR DETENTE ...

Watching the diametrically opposed way that Obama and Trump are handling Putin and Russia it reminds me of the old interrogation tactic referred to as "good cop, bad cop."  In such a tri-fold relationship the one thing all three parties know is that the two cops are working with a "bad guy." Even the bad guy knows he is a bad guy.

Let's assume Russia hacked the DNC.  Let's also assume Putin and also Trump know it, even though neither are admitting it.  In the scheme of "good cop, bad cop," the only one talking tough on the "bad guy" is the "bad cop."

The only difference in this case the "Bad Cop," Obama, is either unaware of what the "Good Cop," Trump, is up to, OR, Obama should get the Oscar for how he is playing his bad cop role.

Obama and Kerry, as well as virtually everyone in congress regardless of party recognize that Putin is a KGB "bad guy" who operates in ways that make American leaders and National security professionals, let alone most Americans and Westerners around the world, very uncomfortable.  So to think that Trump can not figure this out, even with the national security briefings that only the President receives is just absurd!  If you can not understand and accept that Trump knows darn well, and better than you or me, what Putin is about says more about your bias hatred for Trump than it does about Trump's intellectual capacity.

So do not be fooled by Trump's "sweet talk" -- He is not oblivious to Putin's darker side. Trump is doing something that I believe not enough people are giving him credit for.  He is very cleverly going about a complete reset of American and Russian relations. Something Bush II tried to do but failed at. 

Is Trump stupid. NO!  He is handling the situation brilliantly.  It is just that most of Washington and most of America don't yet understand Trump, let alone what he doing.  But rather that writing a much longer blog post trying to explain what I think Trump is up to, I'm going to simply tell you whose views about Russia I share and provide links to some articles in order to back up my view.

The individual to help make my case is one of the greatest foreign affairs geniuses in the past century, Henry Kissenger. Trump is doing something Henry Kissenger projected decades ago that we would need to do: Pivot sway from China and over to Russia.

Here are just three recent articles, but there are many more and Dr. Kissenger has been making his case for Russian relations for decades, we just have not listened.

Article Links:

• Kissinger, a longtime Putin confidant, sidles up to Trump
• Henry Kissinger has 'advised Donald Trump to accept' Crimea as part 
• Moscow would welcome Henry Kissinger’s expertise in Russia-US relations

What I find as fascinating as the case for why we should rebuild relations with Russia, is how Trump is going about developing rapport with Putin in order to do so.  I can not call what they have "trust," because guys like Putin and Trump are not going to truly trust one another for a long time or maybe ever.  They only need to both understand what the other is up to and be able to see it in their personal/National interests to play along with one another.

Putin and Trump both started with a mutual contempt for Obama and Hillary, and the desire to make their country great again. So it was pretty easy for Trump and Putin to get off to a great start with each man flattering the enormous ego of the other. But there are much deeper and significant forces and motives at play.

Trump is using the forces mounted against Putin, which in turn draw a counter force reaction by Putin, like a Jujitsu martial artist who manipulates his opponent's force against his him rather than confronting him with his own force.  Trump is leading Putin to where Trump wants Putin to go, which is also to place where Putin wants to be.  Let me try to explain as briefly as I can starting with listing each man's national objectives.

Putin wants three main motives/objectives:

1. Putin wants Russia to be respected on the world stage.
2. Putin wants to rebuild the Russian economy.
3. Putin wants to crush radical Islam and keep a tight lid on fundamentalist Muslim activity in his territory.

All three above are in America's interests too. Trump has three additional motives/objectives:

1. Trump wants Russia to play a supporting role in guarding against Iranian domination mitigating threats to Israel. (See * at the end.)
2. Trump wants Russia oil & gas interests to compete against OPEC in order to hold down prices and diminish Arab domination in both world politics.
3. Trump wants Russia to act as a counter force with China and help to bring pressure on North Korea.

Putin is seeing that Trump will help Putin to achieve his three objectives, and in the process, through the dance of foreign affairs, which appears on the surface like an iceberg, Trump is dancing his way to his American objectives.  So what appears like a Putin & Trump Bromance, is really much more sophisticated, artful and forceful than it appears!

This is what a "Russian Reset" looks like and most folks are failing to give either Trump or Putin credit for it.  But they will once both economies are booming again.  Because, as I explained in a previous blog post, "Prosperity is a Hate Spoiler."  All of this is why I went on the record before with Prediction #7 about improved Russian and American relations.

Meanwhile, the Obama Administration is ending his Presidency having revived the Cold War and culminating with the largest expulsion of diplomats even during the cold war.  To which Putin responded brilliantly with a checkmate move inviting US Diplomats to a party.  The contrasts between the "Good Cop" and "Bad Cop" could not be any greater, and so will be the contrasts between their Presidencies!!

* During Hanukkah I have been focusing on Israel and what I envision to be the beginning of a new Era in the peace process. It may seem with a quick read of this article that I have gotten off that theme.  NOT SO! In fact, I could say this is the most important post of all related to that theme because it is my opinion that Trump's actions with regard to Russia will play a crucial part in this.  Russia, as well as the Ukraine, are going to be key to bringing about pressure on certain Middle Eastern factions in order for Israel to achieve its peace objectives in a new way with newly defined borders.  While it is less evident in main stream media, I am noticing very constructive actions between Israel and Russia which have the potential for tremendous economic, technological, cultural, and political working relations!  

Previous Posts
- Change Can Make Your Head Spin

- Bibi Grabs Victory From Defeat

Change Can Make Your Head Spin

Change can happen so fast that it will make your head spin.  And that is precisely what may happen after the Middle East Peace conference in France AND Trump's inauguration, both of which are taking place in the last half of January. 

In the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on its thirteenth day ... on the day that the enemies of the Jews were expected to prevail over them, it was turned about: the Jews prevailed over their adversaries. - Esther 9:1

If as I expect the 70-Nation Conference issues an unbalanced negative proclamation, like the United Nation's resolution days before Hanukkah, the stage will be set for an action by Israel to defeat its adversaries.

It is easy to draw analogies between today's unfolding events and the biblical stories of both Hanukkah and Purim. In Hanukkah Jews rose up to take back their biblical property.  In Purim, which is just around the calendar corner, Jews rose up to defeat our enemies who were plotting against us, and win back favor with the King.  Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu says already has the evidence to show President Trump who was plotting against Israel.

In my last paragraph there were two big clues for anyone else who loves the Story of Purim, from the Book of Ester.  Have a bit of fun speculating who best fits the roles of Mordecai, Hamman, Vashti, the good Queen Ester, and King Ahasuerus in the story unfolding in the Land of Israel today.  And why not have some fun with this idea .... Purim is a story of victory and celebration! So as the Story of Purim instructs, pour yourself a glass of wine!

On a more serious and ominous note, it needs to be pointed out that in the Story of Purim, while King Ahasuerus of Persia recognized that Haman was an evil doer, and gave his moral support to Mordecai, but he could not fight the battle for the Jews. The Jews still had to lift up their own swords. And the next adminstration will have to root out Haman. There was a price to pay for the victory we celebrate on Purim.

Events turned very fast in the Story of Purim.  And they can today as well.  As the artist Picabia said, "Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction.

Photo of Picabia on display at MOMA in NYC.

Previous post - Bibi Grabs Victory From Defeat

Bibi Grabs Victory From the Jaws of Defeat

IMAGINATION AT WORK!  During this Hanukkah rememberance and celebration, in the spirit of of FREEDOM, I am inspired to imagine alternative ideas for a peaceful future. Below is pure speculation on that.

Before the UN Resolution condemning Israel passed, I wrote my post "One Love. One State. ISRAEL."  Post UN Resolution, thousands more have come forward and expressed similar views.  So now what happens?

Much depends on how things play out on January 15th at France's hosted 70-Nation "peace conference on the Middle East." There is at oxymoron.

Without knowing the outcome I'm going to speculate the road ahead for Israel.  Because that is what I do on my blog.  This is more my statement of my views than outright predictions. What will actually happen is any body's guess.   So here I go ...

1. Israel's Prime Minister, with the support of other key Israeli politicians, formerly announces its departure from the "Two State Solution" for the Palestinians.  Benjamin Netanyahu will make the case that ALL OF ISRAEL'S REASONABLE EFFORTS TO MAKE PEACE HAVE FAILED BECAUSE PEACE WAS NEVER THE GOAL OF HAMAS, FATAH, AND THE IRANIANS WHO ARE PULLING THE STRINGS. AND NOW, WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS RECENT UN RESOLUTION HOPES FOR PEACE THROUGH A TWO STATE SOLUTION HAVE BEEN CRUSHED.

2. Bibi Netanyahu reaffirms ISRAEL'S desire for peace and declares that the BEST WAY FOR PEACE AND A BETTER LIFE FOR PALESTINIAN CHILDREN IS ONE STATE OF ISRAEL THAT INCLUDES LANDS OF WEST BANK AND GAZA. 

3. Israel's Prime Minister pledges to rebuild Gaza and create magnificent schools and hospitals in these areas and to make a better life for the Palestinians, with Israeli Jews, Arabs, and Christians living side-by-side. Bibi urges the world to support that vision and effort.

4. Israel's Prime Minister puts it all on the line and takes an even bolder stand and presents a choice to leaders and Nations around the world. Bibi says there is a choice to be made, by even Muslims too.  Either you stand with Israel, OR, you stand with Iran. In a speech to the world, Benjamin Netanyahu makes it obvious that both HISTORY AND THE FUTURE ARE ON THE SIDE OF ISRAEL, AND THAT JUSTICE AND MODERNITY ARE ON THE SIDE OF ISRAEL. AND NOW, BIBI SAYS IS THE TIME FOR LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD TO CHOOSE THERE SIDE!!  THE STAGE IS BEING SET FOR PEACE OR CONFRONTATION!  BIBI PROCLAIMS THAT THROUGH DEEDS, NOT JUST WORDS, PEOPLE AND NATIONS WILL BE CALLED UPON TO GIVE THEIR SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL'S NEW VISION FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Bibi's speech on this that will be remembered in history as one of the greatest political speeches of all time and will seal Bibi's place in history.

5. Trump will be the first world leader to get on board, especially by moving the USA Embassy to Jerusalem.  Others will follow eventually with support for Israel, including Britain, and even Russia potentially, although I do not expect them to move their embassies.. 

6. The United Nations organization will be thrown into a state of chaos. Faced with a financial crisis after major de-funding, and seen as the body that laid the ground for destroying the hopes for a Two State Solution, the UNITED NATIONS WILL APPEAR IMPOTENT AND IRRELEVANT AT BEST.  This may change, and the body may have a role to play, but not as we have known these last 8 years while Obama was President and his failed foreign policies were in operation for the United States. 

7. IN OPEN DEFIANCE, IRAN CLAWS BACK ON ITS NUCLEAR AGREEMENT AND STARTS TO CHEAT.  Israel and Bibi will begin a new unstated public relations campaign which will see Bibi openly mocking Iran's leaders and clerics. Trump Tweets will fly! (Buy Twitter stock. Disclosure: I own Twitter shares. Lol.)  Israel's Bibi and the USA'S Trump will more actively than ever go about isolating Iran as they mock its leaders and clerics.  They will make trouble for Iran even internally, as moderate Iranians yearning for modernity will be emboldened to speak out against Iranian leadership and their country's role in terrorism.  Nonetheless, radical Islamic fundamentalist will be inspired to martyrdom.

8. Again, inspired by ISIS and Iranian clerics pronounced calls for Jihad, a string of lone-wolf terrorist attacks in Europe and elsewhere will do irreparable damage to Iran's reputation and the plight of most tragically unfortunate refugees. It is a terribly sad time for those among them who truly are desperate victims in search of a better and peaceful life in coexistence with other cultures!

9. Attacks by terrorist, combined with violent demonstrations by Sharia Law fundamentalist Muslims in France and Germany will also inspire an even larger and more rapid shift in European public opinion against Muslim residents and the refugees . Countries such as Italy and France will break away from the current concept and construct of the European Union.  COMING ELECTIONS AND REFERENDUMS IN EUROPE SPELL THE END FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE EURO. A NEW ORDER WILL EMERGE WHICH WILL BE DESIGNED MORE BY GREAT BRITAIN, AND SUPPORTED DIPLOMATICALLY BY THE USA. What role Germany plays is less clear in my imagination.

10. As perhaps the greatest example of "grabbing victory out of defeat," reminiscent of the "Six Day War," what began as a huge defeat for Israel in the United Nations and a giant win for Palestinian leader Abbas, Hamas, Iran, and even Obama, turns into the complete opposite. Winners are Israel and Trump, and ultimately the Palestinian people who have never truly had a life they deserve under the the Palestinian authorities.

In the final analysis, letting my imagination run by blogging is an excersise. Writing shapes thinking.  I have been accurate and wrong in the past, and more often premature.  Like an open diary with views and ideas, less so than personal experiences, my blog is a place which chronicles the process of intellectual maturity.  I may look back one day at this article and see how far I have come.  

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Previous Post - A New Era May Have Begun

WORLD WARNING

Think it can't get worse ... think again.  On January 15th, five days before Obama leaves office, there is a 70-nation French-hosted conference on Middle East peace.  If the world gangs up on Israel, involving a US-French conspired anti-Israel Declarative motion, events may be set in motion which would unleash epic violence and the use of catastrophic weapons.

It would be beyond tragic if all the Nations, including the USA faced off against Israel!  Then a spring will erupt in Jerusalam and flow to the seas.

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou goest unto Zoar." Genesis 13:10

Previous post - It Begins

It Begins

It begins ... a series a tectonic shifts in Israel and USA foreign policies, and dealings with the United Nations and the Palestinians.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal praised a UN Security Council resolution critical of Israeli settlements on Sunday night, but clarified “that [it] is not enough . . . We want Jerusalem,” And Hamas and Iran expects the world to stand with  them.

I stand with Israel!  You??  As Trump Tweeted, "after January 20th, things will be different."

Today, Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned Monday that France's upcoming peace conference scheduled for January 15 would be "a modern day Dreyfus trial."  In response to Paris's behavior toward Israel, Defense Minister Liberman told Jews to leave France and immigrate to Israel. "This is the time to tell French Jews: France is not your country or your land and it's time to leave," he said. He added,  "If you want to remain Jewish and want your kids and grandchildren to remain Jewish, leave France and come to Israel ..."

Speaking back in January 2016, to memorialize 17 Jewish victims after a terrible shooting in Paris, and a wave of Islamist violence during which gunmen and suicide bombers unleashed mayhem in Paris, killing 130, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, said the thought of Jews leaving France because they no longer feel it is their home was “an unbearable idea.” France without its Jewish community was “not France,” Valls famously stated.

The Obama Administration's history of pathetically bad results in the Middle East has repeatidly been marked by unintended consequence.  His legacy culminates with an unprecedented historic betrayal of Israel that will very possibly mark the historic turning point in Israel's position on the "Two State solution."

If Liberman's call for French Jews is answered, Prime Minister Valls "unbearable" vision may have foreshadowed changes in Europe that have actually accelerated due to Obama's failed policies, climaxing with passage of the UN Security Council Resolution on the lead into Hanukkah and Christmas.

And so it begins ... A New Era.

Next post - World Warning

A New Era May Have Begun

This Christmas and Hanukkah may mark a giant moment in world history.  It may both test and prove the profound importance of the relationship of Christians and Jews, and America's Judea Christian foundation!

From the Jerusalem Post, "Obama’s obsession with the settlements, seen in bookend actions at the beginning and end of his term, made negotiating a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue more difficult, not easier."  To be clear, Obama, Biden, and Kerry have stabbed America's number one ally and the only democracy in the Middle East in the back.

Israel is an amazing Nation, and a light unto the world, and it WILL RISE ABOVE the USA's historic departure from long standing support for Israel by allowing the horrendous UN body to pass the recent anti-Israel Resolution. And as Israel rises, Obama's legacy will sink and be marked with everlasting shame.  The Obama Administration's despicable actions, and the obscene resolution by the UN will have the OPPOSITE effect, as Israel withdraws support for both the corrupt United Nations and efforts to achieve peace through bi-lateral negotiations. The UN is not fooling anyone who loves Israel, nor the vast majority of Americans who KNOW IT IS THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL, NOT PEACE WITH IT, that so many sadly many seek.

Public opinion may greatly shift and Israeli leaders may reasonably conclude that a TWO-STATE SOLUTION IS UNACHIEVABLE. This would mark the beginning of a new Era, as Israel alters its entire strategy and objective concerning the West Bank and Gaza. I don't like to use this analogy, but for overly convenient purposes, I will.  Like Russia, which annexed Crimea, I believe there is a possibility that Israel will decide to annex the West Bank and Gaza. And when they do they will clamp down on Hammas and declare any organizations which operate for the purpose of establishing a Palestinian State on Israeli lands, as newly defined, to be illegal.

The streets will be bloody. Christians will read this as the "End of Days." Orthodox Jews and even Liberal Jews may foretell the "coming of the Messiah."  I won't go so far as to call Obama Satin, but I am sure some will, and many more will be looking around to identify him. Will some point to Trump?  No doubt there will be some who see it that way. G-D ONLY KNOWS!  (How's that for a pun, huh?)  I can say with confidence that there will be many applauding Trump, and just as many daming Obama in Israel.

But this does NOT HAVE TO BE APOCALYPTIC. About 21% of Israel's population is Arab, and about 2% is Christian. And one could make the case that they lead as good or better lives in Israel than they could elsewhere in most Middle East countries. Life is miserable for Palestinians in areas run by Fatah, formerly the Palestinian Liberation Movement, and by the US declared terrorist organization Hamas which is directly supported by Iran. There is virtually no hope for peace with children in the West Bank and Gaza being taught from birth to hate Jews and pray for the destruction of Israel. This would not stop with a Two-State solution. The best hope for peace may be the opposite.  ONE LOVE. ONE STATE. ISRAEL.

Maybe Trump's Nuclear Tweet Is A Warning We Needed

Trump's nuke tweet is alarming and frightening.  He needs to clarify and possibly roll back impressions. Besides, it seems stupid to telegraph any intention in this regard since it encourages our enemies to act as well.  I don't get what he was thinking.

Maybe he was stupid like a fox. I have to wonder if his tweet was more strategic than it seems on the surface. There will be ENORMOUS SCRUTINY of this Tweet. I suspect Trump's tweet was partly or even largely the results of a test a a day ago of satellite weapons by the Russians.

By the same token, our nuclear readiness and systems are extremely antiquated. They've been neglected for over a decade. We are less safe because we have let our nuclear deterent degrade. That being the case and I believe it is, Trump's tweet will trigger study, debate and discussion about extremely important actions that need to happen.

I still question weather broadcasting our intentions serves the world, let alone the USA well because of how it charges other nuclear powers to step up their systems. One good thing that could come from that, however, is a discussion about a new treaty with the Russians and hopefully the Chinese about ways we can work together to make our mutual systems safer for all parties so that an apocalyptic or horiiffic  accident can be avoided.

Either way, Trump's tweet may be the single most important tweet in history!!

Prosperity Is a Hate Spoiler

First we saw a reconciliation with Romney and Cruz, two fierce opponents.  Then Trump held a "Tech Meeting" which included Bezos from Amazon and Cook from Apple, two of the most powerful business leaders in the world who were vocally at odds with candidate Trump. That meeting could have gone much worse, and instead signaled positive intention by all parties to work together to promote innovation and improve cyber-security.  Now we learn of a meeting with another major business leader, who is sure to influence Mexico's president in order to bridge differences and mend fences (pun intended) with Mexico.  Text from an article about that meeting is pasted below.

Trump takes his oath of office in about 30 days, and I have never know a President to be so actively and openly setting the stage to hit the ground running  upon taking office.  All while also traveling the country to thank voters in battleground states that gave him the election. All while facing efforts by those who insisted that Trump concede the election, but now openly try to discredit Trump's win and maintain a divided nation.

Animal spirits and a new pro-business/pro-America age of private and public investment could be unleashed to usher in the greatest coordinated business and economic development period our country has seen since the end of WWII.

Trump is creating positive inertia.  He is building momentum which hopefully will carry into capital investment, entrepreneurial risk tacking, business expansion, and and renewed consumer activity.  Government stands ready do its part through terribly past due tax reform, infrastructure investment, simpler and less onerous regulation, and a leadership's expression of an enthusiastic vision for the future.  Trump already has the slogan that says it all - Make America Great Again!

The legacy of the great recession is hate, jealousy, fear, and bitterness.  We have  millions of scared and disappointed people looking for someone to blame.
Unlike the last eight years which only made the rich more wealthy and the income inequality gap larger, this expansion promises opportunities for lots of angry people. Angry white men who have lost their factory jobs, angry black men and angry Hispanics who yearn for a piece of the pie, angry students struggling to pay their student debt, angry middle class folks seeing their financial status eroded, angry seniors on fixed income whose interest income has faded to practically nothing, angry tax payers who keep having their hard earnings sucked away from them by governments that are starved for a revenue base that has had too little benefit from economic expansion. Just watch how much less anger there is in America when America is growing more prosperous.

Trump has many faults.  And I don't ask you to like him. He says things he shouldn't say. And he walks a line he should not walk with impressions that his words and actions give about how to treat women, and people in general. He is a bully. He is a bastard for certain business practices. And he has tremendous constitutional conflicts of interest. So there are more than ample reasons to not want to support Trump personally.  So here is how I reconcile that in mind.  I am supporting American prosperity and I believe that what can happen under President Trump will ultimately lead to that and less hate!

Text below is from an article about meeting Trump had with Carlos Slim last night:

"Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim got a "very positive" impression from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump about ties with Mexico after the two met for dinner on Saturday in Florida, a spokesman for the Mexican telecoms billionaire said on Monday.

Trump angered Mexicans during the election campaign by pledging to build a wall on the U.S. southern border and make Mexico pay for it, as well as threatening to ditch a joint trade deal and impose punitive tariffs on Mexican-made goods.

Those pledges sparked criticism from business leaders including Slim, who said Trump's plans could destroy the U.S. economy. But following the Nov. 8 election, Slim offered a more upbeat take, saying that if Trump succeeded, it would be good news for Mexico."

Footnote: Listen to how understand how poverity breads contempt, jealously, hate, and lead to socialism and beauracracy, and government control . . . Of the WORST ORDER.

Latkas and Pork Chops

Latkas and Pork Chops

An Interfaith Chilren's Story 
Dedicated to Sarah & Michael's Pregnancy 

by Saba Bob

Two of the favorite foods in my home are latkas and pork chops.  

Mommy makes the best latkas on Hanukkah.  It's so much fun when she does!  We all help.

Daddy grates the potatoes.  One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes, and more!   His hands get tired from all the grating. 

Then I mix the grated potatoes in with the eggs. They are so cold, and my hands get tired from all the mixing.  Phew, my job is done.

Now it's Mommy's turn.  She puts them in the frying pan and our whole house smells like latkas.  

We all watch them turn golden brown. Mommy knows just when to take them out of the pan and put them on paper towels so they can dry.   

Mommy makes the best latkas, but Mommy never had them until she met Daddy.  Nanny  didn't make latkas in the home Mommy grew up in.  I'm glad Mommy and Daddy met.

Another one of the favorite foods we eat in our family is pork chops. My Daddy always said that my Nanny made the best pork chops. 

Every time it was Daddy's birthday my Nanny would make him pork chops.  Nanny's whole home would smell like pork chops.  

Nanny would spread her special breadcrumbs and seasoning all over the pork chops. Then she would put them in a frying pan with her special oil.  Only she didn't call it oil.  

Then Nanny would stand over them while they cooked.  She waited for them to turn golden brown.  Nanny knew just when to take them out of the pan and put them on paper towels so they can dry.

My Daddy loves pork chops but Daddy didn't have pork chops when he grew up. His Mommy didn't make them in his home.   I'm glad my Daddy met Mommy and Nanny.   

.
I am lucky because in my home I get to grow up with both latkas and pork chops.  I think Mommy and Daddy were always made for each other because Mommy and Daddy both love applesauce!

The Genius of Our Founding Fathers

Does it bother you the HRC won the popular vote, but not the election? Does that seem unfair? Consider the following justification for our Electoral proces written by Robert Gehl for the Federalist Papers Project.

True, HRC received 2.8 million more votes than Donald Trump on Election Day.And if the election was decided by the popular vote, than we would be swearing in a President Hillary Clinton.

But that’s not how it works. And – as he has said many time – if Donald Trump was campaigning for the popular vote, rather than the electoral vote, he would have campaigned much differently. Perhaps he would have spent more time in California – a state that voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton.

But he didn’t and Hillary’s margin of victory in that state was 4.3 million votes – or 61.5 percent. And therein lies the rub.

The purpose of the Electoral College is to prevent regional candidates from dominating national elections.

California is now a one-party state. There were zero Republicans running for statewide office and no GOP candidates in nine of California’s congressional districts. At the state level, Investor’s Business Daily reports, six districts had no Republicans for the state senate and 16 districts had no Republicans for the state assembly.

HRC was going to win California’s 55 electoral votes, so Trump didn’t campaign there.

If you take California out of the total, Donald Trump won the popular vote by 1.4 million. Also, if California voted like every other Democratic state – where Clinton’s margin of victory was 53.5 percent, the two candidates end up in a virtual

Alexander Hamilton got it right when he concieved the Electoral College. And now, sore losers, who insisted Trump should accept the election results, are not willing to do so themselves. There is a word for that. But I will leave the name calling to others who so easily call people deplorable, stupid, racist, etc. and group all Republicans and Convervatives together with the small Alt Right fraction.

Democrats need to stop looking for excuses outside their party's failures and mistakes. The Russians did not decide the election. Nor did Comey. Americans knew what they were doing. They know how corrupt Washington is, and how "pay for play" is ruining our Nation. They see how divided and discouraged our Nation became under present leadership. They can tell how failed our foreign policies, immigration policies, and over regulations are. And very soon, our Electoral College will prove, for the infinite time, how brilliant our Founding Fathers were.

What Will You Do, When Your Are Two?

A Story for Baby Charlotte

by Saba Bob

What will you do, when you are two?

Will you put on a shoe, or hear a cow moo? 

Will you go to a zoo, to laugh at a kangaroo? 

There is much to do, when you are two.

What will you see, when you are three?

Will you look up a tree, or down at a honey bee?

Will you get to the sea, or learn your letters with me?

How much fun will it be, to be as big as three.

What will you have in store, when you are four?

Will your friends come to the door, so you can play on the floor.

Will you ride waves at the shore, and begin to soar. 

Will you know so much more, when you are four?

What will arrive, when you are five?

Will you ride a bike, and learn to dive?

Will you make believe you can drive,

And feel happy to be alive, when you are five?

What will you do for kicks, when you are six?

Will pick up sticks, and have lolly pop licks?

Will you stir the cake mix, and blow out the candlesticks?

Will you play fun tricks, when you are six?

There is a great big world waiting for you. 

So much for you to see, its true. 

I wonder what you will do, when you are two.

Trump Wants the Biggest Trophy Ever

Trump's wants to go down in history as the one who sealed the biggest deal there is .... the Israeli peace deal.  He also wants to please his daughter Ivanka, who he trusts more than anyone in his life.

Trump is going to be directly involved with his new Ambassador in negotiations. Ivanka will be "in the room when it happens." She and her husband Jared are going to very engaged in this process! Ivanka will be right by his side, while Jared operates largely behind the scenes with Israel.

Who knows exactly what Trump has up his sleeve, but my sense is he is going to go after a deal that will settle things for Israel in ways no other US President has.

There are a few aspects I expect to stand out early as Trump moves forward. Each of them are a 180° shift from previous policy, which after all, hasn't worked in 40 years.

Out of the gate, Trump will send a strong message to the Palestinian authorities that he has a very different stance than past Presidents.  It will be obvious which Palestinian parties will not have a seat at the table and that the USA is prepared to back Israeli efforts to marginalize them.  (He is basically saying, Go to hell Hamas.)

1. He makes it obvious that he stands with Israel, over the Palestinians.
2. He moves the US Embassy to Jerusalem, making it perfectly clear that it is the eternal capital of the Jewish State
3. He signals to world that the US is prepared to back away from the two state approach.
4. He bring Russia into the process to bring leverage on Iran, Syria and Lebanon.
5. He supports Netanyahu in every effort to clamp down on know terror organizations in the M.E., particularly in Gaza, West Bank, and Lebanon.
6. This point ties in with #5. He takes zero shit from Iran and closes more doors on them developing or obtaining a nuclear weapon.  

Trump is already setting the stage these positions. Notice what just selected US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman said, "If the Israelis don't want to do it, so he doesn't think they should do it. ... He does not think it is an American imperative for it to be an independent Palestinian state."

Trump's most recent move, his Embassy appointment, is the sure sign that the gloves are coming off, and the sleeves are being rolled up.  We are either in for a fight, or we are going to be getting down to brass tack negotiating.

Trump is going to put his own negotiating skills to the ultimate test, in his quest for his biggest deal ever.  He may land the biggest deal in history. OR, he may be setting the stage for the Messiah to show up!

One Love. One State. ISRAEL.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/16/donald-trumps-pick-for-envoy-to-israel-expects-embassy-in-jerusalem.html

Putin and Trump Bromance

Trump is taking a ton of flack over his recent criticism of the CIA.

It is about time there was high level criticism of the CIA.  After all, they blew it on ISIS, Benghazi and Libya, Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, and 9/11.

As for Trump letting Pence take CIA daily briefings, unless something urgent surfaces, I don't see the problem.  Obama missed 4 our 7 briefings.  Besides, all Presidents have a huge human resource pool, from Secretary of State, to Senate committees to Pentagon to Cabinet professionals, all with far greater knowledge  to handle the daily intelligence chatter.  Instead of cririticism, Trump deserves kudos for smart use of his time. Does anyone seriously doubt that an important, or urgent matter won't be brought to Trump's attention if it needs to?  Absurd to think otherwise!

As for Russia, one of things I've believed for a couple years now, is that we are playing Russia all wrong.  And I think Trump is smart to rebuild Russian and American relations, along with encouraging Russia to rebuild its economy. I listed it as a 2017 Prediction on my blog.

A poor and desperate Russia, caused by USA sanctions is not in America's interests in my opinion.  We have backed Russia into the corner long enough and as far as I am concerned Trump is doing the right thing by seeking to work with Russia.  The Russian people are going to embrace Trump when he holds out his hand in peace.  And when Trump pushes to ease sanctions and develop greater trade with Russia, the people of Russia are going to give him a heros welcome.

The Russian people have suffered economic hardship long enough.  The best thing  for USA security, let alone international security and the war against radical Islam is to foster strong and positive relations with Russia.

No, I did not forget about Crimea.  I say let it go. We need to stay out of their business.  America needs to meddle a lot less in other countries disputes.  What happens in Crimea, let alone the Ukraine is much less in our National interests than we have made it.

Did Putin and Russia want Trump to win?  Hell yes. And so what - they have every right to perceive one candidate as being preferable!  Heck, look at how Israel's Netanyahu lobbied before congress against the Iran deal when he thought Israel's National security was at stake.  I don't see that in and of itself as a bad thing. Plus, there is such hypocracy!  For decades America has been has been actively trying to influence the politics of other nations, to the point of overt efforts at regime change. Putting an end to that practice is one of the reasons I voted for Gary Johnson.

Did Russia hack the DNC?  Perhaps.  But Trump has agreed that needs to be investigated.  And bipartisan members of congress agree it should be too and it will be.  But the problem with exposing emails and any damage it may have caused HRC rests with the fact the her close assistant, and her dick-head husband Weiner had damaging communications on his laptop which surfaced during an FBI investigation.  Hillary and Democrats can blame Comey all they want, but the whole terrible mess is of Hillary's making in the first place.

It all boils down to the fact that the Democrats hate Trump have yet to do exactly what they insisted Trump needed to when he lost the election, as they all expected he would - accept the results!

New Year's Brings Good and Bad Cheer

We are just days away from the New Year and the swearing in of Donald Trump as the 45th President.  For many, this is the scariest of occasions. They are still trying to steady themselves for a bad 4 year New Year's Eve hangover.  For those sad souls, New Year's hopes are pinned on impeachment.  (Haven't we seen that before.)

While some feel like they are watching their worst political nightmare happen before their very eyes, others including me see a brighter potential future.  Must so many Americans be so disssppointed, one way or the other?  Can America have it both ways? 

Evidently we can have our un-merry political disappoints and prosperous New Year too.  Don't take it from me.  I offer the following proof from the recent post election Consumer Sentiment Survey:

Quote from The University of Michigan Preliminary Consumer Sentiment for December- 

"Consumer confidence surged in early December to just one-tenth of an Index point below the 2015 peak—which was the highest level since the start of 2004. The surge was largely due to consumers’ initial reactions to Trump’s surprise victory. When asked what news they had heard of recent economic developments, more consumers spontaneously mentioned the expected positive impact of new economic policies than ever before recorded in the long history of the surveys.

[To put these results into the larger historical context since its beginning in 1978, consumer sentiment is approx. 15% above its historic mean. ]

How much does consumer sentiment matter?  On the one hand, the common perception is that the “Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the economy.”  On the other hand, experts point out that consumer spending is the effect, not the cause, of a productive healthy economy.  The Hands have it!

It is easy to argue that consumer spending is not the mainstay of the USA economy, and that "investment" is. Business spending on capital goods, new technology, entrepreneurship, and productivity is more significant than consumer spending in sustaining the economy and a higher standard of living.

Enrepreneurial formation and activity drive the economy!  And these rely on the availabilty of capital, productivity, and technological advances.  This principle was discovered and developed by the brilliant French economist Jean-Baptiste Say in the early nineteenth century and is known as Say’s Law. In fact, Jean-Baptiste created the word “entrepreneur” to describe the primary catalyst of economic performance.

Clearly, things are clearer since the election.  For better or worse, at least we all, with the exception of Jill Stein, now know who the next President will be.  That alone is HUGGGEEE!  (Sorry, had to say it.)

But here is something we all should be able to agree on. Trump is a very a "pro-business" and "pro-American jobs" President.  Markets, businesses and investors, expect lower and more simplified taxes, large investments in infrastructure, reduced regulation, and improved (re-negotiated) trade terms. Prospects for new Intitial Public Offerings ( IPO) are looking up, which will raise important capital for business expansion while simultaneously freeing up venture capital for new rounds of investment. Thus compounding growth and innovation.

The economy is also going to get a lot of help from its friends ... queue upbeat music. 

Advances in technology, such as Artificial Inteligence, transportation with self-driving and drones, and new business models such as AirB&B and the "Gig-economy" with the likes of Uber, are all reshaping opportunties for entreprenuers and increasing American productivity and competiveness.

Expansion in USA capital markets will benefit further from the massive impact of the energy revolution taking place in America. Moving from energy dependence to energy independence will have large and profoundly positive effects on the American economy and trade deficit. And, if President Trump reverses the negative trend for American manufacturing to a positive direction, in combination with this energy revolution, we have got quite a one-two set of positive economic forces on our hands.  The Hands have it again!

Frankly, I've only scratched the surface of all the positive potential of forces. No room to expand on the benefits of world synchronized monetary easing, pent up demand and replacement cycles, new household formation, and other major forces at hand. Surfice to say, I believe a giant economic spring has sprung. And, if I'm right, there will be a lot more blooming this spring than flowers!

All this lifts demand for USA goods and services. Which leads to business investment and bank lending.  Which leads to improvement in wages. Which leads to a rise in consumer sentiment.  Which leads to consumer spending. Which takes us back to the begining.  Such is the great spirals that both expansions and recessions are made of.  

Gone are the yesteryears of slow growth. Gone are the yesterdays of election uncertainty.  Things are shaping up to be a very prosperous New Year.  Beyond that, between black swans and chaos, nobody really knows. 

Unfortunately, from a political standpoint, a bit more than half of Americans drank from the HRC & Obama punch bowl, and they look to be waking up with a miserable political hangover when President Trump is sworn. A real bad banger. This too shall pass. Whether it be in 2017, or four more years is what remains to be seen. Fortunately, that is up to you, and whether your New Year's glass is half empty or half full. 

The Apprentice - The Laughs On Who?

Do you remember the White House Correspondance Dinner when Pres Obama mocked Donald Trump over the trivial nature of his role on The Apprentice?  Now the joke is on Obama.

We are witnessing how "The Donald's" experience with vetting is coming into play. Most Presidents in the past have filled their Cabinet picks in a highly secretive way. Trump candidates are parading in and out of Trump Tower, in daylight, in a manner remeniscent of The Apprentice.  The public and the pundits can weigh-in.

Not only was Trump's Apprentice show relevant, so is his 50 years in business, hiring & firing people!  Let's see, how many job positions did Obama fill BEFORE he was President?  You got that right!  Trump darn well knows how a Meritocracy works!  And, he knows when someone is NOT DOING THERE JOB right and needs to hear "YOU'RE FIRED!"

Mothballing Federal programs - what a wonderful fresh concept in Washington where government programs are practically never shut down!  Oh, and after ~20 years of paying someone for unproductive paper pushing, there is a lifetime of pension and health care benefits that taxpayers have to fund as well -- a giant waste!!  This is just one of the ways we need to "clean-up Washington."  I just hope we don't overlook the military budget, especially foreign bases!

Right now all the attention is on the positions Trump is filling. But one of most positive aspects that we will soon have a long overdue pleasure of witnessing is the end of useless and wasteful operations and programs in the Federal Government.  The public is very used to seeing private sector businesses packing boxes and shutting their doors when the market for what they offer vanishes or the business fails to perform.  Creative destruction is the natural order in a free market capitalistic system.

God bless the American way of Capitalism - the most successful system the world has ever known for raising the standard of living.  It is high time for a wave of creative destruction in Washington!  Something we would not see if HRC was elected.

Riding the Pendulum

24 year old Tomi Lahren is brutally cynical.  Ouch!  And she gets why conservatives, republicans, and moderate democrats altered the direction of our nation politically, socially, and economically.  We are experiencing an enormous inflection in America.  Like a pendulum that just reached the maximum distance in one direction and is crashing back toward the alternate side.

One can argue that OBAMA IS THE BIGGEST REASON FOR TRUMP'S WIN.  Obama increased the energy in the pendulum by lifting the arc high to the left.  Which means the energy in the swing back to the right will be dramatic. And by early indications it is going to be!

In a state of equilibrium, the pendulum would rest in the center. There would be less volatility.  And America would elect a centrist -- A President supported broadly by both left and right. This won't happen till energy is exhausted, from both sides.  So not any time soon .... It seems to take 8 years, two presidential terms, to make a round trip.  Hold on everybody, cause it is going to be a hell of a ride!  For those facing forward it is fun. For those facing backwards, it is scary as hell. As Tomi Lahren likes to say, "she is your worst nightmare."

Would You Choose, A or B?

Which would you choose, A or B:

A) Giving a person, through public assistance a tiny percentage of what they could have made if they had a better job, but NOT the job itself
Or
B) Creating better job opportunities for a poor or unemployed person so they have less need for public assistance

A) Sending $100 to the Federal Government in order to return $70 of your money to  state and local benefit
Or
B) Sending $75 to state and local government and keeping the other $25 in your pocket but cutting the Federal government out of the process, even if this results in Federal employees losing their government jobs

A) Putting more responsibility on the Federal government to give out money to help the needy
Or
B) Putting more responsibility on the Federal government to create a conducive  environment for the private sector that creates opportunities which lets people to help themselves and reduces the need for Federal assistance

A) Giving $1000 to the Federal government to do all they do, including help the poor
Or
B) Giving $1000 to a church or temple specifically to help the poor

A)  Continuing the flow of illegal immigration
Or
B)  Giving more opportunities for people to come to America legally who have a greater likelihood of contributing to our society and desire to assimilate into American culture, but decreasing the flow of illegal immigration

A) A person who came to this country illegally has just as much right to be here and to recieve a free public school education and other benefits, even if they do not pay income tax
Or
B) A person who applies for the legal right to come to America and meets Federal requirements has a greater right to be here and receive benefits than an illegal aliens

A) $100 billion in the hands of the Federal government will create more jobs, create more wealthm and  contribute more to the GDP
Or
B) $100 billion in the hands of the private sector will create more jobs, greater wealth in America, and contribute more to the GDP

A) Increasing regulations in order to discourage bad behavior
Or
B) Decreasing regulation in order to encourage good behavior

A) Women's health issues are more important than Men's health issues
Or
B)  Men and women's mental and physical health issues are equally important

If you chose mostly A's you are most likely to be a Liberal Progressive Democrat. You are less moderate or centrist, and more likely to have supported Bernie Sanders and his concepts about Democratic Socialism than any of the Republican candidates for President and the GOP platform

If you chose mostly B's, you are most likely a racist, anti-semitic, misogynistic, Islamophobic bigot. And a Republican.

Want to know what I think?  Watch this because it comes very close!  (Once you get to the video, slide forward to get past the waiting period and up to the speakers.)

Crazy Ain't So Bad

There are times I feel crazy. Gerald Goodman, PhD, an emeritus professor of psychology at UCLA says. “Believing that you are going crazy is a good clue that you are sane." But I am referring to "crazy" in a somewhat different sense.

Crazy is naturally construed in terms of illness - actual psychosis and a medical condition such as bi-polar disorder or schizophrenia.  That is not the crazy I feel. Although, I have experienced a couple panic attacks in my life which gave me pause to wonder and seek advice.  What I mean by crazy in the context of this blog post does, nonetheless, have to do with the perception of reality. 

People, I find, tend to have a preference for self-supporting or reinforcing their bias. They tend to hang out with people who share a similar world view and follow media and news sources which support their own narrative.  Doing so reassures us that our perception of reality is accurate and reassures us that we are right - that we are not crazy.  

It stands to reason that we like people who are like us. It is comforting to believe we see clearly and that we are right,  So we tend to stay in circles of thought which fit for us and where we fit in. That way we avoid the emotional tension and stressful disonnance that comes from disagreements.

By the same token, there is a difference with being open and willing to engage with people who have very different views than we do, and looking for a fight. Some folks enjoy confrontation.  They enjoy the challenge and want to take up the fight.  This can be a good thing, especially when it comes to worthwhile cause and related social activism, such as the fight against hunger or hate crimes. But even in situations such as these there can be useful observations to be found and solutions to be gained from the willingness to see other views on the causes.  

An example may be helpful for what I am trying to explain.  So here is a brief try.  Suppose two people agree that poverty which leads to hunger is a bad thing. Those same two people can disagree on a particular solution, such as whether the answer is for the Federal Government to raise the national minimum wage. In such a situation, the person for the increase may perceive the person against the increase to be an evil person who is unwilling to address the problem of hunger. When in reality the person opposed to the national increase simply has different views on the solution. 

Back to where I am going with this blog entry ...

When we see things differently, it is enough to make one feel crazy.  In other words to feel like our sense of reality is "out of touch."  But there are different realities.

Depending on perspective - how two people can view the same paradigm can differ 180 degrees. And a paradigm can be extremely nuanced, so there are multiple levels and possible interpretations.  Unfortunately, it seems that today, especially with recent politics, that the divide is greater than I can personally recall.  (My general awareness of the greater world I was living in began after the Vietnam War was coming to a close.  I suspect the divisions were even greater during that period.) 

There is something positive about feeling crazy.  And there is something constructive to challenging ourselves to acknowledge and consider views very different from our own.  

When we don't leave ourselves open to other possibilities our ability to find common ground between one another is impeded.  And we may miss opportunities for solutions.  Almost surely we forgo the potential for teamwork and the likelihood is that people work at cross purposes with frustratingly few benefits.

Therein lies an essential and deep problem with society today.  The issues today with debt, governments role, foreign relations, racism, healthcare, environment, etc. are extremely troubling. I perceive everyone of these problems to be man made and thus solvable.  But they are so large that they will ONLY be overcome if we work together. 

The difference between Liberal and Conservative views are stagering.  People's minds are made up.  We assure ourselves that we are not crazy by convincing ourselves that our perception is correct and the others are wrong, and that there is no other possible way to justify the situation, and that only either a Democratic or Republican approach to problems is right.

Prejudices are made of this.  Anger and fear come from this. Hate grows out of this. Obstructionism is the result of this.  But finding common ground and mutually workable solutions and teamwork is NOT what comes from it! And that is why our congress and our country and even friends and family members find themselves at odds.

There are times I feel crazy.  But I view that as a positive sign that I need to dig deeper to find a better understanding and means to communicate with the other side.  And when I have the opportunity, with someone who is open to me, to try to offer another perspective, in the spirit of mutual respect and with a loving spirit.

The very sad and distressing side to this is that there is often a very unfriendly and even hostile reaction to anyone whose views are different. This is not to say that we should tolerate acts of hate!!!  But what I do find personally difficult is how harsh people can judge others who see circumstances in the world and have a different interpretation.  In an ironic twist, maybe the world would not be as crazy and scary as it is if we each felt a bit crazy and tried to seek a better understanding with greater openess. 

What Hineni Means To Me

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." 
Jacob's Dream, Genesis 28:10−32:3

What does Hineni mean to me? 

According to Cantor Linda Hirschhorn, Hineni is about the attitude of the entire person - their emotional and spiritual presence. 

In the Bible, each time God calls out to the prophets Abraham and Moses, they answer, Hineni (Hear I am), to signify their fully present readiness to respond. 

Throughtout life, I believe their are opportunities to hear - opportunities to be present and open to the possibilty that we have the potential to have a life-changing experience for ourselves or someone else. And that by hearing the call, we might offer some solace and inspiration.  But only if we say Hineni הִנֵנִי.

Hineni represents the potential we have to change the world - or our world and people around us - through a decision, resolutuion, and actions.

Hineni represents an readiness and attentiveness.  It is rooted in the belief the God is in every moment and every place, in the smallest and biggest things.  And that it is up to us to notice, to listen, to see the potential that life offers to serve and to be grateful.  

Hineni also represents faith and confidence.  When we say Hineni, we proclaim our willingness to overcome fear.  To act on faith no matter what the odds and despite our limits.