WHAT DOES A TRUMP MANDATE LOOK LIKE?

Blacks are walking away from the Democratic party at an astonishing pace. Hispanics aren't far behind. Independents are choosing Trump as well. And the Republicans who crossed over to support Hillary in 2016 are back and will vote for Trump in 2020.

When you add it up you don't just get Trump elected for 4 more years. You get the greatest Presidential landslide victory since 1936.

Trump's apt to start his second term with a strong mandate. It is notable that this is the opposite of how Obama started his seond term.

Plus there is a reasonable possibility that Republicans will have the majority of both the House and Senate.

If this comes to be, the question is what will Trump and Congress do with both a mandate and control of Congress?

Trump made many promises during his 2016 campaign.  He's done a remarkable job at keeping them. So much so that the popular catch phrase, "Promises made. Promises kept," is often used to describe Trump's success.

As the calendar turns over and we start 2020 the Democrats had hoped Trump and the country would be concerned with and distracted by Trump's impeachment. That plan has backfired on Democrats and will even contribute to Trump's victory. Here is a quote by Trump the night that the House voted.

"IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE AN IMPEACHMENT."  

Trump is going to hit 2020 with full determination to get relected. He will also be campaigning hard to win seats in the House and keep the Senate. Every Republican Congressperson running in 2020 wants to be seen with Trump at a rally in their state.

6'3" DONALD J TRUMP REMINDS ME OF THE 5'10" TEDDY ROOSEVELT IN THE SENSE THAT BOTH SEEM BIGGER THAN LIFE.

Trump leads. He dreams big  He makes big bold promises. 
Trump paints a picture of the future he intends to lead us to. He drives that vision into our head by repeating a phrase he chooses over & over and over again, like a broken record.

So what does Trump stand to accomplish in his second term? Here are my TOP TEN TRUMP TO-DO'S:

1. More Federal Judges. Several more District Courts will flip to Conservative majority.

2. At least one more Conservative Supreme Court appointment.

3. Immigration Reform and completion of the Border Wall. Resolution of DACA including a path to citizenship for most. At the same time more illegal aliens with violent offenses are deported.  As the number of undocumented and illegal aliens goes down it will be offset by an increase in the number of legal documented tax paying immigrants goes up.

4. Better Mental Health policies and funding for new mental health and drug rehabilitation facilities.

5. Further changes on taxes. Closing loopholes while decreasing rates and making his previous changes permanent.

6. The Builder in Trump will shine biggly! We are going to get a ton of Infrastructure investment including major a improvement to our electric grid, upgrades related to aviation, and focus on big needed repairs to bridges, waste & water, etc.  These improvements are going to go a long way in creating cleaner air and water as well as reducing greenhouse gases.

Trump wants to say he REBUILT America!

7. A dramatic new Middle East peace plan that works!  This is truly the biggest deal ever. Trump wants it bad! He is gonna get it and he is going to go down in history for it.

8. Tort reform and strong laws against slander and false reporting.  Fake news needs to clean up it's act.

9. Voter registration and identification to clean up roles and reduce fraud.

10. Major improvements in military readiness combined with new strategic and tactical defense methods. Lots of change and rebalancing by the Pentagon. With NATO nations investing more there will be greater reason for joint training.  NATO allies will take a larger share of the expense and oversight of US Foreign bases.

(If I had my wish, I'd also like to see the "Expulsion," or at least the "Censure and Reprimand" of Nadler, Schiff and Pelosi who truly abused their power, as well as Ilhan Omar amd Rashida Tlaib for remarks unwitting for a Congressperson.)

Trump accomplished an amazing amount in his first term, while swimming upstream against a difficult current. It is exciting to think of what he can accomplish with the current going his way!

TRUMP DID WHAT HE PROMISED IN HIS FIRST TERM. HE NEVER QUITS! HIS MOST SUCCESSFUL TERM IS JUST AHEAD. 

Check out my 2020 Predictions.

THE BRAVERY TO CROSS THE LINE

Whistle blowers serve an important roll in society.  Being a whistle blower isn't easy.

Among police there is a concept called the "blue wall of silence."  It alleges that there is peer pressure which dissuades police officers from reporting (ratting) on a colleague's misconduct.  I don't know if this is a fair characterization. And I don't know if exists in the FBI and the CIA.

Agents in the Federal Bureau of Investigation live by three core principles, Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity.

Fidelity is in essence loyalty to the core values, code of ethics and mission of the FBI.

If there has been the gross misconduct that AG Barr and Republicans assert regarding Spying on the Trump campaign it is logical to wonder if more people in our government noticed it from inside.

One thing that US Attorney Durham needs to do is break down that so called code of silence if it exists inside the FBI, DOJ and CIA.

There are many interrogation and law enforcement techniques to get a suspect to confess or to "give themselves up." As the saying goes, "we can do this the hard way or the easy way." But how do you encourage witnesses with evidence that may be important to the government's investigation to come forward voluntarily?

AG Barr can help in an important way. He can appeal to one of the FBI's three principles - Integrity!

One way AG Barr is going to exert his influence on agents, as well others in our government, is to bring to bear the persuasive power of his oratory and intellectual skills coupled with the stature of his title and stellar reputation, in order to convince those with any relevant knowledge to come forward with evidence of the corrupt practises in our government relating too their investigation.

By giving compelling speeches on the higher principles of service and loyalty to the Nation, above all else, Bill Barr will elicit a needed response.

As the investigation moves forward in 2020, I anticipate we will be hearing more from Bill Barr.  And in fact, we already are.

The hope is that credible whistle blowers have the bravery to come forward.  The word credible is key!

Witness credibility is crucial because sometimes people make false claims for personal, financial and political reasons. That is why a suspect, even the President, has the right to face their accuser!

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THE KEY TO SUCCESS FOR DEMOCRATS

Did you happen to catch the Washington Post opinion piece by Media Critic Erik Wemple?

Wemple's article was fifth in a six-part series about the media's handling of the Steele dossier.

There is the truth. And there is the opposite. There are truth seekers like investigative journalist John Solomon. And there are people who are the opposite.  There is real news. And there is the opposite. MSN's Rachel Maddow is the opposite in every sense.

What makes Fake News so damaging is not simply that it has an agenda.  Or that it seeks to satisfy it's audience with misinformation.

What makes fake news people such as Rachel Maddow so dangerous is that people believe them. What makes her and others in her industry so insidious is that she is corrupting the thought processes of good, ethical and intelligent people.

WHY IS IT THAT WE HAVE THE PROBLEMS THAT WE DO IN AMERICA?  I believe it is because people would rather believe the lies than face the truth. 

Trump wasn't elected despite leaders like Obama and news makers like Rachel Maddow. He was elected BECAUSE of them.

Therefore, the louder voices such as Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Chris Cuomo, Brian Stelter, Chuck Todd and others get, the more likely it is that Trump will get re-elected.

The Left has yet to figure out that the key to their success is NOT going on & on about what is wrong with Trump. The key for the Left's success is the same as the key to Right's success.

The key to success for both the Left and the Right is the same - To fix itself!  

For both the Left and the Right to succeed they each have to seek the truth starting with themselves. They each have to identify their own party's faults. They each have to acknowledge their own mistakes. Then, only after they do, they have to reach across the isle, join hands with the other party and move forward to fix America's problems.

Trump got elected because he identified the lies and faults in the Republican party. Before Trump beat Hillary, he beat his Party!  And the establishment in the Party hated him for it. But he had the people's support because he called out his own Party!  He called out the Bush's, Romney McCain and other leaders.

Trump will obliterate any of the Democratic candidates on the ticket because Trump is easily able to do what Democrats have refused to do -- identify the faults within the Democratic party. Meanwhile, anyone on the Democratic Presidential ticket who does so is scorned. The treatment of Tulsi Gabbard is a perfect example.

The Democratic Party will continue to decline until the fake news media starts firing liars like Maddow and O'Donnell and canceling garbage shows like The View and replacing them with legitimate truth seekers. That decline is going to steepen as testimony in the Senate gets underway.

The Democratic party is going to hit rock-bottom when US Attorney John Durham and AG Barr announce the findings of their criminal investigation together with indictments and the American people learn and accept the truth about the deception perpetrated on the American people by the Left and the deep state, including Republicans such as John McCain.

I predict that the Democratic party and fake news is going to be in ashes in 2020. Then it may finally be able to achieve success. Sometimes it takes utter destruction to look up and face yourself.

What it it will take next is for great leadership to rise up and fill the vacuum left by the destruction. That is what it will take for there to be a rebirth in American poltics and our Nation.

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A LESSON FROM CHANUKAH

If Chanukah teaches us anything it should be not to let the government tell us what we have to worship.

Society does not get it's morals from government. Government get it's morals from the people. And the people get their morals from our Judea-Christian values.

That is the core principle that guided our Founding Fathers and the creation of our Nation.  If we forget this, like the Nation of Israel, America will be overtaken by it's enemies.

If America fails to heed the warnings of Washington and Lincoln and others, America will fall just as the mighty Babylonians and Egyptians and Greeks and Romans all did.

2020 Vision

I enjoy taking a stab at predictions for the New Year. Like goal setting, it's something I try to do at the end of every year. Here's my stab at 2020.

2020 is going to be very different.  I forsee a number events and developments which will make 2020 dramatically different than 2019, or even the last decade.

1. We are going to have a rip roaring economy.  The best GDP growth in 20+ years. Inflation will be moderate thanks to several items below.
2. Economies around the world are going to take off, especially in Asia, India and the U.K. This will be a major multi-year expansion which will lift trade and the USA economy, and coincide with the Administration's new trade deals.  The USMCA will start to pay big dividends as well.  USA farmers are big winners, but they certainly are not alone!
3. Faith in God is going to make a comeback.  The unborn finally gain some rights. End-of-times focus fuels a revival in Christianity. There will also be continued  growth in Satanism!  
4. USA energy efficiency and production are going to achieve extraordinary improvements.  Breakthroughs, discoveries and consumer behavior are going to combine to provide great promise for meeting our energy needs for the rest of the century in cleaner ways. Recycling and waste management will be a positive factor. 
5. The debate and concerns over climate changes dramatically for the better. 
6. Labor force productivity is going to take off. 
7. Labor force participation will rise measurably and add significantly to the GDP.
8. Business capital investment will accelerate and increase markedly, contributing to the GDP. 
9. The USA will make enormous investments in infrastructure.  This will pay big dividends in energy conservation and labor force productivity in the long run. 
10. Household income, wealth and spending all shoot up. This will result in a very active consumer that is making substantial durable goods purchases. Big ticket purchases will be big. The consumer will contribute to the GDP expansion in a major way.
11. America is finally going to make significant inroads to fixing health care.  This will come through big changes on multiple fronts including but not limited to delivery systems, personal accountability, new treatment methods, cost structure improvements, liability reforms, approaches to insurance coverage, etc.
12. There will be largest shakeup of the Democratic party in history as findings from the Durham investigation rocks Washington DC.  A new star will arise to lead the party. Many long time politicians in the party will be replaced. 
13. Great turnover in Congress. Lots of incumbents in Washington from both parties will lose their seats in Congress or choose to retire. Term limits have a chance of passing.
14. Donald Trump will win reelection by the largest landslide since 1936. Such a victory is going to give Trump the strongest mandate any President has had in a over a century. He will continue to remake the courts, drain the swamp, cut government programs and waste and put through his  legislative agenda.  He will fill another Supreme Court Justice, but probably not until 2021
15. Distrust in the FBI, DOJ, CIA and FISA court will cause an historic nonpartisan review and important reforms. 
16. With a new government formed in Israel, the Trump Administration will put forward an historic and vastly different approach to peace between Israel the Palestinians and other Arab nations. And it will work!  
17. Iran is further isolated.  A Revolution is coming.  An Israel and USA military action will damage Iran's ability to be a nuclear military threat or to use advance weapons. This action will be much more than an "escalation." 
18. The USA Military and Pentagon will dramatically rethink how the USA approaches defense and our role in being the world's police force. Significant and lasting strategic and tactical changes will involve new wespons technology and require new training.  
19. The USA takes big steps forward in resolving immigration and gun violence. The border wall, cooperation with Mexico and deportations will collectively result in steep declines in illegal crossings and a drop in USA crime by illegal aliens.
20. Black swans may appear including major environmental disasters! 

See what a Trump Mandate looks like. 

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FACING DEEP REGRET

This week's Torah parashat from Genesis is powerfully suiting. In parasha Vayashev we learn about Reuben's profound deep regret over not standing up more to his brothers who wanted to kill Jacob's favorite son Joseph.

Joseph's 11 brothers threw him into a pit and they let him be sold into slavery in Egypt.

Benjamin was deeply haunted over letting himself be ruled by the mob. Reuben's guilt and shame stayed with him his entire life.

Reuben couldn't live with himself.  So he left for Egypt to retrieve Joseph and bring him back to his father Jacob. So determined was Reuben to address his wrong deed that he said to his father,

"Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you." Genesis 42:37

Take a lesson Democrats.  You will regret trying to destroy the PRESIDENCY.

Yesterday's impeachment is not only a hateful Partisan attack on Trump. It is a grotesque abuse of Constitutional power and a horrendous assault on the Office the Presidency.

The concept of a "President" with balances versus a "Monarch" (King or Queen), was our Founding Fathers greatest creation.

As Providence would have it, a wild boar didn't kill Joseph as his brothers lied to their father. And little did his brothers know, Joseph's greatest days were ahead of him.

Like Reuben, Democrats will come to regret their actions for the rest of their life. And Trump's greatest successes are ahead of him.

Democratic leaders Pelosi, Schiff, Madler, Waters and others have evoked God in the performance of Sin.  That is BLASPHEMY!

Providence will protect the President of America whose faith is in God.

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CREATING A VACUUM IN AMERICA

DEMOCRATS HAVE DRIVEN THEIR PARTY OFF THE CLIFF.  With the House's vote for Impeachment they've done it. There is no backing up.

"The dangerous thing about hate is that it seems so reasonable." Francious de la Rochefoucauld

Does anyone seriously think that 70 million Americans are going to let lying clowns Pelosi, Schiff and Nadler get away with impeaching President Trump?? If it weren't such a serious matter it would be laughable.

"Hate is all lie, there is no truth in hate." Kathleen Norris

What Pelosi, Schiff and Nadler have done with their 3 year effort to impeach President Trump will go down in history as the 2nd most egregious abuse of political power ever.

I said the 2nd most, because the 1st most egregious abuse of government power will be announced by AG Barr when US Attorney Durham is ready to present the findings and charges of their criminal investigation into the predication for operation Crossfire Hurricane, aka "Spygate."

Spygate and the House's bogus impeachment are part & parcel of the same evil hate based power hungry attack on Trump's Presidency.  The two sinister efforts work in tandem to try to achieve what Democrats could not achieve in the voting booth in November 2016.

Democratic leaders think they have put a permanent stain on Trump which will enable them to defeat Trump in 2020. But what they have done is the direct opposite. They haven't proven Trump's guilt, instead they have validated Trump's claims.

With hate deep in their hearts, the Democratic Party leaders have brought sin unto themselves.

"Hatred is a deathwish for the hater, not a lifewish for anything else." Audrey Larde

In the process, the Democratic leadership has sealed their own fate. They have virtually ensured the re-election of Trump in 2020 by the largest margin since 1936. There is a good chance of losing the House as well.

Democrats sought to take away Trump's power, but ultimately they will be increasing his power and his mandate.

What America is witnessing is the destructive power of hate on the hater.

In destroying themselves, rather than President Trump, the leaders of the Democratic Party, and I might add the Liberal Fake News, have done is CREATE A VACUUM!

"Hatred ,which could destroy so much, never failed to destroy the man who hated and this an immutable law." James Baldwin

Once the destruction that will come about after AG Barr and US Attorney Durham have made their case, there will be a giant hole in America. A hole that needs to filled which will act like a vacuum that will draw in new leadership and bring about a rebirth in America.

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GOING OUT ON A LIMB

Sharing observations and making predictions puts oneself out there.  It exposes us to criticism and judgments. It is risky. In a sense, it is going out on a limb.

I have a tendency of going out on a limb.  In this post I will crawl out a bit further on limb I am already on.

Climbing out on a limb is what we are supposed to do in life. Climbing out on a limb is an especially human attribute.  After all, isn't that what we do when we make goals, or start a business, or go on a risky adventure of nearly any kind. Don't all such affairs begin with a mental commitment to a go out on limb? Besides, climbing out on a limb is how one gets a better view.

If you have been following my posts on Facebook or my blog you know that for a while I have been saying that there was a "RECKONING" coming concerning the political affairs of our country. A few weeks ago I said that it had begun.

In addition I have alluded to something pending that is much more cataclysmic with my repeated tag line:

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I have been waiting for events I expect to unfold before giving an explanation about what I mean by that ominous phrase. Without those events being public knowledge what I have to say would seem preposterous and even ludicrous.

Jonah Ben (son of) Amittia, the man I am named after, said something preposterous to the people of Nineveh around 2700 years ago. Jonah declared to the great and powerful city of the Assyrians that their entire city and all it's inhabitants would be overthrown.

One the lessons I learned from studying the Book of Jonah is to follow my truth. "MY TRUTH" is literally the meaning of the Hebrew name of Jonah's father Amittia.  As the Apostle John said, "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32.)

But I digress ... so I'll get back to my predictions.

Soon my predictions won't be preposterous - they will be the logical conclusion drawn from the facts available.  That is because there will be a paradigm shift concerning politics and our government that Americans have never experienced before.

Future events will shatter beliefs that Americans are supposed to have about our Government, our political system and our Nation's most powerful and influential people and institutions.  Credibility of the mainstream media will be obliterated.

The IG Report is the tip of the iceberg.  Things will soon get much worse for the criminals, Democrats leading the impeachment effort, the Deep State and the Mainstream media.

From the IG report we now know that there was a criminal conspiracy to defraud the FISA Court, frame Carter Page and spy on the Trump campaign. But the IG report doesn't speak to the motivation and actions which lead up to this.

When AG Barr said he disagreed with IG Horowitz conclusions about a "lack of bias" he said it was because Horowitz lacked information which he and Durham had.

With that remark AG Barr confirmed my expectations and foreshadowed a huge new dimension concerning "Spygate" that will be revealed when US Attorney Durham comes forward with the findings of his criminal investigation.

I am now convinced that AG Barr and Attorney Dunham have information on what predicated the spying and the parties involved. That information will ROCK THE WORLD.

As bad as it is that parties in the FBI criminally defrauded the FISA court, the revelations that I expect to be revealed by Durham and Barr are far worse.

When the announcement of the findings of Durham's investigation are revealed the implications are going to dwarf the impeachment!  The facts to be revealed, and the crimes that will be prosecuted will show the impeachment to be the political charade it is. In fact it will turn the impeachment upside down and make it absurd on it's face.

Democrats will be so embarrassed about the impeachment they started that I would not be surprised to see the House move to cancel the impeachment in hopes of stopping a trial that will be devastating for them in the Senate. That in itself would be an unprecedented and stunning turn of events. But it would be a futile if it happens because it will not stop the wheels of justice which are underway.

What's to come will bring into doubt the trust Americans have in the highest levels of our government and the elected and appointed officials who run our country. It will rock the Democratic party and American institutions to the core!  This will be the greatest test of our Constitution in American history.

If events unfold as I expect, they will set up a dynamics which will have startling effects. One such effect leads me to offer the following prediction.

President Trump won't only be elected to a second term. He will be elected by the highest electoral college and popular vote margin since the 1936 election of FDR. Trump's mandate will have profound implications for the next quarter century at least.

But I have gotten ahead of myself. What will happen between now and the election is equally significant.  For those predictions you'll have to wait until next month.

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HATE IS ON TRIAL

You can believe what you want, but let's be honest with one another about what is really happening in the House.

Make no mistake, this is not a bipartisan act. This is a highly Partisan act. The HOUSE will NOT impeach Donald J Trump. The Democrats will. 

Try as they may to couch their motivation in claims of their Constitutional duties, we all know their motivation is a deep hatred which Democrats and the mainstream media have nurtured for three years.

Their hatred is "covert" and has been pursued in covert ways since Hillary, the CIA Director Brennan and the DNC initiated and paid for the Steele Dossier. According to Jewish Law, Covert hatred is the more vicious form of hate. 

According to all rabbinic authorities one who hates, one acting out of enmity, is ineligible to serve as a judge in cases involving his enemy. They may not even be a witness. Hateful Democrats are acting as prosecutors, witnesses and judges in order to impeach the duly elected and loved President of the United States.

Pelosi convulses whenever she is accused of hating the President.  Is there even a Democrat who believes her denial?  If she is praying for the President it is out of the Left side of her mouth, and most likely because she is all too familiar with the evil acts being committed against him.  If Pelosi is praying for the President it is in hopes to save her own soul.  Deliverance is the Lord's.

It is blatantly obvious that Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, most of the Democratic witnesses, the Squad, Rep. Al Green, and so many others deeply hate Trump. 

Frankly, I don't think anyone questions whether Democrats who are leading the impeachment process hate Trump. This has been all about impeaching the Mother F'er since November 2016.  The last election simply gave Democrats the votes they needed in the House.

The Democrats banked on winning the House. What they didn't bank on was Republicans holding the Senate!  And the Senate is where this impeachment will meet it's end.  But much more is at stake.  The soul of our Nation is at stake.

The question at this point is whether the leaders of the Democratic party have committed the severe sin of gratuitous hate (שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם) with the act of impeachment.  

According to the Talmud gratuitous hatred is the most vicious form of hatred. Gratuitous sin is equal to the three paramount sins of idolatry, fornication, and murder!!

The Democrats are trying desperately to prove that their hatred and their impeachment was not gratuitous.  Sadly, Schiff, Nadler, Pelosi and other vocal Democratic leaders and the mainstream media have many believing that this impeachment is justified. 

It may appear that Donald Trump is on trial, but I think what we shall soon all come to realize once the trial begins in the Senate is that it is the Democratic party that is on trial.  Hate is on trial. 

The Democrats have everything at stake. They have risked it all. If the evidence proves that their hate was gratuitous they may lose it all.  Prominent Rabbis view gratuitous hate as reason the Second Temple was destroyed -  as punishment for this sin.

The RECKONING has begun.

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A CRESCENDO OF HATE

"PEOPLE HATE ABOUT OTHERS WHAT THEY FEAR WITHIN THEMSELVES."

What Hillary, Biden, Brennan, Pelosi, Schiff, Nadler and others leading the efforts to overthrow Trump, by every means possible, fear is being exposed for abuses of power and corruption that they know they are guilty of.

I used to think that Trump Derangement Syndrome was a static state with various degrees of affliction.  But now it is apparent that it is chronic and progressive - it advances. In other words, if not treated it grows increasingly worse.  Now I  understand why ... hate increases as the risk of what we fear increases.

Two fears are increasing. The first fear is the more common and public.  It is the fear which Democrats have that their candidates for President are terrible and that Trump is superior.  In short, it is the fear that Trump will win re-election.

The second fear is limited to a more narrow group of Washington insiders and Deep Staters.  This is the greater and more dangerous fear and hate!  This is also the group that has the most to fear from Trump's re-election!!

The average public is unaware of the extent of Washington corruption. But Trump has targeted them - he uses two terms to describe two different but related groups: "The Swamp" and the "Corrupt Fake News."  Both groups are fighting back hard.  They are fighting for their lives. Their level of fear and thus their hate is increasing as their sensed risk of being exposed is increasing. Those feelings are peaking at this time because they are starting to realize that the RECKONING has begun and their DESTRUCTION is coming.

As AG Barr, US Attorney Durham, IG Horowitz, Rudy Giuliani  and others get closer to exposing the real crimes of corruption and abuse of power in Washington, the "Haters" are growing increasingly fearful and therefore hateful. As they do, their actions become more extreme and their behaviors more bizarre.  Witness Biden and Pelosi!!

The same can be said of the Corrupt Fake News as they are exposed for their cover ups and failure to cover the views and accusations of Conservatives.

One way to understand TDS and how it effects people is to learn about the psychology of hate.  Here are some key points. What follows in this post is purely psychology with NO political connection intended by the professionals:

1) Behavioral researcher Patrick Wanis explains, “Hatred is driven by two key emotions of love and aggression: One love for the in-group—the group that is favored; and two, aggression for the out-group—the group that has been deemed as being different, dangerous, and a threat to the in-group.”

2) Fear of Ourselves - According to Washington, D.C., clinical psychologist Dana Harron, the things people hate about others are the things that they fear within themselves. She suggests thinking about the targeted group or person as a movie screen onto which we project unwanted parts of the self. The idea is, “I'm not terrible; you are.”

This phenomenon is known as "projection," a term coined by Freud to describe our tendency to reject what we don’t like about ourselves.

Psychologist Brad Reedy further describes projection as our need to be good, which causes us to project "badness" outward and attack it: "We developed this method to survive, for any 'badness' in us put us at risk for being rejected and alone. So we repressed the things that we thought were bad (what others told us or suggested to us that was unlovable and morally reprehensible) — and we employ hate and judgment towards others. We think that is how one rids oneself of undesirable traits, but this method only perpetuates repression which leads to many mental health issues.

3) Lack of Self-compassion - The antidote to hate is compassion — for others as well as ourselves.

Self-compassion means that we accept the whole self. “If we find part of ourselves unacceptable, we tend to attack others in order to defend against the threat,” says Reedy. “If we are okay with ourselves, we see others’ behaviors as ‘about them’ and can respond with compassion. If I kept hate in my heart for [another], I would have to hate myself as well. It is only when we learn to hold ourselves with compassion that we may be able to demonstrate it toward others.”

I am well aware that people who vehemently disagree with me are apt to think I fail to see how this explanation of "projection" can be turned on me. And that I am one who is projecting.  Such is the futility of today's debate. Everyone is accusing the other of the same thing. Round and round we go.

Coming Back To Today's Politics in my opinion:
The hate is reaching a crescendo with the impeachment trial.  The Senate hearings and AG AG Barr will start to truly expose the reasons for the fears.

Coinciding with the impeachment hearings will be the release of the IG Report as well as findings from US Attorney Durham's investigation.

It is about to get totally TDS crazy!

The RECKONING has begun.
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Recommended article. 

ANTHONY WIENER'S PENIS SAVED AMERICA.

HERE IS HOW ANTHONY WIENER'S PENIS SAVED AMERICA.

Before I explain that outrageous remark, I have to preface it with the following thoughts.

I have been saying for many months that a "RECKONING was taking place that would lead to "DESTRUCTION and REBIRTH. "

When I say DESTRUCTION and REBIRTH what I am alluding to is the greatest Constitutional challenge since the USA Constitutional Convention of 1789.

When the truth is known about how our own government weaponized the greatest justice and Intelligence powers our country possesses, the CIA, FBI, DOJ under the watchful eye of Obama and his Attorney General in cooperation with Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party and a complicit mainstream press, in order to turn a Presidential election, our Nation's attention must turn to what President Trump has been saying for nearly 2 years.

"THIS MUST NEVER HAPPEN TO ANOTHER PRESIDENT EVER AGAIN."

Abraham Lincoln was prophetic about this.  Lincoln said "Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies . . . could not by force . . .  At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."


I need to remind you of AG Barr's testimony about the Mueller investigation. Barr said "There was spying, the question is whether it was predicated." That statement by Barr foreshadowed what will prove to be the most significant criminal investigation in America's political history.

Establishing "predilection" runs to the heart of the fraud that has been perpetrated against America and Americans.

I believe US Attorney Durham's criminal investigation will reveal that the spying was NOT predicated!!

Rather, the Russian Hoax was a premeditated crime based on a manufactured seditious counterintelligence plot to alter the results of a Presidential election.

(The Deep State and certain Democrats know it and they realize how devastating the truth will be to them. So they have been desperately trying to cover up that crime with bogus impeachment efforts ever since Trump was elected.)

AG Barr will show that top officials in our government and the Deep State in cooperation with Hillary Clinton and the DNC's bought and paid for phony Steele Dossier, are responsible for criminal acts which will go down in history as the single greatest threat to the American Constitution since our Nation's founding.

Now let me explain how Anthony Wiener's penis comes into the story. (Pardon the pun.)

CIA Director Brennan and all the co-conspirators nearly got away with their seditious plan.  But two things happened which the criminals never could have expected:

1. Anthony Wiener's dic-pic exposed more than his penis. When police were investigating his sex crime they discovered Hillary's confidential emails on Huma Abedin laptop. Huma was Hillary Clinton's vice chairwoman for her 2016 campaign and her personal assistant. So it was Wiener's wiener that led to Comey's infamous decision to reopen his investigation into Clinton's email scandal. Which in turn may have changed the course of the election.

If Trump had lost, there never would have been an AG Barr and the Durham investigation.

2. Despite all the polls predicting Trump would lose - Trump won!

US Attorney Dunhan and AG Barr are getting to the bottom of this.
The RECKONING has begun.

0101■2020
DESTRUCTION and REBIRTH.

Like An Old Tree

Like That Old Tree

Jonah

In autumn the geese call together
On the wing.
With the chill in the air we know
What the season change will bring.

I look up and wonder
Before slumber frees my spirit to soar
Shall I depart, the season over
My time done here.

As I grow older the cold bites deeper
Seasons and time don't wait.
Shall I take relief with friends a-flight
Or shelter in with dry wood.

Sight returns to my level
Where I see an old tree.
Rooted and high
In company and content.

It's time is not done
More seasons will it to share
Majestically, facing the weather
Fearing not that would strike it down.

With feet planted on the soil
My spirit reaches for the Light
Earth and this place are home now
The seasons are meant for me.

Like that old tree.

P.S. I can be happy visiting.

CALL ME A DREAMER

CALL ME A DREAMER.

I can't be the only one who senses that a shift in consciousness is occurring in society concerning political events.

Democrats, yes folks on the LEFT are awakening to fact that the President is being ruthlessly and even criminally attacked and harassed.

It is becoming painfully apparent that there is horrendous corruption in our Government and with the Deep State, coupled with lies in the media, all directed at removing Trump from the White House.

The tables are turning. Truth is breaking out. The culprits and liars are being exposed.

I expect that key inside witnesses will soon find the courage to speak up and expose the culprits in our government and the mainstream media. Credible witnesses will feel compelled as citizens to call out the biases and cover ups.  No doubt there will even be some knowledgeable criminal conspirators making plea bargains with US Attorney Durham to save their asses.

Democrats' trust will be shattered. They have been brainwashed and genuinely believed what the conspirators and fake news wanted us to believe about Trump. Ordinary citizens, Democrats, will come to find that they are victims. Victims in a different way than Trump and his supporters whom they vilified for three years, but victims nonetheless.

Democrats have giant shocking revelations coming to them. It will be very difficult for people who hate Trump to accept that Trump has been the target of an illegal conspiracy the likes of which Americans have never seen. But the evidence will be so overwhelming that even CNN, MSN and all the Mainstream media will have to report it and acknowledge their failure to expose it much earlier.

One revelation will be that the Mainstream media didn't just get it all wrong. They were actually complicit and aided the criminals by supporting their story, covering up facts and refusing to report news that would have corroborated the claims by the Right. Democrats ought to be terribly angry!

The reckoning is just beginning. A giant iceberg is about to smash into the American psyche when the investigations by AG Barr, IG Horowitz and US Attorney Durham come to light.

The sinking feeling which will come over Democrats when they have to face the truth will frighten them. They will realize they have been betrayed by the conspirators and their news people. Democrats won't know who and what to trust anymore.

The truth about Russia hoax and Ukraine that is coming out will rock our nation to the core. It will call into question everything about our government and the "press" that we thought we could believe. It will destroy confidence in America's greatest institutions, such as the FBI, DOJ, DOS, our intelligence services and even Congress, and of course the press.

Their faith broken, Democrats will feel like lost souls.

UNTIL all is lost for Democrats, the Right should continue to fight with everything we have got.  However, ONCE all is lost it is NOT a time for people on the Right to gloat or add insult to injury.

When our fellow American's spirits are crushed by the TRUTH, it is time for us on the Right to embrace our American brothers & sisters and remember what binds us.

We must go forward as Patriots to rebuild trust and mutual respect. We must remake America in the image and vision that our Founding Fathers had. We must pull back from Partisanship as President George Washington warned us to.

We need to rediscover the American spirit. A nation founded and designed by brilliant people with a profound distrust of government and powerful a passion for individual Liberty and an exceptional appreciation for self accountability, work ethic and ingenuity.

We need to recognize that America is a Covenant nation that put it's Trust in God, NOT politicians and government. We must renew our morality based on Judeo-Christian values. Pardon the expression, but we must make America great again.

This is not America's first time dealing with a terrible conspiracy! At the time in 1776 and until today, very few people are aware of the "first conspiracy" to prevent a Presidency.

In early 1776, George Washington  faced our nascent Nation's greatest threat. It wasn't the massive flotilla of British Ships waiting in the NYC Harbor to put down the American Revolution. The greatest threat was a giant Tory conspiracy, involving the Mayor of NYC, the Governor of the NY Colony, soldiers inside the Continental Army and even his closest aids, including his personal guards and his personal home assistant!

Because Washington could not trust anyone once the plot was uncovered, it had to be investigated by a tiny set of great lawyers and famous patriots. (Perhaps you've visited Livingston Manor estate or heard of John Jay.)  These men actually had to develop America's first complex code language in order to communicate so their highly important investigation wouldn't leak out.

The very people that George Washington should have been able to trust were conspiring to kidnap or kill him in order to destroy the chances of the American Revolution. The conspirators would have smitted the few canon his troops had just as the British were launching their massive assault. The American cause could easily have been lost!!  Even George Washington believed it was Providence that exposed the conspiracy, saved him and enabled the Revolution to succeed.

As the line goes in the play Hamilton,  the Continental Army was "out gunned, out manned and out planned."  As the Indian Chief who watched George Washington fighting with the British against the French at the Battle of Onegehella famously said of Washington, "This Man cannot die." The Indian Chief, his adversary, believed that the spirits were watching over Washington and that he was destined to lead a great Nation.

When a person beats all the odds, to achieve something historic, one might wonder if it is more than a coincidence.

DESTRUCTION AND REBIRTH.

FAITH IN PROVIDENCE: TWO KINDS OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS

FAITH IN PROVIDENCE

There are two types of Trump supporters. One that worries that he will be impeached and another that doesn't.

Of the those who don't worry that Trump will be impeached there are two reasons why they don't worry. One is that they have faith in our justice system. The other is that they believe Divine Providence has a hand in matters.

If one says that we are living in crazy times, most folks on all sides, would agree.  If one states that there are efforts to deceive the public taking place, folks on the Left, Right and Center would second that. If one says that there is evil and good in the world, I suspect most could go along.

But the moment one ascribes Divine Providence to any of it, that is when 80%+ of folks would say you have gone too far.

I appreciate that many people think it is nonsense at best to think that God is involved in our national politics, let alone in picking Presidents. And I am certainly not saying that our votes don't matter!

But I do believe Divine Providence played a part, a large part, in America.

My faith is strengthened by the our Nation's role in history and the words of our the greatest General and President in our history, George Washington.  Washington truly believed that this experiment, we call the USA was possible due to “that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe, who presides in the Councils of Nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect.”

In his inaugural address George Washington said, "No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency."

I am not saying that a Democrat is an evil person or that a Republican is a good person!!  I am not saying that America doesn't do terrible things. It doesn't work like that!  "God works in mysterious ways."

But I am saying that Donald Trump is no coincidence.

The following is a famous poem by William Cowper from 1773 called "Light Shining out of Darkness."  Mr. Cowper was a witness to the history that shaped our Nation. The metaphors expressed in his poetry seem deeply relevant still.

Light Shining out of Darkness

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sov'reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.

LIKE MOSES

AOC IS ESPOUSING A COMMUNIST MANIFESTO.

Ocasio-Cortez: "We need an, uh, uh, a United States that really, truly, and authentically, is operated, owned, and decided by ... all people in the United States of America"

AOC is essentially describing and promoting the core beliefs of communism.  The revolution AOC seeks is very much like the Communist revolution. Both aim to put the working class in power and in turn establish social ownership of the means of production. 

Given that intersectionality is so pervasive on the Left you wouldn't think that Bernie Sanders, a near 80 yr old white cis-male would be her favorite.  But it makes sense. Because AOC's primary political philosophy is communism. Bernie has praised Communist leaders and spent his entire career in politics promoting Socialism.

AOC is a classic case of ignorance and misguided thinking.  She is the product of a ruined educational system that has been saturated with radical Leftist ideology and then has exploited it's position to spread narrow beliefs through a captive body of students whose minds are vulnerable to brainwashing. The system has blocked Conservative views and silenced Conservative voices. The descent is not allowed to represent in the environments where opinions like AOC are being formed and hardened.

Many like AOC and her teachers have no belief in God. They have substituted Government and the ways of Man.  For them, morality is derived from government. Their philosophy is the antithesis of the vision of our Founding Fathers who believed America trusted in God.

Whereas AOC puts her faith in the Central Government, our Founders distrusted government so much so that they risked their lives, property and legacy to give us LIBERTY.  Then, having secured it, in order to preserve it they formed a more perfect union. They brilliantly codified their "great experiment" by fashioning our 3 separate branch system of governance and our US Constitution.

At the very core of what our Founders sought to do was to PROTECT the People from the Government - and from fools like AOC and Bernie who would throw it all away!

George Washington warned future Americans of times like these in his Farewell Letter.

Like Moses who knew he would not be able to see the Promised Land, Washington knew he would not see this day himself.
Like Moses who was warned by God that the people would transgress, Washington was divinely inspired to warn the people.
Like Moses who wrote down a Song for the Israelites to bring them back to the Torah and the ways of God, Washington wrote a letter to bring Americans back to the Constitution and back to a moral code that is rooted in the belief of God.

We have gone down the very mistaken path that Washington foresaw nearly a quarter millennium ago. We are the "Divided House" that the Bible and Lincoln warned of.

Like Moses, George Washington showed us the way back.  With God's approval we shall find it!

AMEN.

HE LEADS!

TRUMP'S CRITICS SAY PULLING USA TROOPS FROM THE SYRIAN BORDER WITH TURKEY CAUGHT THE MILITARY OFF-GUARD. REALLY?

I CALL BULLSHIT!

Before I even say why I call "bullshit," why are we supposed to listen to:
- military experts and politicians who have given us endless wars?
- who have created hell on earth and chaos in Libya.
- who caused ISIS and wasted trillions of taxpayers dollars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan?
- who said moving our embassy to Jerusalem would be a disaster?
- who trusted Iran way more than we should have?
- who have let American taxpayers pick up the tab for being the main defense for our allies around THE WORLD!!

CAUGHT OFF GUARD IN SYRIA?  I DON'T BUY IT!

Aside from the fact that Trump campaigned on ending endless wars, since 2018 the president has indicated over and over that he wants U.S. forces out of northern Syria. The Pentagon knew this and has had nearly two years to develop plans for when the president would make good on his vow.

Since 2018 there have been reports in the press that the U.S. military has slowly been implementing a drawdown of U.S. troops in Syria in anticipation of the President's final order to remove the remaining forces, said to be 38 soldiers.

What’s more, for all of the talk of having been taken by surprise, the Syrian Kurds were somehow able to get Bashar al-Assad’s forces (along with the Russians) to intervene on their behalf against Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria—in less than 24 hours. Some surprise, eh?

The permanent national security state was not caught off-guard by President Trump’s order to evacuate from northern Syria. The Pentagon has known for nearly 18 months this was coming!  So if there has been a lack of planning and preparation the Pentagon should do it's own internal analysis for why that is.

The military was not caught off-guard. It just had people like Mattis and Bolton who didn't support the President.  But guess what -- there is ONE COMMANDER IN CHIEF so they are out!

President Trump is not an isolationist!  He has meet with more foreign leaders in the White House and abroad than any President. He has developed personal relations with leaders across the world, friend and foe.

President Trump is a pragmatist and a businessman who is learning how to be a politician on the job.  He thinks outside the box and operates in unorthodox and less traditional ways.

Trump's enemies love to say he is "unpresidential," as a pejorative, however, one of the keys to his success is his unpredictable and politically incorrect nature.

There is one undeniably Presidential aspect of Trump though.  HE LEADS!

THE HYPOCRISY OF HIS ADVERSARIES IN POLITICS AND THE MEDIA IS GREATER THAN THE TRUTH.

WHEN THE ENTIRE HEBREW NATION WENT CAMPING TOGETHER

I have written 237 posts since I began my blog in February 2011. Now and again I look at the rolled up data on page views.

I find it interesting to see which posts got the most views.  I can't figure out why any article out performs others.  There are too many factors, so I would be speculating.

Nonetheless, I find it fascinating to look at this list. Of course for me the list has tremendous meaning because I know the story behind each post just from the title.

Each post is an observation - a deep dive.  The mere decision of what to write about is in itself a reflection.

It is so easy to go through life with one day rolling into the next and not taking a moment to meditate or contemplate.  I don't believe that was the case before electricity and even more so before candles and lamps when we lived by the light of the moon and campfire at night.

I suspect humans did much more deep contemplation when we sat by campfires.  That would be the time when we conceived of the scriptures and oral legends began.  Perhaps in the silence with just the light of the stars and the moon and a campfire we were closer to God.  Consider how the cycle of the moon would have so much significance at that time.

In many respects it is much easier to appreciate the Jewish lunar calendar than our Gregorian calendar.  Such are the ways of Man. 

On Erev Sukkot, the evening at the beginning of Sukkot (The festival of booths) these thoughts are particularly relevant.  This is the moment God COMMANDED us to not just remember - but to re-live. We are told to build a temporary hut and experience being outside under the stars, just as our ancestors did when the fled Egypt and stayed the first night in place called Sukkot in a sukkah.  Or another way to look at it, when the entire nation went camping together.

That first night of freedom must have felt both profoundly liberating and exceptionally frightening.  

In "the first" post I wrote I explained the reasons why I was beginning my blog and what I hoped to gain from doing so. Looking back at it, I am satisfied with the results.  I will keep it up.

POUR OUT A FULL HEART

I hope you can relate to my full heart . . . A heart so full of love that it must overflow. 

My wife and I have two children. They gave us three grandchildren - 1, 2 and 3.  We are still counting. 

Forgive my bias.  Our grandchildren are the sweetest, cutest, funniest and brightest little ones in the world.  But I am not biased. 

I watch them. I play with them. I read to them. I talk with them. I hold them. I think about them.  I do whatever they need me to do. I am their Saba.

I love when they get excited to see me. I love when they call my name, Saba. I love when they want me to pick them. I love when they give me hugs & kisses hello, and cherish their goodbye hugs & kisses.

I dream for them. I see them at 7, 11 and 13.  I start to become a bit sad when I see them much older when I am much older and they are starting to slip away because I am starting to slip away.  Then, my heart is still filled with love. 

Being a grandparent may be the best "being" there is. Being a husband is great. So is being a father and an uncle and a boss and leader. But being a grandparent is the best "being" for me.  

It is pure joy. There is no "but." There is never a doubt. There are no trade offs. Nothing feels like a sacrifice when it is for them.  There is no tinge of regret.  No offsetting negatives.  Being a grandparent is pure joy. 

Grandchildren fill my heart. I can pour out my love and it never empties.  

WHAT IF

What if there is a God and we were in the Garden of Eden?

What if that God is Spirit? What if that God has Angels? What if some of those Angels created an abomination? What if God destroyed the earth in the Great Flood to destroy that abomination? What if God scattered Nimrod's city and destroyed it's Tower of Babel?

What if there was a Moses? What if God showed Pharaoh signs? What if God led the Hebrews out of Egypt to be our God and on the first night we stayed in a place called Sukkout? What if God spoke to Moses on the Mountain? What if we have a Covenant and an obligation?

What if Jacob's tents were so lovely? What if a Generation wandered the desert until they perished because they were not faithful?

What if the next generation conquered the Promised Land? What if the Sound of seven Shofar blasts destroyed Jericho's walls?  What if having the Ark made it possible to defeat the Canaanites and many other's too.

What if we turned away and God withdrew his protection? What if God let our enemies destroy our Temple and sack Jerusalem?  What if we were taken as slaves and scattered unto the nations as it was foretold?

What if there is a God that has done all this?

What if God's providence was with George Washington? What if "Proclaim Liberty throughout the Land" are God's words and the God given purpose for America? What if our Nation was Founded in order that the prophecy to "gather his people" in the Promised Land again could be fulfilled? What if Patriotism to America and Israel is a way that we show our love for God?

What if "In God we Trust" becomes hallow words?

What if the Prophets were right and we are at the end of the second day and just before the third day? What if at the beginning of the third day the Messiah will rule for a thousand years?

What if Evil lurks among us too? What if Evil has it's angels? What if ravenous wolves do dress in sheep's clothing? What if we are being deceived by them?

What if God gave us signs but we ignored them and his Word? What if the Messiah is real and about to rule? What if our prayers are not acceptable because we worship false gods and follow the ways of Man? What if we hate in our heart rather than love our fellow?

What if Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, 

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachic were God's prophets? 

What if Elijah and Elisha, Gad, Micaiah, Nathan and Samuel were prophets too?  

. . .  And we what if we didn't know them?  What if they had prophecy for us? What if we ignored their prophecy?

What if there is a Righteous path and we didn't choose it? What if there is a God but we lacked faith?

What if we have been deceived? 

What if there is price to pay for pursuing empty folly? What if we forsake our own welfare?  What if God proclaimed Judgment on us like Nineveh? What if we wait past the Messiah to believe? What if then it is too late?

What makes us think that if we do not have faith, and do not know the prophets and do not study the Word that we will recognize the true Messiah? What makes us think if we wait for Judgment to find these things that we will be acceptable to God?

What if we put our faith in God?  What if we recognized the Evil forces and acknowledged our false gods?

What if we loved our fellow?  

What if there was a Garden of Eden? What if we could be born again?  What if there is ONE GOD and we are ONE?

OUT OF MANY, ONE!

FEAR DEATH THAT YOU MIGHT CHOOSE LIFE

The Unetanah Tokef prayer is a very special liturgical poem that is chanted on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

This link offers the words and an explanation of the Unetanah Tokef. Here is a link to an audio performance by one of histories greatest cantors, Naftali Hertstik.

The Unetanah Tokef peom is based on concepts of Jewish apocalyptic literature which parallel Christian writings based on similar sources.

Whereas Christian liturgy concerning judgment focuses on Revelation and a single "End Times" Judgment, Jews view the High Holy Days as a recurring annual time of Judgment.

You might say we Jews keep doing a rehearsal to get ready for when the Messiah comes. But in essence, the Jews and Christians are both preparing for the "Main Event" each in their own way. Either way, the concept of Judgment Day is meant to strike fear.

FEAR like all God given emotions serves a purpose. I find it interesting that God has given us the emotion of fear to help save us. Whether it is fear of risky behaviors and risky situations which may injure us, or fear of a person who might hurt or kill us, fear serves the purpose to "save us." It offers us an opportunity to change our path. Evidently, Jonah struck enormous fear in the hearts of the people in Nineveh. Failure to listen to our fears can have serious consequences.

Because fear is so powerful, it is often exploited by evil forces.  In addition, there are times we need to overcome our fears in order to achieve greatness.

It is fair to say that all of our emotions have to managed.  Emotional stability is key to a healthy, happy and productive life overall. I digress ... back to FEAR.

Fear of an imagined death associated with "Judgment Day" serves a more profound purpose. The fear of an eternal life in Heaven or Hell, presents us with a powerful choice about our behavior now. It is the ultimate free will.

Fear of the consequences of "Judgment Day" is "designed" to "Save us."  "It is not sinners that God seeks." Fear is God's way of encouraging us to choose life everlasting.

Ironically, the change in behavior that the fear of Judgment helps to create leads to a better life and a better world.  Jews and Christians end up in the same place. Heaven on earth ruled by the same King and God.

HEAR, I AM.

Have our prayers been insincere? Or our charity inadequate?  Is it more repentance that You demand?

Or have we simply failed to see the signs - through the Words of Your prophets.

DANIEL Chapter 9:
7 To You, O Lord, is the righteousness, and to us is the shamefacedness as of this day, to the people of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel both near and far, in all the lands to which you have driven them for the treachery that they have perpetrated toward You.
.....
10 And we have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord our God, to follow His teachings, which He placed before us by the hand of His servants, the prophets.
.....
13 As is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil has come upon us, and we did not entreat the countenance of the Lord our God to repent of our iniquities and to contemplate Your truth
.....
16 O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, may Your wrath and Your anger return now from Your city, Jerusalem, the mount of Your Sanctuary, for because of our sins and because of the iniquities of our forefathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a mockery to all those surrounding us.
.....
19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do, do not delay; for Your sake, my God, for Your Name is called upon Your city and upon Your people."

Here we are again on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Having sounded Your Trumpets. Standing where we have stood for 2000 thousand years before the Torah. Repeating the Words as they appeared even before that. 

As we did for 70 "weeks" before Jerusalem fell. Offering the Atonement that we offered before we were sent into exile as the Diaspora. Reciting the same prayers we said before England and Spain expelled us and forced us to rip up our roots. Repenting and fasting before the pogroms. Performing the rituals and honoring Your Yamim Tovim, Your Festivals and the feasts of Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents or Booths) before the Holocaust.

Surely You want us to be close to You or You would not have placed us in Your Garden and walked with us alone in Your vast universe! 

Even when the earth was corrupted You held onto us and did not let us perish during the Great Flood.

LORD, You spoke to us through Moses to lead us out of bondage in Egypt and we have declared to the world ever since that You are the ONE God.

Have we not kept Your Ten Commandments?
Were our offerings not sufficient?
What use are our prayers? 
What value is our repentance?
Are our sins too great? 

Your Providence established the great nation of America. Founded to Proclaim Liberty. Built on the Foundation of Your Word - In God we Trust. Have we not been a Blessing to Israel?

LOOK AT US NOW. 

Do we Trust in God? 
Do we hear God's Prophets?
Could it be that God heard our prayers but we failed to hear his?

Daniel 9:23 In the beginning of your supplications, a word came forth, and I have come to tell it, for you have desirable qualities; now contemplate the word and understand the vision.

TODAY, YOM KIPPUR, JEWS READ THE BOOK OF JONAH. IT IS SAID "THERE WAS NO GREATER SIGN" THAN GOD'S PROPHET JONAH.

NO LONGER A LAUGHING MATTER

The situation in comedy is no longer a laughing matter. 

THE LEFT IS DESTROYING COMEDY. BUT THE BEAR HAS A-WOKE-N.

SNL's firing of Shane Gillis is the last straw. The Left's vindictive and nearly Fascist "cancel culture" has gone too far for too long.

Kevin Hart gets it. Dave Chappelle gets it. Bill Burr gets it.  Norm Macdonald gets it and in a recent tweet he has "declared" war.

Hundreds of other comedians get it too. So do tens of millions of Americans. But comedians have special sensitivities and sensibilities.

Comedians see into our culture, our society and human behavior in deeper and more profound ways than the average citizen.  Their livelihood depends on it. So when legends like Dave Chappelle and Norm Macdonald say we got a problem in America, America's GOT A PROBLEM!

The 1st and 2nd Amendments of our Constitution are under attack. The importance of these two Amendments to the Framers is self-evident by virtue of the fact that they are 1st and 2nd. "The pen is mightier than the sword."

Our Founding Fathers were deeply fearful of the tendencies of human nature. They were afraid that the people running our Country would eventually destroy this unique creation they called The United States of America.

The Founders knew it wasn't enough that they fought the Revolution and won despite terrible odds. They knew the Articles of the Confederation* were not enough so they created the Constitution to replace it.

The Framers did everything they could to protect Americans from their Government and the human beings that run it.

Norm Macdonald is absolutely right - America is at war. There is a non-military Revolution going on in our Country.

The Left is attacking America's conservative traditional values on every major front including but not limited to: Religion and morality, the Constitution, Culture, our Economic system and the most basic practice of Patriotism.

Even the classic meaning of being a Liberal or a Feminist is under attack. Today's Leftist is not yesterday's Liberal. And the 3rd Wave of Feminism is an abomination of the original. Today's Democratic Party is off the rails.

The Left has also attacked the Office of the President in a coup attempt. The Deep State will stop at nothing.

Sadly, one of the most important institutions we have for protecting us from our government has become as corrupt and Partisan as politics.  The Press is no longer a servant of the People.  Fake News is "the enemy of the people."

The Framers also believed that our Nation was created with Divine providence. Look at BOTH sides of our Great Seal -- it is obvious. The Founders knew they had more too fear than human nature. If God stops favoring America our Country is doomed.

America was Founded and built on Judeo Christian values. The Founders knew that even the Constitution was not enough for a Godless Nation.

I suspect that if a false Messiah were to rise up, otherwise known as the Antichrist by Christians, the Left would follow him too.

This situation is no laughing matter. Who knows that better than comedians?!

If/When Trump wins the 2020 Election, the last laugh will be on the Left. Their cruel and vindictive "cancel culture, as well as the way they have been destroying people's life and reputation for political purposes,  will be partly the reason why they lost.

#WALKAWAY
#BLEXIT
#JEXODUS

* The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was the approved by the 2nd Continental Congress in 1777 and served as our Constitution for the 13 original United States of America that served as its first constitution.

P.S. I do favor laws and regulations which will help prevent the wrong people from obtaining dangerous weapons.  But I believe we can mitigate the problems of gun violence without violating our Constitution.

Part 5 - Midrash on the Story of Jonah: Revelation

The angels whispered prophecy into my mother's ear and she named me Robert Jonah.

Kabbalah teaches that parents are given "one sixth prophecy to choose a name for their child."  Throughout the Torah, names are profoundly significant. 

Three years ago today on Taslich,  I elevated my Hebrew middle name Jonah. Prior to that I was known most commonly by my first name, Bobby, in my childhood years.

My personal Jewish identity is entwined with Jonah from the Book of Jonah. However, my personal understanding of the Book of Jonah did not quite fit with what I have been taught by my Rabbis over my lifetime.  

I have always felt the Rabbis where missing an important part of the story. 

This midrash expresses my personal interpretation of The Book of Jonah. This is the 5th chapter in a five part series which I began 3 years ago. 

The first four chapters set an important foundation for this chapter.  Here are links to all of them including the explanation of how my journey from Robert to Jonah started.

Call Me By My Other Name.
Chapter I.
Chapter II.
Chapter III.
Chapter IV.

This 5th chapter has been missing all my life. (See footnote below.) In order to write this 5th chapter I needed a revelation.

Before I could write this 5th chapter, the 5th chapter had to write itself in my life.

Each of my four previous chapters were written in first person and this one is as well.  So now, as I literally start to write my midrash I will be writing as though I am the "Jonah" who is speaking to God. I pray for the words to come to me NOW.

My Midrash begins:

Oh mighty God, when Nimrod built Babel You delivered judgment by Your own hand.  Nimrod built Nineveh too, and there is much wickedness in the name of their false gods.

I know that it is not sinners that You seek God. But Nineveh is a warring and lustful city filled by mine enemies. No place has been more deserving of Your judgment.

Such is the fate for any place that turns from You and follows the way of false gods or the ways of Man.

As it is written Deuteronomy 12:2You must utterly destroy all the places where the nations that you will dispossess served their gods—on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.3You are to tear down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their Asherah poles in the fire and cut down the carved images of their gods, and you are to obliterate their name from that place.

There is no place for one to hide from Your sight LORD. Nor am I ashamed of my nakedness like Adam & Eve. Lest they say of me otherwise I do declare, I didn't abandon your calling God. I objected to it!

But who am I to bring the threat of the ONE God they do not know in Nineveh?  YET, It is not the fear of death that sends me running! I know Your power.

It is the fear of offering my enemies an opportunity for redemption that frightens me.  For I also know Your power to forgive.

I would rather die than give the Assyrians fair warning of Your coming and offer them the chance to ask for and receive Your forgiveness. How could I do this to my people? How can You God? Bring Your judgment down!

Is it Judgment you wish to declare, or forgiveness you wish to provide?  Do you send me to save my worst enemies?

I sought You for greater  understanding. In the hull of the ship on it's way to Tarshis I called for You in my dreams. But You delivered no response.

Only the captain spoke. Your great seas were angry on my account.

In my loneliness I knew I sinned by failing to follow Your command.  There was a price to be paid.  A sacrifice to be made.

Cast me off! Let the sailors not die on my account. Send me into the deep. Deliver me to Your judgment!

But lo and behold, You forsake me not. Three days inside the deep.  Then You returned me from the deep with fresh eyes and clear conviction.

You filled me with needed understanding.  I went to Nineveh with great Thanksgiving.  Firm was my belief that the Ninivites would forsake their own welfare by continuing to cling to the folly of their ways and to their gods. Deliverance would be the LORDS!  Hallelujah!!

Knowing what I believed I ran to You by going to Nineveh to declare Your judgment in 40 days. I went with complete and unwavering faith. I went with a new life which belongs to you. I had no fear. Why should I fear, when Your Temple awaits me.

I took care and listened to your command that it may go well for my children and their children after me. Nineveh was to be cut off and dispossessed.  For every abomination of You which You hate the people there have done. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. [Deut. 12:31] No good fruit can come from a tree in Nineveh. The city must be cut down.

Unlike your other prophets I went without any signs or miracles to display.  I went without David's sling or Judah's army. I went to do Your command with only Your word.

Such is the Power of Your Word delivered by Your faithful and fearless servant. I was Your Trumpet blast and they heard You in all the land. Every person in Nineveh trembled in awe. They didn't turn to their gods. They turned to the ONE GOD.

All the people, including their king, bowed down and repented. Not to my surprise, but rather to my great regret.

From the hillside I watched and waited. I waited for Your judgment to come down on Nineveh.  And when You sparred my enemies it saddened me deeply.  So deeply LORD that I wished to die again.

I had gone to Nineveh to see the evil city receive Your judgment, not Your forgiveness.

But it was not to be Your will. I had done your will. And Your will WAS done. I should have rejoiced. Instead I morned.

I knew You were a compassionate God. My greatest fear was realized --  that You would grant forgiveness rather than deliver judgment on the city of Nineveh.

In my loneliness You came to me again. With a short lesson in the form of shade tree. But it is not Your capacity to offer forgiveness to sinners that confuses me.

A great tragedy has occurred.  What of Your chosen people?  By doing Your Will have I not delivered Your people to mine enemies?

Your decision to spare the Assyrians is a great tragedy for the ages. What have I done?  How do your people reconcile Your ways God?

I thought I knew better when you raised me from the deep and set me on the shore to go to Nineveh.  But little did I know.  There was a greater lesson for me to learn. Little did I know that You had another purpose for me. I was to be a great sign of Your forgiveness.

Through my story I was to foretell an even greater story.  My sadness would become joy to the world.

My life was to be a lesson. Tragedy befalls us throughout history and in our lives. If these are by Your hand we ask, "have you no compassion on us?" But if these tragedy are the price for our sins how are we to satisfy You?  We fail again and again.  Even Jacob, Moses and King David failed You.

What of Nineveh? How can they be worthy of Your Promise Land while Moses is not?!

You have given us a sign. There is no greater sign of Your capacity for forgiveness.  No greater sign that your gates remain open until the last moment. Even to a sinner. Even to a city of sinners.

But even a great city filled with Your chosen people will be judged if they fail and follow other nations and the ways of Men.

You, the One and only God provided me with a great gift - a gift that is rarely accepted.  The chance to be born again in Your waters.  You have given us the opportunity to make new choices.  To choose the path You wish for us all - that we may follow Your ways and serve you.

You have proven by Your Acts that You are always ready to forgive us.  This is the lesson of Nineveh.  But what of me, your servant.  I did Your will and now I must bear the burden of knowing that I have delivered my enemies to You to be spared.

The people of Nineveh love darkness, they will go back to their evil ways.  And when the evil spirit returns it will bring seven times more evil. The condition in Nineveh will be worse than first for this evil generation.

You knew this God. This is Your prophecy, not mine.  What lesson is there which You can give me to help me bear my pain for the evil that the people of Nineveh will bring upon my people?

So terrible was my sadness that I wished to die, again. The same death I wished for on the boat to Tarshis for the same reason I first refused to go to Nineveh.

I cry out to You NOW, today, through my midrash.

How am I to understand your mysterious ways? 

You answered me. Now I see how your answer was there for me since the beginning of Man.

We were never meant to judge the good and evil in another's heart.

Once we walked together in the Garden.  When we chose to eat from the Tree of Knowledge we had to leave the Garden.

The path back is your Word. And even that must be guarded because ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing are always seeking to confuse us.

The evil did return to Nineveh. But it was not for me to judge what is in their hearts' on the day You accepted their repentance as sufficient.

Tragedy tests our faith.  Tragedy can also return us to You.

But it is Hate in our heart, and the ways of Man with false and no Gods, which takes us from a path to You.

We needn't fear sheep in wool. It is Wolves in sheep's clothing that speak to deceive us.

Therefore until our last breath, we must always seek You through Your Word. We must inscribe Your Word in all places before our way.  So we do Your way.  Then upon our last breadth we will be received to You.

I see, through my midrash, that You have sent Jonah to be a sign that it is not sinners that You seek. Rather it is sinners that You seek to save.  The fearless ONE with pure faith and passion can show the way to even the most lost sinners. You have used my enemies to strengthen the faith of future generations. 

As for me, I will stay here where You have sent me. Your question gives my life new purpose.  I put my life in your hands. 

I tested your Word.  My midrash is such a test. By faith and Your Grace your Temple awaits me.

Baruch Hashem
Jonah, Jonah



Footnote:  The 5th letter of the Hebrew alphabet is Hei, pronounced "Hey."  The ancient symbol for Hei looks like a man with his arms raised. The symbol of Hei has the meanings:  Look, Reveal, Breath.

The numerical equivalent of Hei is the number 5.  In gematria Hei is associated with revalation and grace.  

More on the Hebrew Gematria of Five: Not only does the hei repre­sent the garments of thought, speech and action, but these garments comprise a total of five elements: Two levels of thought, imaginative and meditative; two levels of speech, the words of the heart and the words of the lips; and one level of action. 

Hei/Five also signifies the five levels of the soul: 
nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah and yechidah. The fifth tier, yechidah, means union.