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.