Saturday, January 16, 2021
A guide to Donald Trump's 'rigged' election
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/donald-trump-rigged-election-guide-230302
Dead Democrats who “absolutely vote.” “Phony” polling and the colluding media “refusing” to report on his imminent victory. Paul Ryan’s backstabbing “months-long campaign” to get Hillary Clinton elected president. Donald Trump and his supporters keep adding to their list of the dubious ways they’ve been boxed out from winning the White House.
US election 2016: Trump says election 'rigged at polling places' - Deja vu
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37673797
His comments appear to contradict his running mate Mike Pence, who told NBC Mr Trump would "absolutely" accept the election result, despite media "bias".
Mr Trump's adviser Rudy Giuliani has also accused Democrats of "cheating".
Polls suggest Mr Trump is losing ground in some key battleground states against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Mr Trump has questioned the legitimacy of the election process in a series of tweets, the latest of which said on Monday: "Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day.
"Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!"
An earlier tweet said: "The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD."
How effective is a single vaccine dose against Covid-19?
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210114-covid-19-how-effective-is-a-single-vaccine-dose
According to Pfizer data published in December 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is roughly 52% effective after the first dose. Out of 36,523 participants in the phase three trial – the final stage of testing where people either received two full doses, 21 days apart, or a placebo – who had no evidence of existing infection, 82 people in the placebo group and 39 in the vaccine group developed Covid-19 symptoms.
Pikuach Nefesh Shabbos
there have been false repeated claims made that it is wrong for a Rav to write tshuvos about pikuch nefesh
below is a list of Rav Moshe's tshuvos that he wrote on this topic
The 15 most notable lies of Donald Trump's presidency
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/16/politics/fact-check-dale-top-15-donald-trump-lies/index.html
Friday, January 15, 2021
Capitol riots: Who has the FBI arrested so far?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55626148
- Nicholas Rodean - The Maryland man was fired from his job after he was seen wearing his work ID badge to the riot
- Aaron Mostofsky - The 34-year-old son of a Brooklyn judge was freed after posting a $100,000 bail. Pictures from the riot showed him wearing furs and a police tactical vest that he is accused of stealing
- William Pepe - The New York City transit worker was suspended without pay after officials said he called out sick from work to travel to Washington and participate in the riot
- Andrew Williams - The Florida firefighter was arrested after a picture online showed him wearing a Trump hat and pointing to a placard bearing the name of Democrat Nancy Pelosi
- Josiah Colt - The Idaho man was pictured dangling from a Senate balcony after rioters stormed the chamber and is facing charges of disorderly conduct and trespassing
- Adam Johnson, 36 of Florida, was photographed holding up the House speaker's lectern and smiling during the Capitol siege. He has been charged with theft of government property and the lectern has since been returned
- Jenny Cudd, the owner of a flower shop once ran for mayor in Midland, Texas. According to officials, she posted a video where she said: "We did break down Nancy Pelosi's office door"
- Klete Keller, a two-time Olympic gold medallist swimmer, has been charged after online sleuths spotted that he wore his Olympic jacket to the Capitol
- Robert Sandford, a recently retired firefighter from a Philadelphia suburb, is accused of assaulting officers by throwing a fire extinguisher at them
- Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson, off-duty police officers from Rocky Mount, Virginia, are accused of trespassing and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
Donald Trump just pushed Rudy Giuliani under the bus
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/donald-trump-rudy-giuliani-impeachment/index.html
Thursday, January 14, 2021
The most surprising vote for impeachment came from this Republican
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/tom-rice-south-carolina-impeachment/index.html
The Day That Shall Live in Infamy
Now, before rushing to praise the Republicans for their opposition to the "educational" indoctrination bill, realize the import of their failure to oppose the abusive healthcare facilities bill. Also consider that, prior to the onset of the Trump Era, it would have been almost unthinkable - EVEN for leftist Democrats - to openly vote for an LGBT propaganda bill for kindergarteners. Realize just how far we've fallen.
Additionally, even this showing by Republican comes only after vigorous campaigning by both Orthodox and non-Jewish activists. And, even after all of that, the GOP still split their gambit by caving on the Healthcare facilities bill, thereby ensuring an easy, "no-cost" victory for the opposition.
Trump Pride: Gay Republicans on why they're backing the president
Trump made a halfhearted effort to court the LGBTQ community in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. He called the massacre of 49 mostly LGBTQ people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that year an "assault on the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want and express their identity."
At the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Trump swore "to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology."
And two days before Election Day, he grabbed an upside-down Pride flag inscribed with "LGBT for Trump" at a rally in Colorado and waved it around.
Soldiers and rape
Ohr HaChaim(Devarim 21:11): Why did G‑d command this procedure of Yofas To’ar in which a man defiles himself by sexual relations with a non‑Jewish woman? This is especially problematic since it is done during the time that G‑d is doing miracles to produce victory in the battles and thus it would seem more appropriate to increase spiritual purity and closeness to G‑d. So why does G‑d permit a Jew to do such a debasing act which we know is despised by G‑d and causes greater weakening of our attachment to G‑d? It is understandable why G‑d permits eating unkosher food during battle because as the Rambam (Hilchos Melachim 8:1) correctly explains - it is allowed only if the person is hungry. However this act is not needed for his survival and is inherently disgusting. Our Sages (Kiddushin 21b) state that the only justification for this act is a tactic to deal with the Evil Inclination. This makes the question stronger since the Torah should be serving to help subdue and control the heart of the holy people during this time of battle since in fact it is G‑d doing the fighting. The answer to this question is based on an important principle that is stated in Zohar Chadash(Parshas Balak page 53). It says that with the sin of Adam many precious souls were captured by the Sitra Achara (forces of evil) and these are the souls of gerim. If you investigate you will find that a great number of great people came from the nations of the world as Ruth the Moabite illustrates. We also find (Sanhedrin 96b) that many great scholars came from the nations such as Shmaya and Avtalyon, Onkelos and many others. I will also reveal another principle that we find a pure soul attached to an impure soul and the pure soul does not have the power to positively influence the impure soul. The pure soul is thus trapped until the moment comes to be freed. An example of this is that the soul of Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon was attached to the soul of Shechem the son of Chamor. [Shechem was the rapist of Yaakov daughter Dinah.]. This reality is alluded to by the first letters of the words in Bereishis (34:21) as has been explained by the Kabbalists. We find that the soul of Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon did not positively influence Shechem and departed Shechem when Shechem raped Dinah. In fact Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon’s soul attached itself to the soul of Dinah instead of Shechem. This is alluded to in Bereishis (34:3), “His soul attached itself to her soul. [Which is usually understood to mean that Shechem loved Dinah.] It is important to keep this principle in mind… Kiddushin (21b) states that she is a married woman and of course the words of your Sages are true. However if the expression “eishes yofas to’ar” only meant that she was married it should have simply said that she was an “eishes ish.” Thus this phrased informs us that as a result of the soldier being involved in performing a mitzva (fighting for Israel) – G‑d opened his eyes so that he could recognize that in this non‑Jewish woman that there was some inner beauty. In other words the soldier was able to recognize her holy soul which is called “yofas to’ar”. That is because holy souls radiate a powerful spiritual light. Thus the soldier is in a sensitive spiritual state because he is involved in doing a mitzva and is attached to the divine presence. He is therefore able to recognize her holy soul and that is what he is attracted to and what he desires in her. This can also be deduced from the fact the verse says “he desires something in her” and doesn’t say “he desires her.” That is to draw attention to the fact that he does not desire the woman per se but something beautiful within her which is the aspect of good which is the pure soul. Thus even if she is physically ugly she is permitted to him because it is the beauty of her soul not her body which is determinant. In this situation there is no physical lust as I have already explained.
Donald Trump is going home a loser
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/13/opinions/trump-impeachment-going-home-loser-axelrod/index.html
Biographers tell us that, early on, a cutthroat New York real estate developer imparted a dark lesson to the son who would become president of the United States.