Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Sometimes, Donald Trump tells the truth

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/19/trump-cabinet-outsider-heterodox-reagan/

If Trump’s underlying goal is to shrink the federal workforce, which so many other Republican presidents have talked about, then he might have stumbled on a brilliant tactic. Firing civil servants is notoriously difficult. But if Trump manages to install Gaetz at Justice or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at Health and Human Services, I imagine you will see a voluntary exodus of expertise like we’ve never seen before. There’s not a lawyer in the Justice Department who couldn’t be making more money for fewer headaches in private practice.

‘We Are Reeling’: Trump’s Pick of Tulsi Gabbard Alarms Intelligence Community

 https://time.com/7176696/gabbard-russia-connection-trump-intelligence/

Weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Gabbard posted a video espousing a disproven conspiracy theory that alleged pathogens could leak from biolabs in Ukraine, a theory advanced by Russia as part of its propaganda attempt to press for a ceasefire. Then-Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Gabbard had embraced “actual Russian propaganda” and called it “traitorous.” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said Gabbard was “parroting fake Russian propaganda.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene: GOP Covered Up ‘Sexual Harassment and Assault’ Claims

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-gop-covered-up-sexual-harassment-and-assault-claims/

Greene suggested there’s no reason that completed reports and settlements involving lawmakers—including Gaetz’ probe—shouldn’t be made public. While she wrote that she’d even filed an ethics report herself, she didn’t specify what, or who, it involved.

The Georgia firebrand ended with a commitment to make public as many purported claims as possible: “If we’re going to dance, let’s all dance in the sunlight. I’ll make sure we do.”

Arkia and Israir to operate flights to the US, instead of foreign airlines

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/399472

The two companies plan to lease European aircraft and operate ten weekly flights using foreign crews in order to lower prices for consumers.

Just not these two Please Mr. President, ditch this dreadful duo — Gabbard and Gaetz

 https://nypost.com/2024/11/19/opinion/donald-trump-please-get-rid-of-matt-gaetz-and-tulsi-gabbard-from-your-cabinet/

There’s a real fear that Gabbard won’t provide President Trump with the intelligence he needs, but rather downplay threats with the intention of isolationism.

Gaetz may provide the disruption, but he has neither the ethics nor the discipline to rebuild a proper system that will pursue fair prosecutions.

Trump: ‘No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4998359-trump-demands-senate-stop-confirming-judges/?tbref=hp

The White House called out Trump and Republicans for trying to slow down confirmations at the end of the year, arguing that Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who was elected Senate GOP leader, considered it a priority to confirm Trump’s judicial nominees before the end of his last administration.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

WSJ: Much of the seized Hezbollah weapons are Russian-made

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/399411

A full 60-70% of weapons found in southern Lebanon at the start of the IDF's ground invasion were Russian-made; experts unsure of whether they were taken from Syria or signal increased cooperation between Russia and Hezbollah, report says.

Israel Finds Large Troves of Russian Arms in Hezbollah’s Hands

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-finds-large-troves-of-russian-arms-in-hezbollahs-hands-eeed9445?mod=hp_lead_pos8

The weapons Israel is finding now are newer, more advanced, and present in larger numbers than expected by military analysts. The arms have significantly bolstered Hezbollah’s ability to fight back after Israeli airstrikes decimated its top leadership, they say. Antitank weapons such as the Kornet have been among the most effective weapons in Hezbollah’s arsenal, and have been used to kill numerous Israeli soldiers.

Don’t Overlook How Bad This Lesser-Known Trump Nominee Is

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/dont-overlook-how-bad-this-lesser-known-trump-nominee-is/

“This is a guy who is a strong ally of Elon Musk, another fake free speech champion,” he added. “This is a guy who thinks that, oh, for example, advertisers that refuse to advertise on Twitter are part of an illegal cartel that have to be broken up because they don’t want their ads running next to @HitlerLover69 tweets. So this guy is not a friend of free speech—he wants to go after broadcast networks that don’t bend the knee enough to Donald Trump, or that air reports that might be critical of Donald Trump, or that air shows like Saturday Night Live.”

Could Biden's Ukraine Missile Move Trigger World War III? Experts' Verdicts

 https://www.newsweek.com/could-biden-ukraine-missile-move-trigger-world-war-experts-verdicts-1987468

Americans may not have noticed—nor, shockingly, have many Europeans—that World War III has already begun. On one side are Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. The Russian war in Ukraine is being fought with Chinese support for Russian industry, Iranian drones, and North Korean ammunition and missiles, which kill Ukrainian civilians every night, and now North Korean troops.

Trump’s Cabinet picks, and the morality problem

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/11/18/trumps-cabinet-picks-morality-problem/

“With some of these nominees — Gaetz, Hegseth, RFK Jr. — I wonder, does it matter anymore for Republicans to think of leaders as people who are moral in their personal lives?” CNN host Jake Tapper asked. “Is that still important to the Republican Party?”

Tulsi Gabbard vs. Trump’s First Term

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/tulsi-gabbard-director-of-national-intelligence-donald-trump-foreign-policy-iran-russia-d64085dc?mod=hp_opin_pos_0

Ms. Gabbard, a Democrat until 2022, shares Mr. Trump’s skepticism toward U.S. military involvement abroad. But she stands out as a troubling choice to manage intelligence because her views on the use of force and U.S. foreign policy mark her to the left of even dovish voices in the Democratic Party.

Monday, November 18, 2024

Jews don’t accept authority or have faith unless forced

 Netziv (Shemos 13:9): Don’t be surprised that G d requires us to do so many mitzvos and techniques to acquire bitachon and emuna  in G d’s Providence. The fact is that it is known that the Jews do not readily accept authority until they are forced as we see by the plagues. That is why G d took us out of Egypt with a strong hand because it was not easy for us to accept His dominance. This is seen in the medrash which discusses, “The Jews did not listen to Moshe because of their irritability and stress of their enslavement.”  The medrash explains that they didn’t want to listen because they were immersed in idol worship.  In other words, the medrash means that in fact they did not want to be redeemed.

Woman is not a slave - disagreeing with Rashi

 Igros Moshe (O.C. 6 5.2): [Menachos 43b It was taught: R. Judah used to say, A man is bound to say the following three blessings daily: who has made me a Jew’, ‘. . . . who hast not made me a woman’; and ‘ . . . who hast not made me a brutish man’. R. Aha b. Jacob once overhead his son saying the blessing … who hast not made me a brutish man’, whereupon he said to him, ‘And this too!’ Said the other, ‘Then what blessing should I say instead?’ [He replied,] . . . who hast not made me a slave’. And is not that the same as a woman?[Rashi explains because in terms of the obligation of doing mitzvos – a woman and a slave are equal]— A slave is more contemptible.] Look at Rashi (Menachos 43b) who explains in his first explanation to the question of saying a beracha “who has not made me a slave” is the same saying “who has not made me a woman", that “the wife is also a slave to her husband as a slave is to his master.” If I weren't afraid I would say that it is necessary to erase the first explantion of Rashi. Because G-d forbid for Rashi to say this ridiculous statement. That is because according to the Torah there is no obligation for the wife to do anything for the husband except for having normal marital relations. And even in regard to intercourse, he is in fact more obligated to her because he also has a negative Torah commandment not to deprive her of sexual satisfaction. In fact it is only a decree of the Sages that requires that her work belongs to her husband. Corresponding to this requirement to work for him, he is required to feed her. But the only work she is obligated to do is house work and not to work in the field. She also has some obligation regarding wool - which is an easy job that women typically do. See Shulchan Aruch EH simon 80. Her meals are his obligation since she should not have it any worse than her family and his family and certainly not less than what she typically eats. Similarly he is obligated to provide her clothing according to what the women of that city typically get as well as according to the standard of his and her family. That is because she is to go up in her standard of living with him and not go down. In addition he is obligated to honor her and he cannot leave the house without her permission except to go to his job that is known to her. In fact we see from all this the opposite of her being his slave. He is obligated to do all the work to earn a living as is stated in the Kesubah. Even if it means hiring himself out according to Tosfos (Kesubos 63). Thus we see that the husband is more of a slave to her then she is to him. This Rashi requires further study (tzorech iyun gadol).