Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Bill Barr bashed in right-wing media after election fraud comments: 'He is either a liar or a fool or both'

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/02/media/bill-barr-right-wing-media-reliable-sources/index.html

Since he was confirmed as attorney general, William Barr has been somewhat of a hero in the right-wing media universe. He has assailed the Russia probe. He has talked a big game about cracking down on Antifa. He has sharply criticized the news media. On and on it goes.
But his celebrity status took a hit on Tuesday when he undercut President Trump's brazenly false contention that there was massive voter fraud in the 2020 election. Speaking to the Associated Press, Barr said that, "to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election."
The statement from Barr, which merely recited a simple fact, not only cut against what Trump has been saying, but also what Trump's propagandists and allies in right-wing media have been feeding their audiences. For weeks, these media personalities have strung their audiences along, suggesting that damning proof of fraud was just around the corner. Which is why the comment from Barr stung so bad.

Defense of Chasidic Sexual practises

מכתב מרב נחום רוטשטיין בעני... by mer361

Trump declares war on GOP officials as Barr rejects fraud claims

 https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-declares-war-on-gop-officials-as-barr-rejects-fraud-claims

 As President Trump intensifies his election-fraud rhetoric, we are witnessing some serious Republican-on-Republican violence.

Trump’s own attorney general, Bill Barr, essentially broke with the president yesterday. A lifelong Republican who also held the job under the senior George Bush, Barr told the AP that his investigators hadn’t found much. “To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election,” he said.

But the election has put Republican state officials in a box. They have had to choose between backing the president’s unproven fraud allegations and doing their jobs. They are legally required to certify their state elections unless there is evidence of widespread cheating, and silence is not an option.

Trump inciting violence, says Georgia election official

 https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55153918

  • A US state of Georgia election official has said President Donald Trump will bear responsibility for any violence that results from unsubstantiated election fraud claims he has stoked.
  • In a fiery statement, Gabriel Sterling, a Republican, said: "It's all gone too far! All of it! It has to stop!"
  • Georgia is carrying out a second recount of votes in the state at the Trump campaign's request.

US attorney general finds 'no voter fraud that could overturn election'

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-55153366

"To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election," he said.

His comments are seen as a big blow to Mr Trump, who has not accepted defeat.

He and his campaign have filed lawsuits in states that he lost, as they begin certifying Joe Biden as the winner.

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

How one Trump-loving governor totally shut down the President's voter fraud claims

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/01/politics/doug-ducey-donald-trump-arizona-voter-fraud-claims/index.html

"In Arizona, we have some of the strongest election laws in the country, laws that prioritize accountability and clearly lay out procedures for conducting, canvassing, and even contesting the results of an election. We've got ID at the polls. We review EVERY signature (every single one) on early ballots — by hand — unlike other states that use computers. Prohibitions on ballot harvesting. Bipartisan poll observers. Clear deadlines, including no ballots allowed after Election Day."

Arizona Certifies Election Results, Confirming Biden Win | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Talmid Chachom should have beautiful wife

Ohr HaChaim (Bereishis 29:18) And Yakov loved Rachel Not because of her beauty but because they were a predestined couple or alternatively as our Sages (Shabbos 25b) say that a talmid chachom should have a beautiful wife to protect against lust. So even though Yakov was a very spiritual man who defeated his lust nevertheless the Torah  teaches a person to have common sense.

Talmid chachom doesnt look at women and needs the help of an am haaretz

 Bava Basra (168a) Abaye said: A Torah scholar who goes to betroth a woman should take an ignoramus with him to establish a positive identity of the woman, lest people exchange another woman for her when given to him for marriage, taking advantage of his innocence.

המאבק נגד גיוס נשים: רבנים משכנעים עולות חדשות שלא לשרת בצה"ל

 https://www.ynet.co.il/judaism/article/B1XSZkVcw

ארגון חותם השיק קמפיין הסברה בכמה שפות, המציע לעולות חדשות העומדות לקראת גיוס, להצהיר כי אינן יכולות לשרת מטעמי דת ולפנות לשירות לאומי-אזרחי: "הצבא מנצל את תחושת השליחות שלהן ואת תמימותן כדי לגייסן בניגוד לרצונן". דובר צה"ל: "יותר בנות דתיות משלבות בין אמונתן לשירות משמעותי בצבא"

 The struggle against the recruitment of women: Rabbis persuade new immigrants not to serve in the IDF


The Chotam organization has launched an information campaign in several languages, offering new immigrants about to enlist, declaring that they cannot serve for religious reasons and turning to national-civilian service: "The military exploits their sense of mission and innocence to recruit against their will." IDF Spokesman: "More religious girls combine their faith with meaningful service in the army"

Kobi Nachshoni Posted 14:34, 19/11/2020

The struggle for the place of women in the army is expanding and extending overseas: Chotam organization that opposes the recruitment of girls has launched an information campaign that appeals to Jewish girls from abroad seeking to come to Israel to donate to the state, and encourages them to apply for religious exemptions and volunteer for national-civil service only.

Chotam, headed by senior rabbis from the Conservative wing of Religious Zionism (including Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira and Rabbi Elyakim Lebanon), has been claiming for years that the IDF has made it difficult for observant girls to declare their lifestyles, and is conducting forbidden investigations against them, their credibility and bring about their recruitment.

They now accuse the army of recently investing a lot of effort among new immigrants and teenage girls from the Diaspora who want to volunteer in Israel, in order to attract them to the right path for him - according to the rabbis, "against their will." Following this, the religious organization goes out to fight for the ... of those girls, and tries to convince them that even within the national service there is a possibility of a "significant contribution."

"Language and Mental Gaps"

According to Chotam, many foreign candidates, keeping tradition, are unaware of their rights and the "methods used by the military" to recruit them, so the organization produced a notebook in various languages with essential information for them and instructions on how to deal with complex situations.

The head of public policy at Chotam, Avner Porat, estimated that there are hundreds of candidates for service each year from this population, which has large concentrations in the country, in addition to those who come there especially from abroad, noting that they suffer from triple difficulty compared to older Israelis: language gaps, lack of order. In educational institutions - and various religious norms.

Porat explained that in many Jewish families in the Diaspora it is customary for girls not to necessarily adhere to the dress codes and modesty customary among observant people in Israel, and some even attend "public" schools that are not religious (or not Jewish at all). For them, this does not contradict their strong religious consciousness and their way of life on issues such as Shabbat and kosher, but in the eyes of the military it automatically raises suspicion that their religious statement is false.

"Because they come with a sense of mission and contribution to the country, the military's motivation is growing," Porat argued. "They are comfortable for .... to operate the information systems on ... in an attempt to persuade them to enlist and thus 'improve' for him the data on the serving religiosity." He said, "It is no secret that the IDF has definite goals for this and it wants to reach a significant amount."

"Invasive Investigation Mask"

The director of the Chotam organization, Amital Barali, added: "Recruitment authorities are taking advantage of the innocence of some of the new immigrants and putting pressure on them to enlist and not do national service even though it goes against their lifestyle. "These girls, who come from religious backgrounds, are interested in making a significant contribution to society and the state within the national service, and they are invited to interrogation regarding religion in a stressful and hostile atmosphere, during which they have difficult conversations and are pressured to give up volunteering in the national service."

"We hope that the military system will put an end to the abusive conduct of the recruitment bureaus, who exploit the innocence of the new immigrants, who are unfamiliar with the options before them," Barley said. "A girl who wants to contribute her share to the state within the framework of national service, as the law allows her, does not have to go through a mask of invasive investigations."

The IDF spokesman responded: "Every new immigrant who is required by law to enlist is summoned to the recruitment bureau in order to begin the recruitment process. If you want to declare and ask for a religious exemption, you can do so. Over the years, more religious girls enlist in the IDF and find a place there that allows them to combine their....

Trump presidency's final days: 'In his mind, he will not have lost'

 https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-55134022

 

To prevent failure, Trump denies reality, say those who know him. He filed multiple bankruptcies as a businessman, yet acted as though it was part of a plan. "He would say: 'I did it intentionally,'" recalls Jack O'Donnell, who worked for him, adding: "It's nonsense."

"In his mind, he will not have lost," says O'Donnell, describing the election. "He will never concede. It will always be: 'It was taken from me.'"

Trump is now fighting for Republican control of the Senate and plans to go to Georgia on Saturday to support candidates in run-off elections.

Meanwhile, outside Morgenstern's office, one of the empty desks is decorated with a coaster: "Failure is not an option."

The motto sums up Trump's philosophy and his approach to the presidency - at least until he leaves.

Arizona, Wisconsin certify election results for Biden

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/live-updates-election-12-1-2020

President Trump suffered another setback in his push to overturn his defeat in the presidential election, as Arizona on Monday certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the state.

The results of the election were certified by Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who's a Democrat, with GOP Gov. Doug Ducey, Republican state Attorney General Mark Brnovich, and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel in attendance.

Hours after the certifying of the vote in Arizona, Wisconsin finalized their results, becoming the last of the remaining contested battleground states to do so.

Dr. Scott Atlas resigns from Trump administration

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/30/politics/scott-atlas-resigns-trump-administration-coronavirus-task-force/index.html

A source close to the task force told CNN on Monday that Atlas' departure comes as welcome news, as his discredited theories will no longer have a seat at the table. A separate official said the task force remains intact following Atlas' departure.
Atlas' months-long stint in the White House was marked by controversy as he became a close adviser to Trump on the pandemic, adopting public stances on the virus much closer to the President's -- including decrying the idea that schools cannot reopen this fall as "hysteria" and pushing for the resumption of college sports.

Rav Kaminetsky says

 In this synopsis of the AIA convention, R. Shmuel Kamenetzky is reported to have stated that every Jew is obligated to sanctify the Name of Heaven in public. Presumably, this would mean that Ms. Tamar Epstein must leave the home of an alien gentleman such as Mr. Adam Fleischer, as per the relevant laws of Kiddush Ha-Shem presented by Rambam, Hilkhot Yesodei ha-Torah, ch. 5. Furthermore, even if my presumption of R. Shmuel Kamenetzky's intention is not correct, this need not deter me from reaching the same practical conclusion, as per the Gemara, Eiruvin 63a that one may not defer to his superior rabbi in a situation of obvious transgression.