Saturday, October 5, 2019

Top Diplomat Rips Trump Ukraine 'Scam' As Damning Texts Emerge | The Beat With Ari Melber | MSNBC

Republican defends President Trump: There is no crime

Why Republicans Aren't Turning on Trump

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/trumps-ukranian-favor-what-impeachment/598849/

What the Framers may not have contemplated, however, is the extent to which a demagogue is capable of convincing his supporters that the president and the people are one and the same, and therefore, the president is incapable of betraying the people, because he is their purest expression made flesh. Trump is but a crass distillation of this anti-democratic idea, but if it were not deeply rooted in the Republican Party, he could never have ascended to its leadership.


Republicans Don’t Want to Talk About It

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/10/how-republicans-learned-tolerate-foreign-election-interference/599413/


What’s more, Trump has cast the solicitation of political assistance from whichever foreign power is forthcoming as a routine “duty” and “absolute right” of his office. “As President I have an obligation to end CORRUPTION, even if that means requesting the help of a foreign country or countries. It is done all the time,” he wrote on Twitter today. Trump’s concern about corruption, however, happens to focus solely on a case affecting his personal political interests and one he claims to have already cracked despite a lack of evidence.

UKRAINE ENVOY TESTIMONY 'DEVASTATING' FOR TRUMP, GIULIANI CASE, FOX NEWS' CHRIS WALLACE SAYS

< https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-envoy-testimony-devastating-trump-guiliani-fox-news-1463360
Fox News host Chris Wallace has warned that testimony from former U.S. special representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker is highly damaging to President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani.

Volker—who resigned from his role abruptly last week—testified to Congress this week about his involvement in Trump's efforts to solicit Ukrainian interference in the 2020 election
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/10/04/fncs-chris-wallace-kurt-volkers-testimony-is-quite-devastating-to-the-president/

On Friday’s broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “Shepard Smith Reporting,” network anchor Chris Wallace said former U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker’s opening statement to Congress “is quite devastating to the president and Rudy Giuliani’s case.”
Wallace said, “The breaking news to me, today, is— Fox has gotten ahold of the 11-page statement, opening statement by Kurt Volker yesterday in a closed session. He, of course, was the special envoy from the administration to Ukraine. He was very involved in all of this. This 11-page opening statement is quite devastating to the president and Rudy Giuliani’s case.”
He continued, “It basically says that Volker, who all sides agree was an honest broker in this whole thing, was very disturbed by the information — he thought disinformation — that various Ukrainian officials were sending to Rudy Giuliani, the president’s private lawyer, and that Rudy Giuliani was then spreading that information in Washington. And that might be a reason why the president was so reluctant to meet with [Ukrainian president] Zelensky and also to, of course, push Zelensky to investigate in that July 25th phone call both potential involvement in the 2016 election by the Ukrainians and also Joe Biden and his role.”

Friday, October 4, 2019

Opinion: What impeachment? Trump reiterates call for foreign governments to investigate his foes

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2019-10-03/trump-ukraine-china-investigate-bidens

You’ve got to hand it to President Trump — when he says he doesn’t see anything wrong with asking a foreign leader to go after his political rivals, he really means it.
Preparing to fly to Florida to give a speech contrasting his work on healthcare for seniors to the Medicare for All proposals advanced by some Democratic presidential candidates, Trump told reporters that Ukraine should investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. In fact, Trump said, China should too.

Jewish Press Dispatch column on Public School decadence and NYS Educational (sic) Equivalency Regulations (to be voted on next Tues Oct. 8) (p.84), Parshas Vayeilech, 5 Tishrei 5780 /4 Oct.,'19

BS"D

4 Tishrei, 5780


A good year to all.

Attached is this week's* Jewish Press Dispatch column, p.84, addressing Public School decadence and NYS "Educational" (sic) Equivalency Regulations. Those much opposed Regulations are reportedly to be voted on next Tues Oct. 8). This Education Crisis in NYS impacts the entire country. If G-d forbid NY State falls, the entire country may eventually follow suit, unless properly opposed.


* {Parshas Vayeilech, 5 Tishrei 5780 /4 Oct.,'19}

The emphatically understated tone of this article hopefully will help convey the seriousness of the matter to some of those who remain unconvinced, and specifically those turned off by what appears to them as rhetoric or extreme.


Additionally, as clarified in previous columns, the understated remarks here about the "Dignity for All Students Act" (DASA, passed in NYS in 2010) are specifically referring to it's application of the LGBTQ regime to private and religious schools. [That is CLEARLY the ultimate goal of the NYS Democratic Establishment.]  It's application to public schools was never in question, and, on that basis alone, DASA qualified for the status of an antireligious edict - and demands our irreconcilable opposition (as similarly clarified in previous columns).

Please also see previous columns (attached).

The only practical way to stop this antireligious edict is to coalesce a critical mass of genuine resistance who refuse to cooperate with the LGBTQ takeover of religious schools. They have to see that enough people are willing to brave the consequences of statutory "truancy," including incarceration and the specter of state-removal of their children - in order to rescue our children from their antireligious, LGBT-led transformation of religious education.

We have the clear majority on our side. What we need is a vibrant minority - even relatively very small - who have enough conviction to sacrifice for all children, and to educate by actions.


In the merit of mesiras nefesh, may we have a G'mar Chasima Tova,

Perilous times for Trump: By 45%-38%, Americans support impeaching him over Ukraine allegations, poll finds

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/03/poll-trump-impeachment-support-grows-removal-over-ukraine/3846565002/

Americans by a 45%-38% plurality now support a vote by the House of Representatives to impeach President Donald Trump, a USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds, as allegations continue to swirl around an embattled White House.
By a similar margin, 44%-35%, those surveyed say the Senate, which would then be charged with holding a trial of the president, should convict Trump and remove him from office.
The survey of 1,006 adults, taken Tuesday and Wednesday, underscores the perilous situation the president finds himself in as House committees subpoena documents and prepare to hear testimony into accusations that he pressured the leader of Ukraine to investigate a political rival, then tried to hide the account of their phone conversation.

Please explain view of R Akiva

תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף מו עמוד ב
כדתניא: מה הם אומרים בבית האבל? ברוך הטוב והמטיב; רבי עקיבא אומר: ברוך דיין האמת. הטוב והמטיב אין, דיין אמת לא? - אלא אימא: אף הטוב והמטיב. מר זוטרא איקלע לבי רב אשי איתרע ביה מלתא, פתח ובריך: הטוב והמטיב, אל אמת דיין אמת, שופט בצדק לוקח במשפט, ושליט בעולמו לעשות בו כרצונו כי כל דרכיו משפט, שהכל שלו ואנחנו עמו ועבדיו, ובכל אנחנו חייבים להודות לו ולברכו, גודר פרצות בישראל הוא יגדור את הפרצה הזאת בישראל לחיים.


שיטה מקובצת מסכת ברכות דף מו עמוד ב
שהרי עוקרין אותה בבית האבל דתניא מה הן אומרים בבית האבל וכו'. ומדר' עקיבא מייתי ראיה דאין אומרים הטוב והמטיב כלל. ולא קיימא לן כותיה אלא כמר זוטרא דאיקלע לבי רב אשי ופתח בהטוב והמטיב. ואיפשר נמי למימר דרב נחמן כתנא קמא סבירא ליה אלא דקא מייתי ראיה דכיון דחזינן דר' עקיבא עקר לה לגמרי מבית האבל שמע מינה דלאו דאורייתא היא:

חידושי הרשב"א מסכת ברכות דף מו עמוד ב
אמר ר"נ בר יצחק תדע דהטוב והמטיב לאו דאורייתא שהרי עוקרין אותה בבית האבל דת"ר וכו', ומדר"ע קא מייתי ראיה דס"ל דאין אומר הטוב והמטיב כלל, ואפשר דס"ל לר"נ דהלכתא כר"ע, ואנן לא קיי"ל כותיה אלא כמר זוטרא דאיקלע בבי ריש גלותא ופתח בהטוב והמטיב, וא"נ אפשר דאף ר"נ כת"ק ס"ל אלא דקא מייתי ראיה דמדר"ע עקר ליה לגמרי מבית האבל, ש"מ לאו דאורייתא, דר"ע ורבנן לאו בהא מילתא פליגי אי הטוב והמטיב דאורייתא או דרבנן, כנ"ל.

(3) רמב"ם פירוש המשניות - מסכת ברכות פרק ט משנה ה
(ה) חייב אדם לברך על הרעה כשם שמברך על הטובה כו' - מה שאמר כשם שהוא מברך על הטובה, רוצה לומר לקבל אותו בשמחה ולב טוב ולכבוש כעסו, וייטיב נפשו כשיברך דיין האמת כמו שיעשה בשעה שיברך הטוב והמטיב, וכמו שהיו אומרים החכמים ברוב דבריהם כל מה דעביד מן שמיא לטב, וזה דבר שכלי אצל בעלי השכל ואפי' לא הורה הכתוב עליו, לפי שיש דברים רבים נראים בתחילתן טובים ויהיה אחריתם רעה רבה, ועל כן אין ראוי למשכיל להשתומם כשתבא עליו צרה גדולה מפני שאינו יודע סופה, וכמו כן אסרו ע"ה להרבות בשמחה ובשחוק, אבל תהיה השמחה במעשים עליונים, רוצה לומר לעשות הצדק ולרדוף אותו, ואולם אזהרת הכתוב על היגון והדאגה, כל כך הוא גלוי ומפורסם בספרים בדברי הנבואה שאין צריך לדבר עליו, וזה שלא היה הכבוד ההוא שהוא מצטער עליו לטובתו בעולם מתחלתו ועד סופו, ויחשוב החושב שכבר הצליח ושהיא ההצלחה האמיתית, והיה הכבוד ההוא סיבה לטרדו מחיי העוה"ב, ועל כן נאמר (משלי יד) יש דרך ישר לפני איש ואחריתה דרכי מות. ולפיכך יכוין אדם מחשבתו ויתפלל לאל, להיות כל מה שיבואהו בעולם הזה מרע ומטוב, סיבה להשיג אליו ההצלחה האמיתית. ומה שאמר ביצר טוב וביצר רע, רוצה לומר להשיב אל לבו אהבת האל ולהאמין בו, ואפי' בשעת העברה והכעס והאף שכל זה הוא יצר רע, כמו שאמר בכל דרכיך דעהו אפי' בדבר עברה. ופירוש מדה ענין רוצה לומר בכל ענין שיבואך שבחהו והודהו:

Trump says both Ukraine and China should investigate Biden

Maddow: President Donald Trump Openly Admits To Collusion, No Impeachment Probe Needed

Professor who predicted last 9 presidential elections on how impeachment will impact 2020

COUNTRY’S LONGEST DIVORCE REFUSER WALKS FREE FROM PRISON

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Countrys-longest-divorce-refuser-walks-free-from-prison-603486


 Israel’s longest divorce-refuser, Meir Gorodestsky, walked free from Ella Prison in Beersheba on Wednesday after close to two decades of incarceration because he refused to grant his estranged wife, Tzviya, a bill of divorce.



Tzviya obtained a ruling from an independent rabbinical court in 2018 that annulled her marriage, and she subsequently closed the case against her husband in the state rabbinical courts, leading to his release on Wednesday.

“It’s not a solution to leave a man in jail like this, that hasn’t given me my freedom,” she said. “I don’t understand why rabbis think that persisting with his incarceration is helpful. Is the goal that someone dies in jail? That shouldn’t be the goal. The rabbinate wants a monopoly over these issues so they do not recognize the ruling. They don’t care that they don’t provide a solution. They sleep well [at night]. That’s what bothers me. A situation in which a woman cannot be freed from being an agunah is not commensurate with Jewish law, it was not meant to be like this.”

LEIFER TO REMAIN IN PRISON UNTIL SUPREME COURT RULING ON HOUSE ARREST APPEAL

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Leifer-to-remain-in-prison-until-Supreme-Court-ruling-on-appeal-603613


The Supreme Court temporarily overruled the District Court on Thursday, ordering Leifer to remain in prison until it rules on an appeal against her release to house arrest at her sister’s residence in Bnei Brak.