Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's son forced to quit post for political comments

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/rabbi-ovadia-yosefs-son-forced-to-quit-post-for-political-comments-667182

Rabbi David Yosef, a member of the Shas Council of Torah Sages and son of the late, revered Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, was forced to resign as a state-paid neighborhood rabbi due to a petition brought against him in the High Court of Justice over unbecoming political comments he made in the past. 

 Yosef served until October 2020 as the neighborhood rabbi for Har Nof in Jerusalem, a public servant position in which the office holder is required to act in accordance with the terms and regulations of the Civil Service Administration.

Liz Cheney chooses truth over power -- a lonely path in Trump's GOP

 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/05/politics/liz-cheney-donald-trump-gop/index.html

 But in a tweet on Monday that might end up being the last straw for her colleagues, the Wyoming lawmaker directly rebuked Trump's efforts to rebrand the phrase the "Big Lie" as the name for his own false claims of voter fraud.

"The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system," Cheney wrote.

 

"We can't embrace the notion the election is stolen," Cheney said. "It's a poison in the bloodstream of our democracy." She added that a "peaceful transfer of power must be defended" and described the Constitution as a "shield."

Justice Department ordered to release memo on why Trump wasn’t charged in Mueller probe

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-justice-department-memo-trump-obstruction-mueller-report-20210504-7rb7kf5syfbzhksq6cb2yphq6u-story.html 

 “In other words, the review of the document reveals that the Attorney General was not then engaged in making a decision about whether the President should be charged with obstruction of justice; the fact that he would not be prosecuted was a given,” Jackson wrote.

 Barr cleared Trump of obstruction and conspiracy to help Russia interfere in the 2016 election in a four-page summary released in late March 2019, delivering a major victory for the former president weeks before Mueller’s full 448-page report saw the light of day.

Mueller — who wrote in his report that he could neither “conclude that the president committed a crime” nor “exonerate him” — later complained to Barr that the brief summary didn’t accurately reflect his findings and caused “public confusion.” At that point, however, Trump had already seized on Barr’s summary to bolster his claim that Mueller’s probe was a political “witch hunt.”

How to Clean Up Your Online Reputation

 http://therecoverybook.com/how-to-clean-up-your-online-reputation/

 If there are news articles, blog posts or other mentions about your less-than-stellar history, you can ask the publisher to remove them. Not everyone will cooperate, but it’s worth a try. In the long run, it’s best to push them down in search results with good stuff (see below).

 

The G.O.P. Won It All in Texas. Then It Turned on Itself.

 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/magazine/texas-republicans.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

 As an unassailable citadel of Republican electoral power for a generation, and one whose demography and geography reflect the United States in miniature, Texas is often a leading indicator of political trends in the party. So it is a grim omen for Republican leaders that in this state, where the G.O.P. achieved what might be described as the best-case scenario for the party’s hopes in other states in the 2022 midterm elections, the state’s prominent Republicans are struggling against one another as if they had just gone down in a rout. Abbott, ostensibly the most powerful Republican in Texas, has seen his approval rating steadily plummet, reaching a four-year low of 45 percent in March, according to the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. Though he remains broadly popular with Republican voters, in October his own state party’s leadership took the extraordinary step of protesting against him outside the governor’s mansion — “a striking display of intraparty defiance,” The Texas Tribune called it. Ever since, he has operated as if the protesters remain camped outside his door.

Conservatives Owe Kamala Harris a Huge Apology | Opinion

 https://www.newsweek.com/conservatives-owe-kamala-harris-huge-apology-opinion-1588461

 Simply put, many critics in conservative media and GOP politics got duped by a plausible-sounding story that confirmed our prior biases against this administration. We fell prey to the same "fake news" charge we often hurt at liberal media outlets.

And it's not enough to just move on to the next criticism. We owe the vice president an apology and an acknowledgment of the mistake.

 But there's no ethical excuse for becoming the thing you decry. All self-respecting members of the conservative media should hold ourselves to a higher standard—yes, even if our opposition often doesn't.

Stop justifying the 45 deaths on Mount Meron - opinion

 https://www.jpost.com/opinion/stop-justifying-the-45-deaths-on-mount-meron-opinion-667115

 It is true that Mount Meron was a turning point in Israeli history. Not because of how many people died. That was shocking and horrible beyond words, a truly unspeakable tragedy. Rather, what made it a turning point was that it was the first time where I actually witnessed the Jewish community trivializing the deaths of fellow Jews with all kinds of blabber and the most insensitive nonsense, with no price being paid on the part of those uttering this garbage.

 Whatever good we as individuals or the world in general receive from suffering can be brought about in a painless, joyful manner. And it behooves people of faiths especially to once and for all cease justifying the death of innocents and instead rush to comfort and aid the survivors.

The Meron 45 are sorely missed. May their memory be an unmitigated blessing.

A false facial recognition match sent this innocent Black man to jail

 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/29/tech/nijeer-parks-facial-recognition-police-arrest/index.html

 According to a police report obtained by CNN, the evidence presented by the police officers that led to Parks' arrest was a "high profile comparison" from a facial recognition scan of a photo from what was determined to be a fake ID left at the crime scene that witnesses connected to the suspect. The facial recognition match was enough for prosecutors and a judge to sign off on his arrest.

What followed was a year-long legal nightmare for Parks, who faced years in prison and the potential of additional time due to his prior convictions.

שיחת הרבי הנוקבת: "הגיע הזמן להתנהג באנושיות ולהגדיל את מירון"

 https://www.bhol.co.il/news/1215442

 שיחה מיוחדת נשא הרבי מקרלין לחסידיו, עקב האסון במירון וקרא לשנות את כללי המשחק במירון בנוגע לתשתיות הגרועות: "כבר הגיע הזמן להתנהג באנושיות, אנחנו כבר לא הציבור הקטן שהיה פעם. ה' עזר שעד השנה היו ניסים, זו אינה סיבה שנמשיך לסמוך על זה"

Meron event organizers ignored major safety report days before disaster

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/S1fBFIaPO?fbclid=IwAR1kgWfQRg4nvFreYQ8viKqG8sNy_D9bO5gtNveEfHEPRbJKTyybcdHBqwA

Report ordered organizers of the festivities at the Toldos Aharon compound, where the stampede occured, to have 4 passageways if the number of participants exceeds 9,000; 20,000 were inside when stampede occured but only one exit was open

 

Convicted pedophile who worked at Melbourne Jewish school faces new rape charge

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/convicted-pedophile-who-worked-at-melbourne-jewish-school-faces-new-rape-charge/

 Former yeshiva school guard David Cyprys, a convicted rapist and pedophile, was charged in Melbourne on Friday for rape and other crimes, Australian police said.

Cyprys was indicted at Melbourne’s Magistrate’s Court on charges of rape, false imprisonment and aggravated burglary.

Torah scholars and political leaders need to bear grudges and seek revenge and be unforgiving

 Yoma (22b)     Rab Judah said in the name of Rab: Why was Saul punished? Because he forewent the honour due to himself, as it is said: But certain base fellows said: ‘How shall this man save us?’ And they despised him and brought him no present. But he was as one that held his peace, and it is written [immediately following that]: Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh-gilead. R. Johanan further said in the name of R. Simeon b. Jehozadak: Any scholar, [23a]who does not avenge himself and retain anger like a serpent, is no [real] scholar.1 But is it not written: Thou shalt not take vengeance nor bear any grudge? — That refers to monetary affairs, for it has been taught: What is revenge and what is bearing a grudge? If one said to his fellow: ‘Lend me your sickle’, and he replied ‘No’, and to-morrow the second comes [to the first] and says: ‘Lend me your axe’! and he replies: ‘I will not lend it to you, just as you would not lend me your sickle’ — that is revenge. And what is bearing a grudge? If one says to his fellow: ‘Lend me your axe , he replies ‘No’, and on the morrow the second asks: ‘Lend me your garment’, and he answers: ‘Here it is. I am not like you who would not lend me [what I asked for]’ — that is bearing a grudge. But [does] not [this prohibition apply to] personal affliction? Has it not been taught: Concerning those who are insulted but do not insult others [in revenge], who hear themselves reproached without replying, who [perform good] work out of love of the Lord and rejoice in their sufferings, Scripture says: But they that love Him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might? — [That means,] indeed, that he keeps it in his heart [though without taking action]. Rut Raba said: He who passes over his retaliations has all his transgressions passed over? — [That speaks of the case] that an endeavour was made to obtain his reconciliation, and his consent is obtained

ערוך השולחן יורה דעה סימן רמג

סעיף ח

מדינא דגמ' [מ"ק ט"ז א] החכם עצמו יכול לעשות דבר זה לכבודו לעם הארץ שפקר כנגדו וא"צ לא עדות ולא התראה ואין מתירין לו עד שירצה החכם וכמ"ש בסעי' הקודם ואם מת החכם באים ג' בני אדם ומתירים לו ואם רוצה החכם למחול לו ולא לעשות בו דין האמור הרשות בידו ואף על פי שיש רשות לחכם לעשות כן לכבודו אינו שבח לת"ח שינהוג עצמו בכך בד"א שחירפוהו בסתר אבל אם חירפוהו בפרהסיא אסור למחול על כבודו עד שיבקש ממנו מחילה ויסלח לו ובכיוצא בזה אמרו כל ת"ח שאינו נוקם ונוטר כנחש אינו ת"ח כשאינו עושה לכבודו שלא בשביל כבוד התורה בלבד וכתב רבינו הרמ"א סעי' ח' די"א דבזמה"ז אין רשות לת"ח לעשות כן לכבודו לעשות דין לעצמו אא"כ אחרים עושים כן ויש חולקים ובלבד שיהא מוחזק וראוי לכך עכ"ל ועוד כשרק כוונתו לשמים בשביל כבוד התורה בלבד: 

 

Sefer Mitzvot Gadol, Negative Commandments 12

כל הנוטר (א) לאחד מישראל עובר בל"ת שנ' לא תטור מפרש ביומא [ד' כ"ג] ובת"כ [קדושים] (ב) מה היא הנטירה כגון ראובן שאמר לשמעון השאילני קרדומך ענהו שמעון איני משאילך למחר נצטרך שמעון לראובן אמר לו השאילני קרדומך ענהו ראובן הריני משאילך ואיני כמותך ולא אשלם לך מעשיך העושה זה וכיוצא בו הר"ז עובר בלא תטור, עוד שם [ביומא] א"ר יוחנן (ג) כל תלמיד חכם שאינו נוקם ונוטר איבה כנחש אינו ת"ח (ד) והכתיב לא תקום ולא תטור ההוא בממון הוא דכתיב (ה) ומסיק שם דת"ח צריך שיהא עלוב ולא עולב שומע חרפתו ואינו משיב ולעולם דנקיט ליה בליביה וכי מפייסין ליה מפייס (ו) וכתב רבי' משה [סוף פ"ז דהל' ת"ת] דהתם מיירי בת"ח שביזוהו בפרהסיא שאסור לו למחול על כבודו ואם מחל נענש מפני שזה בזיון התורה אבל אם לא ביזוהו בפרהסיא לא ושאר כל אדם שמתקוטטים עם חבריהם אע"פ שאין לאו בזה אם ינקום מחבירו מדת חסידות הוא להעביר על מדותיו כדאמרינן כל המעביר על מדותיו מעבירין לו על כל פשעיו וכן דוד הי' משתבח במדותיו הטובות ואמר אם גמלתי שולמי רע וגו' וההוא חסידא [פרק בתרא דמגילה דף כ"ח] דכל אימת דסליק לפורייה הוה אמר שרי ומחיל כל מאן דמצערן לי:

Did U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick Die After being Hit With a Fire Extinguisher? or more nonsense from Jonathan Rosenblum

 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/brian-sicknick-fire-extinguisher/

 On Jan. 8, 2021, The New York Times reported that U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick succumbed to injuries sustained during his on-duty efforts to protect the Capitol from a violent mob of pro-Trump rioters. The latter stormed the building in an effort to stop Congress from formalizing the electoral win of former President Donald Trump’s political rival, U.S. President Joe Biden.

Citing two unnamed law enforcement sources, the Times initially reported Sicknick “was struck with a fire extinguisher,” but on Feb. 16, 2021, the Times updated the story to note that those sources may not have provided accurate information, reporting:

 https://www.foxnews.com/us/capitol-police-officer-brian-sicknick-cause-of-death-natural-causes-capitol-riot-examiner

 Law enforcement officials initially said that Sicknick was struck by a fire extinguisher -- an idea perpetuated by The New York Times in a February report that was quietly updated one month later. U.S. Capitol Police later said Sicknick had "succumbed to his injuries" after defending the building, although questions lingered about the cause of death.

 https://www.foxnews.com/media/brian-sicknick-natural-causes-debunking-new-york-times-complete-fiction-narrative

 Journalist Glenn Greenwald reminded readers that The New York Times "published an emotionally gut-wrenching but complete fiction that never had any evidence" by initially reporting, as Greenwald put it, that Sicknick’s "skull was savagely bashed in with a fire extinguisher by a pro-Trump mob until he died."

 Weeks later, the Times quietly updated its story to note new information "questions the initial cause of his death provided by officials close to the Capitol Police," but the revision came weeks after the inaccurate information was initially published.

Being a Journalist Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry

 https://mishpacha.com/being-a-journalist-means-never-having-to-say-youre-sorry/

 One might think that the MSM, which did so much to push the story that Sicknick had his skull bashed in, might have done some soul-searching in the wake of those findings. But if you thought so, you obviously do not remember the MSM reaction to the refutation of a much more ballyhooed and long-running story of Trump’s collusion with Russia that proved to be a dud.

 At the time, one could have searched in vain for  examples of media self-examination as to how they got such a major story so wrong. New York Times editor Dean Baquet, for example, simply informed the newsroom that the paper would have to find a new narrative to pursue, and seamlessly switched to the 1619 Project and the exploration of America’s systemic racism.

 The media, Greenwald ends, treated Sicknick’s tragic death as a convenient means to portray the rioters as savages so primitive and inhuman that they were willing to fatally bash the skull of a helpless person or spray him with deadly gases. “None of this was true, but that did not matter — and still does not to them — because truth has nothing to do with their actual function. If anything, truth is an impediment to it.”

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56810371

 Speculation over Officer Sicknick's death was the source of widespread disinformation after the New York Times reported erroneously that protesters had bludgeoned him with a fire extinguisher - a claim the newspaper later retracted.

https://apnews.com/article/politics-government-and-politics-b497800805aedae48b72bc4837b90042 

Investigators initially believed the officer was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, based on statements collected early in the investigation, according to two people familiar with the case. And they later thought the 42-year-old Sicknick may have ingested a chemical substance — possibly bear spray — that may have contributed to his death.

 

Of course Rosenblum has no mention of right wing media claiming that Trump lost because of voter fraud or that Biden was banning beef or that falsely claiming that VP Harris' book was being given to immigrants etc etc

State comptroller announces investigation into ‘preventable’ Meron disaster

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/state-comptroller-announces-investigation-into-preventable-meron-disaster/

 The state comptroller announced Monday that he would be opening a special investigation into the disaster at the Mount Meron compound where 45 people were crushed to death last week, saying that the tragedy was “preventable.”

“I intend to launch a special investigation into the circumstances that led to this disaster, the preparation of the various bodies, both this year and during the years that have elapsed since the State Comptroller’s report from 2011,” said Matanyahu Englman at a Jerusalem press conference.