akuperma

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  • in reply to: Trump Trial #3 – Criminal Trial for falsifying business records #2276482
    akuperma
    Participant

    The charges against Trump:

    1. An assault case with no physical evidence, and the victim didn’t realize she had been assaulted until Trump became a politically incorrect politician.       edited

    2. Paying “hush money” to a women engaged in morally questionable activity – while it is illegal for a man to “consort”, it isn’t illegal to be the victim of extortion

    3. Objecting to election results where he had real reasons to suspect something improper (the wide disparity between in person votes and absentee paper ballots). This is traditionally a “red flag” of vote fraud (even if in this case the most likely explanation is how different media portrayed Covid19 – Democrats “bought” the end of the world scenarios more than Republicans and were afraid to vote normally).

    4. Alleged business fraud not involving a defrauded partner. By definition fraud is NEVER a victimless crime.

    IF THE SAME CHARGES WERE BROUGHT IN RUSSIA AGAINST SOMEONE OPPOSING PUTIN, WESTERN LIBERALS WOULD SANACTION THE PROSECUTORS FOR SO OBVIOUSLY ABUSING THE LEGAL SYSTEM FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES.

    P.S. For the record, I can’t stand Trump’s policies. I am a social conservative, neocon, internationalist and fiscal conservative. I am pro-immigration, and favor the RINO policies made famous by Ronald Reagan and George Bush. However the Democrats’ lawfare campaign is an open assault on rule of law similar to Germany in the first days of the Third Reich.

    in reply to: Trump Trial #3 – Criminal Trial for falsifying business records #2276388
    akuperma
    Participant

    This is precedent shattering. Never before has a man been prosecuted for paying “hush money” to a woman of ill repute. Occasionally the woman, or her “agent” (“broker” in a better term legally) been prosecuted. If Putin prosecuted an opponent on a novel legal theory, the world would point say he was an anti-democratic tyrant. Democracies don’t do lawfare. If the people in power want to crush someone, they defeat them in the election.
    They don’t abuse the legal system to avoid being defeated in an upcoming election. Here’s looking at you Joe…

    in reply to: Bidens Two Face Policy on Gaza is destroying the World #2276137
    akuperma
    Participant

    Not destroying the world. Perhaps undermining the Democrats (if Trump exploits the opportunity), and destroying what is left of the Israeli left wing, though the Israeli center is adaptable (and in all fairness doesn’t disagree with the right wing, other than on the issue of whether to persecute Hareidim).

    in reply to: Superiority #2274958
    akuperma
    Participant

    Especially for work in the Beis ha-Mikdash (no big deal today, but great long term prospects).

    in reply to: Are we really in the 3rd Term of Obama #2274933
    akuperma
    Participant

    Obviously not. It is very rude to insult President Obama to such an extent. While he made many mistakes, at least he put much thoughtfulness and intelligence into them.

    akuperma
    Participant

    The world is undergoing change. In the United States, the party that most Jews considered “home” two generations, including most frum Jews until recently, is increasingly led by a faction that openly supports genocide of our people. This is the first time in American history that open advocacy of genocide has been politically correct, and undermines the view held by most Jews in North America is that we are “safe” here.

    Israel is fighting a major war and the outcome is in doubt.

    In 1991 the wrote about the “end of history” – meaning actual peace and prosperity in our time. It hasn’t worked out that way.

    If you are confident of any political, economic or social facts that you knew were true 50 years ago, you have no reason to believe they are still are.

    in reply to: Trump “wealth” #2272440
    akuperma
    Participant

    It is very impressive that it is the “deplorable” supporters of Trump who are investing, which indicates a much greater degree of support than the affluent elites who donate to the Democrats.

    It also suggests that the Democrats plan to cripple the Republicans with lawfare (which is similar to how authoritarian parties in the third world deal with opposition), is being perceived by more and more Americans as anti-democratic and and un-American. The Democrats might do better to fight with Trump on issues rather than arguing that Trump is evil and need to be cancelled. America was founded by people who were “cancelled” in their previously countries, and running a platform of “cancel culture” may prove counterproductive.

    in reply to: Most Democrats are Against Israel #2271359
    akuperma
    Participant

    qwertyqwerty: The current “America First” is strongly pro-Israel (unlike the original one in the 1930s that was anti-Jewsh) BUT “rooting for Israel” doesn’t help much. Israel needs access to American military gear (and “American First” opposes foreign aid) and the United States willingness to intervene in certain conditions (including the attempt by Iran to block Israeli access to the Red Sea). Many people in many countries were very sympathetic to the Jews in World War II, but did nothing to help – we don’t need such sympathy.

    I should add that I would not be surprised if Trump decides that since various allies (e.g. Poland, Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine) are showing a willingness to arm themselves to the teeth and fight for their own freedom, the United States will proudly see the America if First in leading the free world – but given Trump’s (and Biden’s) chaotic style of doing business, one can’t be certain how this will play out.

    in reply to: Trump “wealth” #2271347
    akuperma
    Participant

    1. Any look at his business suggests he would always be “land rich, cash poor”. Many people have liquidity problems if they invest in real estate (including many modest home owners).

    2. The Democrats’ “lawfare” campaign of trumped up charges is clearly working to destroy Trump’s assets, as a warning that anyone, even a billionaire, who stands in the way of the WOKE agenda can be cancelled. It may be backfiring. It is a factor is some firms wanting to relocate away from blue states for states in which “rule of law” prevails, rather than WOKE lawfare. The fear of Democratic abuse of the legal system to harass political enemies appears to be encouraging Republicans to close ranks around Trump even though most pre-2016 Republicans have serious ideological disagreements with Trump.

    3. The attempt to destroy Trump’s assets is also calling attention to a recent “flip” in that the Democrats are now the party of the super-rich (e.g. Wall Street, major corporations, Hollywood and media industries, Silicon Valley and Big Tech), the the Republicans are the party of the working class “deplorables”. As the Republicans found out when they were the party of the elite, in a democracy, the elite usually don’t win elections (and were it not for Gore’s “own goal” in 2000, the Democrats would controlled the White House for a 24 year period preceding Trump’s win in 2016).

    in reply to: Shmad in Israel? #2270807
    akuperma
    Participant

    Note that secular Israelis, who appear to be the economic and political elite, i.e., the ruling and/or upper class, are NOT complaining about government institutions coercing their children into becoming frum. They are making no demands for “secular” accommodation. They are not complaining about over-representation of religious Jews in the officer corps of the military. The fact that they dominate the country is strong evidence of the bigotry towards the non-elite groups (the religious, and especially Hareidim and religious non-Ashkenazim).

    It has been well documented that the secular-run army has the effect of moving a considerable percentage of Jewish recruits into a secular lifestyle they did not have previously, and that it appears that the biggest determinant of whether a young Israeli brought up religious does, or does not, “go off the derekh”, is military service. One should note that this takes place before they run into the significant discrimination in employment they encounter after the military.

    in reply to: Most Democrats are Against Israel #2270803
    akuperma
    Participant

    Based on the votes on aid for Israel, this does not appear to be the case. The “Progressives” (“WOKE”) wing is anti-Israel, and generally supports anti-Semitism, but it isn’t clear how strong they are, or perhaps, they are noisy but really not that strong. Biden is nervous about offending them, but that in itself doesn’t mean they are a majority of the Democrats.

    While the Republicans have in the recent past been pro-Israel, the “America First” faction seems to be in control of Republican party, and their platform of non-involvement in foreign wars precludes the United States giving anything more than “moral” support to Israel.

    While the Progressive (WOKE) Democrats and the American First (MAGA) Republicans make a lot of noise, polls suggest that most supporters of both parties still support the “globalist” foreign policy that has dominated the United States since 1945. We’ll see better after the conventions this summer.

    in reply to: Should the President be Immune from Prosecution #2270281
    akuperma
    Participant

    The American president is merely the “first servant”. Unlike a monarchy, the “sovereign” is the people, or arguably the states (equivalent, in theory to King Charles in the United Kingdom). The president is the chief civil servant and the chief general. There is no logic is arguing the a servant (i.e. the president) is immune from prosecution if he willfully disobeys orders from his master (i.e. the people, as expressed by law).

    Note that in halacha, a king’s servants who disobey the king have no immunities from prosecution.

    in reply to: Fafsa #2269830
    akuperma
    Participant

    The new FAFSA would result of more aid only to lower income children from small families, and apparently pays for it with reducing aid to poor families with many children. Especially if the Republicans win, it might get changed. It appears to have been an administrative decision rather than a statute, making it easy to change.

    in reply to: Fafsa #2269065
    akuperma
    Participant

    FAFSA is just a data collection device. What institutions do with the data is up to each institution. It is an interesting “shailoh” whether anti-discrimination laws might impact on a school’s decisions about how they consider family size.

    in reply to: The Gaza War of 2023-2024 #2268874
    akuperma
    Participant

    yeshivaguy45: The Israeli Was of Independence ended in March 1949, but when it began is subject to debate. One date is based on when other Arab states entered the ready existing war in May 1948, but the Zionists and Palestinians had been clearly fighting each other since no later than November 1947,and various zionists were engaged in open hostilities against the British since at least 1946, and arguably earlier.

    in reply to: The Gaza War of 2023-2024 #2268783
    akuperma
    Participant

    The subject line is VERY optimistic. We should be davening that it will be called “Gaza War, 2023-2024”, rather than something such as “Middle Eastern War” or “World War III”, and that 2024 will be the end date (and there will also be people around to record the end date.

    Similar to 1973, the Arabs surprised themselves with their competence. Had they followed through they would have seized much of the Galil, and the Iranians might have pulled off more than a limited harassment of Red Sea shipping.

    It still isn’t as long as the Israeli War of Independence, which sputtered along in 1946 and 1947, and then went full force in 1948-1949. Adjusted for changes in population, Israel would have to lose 80,000 soldiers to have equivalent losses.

    in reply to: Democrats Interfere with Elections #2268580
    akuperma
    Participant

    ” how any frum yid can vote for Democrat” – for 2024, the Republicans have turned into pacifists, appeasers and isolationists. Jews worldwide, and in particular the Israelis, benefitted from the generation of Republicans who led the free world against the “Axis of Evil” and pushed a “Freedom Agenda”, but it now appears those Republicans are now considered RINOs. The Democrat leadership favors the old Truman-Kennedy agenda of globalism are somewhat for Israel, though they may be losing ground to the “Progressives” and their agenda of WOKE anti-Semitism. It will be interesting to see the party’s platforms, the Republican VEEP candidate (isolationist MAGA fanatic or someone chosen to appeal to the Reagan Republicans), and if a strong third party opposed to isolationism emerges.

    in reply to: Democrats Interfere with Elections #2268543
    akuperma
    Participant

    The United States has a long history of interfering in elections to get the desired result. It is hardly a partisan matter. Sometimes they have arranged for leaders who get in their way to have bad things happen to them. Israel is unable to defend itself, and has accept “client’ status under American patronage, and should expect to do what is best for the Americans, not what is best for Israel. That is how world politics work. It sometimes called the “Great Game”, and we are at best some very helpless pieces.

    in reply to: Dubai, United Arab Emirates #2267839
    akuperma
    Participant

    The real bottom line is a great many Arabs do not wish to become of a rebuilt Iranian (Persian) Empire. The Iranian launched the war for fear of an alliance of Arabs, Americans, and to a lesser extent, Israel, against Iran. The Iranian goal is to convince the Islamic world that the leaders of the Arab countries (none of whom were elected) are corrupt traitors, and that the Islamic world should accept Iranian leadership. Defeating Israel would go a great way to establish Iran as the dominant Islamic power, and humiliating the western Christian powers by closing the Red Sea/Suez definitely helps. The first Arab countries to fall would be the small states along the Persian Gulf (they are rich, and very undemocratic, and their leaders will have much to lose if Iran takes them over).

    in reply to: Refuting the Three Oaths [Gimel Shevuot] #2266922
    akuperma
    Participant

    The question is moot (irrelevant) since the Palestinians demands have changed from a return to the 1914 status quo (which was tolerable to Hareidi Jews, since we are more interested in Torah and Mitsvos than political sovereignty), to a “River to Sea” Judenrein “final solution” on the Nazi model.

    Arguable had the Hareidim kept control of the Yishuv things would have been much better, no medinah, but also no holocaust, and a much larger Jewish community and a much frumer Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael, but the zionists won, and the British sabotaged the agreement with the Arabs (supported by the non-socialist zionists and the Hareidim) under their divide and conquer.

    However as Hamas, to the acclaim of Muslims and secular anti-Semites worldwide, made clear, their goal is genocide, so the three oaths are not relevant. And it is also clear, their goal is not limited to Eretz Yisrael, as the rising tide of worldwide anti-Semitism makes clear.

    akuperma
    Participant

    Nothing is certain. It should be noted that most Israelis are willing to fight for their survival, and most Americans are either “Reagan Republicans” or “John Kennedy/Harry Truman Democrats” (albeit in different parties) rather than MAGA or WOKE.

    Trump may turn out to using the threat of isolationism to encourage allies to get ready for war, and may then announce that what makes America great is leading the free world. Iranian reliance on American disinterest or incompetence will soon turn to fear (China and Russia will decide against invading their neighbors)

    The Democrats can decide to tell the “Progressive” (WOKE, and anti-Semitic, among other things) caucus to bug off – or if the Democrats turn left, while Trump stays isolationist, it will create an opening for a third party that will be globalist and not anti-Jewish. Either well the non-Trump party will also favor a strong military response to the Sino-Russian axis (which includes Iran and its clients).

    The Israelis could get their act together and be able to defeat their enemies without foreign aid – it would be messy and require the Israeli elite (secular, left, 1st world standard of living) to accept that they live in a third world country dominated by non-secular, non-Europeans, and a standard of living similar to the 1950s – but Israel could be militarily self-sufficient which the capability of deterring its enemies. If Israel could take out Iran, and neutralize Hamas and Hezbollah (which are Iranian clients), it would the from a position of strength attempt to negotiate with the Palestinians (who are the only Arabs who matter if Israeli wants to survive).

    Or the Zionists will go down in Jewish history along with Shabatai Zvi, has one very bad idea with disastrous results. The Hareidim will survive, as we always do, but most of the non-religious Jews (who outside of Israel have minimal birthrates already) will disappear. The best remembered Jewish leader of this era will be the original Satmar Rebbe, and people such as Herzl, Ben Gurion, and Netanyahu will be known only by historians interested in obscure tangents.

    in reply to: To those who refer to terrorists as “animals” or “beasts”: #2266678
    akuperma
    Participant

    They are soldiers of a de facto country who are not abiding by the international law on the conduct of armed conflicts, rules that are universally respected by all countries other than those engaged in wars. One shouldn’t regard them other than as soldiers. They are not beasts, deviants, perverts or criminals – they are soldiers who obey orders since they are good soldiers. Blame the ELECTED governments that command them.

    in reply to: Children are not here to “bring Nachas to their parents” #2265826
    akuperma
    Participant

    Of course children are here to bring nachas to their parents (and what great nachas is there in educating one’s children and watching them grow up). If this wasn’t Ha-Shem’s intention, we could be like reptiles who lay eggs, buried in a safe place, and the hatchlings that emerge are tiny adults with no need for parental guidance. But Ha-Shem decided on helpless babies who needs years and years of care to grow up.

    akuperma
    Participant

    While the impact of US aid on Israel may be very negative (since it results in Israeli weapons being manufactured by American workers rather than Israeli workers), it gives countries like Iran (and Russia) enough to worry about that they don’t go full force to conquer Israel. If the US loses interest it anything on the “right” side of the pond, it gives Iran (and Russia) a free hand to blockade Israeli ports (and Eliat’s access to the Indian Ocean and East Asia is not dependent on the American navy), and to use cruise missiles or even nukes on Israeli cities.

    in reply to: Trump throws Kurds and Ukrainians under the bus, will Israel be next? #2265082
    akuperma
    Participant

    I doubt Trump knows who the Kurds are, and I suspect Biden doesn’t either. They are fairly secular Moslems who are greatly annoying Americas enemies, as well as the Turks (who are American allies, at least nominally). Historically they have been friendlier to Yidden than the Arabs, Iranians or Turks.

    A weak United States will be unable to help Israel, and the combined effects of Trump and Biden, WOKE and MAGA, is to weaken America.

    For Israel, the best approach is to cut a deal the Palestinians, which will end the threats from the Iranians, eliminate reliance on the Americans, and probably result in Israel losing its invitation to join in World War III (which will be a great show to miss).

    in reply to: Trump throws Kurds and Ukrainians under the bus, will Israel be next? #2264889
    akuperma
    Participant

    1. It is a mistake to see Eretz Yisrael as a unique case. If the United States is opposed to the “axis” that include China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea – the United States will help Israel. If the United States returns to the “America First” foreign policy of the pre-WWII era, it will at most offer Israel moral support but to avoid involvement in foreign wars will not offer military assistance, and to preserve neutrality may block American Jews from assisting Israel.

    2. Based on polling, most Democrats and most Republicans favor the internationalist foreign policy dating back to people such as Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy – up to Reagan and the Bushes. However isolationists on the right and left have great influence on both parties, and based on the current situation, it is unknown which way both parties will turn.

    in reply to: Trump throws Kurds and Ukrainians under the bus, will Israel be next? #2264792
    akuperma
    Participant

    If the Republicans go “America First”, it means that the Israelis, the Europeans (not just the Ukrainians), the Taiwanese, the Philippines and the Koreans all end up under the bus. Depending on how overbearing the Russians, Chinese and Iranians are, the US might settle to except their domination as long as we are largely left alone domestically, or perhaps the US will quickly realize it made a big mistake, and go full force into a World War (as happened on the afternoon of Dec. 7, 1941).

    But if you pay close attention to what Trump is saying, he has so far said he will only help allies who help themselves, and since almost all of the NATO members as well as the threatened countries in East Asia are seriously increasing their armed capacities themselves (even Germany is getting ready to go nuclear, we are thrilled???), Trump could simply take credit for global rearmament and become a reincarnation of Harry Truman, John Kennedy or Ronald Reagan. With Trump you never know.

    And Biden may be so scared of losing the “WOKE” Democrats, that he’ll be steadily be turning into an anti-war, and anti-Israel Democrat.

    in reply to: Alabama’s largest hospital says it is halting IVF treatments #2263278
    akuperma
    Participant

    It involves a poorly drafted statute that will be easy to change. The people who drafted it did not think about IVF.

    The state court could have interpreted the statute as intended (similar to how the Supreme Court “saved” Obama care by correcting a drafting error that misplaced a “not” that turned the statute into gibberish), but instead they interpreted the statute according to what it said.

    There is no deep philosophical matter involved (other than that legislators should not pass laws with reading them closely).

    in reply to: Who gains by flooding the US with millions of Illegals?? #2262804
    akuperma
    Participant

    Coffee addict: There is no “flood” of Chinese illegal aliens. Chinese is fairly prosperous (so immigrant wannabees tend to have money and advanced degrees and can at least read English since it is required in schools), and it is very hard to walk or swim to the USA from China (cf: Pacific Ocean). The “flood” coming over the southern land border are largely indigenous “huddled masses” from very poor Latin American countries (while some are educated political refugees, most are working class “deplorables” that tend to be upwardly mobile but with job skills that are either unskilled or at best semi-skilled).

    in reply to: Who gains by flooding the US with millions of Illegals?? #2262742
    akuperma
    Participant

    The immigrants, who have a good chance to become middle class Americans (as did most of our ancestors).

    Their employers, who get hard working and highly motivated workers awed by what to them a very high salaries.
    If you look at major league baseball, not the improvement in the quality of the game due to immigrants, who appear to win over half the positions (in a very objective, skills based competition).

    As most of the immigrants now are social conservatives, from societies that that are conservative in sexual matters, pro-life and anti-LGTBQ, it isn’t so clear if they’ll end up as Republicans or Democrats (though by the time they become citizens, the parties may have realigned). Also, most of the Hispanics coming are fleeing countries with socialists governments, rigged elections and courts that decide cases politically based on rule of law, so they might be disinclined to support the Democrats as they now are (which will really confuse those who hold by “intersectionality”).

    My guess is that the current wave will support rapid economic growth in the USA in spite of a low birthrate, have no impact on politics but might force both parties back to the center, and that in a generation or two the “nativist” movement to keep out mass immigration will be led by Hispanics (just as the current anti-immigration movement is led by the descendants of those who came through Ellis Island).

    in reply to: Biden Working on Creating a Palestinian state #2261845
    akuperma
    Participant

    RE: “Jordan is already 78% of historical Palestine. Jordanians of Palestinian origin constitute more than 80%
    of the population …” — Meaning that if a Palestinian state is established in Jordan, it will be well situated to start to work recapturing its lost territories (Israel). The flaw in the Zionist movement was always that they forgot that the Arabs have been the largest group in Eretz Yisrael for well over a thousand years, and are very unlikely to ever agree to settlement that leave Eretz Yisrael other than under Muslim rule. This was pointed out in the last century by Hareidi gedolim, and ignored by the various types of zionists. One should consider how the Americans would acted if the indigenous Americans attempted to establish an indigenous state in place of the United States (and American control of the United States has been for a much shorter period – 200 years most of what is now the United States was under indigenous control).

    in reply to: What Happened To All My Sillinesses? #2259217
    akuperma
    Participant

    Silliness is “so” pre-Oct. 7. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, nothing concentrate your mind as an existential crisis.

    In case I used words you can’t understand, the original quote from the 19th century was “When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully”, and in case you skip the news, the yishuv in Eretz Yisrael may be facing destruction, and the American Jewish community may be facing catastrophic dislocation due to increasing open and politically potent anti-Semitism.

    in reply to: Silence from the intellectual left #2256854
    akuperma
    Participant

    We’ve know the “intellectual left” (the “enlightened ones” as they perceive themselves) for over two centuries, and we have never been so naive as to see them as other than arrogant bigoted elitists who desire to harm Yiddishekit. The secular Jews have identified with them and they are horrified to find that that they admired and respected and imitated (“aped” might be a good word) support genocide of Jews and “canceling” Jewish life, even of those that are secular (killing frum Jews was never problem for them, but now they are going after the hilonim as well).

    Some of the political points in the original posting are irrelevant to us (e.g. while Ukraine’s defeat will encourage Iran and Hamas, immigration policy and the exaggerated response to Covid are not Jewish issues, though if Medinat Yisrael goes the way of Afghanistan we will liberal immigration rules in place)

    in reply to: Why did most Litvish stop wearing Shtreimals? #2256853
    akuperma
    Participant

    Shtreimlech1: I don’t think the Czars had anything to do with it. For starters, a good many Yidden did not live in territory directly rules by Russia. For example, the Hungarian cavalry (part of the Hapsburg army) were still wearing shtreimels at the start of World War I, and furs hats remained popular in Russia (to this very day). Long coats remained popular in Europe until after World War I (all the world leaders were wearing kapotes at the post-war peace conference). Since one still found many non-Hasidic Yidden with shreimels after World War I, it is more likely related to reason many westerners gave up wearing fur hats (cars and trains are heated). While non-Hasidim are somewhat influenced by goyish fashions (e.g. switching to Homburgs and Fedoras as dress hats), most Hasidim couldn’t care bobkes about what the goyim’s fashion influencers do.

    in reply to: Why did most Litvish stop wearing Shtreimals? #2256471
    akuperma
    Participant

    Fur hats used to be standard throughout Europe. One factor was it got warmer (the period from roughly 1400 to the mid-19th century was the “Little Ice Age” and it was unusually cold – that’s why the greens use it to base global warming charts). The centers of non-Hasidic Ashkenazim were increasingly in countries where fur hats ceased to be fashionable. While some attribute the decline of kapotes (frock coats) to King George V’s decision to stop wearing them, automobiles were a major factor (to a greater extent than railroads).

    Hasidim tend not to care about British kings or American presidents, and so are less likely to follow their fashions.

    in reply to: how can turkey as a nato member do business with iran #2256470
    akuperma
    Participant

    Turkey wasn’t allowed to join the EU, and while it was suggested that it become an American or British mandate after World War I, Turkey remained independent and is not bound by what the US and UK want to do. NATO doesn’t really involve Iran as it is a different region.

    in reply to: Upcoming showdown: Democratic Convention #2251530
    akuperma
    Participant

    jackk: 1. The groups previously identified as WOKE (a.k.a. the “Progressive Caucus” of the Democrats), have endorsed Hamas policy, while you can call it “terrorism”, other countries have used genocide as a tool of policy(including mass murder and rpe), and it seems to be a relatively common method of seizing someone’s territory for your own use. 2. The Supreme Court is not a bunch of political hacks, and they are quite likely going to say that whether electors chosen in states without free elections (opposition parties being banned) should have their votes counted is political and is to be decided by the Congress. 3. The Republican party is a coalition of a MAGA (Trump) faction, and the groups that predate Trump’s joining the Republican party (primarily the Reaganite factions and the former “Tea Party” fiscal conservatives). 4. If a considerable number of persons question the legitimacy of an election, it will collapse the currency and credit almost immediately; an election in which the opposition candidate apparently won, but was banned for political reasons, would collapse the government.

    However the platform fight for the Democrats will be a critical issue. Biden is supporting the internationalism that goes back to Kennedy, Truman and Roosevelt (at least post-Pearl Harbor) and that includes support for Ukraine, Taiwan, Israel, South Korea and Philippines – and the Progressive Caucus is clearly anti-Israel and not supportive of a military buildup necessary to oppose the Sino-Russian-Iranian Axis. The platform debate on Hamas will highlight the fault line within the Democrats, and may prove to be a critical turning point, one way or the other, in American (and Jewish) history.

    in reply to: Upcoming showdown: Democratic Convention #2251422
    akuperma
    Participant

    smerel” No, they probably won’t. If there is a serious centerist third party (cf: Joe Lieberman) it will gain support for those who can’t tolerate the WOKE agenda. If the Republicans have a platform (and leadership) that is aiming for capturing the political middle, they will have success. Jews only leaned Democrat about 100 years ago, and this could trigger major switches. Note that even Reform Jews are not endorsing genocide of Jews, and denounced Hamas. There is a pending earthquake if the Democrats officially go WOKE and endorse Hamas’s solution to the “Jewish problem”.

    in reply to: Is it assur to wish a goy a “Happy New Year”? #2250800
    akuperma
    Participant

    1. IF a Jewish boy is born on Dec. 25, his bris would be on Jan. 1, and the goyim hold that someone important to them was a Jewish boy born on Dec. 25. Of course, even according to their scholars, “Dec. 25” is a myth based on a Roman holiday (Saturnalia).

    2. For a long time the “new year” in the Christian calendar began on March 25 (at least in English speaking countries), and the change to Jan. 1 was not motivated by religion but by a desire to standardize calendars.

    in reply to: Is it assur to wish a goy a “Happy New Year”? #2250804
    akuperma
    Participant

    Catlover613: But if the “civil year” is based on an myth that is clearly avodah zarah, would we be allowed to use it. I suggest the best way to regard it is that the Christians decided that dating things from the regnal years of kings, or the founding of the City of Rome (also a myth) as the Romans did, was “awkward” so they picked an arbitrary date. We know it was arbitrary since according to the Christian myths, you know who was born during the reign of Herod (who considered himself “Great” -no one else did), and died in 4 B.C.E. Since it is an arbitrary choice of a base date, there is no reason to hold it is avodah zarah, and in fact Yidden have used it since the Christians switched in the middle ages.

    in reply to: Academia #2249400
    akuperma
    Participant

    The correlation between being an “elite” university and one that tolerates and encourages anti-Semitism has been widely noted. Frum Jews aren’t all that affected since while some of us attend or work for such schools, we are obviously aware of anti-Semitism since we are obviously Jewish – though some “modern” Orthodox do change their personal names and modify their appearance so they won’t look “too” Jewish. For us it has always been a fact of life.

    For the more assimilated, Oct. 7 and the aftermath are an existential shock. They never could imagine that those they saw as colleagues felt that the mass murder and rape, etc., of Jews was good public policy. The good American Jews assumed that anti-Jewish prejudice was only directed against frum Jews (and such assimilationists held such views themselves). A similar event occurred just under a century ago when highly assimilated German Jews discovered what their beloved German countrymen really thought of them (and the meme of a German Jew being led to the gas chamber shouting about his medals earned fighting for the Kaiser)

    One option is migration to the “red” states, and going to politically conservative (or at least moderate) universities. We can also join the many conservative voices attacking the manner in which credentials from “elite” universities are afforded a value not reflected in the quality of education the students receive.

    But the bottom line, is that if the anti-Semitic elites continue in power in America, it is unlikely that the country will remain a good place for Jews, and also that Israel needs to be prepared to stop depending on the United States for assistance.

    in reply to: Clear plastic table cover. #2247311
    akuperma
    Participant

    It’s not even a minhag. How could it be, as plastic is a recent invention. It is convenient since you can have a nice table cloth for milkig and fleishig, and just change the plastic.

    in reply to: Tear Down the Wall between Egypt and Gaza #2247297
    akuperma
    Participant

    1. Most American are descended from immigrants, including almost all frum Jews.
    2. The above fact shows that the pro-immigration parties were successful, and the nativists lost, and it turns out the prosperity of the country is largely due to immigrants.
    3. Jews opposed to non-admission of non-WASP immigrants look silly, since they are arguing that our ancestors should not have been allowed in

    in reply to: Tear Down the Wall between Egypt and Gaza #2247086
    akuperma
    Participant

    Ever since the 17th century, America has a pro-immigration tradition that few other countries share. Palestinians in Egypt would look and sound like foreigners, and the Egyptians would not like that – remember that Egypt made a point of not annexing Gaza when they had a choice.

    America has long accepted “huddled masses, yearning to be free” (which is the case of those trying to come in now), and indeed, in the last presidential election neither party nominated a candidate who ancestors were living in the United States at the time of the Revolution (something that never happened before); in fact in America, most of the “nativists” are themselves descendants of recent immigrants.

    in reply to: Tear Down the Wall between Egypt and Gaza #2246773
    akuperma
    Participant

    Facilitating access to Gaza from Egypt would facilitate terrorist movement and facilitate the importation of weapons. Also remember that many if not most Egyptians tend to support their fellow Muslims in Gaza. — And trying to expel the Gazans to Egypt is very problematic since while Palestinians are basically the same ethnically as the Arabs in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan (excluding the Bedouin elite who rule Jordan), the Egyptians are very different in terms of ethnicity, race and culture.

    in reply to: About Yahya Sinwar #2246017
    akuperma
    Participant

    “Sin” is the word for China. Interestingly, Hamas is backed by the Sino-Russia-Iranian alliance.

    in reply to: King Cuomo returns #2245873
    akuperma
    Participant

    In a world of fools, a corrupt non-fool might be the best choice.

    in reply to: Annoying pop-ups #2245213
    akuperma
    Participant

    Would the individuals complaining about the advertisements care to set up a trust fund to cover the costs (including staff) of operating YWN?

    in reply to: Hamas Torture of Jewish Women #2244479
    akuperma
    Participant

    And the “Progressive” faction of the Democrats gave Hamas their blessing to do so.

    in reply to: Braverman FIRED for Criticizing Palestinian HATE #2242910
    akuperma
    Participant

    Did anyone give a different reason?

    The British government has a long history of being anti-zionist. In the 1920s they sabotaged the agreement between the Jews (both zionist and non-zionist) with the Arabs, and did their best to ignite a Jewish-Arab conflict under their “divide and conquer” strategy. In 1947 and 1948 their whole policy was to help the Arabs win in the hopes that the zionists would be forced to ask the Brits to rescue them, and thereby keep Palestine British (though it was half hearted since by May 1948 they had already been forced out of India when their “let’s get the natives killing each other” strategy failed to result in the natives begging the Brits to stay on as colonial overlords).

    And it isn’t surprising that Braverman, whose roots are in South Asia (even if married to a Jew) might not share those traditional British ideas.

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