Holy War in the Holy Land

When we think of a holy war in the Middle East, we usually think of Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims, but there is another controversy going on that many outsiders are unaware of. That is the conflict between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews living within the state of Israel. The conflict is this: the more conservative Orthodox are clashing with the more secular, liberal government of Israel, over issues such as Orthodox Jews putting up signs demanding gender separation in all of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The government ordered that these signs be removed. Another controversy in Israel is the issue of gay rights. Israel has the fourth largest gay pride parade in the world, which has taken place in Tel Aviv since 1999. In response, some Orthodox Jews have resorted to attacking some of the gay demonstrators, and have even been charged with hate crimes. If that were not enough, some members of the Orthodox community are upset with a popular new television show in Israel which they claim misrepresents their culture. It depicts scenes of lack of intimacy, spousal abuse and homophobia. One Orthodox rabbi even compared the government of Israel to the government of Nazi Germany. 

So, the question is, which form of Judaism will win out? Right now, it seems like the secularists have the power, but like many fundamentalists, the Orthodox community has large numbers of children, and many people are afraid that they could turn Israel in a much more right-wing direction in the future. I guess only time will tell in this sectarian struggle.

Whoopi Goldberg's Hypocrisy

Recently, on an episode of "The View," the panel was discussing Nikki Minaj's controversial video, "Only," because of complaints from some viewers that it had Nazi-like imagery. The video showed Minaj speaking in front of a crowd, of which I can only assume are her fans, with a red and white flag with the letter "M" on it. Understandably, this makes some people cringe. But the most surprising aspect of this is Whoopi Goldberg's response on "The View." Whoopi accused Minaj of being ignorant and not even knowing what the Holocaust was. She then went on to accuse not only Minaj, but her entire generation, of being ignorant of what the Holocaust was. This is odd coming from Goldberg, who in 2006 and 2010 relentlessly defended Mel Gibson when he was caught in antisemitic, homophobic and racist rants, in addition to violently threatening his wife. Goldberg said, "I know Mel, and I know he's not racist. I can't say that he's a racist, having spent time with him, in my house, with my kid, I can't say it." Newsflash, Ms. Goldberg: just because someone is nice to you personally does not mean that they don't have any internalized bias towards certain groups of people as a whole. Yes, the imagery in Nikki Minaj's video is decidedly problematic. But I think it's hypocritical, coming from Whoopi Goldberg, who seems to only say something when it's somebody she does not consider to be a personal friend.

Not Everything Has a Simple Answer

It seems to me that in America we seem to want a quick answer for everything. School shootings.. if you're on the right, the problem is lack of prayer in schools, if you're on the left it's guns, and somewhere in the middle, it's violence in the media. This is also the case when it comes to war. I remember George W. Bush's "They Hate Us for Our Freedom Speech" in the run up to the Iraq War.

So, the question is; why do we as Americans refuse to look deeper? It's almost as if we're afraid to. So we tend to want to narrow it down. It's as if, if we can find this one thing at the source of our problems, then all our problems would simply go away. But I don't think that's true. I think that if we don't start looking at the deeper problems like mental illness and American Imperialism, then we will not truly be able to function as a society. We'll never be able to understand or fix any of the problems.

Is America Dead?

     I once heard a story about a few brave men who believed that there could be something better. They lived in a place where they had no rights. That place was called America. But, they dreamed of something better for themselves and their decedents. They took a chance, even if it meant their lives.
     But today, that brave spirit seems to be gone from America. We are afraid of what may happen, not what will happen. We can't legalize drugs because that could possibly create a nation of addicts. We can't legalize gay marriage because that might lead to legalization of incest. We can't legalize prostitution because it may hurt our young women in some way. What would our founding fathers think of this America, where we're so afraid of what might happen that we're afraid to do anything. They would be ashamed and saddened of how far our country has fallen. The point is, America has always been about taking chances on possibly dangerous things. America has always been about doing what is right despite what may happen to us. America's always been about progress and making things better. Why have we lost that spirit in so many of us? Why are we so afraid of what has not yet come that we won't even try? So I ask any American who reads this to please remember that American spirit within each and every one of us.

Marijuana Madness in Minnesota

Recently, a mother in Minnesota was arrested because she was found guilty of giving her son marijuana that she had obtained legally from Colorado to help control his epileptic seizures. Her big mistake was bringing it back to Minnesota, where it is not legal. She also made the mistake of telling a so-called friend where she got it. This friend called the police.

When I heard about this story, I was shocked. Before the boy began taking marijuana, he had been having up to 3 violent seizures a day. But that doesn't matter to the drones controlling the drugs. They seized his medicine, and now his mother may be going to prison for up to ten years for trying to protect her son. My opinion on the war on drugs is this: you must follow the money. Who has the most to gain from keeping a plant that you could grow on your own for medicinal purposes illegal?Well, Big Pharma for one. Companies like Pfizer and Merck make billions of dollars off of psychiatric medications, and sadly, they have enough money and power to drive the conversation.

And I want to say again to the drug enforcers, have you no soul? Can you not override your preconceived programming to see what is obviously in front of you? Very sick children are getting better. I think change will only happen if the enforcers and the people in general rise up and protest this injustice, and I also think if everyone had to deal with a severely sick child on a daily basis, public perception about things like marijuana would change.

Cannabis Craziness in Alaska

     Recently an Alaskan ABC news reporter, who is also the owner of a medical marijuana dispensary quit on air. It's not why she quit, but how she quit that people are talking about. Upon her resignation she said, "I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska. And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice, but fuck it. I quit. "
     While I admire her passion, and completely agree with her point of view, I think the way she resigned does more to hurt than to help. The anti-legalization people might say,"Of course the foul-mouthed, black anchor woman wants to legalize recreational marijuana. "
     I think the fight to legalize marijuana, not only Alaska, but nationwide, is going to take coolness, calmness and a certain degree of restraint, if we're going to break the stereotype of marijuana users.

World's Worst Mom, or Savior of America's Children?

I was on the internet the other day, when I came across a video featuring Lenore Skenazy. She was talking about a book she'd written called "Free Range Kids". Essentially, Lenore's opinion is that today's parents are too scared of images of child kidnappers and other horrific news stories. Basically her point is that parents have become so afraid of the 24-hour news cycle with kidnappings, molestation, and school shootings, that they don't want to let their kids outside or out of their sight. But she has come under immense criticism, even being labeled "World's Worst Mom" by several blogs. But I agree with her on some things, such as her opinion that the obesity epidemic is perpetuated by the same fear. I think there's a fine line between protecting your kids and putting them in virtual straight jackets. It keeps them from experiencing the dangers of life, but it also keeps them from the joys of life. Yes, bad people are out there, but I don't think that keeping your kids locked up, and by default depriving them of a healthy lifestyle, is the way to keep your children safe. And, I do believe that if we keep going the way we're going, we're going to raise a generation that is scared of everything and can't think for themselves.