Of Jew Hating Trumpists and the Reverse

Of Nerve and Nerves

The overwrought and hyperbolic response of some American Jewish organizations to the series of threats against JCC’s across the country should now be met with apologies of similar passion. The repeated accusations of misconduct and outright Jew hatred leveled against the Trump Administration should now be withdrawn and must engender forthright and unrestrained contrition. For all the talk about dog whistles, faint signals, hints, alt-right, alt-white supremacists and neo-Nazi nationalists lurking outside the Oval Office, well, it turns out that, no, it wasn’t Steve Bannon, after all, calling in bomb threats to Jewish institutions. Imagine that. Who would have thought??

The news that an Israeli-American Jew, probably a tad off, has been arrested in Israel for orchestrating dozens of phony bomb threats to US centers should put American Jews at ease. But of course it won’t, because the narrative of “rampant Jew hatred fomented by the right-wing government” is too precious to abandon. So far, two people have been arrested for this “anti-Semitic” wave: a black supremacist, anti-Trump journalist with ties to left-wing organizations and an Israeli-American Jew. Only in America!

Come on: will the white supremacist, Trump-supporting, flag-waving American from the boondocks of Kentucky who hired both of them please identify yourself and surrender to the authorities? The concern here is that until the narrative is satisfied, Jews of a certain temperament and political persuasion will not move on. But they should, as should we all, and try to recover some semblance of normal political discourse. Like the resident of Chelm who kept looking for the lost object under the street light “because it’s brighter there,” there are Jews who are obsessed with finding Jew haters in America, the Trump administration, the government and everywhere but where they can really be found.

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From Rabbi Pruzansky, here.

The US Deep State: An Introduction

America’s two governments

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There are two governments in America, the government you see and the government you don’t see.

The government you see is the politicians and the courts. They are actors.

Their job is to give the illusion that you have some input in the process of government; that the rule of law and the Constitution is in force.

The political process is theater. It is designed to distract you.

Politicians and judges are employees of the government. The government pays their salaries and their health insurance premiums and funds their pensions. So it should come as no surprise that they always work to grow and expand government.

To watch the politicians on C-SPAN or the news shows or to hear their speeches, one would think that there are two major parties. One claims to be the party of small, limited government and personal responsibility. One claims to be for the working man and for women’s rights, minority rights, for egalitarianism, and big, nanny government.

And so they introduce laws, they debate, and sometimes they come to consensus. They act “bipartisan.” Sometimes they don’t. They act “partisan,” and the party in power forces its will on the other.

But in all of this, government is never cut. It never shrinks in size. Its power is never reduced. Even when politicians are arguing over cutting some so-called “entitlement” or government agency, the cuts they talk about are cuts in growth. They are illusions. There are never any serious discussions about actually cutting government.

It does not matter which Party is in control of the government at any given time. Regardless of whether the president and/or Congress is led by the “R” people or the “D” people, money debasement continues unabated, wars are started or expanded, regulations increase, the dependent class grows and government becomes more overbearing and more authoritarian.

Most people who are aware of politics on at least a basic level remain trapped in the false left/right paradigm that politicians are “R” people or “D” people and they have different agendas. But the political process is a façade of government that satisfies the quest for political choices. It is an illusion unrelated to reality and political participation by the people.

It is, however, the perfect system for keeping the people focused on empty nonsense year after year. People totally misunderstand the nature of government. Otherwise they would know that there is no such thing as political choices or political freedom.

The truth is that on the federal level there is just one political party, and it is the government party. Any belief that there is any significant difference between Democrats and Republicans is pure fantasy.

All supposed differences are merely Kabuki Theater designed to keep the people distracted from the behind-the-scenes machinations of the elites. This is aided and abetted by a compliant mainstream media, which functions as a propaganda arm of the government and the parties.

Politicians — with only a handful of exceptions — do not care about the Constitution and generally see it as an impediment to their objective. Their No. 1 goal is to do the will of their masters. That way, politicians can hold on to their places of prominence and supposed “power” in government for as long as possible.

That’s why politicians who wear the “R” label as well as those who wear the “D” label are working in concert against those who seek to reign in government, reduce its scope, return it to its constitutional parameters and reduce government spending. They want to hold on to their positions of prestige and honor. It is heady business crafting laws that millions must follow, being feted like royalty, having servants and hired hands meeting your every need and, after all that, facing the prospect of a cushy seven-figure lobbying gig once the political gig runs its course.

The visible government has a symbiotic partner in the mainstream media. The media tell you to “call your congressman” and to go out and vote for the candidate “of your choice,” never telling you that the only choices you have are those provided for you.

The Fourth Estate — the mainstream media — long ago ceded its independence and became the Fourth Branch. Six media giants now control 90 percent of what we read, watch and listen to. These corporations are large feeders at the corporatist, government trough, often receiving special remuneration — thanks to the lobbying efforts of former members of the political class — as bills are crafted. Thanks to internet, as I wrote last week, the power of the mainstream media to control the message is dwindling.

The government you don’t see has many names and many elements, all working against your best interests. Among its several names are shadow government, the deep state, powers that be, etc. It is made up of faceless bureaucrats, crony corporations, the power elite, the banksters, the vast U.S. intelligence apparatus, the military-industrial complex (as revealed by President Eisenhower) and the globalists found in think tanks, the Council on Foreign Relations and Trilateral Commission.

They do not change and do not cede power regardless of who is elected. And although they may have slightly different agendas on the micro scale, on the macro scale they work in concert to amass more wealth and power for themselves as they are all natural enemies of the people.

I and others in alternative media have been writing about the shadow government or Deep State for many years, yet until recent events most people either had no idea of it or, if they had heard of it, doubted its existence or considered belief in it a “conspiracy theory.” But the term “Deep State” is being used more and more often these days.

Senator William Jenner spoke about the Deep State in a speech in 1954:

“Today the path to total dictatorship in the U.S. can be laid by strictly legal means, unseen and unheard by Congress, the President, or the people. Outwardly we have a Constitutional government. We have operating within our government and political system … a well-organized political-action group in this country, determined to destroy our Constitution and establish a one-party state…. The important point to remember about this group is not its ideology but its organization… It operates secretly, silently, continuously to transform our Government…. This group … is answerable neither to the President, the Congress, nor the courts. It is practically irremovable.

The Rutherford Institute’s John W. Whitehead describes the Deep State as a, “corporatized, militarized, entrenched bureaucracy that is fully operational and staffed by unelected officials who are, in essence, running the country, this shadow government represents the hidden face of a government that has no respect for the freedom of its citizenry.

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From Personal Liberty, here.

Espousing Emuna Evangelism

The Soul-savers

The Soul-savers

By: Rabbi Shalom Arush Update date: 3/18/2017, 21:13

Translated by Rabbi Lazer Brody

With Hashem’s help, we’re going to learn about the mitzvah that carries the greatest rewards, beyond anyone’s ability to imagine.

The Zohar in Parshat Truma says that a person who deserves to be called praiseworthy is one who does everything in his power to bring other people close to Hashem.

We must understand how important the above point is, for as soon as you bring someone closer to Hashem, you defeat the Sitra Achra, the Dark Side of evil. Not only that, but it is considered as if you have actually created that person. There is no greater praise of Hashem than bringing people close to Hashem, for you rescue that person’s soul from the clasp of the Sitra Achra and return it to the realm of holiness.

The Zohar then says something amazing: when you teach a person emuna, you rescue all of that person’s Torah and mitzvoth from the clasps of the Sitra Achra and return them to holiness. This is eye-opening; you’d think that only evil people would be caught up in the holds of the Sitra Achra. Not true! The Dark Side lays in ambush to trip up Torah learners and mitzvah-observant people, because it feeds of the holiness of their Torah and mitzvoth. He who teaches someone emuna and brings that person truly close to Hashem, returns the captured sparks of holiness from the clutches of evil to the bosom of holiness in the upper worlds.

Anyone who helps an errant individual, says the Zohar, ascends three times a greater ascent than he or she could have by performing any other mitzvah. Why? By elevating one person, he or she elevates the whole world, both the spiritual realm and the physical realm. What’s more, they bring untold joy to the Creator. These laudable people invoke sustenance for the entire world and gain entrance through twelve portals of Gan Eden. These are only a small portion of the praises that the Zohar enumerates for bringing people closer to Hashem.

More than anything, the person who tries his hardest to bring others close to Hashem creates a major sanctification of Hashem’s Name in the world and brings Hashem the greatest imaginable gratification.

You can’t imagine the reward of spreading emuna. Let me give a striking example:

A family in Los Angeles was about to be divorced after having been separated for over a year. A host of therapists and well-wishing friends couldn’t bridge the tremendous gap that had developed over the years between the husband and the wife. At the last minute before their imminent divorce, a friend of the husband gave him a copy of the Garden of Peace. It saved the day. The husband read the book intensely from cover-to-cover and realized how awfully he made every possible mistake. At the advice of his friend who gave him the book, the husband reached out to Rabbi Lazer Brody and sought additional coaching. Meanwhile, his conduct improved so much that his wife took him back. They made a new beginning and their marriage was not only saved, it became wonderful.

In gratitude for what the emuna books and CDs did for him, the husband has since sponsored four major emuna events on the West Coast and has brought hundreds – maybe thousands – of people closer to Hashem. Not only did he save his own children from the terrible fate of a broken home, he has since saved other couples from the tragedy of divorce.

Let me ask you one question – with the above Zohar in mind, what is the reward of the young man – a modest and unassuming high-school teacher –  who gave the husband that copy of the Garden of Peace, his first emuna book? In the Heavens, all the dividends of all the people whom the husband has since brought closer to Hashem will also be credited to the high-school teacher. The reward that awaits him is mind-boggling!

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From Breslev.co.il, here.

How NOT to Change Judaism

Dedicated Followers of Fashion

“And he (Aaron) will place the incense on the fire in front of G-d”.(16:13)

A famous writer once quipped, “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”

The width of trouser bottoms and their distance from the wearer’s navel fluctuates on a yearly basis, and the shape of the human foot seems to metamorphose inexorably. Fashion, however, doesn’t just begin and end with clothes.

“And he (Aaron) will place the incense on the fire in front of G-d”.

In the first part of the service of Yom Kippur in the Beit Hamikdash, the kohen gadol would burn incense in the Holy-of-Holies. The Tzadukim (Sadducees), who denied the authority of the Oral Torah, claimed that the incense first should be placed on the fire in a fire-pan outside the Holy-of-Holies and only then the kohen gadol should carry it inside. The Talmud (Yoma 53) cites the above Torah verse as a proof to the contrary — that the incense should only be placed on the fire “in front of G-d”.

In every generation, the Jewish People has its ‘Tzadukim’ — those dedicated followers of fashion who want to copy what they have seen ‘outside’, to introduce ‘improvements’ ‘adjustments’ and ‘modernizations’ into our holy faith.

The Torah sages of each generation fight a constant and bitter battle against these ‘improvements’. Which is not to say that the Torah is stuck in a bygone age. On the contrary, the Torah speaks to each generation on every aspect of life, sometimes involving itself in the finest minutiae of science to express the Halachic view of all that pertains to the modern world.

That view, however, is always extrapolated from the inward essence of the Torah outward, not grafted on from the outside. The Torah addresses the modern world not in terms of compromise or appeasement, not through pandering to the ideology of the hour, rather it views the world through intrinsic principles enshrined in immutable criteria.

  • Sources: Based on Hadrash V’Ha’Iyun

From Ohr Net, here.

Kings Playing Doctor

Obamacare Repeal or Obamacare 2.0?

This Thursday, the House of Representatives will vote on a Republican bill that supposedly repeals Obamacare. However, the bill retains Obamacare’s most destructive features.

That is not to say this legislation is entire without merit. For example, the bill expands the amount individuals can contribute to a health savings account (HSA). HSAs allow individuals to save money tax-free to pay for routine medical expenses. By restoring individuals’ control over healthcare dollars, HSAs remove the distortions introduced in the healthcare market by government policies encouraging over-reliance on third-party payers.

The legislation also contains other positive tax changes, such a provision allowing individuals to use healthcare tax credits to purchase a “catastrophic-only” insurance policy. Ideally, health insurance should only cover major or catastrophic health events. No one expects their auto insurance to cover routine oil changes, so why should they expect health insurance to cover routine checkups?

Unfortunately, the bill’s positive aspects are more than outweighed by its failure to repeal Obamacare’s regulations and price controls. Like all price controls, Obamacare distorts the signals that a freely functioning marketplace sends to consumers and producers, thus guaranteeing chaos in the marketplace. The result of this chaos is higher prices, reduced supply, and lowered quality.

Two particularly insidious Obamacare regulations are guaranteed issue and community ratings. As the name suggests, guaranteed issue forces health insurance companies to issue a health insurance policy to anyone who applies for coverage. Community ratings forces health insurance companies to charge an obese couch potato and a physically-fit jogger similar premiums. This forces the jogger to subsidize the couch potato’s unhealthy lifestyle.

Obamacare’s individual mandate was put in place to ensure that guaranteed issue and community ratings would not drive health insurance companies out of business. Rather than repealing guaranteed issue and community ratings, the House Republicans’ plan forces those who go longer than two months without health insurance to pay a penalty to health insurance companies when they purchase new policies.

It is hard to feel sympathy for the insurance companies since they supported Obamacare. These companies were eager to accept government regulations in exchange for a mandate that individuals buy their product. But we should feel sympathy for Americans who are struggling to afford or even obtain, healthcare because of Obamacare and who will obtain little or no relief from Obamacare 2.0.

The underlying problem with the Republican proposal is philosophical. The plan put forth by the alleged pro-free-market Republicans implicitly accepts the premise that healthcare is a right that must be provided by the government. But rights are inalienable aspects of our humanity, not gifts from the government.

If the government can give us rights, then it can also limit or even take away those rights. Giving government power to enforce a fictitious right to healthcare justifies government theft and coercion. Thievery and violence do not suddenly become moral when carried out by governments.

Treating healthcare as a right leads to government intervention, which, as we have seen, inevitably leads to higher prices and lower quality. This is why, with the exception of those specialties, like plastic surgery, that are still treated as goods, not rights, healthcare is one of the few areas where innovation leads to increased costs.

America’s healthcare system will only be fixed when a critical mass of people rejects the philosophical and economic fallacies justifying government-run healthcare. Those of us who know the truth must continue to work to spread the ideas of and grow the movement for, liberty.

From Lewrockwell.com, here.