Trump And The Pope

Facebook was ablaze last week with old pictures of the Pope smiling with Barack Obama, but frowning with Donald Trump. Even Bill White ran the picture on his facebook page, and asked for captions. My submitted caption was at least you didn't call the Pope dour. Of course, in the real world there were plenty of pictures of Pope Francis smiling with the Trumps.

As a Jew,  it's nice to say nice things about the Pope, but I have a problem with him recently. Last month when he visited Egypt, he told the Christians there that they should forgive the Muslims for the church bombings.  On Friday morning terrorists shot up a bus, killing another 28 Coptic Christians. Although forgiveness might be a holy reaction, it along with the fear of being labeled Islamophobic, won't increase anybody's security.

 In a Trump bash full of contradictions, CNN's website on Friday blamed Trump for not being forthright enough in his speech in Saudi Arabia. They said he should have mentioned the chaos in Libya, Yemen and Syria. If they know that, they should realize that a travel ban from those areas might have some merit. However, they would rather be contridictory, than support any idea from the Trump administration.

Knife To A Gunfight

Great Britain is upset about some information given to the USA that was leaked.  What they should be upset about is that although the Manchester bomber was a person of interest, he was walking and plotting around.  It's a shame when political correctness allows New Orleans to remove its history,  its a crime when political correctness kills teenage girls.

England has at least until now been pretty clueless.  One would think that after a policeman was beheaded in London, they would realize that the radical are among them.  Here in the United States our former president and his attorney general wanted to close Guantanamo Bay,  and avail our foreign enemies to our civilian legal rights.  With all of Donald Trump's shortcomings, at least he understands that we are at war.

He also apparently understands that we shouldn't both be protecting the world, and paying for it.  Although, he may be a pushing and shoving oaf, yesterday he bluntly told our NATO allies that they must pay up.

Some people delighted that the Trump travel ban was again rejected by a federal court.  They are apparently more concerned with Trump being set back, than their own security.  Our enemies must find our priorities amusing.

Back To The Future With Emma

Although the Progressives, who campaigned against the waste to energy plant and the water lease this year, didn't like Emma Tropiano back in the day, or now, here's a history lesson they may find interesting. Shown above is Emma camping out by the entrance to Kline's Island on October 13, 1989. Her statement to the press. "The deal with the Lehigh County Authority to open Kline's Island to outside sewage sources has promoted massive development in western Lehigh County, drawing potential commercial and industrial development away from Allentown and resulting in higher taxes for city property owners." She was running against The First Mayor For Life Joe Daddona's fourth term. His reply. "It's obvious once again that Emma, because of her lack of knowledge and understanding of a problem, is shooting from the hip and hitting herself in the foot." She was also outspoken about the direction the city was heading in: Is Allentown in an ugly decline, with drugs, crime, filth and mismanagement rotting away the core of the Queen City, as challenger Emma D. Tropiano insists? Or is it squarely facing its problems and coming up with sound, creative solutions, as Mayor Joseph S. Daddona says?" The Morning Call, Nov. 5, 1989.

reprinted from November of 2013

ADDENDUM: On Tuesday Bill White repeated his quote about Emma from 2001; I like Emma, but she wouldn't know fresh ideas and positive leadership if they were driving down Hamilton Street in a blue Cadillac. Bill has made Emma one of the symbols of his Hall Of Shame. Bill White protests against this designation, coined by yours truly years ago, and cites the philanthropic Cipko Brothers as proof that the Hall isn't limited to shame. However, I remember back when, and the gag about them was their ridiculous toupees, which White featured in photographs. Philanthropic or not, their toupees put them in the Hall, not their charity. Anyway, I digress. Bill White has been wrong about Emma for over 40 years.  The problem is that now a whole generation of people disparage her, based on  Morning Call distortions.

Moshe Dyan

Moshe Dayan on born on a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee in 1915. When he was 14, he joined the outlawed Haganah, an underground defense force to protect Jewish settlements from Arab attacks. Although caught and imprisoned by the British for two years, he would fight for them in Lebanon during WWII, losing his eye. In the 1948 War of Independence, he fought on all the fronts, defending Israel; by 1953 he was Chief of Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces. In 1956 he led the Suez Campaign.

In 1967 he was Defense Minister for the Six Day War. He remained in that position through the War of 1973. Although a genuine hero in every sense of the word, he was held responsible for the initial success of Egyptian forces in the surprise attack on Yom Kippur (1973), and would resign from his position.

Israel is too small of a country, and it's enemies too numerous, for any miscalculations regarding it's security.

reprinted from February 2013

The Wailing Wall

Israel had hoped that Jordan would not join the Arab forces against them in 1967. It was not to be; their artillery opened fire on Israel. Israeli paratroopers fought with small arms in the Old City. They were ordered to use no artilley, which could damage Holy Shrines.

Although Israeli Jews and Christians were barred from both the Wall and Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the twenty years of Jordanian rule, Israel immediately opened access to all. Administrative control of the Temple Mount, upon which sits the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, were immediately given to the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic Trust).

The Wailing Wall is the Western Wall of the Mount, which is considered the closest and only remnant of the Second Jewish Temple, and is the holiest site in Judaism. No matter where in the world, all Jews have always prayed facing Jerusalem and the Wall. reprinted from April 2010

Bernie O'Hare's Problem

Tirelessly attending one meeting after another, five nights a week, at the midnight hour he bestows praise upon his favorites, and criticism upon his enemies.  Faster than a speeding Lanta Bus, all opposing comments are dismissed as non sequiturs, personal attacks or off topic... Little changes with Bernie O'Hare, aka here as Jimmy Olsen.

Someone recently asked me what is Bernie's problem? He noticed that for months Bernie had been taking cheap shots at both me and my readers. Several months ago he started deleting the signed comments I occasionally submitted to his blog. Most of the comments he receives are anonymous, and many less than profound. He started calling me mean spirited and petty.  Coming from Bernie, all those insults are beyond ironic. Here's a guy who serves up one victim after another, like red meat,  for his anonymous commenters to feast upon.  In a blog post yesterday,  I wrote that Pawlowski won with the Marion Barry vote. Washington voters re-elected Barry knowing full well that he was involved in unlawful acts. O'Hare seized upon the opportunity on facebook to pronounce my analogy as racist.

He describes himself as a bottom feeding blogger, trying to humorlessly dismiss his aggression toward others.  He really does delight in painting his targets with innuendo and distortion.  While most of Bernie's victims have no recourse or vehicle to defend themselves,  that's not the case here.

Public Note To Mayor Ed

Hi Mayor Ed. I am very disappointed that thousands of Allentown voters do not realize how corrupt you are!! One of your supporters said he didn't care. I think you are a great politician and liar. Ten years ago exactly when I worked for you in your old job as Director of Community and Economic Development I witnessed your corruption firsthand. Which as I told you when I resigned I did not want to part of. You fired Eric Weiss as head of Buildind Standards because he was not corrupt and would not do your dirty work. When Fran Dougherty told a building inspector not to write a citation on a Nat Hyman property I realized that you he and were in bed together. Neither of you should be Mayor!!! I assume that the FBI will eventually expose you. I love how you staged all that road work on major streets over the last months. Even some relatively smart people that that meant you are a great Mayor. You Bamboozled quite a few people. I feel sorry for the people like Mary Ellen Koval who got caught up in your quest for higher office. You ruined many lives and careers. Karma and the wheels of justice may turn slowly but they do turn!!! Betsy Morris Levin

The above note was written by Betsy Levin, a former city employee, and posted on facebook today. Pawlowski's primary victory disappointed many people. He won with what I call the Marion Barry vote. As I had predicted within 38 votes, he cobbled together enough minority votes to win in the crowded field. Had one of the three top runner ups dropped out and endorsed another, Pawlowski would have lost, handily. A real opportunity exists for an independent this fall. The city hasn't elected a Republican for two decades, since 1997. The primary proved that Pawlowski is unattractive to 75% of the Democrats.

Jews In Jerusalem

Except when barred by one conqueror or another, Jews had lived in Jerusalem since King David. Prior to Jordanian rule in 1948, there was a Jewish majority for 150 years. In 1864, eight thousand of the fifteen thousand population was Jewish. By 1914, two thirds of the sixty five thousand residents were Jewish. In 1948 the United Nations Partition Plan divided the British Mandate of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. Jerusalem was to be initially an international city, with access guaranteed for all. This plan was rejected by the surrounding Arab nations, which attacked Israel in concert immediately upon the UN vote. When the truce was declared, Israel had survived, but East Jerusalem(walled Old City) was in procession of TransJordan. The Jordanians subsequently destroyed over 50 synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, which dated back to the 1400's. For hundreds of years both Christians and Jews were prohibited from building higher than Muslim structures. The few synagogues which survived were the ones built mostly below street level. The oldest surviving synagogue, The Jerusalem Synagogue, was built by the Karaite Jews in around 900. Shown above is the Ben Kakai, a Sephardic Synagogue built in the 16th Century.

Perhaps the most famous synagogue destroyed by the Jordanians was the Ashkenazi Hurva Synagogue built in 1720, it's dome visible in the top center of this photograph from the 1920's. It's replacement was completed in 2010.

This post was first printed in April of 2010, and titled The Synagogues of Jerusalem