The key issue is accountability to the American people and not voices in one’s head, as stated eloquently above.
The key in this election is avoiding turning them into a PC competition towards blacks, females, Christians etc. Both Obama and Palin stand for something yet their opponents run the risk of being accused of racism, sexism etc. It is about time to hear what they have to say about corporate bailouts, Medicare, energy independence etc.
The issues of gun control, abortions and school prayer are just a safe heaven for the Republican Party allowing them to win again without dealing with any real issue affecting America again.

It’s amazing how energy has become the hot-button topic of the day, how in vogue it is. So as opposed to the “godless communists” of a quarter century ago, we are dealing with god wanting to ascertain that my AC will still run on hot summer nights. This is the same disease (hoping god is on our side) with different symptomatology.
Then again, god knows I sweat alot.

Having the AC go off on me in mid summer is a personal doomsday scenario. We Eastern European Jews deal poorly with heat and humidity. Definitely a top issue for the presidential debate.

I don’t understand this article. If I recall, it was Obama who prominently featured religious guidance and beliefs in his campaign. Are we again imposing a double standard? This time, maybe it’s because she is a Republican with religious convictions vs. a Democrat with religious convictions.

FlaLady,
Because maybe we believe deep in our hearts that when a democrat talks about his religious beliefs, he is talking about something conceptual. However, when a republican talks about his religious beliefs, he is talking about something that is more intrinsic, something higher up on his personal totem pole. Something he would consider acting upon.

Do you think that some of Mr. Bush’s comments smack of prophecy?

Was not King David a Prophet and a King holding both positions simultaneously?

I see absolutly no problem in bringing God into politics. If anything that is the problem we are dealing with today, That is we have left God out. So Mister Hirschfield, what do you you believe in? Do you believe that God has a certain destiny for people. Do you believe that he works through people? That he gives them direction on his will. Do you feel he is unreachable because she is a woman, or just because shes a Christian. It is certainly obvious which side you are leaning towards. Just because Obama went to the wall to pray, does not make him a God fearing man, or a promoter for Israel. I believe that you are known by the company you keep, so wake up Mister Hirschfield! See who Obamas greatest influences and friends were in his life. I will pray for you that you will not be decieved.

I personally cannot fathom how Palin can suggest she is capable of cleaning up America’s backyard when her own backyard is in a complete mess! I surely hope America’s women have better intelligence than to vote for any candidate based soley on gender…

I think just like everyone of us that when we discover our “friends” are not who we thought them to be, we bid them farewell and move on! There’s nothing deceptive about being decieved!

Yes most of the time they do, but Obama hasnt. Its just like when your family members do things that you do not advocate, but then you are blamed for thier actions.

Although, she has never declared herself as such, it would be a very dangerous proposition if Palin revealed herself in her role as VP to be an agent or potential accelerant of “The Rapture”. The church she attended until recently is considered to be one of the most extreme creationist churches in the entire country. In this country, we are born with the right to believe in whatever we wish, as long as those beliefs do not harm others. Anyone with such extreme beliefs has no business holding a high political office. As mayor and governor, Palin has shown that she is both driven and paranoid of those who cross her (see her bio in wikipedia). This should also make people uneasy.

I don’t see a problem with God speaking to Palin.He speaks to me daily,but a serious issue as the pipeline, needs deeper reflection, how did God speak and did it agree with His word we must test every spirit to see whether or not it is from God. We must all be praying for Gods will and that He would be glorified. God bless us and keep us.
a sister in Christ

Not only is Palin’s church one of the most creationist in the country but the head of Jews for Jesus has addressed her church and her minister subscribes to that. Her minister has also made some of the same comments that Rev. Wright made but no publicity has arisen from that. We do, unfortunately, have a double standard in this country. It frightens me greatly to know that this woman is truly a heartbeat away from taking over for an older, sickly man. How can we stand for this?

Palin’s political bio as mayor and governor is listed on wikipedia. Someone who is driven and paranoid of potential enemies is historically a bad fit for high office. I fear for this country’s future if she is elected.

Rabbi,
You are either knowingly dishonest in your misrepresentation of Mrs. Palin’s comments. Or, you are misinformed. While I do hope it is the latter, either is an abuse of your position.
Mrs. Palin’s remarks, taken “not in their entirety” by a large portion of the American media, specifically separated the action described from any association with our divine creator. Mrs. Palin was clear and concise when declaring, in the entire statement, her “hope” that we were actually doing G*d’s will. ‘Cause quite frankly, as she has pointed out, we do not know his will. We can pray that we are guided by it. And she obviously was not speaking as if she knew His will “for sure” nor was she “sloppy”.
The obscurity which you point out between a “task” and “will” is not so much a mistake on Mrs. Palin’s part… rather it is one of the seperations between Christians and Jews and the focus placed on words/wording/word placement. Christians do not place a strong value on the diffrences. Jews, more so. Much to my personal delight.
I for one will not vote for either candidate of the two dominant parties. But I do admire one who is open about his or her guiding beliefs. You seem to feel the same way. Please be a little less disingenuous with your praise the next time you “admire” a candidate who holds an opposing
Respectfully,
Keith

This Jewish God of over 5500+ years and his alleged son of over 2000 years have completly different ways of dealing with humans and looking at the world today, and humans activities they have both totally failed. A coach with such a losing record would have been fired eons ago.

Is one of the Ten Mitzot is that “You shall not take HaShem’s name in vain”? That was gov. Palin was doing. I do not assosicate G-d with war. Therefore, she is committing a grave sin against the Torah.

I suggest you listen! She
says more in 10 minutes then Obama has said in 2 years.
The last time I check she backs Israel
the last time I check. She has her believe in god and you
have yours we are all trying to get to heaven and he is not
taking just Jews.
This country was founded on the faith of God Fearing men. There
is no separation of church and State. The only thing said is that
no governing body will dictate a religion like they did in England.

RABBI-READ THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL! If McCain gets in and he dies this lady will be PRESIDENT!!!!! The polls have them sneaking ahead!!!!
JEWS SHOULD BE FRIGHTENED OUT OF THEIR MINDS IF THEY GET IN!
We live in a country that SAYS one thing about religon or supports one thing about religon since I believe it is ACTUALLY NOT SPELLED OUT IN THE CONSTITUTION tho we think so-freedom of religon!
We have G-d all over the place on our money, in Congress as a paid clergy for them. It is in our anthem. If you, like ME believe in G-d we generally think little of it.
Most people in this country are Christian and believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and would think nothing if more religon creeps into our lives-just as long as it is THEIRS.
Look closely at what Palin believes in-particularly if McCain goes into a 2nd term with his health problems(forget his age> If they want HER they can want OTHERS LIKE HER.
YOUR ARE BEING FOOLISH to give her and those who support her a pass!
First it will be her, then more and more and more and then when the Jews say-we can always go live in Israel and Israel is strainging at their borders with people and say sorry but we can not put up anymore houses or appartment buildings and there JUST NO ROOM no matter how much we want you to be able to live here-THEN WHAT! What about those who could not afford to leave?
Nope sorry but Palin is just the tip of the ICEBURG and WE are the TITANIC
hugs
Laura

This is insane. Hirschfield, the reason why Palin should be frightening to anyone who does not fully believe in her faith is because she will use her faith in all of her decisions regarding this country. Prayer in schools is just the beginning. It’s the same way any pseudo-anything (in this case religious) country starts: lightly, in the schools.
Don, I know she has a lot to say, and I do like her attitude. Unfortunately, she has a lot to say about the wrong things. Her beliefs that, yes, are strong, are also SCARY. No anti-discrimination laws for homosexuals? No sex education? No equal pay for women? Teaching creationism in public schools outside of religion classes? This is the wrong path; it can only lead backwards. And, yes, Don, she has her religion as do we, and I do not have anything against her or her beliefs. What I have a problem with is her becoming vice president of my country. Her frightening beliefs are not things that I want to be ruled with.
As far as her being good to Israel, I would have to say that the slight chance that she might be good for Israel is not strong enough to cause me to forget all the wrong she will no doubt inflict. Seems someone forgot Obama is ALSO for Israel.
She seems to have a great appeal and a wonderful personality. I would not mind being friends with the woman. I WOULD NOT WANT HER IN CHARGE OF A COUNTRY.

Give me a break.
Palin is an ignoramus on foreign policy. She did not know the Bush Doctrine and when it was explained to her, she had no idea what it meant. The Bush Doctrine was dramatically displayed by Israel by its preemptive strike in 1967.
She hemmed and hawed about invading another country to go after terrorists. Obama said he would go into Pakistan uninvited and Bush is presently going to into Pakistan uninvited. We did not wait for the Taliban to invite us into Afghanistan. The woman is a moron in foreign policy. These are no recondite issues. She fails to comprehend the basics of her country’s foreign policy.
I thought Obama was a wussy willy nilly on foreign policy — kind of like a little girl’s pretend tea party where all her dollies speak politely to each other. I hope Obama is only shinning on the Far Left loons. But here is the Crucial Distinction: Palin does not understand her own Party’s foreign policy! That’s a moron!
One would not discuss Palin and Obama at the same time, except McCain is old and statistically, it is more probable that she will become President than Biden will.

Am I misinterpreting you or what? But you seem to be very anti-woman and particularly anti-Republican. I can see that you are a dyed in the wool Democrat. Have you bothered to research Joe Biden. To me he is a crackpot and has launched some very questionable legislation. Mellow out and give a woman a chance. After all, wasn’t Golda Mier a woman? She did a pretty good job of being the Israeli PM.

If I remember correctly, the Vice President never makes any decisions that the President does not allow him, or in this case, her to. And if McCain runs true to type, the only decisions she will be making will be what to wear to shopping center openings and state funerals of dictators that we don’t like.
Just because he threw the religious right a big bone does not necessarily mean he threw them the whole dog.

I don’t understand why all this attention is being focused on Sarah Palin? When the real issue should be the lack of experience that Obama brings to the table. Between the fact that he only has 143 days in the senate and the fact that he voted present in the majority of the issues that required a yes or no answer does nothing to instill confidence in me to lead our country. To believe that McCain won’t live out his term is a very negative thought. To the person who called Palin a moron I would say to him, how would you feel if someone called you that who disagreed with you???

J KRAVITS-the reasons we talk about Palin is that this person is the choice of someone who has a recurring cancer that each time it comes makes them closer to death and if she is VP then SHE gets to be President and we do not want that to happen if we are not Christian fundamentalists and want them getting more and more powerful.
Hugs
Laura

As a Jew who also happens to be a Republican I find your comments typical of the left…afraid that God may permeate our schools and
our minds. I have been asked by many of the Christian faith, close friends all, how a Jew, in all good conscience could vote for Obama. A man who has shown favoritism to the Palestinians not only causes me distress, he makes me fear for our people under an Obama presidencey. How can the brightest among us accept such a man. This is even discounting the fact that we in America will feel the weight of his tax tax policy’s. He comes to office with a resume so thin it is a wonder he was nominated for such a high office. Voting present in the Senate does not give me much confidence.

Sarah Palin is a good woman and very pretty too. A great mother and wife who upholds the Laws Of God – it’s not necessary for her to be an expert in foreign policy – Bush new nothing and still knows nothing about foreign policy, so, leave the woman alone and let her get on with what she’s destined to be and to do. I see Sarah as the next and the first woman President of the USA after McCain.
Keep it up Sarah and best of luck and God be with you – you’re doing a great job.

Palin has ignited the country with her exuberant approch to the political scene. She certainly has had at least the equivalent of Obama’s political experience and she is not running for president. McCain is in good health and has the background and experience that this country needs right now to serve as a conservative leader. As a registered Democrat who voted for Clinton in the primary, I have evaluated the situation and to my satisfaction have decided to cast my ballot for the McCain.

True BELIEVERS in GODS WORD show us anywhere that GOD stated it was alright for women to be the head of anything. We all know what trusting in Eve brought upon us.

I would like to comment.
But I do not fit your requirements for publication.
I read your articles anyway.
I have found that I can learn from those who do not agree with me.
I have lead men in combat.
AT the beginning to each attack, I asked for the guiding hand of God in that I will have to do in the comming effort.
IN this I am praying for the life of my men and myself.
If I am praying to a god who has other things to do than listen to me, when I am like the people in the Athens think tank — words.
Your writer says the Gov. Palin must have a moral obligation to be honest with us.
Is there a difference in Moral behavior and Faith behavior. If so, then my Rabbinical colleagues of past years of lead me astray in their teaching to me.
The comes down to John McCain, he –as I have — lead men in combat. In this you have to deceide which “hill” you are going to die on — as well as those whom you command.
In that death of leaders in a reality, you have to pick a second in command that is a leader who will place the lives the men/women in the command above there own.
He has done this in Gov. Palin — who by the way, commands the Alaskan military forces — a much larger commanmd that John McCain ever had.
Will you permit this to be printed?
Your choice, I make this as a practicioner of politics in the American since of that word.

How do you know she didn’t pray about that pipeline? Right. You don’t.
I am sick and tired of people complaining about how religion should have no influence on government. I don’t have to ask what is wrong with people who think this way. What is shocking to me is that the majority of people believe in God, and even many of these share the asinine idea of “separation of church and state,” which first of all, is NOT in our Constitution, and secondly–please think for a moment how utterly ridiculous it is to say in essence, “God, I know you are the Creator of all, but sorry, we don’t want your sound and good morals influencing how we conduct our affairs between nations…we can handle it by ourselves…we just want you to come crying to when things get out of hand, okay?” What an abominable attitude to have toward our loving God. You so-called believers out there who have tried to squelch the voice of God in government, shame on you! There is no area of our lives in which God should not have influence–including international affairs. This is a troubled world we live in. We need His help now more than ever.

Right Mary. Except when it comes down to it, we don’t worship the same god and I don’t want yours in my government.
How any Jew can be a Republican is beyond me. When I thought of voting for Reagan, my parents almost tossed me out of the house!

Obama as president will be a Jews worst nightmare as well as the rest of us U.S. citizens. I checked his voting record it is the worst I have ever seen. He will throw our Constitution in the gutter. John Mccain’s voting record is some what better. We do not have very good choices for president this time but McCain is the best of the bad choices we have.
Don’t knock Sara Palin she my be the best of the bunch. God has used women it the past there was Esther who God used to save the people of Israel. How do you know Sara is wrong about Gods will. She may very well be right. I for one believe it was Gods will for the U.S. military to go to the middle east. The pipeline spoken of may well be his will. I would rather some one believe in God than To be a Godless person. We need people in our political offices that believe in the God of the Tanakh [Bible]of Abraham and Jacob.
Carl E. Anglin

How any Jew can be a Democrat is beyond me. When I think of the pagans and those who work to do away with G_D in anyone’s life calling themself a Democrat. I have to ask myself why the party that accepts pagans and witches would be filled with G_D’s people.
Wasn’t it the conjuring of Samuel’s spirit by a witch that sealed Saul’s fate as king? If I have to choose the governors of nations, I would choose those that respect G_D and eschew his enemies. Jewish history is full of pagans leading the country and people away from G_D. Each time this happens we have been placed in bondage and taken from our homes. I do not wish to return to Babylon or Persia.
The point of this is solely to say, as a people we should ask who would seek the face of G_D in leading us all. I am happy that at least one of the nominees is brave enough to stand up for G_D.

I’m not Jewish. I’m sometimes not sure what religion I am at times although I was raised Christian and later converted to Catholicism, which today I am on sabbatical or hiatus. My quest in life is to have some general understanding and respect of and for all faiths and practices.
Like many in the political world, stating one’s religion has become some sort of password or code word, like a person is in some sort of cult or country club. Whether one believes in God or not becomes irrevelent if you are going to be a leader. One would hope that one would practice common sense in dealing with things of a political nature and realize that finding a common ground in most issues is more important than what your faith is. If your faith is strong there are some things that as a God fearing person one would come to the conclusion that not all answers are found in the Bible, Koran, or Bhagavad Gita but that the combined understanding of all will help a leader make informed decisions for the masses.
Sarah Palin is not a person I would be inclined to follow. The Bible has been interpeted by too many people of various relgious persuasions to follow any one group. The Bible or Torah of the Jews is in part used by the Christians calling themselves Jehovah’s Witness, and Christians have too many different domominations from Catholic to Protestant who claims they know the word. Yeah right…they might know ‘a’ word, but not ‘the’ word.
I would steer clear of any politician who wears their religion on their sleeves. Those persons are more like zealots who don’t even themselves understand what their religion is all about. They talk about the Muslims being very militant but don’t see that they are more like the Muslins than they realize.

The Republican Party is the Christian Party, for the benefit of Christians (especially conservative Christians) and Christians only.
They talk a good line about being pro-Israel but (1) they only want all the Jews to gather in Israel so that Jesus will come back, and then we get slaughtered anyway and (2) I’m an American and I want to feel safe in the United States. And I can never feel safe in a Christian theocracy. It did not work out too well in Europe and that’s why we left – to come to the U.S. and be safe.
The Republicans wan to put God here and God there. But guess what? It isn’t the Jewish god. It’s the Trinity. And for a Jew to be forced to bow to the trinity is to be forced to bow to an idol.*
This does not apply to gentiles. The Torah is very clear about how Jew Jews can’t worship God.

This is for you Scott R.
How you be a “liberal/or embrace liberalism” or be a democrat IS BEYOND belief! I have spoken to many Jews (mostly religious and some secular) since the beginning of 08 in during the primaries and they are APPALED that ANY JEW would support Obama!!!
Apparently, you really do not do your research! Why did cetain members of Obama’s team meet with the delegates of Syria in pressuring Isreael to return to the original borders?
I also remind you that “JIMMMMMMMY Carter” (worst president in modern times)You are apparently not old enough to remember long gas lines & high interst rates during the Carter administration, is an Obama adviser as well as quite a few anti-semites as advisors (try Wesley Clark as an example, Senator John Kerry,and others (too numerous to name here) remembver he has a staff of 900.
of so called “advisors)
My Parents (of blessed memory) survived the holocaust and one thing they taught me (the left are NO FRIENDS OF JEWS, THAT MEANS DEMOCRATES, LIBERALISM!!! As a final tidbit of history, Franklin Roosevelt (the president so many NY Jews AND OTHER LIBERALS JEWS who profess to “LOVE” Roosevelt, was the one president who would not allow a ship (many were survivors of camps and remember the movie “voyage of the dammed?) dock in the NY Port and the ship was forced to turn around and go back to Germany (many Jews perished (by jumping off the ship) and the rest is history. His wife however, was a of a different stripe (thank God)
Now I AM ASKING YOU, HOW IN THE HELL COULD ANY JEW BE A DEMOCRAT!!!!!???
Republican Jew and PROUD OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!
Careful Scott, YOUR LIBERALISIM IS SHOWING!!!
Sara R.
Sara

Scott,
First of all, if you are Jewish, then we do worship the same God–the God of Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob. If you’re not Jewish, well, then my point actually is that it doesn’t matter anyway, because like it or not, this country was founded upon Christian principles, and if our forefathers could cry out from the grave, they would, because we have gone so far away from morality and decency that it is heartbreaking. This whole world is so hedonistic that it makes God want to throw up–especially when it’s the Christians who sit on the fence and not only will not speak out for morality, decency, and truth–more importantly, when they don’t live it. This message is mostly, however, for Christians who have developed hard hearts and a liberal political perspective, and who no longer live in the light of the truth. I don’t expect anyone else to understand immediately what I say unless you are seeking the truth.
One thing is sure, however. God said, “When you seek me with all your heart, you will find me.” I dare all who read this to honestly seek God. If you don’t believe, don’t you think you better be finding out before it’s too late? I pray that God will bless each person who reads this, pour out His grace on you to truly believe, and may He always hold you in the palm of His hand.
One more thing for those who don’t believe: I would not recommend using hypocritical Christians as an excuse not to believe. Don’t worry; they will answer to God. But you, too, will answer to Him if you do not seek Him. We owe every breath to Him, and if you really knew how much He loves you, you would be overwhelmed with joy and hope.

MARRIEA-YOU ARE STILL A CHRISTIAn
you were brought up in one of the PROTESTANT FAITHS
AND THEN
you
converted
to another type of Christian
ROMAN CATHOLIC
please if you write on here and say a religon is yours please please get it CORRECT you are Christian-one who believes in the Christ called Jesus which is both part of the Prtoestant and Roman Catholic and all the other kinds of Catholic faiths WHICH ARE ALL PART OF CHRISTIANITY.
AHHHHHHHHHH

Sara,
I was being sarcastic. You out-an-out mocked me. Did you get that from Torah? I seriously doubt it. Just a little reminder that publicly demeaning a fellow Jew violates halacha and is considered by many of our sages as being tantamount to murder. Nice job. Ein shander fer der goyim.
And please do not throw the Holocaust in my face. Almost my entire family died in German gas chambers. Yeah, I’m old enough to remember Carter.
You want to throw your lot with the Christian Party, well Merry Christmas to you.

One more thing…it is time to stope placing the blame on true Christians for all that happened in Europe to the Jews. True Christians love the Jewish people. True Christians love–period! The New Testament teaches that our love is how we will be known. The Crusaders, Hitler, Stalin, Nazis, etc…were NOT Christians just because they wore a cross or claimed they were “Christian.” However, I acknowledge what the New Testament does say with regard to the Cross being a difficult matter for the Jews to accept. Please note also, that some “true Christians” were slaughtered for trying to protect Jewish people. Finally, please know that Jesus Christ would NEVER have sanctioned the slaughtering of millions of Jewish people or even more millions who were not Jewish.
My God, people! Open your eyes. Are you forgetting that Jesus Himself was a Jew?

I am not Jewish but Sarah Palin scrares me and just thinking of the possibility of her sitting in the Oval office, gives me night mares.
I also don’t trust a politician who whares their religion on their
sleeve or talks like they are a prophet or a prophetess.
By the way Roman Catholics are Christians, so if you converted to catholicism you just joined a different type of Christianity.

And I am very proud to be a liberal. Because I care about individuals and civil liberties, not corporations and other big business. The Republican Party hasn’t lifted a finger for civil rights since Lincoln.
How you can say of your parents “one thing they taught me (the left are NO FRIENDS OF JEWS, THAT MEANS DEMOCRATES, LIBERALISM!!!” when it was the worst right wing assault on humanity that ever happened that put them in the camps.
I don’t believe you.

Mary, that is a cop-out. Or there has never been a true Xian prior to 1945. Where were all the true Xians during the war? If there were any, millions would have been saved. But apparently, there were only a few, because not very many were saved.
I don’t care if Jesus was a Jew. His followers have been torturing us for millenia. The NT essentially declares open season on Jews with Johanine curses and Matthew 27.

GOD USES prophets; in the present & future,as well as the past. Iurge every human to fast ,pray & obey in order to hear from God as God intended from the beginning before humans chose by their own free will to seperate from conversing & having a relationship w/ God !

In Matt. 27, it talks about the crusifiction of Christ. Just like the fact that the whites today had nothing to do with the blacks’ ANCESTORS’ slavery, the Jews of today had nothing to do with the crusifiction of Christ…no more so than any of us who blindly sin, day after day.

The Old Testament is full of prophets who told national leaders and Kings the will of G-d. Many times they did not listen and ended up spend years in exile and pain. And when they did listen G-d blessed the nation. G-d has and continues to speak very clearly to us and he doesn’t mince words. It was the Prophet Samuel who told King Saul how to function and when he did not listen his kingdom was taken from him. That same prophet called out King David’s sin. This is nothing new. If Palin and Obama prayed for guidance and G-d gave it to them and they followed it… wonderful.
Please give us leaders who seek the will and guidance of the Almighty. Give us a Moses who knew G-d as a friend. Give us a Joshua who sought G-d’s presence and conquered land where giants and idol worshippers lived. I do not believe there was anything sufficiently vague and mutually agreeable about many of their decisions and most in their camps did not agree with their decisions even though they were the right ones. These are tough times and we need leaders who will stand up to nations whose leaders are harming or threatening harm on other nations. I think there are issues we need to get really upset about. We need people who will seek G-d and lead by his direction. He has never failed us.

Cindy,
Unfortunately, up until the last century, many, many churches and many, many theologians, and many, many of the common people believed otherwise. Which is why Jews had to hide in their homes on Good Friday.
How many do you think still believe that today? I don’t think there’s been long enough of a basis for trust between Jews and Christians for us to believe that your belief holds (not that Jews had more than the slightest responsibility for his death anyhow).

The scary ones are the more complex of the four. Sarah Palin is not a complex person. John McCain is not a complex person. We need to worry about the team that flops on issues and cannot talk a straight talk without the help of a prepared, rehearsed speech. Palin and McCain do not worry me. They are forthright and generally down to earth. The other team are not to be trusted. They are the ones to be scared of. Especially for us Jews. Mark my words.

Talk about being brainwashed.

What I find MORE troubling & NOT covered more are the videos of Gov. Palin stating that “The Jewish people are going to Hell for not believing in Jesus” ALSO: “The reason Israel is under attacks by terrorists is that they won’t accept Jesus as their Lord & Saviour.”!! G-d has a Covenent with the Jewish People & I doubt G-d breaks His word. Jesus Christ died a Jew & if it’s good enough for Him, it’s good enough for other Jews.

G-d has obviously chosen Sarah to deliver us from evil and not to lead us into temptation. We need FAITH in G-d’s wisdom. G-d is speaking to us thru Sister Sarah and He is telling us have FAITH.
Ours is not to reason why, but like Daniel, we can see the holy handwriting on the wall. If G-d had wanted us to use reason instead of FAITH, He would have sent a leader who wasn’t a total ignoramus who doesn’t even know her own Party’s foreign policy. She’s lucky Charlie Gibson did not give her a map to see if she even knows where Iraq is located.
Thus, G-d is clearly telling us FAITH is all you need.

I live in Alaska not too far from Sarah Palin’s home. Plus I have talked with people who grew up with her and live closer to her. It is not just her religious attitudes that are scary. This woman’s character is also less than admirable. People who live in her area who own businesses or have something to lose dare not speak out against her in public because of what she would do against them. ie get them fired like the museum director. She doesn’t allow for criticism of herself and sees it as being disloyal. Anyone who holds any kind of public position goes in knowing they will be scrutinized and they accept that or they don’t place themselves in the public eye. Sarah sees herself as being above criticism as somewhat being a saviour if you will. Yes she stood up against of few good old boys, but that was after a democrat pointed out the unethical activity that was going on. She jumped on the bandwagon and ran with it as her own. She is self seeking and self righteous. But what kind of pressure did they put on the young people of their daughter, Bristol and the father of her child. That young man has quit high school. What kind of famial support is that? What kind of future will that couple have? Is G d going to provide for their needs? I don’t think so. Sarah with her huge house could have allowed both young people to stay there until they finished high school at the very least. Then assisted them into continuing their education to provide for a promising future. But it sounds to me like the children are left to pay for their mistake in a way that doesn’t bode well for them or the Palin’s first grandchild. Apparently she is a Pitbull with lipstick, but even in the animal kingdom they take care of their young to assure they will survive. Sarah is more like the good old boys than she claims for she speaks out of both sides of her mouth at the same time. Ah yes what we called the stereo generation.

Gov. Palin for VP? JUST SAY NO! None of us can afford to let this person anywhere near the whitehouse. As much as I hate the thought of descriminating against someone based on their religious convictions, I think that in this case, we have to. They actually believe our country was founded as a fundamentalist christian theocracy and they’re fighting mad that it isn’t that way today. They can think it with such confidence only beacuse they are sooo anti-education most never finished high school and they don’t let their children here go to school at all! They do, however let the kids go hunting for jesus and watch wrestling for jesus. If you don’t want our whole country to be that way tommorow then I would suggest we do something about it QUICK!
It seems to have gotten too easy for the Jewish community to think of fundamentslist christians as a charming, harmless little cult who “means well”. That’s because most of you have never had to live around them or learned much about what they think. PLEASE LISTEN. I live in a small town in the rural South where most folks get misty-eyed and praise jesus when they see a picture or hear the voice of our current president. Now they’re already saying Palin is on a mission from G-d to save His country, just like Moses!
Trust me. There is nothing harmless or charming about these people. They leave pamphlets on my porch telling me I’m going to burn in a fiery pit condemned to eternal damnation (as if life isn’t hard enough!- G-d hates me for oh so many reasons he’s just chomping at the bit to torture me and my family for eternity…) They send little middle school aged boys to knock on my door and tell my 50+ year old husband he’s going to hell if he doesn’t accept JC as his personal lord and savior. They don’t even teach these kids to respect their elders. In, fact, they teach them NOT TO because any elders who aren’t one of them are evildoers! I’m not kidding. It’s sickening.
For the record, I don’t think neoconservative Jews are blameless in this matter either. You know who you are. You helped this happen. And when we’re saluting prophetess Palin as our commander in chief it’s going to be a little late to say “well, gee, I didn’t know…” Some of us have been trying to tell you but you wouldn’t listen. Can I count on you to lend me the money when we have to flee to Isael?
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t vote for these people. We have enough problems to solve in this country without having to work within the limitations of their “inspirations” of NT theology.

Leah,
If you truly hated discriminating against people based on religious convictions, you wouldn’t. But even worse, you are prejudiced, because you, like many others, judge a group based on the actions of a few. Surely you wouldn’t want to be judged because of some criminal or otherwise questionable character who happened to be a Jew, would you?
It is obvious you missed something in elementary history class…this nation was founded upon Christian principles, like it or not.
To call fundamentalist Christians “uneducated” is not only discriminatory, it is utterly false.
It’s a little silly to speak of Christians not sending their children to school. Surely you are not suggesting Christians are the only people ever to have done this? But if you’re referring to the thousands all over the world who are home-schooled, those are not just Christians families choosing that option. Home schooled children have been shown to score higher on achievement tests than public school children.
Obviously, you have had some bad experiences with people calling themselves Christians. Just don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
As I have stated before, true Christianity will demonstrate love to others. The Bible states also that not everyone crying, “Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of Heaven”…in other words, it is not just what we say that matters. It is what we do–how we live. That said, don’t expect Christians to be perfect, because no one is. BUT…true Christians will admit when they fail–they will have the humility that King David did when he screwed up royally…he admitted to God and others his sin, and then went on with life. His saving grace was that he trusted in the mercy of God. That doesn’t seem fair to some people, I’ve heard…and yet if not for the mercy of God, this planet would be uninhabited…
Finally, I say all this NOT to excuse people who call themselves Christians. I am just saying, don’t discriminate. It is not honest.
And regarding Sarah Palin, I do believe she is real, she is educated and honest, and she has true leadership qualities. She is not perfect, and you may find some minor skeletons in her closet, who knows–but no more than in everyone else’s closets. At least if she were questioned about them, she would be upfront, humble, and honest about it. If you want to know the truth about these people, you should listen to their speeches and look at their records and not at what someone else said who has obvious biases. I have listened to and still listen to all of the candidates. I do see a media bias on certain networks, and unfortunately, I realize it makes it difficult for some people to find the truth. I think that is all the more reason to pray for wisdom.

Mary,
Whatever you want to believe – and this nation was founded by some people who were Christian – this is still is a secular nation that is supposed to be welcoming to people of all faiths, or none. This is a secular country, and if it is not, Jews and others will have to leave, because we have never been left in peace in Christian nations.
I don not buy your “not real Christian” argument. That is a cop out. Why do Christians – at least conservative ones – never allow that bad eggs among them could be Christians? Jews are forced to take the fall for every bad thing any Jew ever did (crucifixion anyone). But no Christian has ever sinned. Give me a break.
I think Palin is a clueless but very dangerous person who would send us to war with Russia (and nuclear holocaust) just to prove a point. She also consorts with Jews for Jesus and applaud when they say God sent the Holocaust and terrorism on Jews for not becoming Christian. Uh uh, not with my vote! And if she does win, my family is seriously thinking of leaving this country and going to Israel.

Unfortunately, Sarah Palin is just a symbol for so many Gentiles who do not understand where they got their Theology from in the first place. They tend to look down on the Jews as being sinful and not redemptive because they do not accept Jesus as their Savior. That Theological view comes from not being educated in either history or the Bible – the Torah or Pentateuch through the New Testament.
As a matter of fact, Jesus never told anyone that he was their Savior, and that he had come to be crucified for them – that is Paulinist in view. They teach Paul and talk about Jesus. They take Paul’s extreme way of dealing with people and assign that to God; meanwhile, God is Love, which shows up as Universal Oneness, Peace, Kindness, Under-standing, Patience, joy, happiness, etc…. I can see none of that in a tirade against a certain Sect of people.
I sent an e-mail to Sarah Palin’s minister in Alaska, and implored him to study the Bible from a non-sectarian school or seminary. I further suggested that he ought to be ashamed to publicly say some of the things he did on television, or allowed to be videotaped.
I have a Sister-in-Law who is a member of the Church of Christ whose views about the Bible being Jesus’ (whom she calls Christ)direction for all of us to follow so we won’t go to hell. Pitiful! When I suggested that the Catholic Church gave us that state of consciousness as a factual place, and heaven correspondingly, she said she has to go by the King James Version of the Bible – the authorized Bible. I ask for the Lord to have mercy upon that sort of thinking.

Scott,
No, it’s not a cop-out. Your brand of logic is full of holes, and you know it. Still, I can’t tell you where the Christians were during the war. I think most people, at least in this country, did not know until after the fact, what was going on. Some who did, maybe felt powerless as to what to do. Those who did know and had the power to do something, well, they will have to answer for it, if not in this world, in the world to come.
Of course, it was an unspeakable evil–the millions, wrongly executed, but not all Jews, I need remind you. I am old enough only to have read it in history books and other books as well.
You are mistaken when you state that Jesus’ followers have tormented the Jews for a millenia. Either you have not read the NT or at least not closely enough, which I do understand. But I challenge you to read it, and ask God to open your eyes.
Lastly, please forgive all the ignorant and/or evil people in this world–not as a favor to them–do it for yourself.

Mary,
Your brand of logic is full of holes, and you know it.
How DARE you suggest to my that I “know” my logic is full of holes. Get out of my head lady – that is highly presumptuous.
You are mistaken when you state that Jesus’ followers have tormented the Jews for a millenia.
I have read the history books. Have you?
Either you have not read the NT or at least not closely enough, which I do understand. But I challenge you to read it, and ask God to open your eyes.
Well, there we have it – the typical conservative Christian fall back – trying to convert the poor, ignorant Jews by telling them to pray over the NT.
Guess what? I read it many times. I even tried Christianity for a while. And I totally rejected its message and its founder.
You I will not be talking to again. Your words start sweetly and become offensive very rapidly.

Dear S.H.K.
You are mistaken on three counts: 1) the God of 5500+ years and Jesus are one; there was the old covenant, i.e., the law, which God presented to show man that it was impossible to keep without the new covenant, which was grace; God did not change, He just revealed the Truth in separate stages. 2) God has not failed, because He is love, and love never fails. We have failed, but God is our strength, if we allow Him into our lives. 3) Life is NOT a game, and I would think twice about trying to fire God.

the God of 5500+ years and Jesus are one; there was the old covenant, i.e., the law, which God presented to show man that it was impossible to keep without the new covenant, which was grace
Oh my, some of you believe in such a sadistic, evil god.
He gives the law that he knows we can’t keep to tease us for, what, 2000 years? What kind of a nightmare god is that?
Do you even understand how offensive that is, that you say god gave us our holiest books as a joke?!
Damn, Jews have to learn sooner or later, hopefully sooner, that evangelical/fundamentalist/conservative Christians hold us in such scorn. You are not our friends, and if we deceive ourselves into thinking you are we are insane.

Mary K
We know she did it because of VIDEOS taken in her Church & other places that show her real self when “no one is looking”.
I do care that she keeps outright lying:
The “Bridge to Nowhere” that she WAS for, before the Congress said “No”, then she was against it. Sen. McCain blamed that bridge earmark for the collapse of the one in MN!
The Chef she “fired” but really just changed her titles as she continued cooking.
The airplane “she sold on EBay for a profit” that really was sold for a loss & had been used to transport prisoners to other States also.
he 1100 emails she refused to release because of “Executive Privilage” ( SOUND FAMILIAR?? ) even though she sent copies to a civilian (her husband).
The list goes on.
Sen. McCain on the other hand has REPEATEDLY voted AGAINST women’s issues including equal pay for equal work & most vile, AGAINST any increased VETERAN’S BENEFITS (which he still collects). He said “It will incourage people to leave the Military” Re: the last vote on giving the same benefits as GI bill (which passed with 75 votes in Senate including many Republicans). He didn’t even come to vote.
He has more Lobbyists on his campaign, while stating against them.
He attacks Obama’s ambition while in his book & on audiotape (in his own voice) says that he wants to be President solely for his own “ambition”.
It is long documented & stated By Pres. Bush & other religious fanatic Christians (NOT ALL, NOT EVEN THE MAJORITY, just the most vocal) that the only reason they want Israel intact is for “The Rapture” to take place.
It is NOT a Christian Country, it IS OUR COUNTRY, based on the principle’s of Religious Freedom (after what they saw in Europe, etc.) even though not explicitly spelled out, except in the Jefferson Papers.
It is what Pres. Harry Truman said:
“How many times do you have to be hit in the head before you realize who’s holding the Hammer?”
You don’t keep going down the same path expecting different results.
Think & check things on on a non-partisan site, for ALL OUR SAKES & THE USA we grew up in. PLEASE, it’s important to OUR survival, as a Country & MANY PEOPLES.
Don’t buy the lie!!!!!

Scott,
I am surprised by your rage. I didn’t, and still dont, feel any such thing toward you. I guess one difficulty in communicating by word only without the nuances of face to face nonverbal communication, one can miss a lot. I think if we were in the same room, you could not help but like me, because you would know without a doubt that I care about you. I believe people’s lives cross for a reason. I never once thought of you as ignorant, and I never said you were going to Hell like I hear some “Christians” say about any number of groups. I only asked you to read and pray. So can you just pray with an open heart? Ask God if He would help you know Him better? I do not expect to convert you. I just want you to open your heart and mind.
Christianity is not something we “try.” Faith is not science. Your defensiveness tells me how unsure you are, and your bitterness slices the page. I don’t say that in judgment; I just understand that when people react this way, they are afraid. Just what are you afraid of? That down deep, you will never know for sure what the Truth is? Are you angry with God (and feel guilty for being angry with Him) because of something that has happened in your life that you do not understand? God promised (even in the Old Testament) that when we seek Him with all ours heart we will find Him. Surely there is nothing threatening about that. I question your knowledge of God, because I do not sense His love in you. If you knew how much He loves you, you wouldn’t be lashing out at me. I am sorry I offended you. That was not my intention at all. I think all of us are at different levels in our knowledge of God–but let me quickly add, that there are many facets of faith and many levels in every facet, so I’m not lifting myself above you like I would expect to you think I am, based on your previous reactions. I will be always be learning more–until my dying breath. I pray that is your goal, too. If so, that contents me.

Scott,
You put words in my mouth. I would never say or think that God is sadistic or evil.
What I am about to say, I understand, because I studied the Old Testament in college before proceeding on to receive a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Now I am in an MFA in Writing program (poetry).
God gave the Law. For a time, sins could only be blotted out by the blood of various animals, lambs, goats, doves, etc…depending upon the sin or the occasion. So there was no “teasing,” as you charged, involved. There was a way to be cleansed from sin back then, but the problem was, sacrifices had to be offered over and over and over again…that is, until the Messiah, the Lamb of God, would come and offer Himself up as the perfect sacrifice, the atonement for sin once and for all. Christians believe, of course, that Jesus was the one spoken of by the prophets to fulfill the Law. This is merely an explanation of the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant, not intended to try to convince anyone of anything.

Mary,
Well, I studied the Tanakh (“Old Testament”) in the language gave it in and meant for us to study it in. There is only one God and he is our savior. He is not a man. There is no trinity. There is no human manifestation of God.
If you want us to feel that we are your equals, then you will not talk down about our beliefs. You will not tell us our religion is outdated. You will not tell us our Law was a prequel for your bible.
This is if you want us as your friends.
Of course you are free to speak any way you like. But please understand that the way you spoke before was very pejorative towards Judaism and I can not speak further if you want to describe us in that manner.

Sheesh, Scott R!!!!!!!!
Take a big deep breath and “let it go”, mate.
Have a rest from all the aggro you are experiencing here.
Turn it into compassion and healing instead.
We will all know what G-d has in store for the world after the election results become known in November.

Scott,
I did not put down Judaism, nor would I, because Christianity could not exist without it. It has been you who has spoken pejoratively, however, toward me personally and toward Christianity in general. I understand why you did, but at the same time, it is unjust to judge all Christians by those who merely go by that name. I will not align myself with those who are merely nominal Christians.
As for those who speak harshly against the Jewish people, I pray they make public apologies. Let’s hope the comments people have made especially in the public arena, were taken out of context and not their true sentiments. The truth will surface, I am certain.
I probably won’t check this site for a long time. I am facing a writing deadline in my program. Anyway, God bless you. Please know that I was not trying to hurt or offend the Jewish people. You would know that well if you got to know me better than on this space.

Sara R
“I also remind you “SIR” that “JIMMMMMMMY Carter” (worst president in modern times)You are apparently not old enough to remember long gas lines & high interst rates during the Carter administration”
The gas lines were a product of Oil Co. manipulation. I WAS there (62 years old) & it disappeared after the oil ships were found circling off of New Jersey. I was in the lines where odd & even number plates were only allowed to get in line if less than 1/2 full, fights, people shot, hm sound familiar?? There are no lines now as this is also contrived; the extraordinary profits have not been used to build a single refinery. The same guy Gramm, who helped create this gas mess by “The Enron Loophole” is McCain’s Financial advisor (semi-unofficially). His head of Transition is a huge Oil Lobbyist.
As to Pres. Carter (I’m NOT a big fan BTW) was handed a deficit that exploded under Reagan. He should, however be given his due on ENERGY REFORM. He had solar panels on the White House roof to provide power & allotted $15 Billion for ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES!! Of course Pres. Reagan immediately took down the panels & revoked the research;
If allowed to have continued under Carter’s Energy program, we wouldn’t be where we are now!! Our National Deficit was accumulated over 75% under Persidents Reagan, & the two bushes!! NOT the Dem’s. Please look at what people DO, NOT what they SAY, on BOTH sides. They all are supposed to represent US, & The Constitution.
Sen. (Hot Temper, as he’s known in the Senate by all) McCain has sold his soul to be President. When he stopped criticizing GW for attacking Sen. Kerry the way GW did McCain (remember the attacks on his war record & the “illegitimate Black Baby in the Rep. Primary’s??) & was shown the next day w his arm around GW 4 years ago & stopped calling for an end to the ads, I told my wife that he would & has become the next Rep. candidate.
You don’t keep doing the same thing & expect different results – the definition of insanity. Please don’t buy the fear (NOTICE NO MORE RED OR ORANGE ALERTS AFTER THE 2004 ELECTION – 2ND one stolen BTW, check it out; now proven & documented).
Stop believing the false attack ads by McCain & drafted by Rove. Sen. McCain wants to have Dick Chaney on his Cabinet, I heard him say he’d be delighted to have him. We’ve already had one (in my & a lot of opinions “The Worst Pres., ever, not Carter) Christian Zealot who hears G-d talk to him & tell him to invade Iraq, to be President & look how well that turned out.
ENOUGH already, let’s take OUR COUNTRY BACK to ALL the People!!!
G-d Bless America & keep her safe from Theocracy & Facism (according to Mussolini should have been called “Corporatism”).
I don’t know when good Christians will realize that they get appealed to every 4 years, with NOTHING delivered between elections.
ENOUGH, THINK FOR YOURSELF!! Rep’s who profess to be against Socialism; instead they PRIVATIZE PROFITS & SOCIALIZE LOSSES, we, the taxpayers, pay for Bear-Stearns, Mac, May, etc. Our Children & Grandchildren will be paying for these debts for a long, long time!!
We, as has been said many times, borrow $2-3 Million/day from China to buy oil from Arabs, neither our friends.
ENOUGH!! PRAY, PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS, WE NEED G-D’S HELP to get back the America I grew up in. Ike, Kennedy & yes Nixon, did what they thought best for the COUNTRY, NOT THE CORPORATIONS!! or their pocketbooks.

Dr. D.R.,
Is there truly such a thing as a nonpartisan? No matter how hard we may think we try, we have personal opinions, and it is almost impossible not to let those leanings color what is spoken/written.
The videos…I have seen a few excerpts on CNN. But I did not see or hear what you described. I do know that taking things out of context can really distort a message drastically, so I can’t make a judgment until I see/hear it myself.
Bills/voting records…I do know that sometimes our lawmakers will not sign a bill because of something attached to it, so sometimes how one votes doesn’t tell the whole story, and without the whole story, there is no truth. We need not to judge so quickly and/or without all the facts.
Your comment regarding keeping Israel intact was for the “Rapture”–I have never heard that reason given. In fact, I find that notion almost comical, because what I can tell you is that anything that God orchestrates, no man can stop.
Finally, this country began as a Christian nation. Sadly, we have become a shameful and hedonistic nation by allowing the senseless murder of many more babies (39,000,000+ in 35 yrs. since Roe vs. Wade) than the number of persons who were executed in the Holocaust. That is incomprehensible. Our lawyers and judges have perverted justice in ridiculous lawsuits and judgments. We have allowed homosexuality to infect every aspect of our culture from marriage, to art, and yes, even religion, rather than help heal these people. Too many parents don’t discipline their children and teach them responsibility, honesty, or morality. The Ten Commandments were the model for stability
in this life. To turn from these precepts, invites chaos. No wonder everything is such a mess. If ever we needed God’s help, it is now.
Finally, we all need to pray for the Truth to be revealed–especially in the coming election.
God bless you all. I believe you all care, or you wouldn’t be here.

Do not – do NOT – use the murder of 12,000,000 living people to advance your agenda. Using the Holocaust for your Christian agenda is shameful. Our dead are not out there for you to use. Do not think for one second that you have the right to use the memory of my dead family to rail against Roe v. Wade – or anything else.
Shame on you. Shame on you! This from people that probably wouldn’t have lifted a finger to allow Jewish refugees into this country (yes, American Christians campaigned vigorously to keep us out when we were trying to escape Europe, and they succeeded, and we died.)
The rest of your post is just so against Jewish values, I can’t even begin to start. And so I won’t. I would feel safer among the gay people you screech against.

B”H
Regarding the abortion/Holocaust issue: Let’s not mix two issues that are unrelated except for the destruction of human life. Torah and Jewish Law states they are forbidden for both Jews and non-Jews, with certain exceptions. The destruction of a human fetus is a tragedy and travesty against People being created in the image of G-d.
Furthermore, our Founding Fathers clearly based this country’s moral and legal standards on Biblical foundations, NOT liberal/hedonistic ideas. What they aimed for was SEPARATION of Church and State, NOT ELIMINATION of religion!! It meant that no government can force individuals to convert or follow one single religion.
What bothers me is that with the removal of G-d from our national identity, the moral standards of the country have DECLINED, which is the beginning of the end for our civiliation! Our Jewish Sages of blessed memory have pointed out the irreparable damage to society when forbidden behavior becomes the norm, e.g. male homosexuality, abortion, adultery, pornography. Life has become cheap for all of us.
I am glad that Ms. Palin mentions G-d in her comments, and I hope she continues to do so!!
If my Christian neighbors hold fast to their moral standards and their Faith, I APPLAUD AND ENCOURAGE THAT, as long as it doesn’t lead to persecution of Jews. And if we Jews would only return to the Torah and its values, we wouldn’t need to worry about politics and anti-Semitism, since the past 2,000 years of horrible, unspeakable suffering have paved the way for Moshiach to finally come and take us out of exile and lead us upright to our Land.
And for my fellow Jews, keep in mind that Obama’s goal of the division of Jerusalem will mean the conversion of Jewish holy sites (think the Kotel, Kever Rochel, etc.) back into LATRINES by the Arab regimes that did exactly this before 1967!!!!!!! And it goes without saying that Jews will be forbidden to visit our Holy Sites under Arab rule.
G-D FORBID THE ABOVE!!!
Joe

Scott,
We shall always keep their memory alive. Equating them with fertilized eggs, just like the hundreds that have passed through my body via natural menstruation IS viewed as a monstrous attitude by more moderate christians.
The main reason why the fundamentalists who make such statements don’t feel shame is because they deeply and sincerely believe that their opinions come directly from a personal communition with their g-d. Any shred of contrary information is, therefore, sinful.
One predicable of result creating a g-d in your own image is that the g-d always agrees with you.
Of course it’s an extreme departure from Torah, but they can’t see that anymore than we can “open our eyes” and see “the truth” that JC is our messiah : )

joe,
There’s a book I’m looking forward to reading, called “New Jews”, and the premise is that we, the Modern jews have gotten to the point that we have stopped seeing ourselves in exile. I happen to agree with that. Why should I want to go to Israel and be subordinate to the religious authority, where there is no difference between religion and the State. where the Haredi and Ultra Orthodox dictate policy to to the Masses, from Birth to marriages even to Death. Why do think many Israelis go to Cyprus to get Married?
As far as Sarah Palin goes, I think its good as a woman she has a chance, but I find many of her positions troubling, from Abortion to Sex Ed. Sarah palin would ban abortion in ALL cases. Jewish law at least gives some exceptions when its allowed.
As far as the poster when who did not give his name and said the foul things about homosexuality. As an OPENLY GAY JEW, it took me a Long time to come to the point where i accepted that G-d does not act without a reason, and I am not an aberration. I am a fairly successful person. I own my own home(ok, I have a mortgage), I pay Taxes, and otherwise am a good person. I fail to see why who I am attracted to should affect you, or anyone else. I can tell you that my Ex an I were together initially when his Niece was growing up, and she accepted that you did not see one of us without the other. We showed anyone that knew us that we were like anyone else, we put our pants on one leg at a time, lived, loved, bled, and cried. To quote Shakespeare’s Character of Shylock:”If you Prick us do we not bleed, if you tickle us do we not laugh, and if you poison us do we not Die?” I thionk that both Joe and the other person need to get out and meet real people, as “homosexuals”, we are never going back in the closet. we’re here, we’re Queer and we’re staying!

The Founding Fathers distinguished between the ethical values of religious traditions, where religious virtues were a matter of good conduct and good deeds with “only a vague background of Faith” from religious dogma, which they knew to be destructive to civil society. Once in a while religious dogma crossed the line into public policy such as with Prohibition. Prohibition violated the prior religious ethic that we allow to others the liberties which we take for ourselves.
While some religions abstained from alcohol, others had alcohol incorporated into their lives, e.g. Jews and Roman Catholics. Although public drunkenness was unlawful, each person was allowed the right to decide for himself the extent to which he used alcohol. In complete disregard for the rights of other religious traditions, those who had a religious dogma of abstinence imposed their religious dogma on the entire nation. We still suffer the social evils from Prohibition due to its launching of organized crime. (Also the perpetuation of the prohibition on drugs is the Mafia Full Employment Act, but religious dogmatists make it politically untenable to formulate a rational policy. In addition the mob is violently opposed to repeal of the drug laws.)
Today religious dogma has shoved traditional American religious ethics off the stage. People like Karl Rove, George W. Bush, and now John McCain base political campaigns upon a far right wing religious dogma which supplants the nature of religious ethic which previously bound the country together. Rather than allow to individuals the liberty to make personal choices, the far right insists that its religious dogma become the public law.
They push for teaching of the religious myth of Creationism (renamed Intelligent Design) in school.
They prevent Americans who do not satisfy their idea of religious sexual purity from serving in the Armed Force. The Republican would repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in favor of an absolute prohibition on Gay Americans being allowed to serve their country. They force the military to devote millions of dollars and untold man hours to hunting down and kick out of the military services loyal Americans who have admirably served their county. This religious bigotry marches on with no regard for military preparedness in the time of war.
They want to overturn Roe v Wade in order to impose their extreme religious dogma on abortion on all Americans.
They demand that sexual abstinence by taught as the sole means of birth control. Their extremism in promoting this religious dogma has extended to other countries by insisting that they adopt this religious dogma in order to receive American aid.
Although many American religions permit Gay Marriage, the religious dogmatists insist that their narrow-minded religious dogma be the law of the land. They are unwilling to allow Jews, Christians and secularists to decide for themselves whether Gays may marry within their religious tradition. No one forces any one in Palin’s family to marry a Gay person, but that does not stop the Republicans from interfering with the religious freedom of millions of other Americans who do adhere to the same religious bigotry.
When we hear ignorant people like Sarah Palin say that if “under G-d” in the pledge of allegiance was good enough for the Founding Fathers, it is good enough for her, we should recoil in horror. Not only did the pledge not exist until the late 1880′s, the “under G-d”part was added in 1954. Thus, the founding fathers knew nothing about it. Furthermore, when the founding father referred to “Creator” “Divine Providence, G-d,” they were not endorsing the religious dogmatism of Sarah Palin. They collectively hated religious dogma so greatly that the First Amendment created the Separation of Church and State to keep the pernicious evils of religious dogma out of public discourse.
Of course, the Democrats are incompetent to bring the country back into line as they are captive of a similarly ignorant and anti-American world view based upon a perverse view of extreme egalitarianism. Ironically Michelle Obama’s convention speech eradicated Equality as a civic virtue in favor of Liberty. I had thought Michelle Obama was an “angry Black Victimologist,” only to hear a speech that rested solely upon the bedrock American value of Liberty. She excised all traces of group rights and her speech placed the Democrats back into the mainstream of American political thought which has room for religious ethics but no place for religious dogma. It appears that her husband and none of the other Democrats were listening to Michelle Obama.

Really, Joe? Really? My family came here in 1603 TO ESCAPE FROM CHRISTIANS!!! The families they lived and worked with certainly were *NOT* fundamentalist christians. They were escaping persecution in christian Europe because they were not “good enough” christians AND they didn’t want to have to be.
Enough with the revisionist history. My family wrote volumes of history books over the centuries. I happen to know a bit about the subject. Don’t you realize this was the first and only place that Jews could be complete citizens for the 200 years prior to Napoleon?
It’s very offensive to me that you would help perpetuate the big lie that America was founded as a christian country. You dishonor all of the Jews, and by the way, secular French ancestors who really were here, tilling the soil, raising barns, building shops, writing laws, and protecting their families long before the revolution.

Mary K,
Your attitude shows why people should keep religious dogma out of civic life. It is divisive and stirs up animosity. I well understand Scott’s position and Scott is correct. You reveal a total ignorance of Jewish tradition. Your complete lack of awareness makes discussion in these limited spaces virtually impossible.
Very briefly, Christianity is not a continuation or fulfilment of Jewish tradition. While Christianity was initially a Jewish sect, by 328 C.E. it had become a mish-mosh of mid-eastern pagan myths, e.g. the Trinity, the Phoenix, the abandon of rule of law in fabor of salvation, blind Faith supplanted mitzvot, the Greek pesonifications of God’s family with the Father, Son and Mary (Christians never did know what to do with the Holy Ghost.)
Although the Christian worldview had become the antithesis of Jewish Tradition, Christians were tied to the Torah due to historical accident. As a political ploy, the Christians pretended that they fulfill Jewish tradition. Jews who know the difference between Jewish thought and Christian dogma are correctly offended by the obnoxious and arrogant disregard of Jewish tradition. Christians should revert to religious ethics, where they think what they want about religious dogmas in private but keep those opinions out of politics. We don’t force Christians to keep kosker, so right wing Christians should stop preventing Gay Jews from serving in the military. (They should also stop interfering in the lives of other Christians and Americans who have no religious affiliation)

First, for Troy, who does not believe women should lead: read Judges. Learn about Deborah the Prophetess and Judge, who was a great leader and rode into battle with the greatest warrior of the day…Barak.
As for Ms. Palin, I must say, I find her apalling. This woman advocates ariel hunting, where wolves are shot (during winter, when they have no hope of hiding) from low-flying planes. The poor animals are usually not killed with one clean shot and so run, terrified and bleeding, until the so-called hunters who are shooting them finally manage to finish the job. Why does she advocate this (and even suggested offering a bounty for each foreleg-something that I would think very offensive to Jewish law)? So they won’t eat too many of the Caribou that Ms. Palin and her friends want to hunt. I don’t know, I think the wolves should have first right, since they usually only manage to get the sick or weakened animals and generally take only what they need for food. If Palin needs food, she can always go to the grocery store.
I love the picture of her sitting on her couch by a poor,dead bear,(I am sure she had fun killing him all so she could have a neat decoration for her home) showing us her pretty legs. I love how she would refuse to allow students to learn about birth control (something most people will want to know about at some point even if they are abstinent until marriage). I wish people would realize that one cannot TEACH teenagers abstinence anyway, we can only encourage the values that lead to the behavior, hope that society backs us up, and hope that parents have laid the groundwork. Even if all this is in place (and it usually is not) sometimes it does not work.
No abortion even in the case of rape? Force a rape victim to carry a pregnancy to term? I cannot even imagine one woman forcing that on another.
I find Palin to be extremely cruel and would never vote for any ticket on which her name appeared. Too bad. I used to like John McCain.

I find Palin very scary. Either she is a religious fanatic or the most blatant hypocrite in modern history. In either case, that is far scarier than her manifest lack of qualifications for the VP role.
I am STILL waiting for some Christians to tell me exactly what it is they think is admirable in her. I see in her one of the many who cry “Lord! Lord!” meaninglessly. If you accept Jesus’ words that we are judged by the fruits of our lives, then her political fruits are lies, deceit, and corruption. Wow, what an exemplar of Christian virtue you people have found for yourselves.

I believe that the 3 major religions that believe in one God are falling short of the word of God.(myself included) The christian faith
of which I am apart of tends to lead their flock astray by pretending
that Jesus did not obey the old testament laws. Jesus himself states
that he came not to change one letter of the law but to preserve it.
My husband and I are kosher christians that follow the old testament and many of our family members that pretend to be christian think we are the crazy ones for obeying the laws God set forth. That to me is like any supposed child of God placing political belief, whether liberal or conservative, above what is clearly stated in the bible.
So before any of us condemn one another maybe we should ask ourselves
if we children of God who believe in one creator can’t understand each other then how can we began to understand God.

If you aren’t Jewish, there is no need to keep any of our Laws. You aren’t a part of this particular covenant.

They are not just your laws. They are the laws of life, they are my fathers laws and I know they are important to me and my husband if we are to be accepted into the book of life. We all must obey old testament law.

Then you must submit to a beit din and become a legitimate convert to Judaism. You cannot keep the laws of Judaism while observing another religion. It is a sin.

An yes, in fact, the Laws do belong to Jews alone.

Scott R. wrote: “Then you must submit to a beit din [Jewish court] and become a legitimate convert to Judaism. You cannot keep the laws of Judaism while observing another religion. It is a sin. An[d] yes, in fact, the Laws do belong to Jews alone.”
Since Christianity, Islam, Baha’ism, and other religions evolved from the same Jewish scriptures and laws, it will be very hard to say what is authentic Judaism and what is sinful imitation. Judaism today relies on interpretation of an ancient religion just as much as Christianity and Islam continue to reinterpret their history and bring it to life. None of us have the right to call ourselves “real” or “pure” Jews. (Yes, I am Jewish.) You can’t trace the intellectual property rights of ancient customs and ideas to anyone alive today. I don’t claim to own the Bible or the Biblical laws. If anyone owns them, and if there is a God, God owns them. Let other people not-eat-pork all they want if it makes them feel closer to God. Implying to a Christian that she ought to eat pork is just as rude and demeaning as the various attempts over the centuries to force Jews and Muslims to eat pork against their beliefs.

It’s not just some Jews who find her comments scary. Any sober minded Christian has good grounds to consider her comments scary, too. She sounds like she believes the Tribulation is near, and that Russia is going to be fighting on the side of the Anti-christ in Armageddon.
This should scare anyone! Especially since the entire belief in “The Tribulation” and “The Rapture” is based on such shaky exegesis.

To: Heretic for Christ, I’m a Christian and I have yet to find anything I admire about Gov. Sara Palin. Other than her giving an uproar to the McCain quiet campaign, (that’s the reason they picked her)she seems like a VIPER ready to attack. SsssssssssssT!

After this article on Sarah Palin, I ask to cease sending me your newletters. I find I am just not interested in your opinions anymore.

“After this article on Sarah Palin, I ask to cease sending me your newletters. I find I am just not interested in your opinions anymore”
Does that mean Jews can get a chance to speak to each other about a Rabbi’s article without evangelicals butting in? Yippee!

Palin scares me. But if voters fall for her, America scares me more.
Palin fired her brother-in-law, hired her high school friends, reduced her responsibilities as Governor of Alaska, lied about her stated positions and actions on an expensive bridge (to nowhere) in Alaska, (and lied again after being exposed), and says ‘what does a VP do?’ On top of that, how do you put her in charge of a country if she couldn’t raise her own daughter to not drop her drawers, or at least advise her to use protection? If she touts her faith in words, what do her deeds say of her?
No, she’s not a Washington insider. But she’s built to become one of the sleaziest. She says being from outside the beltway makes her the better option- right… She’s a small-timer, no matter what stage you put her on.
McCain picked your next president (I’m Canadian) before you had a chance to say yea or nae. That is, if you elect him. Please don’t.
The first female US President, as an exemplar, should be worthy of the position. She’s not worth the lipstick smears America is going to get from her.

I really don’t understand these people who call themselves “Christians” being afraid of Governor Palin. It appears to me that you all have been secularized to the point of not having any beliefs. Further, fundamentalist Christians have been the best friends Israel has ever had. Sure, we believe that you must be born again but we aren’t going to declare you “kafir” or take away your property with some infidel tax if you don’t accept Jesus as the Messiah.
Militant Islam is your enemy, not fundamentalist Christianity. John McCain and Sarah Palin are the only candidates who will actually take the fight to militant Islam.

I grew up Roman Catholic. As a teen, I left the Church (for too many reasons to list here) & searched for a long time for a new faith. For a long time, I read about, attended services at, & talked to the members of many Christian sects.
During my search, I attended a bat mitzvah. The first time I enterd a synagogue, I felt as if I had gone home. I had never experienced that feeling at any other house of worship. After much study & prayer, I converted to Judaism.
So, rightly or wrongly, I feel I can speak from “both sides of the coin”.
I want to address what some here have said that Catholicism is a branch of Christianity. A lot of Christians don’t believe that, & base their belief on the Bible. Google “Is Catholicism Christian?”, & you’ll find lots of articles like the following, that use the Bible to explain why the Catholic Church is not Christian:
http://www.geocities.com/johnbaptisthenry/IsCatholicismChristian.htm
While I did “pick” that article from the web; it’s just another version of the many that my evangelical & fundamentalist Christian co-workers have been using to convince Catholic co-workers of the errors of their ways, & many more on the web.
For his entire ministerial career, Jimmy Swaggart has been preaching that the Roman Catholic church is the largest & most dangerous cult in the world. Even the Jack Chick “comics” have come out against Catholicism.
As to Sarah Palin’s saying that G*d has spoken to her about the pipeline, many people have said that G*d speaks to them. Here in Wisconsin, there was a famous case of a prisoner who said that G*d had spoken to him. I use this story JUST as an example, I am not making any judgement as to wheter G*d spoke to this prisoner (or anyone else, for that matter). The prisoner killed two fellow prisoners, a wife killer & the cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, claiming that G*d had told him to. I am sorry if that offends, but who am I to decide whether or not G*d handed out retribution through someone else.
Last night, I watched a show on Shalom TV (the new Jewish network), in which the director & founding member Rabbi Golub spoke to two Anchorage, Alaska rabbis; one Reform & the other Chabad, & the head of Alaska’s AIPAC. they all spoke highly of Gov. Palin as a person, of her stated eagerness to visit Israel. None addressed her personal religion; her saying that G*d wants a pipeline, the “Jews for Jesus” speaker at her church, her views on creationism, etc.
I will not guess at her reasons for wanting to visit Israel. I will mention the plans of an evangelical co-worker who is eager to spend his retirement in Israel to convince Jews that we’re screwing up mightily in not accepting Jesus as our savior. He says Gov. Palin wants to go to Israel for the same reason. Whether she does or not, I have no idea.
By politics, I am a traditional, old-fashioned Bleeding Heart Liberal.
McCain-Palin scares me. IMO, the religious motives of both are suspect. I think that McCain is pandering to the religious right in many ways, I think that if he becomes president; he will support whoever offers him the most power & ignore whatever campaign promises he’s made to the reigious right or any one else. IMO, Gov. Palin is much more sincere in her beliefs & for that reason, much scarier. I don’t want her to be president (& it’s quite likely she could end up in the White House, considering McCain’s health history)because I do believe that she would fill her cabinet with like-minded fundamentalists who will think it’s aqcceptable to impose their beliefs on the nation.
As I said, this is all my opinion, & no one lese’s.

SINCE SUNDAY SEPT 14 AND MONDAY SEPT 15 EVERTHING IS CHANGED
all the same problems are still here but if the people do not have jobs, money to buy things and can not get loans for cars or homes that they desperatly need ALL THE REST WILL NOT MATTER because people will be too obset, depressed, hungry etc to not only care about this but to even contemplate these things.
SO FORGET WHAT YOU WERE THINKING UP TO SATURDAY SEPT 13-NOW YOU MUST VOTE FOR THE PARTY THAT WILL HELP YOU OUT ECONOMICALLY SO-that then you can concentrate on help the rest of your country, the world, and yes other aspects of your OWN LIFE.
sorry but this e-cpnversation is now a moot point-the PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT almost do not matter as much as WHICH PARTY will help us at this very sad time.

“Further, fundamentalist Christians have been the best friends Israel has ever had.”
No, Jews are the best friends Israel has ever had. Fundamentalist Christians want Jews in Israel so Jesus can come back (when we all get slaughtered like it was 1943 all over again for not converting). That is not friendship. That is what it means to be used.
Additionally, I am (at least through this election) an American. My status in this country is what is most important, not Israel. I say this clearly: No, I do not trust a Christian government from putting me in a ghetto – or worse. No Christian government has ever existed that did not do the same.

I am 70 and just moved from Illinois to California. Obama is from Illinois and after 3 years of his leadership, or lack of, 2 years of which he spent campaigning for president. By the way he drew taxpayer dollars for his senator salary in spite of his not being there to do his job.
I challenge Obama to produce a list of meaningful bills he personally wrote, I do not think he can. If it were not for the Chicago voting “machine” no one outside of Chicago would know him. I wonder if they really know him now.
How about it Obama please get more specific and let us know exactly what your leadership plans for this week are. I know it will be different next week but at least we would know what your plans are, at least for today.
I lived in Springfield, Il not Chicago and know you are for tax and spend but am curious about any real plans, if you have any.
Janice Horner

Though political discourse has never been a pure stream of accuracy, the factlessness of those who fear and hate Governor Palin is truly disturbing. Our Canadian commentator is not living in our world. Govenror Palin did not “fire her brother-in-law”, a state trooper who Tasered his 10-year-old kid. She fired the state’s police commissioner who, in addition to not having fired this rogue cop, was planning a cross-country junket to lobby Washington for money to prosecute sex crimes— without getting that expense approved. Governor Palin has stood up to her own party’ss corruption, given money back to her citizens, run a government, and hunted for own food — unlike the pretenders in the oppostiion party.

She “hunted”
Oh Dear, I don’t think you understand just how repugnant hunting is to most of us. The fact that republicans/christians keep citing it as a virtue is fairly disturbing. You’re not helping your candidate at all.
G-d directed us to be shepherds rather than hunters because we should strive to be caretakers, rather than predators.

Unfortunately, I currently reside in a “Red State”. Apparently, there is an anti-intellectual movement here that has been accelerated since Reagan’s White House days. The dumbing-down of America should be your first warning.
Under our current administration, the USA has been heading toward a fascist republic as regards form of government. This should raise a red flag, also.
The illegal melding of church and state perpetrated by the Bush regime has infected many minds. The first thing the Christian mind virus does is to remove your ability to reason. Pretty clever, really. It’s been more effective than putting drugs in the water. This should scare the life out of any normal person.
Like a previous commenter stated, “I’m an American, at least through this election…” Look here—if we aren’t going to have any jobs, if we aren’t going to have any health care, and we aren’t going to have any Social Security—why live here? If this election proves to be more of the same, I’m outta here, baby. The United States of America exists in name only. The country I grew up in is long gone. And all of these Republican “patriots” are in for a rude awakening: The government doesn’t care about YOU, either.
We need to work on ending our dependence on oil, not drill for more. Our Earth is the only home we have. Polluting it and destroying it for short-term profit is not wise.
The average Republican that I meet these days makes Anne Coulter look like a liberal. These people are automatons, spewing Republican rhetoric at every opportunity. I must admit—the Bush administration has achieved their goal. I have never seen so many people so thoroughly indoctrinated with no evidence to back it up.
Palin is a last-minute trump card. Guess what, McCain? Just because Palin’s a woman doesn’t mean any former Hillary supporters are going to vote for you. Right now, the word on the street is that you’re old, and you’ve had cancer four times. So, if you happen to pass away, Palin will be the President. A whole lot of people DO NOT want that to happen. So, those folks are either not going to vote at all, or vote for Obama just to keep Palin out of the White House.
Drilling for oil and aerial hunting of animals does not sit well with many, many Americans. The more that comes out about Palin, the less people like her. Is this why Palin wasn’t announced until the last minute?
In any case, we’ll see…

I find Obama scarier than any other person …..everyone is forgetting about his loony pastor, where he sat for twenty years listening to his anti semitic rhetoric, fondness for Louis Farrahkan..his gangster friend, his terrorist “weatherman” friend, who is sorry that he did not do more bombing….his socialist views….and his poor or nil record….that is scary….Christians are not scary to me at all…I was born in this country….went to school with Christians, had Christian friends…and they were not scary people as far as I am concerned….Heaven forbid that Obama gets elected….that is scary….

awake wrote: Our Canadian commentator is not living in our world.
True, I sit outside the border of your great nation, but I am bombarded by your great media and read both the NY Times and Washington Post. They provided me with the statements I made. Palin may be less corrupt than the last person to occupy the Governor’s Mansion. That doesn’t make her the answer to America’s prayers. The facts you claim I misstate came from your respected media.
Many people speak to G-d. But when they claim G-d speaks to them, I get scared.

Some people have the facts right and some have them wrong and yet some have the information twisted. I am writing as a Jewish minority and I thank Hashem for Rabbi Hirschfield’s perspective that seems to be based on Torah. I look at the comments posted many times and while I understand that everyone has a different level of spiritual development I always pray that we can all trust in Hashem and not fear, ignorance and panic. I pray we can all honestly sit down and look at what the day to day ramifications of this election are.
I have always thought that one of the problems with our decisions as Americans is our trust in a popular system we do not use for our advantage. Most of us will sit and complain about our elected officials, but how many of us build the America we say we want by
1. voluteering at a local politicians office, hospital, museum, theater, after school program etc.
Yes many are runnig scared at the prospect of what awaits us in the Fall, but the truth is that we need not be afraid as we have more power through informed decision and local action than we could possible want to believe. I for one will work my time so that I continue my volunteer efforts with our youth and return to volunteering for a local Councilman to help ensure people in my community get at least some of what they need and the advocacy and support necessary to live comfortably in this great nation.

I myself would really like to see the media and certain people’s leave Mrs. Palin alone, to me she’s a working man’s Governor and I think a good Vice President. I wasn’t even thinking about voting for McCain or Obama until she entered the race. I don’t think the lady made those statements about the pipeline or the Iraqi War to become a prophet or anything else. I also kind of remember from my youth about a lady name Debra that lead Israel. And, didn’t Ruth save the people of Israel? The question rhetorical. I said all that to say what say we leave Mrs. Palin Be!

My question is, when, and who amoung you ,did G-D,make ,Judge,Jury and Executinor? Many ones that have posted have murdered Sara Palin,and to Obama given 40 lashes,be very careful you are in a place of setting yourselves up in the place of the MOST HIGH G-D!HE RAISES UP AND HE PUTS DOWN, and HE dosen’t need our consent to do so. HE IS THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE WHO RIDES ON THE CLOUDS,nothing that is going on now in the earth has “knocked” HIM off the throne!My hope is the we would Bless with our mouths and not curse and mock,yes we can disagree,and even have “heated” discussions on subjects,that is fine,past that into name calling and assinations of ones character is wrong period. I have 5 grown children and 11 grandchildren,this teaching is what they have been taught since they were little,my sincere hope is they don’t post thoughts the way some on here have,yet in this country you have the right of free speech,my question is do we use it wisely?
Shoshana

Shoshana,
Judge not is a different religion
Tikun Olam

I agree with the one who posted that we should be more scared of Obama than Palin. With all the things he stands for he seems to be working for the Devil. She seems to be a God fearing woman, so we shouldn’t be afraid of her.
As far as being a prophet, she doesn’t claim to be a prophet. She doesn’t work in the office of a prophet nor has she ever specifically said she was a prophet sent from God.
She has spoken with the gift of prophecy. There is a difference in being a prophet and allowing God to speak through you with a word from him.
If God could use a donkey to speak what he wanted to be heard in the Bible, He can use anyone He wishes to speak what He wants to be heard at any time.
If he decides to use someone to speak what He wants for this country, which was built on his principles and beliefs, it should be a leader who fears Him.
I, and many of the people from the Assembly of God Church’s, am very proud of the choice McCain made in chosing such a God fearing women. The belief background she came from is Assembly of God.
We believe many of the spirit of God filled people in this country, will rise up like they did when our current President was elected, and chose the God fearing side of the political candidates.
The McCain/Palin side seems to be more for what the God of this country wants for us. That’s who I and many of the true God fearing people will pick.

Shalom Larry, I meant the place of an actual Judge(in court)who renders verdicts,and passes sentences on people.Thank you I do know other religions use a similar verbage,and thank you for your kind response.may a blessing be on you and yours.
Shoshana

C J Eich wrote:
“We believe many of the spirit of God filled people in this country, will rise up like they did when our current President was elected, and chose the God fearing side of the political candidates.”
What the ?$@*&^? As a Catholic living in a red state, I do hear this sort of thing from Pentacostal and Babtist co-workers all the time. I didn’t think anyone would be foolish enough to admit it on an interfaith forum, but, there you have it. The mission for a Christian theocracy in progress.
LEAH, I like your chutzpah.

Perhaps we can use an old Jewish definition for prophecy – the notion that prophets see through to the world as it really is. This means that science and religion both endeavor to be “prophetic” in terms of analyzing our condition as humans and the world.
Meanwhile, let us all try to treat each other, regardless of religious background and political opinion, with compassion. In order to solve our country’s problems, with whomever wins the upcoming elections, we will need to work together with all Americans. Establishing a culture of compassion should be our primary goal.

Shoshana,
McCain, Palin and Obama are not defendants in a trial; so your courtroom analogy is deceptive and based on some very flawed reasoning. They are candidates; and we, the voters must judge them with the utmost scrutiny. There is no moral obligation to be impartial. The US constitution guarantees the right of a person from any religious denomination to seek elected office. That does not instruct voters to disregard their religion in judging the candidates fitness for office. Besides, if we went by Torah they would all be disqualified for accepting campaign contributions. (which isn’t a bad idea I you ask me)

The bottom line is: Does G-d talk to us? Does G-d listen to our requests and or petitions?
If G-d does not listen or talk to us, then as one of the commentors stated: The Donkey must have had a voice of its’ own.
Please ask any Jewish business person if he/she ever asked for Divine guide lines as all the worth of the family was on the line in beginning a new venture.
Our area is dicussing building a Chad synagogue coming out of the Lubobvich(sp?) sector. Did the Rabbi ask G-d about location et al?
It takes a lot of spiritual intestinal fortitude to claim that G-d lead you (in the case of Gov. Palin) to cause a gas line to be built.
It takes a lot more to claim that this piece of land belongs only to a certain and particular people. And then being willing to expend lives based on that claim.
And finally, if G-d does not talk to us, then that which we claim to be the First Covenant is false, and if it is false, then we of all people are most foolish.
I enjoy the interchange, it keeps the spiritual sword sharp.
Francis E. Jeffery

“Meanwhile, let us all try to treat each other, regardless of religious background and political opinion, with compassion”
You’ve expressed a lovely sentiment, Rabbi. Compassion is a beautiful thing. I’m filled with compassion for the generation of children who are being taught to hate and fear all of the Americans who don’t worship the way their parents do. And where are the moderate, compassionate christians who ought to voice some concern when my son is told things like, “Why bother to worship G-d if you’re going to be a Jew. You’re gonna go to hell anyway”. Maybe since you’re a Rabbi, you haven’t had people tell you, with smoldering anger in their voice, that freedom of religion is against the Bible, that this is christian nation, and we are going to take it back from the rich Jews and pagans, period.
Telling fellow Jews, regardless of their denomination, to essentially just “get over it” instead of opposing the problem is not compassionate at all.

Sarah Palin scares me with her God talk. Reminds me of high school history and the stories of ‘reformation’ and ‘inquisition.’ Not a pleasant thing to think or talk about. All those beheadings, tortured “unbelievers” dying–burned at the stake, drowned, stabbled repeatedly before the cheering crowds.
These are the visions I have when I see folks leaning with such obvious determination toward the creation of a national church. I see lots of such leaning these days. It keeps me awake at night. Literally scares my socks off.
I beg you my countrymen (& women), let us remember the spirit of freedom. And remember in particular that this freedom extends also into the realm of each human heart. Each has the right to choose. We are taught that JHWH the Creator gave Adam and Eve free choice in this regard. Can we do otherwise?
The spiritual life of one is not identical with that of another. It cannot be because people are different, facing different life challenges. Needing different life-lessons. So, let us give one another space to discover the individual path and to make progress along our paths.
Please Sarah Palin–and all the many who speak to us as you do regarding what God says to them– do not tell us the things that you think God is saying to you. We have our own communication with the Almighty. What we need from you is to know if you can serve your country in the ways that your office will require of you.
My vote itches to be cast to the one whose life and testimony most clearly points to the great ideals that are embedded in our Constitution and deeply rooted in American life. It remains to be seen who those candidates will be.
–Blessingss! MG

Sarah Palin does not govern based on her beliefs. Thats is a fact that not even the far left can accuse her of. And as we have seen, they have sure tried. It is the left and the media that continually puts her Faith on trial.If Sarah Palin “scares” you then I suggest you have bigger issues to deal with in life. They tried to do it to Romney with his Mormonism and if Joe Lieberman was the VP candidate I am sure his Judiasm would be suspect. It is the left that is not respectful of the separation of church and state.

Sewzen,
You do not know what you’re talking about, and I highly suggest you do some research before you start making claims about such important matters.

I read that a terrorist threat has been made on the life of Sir Paul McCartney if he goes forward with his plan to sing for Jews in the state of Israel. What! Kill Sir Paul? And for singing too? The thought baffles me because I do not understand the fundamentalist extremism that propels men and women into these kinds of expenditures of energy.
I don’t understand;I don’t want to understand it; but I am very much afraid of the same kind of thinking that is already taking root in some sectors of our nation (USA). I tremble when I hear talk about what God says, what God wants me to do, what God tells me that you ought to do, etc.
I get the idea that those god-speakers believe they somehow have a monoply on God and that I’m not in it. At best, not in it unless I totally agree with their perceptions of what’s holy.
Alienation is not a good way to feel. Does not promote peace. Does not advance progress in civilization. But it does give rise to a burning question in my mind. I want to know if there really is such a fundamental difference in “them” and “us.” If there is such a difference, is it one that makes “us” always right, while “they” will consistantly be wrong?
In response to Gov. Palin, then, I feel a greater need than ever to promote the preservation of religious freedom in America. Let each person experience, interpret, and worship in the ways that he/she can at her/his particular place of progress along the spiritual path. SO, with my strong feelings about religious freedom, I have misgivings when I think of Gov. Palin.
Enough now. Quite enough. Cheers! –MG

Well: First, to those who argue about Sarah Palin’s beliefs, let us understand that first, the “image-likeness of God” is in us as the I AM in the Torah and the Christ in us in the New Testament. Now, really, God is considered MIND, and humankind is an Idea in the Mind of God. We are on various consciousness levels, some lower or higher than another. Some of our consciousnesses are based on race consciousness – that is an aggregation of thoughts not based on Christ Mind (Divine (of God) Ideas), and some are based on conscious thoughts – the thinking considered masculine, and female considered the feelings (that is the male and female, created he them) and permanent tape recorder of the thoughts, considered our subconscious phase of mind. We live from that phase. Be reminded that what you think of another person with such passionate poisonous feelings will show up in your life, world and affairs, because you are the level of vibration on which they arose. In the subconscious phase is our health, our finances, our environment, our relationships, etc…, and the body is a vehicle for the Spirit – Soul.
The Soul is the entire mind. We may draw from our Christ Mind, our (Superconscious phase, our conscious mind, or race consciousness. We may draw ideas from the Superconscious phase (perfect ideas – tantamount to the Super-ego in Psychology), the Conscious phase (which can only be thoughts or ideas on the level of how developed the soul is toward the Christ level of thoughts, which is called level of consciousness, or they can come from the Subconscious phase, which is considered the heart – “Guard thine heart with due diligence, for out of it comes the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23.
As far as Sarah Palin and most of you who are not Hebrews (Jews), you do not understand what is being said in the Bible anyway. Whoever sees Jesus as having come for everybody and died for our sins sees him not for who he said he was. He was the Wayshower, and if we follow his way of overcoming, we shall eventually have the same ability to overcome everything the way he did.
For your information, there are reports now from SCHOLARS (open minded people) that it is possible that Jesus did not die on the cross anyway.
Anyway, for those of you who believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God is wrong, too, on that count. While I am at it, remember that Jesus was born a Jew, lived a Jew and when he was cricified, he was still a Jew. He never started a Christian Church; he had what is called Ecclesia (the called out ones). Constantine build the first Christian Church is 325 C.E. (formerly A.D.), whereas Jesus only lived from 0-33, according to some scholars, and other scholars said he was born somewhere from 4 – 7 C.E.
Sarah Palin saying that Israel is being attacked because Jews did not accept Jesus – that is a lie! They might not have accepted his message, but how could they not accept him – he was one of their own!!!
What happened is Paul – born in Tarsus – which is Turkey, came where the Jewish Christians (from the word Christos, which happened to be all Jews)!!!! When he ran short of a multitude to teach his stuff, he recruited Gentiles into the church. That is when the Council of Jews began to go after him. He wrote from about 40 – 56 – AFTER JESUS WAS GONE OFF THE SCENE. After he reportedly was healed from his blindness, he later evangelized in Galatia, Ephesus, Phillipi, Corinth, Thessalonia, Athens, Phrygia, Macedonia, Antioch, etc…. The same Jew who persecuted the Christians then began to teach his version of who and what Jesus was about. That story is contrary to what Jesus taught. Therefore, people teach Paul’s message and talk about Jesus.
Anyway, Jesus said that the things he did, we can do: “These and greater things than these you can do if you believe.” So, it is a misunderstanding to think that Jesus was the Christ as he walked around on earth. He was Jesus, Jesus the man, Christ Jesus and then, Jesus the Christ – where he was perfected. I am Christ Marian, you are Christ John Doe, etc…, because it is the I AM or the Christ – God’s Idea of himself in humankind – inside of you – all of us.
Anyway, everyone should be required to study the Bible from a scholarly viewpoint – not some denominationally sanctioned religion.
Furthermore, I believe everyone who is a preacher should be requiired to study Philosophy – because in that, there is no absolutely right nor absolutely wrong – it makes everyone more tolerant of each other.
However, what shows up in our life, world and affairs are forms brought about from the ideas behind them.
I am afraid Sarah Palin and many others are like children – visioning something for which they have not an idea of what it is like.
You all should stop your nasty thoughts and control your anger with each other. Education teaches us to be more tolerant of others. However, the best education is when we educate our souls.
Marian Carter

Sara, No research is necessary. The Democrats in her own state are on record as saying that she doesen’t govern based on her faith. I suggest that you do the research. Before you belittle another’s post with such a generality as “you don’t know what you’re talking about” please have some facts to back up your assertions of one’s mistaking facts. I know that I haven’t played fast and loose with any facts. It’s clear that you are not fond of my sentiment nor of Sarah Palin. There seems to be a lot of prejudice against Ms. Palin based upon her beliefs. it is unjustified and certainly not “scarey”. I recommend Charles Krauthammer’s recent columns for a very unbiased Jewish analysis of McCain’s pick as VP.

Shalom and Erev Tov,
I don’t often post on venues such as these, but I find myself in need of defending a tender heart and standing up to a bully. The defense is in favor of my beloved wife, Shoshana; and the bully to whom I stand up goes by the name of Larry.
First, about Shoshana. She is far more political than I and subsequently values the opinions of her fellow Jews on political subjects. Hence, her presence here. However, she also carries within her breast a heart that is tender and which cries out against injustice. It was the injustice of words, hateful words, against those running for office and, moreover, those who post along with her in this forum, that caused her to speak up and question the leshon ha’ra that seem to permeate this political discussion. In response to her words, Larry began his unwarranted attack on one who seemed to be easy prey by virtue of her tender heart.
Next, about Larry. He signs his posts with “Tikun Olam,” literally “World Repair[er].” I am not sure if Larry is presenting himself as a kabbalist, or if he has adopted the more current inference of the phrase which espouses the thought that it is human beings, not G-d, who will bring the world back to its original state of holiness. In either case, I find his understanding to be lacking and his bravado to be wholly unwarranted.
Now, on to specifics. Larry stated, “Judge not is a different religion.” in response to Shoshana’s question, ” . . . when, and who among you, did G-D make Judge, Jury, and Executioner?” Well, to begin with, I can’t fathom how Larry’s abbreviated reference to the seventh chapter of the Book of Matthew in the Christian New Testament [King James Version to be exact] “Judge not, that ye be not judged” has anything to do with Shoshana’s question. Nevertheless, I take exception with the inference that this “Christian” sentiment has no place in Jewish thought. Have we not all studied the Nevi’im Acharonim where Yechezk’el reported these words of Adonai Elohim: “I will treat them as their way of life deserves and judge them as they have judged others. Then they will know that I am Adonai.”? Perhaps Larry needs to brush up on his study of the Later Prophets . . . or perhaps he would rather just ignore the words of the Prophets altogether.
Shoshana responded to Larry’s misunderstanding or misreading of her intent by saying, “I meant the place of an actual Judge (in court) who renders verdicts and passes sentences on people.” A straight forward and peaceable explanation of her meaning. That, apparently, offended or angered Larry, who went into full-blow bully mode and accused her of being “deceptive” and having “flawed logic.” In an effort to explain his leshon ha’ra Larry states that “McCain, Palin, and Obama are not defendants in a trial” and dismisses the analogy. To begin with, there are two sides to each court case that comes to trial. Opposing the defendants are the plaintiffs. Why didn’t Larry say that McCain, Palin, and Obama are not plaintiffs in a trial? Because he wanted to portray Shoshana as an accuser. He was being just a little bit “deceptive.” He then goes on to say, “the voters must judge them with the utmost scrutiny.” While the distinction seems obvious to me, Larry seems, once again, to have missed the point. Yes, we are to judge the candidates to ensure that we are voting for those who will best represent our interests in government. However, we are not to judge the hearts of those candidates. That is the purview of G-d, and G-d alone. As we read in the M’lakhim, Shlomo, addressing Adonai, says, “. . . you, and only you, know all human hearts.” There was no flaw in Shoshana’s logic. She was not espousing voting in ignorance (why would she be here?), but rather, addressing the impropriety of making judgments about what is in people’s hearts.
One final thought. When I used to get my knickers in a twist over something that someone said to which I had taken offense, My Zaydie used to tell me: “Offense is something that must be taken, it cannot be given. So, make up your mind not to take it!”
Kol Tuv.
Meir

Google Palin and Westbrook Pegler.
Jews have no business going anywhere near this very scary woman.

Jews have no business going anywhere near this very scary woman.
Posted by: Dovid | September 17, 2008 10:33 PM
Wooooooooooooooooo, run for your lives. LOL Are you peeople kidding me?

One final thought. When I used to get my knickers in a twist over something that someone said to which I had taken offense, My Zaydie used to tell me: “Offense is something that must be taken, it cannot be given. So, make up your mind not to take it!”
Meir,
It sounds like you should have given that advice to your wife. This is the 21st century. Men can disagree with women. It doesn’t make them a bully. Trust me on this. Having your husband post a legal brief because of it – HUGE BREACH OF INTERNET PROTOCOL
Sheesh! I wonder if Mr. Palin is going to get his gun and come after us for disagreeing with his wife. He quite an avid hunter from I hear.
Sandra

So Sewzen, when this woman quotes from a fanatic anti-Semite, you see us engaging in hyperbole? I guess when you aren’t a Jew you don’t worry about these kinds of things. This is why Jews shouldn’t be voting for the Republicans.

More importantly, the LEFT BEHIND series has now sold over 65 million copies. Do you call that a tiny minority. I don’t.
Oh, and they’re now available as children’s books. It’s never too early to brainwash the little darlings…
http://www.leftbehind.com
Sandra
(a moderate, Independant Christian who has never tried to convert a Jew or ever voted for a Democrat before)

To Leah;
I want you to know, I care. Let me apologize for the visciuos anti-Semitism hurled in the name of Christ. I am sorry. I am very, very sorry. Such things should have no place in our great land, but I fear the tide may be growing.

Sewzen,
Maybe you haven’t been keeping with current events, so here is a review. Mitt Romney was a Republican candidate. The so-called far-left had nothing to do with his failure to earn his party’s nomination. The Lefties could not vote in Republican primaries. It was the prejudice of Evangelical Christians that kept him from winning the nomination. It’s the Southern Baptist Convention that classifies the Mormon religion as a cult. There are not many Southern Baptists in the far-left.
I wouldn’t have minded voting for a Mormon at all. They don’t get all hostile if you reject them. But McCain couldn’t even pick Romney as his running mate because the crazy Christian wouldn’t vote for him!!!
By every single media account, McCain wanted to choose Joe Lieberman, and had decided to choose Joe Lieberman. The campaign had vetted Lieberman, not Palin. Then enter Karl Rove, who went to Joe Lieberman and asked him to step aside. Why? Because there are many, many, anti-Semitic Christians in the heartland of America who absolutely would not vote for a Jew, get it? They believe there’s a secret worldwide Jewish conspiracy to enslave the non-Jewsish population of planet Earth. (Don’t you at least watch the Discovery Channel?) Lieberman refused to step aside, voila! someone or something forces John McCain to agree to Gov Palin, even though he doesn’t even know the woman and worse, his campaign lawyers hadn’t even investigated her.
Can you possibly believe that’s putting country first? It’s reckless and irresponsible. But look how much all of you “saved” souls are enjoying it! She’s everything a Bible-thumper could hope for! She’s one of them. And Republican politics has been nothing but us against them for the past 30 years! That’s why her religion is an issue in the campaign. Her religion is the only reason she is in the campaign! The rest of us, who don’t share her zeal for the good news, are looking at someone who only has a bachelor degree and had to go to 6 different schools to get it- we’re saying, hey wait a minute, she’s not qualified to be President. They know it. We know it. But they don’t care, you see. They simply don’t trust anyone who isn’t part of their Rapture club. They didn’t even want to vote for McCain because his wife is Catholic, and although McCain did switch to a Baptist Church before the election, he hasn’t been baptized there.
Claiming the “far-left” are the ones without religious tolerance is absurd. Democrats don’t care what religion a candidate is. Republicans only care what religion a candidate is.

why cant you hold both postions? Wasn’t Samual the closest to the king, kind of the kings adviser. wouldnt that be thought of as political

You really should learn the difference between what a statement and what Prophecy is. She just said that she thought that God thought it was a good idea, if that was really her quote.
Now I don’t know what she would base that thought upon, but, in America, anyone can have a thought or opinion no matter who they may be, and that includes politicians. After all, thinking isn’t banned is it.
What you are trying to say is that this persons thoughts are flawed and should not be expressed. Well I say no more so than Al Gore trying to convince the world that global warming exists, something he won a Nobel Peace Prize for, and, on the backs of other peoples works actually. Doesn’t it say in the Tanach that God controls the weather? I think I read that somewhere many times in Jeremiah.
I would no more try to stop her from commenting than I would you or anybody else for that matter. At least she believes in God and is not ashamed to say so in this politically correct world we’ve built for ourselves. Cut her some slack or at least be fair and be critical of the rest of us flawed human beings.
And by the way, weren’t we Jews suppose to go and tell everyone about God in the first place? Why do you think there’s so many problems in the world today? We dropped the ball and sinned before Hashem and He rightly got mad at us and did more than merely make comments about about behavior.

In the course of American citizenry there are few defining moments with such historic repercussions, as the US Presidential election that is upon us now. Truth, justice, and human rights may potentially be restored to our nation and to our World. If we fail to act now with boldness and righteousness, then we may in part be responsible for the terminal state of decline with which we may find ourselves encumbered.
After two failed election cycles where our hopes were dashed and our idealism crushed, we painfully are living through a government dominated by a culture of fear and a relentless stream of lies. The apparent normalcy of these past years sometimes may fool us into complacency, into an endless cycle of solicitude. We somehow lose faith in the possibility of those sacred ideals pursued by our ancestors who spilled their blood and sweat. They struggled so that we–in all of our diversity–may pursue our fundamental American right to live life individually and collectively with liberty and happiness.
In this desolation, many of us have moments when we assume that our ideals will never be realized and that failure will be the most likely outcome. Our minds and hearts succumb to this paralyzing ailment, which I call, “premature capitulation syndrome (PCS).” It is the greatest desire of our opponents that we all will remain calcified. Fortunately, however, despite the severe risks of this affliction, PCS is highly treatable.
By renewing and reawakening our inner yearnings, we can transform ourselves. We can strive together to build a nation that stands for hope, freedom, and peace. As people living in this awesome moment of human history, we can stand up, we can move our hands, our feet, our mouths and we can reach out to others. As the currents of time unfold, may we each consider the sacred phrase invoked by Senator Barack Obama in his historic acceptance speech when he quoted Hebrews 10:23, “Hold firmly to the hope that we confess.” May we march together towards victory with fierce determination and the certitude of our dreams. Yes we can!
In peace and solidarity for bold action now. Sara

“And by the way, weren’t we Jews suppose to go and tell everyone about God in the first place? Why do you think there’s so many problems in the world today? We dropped the ball and sinned before Hashem and He rightly got mad at us and did more than merely make comments about about behavior.”
Yes. But the Christian world got Christianity and prohibited us from even talking about our religion or Hashem to gentiles until the last century. Then they killed us.
So it was a little difficult.

Sandra, Shalom.
I never said that my wife took offense. In fact, I came closer to being offended than she did, but I understand why you would think that she had. What really happened was that she asked me to read the posts and tell her what she had said that was deceptive. She also asked my opinion as to whether or not her analogy was fairly stated. After reading those specific posts, I went back and read the majority of the other posts to see why she had written what she did. It was then that I decided to contribute to the conversation. Shoshana did not ask me to write anything. That was my choice. As to my “legal brief,” I would have written it exactly as I did had the genders been reversed.
Thank you for informing me of the protocol on the internet (or at least on this site). I did not realize that it was acceptable to attack anyone, while only being acceptable to defend one’s self. Had I realized that coming to another’s defense was prohibited, I would have simply attacked the abject vileness of some of the posts and left it at that.
In closing, I am well aware of the date on the calendar. However, I wasn’t aware that standing up for one’s family had become passé; I didn’t realize that there was an expiration date on being a covering over one’s wife; and I am shocked to learn that a ketubah is now no more than a decorative wall hanging.
May Adonai bless you all with peace.
Kol Tuv.
Meir

Anyone who votes for a candidate based on fear of the other is poorly informed and simply lazy. I hate to sound harsh, but I am sick to death of hearing how one candidate or the other is going to destroy the country because of his or her religious beliefs, ability to hunt, parentage and the like. And the “character debate” is a great misnomer. There is no “high ground” in today’s political world, only people who have forgotten when you point a finger at someone else, three more point back at you.
The polls tell us that whichever candidate is elected will not have an absolute mandate. Our system of checks and balances will do its work, if we participate, educate ourselves and for heaven’s sake, calm down.
Spend some time reading about the candidates, either from their web sites or from news stories that use quotes and report financial disclosures, actions, etc. CSPAN offers great coverage of political events where you can hear the candidates in their own words. Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews are commentators. They will not give you complete and accurate information (although some do better than others).
As more time passes, we will see these candidates all have good sides and bad sides. Their words won’t always match up with their actions. They are human beings, do not expect them to be perfectly consistent about everything they say or even in everything they say. But one side or the other will emerge as resonating more with your values and beliefs. Pick THAT team, the one that makes you feel good about being who you are, the one whose policies will clearly benefit you and the majority of Americans (hey, nobody’s 100 percent).
And when someone asks, “Who are you voting for?,” try not to answer by saying, “Well not THEM, they’ll destroy the country.” Because it simply is not true. This is a critical election. We have never had a more clear choice in terms of a national direction, and we are blessed by this. Because instead of making our decisions based on personality or charm, we can stop being political couch potatoes. We can look at the issues and choose someone to be for, rather than against.
But nobody can destroy America without the consent of all her 300 million citizens. On the other hand, based on what I’ve read here, we are just as likely to blow it up ourselves.

The current financial disaster has been along time in the making. One can select so many historical starting points including Plessy v Ferguson 163 US 537(1896), but the last Resolution Trust Corporation after the Savings and Loan Scandal in 1989 is more topical due to Bush’s anouncement this morning.
In 1989, many people (yes, loudmouth me included) said that the downside of the RTC was that it would result in more de-regulation of corruption. The prediction was that the corruption would switch to the banking industry. About the time that the RTC finished it business in 1995, the barriers to vast corruption were being dismantled by the GOP with the help of the Dems. One would think that businessmen would realize that habital lying, fraud and deceit end in economic ruin, but they never learn. Look at Enron. Did Countrywide, IndymacBank, Fannie Mae, Freedy Mac, Bear Stearns, AIG, Lehamn Bros., WaMu, etc. learn anything? No. Go back to the securty frauds in the railroad era in the 1800′s.
When Congress and California threw the doors wide open to massive fraud in the mortgage market, one would think that businessmen would have learned that selling bogus securities always results in financial ruin, but they never learn. Congress and California let the financial markets become a gigantic shell game and only through gross incompetence did Wall Street engage in these obviously corrupt schemes.
Maybe manufacturing and trading in fradulent securities is another addiction, like drugs or gambling. They intellectually know that disaster waits them, yet they are powerless to stop themselves. Who would go to Vegas and place his bets by blindly tossing his chips on the craps table without even bothering to see where they landed. That’s how the financial markets have been acting for the last few years.
Thus, Bush says that we have to bail them out, but the bail out will set the stage for more de-regulation so that 15 to 20 years from now, we will face an even large financial disaster — I don’t know how it can be grater since this one is turning into a global catastrophe. Maybe it will occur in China. After all Bush is selling America to China and the Saudis to bail out his corrupt political cronies and Obama is OK with that!

Brad,
I am not sure that I agree with your reasoning regarding the comments made by Sarah Palin regarding the war being “God’s work” and the pipeline being “God’s will” Just as an aside, war is never a first option when there is any tragedy, discernment is in terms of what are our options here and what option brings about the greatest good. Now I am talking about for those of Christian belief and what I am describing is the Just War Theory” which even George W. Bush’s father applied to his consideration of engaging Iraq in war due to their taking over of Kwait, which as I said is another whole different topic.
But I don’t see Sarah Palin as either a viable VP canidate nor as a prophet. She does not fit the definition of a prophet in the true sense of the word when it is being used in the context of what God may be asking of us. Both her comments are comments of convience. They address two issues that Senator McCain, for whom I have great respect, has been basing his campaign on and thus they have become her mantras so to speak. I do not worry about John McCain becoming President as I do her becoming VP or God forbid if John McCain were to die in office and she would become President.
Just because someone uses the term “God” in their retoric or goes to Church every Sunday, does not make them a good Christian and does not demonstrate that prayer is an important aspect of their daily life and thus they have and will continue to foster a personal relationship with God which is the only experience from which they can speak with some kind of credibility.
I want to know that the candidate I vote for in whatever election is someone who has ingrained, positive, values that put the good of others before their own good. It would be my deepest hope that they also have a personal relationship with God. But one without the other is questionable as far as I am concerned.
What I am saying in a nutshell is that I don’t see a difference as you have indic ated between either of the two comments she has made , regarding the war and the pipeline, and the commonality they do have is that she used the word God. She has shown NO credible background or that she has processed other carefully enough to be considered as VP of the United States.
It is a true mystery to me that the press has not delved into her past and her record any more than they have and brought many things into the light that are not positive and are actually frightening when you consider the position for which she is being considered. I received a letter from someone who knows her personally and has worked with her in government and thus has first hand information regardin Sarah Palin’s private and political life. Unfortunately my computer is not working or I would post where you could find and read the letter.
We are in very hard times. We need to vigorously pursue the information regarding this candidate and get it out there.

JoniG,
Thanks for your input. I value someone who is willing to step outside the box and also remember that as humans, we tend to give our opinions based only on what we “personally” are comfortable with.
Also, as others here have mentioned, Sarah Palin has a right to voice her opinions–even with the references to G-d–she is a citizen of the United States of America. I may not agree with her views, as many here have said, but I still value her as a citizen and as a mom and as a human being.

For the undersided voters. Consider voting for a democratic legislature and a republican president.Deals have to be made.It will have to be for the peoples benifet, not for a party.A lot of hard decisions will be questionable with a lot of bickering. But that is what it is its all about.It is for the good of the country to get to the nitty gritty.Its for the good of the PEOPLE. GOD BLESS.

Stacy,
Of course Palin has a “right” to voice her opinion.
It’s also my “right”, and prerogative, to be scared silly, as well as offended and turned off by what she says.

Scared of Sarah Palin?
I am more scared of someone that thinks I have not the sense to defend myself with a firearm and then wants to make it impossible for me and everyone else to do so. Biden and Obama have the Secret Service, and I have 911. But 911 is useless when seconds matter in your response.
Anyone that wants to remove my G-D given right to defend myself is scary. End of story. It’s against Halachic law to not defend yourself and family. I just do not understand American Jews and their aversion to firearms and rights to keep and bear them. Come on!! How did Eretz Yisrael survive to become the only democracy in the region??
Do you think for one minute that the Polish, Estonian, Ukranial, and all the other Jew-haters would have collaborated with the germans if they would have been met with stiff resistance by armed Jews???? These monsters were cowards and would have folded like a house of cards if a few had their brains blown out by armed Jews.
Vote for your favorite Dem for congress, and McCain / Palin for President as the previous poster suggested.

all of these comments Of Gov. Palin’s are either complete fabrications of taken out of context. Liberals have always tried to smear the label of nazi on conservatives except this only prove their ignorance of history, and recent history at that. The religious right is nothing to fear. They in fact founded this great nation of ours and allowed others who believed differently top thrive alongside them. It is today’s left that try to shut down voices of opinion that disagree with them. Remember that the theory of evolution is just that a theory ther is no proof every day scientists change their minds on what their discoveries mean, so why not teach an alternative approach too? Talk radio they want it shut down, because they can’t compete on their own. Don’t let the people vote on abortion no, let a ruling of 5 unelected people decide for the country. And let’s throw god out of everything, school, the town square and replace it with the state. If we study history that’s the true Nazi, that’s what Hitler did, that’s what stalin and Castro did, that’s what Mao-tse tung did. And when people fear Palin’s church what about Obama’s church, head up by a former muslim ah-hem, and creating it’s own “christian” doctrine based on hate of anyone who’s not black. Jesus was a black man? please.

The following thoughts were expressed by one respondent. In order to understand what he is saying, I need to have those thoughts expanded, filled out, explained.
Specifically, it is the statement: We have no separation of church and state.
Please. With all respect to you and your thoughts/feelings, I do not understand what you mean.
It is a good thing to discuss our views in this great civililzed manner (smiles and lots of good feelings to all).
Thanks,
MG

Please expand the following idea.
————————————-
“This country was founded on the faith of God Fearing men. There
is no separation of church and State. The only thing said is that
no governing body will dictate a religion like they did in England.
Posted by: Don | September 13, 2008 12:29 PM”
———————————————
Thanks,
MG

WELL WHEN IRAQ WAR STARTED THEY DID SAY WE WERE IN A HOLY WAR THAT HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR THE AGES SO I LL AGREE WITH SARAH PALIN ON THAT PART AND WE DO HAVE TO ASK FOR GOD’S WILL TO BE DONE SO THE GAS PIPELINE VERY WELL MAY BE RUNNED BY GOD ALMIGHTY SINCE HE CREATED EVERYTHING ON THIS PLANET THATS MY VIEW AND I AM STICKING TO IT

Gov. Sarah Palin is using “God’s Will” in exactly the same way in both instances: in calling for our actions to be in concordance with God’s Will.
We need the help of God’s Will to make sure that all of the coordination necessary to get a pipeline project; that’s what she’s asking her audience to pray for: that God’s Will be done in the persuasion of the necessary people to support the large project. In every case where I’ve heard her invoke “God’s Will”, she been very careful to couch in terms of us hopefully conforming to it. She has always been careful to never presume that she knows it.
Don’t be scared of religious people. Be scared of evil ones.

Don’t be scared of religious people. Be scared of evil ones.
Sometimes they are one and the same.

BTW, Obama’s church is the United Church of Christ, which is the sucessor church to the Congregational ones – you know, the ones who founded this country.
There is nothing Muslim about it or Obama. Uneducated people keep buying into that and it’s really getting pathetic.

I am sort of a history buff, if not a scholar, and every US president from Washington to GWB has on more than one occasion, publicly expressed an APPEAL TO GOD FOR GUIDANCE AND WISDOM. Now comes Sarah Palin, meerly a VP candidate, who as a private citizen and then governor, has publicly expressed the same sentiment and NOW it is suddenly POLITICALLY INCORRECT and even DANGEROUS! Give me a break Rabbi Hirschfield, or is it that you have a different agenda? I believe, Rabbi, that you would be correct, if Governor Palin were up thumping her bible and thundering that the USA must CONVERT to her particular brand of christianity or FACE THE FIERY FLAMES! Then one could certainly argue that she is attempting unconstitutionally MARRY HER CHURCH TO THE STATE! As little use as I have for RELIGION, any RELIGION, I do LOVE and ADORE GOD, and depend on my GOD, as I understand my GOD to BE, and have great respect for others that publicly admit the same without attempting to proselytize.

Shalom,
I personally don’t care anymore about what any of the canidates are saying(I’m sick of the entire poltical process in the USA). And as far as G-d’s will goes, the Torah tells us G-d’s will; for any human to claim to know G-d’s will with certainty is dillusional. I pray soon to make alyiah to Israel. I know Israel has it’s own political issues and that there are hostile Arabs that surround her. However, I believe my fellow Jews need me, and I hope to help resettle the land that was promised to Jacob and his decendents for all time. I no longer feel that I belong in America, and that all my endevors here are pointless; moreover, why care about what is going on in American politics when I want to emigrate.

AM SO VERY GLAD THAT ALL THE TO DO THAT RESULTED IN THE REPUBLICANS
and Palin when she first came on the scene is no longer ANY BIGEE.
Obama is inching ahead in the polls and ALL THE BAD UNETHICAL stuff about PALIN now comming out is not helping to make McCain look like a good decision maker. His latest grandstand in not “wanting to go on with the campaign” or the Presidential Debate is ludicrous and fools nobody.
Obama is supposidly the one people trust to care about economics. So with a depression LIKE THE 1920S comming up-yeah we have some things that will help if the money is there like social security, medicaide and medicare.
The President and his cohorts may be trying to make things better but it is likely too little too late.
Hugs
Laura
AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO WISHES BELIEFNET WOULD STOP TRYING TO GET UP TO COME HERE FOR THIS THREAD AND WE WANT SOMETHING KNEWER!!!!!!!!!!! I COULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS IN ANY OTHER POLITICAL BLOG!

Scott R,
What do you have against uneducated people?
What do you have against religious zealots?
What do you have against politicians who use irrational fear to impose their corrupt policies on America?
Where do you get these bizarre ideas about freedom of speech. If you will just listen to Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, and the good rabbi, you won’t go wrong. Their hands are directed by G-d’s wisdom.
I pray that Sarah Palin will send her pastor to exorcise the witches from your soul so that you may be save by the Love Jesus.

Here in Canada, we consider you American folk more than just neighbors, you are our friends, brothers and sisters and we really do care about you. When we see someone who could potentially be the president of your country using the same kind of rhetoric you would expect from an Islamic extremist – “Gods Will” (in reference to God’s plan for the war in Iraq), we get very frightened. Regardless of your religious beliefs, it seems very clear that actual mortals will be ultimately responsible for solving these man-made problems. Not only is it totally irresponsible to lay this on God’s shoulder (yet again), maybe one should consider that perhaps this is God’s test to see if we have evolved enough to actually clean up our own mess without divine intervention and perhaps if we can’t, maybe we don’t deserve to continue as a species. Good luck to you, the world is watching to see just exactly who America has become – the various possibilities make me feel like praying.

Re: The “will of G-d.”
? ?????????-????????? ??????? ??????????; ???????????, ???????? ?????. 9 I delight to do Thy will, O my El; yea, Thy Torah is in my inmost parts.’ Psalm 40:8
It appears we are all amiss about The Eternal One’s “will”. Using the principle of “parallellism”, “will” equates to “Torah” [teaching or instruction by way of example].
Mis-information is abundant in this age of information.
?? ???? ??????? ??????, ???????-?????; ?????????????, ????????-?????. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12
? ????-???????-?????, ?????? ??????????; ??????? ??????? ??????. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes [wisdom]; but the Eternal One weigheth the hearts. Proverbs 21:2

Re: The “will of G-d.”
? ?????????-????????? ??????? ??????????; ???????????, ???????? ?????. 9 I delight to do Thy will, O my El; yea, Thy Torah is in my inmost parts.’ Psalm 40:8
It appears we are all amiss about The Eternal One’s “will”. Using the principle of “parallellism”, “will” equates to “Torah” [teaching or instruction by way of example].
Mis-information is abundant in this age of information.
?? ???? ??????? ??????, ???????-?????; ?????????????, ????????-?????. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12
? ????-???????-?????, ?????? ??????????; ??????? ??????? ??????. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes [wisdom]; but the Eternal One weigheth the hearts. Proverbs 21:2

New Beginning, Laura ,Scott R,Canadian contributor and others(not forgetting the esteemed,honorouble Rabbi),
I strongly commend and highly applaud you for your persperctive on the matter at hand and am in total agreement. Yet I am ushering in a perspective that no one seems to have pointed at as a reason to avoid this hunteress of Alaska like plague. In broad daylight (figure of speech) and on a forum of national if not international magnitude, this woman had the audacity to laugh at and mock community organization/leadership and the grassroots. She totally seemed to be ignorant of the fact that her power as mayor, govenor and what have you is based on the very grassroots/community organisation and leadership. In essence, she laughed at and mocked all us- the electorate- since we are essentially the community, the grassroots, the basic!. She mocked and laughed at us together with some of the greatest/most brilliant souls in human History, who remain our light and beacon more in death than in life and who were essentially community organizers/leaders in life. Included in this category is the likes of Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Theresa and the Greatest Rabbi of all times: The Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth (just to mention a few). Only Republican, ignorance, audacity and arrogance would be capable of that and still claim salvation from damnation through the same Rabbi. What hippocracy and double standards!
Yet, because ‘you can take a horse to the water BUT cannot make it drink’ come November 4, we shall ALL collectively and individually hand her the key to the whitest house on the planet. Why? because we have neither the audacity nor the gumption nor enough caring to read with candour and comprehension such fine works as: The Audacity of Hope & Dreams of My Father and et cetera! I am willing to stand corrected and no wonder it is STILL a White House instead of a color-free neutral and Human House!

Just want to say what a great blog you got here!
I’ve been around for quite a lot of time, but finally decided to show my appreciation of your work!
Thumbs up, and keep it going!
Cheers
Christian, iwspo.net

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