Fatherland

Ira and I went to see Fatherland at NYC Center, the true story of an 19-year old son who turned his father in to the FBI after the Dad's active partcipation in the January 6th storming of the capital. It uses actual transcripts of court testimony: The United States vs. Wesley Feffitt, the jury trial held before the US District Court in Washington, DC. This was a son who had a very loving relationshop with his Dad in his younger days, but when Trump challenges the result of the 2020 election and sends out a call to rally at the capital building, urging his fans to "fight like hell or you are not going to have a country anymore" things change. The proudly reactionary father arms himself for battle and drives from Texas to DC by car, (with weapons), while the son contacts the FBI and records his Dad on a cell phone, so the young man's testimony will be believed. The Dad had become a changed "Maga-man" drinking heavily and physically and verbally threatening his wife and child. He totally bought into the incendiary extremist ideology of the Far-Right Three Percenters Militia Group. But the son's decision ends up, ultimately, splitting up the family, so right now no one talks to the young man, who is on his own in college, while his Mom left with her two girls and his Dad is in jail. The Dad admits, at the end of the play, that he would do it all over again, since it was his patriotic duty, but so would the son do it, even though he feels guilty and anxious every day. This is a heart-wrenching decision based on morality and conscience. Everyone's life has been changed forever.

But I have to say, I have nothing but admiration for this son. The Dad's decision to storm the capital, the "insurrection" was dangerous, and the rhetoric of today's politics is ugly, divisive and threatening. How brave it had to be, but also scary, for this young man to face the truth of having a Dad whose belief system was immoral: the killing ("Hang Mike Pence") and desecration of the U.S, capital, all in the name of a HUGE LIE that the election was stolen, though all data had proven otherwise. The moral courage to turn a parent in is astounding, since no one wants to act in a way that would send a beloved family member to jail. Yet, this boy knew the ugly war his father was raging was corrupt and morally reprehensible.

To have raised a child who is willing to sacrifice all of his family anchors in the name of justice is an act of bravery. I would be proud to have a child like this, who puts RIGHT OVER MIGHT, and moves forward with his or her conscience. But even as I say this and feel he did the right thing, it is a lonely road he now walks on, yet a road paved with decency and integrity and morality. It is the final act of courage.  Still, he is only nineteen, and now he walks alone. 

This is a story that would make you weep!

Morality and Character

 

                                "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for everything"

                                            Carl Laskin, 1964

                                "My Pammy, be a good person. Nothing else matters."

                                            Solomon Laskin, 1964

I grew up with two very moral men with impeccable values, a father and grandfather who told me my signature meant everything. By signature, I mean values--the way you live your life. Their values were grounded  in being a morally outstanding citizen. If that was lacking, you could not be a person with character. That meant, for example, my grandfather, as a pharmacist, gave away medicines to neighborhood folks who had no money. In modern day political rhetoric this would define him as a socialist, a word the Republican party has co-opted to equate with evil. To care for those who have less then you, to react with kindness to the elderly, to be good and humane and generous to poulations who have suffered, to care for the disabled, to be honest and decent and not lie (to be truthful most often), to not speak in a degrading way about fellow human beings--all  this and more was part of character, and I have put in my best effort, not always with success, to be a morally outstanding citizen. I step into the shoes of other people, and think about the world and the future world I want my children and grandchildren to grow up in. 

Which is why I can't wrap my brain around candidates Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.  And why I also can't understand how people who are decent and moral and dream of a future would either not vote, not discuss voting or vote for Maga values--and they are immoral values. Since this party has no real policy, aside from deporting immigrants, tariffs, cozying up to dictators and getting rid of many laws and norms we have grown accustomed to living with, what is the justification? I know THEY  know he has lied, is demeaning, hateful, set on punishing his enemies. They know and understand January 6th was not an abberation, and violence is encouraged today. They know he lost the last election, he was not assasinated by Democrats and Hurricane Helene was not a Democratic conspiracy. I know, in my heart of hearts, that half the country couldn't possibly be immoral or lacking in character.

Kamala Harris may not be perfect (no one is); she may still be enigmatic to you, but what you do know is she has characer and morality and has shared a vision of our future, beyond hate and division. She has the respect of foreign leaders and will not upend every institution that stands in her way, since that is not what presidents do. She would never question election results, since she has respect for the rule of law, and does not think she can get her way with feckless law suits and bullying. She regards the Constitution. But her highest regard is for humanity: not to dimish, but to elevate every human being, so there is more of a level of equality, decency, even patriotism.

As my father and grandfather taught me, I will forge ahead with empathy, courage, decency, restraint, morality and stand tall for everything that is as right as it could possibly be. I could never stand for violence and guns and evil, degrading language. Character and morality mean everything at the end of the day, and something everyone should expect from a president. Don't fall; simply RISE!

Bad Faith, Ugly Politics and Wishes for the New Year

 I just finished watching the documentary on Prime, BAD FAITH, and I find myself filled with dread and terror. It is a must see! It traces the rise of Christian White Nationalism, and how far these folks will go to make this nation White and Christian. Indeed this means no Jews, Muslims, Hindus --any religion aside from Christianity. However, this is not the Christianity of goodness, kindness, compassion, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is a vision of an apocalypse, where perhaps, as one gentleman interviewed suggests,  there will have to be another Civil War, so the nation can return to what it once was. "Start storing your guns," he shouts to the congregation, and they respond, "Amen." They feel the world has been taken over by non-White, non-Christian people and the world is binary: THEM and US, where God and Satan are engaged in battle, and the messiah can rise once again in  Donald Trump returning to the White House, a man who will help bring their vision to fruition.

I am not saying all the Trump base are engaged in this verbal assault and warfare, but if January 6th is any indication of what his core base is willing to do, you, too, should be terrified. Trump has already said the country should engage in a Day Of Bloodbath if the fails to unseat Biden--now Kamala (he is proud of his angry rhetoric, so my guess is Fox News people have heard this, too).  He spews hateful rumors about immigrants, when FACTS have proven that crimes are most often the result of  people who are American citizens. He elevates violence in his speech, so that his base feels entitled to violent speech and actions; this, as Tim Snyder says, is so reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

But that's not the biggest threat, but what is are all the under-handed ways the party is playing in order to help Trump win. The G.O.P. is filing a deluge of suits over elections. My guess is he could not win the popular vote, but with the Supreme Court on his side and the lower courts and state courts already in place, we are in a heap of trouble. There is an onslaught of litigation for an election that has not yet occurred. He is poised to turn to these law suits if he does not win, like in 2020 (disproven coast to coast), he will go to the state courts to engage in recounts and establish cases to prove he is the annoited king. Right now there are states where the electorates may make the final decisions, since they are in Republican hands. People are being thrown off the voting rosters in these states, since states with Republican electorates have the ability to make their own decisions. This past Sunday, I went out with a few friends where I heard of such a threat. One woman explained she got a letter from the Florida board explaining, WE NEED TO RE-CERTIFY ABSENTEE BALLOTS, SINCE IT IS TIME FOR THEM TO RE-DO THEIR ROSTERS. This letter was sent to seniors, most of whom are Democrats, so they will, perhaps, not vote, since it is too much of a hassle. Voter intimidation, fraud, hassles--all this and more to get their man elected. My friend is astute and saw through this charade. But what about those who are not? What then?

Which brings me to the Jewish New Year. I am not religious. I no longer go to shul, but I feel throughly Jewish, which to me means I live giving tzedakah, good deeds, and believe in decency, integrity, humanity and compassion, the way many righteous people of other religions live. I live with GOOD FAITH, not BAD FAITH, where people will do the right thing, not vote for a dictator who spews hate and venom, not look at the world through his prism--destruction, deportation, jailing your enemies. My wish for the world this New Years is to discard your sins in the water, in the spirit of goodness and redemption, and help to build a better world, one of goodness and joy. And when you vote in November, rely on the humanity with which you have raised your family, with which you regard your neighbors and friends. You may not know her (Kamala has shown herself to you, so I don't buy this), but you know him!

Happy new year. Search in your heart for all that is kind and generous. Amen, with health and happiness. And, in good faith, Shana Tovah!

Resignations

 Eric Adams should resign.This news is alarming: extortion, bribery, dealings with foreign governments. He reaped all the rewards of a corrupted office, since it was not just him, but countless others in his administration. As a New Yorker, I am mortified that he is my representative, but not surprised. I did not vote for him; I voted for Kathryn Garcia. I always questioned his veracity?

Speaking of which, so, too, should Donald Trump resign. Every New Yorker KNOWS he was and IS corrupt. My stepmom, may she rest in peace, once shared the story how her former boss (decades ago),  said, "Never allow Donald and Fred in this office. Say I am not here." She worked in real estate. Need I say more?

If his misogny and criminal indicments are not enough, his attempts to thwart the 2020 election, January 6th, his dealing with dictators, his fear-mongering of civil servants-- I can go on forever. He should not be running for the office of the presidency. There must be a higher morality, some lawfulness that goes with this. Why are people still voting for him?

More importantly, why is he running?

Harmful Lies and Other Dirty Deeds

 J.D. Vance admitted to making up the story that Hatian immigrants are eating people's dogs and cats. Going one step further, he has been pushing this lie in the press and on national television so his boss, (mob boss, sorry) can run an audacious ad of himself holding up a goose by the neck. "They are eating your geese." My question: Do people really believe this? Do they believe childless cat ladies are a danger to Democracy? Do they believe this is behavior fitting for a vice presidential and presidential candidate?

I shudder to believe they do, because now elementary schools have been targeted with bomb threats; City Hall was shut down; two hospitals were in lockdown and the Proud Boys marched through Springfield, Ohio. The GOP with Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are leaning into this lie, dangerously reminiscent of the Nazi strategy to dehumanize the Jewish population in the 1930(s). This is shameful and destructive.

And while we are at it, let's not forget Trump brought Laura Loomer to a 9-11 Memorial, a woman who uses conspiracy theories daily and believes that 9/11 was an "inside job." The disgrace of this is she used such a  theory to debase the reality of what happened September 11th, as families were grieving their loved  ones that day.

When you vote in November, vote for the heart and soul of your nation, not for this toxicity that is destroying every person in its path!!!! They are breeding a culture of hate and division, a world I can't imagine a sane person would want any part of!

The Debate

 Now that the first debate (the only debate) is over,  and now when even Fox News comentators clearly stated he lost (so did some Republicans--those who are honest) and now that she appeared presidential, smart, posied, intelligent, decent, generous and mostly honest (what politician ever is totally), why is there an issue? I hear too many independents saying, "I don''t really know her; what are her policies?"

Seriously? Seriously?? This from a man who even DARES to question the race of the vice president and call her and her Dad Marxists, a comment she did not even qualify. The worst you can do to a bully is not respond

If you could not gather facts and policies from that debate, you were not listening. She opened the debate with a proposed economic plan, all of which will serve most people well; in particular, the middle class and those who are struggling. Honestly, there is no reason not to tax the rich at a higher rate; in fact, it is the fair and decent thing to do. Though I am very comfortable, tax me higher if you need to so the world is fairer and more equitable. You know her policies on women's rights; book banning; crime, but most importantly, on DEMOCRACY and the preservation of Democracy. When asked about good leaders who does HE mention? Victor Orban. He extolled his personal virtues (doesn't he always??) that he could have ended the war in Ukraine, since Putin is his friend. Ha!! Why didn't he, as an ordinary citizen, call his best friend Putin and just end it? This is all a bad joke, a lie, a distortion of the truth, something he is an expert in. He has no respone to Kamala's honest statement of Putin's plan to take over Ukraine first, and the rest of Eastern Europe after. And he dares to say Jews hate her? Not only is she married to a Jewish man, but a large percentage of American Jews plan to vote for her. Where does he get the audacity to say this??

What about healthcare? He wants the ACA DEAD; he tried eight years ago, and will surely try again, and when asked about his plan for healthcare, all he could come up with is he has a CONCEPT for a plan? Is this what he can offer after eight years???

As for immigration, indeed there was a bi-partisan agreement plan, which Trump made certain to nip in the bud, since if it had been passed, it would be too risky for his election. In fact, every question that was asked of him, he turned it around to all the illegal immigrants crossing our borders who pose a terrible risk to our nation--the drugs, the crime, the dangers to our cities. FACTS have proven more crimes have been committed by American citizens. You can get these facts on the internet with a simple search. These are awful lies, meant to invoke FEAR; this is his specialty--fear and anxiety. Just remmeber, during his adminstration, parents and children were separated; there is nothing more sinister than this!

World leaders are anxious, people with embedded moral values are scared, but frankly so am I. The ultimate lunacy of the debate was his LIE about Hatian immigrants stealing and killing animals, so they could eat them. David Muir debunked this invention, since he shared what the Springfield, Ohio police who said that it was NOT TRUE (so what else is new with his stories??), but when cross-examined he retorted, "Oh, I heard it on television." Yet, he has continued telling this insanely vile, baseless claim  about a group of immigrants who have helped to build up the economy of Springfield, who are legally (and decently) living in this country. Now Hatian community centers have been threatened, and people are scared to send their children to school. This demonization is akin to blood libel.

So, independent voters, I ask you, is this okay? Is this the world you want; a bleak vision of America that he puts forth, a dangerous world where it is the OTHER who has made the world as terrible as it is? Frankly, HE is the only one who stokes fear and danger and racism and misogyny and a lens with which I refuse to see the world. Indeed, he lost this debate; his crowd size is consitently NOT bigger and next time you hesitate and say, "I do not know enough about her" my response will be, "You know everything about him; it is ugly and dangerous and scary. You would punish your own children for saying a fraction of the vile things he says about people." Just think, he still denies the result of the 2020 election and, when asked why on television a few days prior why he had said, "Yes, I lost" he had the chutzpah to tell the moderator he was being sarcastic.

Think of this when you vote in November. It is what our future world will look like, since he crosses too many accepable lines. Over half the country fired him last time he ran; now it is time for even more to say ENOGUH!!!!!

September 11th

Though 23 years have passed since the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings, the grief feels touchably alive. Periodically, I revisit that horror, and the image of people jumping out of windows; the burning bodies; the ash; the debris, the lives lost cuts through like a knife. But I was just a witness; I saw it on television; I weeped at the unspeakable.

Today I honor all of the family members, those who survived the aftermath of this awful tragedy, those who lost husbands, wives, children; those fire-fighters who bravely climbed dozens of flights to do their duty; those police officers who arrived on the scene with a mission to save, and even the ordinary citizens who stepped in because they saw it as their civic duty. Nothing will ever bring your loved ones back. You only have years of cherished memories to reflect on. You are heroes in your own right. You have survived.

 Amen.