All posts tagged as: politics
The World Has Come To The End Of The World
I’m not quite sure as to the origin of THIS article, but I did find it very interesting–you see, The Sway Machinery is currently in Mali as part of Festival Au Desert, and it seems that a rash of kidnappings in the region has prevented a large portion of Western festival goers from attending this year. The festival is a large source of income for Mali, so you understand why this might complicate things. Still, the festival went on this past weekend, and is described vividly in the piece mentioned above.
“For three days this past weekend, turbaned Tuaregs and toubabs styling themselves as Tuareg by wrapping their heads in cloth swayed together in the sand to some of the biggest names in world music at the 10th edition of a festival as prestigious for its remoteness as its line-up.
Situated close to 1,000 kilometres north of the capital Bamako, the last 200 kilometres involved a bone-jarring six-hour drive across the semi-arid Sahel belt and a long wait for a ferry across the River Niger. Malians themselves even joke that Timbuktu, a crossroads in the trans-Saharan caravan salt trade, is a long haul.
“People say Timbuktu is the end of the world. Well, tonight the world has come to the end of the world,” Mali’s Culture Minister Mohammed el-Moctar said triumphantly at the opening of the festival.”
Artists, Activists Rally Against Child Deportation
November 1st, hundreds of Activists rallied against the intended deportation of migrant workers from Israel along with their children, most of whom were born in the country. They also protested the statement by Minister of The Interior Eli Yishay (of Shas), who was quoted saying: “They will spread Hepatitis, Tuberculosis and Aids”. The rally, which took place at Tel Aviv venue The Block, featured several Knesset members, as well as social activists and artists Tomer Yosef, Kwami, Useless I.D, Kottage and me.
Betting against Israel's (Eurovision) Future
Dear Team JDub: Adam Lambert is not my Moses. I haven’t watched American Idol once since season two. I don’t even know what night of the week it’s on. The show just doesn’t hold a candle to the annual Eurovision Song Competition. Eurovision, whose final round occurs this Saturday night in Moscow, is a living graveyard of international kitch that’s hard to take your eyes off of. For the pop-Zionists among you, Israel has had a lot of ups & downs in recent Eurovision history. And my gut tells me we’re looking at another down year.
Despite Israel’s duet having advanced to the final, and my not having listened to any other country’s Eurovision entry this year, I’m going on the record with a prediction: Israel will not finish in the top ten in 2009. And just in case you thought this blog didn’t matter: if Israel miraculously exceeds my Eurovision expectations, my next post will feature a laughably inferior Eurovision song entry–recorded by yours truly–for you to mock me with. Read on to find out why you won’t be hearing me sing. Read More »
Senator Judas (D - PA)
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Did you know Arlen Specter (newest Democratic Senator, having just left the Republican party) is Jewish? The Americans for Limited Government do. They also happen to be the people responsible for the cartoon I’ve just posted. Gawker points out:
“It wasn’t too long ago that Jewish neoconservatives were a power center in the Republican Party, and left-wing anti-war types were the anti-Semites for pointing out that Israel wanted the U.S. to invade Iraq. We’re happy the right-wing has returned its comfortable, Nixonian, Jew-hating.” Lawrence of Arabia movie full
The problem here is that the source never actually alludes to Specter’s Judaism, merely that his party-change was motivated by money. So who is the real anti-Semite here? Is it the Gawker writer who projects Judaism onto the Judas allegory and representation of greed? Or is it the GetLiberty.org administrator that originally posted the cartoon?
Regardless, the biggest party change here isn’t Specter’s. Sure, Gawker is incorrect in branding the image as anti-Semitic, but their commentary on the implications of that it is eerily spot-on. Anti-Semitism is changing as the political landscape in America shifts. I remember before the ‘04 presidential election that much of the Jewish community was supporting Bush solely because of his stance on Israel. It wasn’t too long ago that American Jewry looked to Republicans for both support and protection; however, as the Republican party moves to the right socially, in turn rallying around the ‘Christian nation’, they also appear less attractive to their remaining Jewish base. No doubt Specter’s party swap will be the first of many.
You Go Governor
From the man who brought you Slick Rick’s pardon, comes another legislative firecracker. Gov. David Paterson surprised his colleagues last week when he announced he was going to introduce a bill that would end discrimination against same-sex couples in NYC without knowing for certain whether or not the bill would pass. In fact, it appears that it will not…unless we the constituents let our representatives know that New York State is ready to join Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Canada, Spain, South Africa and other places that have yet to spontaneously combust due to an uptick in committed loving relationships.
The democrats have a small majority in the State Senate, and with four dems on record saying that they will oppose the bill, it’s going to be hard to get this bill passed. The most outspoken of these sissies is Ruben Diaz Sr. from the Bronx, a perennial blowhard short on ideas and long on hatemongering…or fear, or weakness, whatever you want to call it, he sucks. You may remember him from his outrage over the Gay Games in 1994, claiming that they would lead to a rise in AIDS cases. His defense, after being criticized for his ignorance and homophobia was that his remarks reflected his religious beliefs. FYI he’s a Pentecostal minister. Why do we let our representatives drag the institution of religion through the mud? Why do we let them use it as an excuse for their own personal hatred? No one is without some prejudices, but dammit Diaz, just own your homophobia! Don’t tell us you’re a bigot because not being a bigot conflicts with your religious views. That’s not fair to people who have somehow managed to be religious and not discriminate against those unlike themselves.
Diaz should take a lesson from Hillel’s teaching: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That’s the whole Torah, the rest is commentary. Go study it!” Sheldon Silver, an Orthodox Jew and the Speaker of the New York State Assembly knows ’bout it. He’s on record saying that he will vote for the bill. And it’s not like Orthodox Judasim is traditionally progressive on this topic. Kudos to Silver for that. And if that Hillel anecdote doesn’t sufficiantly sum up Diaz’s hypocrisy, then a lesson from a different Rabbi might further illuminate the subject in clergy to clergy terminology. Rabbi Saks (my pops) can explain to the Reverend why he is the Sodomite in this here saga.
As I plan for my own wedding, I am particularly aware of what an embarrassment and tragedy it is for our city to be stuck in a darker era when civil rights needed to be debated before people could be convinced they were important. Good for Paterson for forcing the issue and not waiting until this was a safe move or a sure deal. Make them say which side they are on by forcing the haters out of the closet. Brandish their resumes with the word ‘discriminator’ so a few years from now, after this bill has been passed (since it’s obvious it will be soon enough,) these Senators and Assemblymen will have to answer for their vote. My wedding would have been illegal in this country just 42 years ago. And if I had been alive then that would make me furious. But I wasn’t. I’m alive now, and I’m furious anyway.
“For too long, LGBT New Yorkers have been told to wait for their civil rights and personal freedom. We will not wait any longer. Now is the time for action. Now is the time for leadership. Now is the time to march forward together.” -Gov. David Paterson
Here are the names and contact info for the Democrats who have thus far said they will oppose this bill. Let them know we’re paying attention and aren’t impressed:
Ruben Diaz Sr. (Bronx): (718) 991-3161 diaz@senate.state.ny.us
Darrel Aubertine (Watertown): (315) 782-3418 aubertin@senate.state.ny.us
William Stachowski (Buffalo): (716) 826-3344 senstachowski@yahoo.com
David Valesky (Syracuse): (315) 478-8745 valesky@senate.state.ny.us
UPDATE: I wrote this a couple days ago and as of last night Paterson has backpedaled. He now says that he will follow the advise of fellow bill supporter State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith
and wait until they are sure the bill would pass to submit it. Perhaps that is wise in some strategic sense, but I preferred Paterson’s initial argument that some issues need to be forced and that this one has waited long enough.
In other news…In about 30 minutes, Kevin (DeLeon’s bassist) is going to pick me up and we’re going to head down to West Virginia in an RV!
it’s root, root, root for _______
[No disrespect to Mr. Gibson, but no post involving Jews and baseball is complete without this clip.]
Compartmentalized identity: it’s not just a mouthful, it’s a heartache. Just ask World Series MVP Albert Pujols, who declared his intention to bow out of a spring training game against the Dominican national team. Pujols wanted to represent the mother land, but apparently couldn’t find an insurer to cover him. So while Dominicana tunes up for the 2nd World Baseball Classic, Pujols will take the day off out of “respect.” I support his decision 100%. Plus, this news item is a welcome departure from stories of ridiculous tactics some athletes have used to weasel out of international matches with political foes.
Sports and Israeli Politics
Dave Zirin on WBAI radio
Egyptian soccer star Mohamed Aboutreika
As talk of divestment from Israel hits the news, sportswriter Dave Zirin looks at the intersection of sports and Israeli politics. In this interview with WBAI radio show Beyond the Pale, Zirin outlines a number of events that have rocked the international sports landscape, including Egyptian soccer player Mohamed Aboutreika lifting his jersey after scoring a goal to reveal a shirt reading “Sympathize with Gaza,” and an Israeli basketball team’s game in Turkey being cancelled after the crowd threw shoes on the court and protested.
These are reminders that sports are not merely games or distractions, but rather cultural institutions that are connected with the workings of governments, militaries, and corporations.
Pick the Temple
A few weeks ago on the Daily Show, correspondent Wyatt Cenac investigated which D.C. church the Obamas would choose to attend, leading to the conclusion - in true Daily Show fashion - that a synagogue would be the right fit for the first family.