More Than Fair
On Sept. 2, The Jewish Press website reported that archeologists found a weight marked as two gerah that was found to weigh three times as much. The scholars involved in the find “said the obvious conclusion is that it was a weight that was used for forgery and fraud in the trading process.”
This “obvious conclusion” simply reflects the scholars’ own biases that refuse to judge the early Israelites favorably, so they jump to conclusions about ancient Jews being cheaters. To me, it stretches believability that people could be fooled by a merchant insisting on using his own weights that are so obviously uncalibrated.
An alternate way of explaining the evidence at hand would be that they were owned by a Jew who was so careful and meticulous about making sure that his weights are complete and not defective, that he allowed himself to sell merchandise that weighs up to three times as much as the purchaser was paying for in order to make sure that he wasn’t providing too little. This person is the opposite of a cheater and swindler.
Reuven Chaim Klein
Beitar Illit, Israel
Inconsiderate Chit-Chat
I always read The Jewish Press from week to week. I must say Ann Novick was right on the money with her column on chronic illness, which was about all the inconsiderate things people say in conversation to make small chat without thinking about people’s circumstances. One example is family members who say to single girls, “So, nu, when are you going to get married, when will you have a baby, you look out of shape, you’ve been eating cake again.”
Some inconsiderate distant cousin told me never to eat butter again. Note: I don’t eat butter.
Raquel Hanon
Brooklyn, NY
Biden’s Disasters
While various corporate news people spotlight the intense division in America, which the corrupt media cheers on, few will report the real story facing this country: the amazing ability of President Biden to create disastrous situations.
The Covid mandates are the latest demonstration of Mr. Biden’s incompetence. Instead of rallying the nation to combat the virus on a personal level, the president demonizes the unvaccinated and tries to punish them.
It’s not that the basic premise is wrong – it isn’t. Unvaccinated adults are allowing the virus to spread quicker. That’s the truth no matter what the far-right puts forth. But by going full-tilt authoritarian, Biden gives ammunition to the vaccine resisters and makes them sympathetic in some quarters. Thus, anti-vax opposition deepens, and more Americans get sick.
We all know how Mr. Biden screwed up Afghanistan, and his destruction of America’s border security is a big-time scandal – even if the corrupt corporate media ignores it.
But the worst may be yet to come.
Here is the brutal truth: Joe Biden is not able to mentally assess cause and effect. He was stunned when Afghanistan fell, not understanding his foolish strategy led to it.
He completely hides from the collapsing southern border even though his executive orders to stop the wall and cease immediate deportations to Mexico have caused millions of migrants to cross illegally into the U.S.
Biden’s attack on the American oil industry has directly led to higher pump prices, his embrace of late-term abortion has angered millions of human beings who were allowed to be birthed.
The radical-left progressives, who influence Biden, know full well the man cannot grasp the consequences of his actions. And the U.S. economy is up next.
The socialists understand only that making millions of Americans dependent on government handouts will incite a change from capitalism to federal control of the economy. Socialism will only happen if Americans give up trying to earn their prosperity and allow Washington to “provide.”
That’s what the $3.5 trillion “infrastructure” bill is all about – creating dependence on government giveaways. Free stuff is a powerful drug.
President Biden, in my opinion, is totally oblivious to the consequences of record government spending and the draconian tax hikes that will accompany it. And when the economy crashes, which it will if this insane spending continues, Biden will do exactly what he did with Afghanistan: declare some kind of “excellent” outcome.
But this time Americans will feel the pain directly – just as the Afghans are today.
President Biden is completely lost. And so are many of the folks who are enabling him. But not all. There are forces in this country actually rooting for the demise of traditional America. And Joe Biden, knowingly or not, is helping them.
Brian Goldenfeld
Oak Park, CA
Quoting Trump
Many of The Jewish Press columnists and letter writers praise Donald Trump ad nauseum. I just read, “Frankly, We Did Win This Election” – The Inside Story of How Trump Lost, by Michael C. Bender, the senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He described a conversation between former White House Chief of Staff, John F. Kelly (Gen. USMC Ret.) and Donald Trump. Kelly was explaining the history of World War I and then World War II to Trump. Trump said, “Well, Hitler did a lot of good things.” Kelly called him out on that statement. Trump pointed out Germany’s economic gains once Hitler took over as chancellor. Kelly opined to Trump that the German people would have been better off poor than subjected to the Nazi genocide.
Those of you who kvell in Donald Trump may want to consider the foregoing.
Jeffrey M. Goldman
Paramus, NJ