Hate Rides Again

I should be blogging about this being the end of this decade.

Instead, I'm taking a trip back in history.    A trip back to very scary history for those among us who are Jewish.

We Americans thought, when I was growing up in the 1960's, that our children would not repeat the hate of the past.  We would be different.

We were wrong.

This past Hanukkah, which will be entering its final day at sundown tonight, has seen at least 13 anti-Semitic incidents in New York State.  The latest one, in a heavily Jewish county to the north of New York City, involved a (allegedly) 37 year man entering the home of a Rabbi and stabbing or otherwise assaulting at least five visitors (one being a son of the rabbi) with a machete.  He then ran to a nearby synagogue, but the people inside, hearing the screams coming from the house, wisely barracaded themselves in.

This is what we have come to.  We don't want to go back any further in history.

Temple Israel, Binghamton, New York

From time to time in Jewish history, the lighting of Hanukkah candles had to be done in secret.  Are we heading that way again?  You'll recall that I blogged recently how the synagogue above has had to lock its doors and install security cameras to screen visitors, as have many synagogues and Jewish community centers throughout our country.

Menorah, Oakdale Mall, Johnson City, New York

On some days during this particular Presidential election season, it seems that hate oozed from every dark corner of this country.  Those dark corners have come alive. People of hate are now encouraged, thinking that finally, the conditions are right once again for their hate to blossom.  It isn't just Jewish people at risk.  Other ethnic and religious minorities have been targeted.

You, dear reader, can always become the target tomorrow.  In truth, I feel we have more to worry about from domestic terrorists than ones coming from overseas.

Meanwhile, various minorities walk around the United States feeling they have bulls-eyes printed on their backs.  If you aren't one today, you could be one tomorrow.

So now we hold our breaths and see how our fellow citizens will react.

Goodbye Matt Davies

From time to time, I have enjoyed the editorial cartoons of Matt Davies, a Putlizer prize award editorial cartoonist.  Our local newspaper (yes, I read the newspaper!) runs him from time to time.

Oops, I mean "ran".

Ran, because Matt Davies has lost his job.  And it would seem he's not the only one.  Editorial cartoonists are a dying breed.  Sometimes, literally.  Other times, they just are laid off and never replaced.

We as a country, a people, are diminished because of it.

Think about it.  Editorial cartoonists, in a way, are like political comedians.  They make us think.  They point out absurdities.  They are controversial.

Sometimes, I guess, they make us think too much.

But, why lay them off?  Seems that they make a lot of money.  Of course, so do movie stars, producers, and professional athletes.  But is anyone laying off Harrison Ford?  James Cameron?  Or Eli Manning?  Oh, wait.  Those are people in successful industries.

Newspapers, on the other hand are dying.

So what should a dying industry do?  That's right, get rid of their prize performers.  "Ditch" the remaining people that make you want to read a paper.  After all, some wag once said that all newspaper stories are good for is to keep the ads from bumping into each other.  So what do you need prize winning writers in a newspaper for?  Anything will do to fill up the space.

So newspapers continue their death spiral, with more layoffs, leading to less readers. 

One day we will wake up and the daily paper won't be at our doorstep.  Will we miss it then?

Muslims Wearing Things

Sometimes someone starts the right blog at the right time.

It was on BoingBoing, in case you are wondering how I discovered it.

My regular readers know I don't get excited about blogs I stumble upon too often.  This is an exception.

After the controversies of this week over the firing of one J. Williams (which I do have an opinion on, but the purpose of this blog is not to get political) this new blog answers the timely question:  exactly what is Muslim garb?  How can we easily tell a Muslim from a non-Muslim through their clothes?

So this new Muslins Wearing Things blog seeks to inform the public as to official and unofficial Muslim garb.  And make a few good points along the way.

I will be interested in seeing where this goes.  Will anyone learn what this blog is trying to educate us to?  Or will it drown in a sea of hatred?  Especially as the writer has a "ask me anything" link: wonder how long that will last.  Will he or she post the questions, with answers?  I can't wait to see.

I hope this blog lasts for a while because it is awesome.  But two comments....
1.would be nice to see more picture of females - because so much of the ignorant beliefs seem to center around women...
2.  How do we get the ignorant to read that blog in the first place?