ALMOST HAVE IT SORTED

I've almost gotten the religion thing sorted in my mind. The operative word here is -almost- Hardly a day goes by without a new aspect popping up just to confuse me.
So, where do things stand now?
The Da Vinci Code sent me on this search, but the questions actually started with a radio show many months ago called Dark Matters when Don and Dwight brought Stichin's http://www.sitchin.com/ Sumerian aliens to my attention. The basic contention there is that an alien group arrived in Sumeria-a part of modern day Iraq and started the whole monotheistic thing which eventually to Judaism (there are indications in the Old Testament(New too) of angels (giants) that might well have been aliens. These aliens gave Moses the 10 Commandments and the rules by which Jews still live today, and lead people away from Nature Worship to the idea of One God, and morality. Ok, so far, so good. But who created these aliens who seemingly presented themselves as The Creator? Were they just messengers of the Higher Power, or did they find a primitive (by their standards) place and decide to shape and control our progress? Where does Jesus fit in here? Did something go wrong with the aliens original plan (The Law according to the Old.Testament)? Did they decide a new direction was needed, and did that go wrong too? There's not much of a case these days for the N.T. having done much better than the O.T. in helping us become more moral; rather the opposite. In fact more horrors were perpetrated in the name of Jesus than at any other time in the history of this planet. Is it all just a cosmic experiment to see what *we* can become? Have we been 'praying' to aliens these thousands of years? Are they (the aliens) just playing with us because they can?
I don't have definitive answers to any of my questions. In fact, I think it all boils down to personal belief at this point, and I doubt we'll ever really know. I do, however believe that Judaism is a better code of morality and that Christianity is as much a perversion of God's laws as the various radical sects of Judaism are. Everything any of us need to live *good* moral lives is right there in the O.T. for us to learn on our own without anyone else interpreting it for/to us. We have simply given up on taking responsibility for our own lives and handed that responsibility to interpreters-rabbis/ministers/priests/churches, and that is where we have all collectively gone wrong.
My take on it is that each of us is/should be struggling with personal issues of right and wrong, that this is the world we should be concerned with, not the hereafter, if there is one, and that trying to influence others of the *right* of our individual way is as bad if not worse than acting immorally.
I'm still turning all this over in my mind and the more I read and search, the more I am convinced that there must be,*is* an Almighty and that the Old Testament is the closest to *right* that this world has.
It's time for the A Team now, but I'm sure 'll be back with more wonderings on the subject.

WHAT GIVES ME THE RIGHT?

I've been asked more than once what gives me the right to criticize our government. A comment to the effect that if things are so bad here, why don't I just pack up and go back to the States?
Well, the answer to that is pretty simple. Israel is home to me, and I love it in spite of the warts and other crap. I strongly believe that in order to fix things that are wrong, you must first define them, then look for solutions. Granted, I do my fair share, and possibly more of winging, but I am also looking for answers and want/hope to be part of changes for the better here. I *do* understand that there is nothing coming close to a consensus on what is wrong here, never mind how to fix it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit on my hands patiently waiting for universal agreement. One of our major problems is the "It will be alright" syndrome. People here just don't realize that in order to change things and make them better, it's not enough to wait for someone else to fix it. You have to be actively involved.
One of my favorite commentators said something to effect that we can not dismiss corruption at the top and take no responsibility for it ourselves. We elected them and keep on electing them knowing who and what they are. We really can't duck the issue by pointing to those higher up on ladder. It's as much our fault as it is theirs because we put them there and we and only we can change it. I end up saying that nonstop at election time, as well as in between. It just might be time to get more vocal and take another 1992 style shot at things. I wonder if the new paper would let me write a column. On the basis of 'charity' starts at home, I think I'll write up a piece on local issues and send it to the paper. Worst case-they circular file it.

THE BEST OF INTENTIONS

I really truly intended to post here more often. In fact, just this past week I promised myself to pick a topic every day and post a few on that topic. Of course insane things (my life) diverted me. There's also the fact that I am weary of the crap going on here. Same old same old day after day. On the other hand, now that I've made up with Danny and Orna and rejoined the Sprinzak Parliament which meets every evening in Danny and Orna's yard and is made up of Danny, Orna, Shimon (Danny's brother) Yechiya (our beloved neighbor and electrician of choice) Albert, (neighbor) Lillian, (Albert's wife) Natan [(Danny's cousin or uncle) I get confused] and yours truly, and anyone else who happens by and has an opinion to offer, (we are nothing if not open to all) I just might start choosing the previous night's topic and expound on it here. We are all pretty my right of center and agree that things are going to hell in a hand basket here. Thursday's subject by default was kids and why they behave more like hooligans by the day. The quints across the path have been harassing me since I moved in and I try my best to ignore them. They have recently taken to yelling at me when I go out with Peg that I am a witch and fat. Yeah, but I already know these things, I don't need the neighborhood genetic accidents to remind me every time I go out. I'd been waiting for a chance to have a word with the mother, but I just never caught her at a good time. This is a supposedly religious family, which would usually mean that the kids are quiet and well mannered. Not this lot! On Thursday, Mamma heard them yelling and screaming at me as I rolled towards the parliament meeting and came out to drag the sorry parade to apologize to me. I told her in no uncertain terms that I detest kids and only want to be left alone and ignored as I ignore them. She agreed and with any luck they will knock off the obnoxious behavior.
The incident sparked off a long discussion of why kids are so out of control these days. There are junior high aged kids in school yards with knives, and group rapes in the news daily, and everyone is walking around shaking their heads and wondering what to do. The root of the problem is that parents don't have either the time or inclination to properly supervise their kids. It's too much work and interferes with their own free time, so kids do what they see on TV. There's also the fact that corpoal punishment at home and school is against the law and the kids know it. Add to that mix the Israeli parent's attitude that their kid is always right and you have a recipe for mayhem. Yes, it really is that simple. Parents are afraid to discipline their kids and teacher are not allowed to. Israeli parents expect the education system to do not only do their jobs, but to teach them everything they need to know, in such a way that the kids don't have to put any effort into learning. And people wonder what's wrong with the country. There you have it in a nut shell.
Add the rampant corruption at all levels of government to the mix and it all becomes clear.
The next session of Parliament is tonight, and I have every expectation to have some new subject for tomorrow's rant.

PARDON ME WHILE I BUST A GUT LAUGHING

Oops-e-daisy! The EU referendum of the proposed constitution has been thumbs downed by France and the Netherlands. If it weren't so pathetic it would be uproariously funny. Trying to get so many countries to agree to a single constitution to unite so many countries into one union is about the dumbest thing I ever heard of. The United States did it almost 230 years ago, but only had 13 original states that had to ratify the U.S. constitution, over which the writers had many a fine verbal battle. That meant that the 37 states that joined the Union over the years had a ready made document to ratify, and one would assume that if things got as far as a ratification vote in the joining states, it was almost a given.
This whole EU thing seems to me to be the Europeans trying to copy the US 230 years late. It's a bit ironic that what they are trying to do is put together a solid block to function as a united body, much as the US is. If they want to do that, it might be a good idea to come up with a treaty/constitution that limits the EU's power and gives more autonomy to the individual countries, much as the US constitution is set up to do. The fact that the US Federal Government has usurped many of the States powers in direct violation of the constitution is beside the point. I would recommend the Europeans safe guard against that. I wonder when the Asians will get around to trying to do the same thing. If they ever do, it won't be long before someone gets the bright idea (not) of using the United Nations as a framework for a World Wide Governing Body. The mind boggles. Best get rid of the UN as it is today ASAP. That is one place even more corrupt than our government and the PA together. Now, *THAT'S* corrupt.

We released 400 P.A. prisoners today. It was kind of interesting to note that no Israeli prisoners were released from P.A. prisons. Could the reason for that be that there are none of ours there? Is it possible that they have no Israeli terrorists in their jails for the simple reason that there are no Israeli suicide bombers? Sure, we had Baruch Goldstein and Ami Popper and a few others, but Goldstein got killed during his rampage and WE put Popper in jail ourselves, just like we have anyone else caught so much as thinking about trying a few terror tactics on the P.A. Think about that for a bit.