It is that simple
Would you deny President Obama any of the basic civil rights that ought to be accorded to all human beings by virtue of being rights because of the color of his skin?Would you deny an immigrant any of...
View ArticleHow to tell a real man from a misogynist
It would come as no surprise to people here that so-called "men" dominate the halls of power in this country and so have the ability to dominate public policy regarding women's rights and equality. And...
View ArticleA refresher on Nazis for the ignorant, insensitive, and teabagger equivalents
I feel like I've been repeating myself every few months, so you'll pardon me if I don't put in quite the same effort this time around, even if this is a message that apparently needs to be repeated...
View ArticleScalia says sex discrimination is constitutional
Occasionally, random things come across my desk. This morning, this was the random thing waiting for me when I got to the office. It's an interview by a legal blog with Supreme Court Justice (and...
View ArticleRepublicans would have let my mother die; somehow that's "pro-life"
I've written about this here before, but it bears repeating given the introduction of HR 358, the Republicans' latest attempt to make sure that no woman anywhere ever has access to an abortion, even...
View ArticleShabbat Dinner
Welcome to the fourth weekly dKos Shabbat Dinner. For those of you who haven't been following along as this series started, this is what it's all about:For Jews (at least traditionally), Shabbat is the...
View ArticleIntroducing the Elders of Zion
Chevre,I begin with Chevre for a reason. It's a word that doesn't translate exactly into English -- the translation loses some nuance -- but it essentially refers to a community, frequently closely...
View ArticleClosing the Passover Seder: Hallel and Nirtzah
And so we end the Passover seder according to law. We have conducted it according to tradition, according to statute. Just as we have merited the privilege of conducting it this year, so may we be...
View Article"Shylocks"
There is a diary on the recommended list right now that, I'm told, has been on the rec list for most of the day. I've been through the diary and I can see why -- it's a good diary. But it has one...
View ArticleD'var Torah: B'midbar
Parashat B'midbar Numbers 1:1-4:20This week's Torah portion, the first in Sefer B'midbar, the Book of Numbers, focuses on two topics: a census of male Israelites (excluding Levites) between the ages of...
View ArticleD'var Torah: Chukat
Parashat Chukat Numbers 19:1-22:1 All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being...
View ArticleD'var Torah: Mas'ei
Parashat Mas'ei Numbers 33:1-36:13This is the final Torah portion in the Book of Numbers. Numbers is essentially a chronicle of the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert between the Exodus...
View ArticleD'var Torah: Va'Etchanan
Parashat Va'Etchanan Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11With apologies, I didn't realize until this afternoon that no one had signed up to write this week's d'var Torah. This week's portion is very complicated so...
View ArticleRemembering
I don't know what it is about our culture that requires that everything be sensationalized. I intend to spend the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks avoiding the media as much as possible. Any of us...
View ArticleJewish Holidays: Calling for Volunteers
It occurs to me that with so many folks boycotting the site this week (fight the good fight, my friends!), I'd better get this out tonight. The Jewish holiday season begins in just a couple of weeks...
View ArticleThis was cold-blooded murder
A little over four years ago, I posted this diary: Q: What do you call it when a person kills another person, with full intent and premeditation? A: Murder.Q: What do you call it when the government...
View ArticleD'var Torah: VaYeshev
Parashat VaYeshev Genesis 37:1-40:23✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡ ✡I'm traveling for work this week and haven't had time to write anything...
View ArticleIt only took 1,500 years
The internet is still relatively young, not even 50 years even if you count precursors, but the concept of hypertext is much older. One of the earliest written examples of hypertext is the Talmud, the...
View ArticleD'var Torah: VaYigash
Parashat VaYigash Genesis 44:18-47:27With apologies if anyone else was planning on posting something; the schedule didn't show anyone for this week. I also haven't had time to write anything new, so...
View ArticleMy grandparents didn't want to be converted
My friend Mets102 has posted a couple of diaries recently about Mormons converting dead Jews to their faith, including Daniel Pearl, who was murdered for no reason other than that he was a Jew, and...
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