Weprin made the mistake of
telling the truth. He voted for same sex marriage as a representative of ALL
the people and not just as a representative of his own group. Fundamentalist
religion is antithetical to democracy. If it were up to me, I would bar members
of all fundamentalist sects from being able to run for and hold public office.
I don’t believe that they are capable of separating their religious side from
their secular side. Look at Rick Perry. I can’t even imagine the kind of
country we would have under the likes of him. On the other hand, if a
fundamentally religious person can separate his own inner church from state, as
Weprin and Jimmy Carter can do, then why shouldn’t he or she be allowed to run?
Weprin proved this case when he fairly and rightly cast the yes vote for same
sex marriage. This makes him a heretic in the eyes of his fellow orthodox Jews.
Their theological hatred of homosexuals was exploited handily by the Republican
candidate under the guise of some stupid PAC, the National Organization for
Marriage. Orthodox Jews turned out in droves to vote against the man, the ad
proclaimed, who violated the Torah.
The Late Harvey Milk, Jewish Gay New York American, would be a victim of burning or stoning if he lived under a theocratic dictatorship like the Republican Tea Bagger Taliban want. |
I was quite disgusted by the
orthodox Jewish vote for Republican Bob Turner in the 9th Brooklyn Congressional district. This was the special election for disgraced ex-Congressperson Democrat Anthony Weiner's seat.
First, I
myself am a Jew and have no problem with it. I am not, however, religious in
any way. I am also a very strong supporter of Israel and even go as far to say
that there is no such thing as a Palestine people and that there will never be
peace there because of the religious hatreds. I am ashamed to say that at one
time, I voted for what I now consider the worst scum of history including
Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. I did this because at that time I was a one
issue voter. The entire planet could be going down the commode, but as long as
Israel is ok, that was just peachy. I have thankfully grown a little wiser down
the corridors of the years and now vote for what is best for this country and
not necessarily what is good for Israel. Now, no matter what, I vote Democratic
only because the alternative is frighteningly worse. Yes, I never thought Obama
would be good for Israel, but he has to be good for the USA first. And what did
he do? Obama simply reiterated American policy regarding Israel since at least
the time of Jimmy Carter. Bush and the Bush before him said the same thing
about Israel’s borders. I always thought that we Jews are supposed to have good
memories. Falling hook line and stinker for a Republican hate and fear
campaign, as religious Jews did in my district, makes me wonder about those
memories. I voted for Obama in the last election and will vote for him again
because the alternative is theocratic fascist totalitarianism. If that sounds
paranoid, check out all the things Republicans have done to deny civil and
worker rights since they were mistakenly voted into office last November. In any event, I voted for Weprin. The only
message I have to send to our president is keep fighting these reactionary
religious extremists (the Taliban of our country) because the future of our
democratic republic is at stake during the worst era since the time of
McCarthy.
Second, this is the other
issue that sent droves of religious Jews to the Republican Jerry Springerite
Turner: intense theological homophobia. Check out this disgusting ad that came
in my mail. I scanned it before ripping it to shreds and tossing it into the
trash.
Republican Political ads like the one above targeting fundamentalist Jews, should be outlawed, especially since same sex marriage is now law in New York state. |
I am quite ashamed of what my
orthodox Jewish brethren have done. They have sunk to the lowest in my eyes
because they invoke the Torah and yet succumb to the same kind of hate that
could eventually put people into ovens. Whether these religious bigots like it
or not, same sex marriage is legal in New York State. If they don’t like it,
they should go and live in another state. If they don’t like President Obama’s Israel
policy, they should go and live in Israel where their voices will count. Beyond
my contempt for my orthodox brethren, is my disgust over the direction this
country appears to be going. When a political candidate like Bob Turner can get
away with pandering to hate and fear in order to get votes, then we have gone a
long way to proving to the world the kind of classless slobs we all are.
Look at the picture of Dov Hikind above in the ad.
Photoshop out the beard and skull cap and then Photoshop in the pointy white
sheet he should be wearing on his head. We live in a country where people cheer
when more people are executed. We live in a country where religious views are
substitute for bigotry. I for one would never want to live in a country ruled
by a fundamentalist religion. I could care less about Islamic religious law
creeping into our midst when we have the real threat of Judeo-Christian
fundamentalist law slowly imposing its will on the rest of us.
And here is the ultimate irony: I’d like to see at
least 100 orthodox Jewish families, beards, wide hats, long black coats and
all, try and buy property in Bob Turner’s neighborhood of Breezy Point. When I
have had the occasion to bike ride through there and even eat at one of their
local restaurants, the anti-Semitism there is palpable. I overheard one patron
talking about what he would do if his daughter would marry a Jew. I would be
quite surprised if there was a large Jewish contingent in this neighborhood. As
it stands, there is not a black or Hispanic person for miles in this community.
Certainly, Turner needed the votes of these religious bigots. On the other
hand, I doubt if he would want them to be his neighbors.
I for one will never walk into an orthodox synagogue
again. Religious extremists of all sects love to invoke their faith alongside
their hate, but in the end, they are all hypocrites. These Republicans, tea
baggers, and religious fundamentalists everywhere care more for the unborn than
they do for the already born.
1 comment:
Touche'!
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