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Mar 3rd

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We had an ordinary week, though we did attend the wedding of one of my fourth-cousins (via my maternal grandmother’s paternal grandmother). I would have liked to talk to my various cousins, but it was literally impossible to do so over the pounding techno music. Even with earplugs in (which Esther thoughtfully reminded me to bring), it overwhelmed me.

I know I’m an old git, but still — is it really necessary to blast music so loudly your fillings rattle?

Some of you will have heard of the protests going on here in the Land. They’ve been going on for quite a while, now; but this week they held a “national day of disruption”, during which Tel Aviv and parts of Jerusalem were brought to a standstill.

I’m all for the right to protest, that’s a healthy part of any democratic society. However, I’ve one of several bones to pick with the protesters, viz: you say you’re protesting the proposed reforms to the Israeli judicial system because they will “ruin the economy” (though Fitch just gave us an A+ credit rating). Yet here you are, for a month now, engaging in disruption (with the explicit aim of toppling the government), and this week you caused tens of thousands of people to be unable to go to work. Sarah among them. Do you not see how your very activities are causing damage to the economy (as well as to society at large)?

No, no you can’t. People in general have a difficult time seeing outside their bubbles; and, I’m afraid, almost nobody these days has critical-thinking skills.

Various and sundry:

• “Shark Tank” investor says, “Don’t invest in these states”.
• “Waste heat” will boil Earth’s oceans in about 400 years (if we don’t do something about it).
• Roald Dahl’s books get updated so as not to offend modern sensibilities.
• The self-serving lies my community-organizer told me.
• Vox chimes in on how our “far-right” government “emboldened” the torching of parts of Huwara. The careful reader will note the framing of the article; as usual for Vox, it’s quite notable.

Some of us remember being told that saying COVID-19 originated in a Chinese lab was a conspiracy theory. We recall a concerted effort by government and high-tech alike to ban any and all discussion of its origins or possible alternate treatments. We remember that refusing the vaccine made one a pariah. People lost their livelihoods for having done so. We were derided for saying masks are not helpful. Apparently, we’re the bad guys.

This week, the FBI director said the lab-leak hypothesis “is most likely” and that the FBI has held that position for some time, while the DOE hedges and says it agrees but only “with low confidence”.

Will the various governments compensate the millions who lost their jobs, property, and in some cases their lives due to ideologically driven overreach? Will the governed finally realize that, as President Reagan famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”?

We’re some decades past Reagan’s term, and people are as sheep-like as ever.

The weather became unseasonably warm; hot, even. We’re expecting a cooling to just warmer than average for shabbat.

This shabbat, we’re on our own as usual. The menu contains:
homemade ḥalla, vegetable soup, chicken schnitzel, roasted potatoes, roasted veggies, various salatim, and cinnamon rolls

Until next time,
shabbat shalom!

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