This is a long sermon from Rabbi Arnstein — it is not a perfect one — but it is what I see, have seen since I could think but now have pulled together. I was a moderate Republican up to about 1987. I have the cards to prove it. Slowly these human instincts have been teased out to find out how we got here and how we stay here. If you are not up for a long read — go to the next entry.
start sermon
An important if 'colorful' comment from a proud boy facing jail time. He comments that President Trump promised to lead them to the promised land (my terms) and left them on the battlefield. Very resentful that President Trump pardoned a lot of 'degenerates' and did nothing for the proud boys now facing jail time as encouraged on the day of the assault. Says that President Trump never helps someone who doesn't help President Trump first. We have seen this in a list of business scandals from the National Review (very conservative) articles from Fox News I have posted and countless examples of cheating contractors and not paying bills I have documented here.
If there is anything President Trump is good at it is playing to people's worst desires and fears - the take over of the mud races (hate to be ugly but that is it). Wild conspiracy claims backed by nothing but used to keep his followers begging him for more secret information to explain why the GOP leadership over the years has gutted the middle class to protect the one percent. The old rationalization that 'socialism is bad because we want to choose who we give to' and I am sure that is exactly what Jesus meant when Jesus said that which you do to the least of me.
How can you possibly be pro life and ignore people who hurt, who need help, who can't access health care and claim that title, or that pre natal care, family leave, and even slowly raising minimum raise so people can GET OFF THE PUBLIC DOLE AND DRIVE THE ECONOMY WITH DEMAND. How does that work with not reaping the corners of your field for the widows and orphans. What religion does not say the same thing.
All this crap about refugees - I will tell you exactly how I feel about it. An extremely small percentage of us are 'native' americans and even they came over on a land bridge 1000s of years ago. Shutting the door behind you while claiming its the end of the world, since you got here first, rings extremely hollow in another pro life example of saying covid has a 99% recovery rate and 600,000 dead after we spent trillions on a 20 year war.
So which is it? And the cop out of only jesus being perfect is not what the jesus and the bible tells us. We are to strive to those ideals and not say screw that I will pick and choose what I like from the bible and rationalize that by saying 'it is complicated'. Well, when the life expectancy was probably 40 years with no food quality (ergo kosher laws) and little recovery from disease and the fact that the bible says that life begins when the first breath was drawn and the child wasn't even named until 3 months because of so many children died, well, where was the pro life then?
But I do congratulate the manipulation by using one key issue that is not going to fix this country to get what you want for your buds and kick everyone else to the curb. Go on about the devil democrats eating babies. Pro choice means you have the choice, not that you would do it. Gay rights means treat others like humans like Jesus taught not that you have to have same sex. The extreme points used to justify this crap are simply crap.
We put our faith in a business man 4 years ago and he used everyone. Let's not forget his comments about the dead at arlington cemetery - what suckers what was in it for them? A great justification if you need to think the same way because the President did.
Not everything President Trump did was bad, some was good, but by holding up those few good things as the baby and the bathwater, you are taking the contents of 600,000 toilets to justify that.
I suggest if you really are religious, and care about others, then you will take a long hard look at your solid support for President Trump and ask yourself how we get here, because I learned how corrupt self centered leaders like Maduro or Berlusconi or Putin stay in charge. It can happen here and it did. Fortunately only 4 years and yet, almost still voted for President Trump and the 'party of lincoln' that I will continue to use time and time again after it was quoted to me.
Rather than look at injustice incited by the murder conviction against Chauvin with Mr. Floyd, we would rather believe at some level that antifa did BLM, or antifa did the capital assault because we would rather believe that then the guys we thought were sort of ok or that our values somewhat aligned with theirs. Well, look it up. Antifa - anti-fascist - only exists because there is something to protest. Do they want to limit the vote or access to healthcare or rationalize actions against refugees? If you say yes you better prove it. In fact anytime you find yourself really agreeing with something that is on the iffy side of your belief system then I suggest you look it up for signed, dated, and hyperlinked articles in this following news story on the original subject.
And for chrissakes - if your favorite talking head - representative - information provider has been proven to lie, then at least look to find another one unless you want the indoctrination and rationalization of your animal instincts and baser desires to be validated. I left the GOP for a complete lack of empathy. With all the bad genes I inherited (I got all of them that exist in my family) I sure as hell learned a bit of empathy because what I have gone through and have dealt with I wouldn't wish on my enemy.
End sermon rabbi arnstein - a story of being whipped up, used, and thanks for your actions taking the heat and public sight off me as my legal troubles are just beginning. If character is an issue to you and you would point the finger at someone else, then look at who you support. My sermon makes a hell of a lot more sense to me than what I see. I try to do good, volunteer, give to the poor, but I don't kill myself or feel the need to adopt someone - which is another dog whistle straw man argument I am going to take a giant crap on right here and now.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/5/14/2030546/-Proud-Boys-leader-to-former-guy-F-ck-you-Trump-You-left-us-on-the-battlefield-bloody-and-alone?detail=emaildkre