And Elsewhere In The News (Some Quick Hits)

Nicolas Maduro.  He had already been indicted in the US in 2020 for drug trafficking, narco-terrorism, money laundering and corruption.  So Trump had US forces arrest him.  Good.  Both sides of the political spectrum here already agreed that he stole the last election in Venezuela.  

Muslim terrorist.  This terrorist was just sentenced to life in prison for plotting to hijack a US plane and fly it into the 55 story Bank of America tower in Atlanta.  This terrorist was part of al-Shabaab, a terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda.  Thank you to the FBI.

California.  According to the NY Post, California's non-partisan auditor said there were eight state agencies at "high risk" for "waste, fraud, abuse or mismanagement."  These agencies also failed to take "adequate corrective actions," per the auditor.  Yay, California.  Newsom for president!

Nigeria.  Nobody in the Western world and the Western media seems to care very much about the slaughter of Christians by Islamic terrorists in Nigeria.  Nobody except Donald Trump.  Trump ordered what the AP described as a "powerful and deadly" strike against the terrorists.  IS in Nigeria is thought to be part of the terrorist group Boko Haram.  Our Secretary of Defense thanked the Nigerian government for their support and cooperation.  Although, shouldn't they be thanking us?

The Heritage Foundation.  The conservative think tank is continuing their downhill slide, as the leaders of three of their departments bolted.  They went over to former VP Mike Pence's Advancing American Freedom Foundation.  The Heritage Foundation has been losing people and support ever since the president of Heritage refused to condemn Tucker Carlson for hosting a Holocaust denier and a Jew hater.  Said Pence:  "They (the ones who left Heritage) see us as being a consistent, reliable home for Reagan conservatism."  Personally, I always liked Pence.  

VP JD Vance.  "Let me be clear.  Anyone who attacks my wife (Usha Vance), whether their name is Jen Psaki or Nick Fuentes, can eat shit."  Good for you, Mr. VP.  Good for you.  But then I'm confused.  Why did you make an excuse for Tucker Carlson in his feud with Ben Shapiro?  Vance, at the Turning Point USA Conference:  "President Trump did not build the greatest coalition in politics by running his supporters through endless, self-defeating purity tests."  So, if Carlson hosts Nick Fuentes (he did), and doesn't challenge Fuentes' antisemitism, that's because we don't want to put him through a purity test.  But if Fuentes condemns your wife for her ethnic background, now we can run the purity test?

C'mon Mr. VP - be consistent.  Condemn Fuentes for his attacks on Jews, and Carlson for hosting him, just like you condemn Fuentes when the attack is on your wife's ethnic background.    

This Is Who The People Of New York City Elected As Their Mayor - The Real Zohran Mamdani

Mamdani was sworn in as Mayor at midnight on January 1, 2026.  He proudly admits to being a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.  Please.  He is a communist.  From a wealthy family.  So he will never lack for anything.  Why do I say he is a communist?  This is from his inaugural address:  "We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism."  "Rugged individualism" is attributed to President Herbert Hoover, calling to mind the pioneering spirit of America, and American self-reliance.

The concept of "collectivism" is about as anti-American an idea as one can imagine.  In a collective, the interests of the group are thought to be more important than the interests of the individual.  In America, everything is centered around the individual.  We speak of individual rights and liberties.  This does not mean that we do not help each other in America.  Americans are a very giving and generous people.  But each individual has the choice as to how their spend their money.  And what to do with their time. 

 
What did rugged individualism do for this country?  Everything.  Such individuals built American industries.  They explored the West.  And went into space.  What did the "warmth" of the collective get the world?  The deaths of tens of millions of people in communist China and communist Russia and Nazi Germany.  Because the individual had no value greater than the state.  The state was everything.  But our system of capitalism has not only created more wealth for more people than any other system; and not only lifted more people out of poverty; but by its very nature gives us our freedoms - not the least of which is economic freedom.

So, the largest city in the country elected a communist as Mayor.  What else can we say about Mamdani?  I think we can add he is a Jew-hating antisemite.  What was his focus on his first day in office?  Israel and the Jews.  What was that all about?  He previously had accused Israel of genocide (a lie), while refusing to condemn the actual genocidal intent of the phrase "globalize the intifada."  He previously said that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered New York City, he would have the NYPD arrest him.  Never mind the interference with US foreign policy, which even the Mayor of NYC has no say over.  

On Mamdani's first day in office he reversed outgoing Mayor Adam's order that prevented city agencies from supporting the BDS movement against Israel.  BDS - Boycott, Divest and Sanction.  Mamdani gave the heads of city departments the permission to treat Israel like an enemy of the United States.  Did he encourage BDS movements against the Russians for their brutal war against Ukraine?  How about China?  Or Nigeria, where the radical Islamists have been slaughtering Christians?  And only after being criticized for remaining silent about the mullahs in Iran killing their own people, did Mamdani finally speak out.

Here is something that Mamdani thought was important.  He removed the extra security that had been provided to synagogues throughout the city.  Demonstrating his supposed fairness, he also removed the extra protection from churches and mosques.  Please.  Where are the threats being made?  Against Jews and synagogues.  And why wouldn't he remove protection from Jewish houses of worship?  If he won't condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada," that tells me he is fine with the killing of Jews.  So why would he want to protect Jews in NYC?  

What else did Mamdani immediately do?  He reversed a city order defining "antisemitism" used by the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), and accepted by the EU and 35 states and our federal government.  Some of the examples given in the IHRA definition include denying that the Holocaust occurred, and essentially claiming that Israel exists as a colonial, racist state.  

I don't give a damn that some self-hating Jews work in the Mamdani Administration.  I don't give a damn that Jewish actor Mandy Patinkin entertained at Mamdani's inauguration.  Were these people swayed by Mamdani's fake smile?  Did they support him because he hates Trump?  None of that can justify the way those Jews shamed themselves and turned against their own people, who have been suffering greatly since October 7, 2023.  Shame on them is the nicest thing I can say.  And shame on the people of NYC for electing a radical Islamist/communist as their Mayor.              

Minneapolis - My Take

(Note.  Yes, it's been a month since I last posted.  But life happens, such as a very large tree crashing through your house in the morning of Christmas Eve.  And then living in a hotel ever since.  So perhaps some of these stories are dated, given that we operate within a 24 hour news cycle.  I do hope that I add some information.  Then, of course, there's my take.)

On January 7, 2026, with ICE officers out in force in Minneapolis, Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer.  Good had parked her car sideways across a street, intentionally blocking traffic.  There are various camera angles of the incident, with some audio.  Good could be heard saying:  "That's fine dude.  I'm not mad at you."  Good's wife said:  "You want to come at us?  You want to come at us?  I say go and get yourself some lunch, big boy."  

An officer tells her to get out of the car.  She doesn't.  Rather, she turns the steering wheel and starts to drive away.  The officer says she hit him with her car.  The last video I saw, sent by a friend, seems to support the officer.  Someone can be heard yelling "woah!, woah!"  There are gun shots.  Eventually, Good's wife can be heard screaming "I killed her."  

My take.  Let's back up.  People (probably mostly leftists, and probably many paid protesters) were protesting the presence of ICE officers in Minneapolis.  I would ask them if they also protested the 10 million people that Biden allowed to enter the country illegally.  Did they protest Biden ceding the sovereignty of the United States of America?  Because Trump would not have needed to send ICE out across the country if Biden had enforced the immigration laws.  I would also ask these protesters why they don't want criminals here illegally (murderers, rapists, gun and human traffickers) to be deported.  Why do they want them here?

Clearly, I grew up in a different era.  An era when we were taught to respect law enforcement officers.  Taunting the police was out of the question.  As was assaulting police.  I saw the protesters throwing snowballs at the officers.  I saw them disobeying the police, and engaging in physical altercations with them.  I don't understand any of it.

I am not sure how many laws Good violated.  Blocking traffic.  Disobeying a police order.  Evading the police, and in the process possibly hitting an officer with her car.  To be clear, most of that does not warrant the use of lethal force by the police.  But if the officer had a reasonable belief that the person was trying to cause serious bodily injury or death, then it's my understanding that lethal force may be used.  My judgment?  I'd like to see the full investigation report.  Calling the officer a murderer immediately after the fact was so wrong.  But perhaps these are the same people who celebrated/justified the murder of Charlie Kirk.

The Mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, made one wrong comment after the next.  "They (ICE) are not here to cause safety in this city."  "They are already trying to spin this as an action of self-defense.  Having seen the video myself, I want to tell everybody directly that is bullshit."  And this:  "To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis.  We do not want you here."  Great job, Mr. Mayor - if you're trying to stir up violent protests.  I guess he did not think that political leaders should be voices of reason.  (And no, it is no excuse to say that Trump is not a voice of reason, so why should the Mayor be.  Trump is not always a voice of reason.  I've said that previously.  But if you justify Frey's remarks, then you've just justified all of Trump's remarks.)

And I agree that the Administration could have been more circumspect in defending the officer.  Probably better to say "we believe he acted in self-defense, but there will be a complete and thorough investigation."  While I have read that ICE officers do not have the authority to arrest American citizens, that on its face sounds preposterous.  At the very least it would seem to be obstruction of justice, for which the offender could be taken into custody.  Even if then turned over to the local police.  Although obstruction is likely a federal offense as well.  

Frey:  "We all know the agenda of this Trump Administration is to create chaos."  Assuming for the sake of this argument that Frey is correct, just what does he think he is doing with his crude language?  Is it chaos to remove from the streets of his city illegal aliens who have already been convicted of murder, sexual assault, drug trafficking or domestic violence?  Those are the people he wants to protect from Trump?  

I'm with the New York Post on this:  "The left bears full blame for this bloodshed."  There has been nonstop criticism of ICE, even after all the assaults, and the shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas (which resulted in the killing of 2 illegal immigrants).  The left has even posted the home addresses of ICE officers.  To what end?  Isn't the job dangerous enough.  But the left wants to eliminate ICE and defund the police.  Let the criminals run wild?  Until someone in their own family is raped or murdered.  One Democrat official after the next has been egging on the protesters.

The Post:  "He (Mayor Frey) and Walz (the Governor of Minnesota) need to start calming the waters, lest more bloodshed flow...If the civilians had just left the law enforcers alone, Renee Nicole Good would still be alive."  Instead, this 37 year old woman, and mother of 3 children, is dead.  It's tragic.  And I agree with Governor Walz on one thing:  her death was "preventable" and "unnecessary."  He just puts the blame in the wrong place.        

Year End Reflections, Part VIII (IT'S TOO DAMN MUCH!)

You're damn right I'm angry.  I want every decent person to be angry.  What's the difference between these two shooters in Australia killing Jews at a Hanukkah celebration vs Hamas shooting Jews at an outdoor concert in Israel on October 7 vs the Nazis in Germany lining up Jewish people and shooting them dead?  There is no difference.  They all decided that shooting, murdering, human beings was acceptable - as long as they happen to be Jewish.  

Think it can't happen here?  Not in the USA?  Well then wake up!  On 10/27/18, at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, 11 people were murdered, and others were injured.  On 4/27/19, at the Chabad synagogue in Poway, California, one person was killed and others were injured.  How about the 5/21/25 murder of two young Jewish employees of the Israeli embassy, in Washington, D.C.  Or the 6/1/25 firebombing of a peaceful demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, for the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas. 

Let's not forget the 4/13/25 targeting of a sitting Jewish Governor, Josh Shapiro, of Pennsylvania, whose home was firebombed.  Need more recent attacks?  On 12/17/25 (aka yesterday), a Jewish man was stabbed in the chest in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.  Crown Heights is also the location of the worldwide headquarters of Chabad.  

Also recently, a Jewish woman dining at a restaurant in the West Village in Manhattan was screamed at by an antisemitic Jew-hater with this:  you "ugly fucking Zionist."  And:  "we will rid this country of fucking you."  (Might have been "fucking Jews.")  Another couple of angry hate-filled guys yelled at some young Jews on the subway:  "Fuck the Jews."  One of these evil bastards grabbed one of the Jewish guys by the throat and said "I'll kill you."  

So, yes, this is all part of what "globalize the intifada" looks like.  But Zohran Mamdani, the Mayor-elect of New York City, the largest and most important city in the country, cannot bring himself to condemn a phrase (globalize the intifada) which means kill Jews wherever you find them.  

We have already seen the Islamization of much of Western Europe.  Now we are seeing it in America.  It is time, no - way past time, for everyone to speak out against these radical Islamists.  Everyone means everyone - Democrats, Republicans, Christians, Jews, and Muslims who also detest these murderers.  Otherwise, we won't have a country left.  Because the Leftists, and an increasing number of Democrats, support these terrorists.  

As the spokesperson for the Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Council said:  "It started with hate speech."  Hate speech may be protected by the First Amendment, but that does not mean it should not be condemned.  And those who either use such language or host those who do - should all be condemned.  When something is tolerated, you will get more of it.  And eventually those words turn into violence, as we have seen time and again.     

  

Year End Reflections, Part VII (Is It Enough Yet?)

On Sunday at 3am I woke up, needing to use the bathroom.  I took my phone with me.  Partly to play this word game my younger daughter got me hooked on, and partly to check my news feed - a habit I've had since October 7, 2023.  As is happening all too frequently nowadays, I saw there was another terrorist attack on the Jewish people.  A father and son duo decided it would be a good idea to kill as many Jews as possible on Bondi Beach, just outside Sydney in Australia.  Jews who were celebrating the first night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. 

It's a small world for Jews.  My Rabbi's wife is from Sydney, and still has family there.  In checking in with the Rabbi that morning, he let me know that his wife's Aunt and Uncle were at the beach celebrating Hanukkah, but were able to hide behind a van in order to protect themselves from the shooters.  As the day progressed, I read that 15 people were murdered and another 40 were injured.  

Many of us have seen the video of the hero of the day, Ahmed al Ahmed, who snuck up on one of the shooters from behind and was able to disarm him from the rifle he was using.  Mr. Ahmed was not armed himself.  But he knew right from wrong, and was determined to do the right thing.  I wish him a speedy and complete recovery.  A Jewish billionaire, Bill Ackman, wanted to help Mr. Ahmed, and quickly donated $100,000 to a GoFundMe account.  For which he was instantly criticized with comments such as:  "That's pocket change for him.  Should have been much more."  And maybe he will donate more.  Maybe his donation will move others to donate.  But some people will never be satisfied. 

The victims of this terrorist attack ranged in age from 10 to 87.  The victims included a Holocaust survivor and one of the Chabad Rabbis.  One thousand people were said to have attended what should have been a joyous celebration of Hanukkah.  

Writing an Op-Ed in the New York Post, Miranda Devine observed:  "In the two years since the Hamas attack on Israel, synagogues in Sydney have been firebombed, Kosher restaurants vandalized, cars outside Jewish homes torched, and rancid antisemitic graffiti has become ubiquitous along the Bondi promenade:  'Kill Jews' is the mantra.  Every weekend for at least two years downtown Sydney is shut down by Palestinian protests."  At one of these protests, maybe more, was "the Sydney Mayor, the former state Premier, labor members of Parliament and assorted local celebrities."  The labor party is like the Democrat Party here.  And celebrities, I guess, are the same everywhere - mostly leftists.

Let's not forget that the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, joined other foolish Western leaders in giving recognition to a non-existent Palestinian state at the UNGA in September.  In 2024, the Australian Foreign Minister made his way to Gaza, but couldn't manage to make his way to Israel to see what happened there on October 7.  

A spokesperson for the Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Council said it best.  After explaining that they warned the government that something like this was going to happen, here is what that spokesperson said:  "It started with hate speech.  Then graffiti.  Then public demonstrations.  Then firebombing synagogues, preschools, people's homes, people's cars.  And now murder."  

This is yet another example of what "globalize the intifada" looks like.

Year End Reflections, Part VI (And A Look Back, Part B)

When talking about Jews fighting back, it is impossible to ignore the upcoming Jewish holiday of Chanukah (or Hanukkah), which begins this Sunday at sundown.  The celebration of Chanukah is based on events of some 2100+ years ago.  As occurred throughout much of history, various entities ruled over the Middle East and what is now modern day Israel.  Going back to the second century BCE (aka BC) the Seleucid Greeks ruled the area, led by Antiochus.  Antiochus forbade the teaching of the Torah.  He expected everyone to conform to the Greek Hellenic culture and religion.  But the Jews would not have it.

Led by Mattathias, and then his son Judah Maccabee, they revolted against the powerful Greek army.  Again outnumbered, the Jews succeeded in recapturing Jerusalem and the Second Temple.  The Temple had been desecrated with false idols/Greek gods, and the oil had been made impure.  In order to light the menorah in the Temple, the Jews found just enough pure oil to last for one night.  Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight nights.  To this day, Jews light the menorah for eight nights - celebrating our victory from persecution and oppression.  

On Sunday night Jews will light one candle, on Monday two candles, and so on until eight candles are lit on the last night of Chanukah.  But every night we first light the shamash, a candle that is used to light the other candles.  And every night there is a new shamash to light that night's candles.  The nightly candles reflect the holiness of the holiday, while the shamash performs the work of lighting the other candles.

While lighting the candles, we say three prayers on the first night.  On the other nights just two.  The first night has an extra prayer unrelated to Chanukah.  It is a prayer said at all the holidays, thanking G-d for bringing us to this season.  After the candles are lit, many sing Mo-Oz Tsur - Rock of Ages, thanking G-d for the many times he has protected his people Israel. 

As with all of the Jewish holidays, we celebrate Chanukah with certain foods.  Most people know about the latkes - potato pancakes.  Fried in oil, of course, to help us remember the miracle of the oil.  I love eating the latkes with apple sauce, although some prefer sour cream.  Unfortunately, as I have gotten older, fried foods do not agree with me so much.  So, it's usually just one or two latkes for me.  The other food associated with Chanukah is sufganiyot - jelly doughnuts.  Fried in oil, of course.  I'm lucky to make it through one entire doughnut.  

So, we Jews are fighters.  As everyone knows, Jews had to fight again most recently on October 7, 2023, and ever since.  While much of the world criticizes the Jews for fighting back, I do not.  I support Israel and the Jewish people.  Whether it's Antiochus, Hitler, Hamas, or the many others, we understand that there are always those who want to kill us.  Sadly, we even see it now throughout the Western world, including in the United States.  But the Jewish people live.  The people of Israel live.  Am Yisrael Chai! 

Year End Reflections, Part V (And A Look Back, Part A)

We Jews are fighters.  And I don't just mean with each other.  In the 1930's, the German American Bund was growing in numbers.  The Bund supported Hitler - they were Nazis here in America.  A Jewish New York Judge, Nathan Perlman, was not happy about the Bund's growing influence in New York.  He contacted Meyer Lansky, a well known Jewish mobster, to see if he might be able to help out.  (This was discussed in a recent article in the New York Post, with much of the information likely coming from a book by Michael Benson called "Gangsters vs Nazis, How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis In Wartime America.")

As the story goes, Judge Perlman asked Lansky:  "You got some boys who might want to punch a Nazi?"  Lansky's reply:  "I do, Judge.  Respectfully, you understand we can do better than punch.  I know just the crew - in Brownsville.  The boys in the press call them Murder, Inc."  (Murder, Inc. was started by two Jewish mobsters - Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, with Italian mobsters later joining in.  While Lucky Luciano organized the five crime families in New York, Lansky is said to have been a key figure in aligning them with Jewish and Irish mobsters.)

Back to the story.  Judge Perlman made it clear that he did not want anyone killed, just roughed up.  At one of the Bund rallies, 3000 of these Nazis were in attendance.  Lansky intended to break it up.  He rounded up 14 other Jewish mobsters.  His friend, Lucky Luciano, is said to have offered a helping hand with Italian mobsters.  Lansky:  "It's a job for the Jews."  Now, you might think that 15 vs 3000 was not a fair fight.  It wasn't.  These were 15 mobsters, beating and killing on a regular (daily?) basis.  The Nazis (who should rot in hell) did not have a chance.

No surprise that at subsequent Bund rallies, far fewer Nazis showed up.  Judge Perlman saw the success, and extended his efforts to other cities - Chicago and Los Angeles, among others.  At one of these Bund rallies in Buffalo, one of the Jewish mobsters beat one of the Nazis bloody, and then said:  "Next time we ain't gonna be so nice."    

(A personal note is needed here.  Having grown up in NJ, and reading about the Mob in the newspaper on a regular basis, and seeing the evil that they did, I hated them.  I started to hate all bad guys.  I love the cop shows on TV, because the good guys always get the bad guys.  So, my point is not to in any way idolize these mobsters.  My point is to show that Jews are fighters.  And, I should add, as between the Nazis and the Mob, I'll take the Mob every day.)

Looking back at the World War II era, not everyone knows the story of the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto.  The Germans had occupied Poland, and were rounding up the Jews before sending them off to concentration/extermination camps.  But the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto decided to fight back.  It was a total mismatch, as the Jews were poorly armed, mostly with handguns only.  They understood that they would not likely survive in a fight against the German SS troops.  But one of the fighters wrote:  "We will continue to fight and to resist as long as we hold weapons in our hands."

It is estimated that as many as 20,000 Jews may have been killed in what came to be known as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.  With another 36,000 shipped off to the camps.  But, as with many Jews throughout our history, they refused to go down without a fight.