The Perilous Hijacking of “Social Justice”
Dear Editor:
Queens DA candidate Tiffany Cabán’s faux social justice agenda is but our local outbreak of a nationwide epidemic of virulent, reality-defying and rationality-destroying political extremism.
Socialist Democrats, Justice Democrats, social justice warriors, Soros’ Open Society Foundations – these are the sinister, and, unfortunately, very well organized, strategized, funded political invasion forces threatening moderate Democrats in primaries, and threatening all of us in general elections, not just in Queens but in vulnerable districts throughout America. The more we allow their warriors to infiltrate our body politic unchallenged, the more we will feel a treasonous tail wagging our country.
Their bogus social justice rants are a nihilist’s war cry, a subversive effort to defy and undo Western civilization, sanity, truth, reality-based compassionate justice, and the interdependent pillars of family and community indispensable to a healthy functional society.
And with every unanswered assault and every fleeting victory that we fail to strongly and indefatigably oppose, Socialist Democrat forces are emboldened.
What have they achieved? How about the “perks for perps” platform, which would flip justice and public safety upside down and is gaining acceptance among mainstream Democrats. Notice the unnatural acceptance of filth-laden disease-ridden medieval throwback streets in California. Are you shaken by the increasingly oppressive and, at times violent, curtailment of free speech? How about universities’ and local governments’ intellectually incomprehensible rejection of straightforward historical realities. And the left’s staggering hypocrisies – embracing liberals of color while they denigrate conservatives of color, aggressively defending women’s rights as they simultaneously coddle monstrously misogynistic cultures.
How do we defeat this wolf-in-sheep’s clothing pseudo-social justice enemy within?
First, fearlessly and unapologetically assert and reassert your rational understandings of the world. Give voice to your compassionate, reality-based, mainstream Republican and Democratic values. Defend and uphold your universal unassailable truths without flinching. Resist. Repeat. Assert. Repeat. Declare. Repeat. Have full confidence in your values.
Second, register to vote. This is a critical line of defense (unless fraud, too, becomes mainstream). Make your friends and family members register to vote. Absolutely register for a party so you can vote in the primaries. I prefer registering for the party that best reflects your values – it’s a matter of personal integrity, among other things. But register for a party, any party, so you can double your impact by voting twice – once in the primary and once on Election Day. Call 1-800-FOR-VOTE to request a voter registration form, or go to elections.ny.gov/VotingRegister. You can use the same voter registration form to register to vote and/or to register for a party. Registering for a party allows you to vote in that party’s primary and you are still free to vote for any one in any party in the general election.
Here’s the key – we must actively oppose the Socialist Democrats’ hijacking of sanity. No matter how often they yell racism and insist and threaten that two and two made five, they make four, and their effort to defy and undo sanity and the USA must not go unopposed:
“In the end, the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: The logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality, was tacitly denied by their philosophy. The heresy of heresies was common sense… If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable – what then?” –– George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).
Howard Neiman, PhD
The Opportunity to Meet in a Frum Environment
Dear Editor:
I want to commend Chazaq for the shidduch initiative to help singles find their bashert. I was not able to attend the shidduch event that was offered on Sunday, July 28. I hope that all the synagogues get involved in this worthwhile endeavor.
I recently noted two fundraising events that were offered to men only, and I wondered about the reason for that restriction. It occurred to me that a coed event would give people the opportunity to meet each other in a frum environment. Not everyone is comfortable with the idea of engaging a shadchan. Not everyone has the funds or wants to prepare a shidduch resume. Personally speaking, I met my husband at a wedding in Boston, which had mixed seating. The wedding was officiated by Rav Soloveitchik, zichrono livrachah.
I have been told by some that it is not tz’nius for men and women to sit together at a wedding meal, or concert. I have even attended a kiddush where the men and women were separated. Why is that different from a Shabbos meal where everyone eats together? Sometimes when there are seemingly unnecessary restrictions, it turns people off. I am not suggesting to get rid of shadchanim, chas v’shalom. They provide an important service to the community. I am suggesting offering alternatives for men and women to meet on their own in a frum environment. The OU has a day of learning, which is not focused on singles per se, but there is that opportunity for men and women to meet while learning Torah. Let’s create more opportunities for men and women to meet in a frum environment.
Sincerely,
Rachel Epstein
Don’t Help The ‘Squad’!
Dear Editor:
The articles by Warren Hecht and Moshe Hill concerning Rep. Omar and her “Squad” were excellent and spot on. My criticism is with your paper putting large pictures of her on both the front page and next to the articles. Although the articles were critical of her and her “Squad” and rightfully so, nevertheless, by placing large pictures of her, you are playing into her hands by elevating her importance. Don’t you think members of her staff troll all the papers to see mention of her or her “Squad”? They cannot read all the articles, but they can readily spot her pictures and bring it to the attention of the “Squad.” Keep up the good work on exposing their vitriol against Jews and the State of Israel, but please refrain from elevating their importance in the eyes of her fellow Democrats and fellow Americans.
Let the “Squad” know that we have no fear of its members or followers. At every Pesach Seder, we say that in every generation there are those who rise up to destroy the Jewish people, but the Holy One, blessed be His name, saves us from their hands. He has saved us from much larger threats than these four freshman members of a Congress that has in excess of 400 members.
Sincerely,
Martin Goldman, Esq.
Behavior vs. Representation
Dear Editor:
I would like to add a point to the discussion about Meira Schneider-Atik’s position against the erasure of women from print.
There are ideas and practices about tz’nius in Rabbinic literature, and throughout Jewish history, that may seem extreme to some but are nonetheless well established in certain communities. At first, the practice of omitting any representation of women from publications seems to be in line with such views.
However, there is an important distinction. Tz’nius practices are supposed to regulate the behavior of real women (and men). But eradicating every female form, no matter how modest, from print, mannequins, and even toys is an action against representations of women. The former is interpersonal; the latter is impersonal and sends a very different message.
Erasing women is not the same thing as tz’nius.
Benajmin Kusin
The Way It Izn’t
Dear Editor:
I felt the need to vehemently object to Izzo Zwiren’s claims in his article last week in which he attacked Republicans for not condemning Trump’s supposedly racist and/or xenophobic tweets. He does not actually address the tweets by their specific content, nor does he say why they are either racist or xenophobic, and seems to know that people will not accept his assertion that they are racist and yet to not care to demonstrate it. He simply denounces anyone who thinks that the comments were not racist/xenophobic as being a Trump fan who will twist everything Trump says to defend him, and then goes on to basically condemn Trump, the Republicans, and anyone else who would be crazy or biased enough to think Trump’s tweets were fine.
His article is full of logical fallacies, and he doesn’t actually bring any evidence or any real argument. His argument is basically that Trump said racist stuff, Republicans are playing party politics by not condemning it, anyone who thinks it wasn’t racist is pathetic, and he hopes everyone else around is “reasonable enough” to agree with him and not to agree with the ridiculous Trump fans.
My reaction to the article was first: huh?! and then really!? Come on! Now I will not just use bandwagon, ad hominem, and appeal to ignorance and other logical fallacies I will address the actual statements and what they meant. Trump’s tweets were in no way, shape, or form racist or even xenophobic! At worst, it was a classic political line of “If you don’t like it here, then leave!” – which, while debatable as to the merits of the argument and to the appropriateness of saying, has nothing to do with race or origin.
As far as the other comments mentioned: His statement of good people on both sides was in reference to the disagreement over removing the statues, not in regard to a group of white supremacists and neo-Nazis. His comments about the judge not being impartial also were not racist, if you actually think about it, because he was saying that, given his so called anti-Hispanic positions, the judge might have a bias against not him, which obviously would be just as true as if they had a bias over any other political issue.
J. M.
Cuomo Wasting Money Again
Dear Editor:
Governor Cuomo’s MTA reorganization plan is like all his previous special commissions and advisory committee reports – it is not worth the paper it was printed on. Promised savings by consolidation of Civil Rights, Engineering, Human Resources, Legal, Procurement, and other NYC Transit, Long Island, and Metro North Rail Road departments have been discussed and promised for decades.
It makes no sense for the MTA to reassign management of major NYC Transit, LIRR, and MNRR capital projects to the Office of Capital Construction. All three operating agencies already have their own experienced engineers, operations planning, procurement, force account, quality assurance, and control employees. Capital Construction has its hands full attempting to manage $11.2 billion LIRR East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal and $6 billion Second Avenue Subway Phase 2.
Stop wasting millions on transportation feasibility studies for future system expansion projects that will never happen. Do not initiate any new system expansion projects until each operating agency, NYC Transit bus and subway, MTA bus, LIRR, and MNRR have reached a state of good repair for existing fleet, stations, signals, interlockings, track, power, yards, and shops. Ensure that maintenance programs for all operating agencies assets are fully funded and completed on time to ensure riders reliable service.
Cuomo and elected officials who depend upon transportation union endorsements, campaign contributions, phone banks, and volunteers in the end will not stand up against their benefactors and openly support MTA management in instituting these reforms during contract renewal negotiations. Riders do not have the stomach to put up with potential work slowdowns, service disruptions, employee sick-outs, and possible strikes by unions who are not going to give up what they have.
Sincerely,
Larry Penner