Time to Conga!!

Last night, the Jewish World Watch put on an event entitled ‘Conga Line for Congo’ a Mother’s Day women-only dance party for the Jewish community of Los Angeles. Although I was unfortunately unable to attend the event, it began to make me think about the way people respond to humanitarian need and the way Jews respond to tragedy.

For the women of the Congo who have suffered unspeakable life altering events, a dance party in the city of Los Angels on their behalf might seem a little off to some people. ‘Why are these people dancing around and having a party, while there are thousands of people suffering?’ or ‘what is a dance party suppose to do for the situation in the Congo?’

In my experience with Judaism, tragedy and celebration are closer than one might think. For example, when commemorating the Shoah or Holocaust, the very next day is Israel’s Independence Day, full of celebrations and parties. Judaism seems to realize that tragedy happens and however horrific, life continues and life is wonderful!

At the present moment, organizations are scrambling to get the funding and necessary attention to the country of Haiti who’s people are still experiencing the repercussions of the massive earthquake that hit their under developed country five months ago. When the earthquake first hit and the preceding weeks everyone was willing to donate, via text or through their religious institution or telethons, etc. Now, everyone has ‘done Haiti’ and the situation does not seem so drastic- the need not so needed- and the support has died down.

This is why we need events like ‘Conga Line for Congo’ or ‘Hats off for Haiti’ or ‘Kickball for Kentucky’- because people want to be engaged in many different ways so that their interest in helping others does not dwindle. With any tragedy comes hope, comes the celebration of life, comes the need to more forward in the best way possible.

So what would the women in the Congo think about the Jewish World Watch’s ‘Conga Line for Congo’ event? In my opinion, they are probably happy to know that someone cares enough to mobilize their community in support of helping make their lives better. Along with the many other events the Jewish World Watch puts on- activist protests, educational speakers, direct victim relief- a dace party for women on Mother’s Day seems to be the perfect way to keep the community involved and informed about the situation in the Congo while continuing to enjoy life- mothers, daughters, and sisters together for one purpose- so that the mothers, daughters, sisters, fathers, and brothers of the Congo can live in peace and have a dance party of their own!

The Congo Initiative

Hello again ‘Best Blog’ readers! After a brief stint as the Assistant Director of a call center that does telephone fundraising for non-profit groups, I am once again in pursuit of a fulfilling, professional, challenging, and exciting job with a non-profit organization (none of which were the case with the position I held at Telefund). I could go into detail about that experience, however, I think it best to look forward and move on to put my efforts toward the greatest good.

My junior year in college I did an internship with an organization called the Jewish World Watch. The organization was founded by a retired lawyer after an inspiring High Holiday speech at her local Synagogue. From the foundation, their goal has been to mobilize the community in order to do three things: Educate the community about genocidal situations, Advocate for better legislation through public policy, and provide Refugee Relief for those who have suffered from genocidal situations.

Their initial focus was on the situation in Sudan, more specifically the southern Darfur region. The situation goes as such- the villages of the people living in the Darfur regions were being raided by government supported Janjaweed militia for the purpose of displacing the people of the region- all because they had resources those in the north did not have access to.

Flash to October 2004- as the JWW joins other organizations like ‘SaveDarfur.org’- uniting communities for public activism for Darfur, ‘24HoursForDarfur.org’- an online video/ story based organization, ‘EyesOnDarfur.org’- Amnesty International’s response to the situation, and ‘DarfurIsDying.com’- an interactive online experience where you are a Darfuian refugee who has to forage for water, food, shelter, and remain healthy to raise awareness. What is unique about the Jewish World Watch is the Jewish part. A common theme taught in Judaism is the concept of Tikkun Olam, or fixing the world- the JWW harnesses these ideals within the Jewish community to do its part to help the situation.

In the last six years, the Jewish World Watch has mobilized more than 60 Synagogues and more than 2,500 individuals in unity to end the genocide in Darfur. Unfortunately, the situation continues…

More recently, the JWW has taken on the situation in the Dominic Republic of Congo, as a necessary situation that needed more spotlight within the Los Angeles and Jewish community. But why? Don’t we have other problems to deal with?? The US’s economy is still in shambles, the congress still can’t pass any legislation (easily), there are gallon and gallons of oil spilling out all over the gulf coast, earthquakes, volcano’s, tornados, OY VEY! Why- why the Congo, why Africa, why should we pay attention??

Now- take your iPhone, open it up and dismantle it’s parts, ok maybe you won’t go that far- get out your electronic x-ray machine and take a closer look at the newest electronic. Whether it is apparent to you or not, every new iPhone contains minerals such as gold, tin, lithium, and tungsten- all of which are mined out of the Congo. Thanks to the liberal magazine Mother Jones, people can be more aware of the true price of an iPhone- http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/03/scary-truth-about-your-iphone. This is the source of why we, as Americans, and me as a Jew should care about the situation in the Congo- we are all a part of what fuels the ever burning fire.

The Congo is different- the German’s targeted Jews, the Turk’s targeted Armenians, the Janjaweed targeted Darfurians- in the Congo everyone is at risk. With the high demand for the mineral rich land of the Congo, anyone who gets in the way- or doesn’t- is at risk of being slaughtered, displaced, or worse. The women of the region suffer the most- repeated rapes, watching their children be murdered or turned into the very soldiers who assaulted her in the first place.

So this isn’t my normal blog- my normal opinion about the new immigration law in Arizona being unconstitutional or Goldman Sacs giving three million excuses because they know they’ve been caught and are about to be punished for being thieves or how for some reason I don’t believe that a man who beats other men to a bloody pulp didn’t hurt his ex-porn star pill addicted baby’s momma. But it is the most important thing that I’ve written about yet. Next time you use your electronics- 33.75 MILLION iPhones sold to date- think about the lives of women, men, and children- think about murder and greed- think about unsatisfyable wealth and unstable government- think about gang rape and being burned all over your body- think about doing something!

As for me- I’m still in search of my purpose- ‘the little flame that lights a fire under our a**’ (Avenue Q). Whether it be as a youth worker or social justice advocate- I know what my purpose isn’t- to simply make money. No matter what I end up doing with my life, I know that I will never stop caring about other human lives and doing whatever I can to ensure that everyone has the same rights and privileges I have had living in America. With a new puppy, Shlomo, my one year old cat Kit-Kat, and my loving boyfriend Colin- I know I am on the right track!!

As the War Turns

Today our President announced his plan to increase troops in Afghanistan by 30,000 soldiers- totaling over 100,000 troops fighting the extremist Afghanistan’s who hate America. All in the name of safety for American civilians.

As conservative and liberals all weigh in on President Obama’s decision, I can’t help but think about what everyone would say if Obama were to announce the opposite strategy:

“Today, I announce the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan within the next six months- we will turn our focus to American’s at home and use our resources to better the lives of the people living and struggling in this great country. We will continue to promote the stability of the Afghan government but the toll this war has taken on our country has been immeasurable and has to come to an end.”

My words are not as eloquent or suave as President Obama’s might have been- maybe cheers would have filled Westpoint, as relieved soldiers hugged their families knowing that they will not be put in harms way against an unclear enemy in a corrupt nation. Maybe they could start to think about their lives finally continuing, not being afraid of even their own comrades turning on them or their fellow soldiers turning on themselves.

This is not what happened- instead the American people get AT LEAST two more years of American flag draped coffins, staggering numbers of soldier suicide, fear, and a room full on droopy eyed young adults having to call their loved ones and say they love them and goodbye for what could be the last time. All for the fear that if this is not done that America is vulnerable to another attack like the one we all experienced on 9/11.

Does this also mean two more years of unfathomably climbing debt? Two more years of increasing job loss? Two more years of American hunger, disease, under education, and strife?

And what if it doesn’t work? What if 2011 comes and goes with American soldiers still fighting and dying? What if this great nation continues to collapse onto its self and dig its self into a hole we can not climb out of? Worst yet- what if we ARE attacked and we only have 20,000 troops here in America to help?

We will have FIVE TIMES more troops on our offensive line than we will on our defensive line- and this makes us some how less vulnerable to attack- less likely to live in fear- more prepared to fight?

With so many questions and less answers- Obama is acting more like a pastor asking us all to drink his special blend of cool aid. (Now that might be extreme but it was the best example I could come up with, bear with me)

FAITH- have FAITH cries Obama- BELIEVE what I say- I KNOW I am making the right decision-

Not that any of us really have a say- not like anything we could do would change his mind and find a way to not be at war any more. Flex our intellectual strength, create a strong display of scientific discovery, show mortality rates increase and literacy becoming wide spread.

So now the American people have to believe in this, very un’CHANGE’d, decision that I could see John McCain or former President Bush making. This is NOT the Change I believe in.

But I’m an American and he is our President. We’re continuing this war in hopes that it will stabilize an unstabilizable nation, bring Afghanistan to a place where we could leave and not feel guilty about being there is the first place. Bring our troops home to a nation not in turmoil- a nation prospering and offering education and job opportunity. By the end of President Obama’s first term, we will look back on this decision (as we do now about the Iraq surge) and know it was for the better and that we are not only safer but better off having sent more troops to Afghanistan.

Somehow, I’m still afraid for the people of America- not from foreign attack but from spontaneously imploding onto ourselves- and Obama being blamed.

He’s a good person, a good president between a rock and a hard place- and that’s where he remains with this decision- stuck…

Tuesday's With Politics- Getting Down To Business

September 13^th, 2009

My Six Month Goals:

- Run 5 successful youth group events and make the youth a vital part of the community

  (2 down and yes)

- Run for at least an hour twice a week and/or join a gym or yoga studio

  (I now run about 3 times a week for an hour and a half)

- Either find a full-time job or embrace my current employment situation

  (I’m trying really hard)

- Finish at least 1 more book (3 down- 2 in line)

And last but not least:

- Blog at least once a week…

Can you guess which goal I have yet to be able to keep up with? The last blog I wrote was about Senator Wilson’s outburst at the President, ‘You Lie’, during his address to a join session of Congress on September 14^th, 2009. And oh so much has happened…

Why is it so hard to write a blog once a week? I suppose when I started the Blog it was for intellectual vindication for being a college graduate who couldn’t find a job and had to work as a waitress at a small not-very-well-managed restaurant. So when I wrote I posted it everywhere and checked the amount of people who read it almost hourly. Then I got another part-time job and began going on more interviews- somehow blogging didn’t seem as important.

In order to reach my goal I have to forget about that this blog should validate my intelligence. I don’t blog for approval, I blog because I find myself yelling or cheering at the television as news stories break and- well, things happen. So I’m going to write this blog- every Tuesday- and that will be that, if you like it, please read, if not that’s ok too.

That being said- what’s going on in the world? Health care (still), Afghan war (still), money problems, Presidential visits, and people are dying or almost.

What made me yell at the TV this week? This war- sorry, I should say this occupation. This empire has been supporting and ‘re-building’ two middle eastern countries- aka pouring billions and billions of dollars down the drain, oh sorry not just dollars- our dollars, hard working Americans who can’t find decent jobs or health care dollars. To do what? Kill people who don’t like us- detect road bombs so more soldiers aren’t killed- give all our money to a president who is probably just as corrupt as the people we’re shooting at.

What other sign does the President need to do the right thing and pull out of both Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible? American soldiers are killing themselves- American soldiers are killing other American soldiers- American soldiers are coming home crying for the war to stop- and our country is suffering.

Do the right thing Mr. President- that is the platform you ran your election on and as far as I see it, the way you’ve run the white house for the last year. Stop the occupation- stop ‘don’t ask don’t tell’- concentrate on paying back our debts- help provide basic health care to your citizens- and take our country in the right direction. Please L

Wilson Apologies for Being Right

In Obama's address to a join session of the most influential people in America, one Rep. Joe Wilson decided to voice his opinion loudly in the midst of the President informing the public that some facts about the health care plan were simply not true.

As soon as his outburst was finished, the room erupted in boos and disapproval. If one wants to agree with the President during a speech, that person stands and applauds the President, if someone wants to disapprove they sit in their chair quietly with their arms crossed. Mind you these are the same people who employed others to disrupt town hall meeting, with loud shouting and rude behavior, lead by their colleagues in hopes that this will be too much and people will just drop the issue all together. Maybe he just took advise from his own party on how to handle his disapproval- whats the point of actual intellectual conversation, it never got anyone anywhere...

So Wilson apologized but he apologized like a 9 year old- "President, I'm sorry for yelling at you during your speech- however, you know you are totally wrong and I am totally right"

Haha! Now people want him to apologize publicly and he says "Nope, one is enough. The punishment fits the crime and I apologized to the person I did wrong against". What is wrong with this statement? He needs to go back in time and apologize to the founding fathers of this country, he did not simply yell out at the Executive of a large organization during a fundraising event- he did not send a strongly worded letter to the most prestigious scientist in the world- he shouted out 'YOU LIE' to the President of the United States of America- his Commander in Chief, the MOST IMPORTANT PERSON IN AMERICA. And to him one apology is enough.

That is not to mention he has made a mockery of our entire legislative system...

Mr. Wilson does not have to apologize for his display of rudeness toward the president- he's going to pay for it! Already his opponent has raised significant amount of money simply based on the fact that the other guy is an idiot. His opponent didn't even have to campaign yet!

I believe in the justice system, I believe in the legislative system, and I'm beginning to believe in the executive system as well. I believe that people will see this as a blaten disrespect for someone who is simply just trying to make peoples live better and choose not to re-elect Wilson to office. I believe that Wilson will get his justice for his ignorance and bigotry.

So he may not really be sorry- he may not apologize- but he will be on his hands and knees when he can no longer enjoy the plush life of a Representative and will be forever known as the guy who shouted at the President 'YOU LIE'.

If only there were more Joe Wilsons in the previous administration- may Bush would have had to actually apologize for something... maybe not :(

P.S. I just heard the President make excuses for this rude behavior on the radio- what a nice guy!

Gentlemen: Start Your Engines- Here We Go Again!!

I hope everyone enjoyed that hot summer recess from all the health care hoopla. It was a nice break knowing that no matter how much people hollered, nothing was getting passed, no bills were going to get written and no one was working on the matter- well kinda nice. So now congress is headed back, refreshed and ready to figure out what to do about health care reform and the President is two steps ahead of them.

On Tuesday, the President will address the youth of America- emphasizing the importance of education, studying hard, being a productive member of society, and respecting their teachers/ parents.

What? Why? And why now? Oh that's right- his approval rating is slipping because of all this health care non-sense. Only 55% of Americans 'approve' of how Obama is doing in the office of the Presidency. Something MUST be done- hum, should he feed the homeless? maybe play baseball with some orphans, oh oh I got it- he'll address the kids in his most dynamic and charismatic way- that'll get them coming back. Ohhhhh and we'll do it on the first day back at school- get started running.

With this brilliant plan in place, I think Obama's team tended to forget how controversial his policies are at the moment. Although his message is said to be 'health care' free and not out to push any political agenda- this is ALL the president is concerned about right now. He stays popular, his policies get passed. This is not to say that the very unpopular previous president got stupid legislation passed even with an approval rating of around 35%- Obama can only be effective if he is liked.

One of the arguments I heard on the radio today is that it is up to the teachers to lead meaningful and well organized discussions with their students- to digest what is said so that the students have a well-rounded unbiased opinion of politics- what the administration forgets is on the first day of school the teachers just met their students, they are trying to establish a report, their lesson plan and rules, and the last thing they want to think about is coming up with a new discussion based on a speech they are going to be able to read the day before? Effective, very effective :/ Even if the best and brightest teachers lead very meaningful discussions that speak to their students, at the end of the day they go home to their parents...

This is where the educated meaningful understanding conversation should take place- at home. However, some parents are outraged that the President of the United States of America wants to address their kids- how dare he push his political agenda on our youth, he is just trying to recruit them to convince their parents to give 47+ million people a chance to live a healthy life without crushing medical bills. That socialist prick!!

Well there you go, that's the answer- shield your children from any opinion that is different from your own- other opinions are dangerous and might lead to questions and we just can't have that coming out of our school children.

On the morning of 9/11 I walked to my friends house down the street- at this time I found out that a plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center- not really knowing what that was being 14 years old- we hoped into the car and got to school. Everyone was a bit of a buzz but I made it to my first class at 8am. Our English teacher had made the educated decision that education was more important than watching whatever was going on in the news. We did our lesson plan and about 50 minutes later when we were let out of class, we were the only ones in the quad. Everyone else was in their classrooms glued to the television as they watched the destruction continue. I ran to my next class and got caught up on what was going on- after about an hour I called my dad to come pick me up and take me home, bursting into tears in the car.

I will never forget that day and I will never forget my teachers decision to choose education over the news, especially that event. At the time I'm sure he did not realize the magnitude of the situation and might regret the decision as well but it will always effect me.

Obviously this is a very different situation but my point is that if we shield our youth from politics and the outside world, it is only harming them and if anything disconnecting them from politics. This isn't China. This opportunity- although very political to improve Obama's ratings before congress goes back into session to debate health care- is a great opportunity for the youth of America to finally have a role model who isn't looking to wage an unjust undemocratic greedy war.

So he'll give his speech, some kids will still have ignorant parents, and some teachers will have great discussions with their new students- starting the year off strong. Then congress will be back in session and we'll see how it all goes- health care? no health care? public option? no public option? It'll be interesting and we'll be around to watch what happens :)

I'm Back... And Not Much Has Changed

For those of you who have been reading my Blogs, you might have noticed the lack of recent commentary from yours truly. Since I am still an unemployed (serving breakfast to picky eaters, again, does not count), most of my time has been spent either trying to find a job or trying to make some extra money. With that in mind, I recently went on a vacation to Yosemite. Last Monday I departed from the well connected world of television news programs, Internet news articles, and cell phone twitter feeds and ventured into the world of really tall trees, big black bears, lots of falling water, and sneaky squires whos only goal is to steal your lunch.

Although I welcomed the disconnect, I took it as a social experiment in living the life of one who could care less about what goes on in the world outside of their own experiences. I somewhat expected to come back to reality having missed a plethora of important news stories, feeling shocked to learn all that had happened while I was hiking half way to half dome. When I returned, the first thing I heard was that another Kennedy had died and that California was once again on fire. After returning home, I jumped right into serving people food for lunch, and dinner the next day- breakfast, lunch, and dinner- breakfast, registering guests for a wedding, and then making sure the wedding went smoothly.

Today was my first real day back into reality- ran all my errands, cleaned my car, and watched Kieth Olberman and Rachel Maddow. What a great day! So what had I missed??? Hum, people are still arguing about health care and all the politicians are still on vacation- some sick guy held girls in captivity- a DJ overdosed- mother nature is still kicking our butts- the Michael Jackson case is still full of questions and inquiry- and I still don't have a job.

So, nothing happened... nothing new, nothing surprising, nothing exciting, nothing shocking, nothing really news worthy. Republicans are still saying stupid things and people are still dying. What does this whole experiment teach me? Stop watching the news- what's the point really? Someone will tell me if something that affects me happens? Right? WRONG!! Why do I love the news? Not for times when nothing is happening- which is often, news can get stale, but for the times you are glued to the TV or talking to all your friends and family because you just can't believe what has happened!!

All in all, I am happy nothing happened, I am glad to come back to the world almost the same as I left it- more relaxed and a little sore but I could have predicted all that has happened and I'm ok with that. Now if something interesting happens, I'll be around to let everyone know how much I agree or disagree with it- that is the fun part.

So stick around for something exciting to happen- it might be tomorrow or next week but believe me, it'll happen!!!