Year: 2004

I have been telling myself over and over–in hopes that I’ll believe it, perhaps–that “The Passion” will not set off a wave of anti-Semitism. That although it will undoubtedly reinforce those who already hate Jews, it won’t take anyone who doesn’t hate Jews and turn them into anti-Semites. And that people will have the intelligence to realize that it’s just a movie with a singular point of view that is not automatically the truth just because Mel says so.

Then Marc Foxx sent me the following e-mail, forwarded from Robert Seltzer of the American Jewish Committee. It reads:

Subject: This is what we are concerned about….

My AJC Denver colleague reports that outside a church there stands a new, large sign which reads:

The Jews Killed Jesus. Settled.

Having seen the Gibson film, I am not surprised, tho it is shocking.

I have always believed, and still do, that the best response to free speech is more free speech. It is difficult to respond with more free speech, however, if people are coming at you with fists, knives and torches.

This has always been a country brimming with divisiveness, hatred and bigotry. But I don’t think it’s been this prevalent–or this sanctioned at the highest levels–in half a century.

God help you if you’re a marriage-minded Gay Jew.

PAD

For a while there she seemed to be keeping food down to the degree that the hospital was getting ready to discharge her…right up until she discharged all the food in her stomach at 9 AM today.

Understand that for the last two days Beth has been saying, “Why not do a GI workup?” while the doctors have been insisting that her condition is viral. So this morning they said to Beth, “You know, we think it would be wise if we did a GI workup on her.” She practically had to bite her tongue not to say, “About freakin’ time!”

I mentioned to Beth that between the website and private e-mails, I’ve gotten at least six diagnoses of what’s wrong. She suggested I start a pool. I told her she had to be kidding. She said no, she was serious. Again I said she was kidding. She said no, she really wasn’t kidding.

So okay.

Little girl, one year old, not keeping anything down. Disposition is okay, eats eagerly, but then barfs stuff up until the stomach is empty. No fever, and still has bowel movements. Not the first time she’s had unexplained bouts of vomiting, but certainly the most prolonged.

Diagnosis?

Beth says once she knows, she’ll tell me and I should tell you. In the meantime, all you GI Joes and Janes out there…go to it.

PAD

I don’t understand how anyone–including Bush–can advocate a ban on gay marriage. And Kerry’s no different. “Let’s have civil unions instead.” Because separate but equal is a time honored tradition in bias, and apparently gays are the new Negros.

How can anyone claim they are compassionate and deny people in love?

How cany anyone claim they advocate less government interference in the lives of Americans and yet support the concept of laws banning what two consenting adults may do that hurts nothing and no one?

And for me, most dámņìņg of all…how can anyone remotely pretend that there is a separation of church and state in this country when the government is endeavoring to tell religious institutions what they can and cannot do? It is not remotely analogous to a state removing the responsibility for a gravely ill child from Christian Scientist parents because they’re hoping prayer might save their child when the doctors know medicine or an operation surely will. This is the Federal government telling every religion in the country, “We don’t care what you believe: This offends our sensibilities, and we will stop you.”

You’ve heard of the War on drugs? The war on terrorism? Congratulations and welcome to the War on Love.

PAD

That’s how my sister, Beth, explained it to her concerned little daughter, Sarah. Sarah’s baby sister, Emma, had a “boo boo in her tummy,” and that’s why Emma is in the hospital, and why her mommy has to go be with her now for days on end.

In a more adult way of phrasing it…my little niece is distressingly ill. Checked in at the Children’s Hospital in Hartford, CT, she has been vomiting up everything that goes into her stomach for several days now. They’ve had her on an IV drip to keep her hydrated, but she hasn’t been keeping down more than two ounces of fluid an hour. And since she’s an infant and the veins in her arms weren’t big enough, they had to put the IV tube in her foot…except she wound up kicking it out and now her foot’s swelled up so that’s no good, and she just kicked it out of the other one.

I dunno. I’m not a big believer in the collective power of prayer, but on the other hand, I’m not above seeking any resource at this point.

PAD

The second installment in Marv’s time-spanning adventures as he seeks not only to save Marlo, but determine just how he’ll be remembered by future generations. Whad’ja think?

PAD

…is that, in watching him on “Meet the Press,” I found myself agreeing with just about everything he was saying about Democrats, Republicans, and the various issues. Compare his performance with the hesitant, fear-mongering, redundancy-filled appearance by Bush and you see what it’s like when a man of genuine intelligence is speaking. The only disingenuous statement he made was claiming that he shouldn’t be singled out for Gore’s loss in Florida because, hey, Pat Buchanan also got votes. Which is ridiculous since Buchanan’s voter base wouldn’t have voted for Gore if he’d been the only candidate available. Still, it’s annoying to find that I’m more in synch with his opinions than I am with Kerry et al, considering Nader’s unelectable.

I very much doubt Nader will have any serious impact this time. Democrats are so focused on wanting Bush out, I’d be amazed if even one half of one percent were willing to risk that by throwing away their votes on Nader again. Still, if I were the GOP, I’d be mobilizing volunteers to go work for Nader in order to try and get him on as many state ballots as possible, ’cause you never know. At the very least, Bush should send him a nice fruit basket.

PAD