Hello, my brother

he’s my daaad.

my father has always served as a guide and role model. As a youth, I would clothe myself in his shadow. His habits were comforting. I remember when he would come home from work when I was 3 or 4 years old. He would wear these full brimmed cowboy hats. I used to run to the garage door as I heard it close to greet him excitedly. My dad would hold my hands and I would climb up him with my feet and somersault off his chest. Ill never forget. Those memories I will always cherish.

But the man is far from the perfect. The older I grew the more I wanted to distance myself from him and his gruff philosophies on heading a family. For a good amount of time I truly hated him, I never wanted to see him again. Several times I wished him death – like for real.

Dads are funny beasts. They, at once, instill honor and bestow terror. They are your greatest teacher and at times, your most indifferent and careless supervisor.

We take on their habits unknowingly. Our mind absorbs their practices, and we resent them for it. And still, they are men of whom we can be proud, who’s name we continue to carry to distinguish ourselves as a proud a house that will carry on for generations to come, whatever may come.

Abraham is our Patriarch. Whether you find this factual or not is not at stake. What matters is that we choose to believe that Abraham fathered our nations. He may have made many mistakes in raising us. His first child was born to his Wife’s, Sarah’s, much younger handmaid, an Egyptian named Hagar. She bore him Ishmael. Later, after Sarah miraculously bore Isaac, Sarah pleaded with Abraham to send away Hagar and her son after the notorious bow and arrow incident (Ishmael was shooting some arrows at his annoying little brother). I call it a case of “ancient boys will be ancient boys.” But I can see why Sarah was freaked: her husbands eldest son, a bastard born to her foreign handmaid, almost killed her legitimate heir to her husband’s social seat.

These rivalries, between Sarah and Hagar and between their boys have been carried through the ages. The stories been skewed by either side. But brotherhood is still there. We share a father. He was already elderly when were conceived. We had little quality time with him. Depending on who you ask, he almost sacrificed either Ishmael or Isaac on What came to be the Temple Mount, the holiest place in Judaism, and where it is believed Muhammad rode his winged horse to Heaven. I mean, talk about childhood trauma. My dad made me carry a bundle of sticks up a hill only to tie me to them and almost slaughter me in the name of his God. Jesus H. Christ.

But Abraham is our shared role-model, nonetheless. He was a good man. His tent is said to have been open on all sides, so that guests could be welcomed from all directions.

We have gone from brotherhood to estranged 4^th cousins. Let’s take a lesson from our dad. Be welcome in my house, as I know he would have welcomed us both in his.

now, for some politics.

I’d say I hold reasonably liberal social beliefs. I believe in the equality of all persons and their right to civil liberties. I don’t, however, believe in the equality of all nations. Not because I find some nationalities abhorrent or savage or whatever, but because some governments are better than other better in that they A) are democratically elected, B) they enshrine the freedom of the press, assembly, and expression of beliefs and religion to all races, creeds and ethnicities, C) they make a point of not abusing and murdering citizens and D) civil rights are upheld in a justice system independent of other branches of government.

Now, let us consider the governments of Iran and Israel.

Which government doesn’t meet any, as in not one (1), of these criteria? Iran.

Which government meets all, as in every last one, of these criteria?

Israel.

Oh, and which of these governments (proudly) sponsors terrorist organizations?

If you guessed the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, then you guessed correctly.

You see, the Iranian government has been making a mockery of Islamic notions of peace and civil justice. The brutal attack their own citizens in the name of the Supreme Leader and his direct, prophetic connection to Allah. He is the infallible custodian of the State, and as such he can have protestors murdered in the name of public order, gays slaughtered in the name of social piety, and rape victims stoned in the name of family honor. You see, my friends, the Iranian government is a bad government. They do not serve the people asa government should. They serve themselves to keep power. They bribe the peasant classes with grain and money. They lie to the public and brainwash children to believe that their Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is a holy man, 2^nd to God. They call for Israel to be wiped off the map. And they continually deny the Holocaust (to my own personal disgust).

Iran is racing to achieve nuclear capability for “civilian purposes.” The international community disputes this, claiming Iran is on its way to developing nuclear weaponry of military grade.

On this liberal college campus of open minds and hearts, I sometimes feel I may be the only one  who fears the prospect of a nuclear Iran and who recognizes that a government that oppresses its own people has no right to a nuclear weapon. If they give half a shit about Iranian life, what makes you think care any more about your life, or about Israelis. What’s to keep this belligerent government from attacking or threatening attack on innocent lives?

Am I a hypochondriac? Or is that my fear  is fucking justified?

Now I don’t think we should start a war to preemptively keep us from another war. In a perfect world this a dispute such as this could be settled over some kabob in Tehran. The American Diplomat could sit with the Iranian diplomat sitting cross legged on a Persian rug while sipping the finest chai of central asia and by dinner time they would come up with some agreement on how Iran could maintain a nuclear power plant for civilian purposes with  checks and balances to ensure that civilian purposes don’t turn into military purposes. After all, a modern civilian social infrastructure powered by nuclear fission plants would be a great achievement for the people of Iran and ostensibly raise the quality of life for citizens. A nuclear military Iran, on the other hand,  could incite a war that could change the face of the middle east for the next four generations. The belligerent Islamist Iranian government would grow more influential by the day. So whats wrong with Iranian influence growing tin the region?

Uh, have you been listening at all? They hate women’s rights, they hate gays rights, they hate jews, they hate the west, they spend around 200 million dollars per year supporting Hizbullah in Lebanon (a terrorist organization that America recognizes as the most tactically capable in the world), they killed hundreds of citizens during the green revolutionary protests a couple years ago. Basically, the Iranian government doesn’t give a fuck. Like in the same way that Eazy E of the NWA didn’t give a fuck.

Eazy E, you see knew he had AIDS but continued to have sex with groupies and spread his disease because he just couldn’t give less of a selfish fuck. Iran, in much the same way  will spread her diseased backwards political philosophy if she gets the opportunity. And nuclear capability, as it turns out directly relates to increases in international influence.

Iran and nuclear bombs are a bad mix. Bad for me, for you, for the middle east, and for her own citizens.

When the current Iranian regime falls (may it be soon and peaceful) and new one takes the reign, leading the nations of the region to democracy and enshrining civil rights for all regardless of race, race, religion, creed, color, gender, and sexuality, and when these rights are protected and policed by an independent justice system free from internal political corruption, then maybe could we open this “give us a nuclear bomb” case. Until then, and until they stop calling for countries to be “wiped off the map,” then fuck their rights to nuclear technologies.

Furthermore, if you think they deserve the right to nuclear capability without international queries, then youre a blithering fool.

jew think yo ishmael dont stank

Have you ever had a “chronic  relationship” that, despite breaks and new starts, rrrrepeats the same patterns that ultimately cause a split all over again? I’ve been pondering the reality of such a relationship and its roots in miscommunication. These relationships exist all over town; theyre not just in the romantic sphere, but also, and more commonly, in platonic, or neighborly friendships. I find myself in a constant fluctuation of “closeness” with my friends… as I grow closer to one I move away from the other, and then back around. Perhaps this pattern lies in what might be called a convergence of disjunct personalities. Like for example youre riding in a car with someone for a few hours and while the beginning of the ride is easy, by the end you may not want to see that person for a week. We get sick of people.

And then the next weekend rolls around and you see each other again and youre both happy about it.

How does that happen? It’s a little weird to think about: how do I not still cringe at every word you speak, even though last week that was the case?

 Personalities clash. And still, some parts of respective, distinct personalities can work together, and sometimes only for a limited span of time before a break is necessary.  While we may be social beings, companionship takes effort, and at times, too much effort. That’s why we have alone time J

 Too much alone time, though, and you forget your friends, and why you were friends to begin with, and then they resent you for it. (this part is completely avoidable.)

 Why all this pussy-bitch self reflection, you might ask?

Well, I find that in one way or another, we are reflections of the world around us, and personal truths are essentially derivatives of grander cosmic truths, so to speak. Sorry if that’s too heady bro, but that vague line between physical and spiritual tends to be where I operate. These truths that I experience in my relationships can be expanded upon to apply to the current situation between our Brother religions. Not every part of our philosophies is compatible, but there have been times in our shared history that we’ve put our heads together and enjoyed great dignity at the hands of one another (see: Golden Age of Spain).

There were times when we were friends; there are places where we still are. The most important factor in friendship is loyalty. Despite petty behavior, and some teasing and jeering, and that drunken night that got a little outta hand, but now weve got matching mood-rings around our eyes, friends will continue to hang around because they recognize the value in maintaining the connection.

For far too long  we’ve treated each other like we just got out of a 2-week long roadtrip cramped together in a 1992 toyota tercel. We cant get the scent of each other’s nasty hot-Cheetos’s-breath out of our noses. One of us threw up in the car around Albuquerque. Your stupid snickers bar melted to the dashboard. What do you mean you don’t use deodorant?

You get the picture. And for the foreseeable future, we’ve still got plenty more miles to go on this roadtrip.

After a while one will stop talking to the other, and ignoring his questions, and the other begins to resent his old friend sittin’ shotgun and the stupid way he sighs after he laughs at jokes that aren’t at all funny…

 We might be kinda sick of each other. But friends remain friends because they abide by loyalty - when they acknowledge to themselves that they would rather have you in their little world than not at all.

 Maybe this is the part in the roadtrip when we just both need a shower. And, no, habibi, that doesn’t just mean 5 sprays of cologne.

i’m so fucking lonely

okay, so do you ever have those days when, from the moment you wake up to the moment you pass out 18 hours later, you JUST FEEL LONELY? I know im not crazy and am not the only person this happens to. And it doesn’t even matter that throughout my day ive been in the company of great friends and have had good laughs and good hearty lunch and all these great things for which I am grateful. I mean, all these gifts of life, I acknowledge and appreciate. For them, I am deeply thankful. But I cannot shake this deep empty pit of loneliness. Inside, there is a darkness I cannot address. Today has been one of these days for me, my friends. I literally had to stop my mind from a downward spiral into the depths of thoughts “do they care about me?” “is there someone out there who can help, who will listen” and other such pathetic (and undeniably human) brain-clamor. To relieve myself of these source-less thought injections, I stopped along my walk home in the pouring Colorado sleet to bless God for “doing the work of creation” in every moment. It is one of my favorite Hebrew blessings. i find that on difficult days, pausing to bless God, a truly selfless act, can reverse the built-up tensions. Since then, things have been a little better.

How does this relate to my mission in this blog?

Well, I think there times when every religion as a whole feels separate from the rest of the world –misunderstood by its neighbors, maybe even up against a wall. The Jews have surely felt this way. I believe Moslems in the West feel this way. Arab Christians feel this way. Sunnis in Iran feel this way. We all feel misunderstood and angry because of our neighbors. But not all of us are persecuted, though we may still feel that way. I mean we feel lonely, and it causes us to revert into our own little cultural chasm like a snail hiding in its shell. We don’t want to deal with the rest of the world. But as one of my great teachers, Reb Moish, taught, God has put us all here to share our gifts. We all have gifts. After all, they were designated by God for us. We all have talents and abilities special to ourselves. First, we must recognize these abilities and hone them. And then we must share them. This idea applies to religions as well. Each has its own set of undeniable pillars. But the mission is not to keep these for ourselves. The Jews, are known as the Children of Israel. Israel literally translates to “he who struggles/wrestles with God.” Islam literally translates to “peaceful submission.” There are 2 vastly different origins to our names, our inherent identities. All that means to me is that we have a lot to learn from one another.