Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan: Facing anti-Semitism?

It seems as if the face of United States Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is all over the place, media-wise, that is.

To provide a sampling of what is going on in the wide wonderful web media, I provide the following (along with my commentary, of course) for information and for your reading pleasure.

For a nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Elena Kagan has an interesting non-judicial background. In attempting to find some reason in an 'any-excuse-will-do' mentality, her detractors stop at nothing. Click on over to read:
Kagan's Opponents Grasping at Straws by Eduardo Penalver, Published June 30, 2010 | FOXNews.com.

It is no secret that Elana Kagan is Jewish, as can be read in the two following web pages:
Kagan, Judaism and the Bible: 'Justice, justice shall you pursue'
Elena Kagan’s Jewish Background: Just What Pat Buchanan Fears
To me, it appears that once again the anti-Jewish sentiment in America is rearing up its ugly head.

Thus far, Elena Kagan appears to be taking the salvos being fired by anti-Jewish conservatives in stride as she fends off the "jew baiting" being thrown at her. I mean give me a break! How else can the questions "Where were you at on Christmas Day?" and “I just asked you where you were at on Christmas?” posed by Senator Lindsey O. Graham (R, SC) be explained?

From the Chicago Tribune, you can read;
Kagan's a not-so-leftist liberal, The daughter of a crusading New York street lawyer and protege of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the Supreme Court nominee has specialized in finding a middle position on the most contentious issues from James Oliphant, Richard A. Serrano and David G. Savage Reporting from Cambridge, Mass., New York and Washington, June 27, 2010.

Perhaps you may wish to read:
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on hate speech and pornography (aka the First Amendment) by Chris Moody - The Daily Caller | Published: 12:52 PM 06/28/2010 | Updated: 12:55 PM 06/28/2010

If you are the type of person who likes biased information from twisted minds, you can click on over to read:
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is Israel partisan, Wednesday, June 30, 2010, from If Americans Knew, Israel-Palestine, The Missing Headlines.

Is any anti-Semitism (as in anti-Jewish sentiment and/or prejudice) at play in any of this? People will deny it. However, I hypothesize that not only is it playing a part in the opposition of the nomination of Elena Kagan to SCOTUS but anti-Semitism throughout the United States is also prevalent.

It is quite often that we Jewish Americans hear and read other Americans say "America is a Christian country" and proclaim "America was founded on Christian principles." To the latter statement, I respond: "From where do you think Christian principles came?"

Oh, as an aside, you may want to click on over to read:
Was the U.S. Founded on Christian Principles?

Toledo, Ohio Losing Population Over Trash Issue

If you recall, last month I wrote Toledo, Garbage, Water and Toledo, Ohio: The Trash Town.

It now is evident that Toledo, Ohio will be experiencing a decline in its population as residents leave the City of Toledo over the trash issue.

To learn more about this, read the comment I placed in response to More Trash Talk by Chili Dog.

Socialism and President Barack Obama

Ya know, I hear a lot of people making emotionally charged allegations in their ill-informed attempts to link President Barack Obama with socialism. I strongly suspect the vast majority of small-minded political pundits have little or no knowledge of socialism.

I much prefer to hear or read the opinions on socialism from some one with intelligence. Some one like Albert Einstein who penned the article Why Socialism? way back in May 1949.

If you have something you want to say about socialism and/or President Obama corollaries related thereto, please do not hesitate to leave your comments.

Republican Women Smarter Than Republican Men

From what I have been reading and from that of which I have been listening, it appears to me that maybe, just maybe, Republican women might very well be smarter than Republican men.

I mean, come on, it's in the news. Is it not?

The granddaughter of POTUS George 41 (Republican) and the daughter of POTUS George 43 (Republican) 28-year-old Barbara Bush has proclaimed her support of Obamacare; and, her mother, Laura Bush, wife of George 43, has proclaimed her support of the Supreme Court nominee of POTUS BHO (Democrat). Laura Bush has also voiced her support of gay marriage and of the rights of women to seek and secure abortions.

These positions run counter to that of both Georges and of the political planks contained within the political platforms of the Republican Party on the issues.

If you think I do not know that of which I speak when it comes to these women, I suggest you move that little computer mouse of yours and click onto the following:

->Barbara Bush, daughter of George W, supports President Obama’s health care reform efforts (video)
->Bush's Daughter Barbara Glad Obama's Health Care Reforms Passed
->Laura Bush: pro abortion and gay marriage
->Bush women run afoul of GOP orthodoxy

A question keeps bouncing around in my pea-brained head:
Are these Bush women Republicans, Democrats, or what?

Helen Thomas and The Rabbi. Never Again!

Although I do not share her perspective and while I do not agree with her, I do assert that Helen Thomas is entitled to her opinion.

However, I also say: "Thank goodness the Rabbi caught her statements on video tape."

You may ask: "Who is Helen Thomas?"
You may ask: "Who is the Rabbi?"

Let your computer mouse do the walking and clicking to learn the answers.

You may read about Helen Thomas here.
You may read about Rabbi David Nesenoff over here.

Head over this-a-way and you may watch and listen to the YouTube video:
Helen Thomas on Israel.

And one more recommended read for you from me is the blog entry from Rabbi Jason Miller:
The Rabbi Who Took Down Helen Thomas.

My own final word on the matter:
Never Again!

Dave Schulz: Toledo Politico Aspirant

Earlier this week, I had the occasion to be on the Facebook page of my Toledo City Council district representative Lindsay Webb. It was on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, that she posed a very good question to which quite a few people responded with comments, included politico aspirant Dave Schulz, a former candidate to Toledo City Council, and me.

Here, I'll tell you what, instead of trying to accurately summarize what transpired between Dave Schulz and me, I'll just put a 'copy and paste' of our dialogue following this paragraph. Please note that I have placed only the original question and the comments between Dave Schulz and me. I have omitted all other comments as they are not relevant to this entry of Roland Hansen Commentary.

Lindsay Webb
So, on refuse collection: is anyone else out there upset about the Administration's proposal to limit unlimited pick up?
Wednesday at 9:39am

Dave Schulz
I am fine with the limit. I have done 3 this year mostly due to a renovation project. All in all they were good about it. You can always work with a neighor on overflow you might have from time to time. I do have an issue with the recycling portion. I am single and an avid recycler since the beginning. I have a large can and it takes me 6-8 weeks to fill it up. I could just work around that by putting it out more frequently.
Wednesday at 10:01am

Roland Hansen
You know me - I always hold back on my opinions; because, I do not wish to offend anyone. But seeing how you asked: I am mad as hell with this administration and the whole thing about garbage. It's all a bunch of trash! We Toledo voters of yesteryear approved the city income tax on the promise that it would be used for garbage pick up and disposal, and that it would pay for the construction of a municipal garbage incinerator. The incinerator was never built but at least we got no-fee garbage collection. Later, an increase in the income tax was a result of the promise for unlimited garbage collection. The original broken promise has escalated into an imposed garbage tax and now a proposal to impose a limit on collection. I am not opposed to taxes or user fees; I am just sick and tired of being deceived. Liars have no place in public service!
Wednesday at 1:57pm

Dave Schulz
It's overly simplistic to say that a promise has been broken because the tax revenue based on current demoraphics only pay for police and fire. Times change and we have to adapt to the changes and slowly but surely the right-sizing of government and its labor costs will take place.
Wednesday at 2:32pm

Roland Hansen
Dave,
That is a BullSh** response and you know it. I agree times change, but there is an open and honest way to make the necessary adjustments, and then there is your way.
Wednesday at 4:26pm

Dave Schulz
Our elected officials have been telling us for awhile now that the current tax doesn't support the "promised" services....that's no BS lol. You can quibble about how they have handled the refuse tax but we all have to make adjustments, including the payroll and benefits structure of our employeess. What should be more outrageious is that alot of the "cuts" this year were just punted down the road to be paid next year and we will be in the same cycle again.....
Wednesday at 7:55pm

Roland Hansen
Well, Dave Schulz,
The fact that you have totally sidestepped the last sentence of my first comment in which I firmly stated "I am not opposed to taxes or user fees; I am just sick and tired of being deceived. Liars have no place in public service!" does not surprise me. You are, after all, a wanna-be politician.
I will put my credentials up against yours, any day.
ref: http://tiny.cc/bgftg
Now, let us stop discussing our differences on Lindsay's facebook thread. It is not the purpose of the thread, nor is it our place to do so.
Sorry Lindsay, but he started it: no, I started it; no, he started it; no, .... Bye. No more from me on this message thread.
Wednesday at 9:34pm

Dave Schulz
Good bye!!!!
Thursday at 7:55am

Okay, so I went to the Facebook page of Dave Schulz and hit the "Add as Friend" icon button. I figure, I have many friends, both in real life and on the internet, with whom I have had some exciting, political disagreements and we remain friends. It makes for stimulating discussions. Now, here it is already a few days later. I see that Dave Schulz has made some comments on the "walls" of mutual "Facebook friends." Consequently, I know that he has gone onto Facebook since I sent my request to add me as a friend on Facebook, but all I have gotten thus far is the Facebook message: "Dave Schulz * Awaiting friend confirmation."

I am anxiously awaiting the decision of Dave Schulz to either add me or to deny my request. I hope he adds me. He may find that while I may be argumentative and abrasive and that while I may fly off the handle (can you believe that some folks have labeled me a loose cannon!) that I really can contribute to good political debate (of course, that is just my own unbiased opinion of me - LOL). I may be old; I may be washed-up; I may be a has-been; but, I ain't dead yet.

Meanwhile, you may wish to take a look at:
Dave Schulz on MySpace
Dave Schulz on Facebook

Mike Bell, The Motorcycling Mayor of Toledo, Ohio

I found this very interesting, attention-getting quote today:

The level of incompetence that is coming from the mayor's office is mind-boggling. I think the honorable one took a spill off his famous motorcycle without his helmet one too many times.

buckeyepayroll.com, Chili Dog Blog, June 2, 2010

The quote is the last paragraph of the eye-grabbing, but somewhat trashy, blog entry entitled "What Am I To Do With My Independence Day Tree?"

You should read the whole article. Just move your mouse over and click here.

Now put that in your chili dog and smoke it, Mr. Mayor!