I used to live in South Africa, where the apartheid government used roads and other infrastructure to separate people of different racial groups. In fact, when planning neighborhoods for black people, authorities often ensured there were only one or two entrances and exits, so that police could easily restrict locals.
There are probably more examples of this in the U.S. than many of us are aware of, but as a general phenomenon, it's not a thing. The case that Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg -- fresh from parental leave, you baby-haters -- made on Monday was that there's a kind of systemic racism in insfrastructure.
All of Pete's examples referred to Robert Moses, the guy who planned much of New York City in the 20th century. He was a liberal Republican, meaning that he opposed the Democrat machine but not its big-government philosophy. He allegedly divided communities with roads and underpasses too low for buses.
I tweeted about Buttigieg's likely source -- Robert Caro's 1974 biography of Moses -- which includes Moses's denial of racism and portrays him as a general jerk and megalomaniac rather than a racist. I highly doubt Moses, a Jew in a liberal city, thought his mission was to reinforce white supremacy. But maybe.
Anyway, these examples are pretty weak, and ignore the dynamic possibility that neighborhoods become segregated because of bad planning with good intentions. The government builds a road; the road is bad; the rich people leave; the poor remain. And here comes the government again to "fix" the problem.
Buttigieg is a smart guy. But he was not a great mayor; he himself was accused of racism, and his streets were full of potholes. He took his precious family leave, unannounced, in the middle of a crisis. His plans will fail because they try, like him, all things to all people. That's not how you build a bridge, racist or not.
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
Topics:
- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
- The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
- The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
- The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival
And more!
Special guests:
- James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
- Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
- Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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