Disgraced former FBI agent Peter Strzok has resurfaced in the media as some kind of authority, thanks to the raid on Trump's home. The only thing this guy is an authority about is how to corrupt law enforcement for political purposes.
Still, his deranged tweets and threats -- he shares the Democrats' hatred of Kash Patel, a minority who refused to conform -- reveal something really important: though they often have access to more and better information than we do, FBI agents are just as susceptible to media bias and fake news as the rest of us. Their opinions, and the filters through which they interpret the data they see, are affected by their news sources, whether CNN or the Washington Post.
So the irony is that some complete yahoo in the middle of the country with no special access but an ounce of common sense may know more about what is actually happening than an expert deep inside the bowels of the Beltway.
They will be mocked by an establishment that hates them and fervently believes in speeding along their inevitable disappearance. But the ordinary people of America, who mistrust the media, have a wisdom Washington can't touch.
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.
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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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