The first thing I should note is that I had an incredible time in Milwaukee. I have always loved the city, and even considered moving there once. It is neoclassical, Midwestern, cosmopolitan, and earthy at the same time. I went to a Brewers game, swam at Bradford Beach, drank a Leinenkugels shandy, and rode a scooter everywhere.
The debate itself: I found it more exciting than expected, but still sort of boring. It was nice to hear candidates talking about conservative policies, but I didn't hear much that blew my mind, though I was impressed with Gov. Doug Burgum's answer on abortion (which I happen to agree with, though it needed something more).
Trump is still the frontrunner, and remains irreplaceable -- not just because of the indictments, although they have given conservatives reason to rally around him, but also because he has an instinct for identifying the most important issues and for framing them in a powerful way. Whether he can beat Biden is another matter.
I would add this: Democrats trolled the debate with an airplane towing a sign that described the 2024 Republican primary as a race for the "extreme MAGA base." It was the first time I had seen a major American political party attack the voters on the other side, not just the politicians. Scary stuff, in the context of what's going on.
This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's Torah portion includes several laws about conduct in civic and personal life, the common theme of which is boundaries -- setting bounds to what one may do at home, at work, and even in the battlefield.
One noteworthy passage concerns Amalek, the evil nation that attacked the Children of Israel as they made their Exodus from slavery to freedom. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 commands Jews to obliterate Amalek's memory.
The South African government accused Israel of genocide on the basis of a story about Amalek in the Book of Samuel, in which King Saul was commanded to wipe out the entire evil Amalekite nation.
Because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted this week's portion -- "Remember what Amalek did to you" (25:17), the South African government claimed he was commanding soldiers to commit genocide.
It was an absurd and malevolent misreading of the Bible and of Jewish tradition. The commandment, as observed by Jews today, is to remember the evil of Amalek and fight ...
