March 1 is always an important day for me, because it was the day on which my boss, mentor, and friend Andrew Breitbart passed away suddenly in 2012. I have tried to mark his birthday (February 1), so that we remember him for his life and not just for his death. But I think people prefer marking March 1, just because it was a moment that brought all of his friends and fans together.
Twelve years is a long time; many people have come of age in the conservative movement who never met him, and only know the man through the legend.
What I can say is that he defined the term "happy warrior," and the idea that you can hate evil, and evil institutions, and still love people -- especially the people on the other side of the issue, as long as they are authentic about what they believe. (I'll never forget the leaders of Code Pink expressing genuine sadness when they heard he had died -- after clashing with him so often.)
I owe my happy life in L.A. to Andrew. He brought me out here; he shared his love of (and frustration with) the city with me; he gave me the means through which to provide for my growing family. I loved him deeply and I always will.
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 ...
