The immediate cause is the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma. Protests turned to looting -- as with some of the Black Lives Matter protests last year here in the United States. But there is more to the story:
1. Economic decline: South Africa has suffered stagnant and declining growth, leading to increased economic desperation for the poor over several years.
2. Endemic crime: There is a level of theft and violence that has become the norm over the past thirty years, with little trust in the police to stop it.
3. Ethnic tension: Zuma was the country's first Zulu president, against the will of the new Xhosa elite, so there is also an ethnic element to the backlash.
4. Coronavirus lockdowns: South Africa has mismanaged the pandemic, failing to acquire enough vaccines and keeping the country shut down economically.
5. Lack of alternatives: the only responsible opposition is the Democratic Alliance, which is demonized as a party of whites and racial minorities.
Much of what South Africa is suffering today began 15-20 years ago, with the same "woke" ideology now being driven by the Biden administration. This is a preview of where America could go, in a worst-case scenario. Read more here:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Be-thole-Country-ebook/dp/B08SCK2S16
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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