Myth Debunker

Philip Zodhiates Deserves Better - A Martyr Against Hedonism

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 08:23:00 +0000

Phil Zodhiates has been a friend and mentor to many conservative non-profits throughout America. It was he who helped make Col. Allen West's election to Congress in 2010 possible, as was the case with many other conservative candidates.

Phil saved a child from terrible abuse and gave a ride to the child's mother from Virginia to Buffalo, NY. For this he has been ordered to report to federal prison tomorrow, with a three year sentence. May G-d Almighty make a miracle for him and free him.

The entire story is sickening. It is also a prime example of how hedonism corrodes society and destroys parental rights and even the definition of what a parent is. Phil is a true martyr and has shone a light onto the cruelty that follows when society throws away its values and even its common sense. His suffering has brought down a light from above. We must each ask ourselves what we can do to help him. Indeed, organizing for a presidential commutation seems to be the least that we can do.

Here's what happened:

Ten years ago, a mother in Vermont who had repented and gave up a relationship with a woman in order to seek a righteous life. She took her little daughter with her. She is the real (biological) mother. Because her former girlfriend had formally adopted the girl as a co-parent, this former friend of the mother was given significant time and overnights. She used this time to force the girl to bathe with her against the girl's will and tried to brainwash her. The daughter started wetting her bed and threatening suicide.

The family courts, instead of seeing the case for what it clearly was, a mother fighting to protect her daughter from someone who was not even a relative, saw the mother as a religious person to be held in disdain, and the LGBT former girlfriend of the mother to be an untouchable icon by virtue of her LGBT status. Yes, bigotry is alive and well and more insane than ever. The targets are just different. The judge didn't even allow for an investigation into the matter. The mother refused to comply with further visits absent significant and monitored changes and the judge announced that he would terminate her custody in favor of the mother's former girlfriend. The serious allegations made by the daughter and the child's deterioration were of no consequence in the cruel and heartless PC mind of the judge.

The real mother, who had moved with the daughter to Virginia fled to Canada with her daughter and went from there to Central America. In the process, she received a lift from Virginia to Buffalo, NY from Phil Zodhiates. Phil did not know the details of the case. He was asked by a mother to help save her child from profound and repeat abuse and decided to help. He was not told of court proceedings. For this act, he is set to report tomorrow to federal prison. His sentence is 3 years.

Phil is Christian. I'm Jewish. I only mention this because he is set to report on the third day of Chanukah, the holiday that was established when the Maccabees rose up to fight against hedonism. The 3rd day especially is connected with liberation. I believe that G-d is sending a special sign.

Chanukah commemorates Chana, who had 7 sons, all of whom chose to die rather than serve idols. Many thousands fought with the Maccabees, whose main war was against the rampant homosexuality that the Ancient Assyrian Greeks sought to introduce into the Holy Land, heaven forfend. Phil is a modern day martyr. We cannot and must not sit back as this happens. Our job as human beings of any faith is to speak out. We must ask for a commutation and we must ensure that such a thing never happens again.

A mother tried to save her daughter from unwanted bathing and berating from a non-relative who believed that previous relations with the mother should upend the definition of parenting. A judge sought to take a child from her real and only true mother, sacrificing the child's well being and setting her up for clear and articulated abuse, all in the name of PC correctness. This should be ok by no one. Everyone must speak out.

Thoughts on President George H. W. Bush

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 05:31:00 +0000

A few exceptional things stand out about President George H. W. Bush. First and foremost, the Soviet Union, which was on its last legs after 8 years of Reagan-Bush, finally collapsed under his watch. The Evil Empire falling with Dukakis as its main foe seems improbable at best.

He was an example to society and to the next generation. He was also the first to battle someone who ended up eroding societal values and that too is a great credit to him.

He recognized the danger of Iraq. Saddam Hussein had the fourth most powerful army in the world and was a menace to his neighbors and a murderer of millions.

From a spiritual aspect, the Messianic Era, when "nations... will beat swords into plow shears," happens in stages (there can be a 40 year initerval, or less based on merit, between the initial miracles and the manifestation of the eternal redemption). In 1991, when the US under Pres. Bush's leadership, diverted funds to feed the starving Kurds in the aftermath of the Gulf War, the Lubavitcher Rebbe pointed out how this was the first time ever that nations would feed another nation's hungry with absolutely no benefit to themselves at all. This, he said, was the beginning of this prophecy. This happened under a president who made kindness his mission, President George H. W. Bush.

Saddam's containment was also of profound spiritual benefit. During the last weekend of the war, the Rebbe commented on the rumor that Saddam had fled his palace. He specifically said that it's a rumor (untrue at the time), but one with significance. When the speech was being published the Rebbe edited the draft, writing next to those words, "od chazon lmoed," it will come to pass in the appropriate time, something that seemed improbable, as the war was winding down.

Saddam was no puny enemy, as people made him to be for the purposes of dishonest politics. Aside from the 2 million he killed in the region, he was also cutting 10k and 25k checks to suicide bombers in Israel. His attempted assassination of by then former President GHW Bush showed that he was capable of trying to transfer or spread such havoc to America and GHWB's son, 43, was right for calling the danger what it was.

The Rebbe also explained at the time that the famous quote of our Sages, that Tzur, the principal city of Babylon, was built from the destruction (gold, silver, marble, etc.) of Jerusalem, is applicable to our times in reverse. When evil in the place of Babylon is eradicated, Jerusalem is built up materially and spiritually. Indeed, Saddam was finally captured on Yud Tes Kislev (the holiday of the 19th of Kislev, which focuses on spreading Chassidus, a remarkable part of Torah, which concentrates on developing ultimate fear and love of G-d and understanding that which we can understand of His interactions in the world) in Iraq during the 9th hour of the night (G-d runs the world differently with each hour). Fourteen years later, on Yud Tes Kislev in the 9th hour of the night in Jerusalem, Israel was declared by the leading nation of the world, Pres. Bush and Pres. Trump's America, as the eternal capital of the world. The word "eternal" is itself a clear recognition of G-d Almighty by the world, another part of the prophecy of the complete and eternal redemption. This process started under President Bush 41's watch.

When leadership was removed from the WW2 generation, the world lost competent leadership and elders who youth naturally respected. The world would have been much better off keeping that generation in charge for as long as possible.

Facts Show Rubashkin Case to be a Travesty and Nothing Less Than an Old Time Libel

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 07:45:00 +0000

An innocent man is freed.  Alan Dershowitz and numerous congressmen, senators and former US attorneys general spanning the entire political spectrum all put their names and reputations on the line for him.  Hundreds of thousands of Jews, and many Righteous Gentiles, celebrate around the world.  As usual, that doesn't stop the social justice warriors (what a complete misnomer if ever their were one).  

And if that were all that happen, who would care?  If PETA wants to go around smearing the kindest and greatest we have, that's between them and the bird brains they represent.  But when people who know better start hemming and hawing for fear of offending those who are perpetually offended, it's time to respond with the truth. 

In fact, since none of the allegations of criminality hold up (we'll get to that, painstakingly so), the PETA activists have now taken to spreading an outright lies, such as “mistreatment of workers.”  This is an especially heinous accusation being that Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, was not only never accused of mistreating anyone, but was known for paying medical bills of his worker's children (yes, prosecutors were so shocked by his generosity that they turned over every stone, assuming that he must have been using the children as laborers.  This was met with laughter by all workers, the numerous youth organizations that he sponsored generously regardless of religion or creed, and disproven by the very PETA tapes that were used to go after him when one wild bull out of thousands caught itself on a hook in the slaughterhouse).

Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin was the man to work for.  Several people who he has helped have recently come forward.  A young student who was getting married relayed how Rubashkin gave him thousands for his wedding, a shock as he didn't even know him at the time.  Among those who testified to his great spirit were his workers and none had a bad word to say about him.  In fact, it's the people who are making these claims that did untold damage to his workers, shutting down the plant and ending their employment for months.  This is so ridiculous it's like Josef Goebbels accusing Simon Wiesenthal of being an anti-semite.  Of course, this is above the heads of most who've taken to discussing the case.

Most troubling of all are the cacophony of so-called rabbis and religious social commentators entering the fray.  In fact, this case more than any other is separating the wheat from the chaff.  While many point out that Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin was the victim of nothing less than a modern blood libel (the facts show it and this is the point of the rest of this piece) and while the brilliant and indefatigable Rabbi Yitzchok Schochet has documented how political leader after political leader, including retired attorneys general with little to gain and much to lose, have all put themselves on the line for Rubashkin, others have taken a different course.

There's an extremely unhealthy desire among talking head rabbis to be all things to all people. Rather than tell people the Torah truth, that modern society and philosophy has little to offer in any area (harsh prisons that ruin lives, fomenting of strife within families and hedonism that makes people unproductive and prevents them from succeeding on any level), they seek to “understand all sides of an issue” and pay homage to same.  They generally know nothing of Torah, or at least little of its supremacy over modern Western pop-psychology.  That doesn't stop them from prognosticating on all matters of societal importance.  

They've certainly shown their true colors in the Rubashkin case.  Conrad Black is a man who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of truth, and as a results has made more enemies than even Rubashkin did for dedicating his business to making kosher meat affordable.  Having sat on numerous boards (and having paid a price and faced his own high-tech lynching for having raised their ire), he spares no words in calling what the prosecution did in this case demented.  Yet these “learned writers/thinkers” and self-proclaimed “rabbis” have taken a different line. 

Historian par excellence Conrad Black, Attorneys General from Edwin Meese III to Ramsey Clark (the irony of which likely goes right over the heads of these “learned rabbis in their eyes only”), numerous members of Congress and no less a legal professor than Alan Dershowitz have gone to bat for Sholom Rubashkin with nothing to gain for having done so.  Supposedly learned rabbi columnists and “noted thinkers” have taken another route.  While freely admitting that they know nothing of the applicable laws, in their ever increasing need to be adored by all and garner influence with the social justice warriors among us, they write that if the social justice network claim that Rubashkin did a crime, then he must have and they accept it, but hey, he is a great man of faith and that's what's worth celebrating.   

Well great scribbling sages of our times, “you're great men of faith too, despite the fact that you shot Abe Lincoln, are secret Columbian drug lords and are responsible for the Rwandan genocide.”  Don't like the characterization pinned on you?  Then don't do it to Rubashkin and give a pass to a modern day blood libel spurred on by PETA and the forerunners of Antifa in the process.    

Still, we must refute the allegations head on, even painstakingly so.  So let's go over the facts:

PETA – No Longer Just for Holding Falafel

Let's start at the very beginning of this sordid, anti-semitic, libel of a case.  To do any less is to fail to recognize a modern day Beilis Trial.  The talking heads will think I'm exaggerating.  They would have given Russia a pass back then too.  If “Never Again” means anything, then we must at least look at the fact.  

PETA, probably illegally so (all is fair when it comes to saving insomniac squid, oysters with heartburn and apparently now, raging bulls), decided to tape hours of footage of Rubashkin's plant.  Sadly for them, they found no illegalities.  

The tapes are actually the best proof that no laws were broken, not even the flimsiest of local ordinances.  If they could have caught any infraction in the upkeep or housing of the animals, PETA would have gone to every governmental agency in a 500 mile radius.  They did not because they could not.  Yet when it comes to going after the murderers of Fluffy the Chicken, one cannot let facts stand in the way of pursuing “justice.” 

So all laws and ordinances were followed, which means that the animals wBut what counts is PR, or in their case PS – publicity stunts.  And so when one bull out of thousands fell upon a hook meant to draw the blood out of the meat immediately after slaughter (a very beneficial process found almost exclusively in kosher, but obviously only of benefit to humans), the world had to be alerted.  That wild animals happen to sometimes jump up and fall was of no consequence.  That reams of humanitarian laws were followed was also of no consequence.  PETA had video of (one) bull (in ten thousand) falling momentarily on a hook and someone's got to hang.  

Just Who Are PETA

Well, they're a great and caring organization that in just one recent incident had to pay out almost $50,000 to a family for stealing and “euthanizing” their dog.  And here's what even the Washington Post, hardly a conservative mouthpiece, has to say about them: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/at-petas-shelter-most-animals-are-put-down-peta-calls-them-mercy-killings/2015/03/12/e84e9af2-c8fa-11e4-bea5-b893e7ac3fb3_story.html?utm_term=.75e1ee53f7e0.

But that's not all.  They're also the kindred spirits behind the mocking of those who perished in the Holocaust, something that they find comparable to the slaughter of chickens before Yom Kippur.  Certain special members of theirs have been known to join in chants in support of Jews in ovens.  Fortunately for them, they've gained a level of support among the “reasonable” and “even-handed” talking heads in Crown Heights.  They're the same vicious and noxious organization that put pressure on the court, resulting in Rubashkin's initial 27 year sentence.  May the Almighty save all from their hands.   

Here's an op-ed by The Yeshiva World, a website that more often than not takes a moderately socially conservative line.  This piece is worth reading, although other pieces on their site are very favorable to the left -  https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/1372963/op-ed-peta-comes-to-boro-park.html.  Enough said.

When All Else Fails, Turn to Immigration Enforcement

I'd imagine that PETA would lose much of its support if it was found to be working with immigration officials and encouraging the rounding up of Mexican farm workers.   Well, since they did just that and bragged about it, please send a copy of this to their donors. 

I'm not advocating for the hiring of those who are not allowed to work here.  I will say that the every meat processing plant and slaughter house in the country does this in plenty.  I will also point out that in the case of the Agriproccessors employees, none had a criminal past and most were family people.

Let's also remember that Rubashkin did not do any of the hiring.  Let's also recognize that all of them submitted paperwork to the HR director.  Rubashkin was also charged and acquitted of any involvement.I'm not saying that this is right.  I am saying that there isn't a plant that hasn't done this, Rubashkin's involvement is a guess at best and when only one in the country is targeted by PETA, something isn't right.

When Even That Fails, Yell “Bank Fraud”

If someone accidentally overspends on their debit card, that can be considered bank fraud.  Likewise, if someone overdraws their account.  Accidentally bouncing a  check is even worse.All of these can technically be considered crimes.  Calling someone who did this a criminal is another matter entirely.

Rubashkin didn't bounce a check, so what did happen?  Why was anyone neutral who knew anything about the case so vociferous in his defense?

The most serious of the “crimes” was that his company misused the revolving line of credit.  The line of credit was supposed to be accessed based on a customer having received the purchased goods.  Rubashkin's company, Agriprocessors would access the line of credit once the purchaser had placed the order, but before it was delivered.

A few crucial points here:

- The line of credit was arranged, managed, accessed and paid off by the CFO, not Rubashkin who had nothing to do with the handling or management of company finances.  This was presented in court and the answer of the other side was something to the effect of “it's his company, so he's responsible anyway."

- Even the CFO was likely unaware of the fine print, that this line must be accessed “upon receipt” and not “upon order” of goods.

- The bank lent the funds based on purchase orders, not delivery slips.  This pretty much proves the point above. 

- The line was maintained in good stead and paid off regularly until the plant was closed down by immigration officials (based on allegations that Rubashkin was formally acquitted of).  

There's also an over 95 year old Packers and Stockyards Act.  One of its provisions is that livestock cannot be sold on credit.  One runs afoul of said provision if purchasing a bull on Mon. and paying for it with a check the next day. 

No one has ever been criminally prosecuted under this act other than Sholom Rubashkin.  Companies have been fined for running afoul of other parts of it, but not usually this part, but no one was prosecuted.  Sholom Rubashkin was given years in prison for paying for a bull 11 days after he received it.  

Agriproccessors needed to be and was mindful of a slew of laws and regulations.  That's why PETA could get them on nothing, even after hours upon hours of secret and probably illegal tape.  They were not mindful or knowledgeable of a 1921 act that no one had ever been prosecuted under.  

Then there's the allegation that the value of the plant was inflated.  If you based it on 2005 and 2006 sales and not on 2008 (when it was shut down, although this year was used in the argument, being that it predates the actual “inflation” charge), there was no overvaluation.  If you base it on the market share, pricing and demands for glatt kosher (a higher level of kosher, based on their being no holes at all in the animal's lungs) meat, there was no overvaluation,  Rubashkin did indeed lower the prices of the entire glatt kosher meat market and that public service was his main drive in business, but it resulted in him having a huge share of the market.  

Many consumers specifically demanded Rubashkin meat because of its extra reliability as far as kosher laws were concerned.  Restaurants purchased from him because of this customer demand and because of his commitment to comparatively low prices.  At one point, the retail market was his.  This changed with the PETA onslaught.  

The judge in the case also committed numerous improper acts.  She was the judge who signed off on the immigration warrants, a fact that she failed to disclose to the defense.  This itself rendered her unfit to oversee the criminal trial.  

This was not the worst of it.  Her husband owned stock in the private prisons that were used in the raid on Rubashkin's plant. http://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2017/08/a-federal-judge-put-hundreds-of-immigrants-behind-bars-while-her-husband-invested-in-private-prisons/.   In fact, he purchased additional stock in the private prison company just 5 days before the immigration raid.  And as for the immigration raid that Linda Reade signed off on, well, Congressowoman Zoe Lofgren termed it “a cattle auction, not a criminal prosecution.”    

This isn't the worst of it either.  Linda Reade's husband was also a partner at the Bradshaw Fowler law firm that worked extensively on the sale of Rubashkin's plant.  In short, the husband of the judge who sentenced Rubashkin to more than the prosecution asked for, profited mightily from the extraordinary raid that his wife had ordered on Rubashkin's plant, from the stock he purchased 5 days before and from the forced sale of Rubashkin's plant, due to his wife, the “presiding judge's” actions.  

Bottom line:  To say that Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin knowingly committed a crime in this case is nothing more than a disgusting act of libel.  The facts alone speak for themselves in disproving it.  As such should have been clear just be seeing the list of people who put themselves and their reputations on the line for him. 
To Reb Sholom Mordechai and family and all who care:

I can only imagine the pain of, after having being released, having had senators, congressmen, former attorneys general all putting themselves on the line for you, including many who are retired from political life and need no favors, and then seeing the wanton defamation from people who have no knowledge of the case, spewing the most ridiculous spins and making it up as they go.  Bear in the mind that the Baal Shem Tov, the Alter Rebbe and others were all false branded criminals or worse by those who had lost their reason.  

Also realize that 500 times more people feel and know that you were wronged and that you are right.  Pray that those who err so publicly and who would jump to destroy anyone who's not a fellow traveler in their circus caravan see the light.  But recognize in the meantime that anyone with a head or a heart or who just has decent intuition can tell light from darkness, good from bad and smut peddling from innocence.  

If you can judge a man by his enemies, then you Sir, so defamed by PETA, the Open-Orthodox social justice warriors, the ham eaters at “Hekhsher Tzedek,” and every other bag of mixed nuts, are a source of light beyond any imagination.  Of course, we all knew this.  Sometimes it just takes an opponent to prove it.

Yes, Sholom Rubashkin is Factually Innocent

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 08:33:00 +0000

Yes Sholom Rubashkin Is FACTUALLY Innocent

For my dear friends who have embraced darkness at a time of great joy, understand that your scary swan song is reminiscent of one who greets the news that a 95 year old has survived a quadruple heart attack (may Hashem protect all) with a loud “he's not worth celebrating. I remember him when he was six months old and he once spat up on his grandmother.” The only difference here is that the only vomit in this case are the lies and negativity themselves.

Before jumping head first into the mud (we will, for those who can't wait), let's first and foremost deal with who Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin is. Anyone who knows him will tell you that he never legitimately turned away anyone who needed anything. Of his income, he did not give 10%. He did not give 20%. He gave far more and everyone who came to him was well received. May Hashem bless him to give and nurture the world.

Even his business was centered around helping people. He and his father single-handedly lowered the price of kosher (Biblically mandated) meat throughout North America. His whole live revolved and revolves around helping people. He is also a deeply spiritual man. On top of this, he has given countless donations and sponsorships to youth teams, assistance centers, etc. regardless of religion, race or creed. This is all fact and has been attested to by said organizations.

“Oh, but he committed a crime.” No, not to any sane person who actually looks at the facts, HE DIDN'T.

He did not do anything untoward with regard to banking – which we'll get to. He did not bring in illegals, as two levels of prosecution both lost in this regard, one having to withdraw and the other resulting in acquittal at trial. His HR staff didn't double/triple vet them, but the same can be said for any slaughter house (the only difference is that Rubashkin treated these stable hands far better than any of his competitors, even giving them money to pay their medical bills and other serious needs). And he was not even cruel to charging bulls, which was the opening salvo in the public relations war against him.

He did sell Biblically sanctioned meat at a low price. But that was only a crime in the now defunct USSR – and to the great beacons of a light at PETA. A close look at the facts shows that that's about all he did, aside from his charitable work.

But don't just take my word for it. Let's start from the beginning:

No one disputes that his slaughter house was targeted only after AND AS A RESULT of PETA's persistent harassment campaign. For those who don't know who PETA is, while their no longer associated founder seems like a decent person, they are now the group that holds memorials for the 6 Million Chickens “murdered” before Yom Kippur, complete with Holocaust-mocking/”wanting another one” (ch”v) undertones. Some of their other acts of glorious wonder include encouraging parents to give their kids beer instead of milk (because beer isn't “stolen from cows without permission”) and, more recently, kidnapping dogs from people's porches and euthanizing them well before the mandatory wait time for owners to reclaim them.

In short, they'd be up for the Humanitarian of the Year if they didn't so disdain humankind. So let's make them happy and give them the Braying Mule of the Year Award instead.

These PETAites, complete with quite contagious PETAitis, placed hidden cameras in Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin's barns. And lo and behold, wild animals acted like wild animals. One cow, out of thousands, even jumped up and caught its neck on a hook, or something like that.

So they raised a cry of outrage to everyone who didn't stop and think for a second. Never mind that weekly government visits showed that all storing conditions were met, that the animals needed to be kept in good shape in order to produce marketable meat and that independent ritual slaughterers who could have worked anywhere were there on a daily basis and are generally loathe to work under dire circumstances. No, no, one cow jumped up and had an accident and everyone from the CEO on down is now Heinrich Himmler with peiyos.

Now, Rubashkin did slaughter a lot of cows – and he ate them too! So if we go with PETA's motto that “Chickens Are People As Well,” then Sholom Rubashkin is a mass murderer and a cannibal, as are 95% of Americans.

Even then, one has to wonder:

a) why not go after the makers of Barbecue Sauce, the real enablers in this situation, instead and

b) doesn't all this take away from effecting real positive change, like finally giving disenfranchised wild wombats the right to vote?

BUT FOR SANE PEOPLE, LET'S CONTINUE...

Now the genocidal murder of raging bulls is not an official crime. Nor is the general safe herding of animals. In fact, the biggest proof that the living conditions of Rubashkin's animals were above board is that if any laws were actually broken, even local ordinances, the kind folks at PETA would have been on it like a piranha let loose in PetSmart. They weren't because there was nothing there.

So what was PETA to do when their hours, upon, hours, upon hours – enough to fill a whole mental ward and its bedpans – of footage ended up producing diddly squat on toast? Well, let's look for other crimes. And as it happens, those valiant saviors of “chickenkind” didn't care much for migrant working Mexican people.

Now Rubashkin's meat packing plant did have workers who were not allowed to work in the country. He did not hire them. His HR actually did vet them and they provided bogus socials, and in many cases bogus ID. He did not bring them into the country. He did not seek them out. He also factually had no way of knowing that they were illegal.

So his HR team didn't vet all employees with extra care and scrutiny. I'm not going to say that's right. I am going to say that:

a) this is the case with almost every single meat packing plant in the nation, none of which were raided by ICE with the owners arrested

b) these were people who were already here and would have likely turned to robbery had no menial jobs been available

c) it may not be right, but you don't shut down a plant that legitimately employs hundreds while doing nothing to any of its competitors

d) this does not warrant cooking up a charge with which to give the owner a 27 year sentence, may no one know of such things

e) no one disputes that the plant was shut down after being targeted by PETA and made fodder of in the press, mostly over the cow that jumped up onto (or fell back on, or danced musical chairs around - whatever) a hook in the barn

Moreover, neither he nor his then 80 plus year old father, who was dragged into court and tried over this as well, were directly involved (or even indirectly involved) in hiring. This also seems to be the one and only issue that no one involved quite cared about, other than to use as an excuse to shut down the plant, close Rubashkin's business and drive up the price of kosher meat.

His plant raided and him charged with flimsy immigration violations in spite of the above, the now temporarily defunct plant could no longer repay its loans. And looking at the fine print that no one looks at on a revolving line of credit is how they finally stuck it to him.

This becomes more complicated. This is also why Sholom Rubashkin went to trial on the merits, yet the accusation of “white collar” crime has poisoned many a jury, and has caused them to convict based on the principle of “there must be something here.” To understand what happened here one has to understand the nature of such a charge and such a dog fight.

If someone takes out a home mortgage and is specifically prohibited from transferring the property to a company, this can be “bank fraud.”

If someone writes a check or uses their debt card in such a way that causes an account to be overdrawn, the case can be made that one has engaged in “bank fraud.”

In none of these scenarios is the person seen to be the living, breathing, reincarnation of Al Capone. In none of these scenarios should the person be prosecuted or did the person have intent to commit a crime. And if such a person has received a 27 year sentence, then they are the victim of abject cruelty beyond belief on the part of the judge.

The True Judge has reasons and “All of His Ways are Righteous” and much has been written of the suffering of the righteous. It is for this reason that Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin has so merited to awaken the collective Jewish heart and to awaken goodness and kindness among the leaders of the nation. It does not for one second excuse the cruel, callous and contemptuous acts of Linda Reade, the true criminal in this case.

Rubashkin's CFO had opened a revolving line of credit. It was used whenever an order was placed. It was maintained in good stead for years. But officially it was to be used only after an order had been delivered, not once it had been placed. And therein lies the “bank fraud.” A ridiculous technicality that the bank did not care about and that the credit holder would not pay attention to.

Not that it matters, due to the sheer ridiculousness of the case, but Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin himself had nothing to do with the bank loan, its draws, the receivables or anything of that nature. He was charged and sentenced because his financial manager arranged and utilized the loan, in a way that the bank had no problem with and in a way that few would think twice about. If not for the plant closing, the revolving line of credit would naturally have been maintained in an up to date manner unto this day, just as it was for years.

It gets worse.

Rubashkin was sentenced to much extra time due to the Packers and Stockyards Act. This Depression Era law stipulates that one may not purchase livestock on credit. In other words, one may not buy and receive a cow on Wednesday and pay for it on Thursday. Rubashkin's company often did this. While this ordinance has been used (usually maliciously) to shut down and fine companies, no one other than Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin has been prosecuted and sentenced for it. Certainly it doesn't sound like something worthy of prosecution.

In short, all creditors were paid except for the revolving line of credit, which was also paid off reliably for years – until the company was singled out and shut down by immigration enforcement on charges that were only brought against it and not against 30 companies that did worse.

It gets worse still.

Linda Reade's husband profited mightily from the forced sale of Rubashkin's company, Agriproccessors. She was also found to be the judge who signed off on the immigration raid against the plant, something she never disclosed when presiding over the trial over the “financial crimes” (using the line of credit after an order was placed instead of when the goods were received one or two days later – there were no other “financial crimes”). This is the same judge who held up appeal after appeal totaling a span of years, all out of pure spite. And is she usually a tough sentencer? No, she recently sentenced a terrorist collaborator to 5 years, less than a fifth of Rubashkin. The words “may the name of the wicked rot” apply to her, and may she meet the True Judge speedily in our days, who alone decrees – and may He do so.

When the USSR of old rounded up shochtim, ritual Biblical slaughters, took them into a forest and shot them in the middle of the night (I'm not exaggerating and have met many of their descendants, may they live long), people decried their actions. The KGB were fools. They should have given them a bank loan and found a contractual violation on Page 57B, Subsection F, Paragraph 2. That would have taught them.

The Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin case is nothing more and nothing less than a case in which a religious person selling religiously mandated meat was targeted, hounded and made fodder of by PETA and their friends in the media. Yes, the same PETA that ridicules the Holocaust every year, seeing it as a joke with which to deride the descendants of its survivors on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year.

Let's not help them. Let's actually do what any decent person would do. There's a reason why 6 former US Attorneys General, spanning the entire ideological spectrum of the nation, saw fit to stand up for Sholom Rubashkin.

In 1952-53, the Soviet Union accused Jewish doctors of trying to kill Stalin. This “Doctor's Plot” was about to be used as a pretext to send Jews throughout Russia to Bessearabia, on what would have been a trail of suffering. The plot was only abandoned after Stalin died on the Jewish holiday of Purim 1953. Mapam, a communist party in Israel, wholeheartedly announced its support for the Kremlim during that terrible time. “If the Soviet Union says so, it must be true.” The only difference between PETA and the Soviets is that one was a country and the other are wannabee lunatics. In over 60 years, we should have learned better than to take either at face value.

Defeating Ayatollahs With Laughter?

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 11 Sep 2015 05:40:00 +0000

In 1981, Israel launched Operation Opera and directly saved millions of Israeli and Middle Eastern lives, while also making conditions far safer for Americans and for the western world. The task was clear and simple. Israel bombed Iraq's Osirak Nuclear Reactor and prevented Saddam Hussein from wreaking havoc in the Middle East.

In 2006, those who opposed then President Bush yelled that he should have gone to war against Iran instead of Iraq. It is true that these chorus cries had little to do with military strategy and everything to do with politically inspired baseless hatred, but the idea brought forth in liberal circles was that Saddam was harmless and that President Bush had averted his eye from the real danger, that being Iran.

(This was completely wrongheaded. The primary danger that Saddam posed, after Israel knocked out his nuclear plant - quite possibly with the help of one Jonathan Pollard and the intel he provided - was always about taking dangerous pot shots that could have knocked out thousands. He was a lunatic who had tried to assassinate a former US President, with complete disregard to the consequences for himself and for his country. He was already sponsoring suicide bombings in other parts of the world and American prowess did not serve to deter him. Iran, by contrast, would do nothing until it could do so. This was before it too became thirsty for immediate war.) See http://mythdebunker.blogspot.com/2006/12/necessity-of-war-in-iraq-unfortunate.html written at the time.

They were wrong about Iran then. Diplomacy was being tried. It failed. Therefore, what they said then is 100% correct now.

Today, on the one hand we have the usual wishful thinkers. Wish all you want, but when you're entrusted with the task of securing the lives of millions of people, your wishful thinking becomes dangerous, callous, babyish and shameful.

If you are a member of any body whose decisions affect the lives of millions, such as a member of US Congress, the Knesset or any other such body, and instead of performing your potentially lifesaving task, you instead choose to engage in hippie-like absentminded neglect, then for the sake of the world please resign your seat. Play your role. Open up a psychic hotline instead.

Then we have the other side. The "mature and responsible side." The side made up of,.... apparently made up of people who've been smoking that which is not quite legal in most jurisdictions.

And they propose a "resolution." Now, of course a resolution is warranted. Of course a deal that gives Iran 24 days minimal notice prior to inspections and allows Iran to "inspect" itself is ridiculous and must be rejected. But the answer does not lie in passing a resolution and then washing one's hands of a situation that does not go away by itself.

Unfortunately, saying "bad bad bad Ayatollah" won't cut it, unless your strategy is for said Ayatollah to die of laughter . And it's high time that people in decision making positions to realize their task, do their job and stop pretending that they're characters on Sesame Street.

The Only Strategy

The only conceivable, responsible and adult strategy is the one that will totally avert war. Yes, the hippies should love it. The Iranian people would love it in the long run. And the western world has nothing to lose. It would save countless lives and avert further crises.

But it ain't politikally korect. It gonna be looked at funnie...

Yet it is the only hope and the only reasonable solution.

That is to simply, without hurting or targeting civilians, bomb and take out Iran's nuclear sites.

Simple, not painless, but nothing compared to all out war. It's responsible, reasoned and would serve to protect lives on an unimaginable scale.

In any reasonable period throughout history, this would long ago have been done. During the Age of Buffoonery, neither side can bring it to their lips.

"אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: כל שהוא רחמן על אכזרים לסוף נעשה אכזר על רחמנים"
(ילקוט שמעוני, טו:קכא).

It says in Yalkut Shimoni (15), "Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi says, anyone who is merciful upon cruel people will in the end be made cruel toward merciful people." This has proven itself throughout history.

The good news is that it also says:

"שומר פתאים ה'"
(תהלים קטז)
"G-D protects fools" (Psalms 116).

This equation, however, is not supposed to factor into military or national defense planning.
It says that in the time directly before G-D Almighty perfects the world through the advent of the Messianic Era, after Hashem has given us ample time, throughout all generations, to partner in perfecting the world, and completes the job (as is promised), that the footsteps of this great and eternal era will be heralded by birth pangs that cannot be believed. Our Sages describe the prelude to this era at the end of the Talmudic Tractate of Sotah.

According to all of these signs, we are well on the way and the Redemption, a central tenant in Judaism (and in most religions), without which the purpose of the world's creation cannot make sense, is imminent. For the first time ever, all Torah leaders seem to agree on this point today.

It also says that during the final era of darkness we can rely on Our Father in Heaven and that every little bit of good, of connecting with G-D Almighty and of doing something to partner with G-D in making a better world brings salvation to the world in its entirety.

Pre-Nup Is Not the Answer, Saving Marriage Is

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 05:17:00 +0000

By Yomin Postelnik

The sum total of all of the recent discussions about gittin from a halachic and moral standpoint is that while everyone should strive to alleviate suffering and seek to resolve marriage disputes so that both can move on peacefully, we must first do everything possible to save the marriage.

Gittin are a hard process halachically, largely in order to minimize their number. Civil jurisdictions that have a one year waiting period before divorce (a concept that originates with Maimonides), such as Canada, have seen 60% of petitions withdrawn.

Such precautions are not only clear Shulchan Aruch (Even HaEzer 119), they are also fundamental to Judaism. Saving a marriage was the key mission of Aharon HaKohen and it is the responsibility of all to try to save as many marriages as possible. The continuation of the Jewish people depends on it. The affects of divorce on children (exponentially higher rates of truancy, substance abuse, delinquency, suicide and other factors, G-d forbid), make saving a marriage akin to saving a life.

Marriage is not seen merely as a relationship. It is both the building block of the family and of raising children. It is a responsibility far more than it is a matter of love, although that aspect is also important. It must be protected, even in spirit, and Shulchan Aruch mandates that people help save and repair a stumbling one and to look for ways to do so, first and foremost. By contrast, anything that threatens its spirit is harmful.

There are other important considerations as well, such as parental alienation and from a halachic standpoint, the exact wording of a Beis Din’s advice, since what they can and cannot say to a divorcing couple have intricate laws. If a mistake is made, the divorce can be invalid, just as one wrong word in the get may make it equally null and void.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s words on precisely this subject are noteworthy. In Tammuz 5727 (summer 1967), the Rebbe wrote a letter in favor of sane, rational solutions within halacha (the framework of Jewish religious law) favoring saving agunos (the definition of “aguna” then was clear and is misunderstood today, as will be explored below). Going one step further in Likutei Sichos Vol. 4, the Rebbe brings the Rambam, the Chelkas Mechokeik and others about not divorcing one's first wife quickly, even in the worst of scenarios. Mainly, the Rebbe strongly cautioned against crossing the line of changing halacha. This is not only because interference in such cases would be wrong (against Hashem’s will) and therefore harmful, as we see clearly today but because going too far in this matter tears at the fabric of the Jewish family.

Of course, as a practical matter, one should not stay in a prolonged standstill, but defined steps to prevent divorce are an obligation. Also, a non-obligatory divorce can only be suggested. Ordering one or attaching a monetary fine to it can invalidate it (to the same extent as a textual mistake in the document renders it void).

The Pre-Nup

Aside from the spiritual problem of mentioning a divorce document prior to marriage, which is a concern and serves to dampen the importance and strength of the commitment, the RCA/Tzohar pre-nup has profound halachic and even potential legal problems.

The post-nup is even more problematic and if pressured socially, falls into the category outlined in Targum Yerushalmi (mistakenly called Targum Yonason), Deutoronomy 24:6 of one who interferes in a marriage and therefore loses their portion in the World to Come, G-d forbid. Fomenting worry and talk of divorce are extremely harmful.

The main problems with the pre-nup are:

a) There is no provision for counseling or attempts at reconciliation. Almost all civil jurisdiction have such provisions, which can be requested by either party. Torah marriage is more serious and greater commitment than secular marriage, not a lesser one. With today’s plague of divorces, anyone wanting to find solutions to Torah family problems would not exclude such a provision.

b) Far more serious, the usurpation of a local Bais Din and its replacement with the Beth Din of America or of Tzohar has the ability to render the get produced from such an agreement invalid.

A local Bais Din is best positioned to advise on marriage matters. A get is specifically supposed to be handled locally for this reason. But that is only part of the problem in designating the YU/RCA’s Beth Din of America, an organization whose attempted usurpation of local Batei Din has already been the subject of numerous legal complaints.

Stating that one is obligated to give a get when doing so is merely advisable, is not only far less effective than the persuasive language that is recommended when a marriage cannot be saved, but makes the get a “get mutah” (given based on incorrect halachic information, and therefore invalid). The Beth Din of America has a history of running roughshod over these clearly stated halachic laws, the result being “gittin” that aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. This is obviously not my own opinion, but the written opinion of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rabbi Sariel Rosenberg, Rabbi Yechezkel Pales and others.

The RCA has also engaged in mass impropriety, some of it documented by the American Beth Din project. One of the leaders of the “Beth Din” has two open seruvim against him from a Monsey Bais Din. Having represented someone in a momenus (monetary) case in 2008 in front of that body, I have evidence of impropriety with regard to financial decisions as well, and although the “dayan” in that case was the now discredited Michael Broyde (founder of the Beth Din of America), the litigant’s rights were also usurped by Mordechai Willig, their senior “dayan” whose actions in several other cases were also found to be beyond the pale. Documentation is available upon request. Barry Freundel was also a high ranking member of this body.

In short, the body is recognized as an embarrassing Modern Orthodox farce among the entire yeshiva world. From a purely legal standpoint, it should take a good lawyer all of two seconds of pouring through the American Beth Din Project’s research to invalidate any prenup listing the Beth Din of America, based on fraud and gross misrepresentation.

Simply substituting another, more reputable Beis Din, makes the prenup somewhat less halachically problematic and also less open to legal challenge based on fraudulent misrepresentation.

It should also be noted that David Stav of Tzohar ran for Chief Rabbi of the Rabbanut with a promise to force local rabbonim to bend, not to Hashem's will, but to his own. Jewish history has seen that those who have sought to counter established halacha have failed, yet have often caused much destruction before doing so. There can be nothing more un-Jewish than promoting a “pre-nup” that takes no steps to save the marriage and that opens the door for instant divorces in a way that even most secular societies recognize is wrong, a point that researcher Menachem Lowy has painstakingly pointed out in this regard.

The halachic logic behind the prenup is faulty.

Reb Moshe Feinstein ruled that one may coerce a get if all that the person wants is ill-gotten money, because such coercion does not seek to force a get but to cause him to forego the money (this does not apply to a case in which he is asking for a settlement al pi din). However, all agree that money may not be exacted as a punitive measure if the husband does not want to divorce, except in those rare cases (extreme violence, etc.) outlined in Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 154. The sum of $150 a day mandated upkeep for the wife is only warranted in those defined and limited cases. In most cases, the fine renders the get “meusa” (forced and therefore invalid).

Rav Chaim Kanievsky has already written that one who gives a get based on such agreements must give a second get. To have a “solution” that will cause questionable divorces isn’t proper. A person who is divorced with a prenup will not find that get accepted by the Yeshiva world and any kids from a second union would, G-d forbid, be viewed with suspicion. You can argue as to the merits of this, but since Rav Kanievsky’s ruling, along with others, it is a fact that this would happen (and is pretty clear from Shulchan Aruch, with solid reasoning). This is especially not worth doing if when another solution exists, such as the detailed involvement of local rabbonim.

Get refusal in any meaningful sense is rare. The recent use of the term placed on anyone who refuses to give a get without a set number of counseling sessions or until the settlement of all marital issues (without which any get, which must be a “sefer krisus,” is highly questionable to begin with) is not only ridiculous, but immoral.

Marriage is serious and divorce is a lifetime of pain with devastating consequences to children. The Torah, in its wisdom, allows both sides the ability to try to prevent this, within reason. The prenup and destructive YU theology disagree, but this is Hashem’s Wisdom, not to be usurped by self-styled leaders who cannot answer basic questions of morality.

A Possible Solution

One “bedieved” (not preferred, but possibly halachically acceptable) solution might be to have an agreement that upon separation, may Hashem save everyone from such things, both parties agree to go to a proper Beis Din with jurisdiction in their area for all matters, to handle the entire divorce process. This would also avoid costly lawyers who seek to promote strife for their own gain.

A number of the standstills in gittin stem from insane “orders of protection,” not taken out for any safety reasons, but as a one-up on custody or assets. This is a violation of Torah law and divorce proceedings must take place in a Bais Din. The consequences of not doing so are outlined in Choshen Mishpat 26. This is not only the Torah right of each litigant, but also saves each much heartache and money in the process, not to mention how it facilitates dialogue and resolution, absent cases of real danger. (This does not negate protection in cases of clear and verifiable danger, but any divorce lawyer will tell you that such methods are rarely used for that legitimate purpose.)

As touched on above, the definition of aguna is also important. While it was the obligation to find any leniency to permit a war widow or someone whose husband had disappeared and to pressure a husband who would not care for the wife in extreme ways, it is also an obligation to seek to repair even other marriage, as outlined clearly in Even HaEzer 77 and 119. Doing so also facilitates a get even if all else fails by giving the rov or community leader who properly and tirelessly tried to save the marriage as is mandated, great influence with both parties, and would end the standstill in almost all cases. More importantly, it will lead to thousands of marriages being repaired and reinforced, which is absolutely key to a continued strong and vibrant Jewish people.

The Torah Position Regarding the Case of Meir Kin and the Travesty Wrought by ORA

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 05:06:00 +0000

By Yomin Postelnik

As religious Jews, we believe that Torah, the word of Hashem, contains the ultimate morality. Political fads come and go, and most of them are seen in the end to be harmful.

The case of Meir Kin is one such example. He followed Torah law and, just as importantly, was willing to settle fairly, at one time offering a choice of four Rabbinical Courts in which to present his divorce case. Those who trashed him did not follow Torah and, just as importantly, sought to wreak havoc for their own monetary and political gain - mostly at the expense of the woman who they feigned caring for.

As Torah Jews, we do not have the right to trash people over disagreements, especially if they are following Torah law. As sensible people, we do not trash people in middle of divorces. Indeed, the actions of the activists have not only hurt Meir and his child, but have also caused a standstill that hurts the woman who the activists supposedly sought to help.

Get ORA (a criminal organization that self-styles itself the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot) is known as a group that has wreaked havoc in almost every divorce case that it has touched, often taking easy to resolve cases and making them impossible to resolve, all the while collecting money on behalf of their "work." In other cases, they've gotten involved in custody battles, in clear violation of Jewish law. Most despicably, they often seek to procure divorces in cases in which the husband seeks to save the marriage and insists on counseling or on an evaluation for postpartum anxiety, even when medical or therapeutic experts have called for same.

Get ORA has also been involved in several violent acts and has been the subject of at least two documented police reports. Their website boasts of having caused false arrests. They work in tandem with an activist group masquerading as a Rabbinical Court that calls themselves the "Beth Din of America." Their leader, Hershel Schachter of Yeshiva University (a place where the open immorality of university campuses is all but encouraged and never stopped, yet which seeks to disguise itself as a religious institution), has encouraged despicable acts of violence and has been recorded doing so. He cares as much for Torah law as did Saddam Hussein in his time. And he cares almost as much for the wellbeing of the women whom he purportedly seeks to help.

In the Kin case, Meir Kin had offered 4 Rabbinical Courts that were acceptable at the getgo. All were refused as his wife received advice from GetORA and self serving rabbis from the Rabbinical Council of California. This Council's members were excommunicated by a Monsey Rabbinical Court for their actions and then proceeded to issue a retaliatory "contempt" ruling from an ad hoc court that never before existed. At no time did they have any jurisdiction in the case. Obviously, such actions, and the trumpeting of such actions by violent activist groups like ORA, are shameful and represent a threat to Judaism.

What's even more shameful is the human aspect. These self-aggrandizers claim to be helping his wife. They're doing no such thing. Every divorce mediator knows to settle things down before there can be any negotiation. Any divorce lawyer who cares for his or her client's long-term interests does the same thing. Not so Get ORA. Instead of working with any one of the four highly respected rabbinical courts that Meir Kin had agreed to, they wrought havoc in the case and made sure that it could not be resolved for years, all the while portraying themselves as great warriors who needed money to further harm the woman who they purportedly wished to save.

Divorce cases are easy to resolve when people who care about both parties seek to calm things down. Of course, people who truly care about both parties usually try to save the marriage, as did all sages and rabbis throughout all times. Our tradition from Aharon HaKohen (Moses' brother Aaron) on, and replete throughout the Talmud, stresses the primary importance of saving marriages over all. Sure, sages sought to help "agunos," women whose husbands were lost, or who had abandoned them. Using this term in the full and traditional sense to describe someone who's lashing out at her husband and who refuses to adjudicate in a proper rabbinical court, or who refuses counseling sessions (which even non-Jewish courts often order absent a settlement agreement), is to rewrite the Torah. We can't do that.

Along those lines, when a Jew wishes to know what Hashem's ultimate morality dictates, he or she consults halacha. Jewish law treats both parties fairly and does not sacrifice either of their rights. The Shulchan Aruch, in Even HaEzer Section 154 outlines the cases in which some pressure may be applied by a religious court in a divorce. Ninety five percent of cases in which activist rabbis, who openly admit that they care little for what the Shulchan Aruch says on the matter, don't fall into this category. This isn't some side point in Jewish law. The same Shulchan Aruch (Even HaEzer 134 and 77) invalidate gittin (bills of divorce) that do not fall under the categories outlined in section 154.

Those who have found a new "morality" for themselves by falsely pitting men against women, attempting to deny fathers and mothers the rights to seek custody, encouraging divorce in all cases while preventing counseling, advising people to "do the get" first and then work on it later as a way of "ensuring" rights (and rendering marriage meaningless in the process, similar to how the baby killing crowd encourage abortion as some kind of perverse "right," with not totally unsimilar consequences for many of the children involved), have indeed supplanted Judaism's inherent goodness with their own wreckage. But make no mistake, there's nothing Jewish about it.

And they care for no one. Just ask Lonna Kin. A decent person could have sat down with both parties. Even people who are only interested in her side should have known better than to do everything in the world to make resolution for both impossible, all the while masquerading as her concerned friends who only aggravated the situation while collecting money for their continued destructive efforts. They are true enemies of her, of the Torah and of Hashem, unless they are too dimwitted to see the clear effects of their actions.

As to Meir Kin, he's done nothing against Jewish law. In general it's always important to try to save the marriage (which today can also involve the necessity of ignoring screaming loons who care for no one and who have sacrificed many couples in the name of a very irreligious cause), and then, if that fails, to resolve these things. Yet at the same time, a father who poses no danger has a right to meaningful custody. What is against Jewish law, and what has only prolonged this case and made settlement all but impossible, is embarassing him or humiliating him. His case has nothing to do with those mentioned in Shulchan Aruch (EH 154) and listening to a retaliatory siruv (contempt finding) from a court that does not exist makes those who heed it guilty of sin and purveyors of nothing good for anyone.

As Rabbi Avrohom S. Y. Gestetner (a dayan - qualified religious judge - who sees fighting the tactics of the get activists, and their attempts to change halacha, a core mission of his) wrote to a group of rabbis who sought to exact a get based on the woman's demands, against the opinion of poskim (true arbiters of Jewish law) and those of medically licensed experts (loose rendition): The Torah is no one's private toy with which to play games with and the sin of embarrassing one's fellow applies fully in such cases. I'd personally add to his words that their tactics make no sense unless they purposely want to wreak havoc with the lives of all parties involved.

If the guidelines of Jewish law would be followed, far fewer divorces would happen and those that would would have been worked on to a point where coparenting is possible. Meir Kin's case is a travesty and according to clearly stated Jewish law, and backed by a rabbinical court and many leading rabbis (not to mention clearly stated Jewish law), it is an absolute sin to participate in it. From a standpoint of common sense, doing so only harms both parties, as is usually the case when one confuses Hashem's holy commandments that lead to peace with political posturing that has only lead to years of harm. Anyone who can speak out against the self-aggrandizing activist havoc wreakers should be blessed, by both parties, as well as by G-d Almighty.

Rabbi Sholom Shuchat is Deserving of Mercy

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 07:08:00 +0000

By Yomin Postelnik

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/rabbi-sholom-shuchat-is-deserving-of-mercy/

Judaism and human decency demand approaching every situation and treating every person with the facts that pertain to that individual. The common era mentality of lumping all members of a certain cause or situation into one group is a false, cruel and inhumane position.

One can and should be against all that Mendel Epstein stands for. One should recognize that meting out severe punishment on a young scribe who had no intentions of beating anyone up, and who almost definitely had his sympathies taken advantage of, not only does nothing to stop the likes of Epstein, but that such overreaction endangers all efforts to shed light on the wrongs of those who are like Epstein. Going overly harsh on the wrong person endangers the efforts of all who are calmly and determinedly, but peacefully, trying to shed light on the cruelty and sacrilege of many activists, and who are trying to promote sane solutions, countering dangerously misguided activism and trying to save marriages or procure gittin (bills of divorce) when absolutely needed, without fanfare.

Rabbi Dovid Eidensohn has started a "Shalom Bayis Beis Din" for this task. He works one on one with couples and has never had a case in which both parties came to him left unresolved. Projects like his are receiving widespread support, and are often opposed by those who see Epstein as their hero. Persecuting Shuchat, a well meaning person who was called by Epstein to officiate as a scribe, will backfire on any local efforts to return people's hearts and minds to true Torah based solutions.

There are travesties committed by those who falsely wrap themselves in the flag of Torah. As one recent poster to a site that is supportive of Eidensohn's heroic efforts surmised, people like Mendel Epstein (who was arrested for torturing individuals in order to obtain Jewish bills of divorce, bills that have been ruled invalid by leading rabbis and as is stated clearly in Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law), are seeking to overturn thousands of years of Jewish religious law and tradition. They make a mockery of Jewish law, cause invalid second marriages and destroy the core values of Judaism, those of human decency and of the sanctity of marriage.

However, proportion and perspective are necessary, and charging someone who had nothing to do with planning or administering Epstein's beat ups doesn't pass the muster of fairness. In fact, such overkill in prosecution only serves to prevent meaningful societal change and harms moderate efforts to advance Torah law over harmful and fanatical misguided activism. Such overkill also harms all efforts to counter the vicious extremism of the likes of Epstein on a community and societal level.

There are many in the religious community who are sickened by the get activists when they fight against such things as marriage counseling as a prerequisite to most divorces and who know that Jewish law seeks to prevent, not perpetuate divorce. There are people who are seeking to go back to the one on one solutions that saved hundreds of marriages, and that made gittin (religious bills of divorce) rare, but resolved without fuss when all else failed. Arresting people who had little to do with the worst excesses of the likes of Epstein detract from efforts to bring mainstream Judaism back to halacha and to protect marriage.

I'm writing this piece, and this call for leniency and for no incarceration of Shuchat, as someone who is against anything who has to do with any forced gittin (Jewish divorces) except in those rare and proven cases mandated by Shulchan Aruch. Even in such cases, Epstein's depraved tactics are not what Jewish law prescribes. One can readily see how many organizations which claim to help those who they deem to be agunos have turned case after case upside down, including cases that were very easy to resolve, for nothing more than their own self-promotion and glorification. They've pushed for gittin in cases where both sides were ambivalent about divorce. They've pushed for gittin after recent births, when postpartum professionals expressed objection to divorce without diagnosis and counseling. Such acts are shameful, violate Jewish law and demonstrate the worst excesses of screaming-lunatic-activism.

One may be against the likes of Mendel Epstein or of the Marketing Director of the OU, the “Orthodox Union”, (who's now all but publicly advocating for false arrests in a series of hate-filled columns that pervert and make a mockery of the Code of Jewish Law) with every part of their being. But one should recognize that arresting the scribe who went along for the ride, was probably sold a false story to play on his sympathies, and who earned nothing for his services, is unjust and unfair to him as a human being. In this case, the community should and must do whatever it can to support him.

Torah giants like Rabbi Yosef Sholom Elyashiv of blessed memory and today's Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch have fought time and time again against coerced gittin except in circumstances outlined in Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law (EH 154). Organizations that trumpeted Epstein as a hero before his arrest have engaged in other disreputable conduct and have shown not only their contempt for halacha, but also for the women who they supposedly advocate for. They have taken many cases that were easy to resolve and turned them upside down for their own self-glorification or promotion. They've taken cases where couples were wavering on divorce and encouraged gittin at all costs. Source after source shows that people who do this have no portion in Olam Haboh (the World to Come).

This is what necessitates organizations like Rabbi Dovid Eidensohn's. The need to promote effective solutions is what makes going after well meaning people like Shuchat harmful, aside from the fact that he deserves better.

Justice can only stand when there is good judgment. It's easy to paint everyone with the same brush. Doing so is a travesty on a personal level and cruelty has repercussions far beyond the courtroom. Lack of mercy in this case also poses a dangerous threat to decent efforts to counter this terrible problem and to promote truly beneficial and effective solutions.

The Defamation of Aharon Friedman is More Than a Miscarriage of Justice

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 15:48:00 +0000

By Yomin Postelnik

Some people took issue statement of mine, that there's a “cheskas kashrus” (a warranted presumption of factual innocence) on anyone who's been attacked by internet blogs. Turning to the internet in a divorce is shameful, it shows callous disregard for the kids, as is causing false arrest, as is arranging a beat up of one's spouse. All these and more are done by ORA, the Organization for the Resolution of “Agunot” and this says more about them than it does about any one of their targets.

The question is: was it only their tactics that are despicable? The answer is usually that outrageous tactics stem from wrongheaded people with terrible ideas. The case is no exception; it's a prime example.

Facts vs Lies:

ORA claims that they do not attack anyone without the sanctioning of a Beis Din (rabbinical court). The Friedman case showed this to be another of their boldfaced lies. The problem for them was that no reputable Beis Din would find Aharon Friedman in contempt. For a long time, even disreputable ones refused to intervene. This was because it was Aharon Friedman who had sought resolution in a proper rabbinical court from the start. The other side had pulled out in middle. ORA ignored these facts, and all religious law and moral decency in the process, took the streets (after being paid very well to do so), harassed his employer and took part in the filing of legal actions against him that violates all tenets of Jewish Law.

It should be noted some of ORA's shameful actions adversely affected people who are in a position to be of assistance to Israel. The Modern-Orthodox leadership has claimed to be Israel's strongest supporters. Many have long noted that Netanyahu and most right thinking Israelis view the Modern-Orthodox leadership and Yeshiva University as political fanatics who give Israel a bad name. Regular Orthodox people like Aharon Friedman put their passion in religion and not in fanning political flames. They, like secular Israelis who care about basic security, support a strong defense and abhor harmful rhetoric. The callousness of the Modern-Orthodox leadership in this area is as harmful as their war against marriage and parental rights.

Thugs Masquerading as Activists and (Modern-Orthodox) Rabbis:

To put this in perspective, ORA is an organization that was founded and effectively run by Hershel Schachter, a dean at Yeshiva University who has called for Netanyahu's assassination, as well as that of Olmert before him, may Hashem protect both. Where marriage is concerned, they've taken divorce cases that were very easy resolve and wrought havoc for solely the sake of wreaking havoc and furthering their own self promotion. In other cases, where reconciliation was sought, they've done everything to prevent same. Like many activists, thumping their own chests and taking to the streets instead of encouraging dialogue, is a natural progression of their self-serving ways.

Women who have gone to them, and have been advised by the great luminaries who run the joint to arrange beat ups, seek false arrest (using either mandatory arrest laws or near-frivolous contempt motions), invariably regret ever having done so. After the anger has subsided, the divorcing spouse realizes that all ORA has accomplished is to drag their own name through the mud by way of association, as well as possibly irreparably harm their kids.

ORA's tactics have been used in cases where nothing has been sought other than counseling and a postpartum evaluation. Their activism has been used in cases where nothing more than fair access to children has been insisted upon. The bottom line is that in the overwhelming majority of cases that ORA sees fit to thrust the full force of their army of chicken-hawks out into the streets, no one with any moral compass or knowledge of Jewish religious law would ever touch with a ten foot poll, other than perhaps taking the other side. In cases where some kind of intervention is needed, their insane tactics only work to preclude resolution.

ORA and the Modern-Orthodox leadership seek to portray themselves as champions of women's rights. Like the crazed lunatics who cheer on abortion as an inalienable right, they march in lock step saying that all men must immediately grant a get to wife upon demand. The fact is, however, that in case after case, ORA has done everything possible to prevent any type of amicable resolution – there's no money or media attention in that. Just like the woman who chooses abortion in her teens or her twenties, regrets having done so all the way into her 60s and beyond, those who avail themselves of ORA regret the insanity wrought upon themselves for the rest of their lives.

Torah Judaism is compassionate. When men stopped being the automatic gatekeepers of marriage, over a thousand years ago, Rabbeinu Gershom immediately instituted a decree that prevented a man from divorcing his wife if she did not want one. This was done “to give women the same rights as This was before the Shulchan Aruch was written Contrary to ORA's claims, no rabbi today has the write to supersede Jewish Law and those who do end up espousing positions that are the antithesis of morality. Case in point, what they did to Aharon Friedman.

There are other examples. Here's a snippet of one of their shameful press releases, one snippet that points to a mountain of immorality:

"Chani called ORA in July of 2007, and we pursued an aggressive strategy to convince him to give the get. Using outside-the-box tactics, and in partnership with community lay-leaders, attorneys, and rabbis, ORA never gave up on Chani. Due to our coordination, her ex-husband served nine months in jail for withholding the get. However, he was eventually bailed out, and persisted in his recalcitrance. Eventually, we were able to get him incarcerated once again. This time, he had had enough. Chani is finally, finally free."

Jew law stipulates that someone who does this is a “moser,” an unwarranted informer. Furthermore, the gittin (religious divorces) that they supposedly procure are clearly invalid according to clearly stated Shulchan Aruch, the book of Jewish religious law (see Ever HaEzer 154). If Shulchan Aruch isn't enough, renown Rabbi Yosef Sholom Elyashiv OBM ruled over and over again that such gittin are invalid, as does renown posek Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky Shlita.

But at least ORA's criminals aren't violent, right? Wrong:

http://mishpattsedek.com/mtwp/organization-for-the-resolution-of-agunot/ora-incident-police-report/

ORA's founder, Hershel Schachter, a “Yeshiva” University “rabbi” who has called for the assassination of two Israeli Prime Ministers, Heaven forfend, also openly incited violence against Aharon Friedman, without any basis in halacha or morality. His perversions of Torah, especially in this case, were widely decried in proper Orthodox circles, except by those who were too shamefully timid to speak out.

Invalid Gittin:

It would be wrong not to set the record straight in another regard. Many Litvisher Roshei Yeshiva who should know better have bent over backwards to compromise with the Modern-Orthodox. To do so is to compromise Judaism.

I've had conversations with HaRav HaGaon Dovid Eidensohn, who was ordained as a religious judge by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ZTL and others, in which he's expressed tremendous sorrow and disappointment regarding the Rosh Yeshiva who could care less about Jewish law and care less that they're making mamzerim. The fact that the same cretins who lambasted Aharon Friedman after his wife walked out on a kosher and mutually agreed upon Beis Din, now refuse to speak out about his wife's supposed annulment (which no orthodox rabbi can support), shows you all that you need to know about their supposed reverence for Jewish law and for preventing mamzerus.

The Shame of this Case and What They Did to a Young Mother:

Aside from ORA's efforts to even deny women the rights afforded to them through Takonas Rabbeinu Gershom, there's another sad and shameful aspect to this story. It seems clear that Tamar Friedman was used by this group, who dragged her and her child's name through the mud and who were more than happy to take their demonic battle to the streets than to negotiate fairer access to the kids.

I have nothing against Tamar Friedman and believe that she too is a victim of ORA. I know details about the case and people have advised that there was a marked change in her after pregnancy. Anyone familiar with postpartum anxiety knows that if not treated, it can cause certain factors that would make someone associate with the likes of ORA or any other thug activist. It often does not go away on its own. I won't mention the specific symptoms as this would be a disservice to her. Suffice it to say that one frum post-natal organization has been credited with saving hundreds of families after births because they recognize the symptoms, which lead these mothers to want divorce and fear the worse, and treat them.

At a minimum, Mrs. Friedman should have been told that divorce involves negotiation and that she can't have everything. Any caring person would have told her that her daughter needs a close connection with her father, not seeing her mother march in the streets with a bunch of dishonorable Yeshiva University activists. The damage that they did to her name is far greater than whatever they did to him. They don't care, they've done it in case after case. It's a chiyuv to now speak out against them.

The Disgraceful Others Players:

Mordechai Wolmark was involved in condemning Friedman. Wolmark is been charged in numerous kidnappings in which he sold his services to the highest bidder. Religion (and resulting mamzerus). never factored in and that much is clear to all.

But Wolmark was not alone. Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, a man known for both fraudulent annulments and for highly controversial kashrus rulings, also jumped onto the political bandwagon, siding with people who saw fit to debase Judaism and rationality itself by taking a private divorce case to the papers and internet bloggers. No surprise there either.

There's a principle in hilchos aveilus (the laws of mourning) that halacha kdivrei hameikil b'avel, the ruling goes according to the (posek who sights legitimate halachic proofs to be) lenient in mourning. This principle does not apply to kashrus, which is of course news to Yisroel Belsky. The fact that the Modern-Orthodox OU give credence to his innovative and highly questionable rulings is a prime reason why their hechsher isn't accepted in many religious circles and why no educated frum people eat cooked fish under their certification.

To see Yisroel Belsky's singlehanded rewriting of Jewish law, and Rav Ovadia Yosef OBM condemnation, view this:

http://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2006/09/vile-fraud-that-is-yisroel-belsky-part.html

One person who should have known better was Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky. Aharon Friedman's wife's family were substantial donors of his for years. The fact that a person is able to give up his unlimited Olam Haboh for limited dollars is sad. The fact that a rabbi would cave to political pressure to try to cause mamzerus is beyond shameful.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky has acted questionably. He once signed onto an edict stating that it was forbidden to attend a certain concert. That is his right and he may have been correct. But when confronted by the media he stated that it might have been better not to sign on. Judaism isn't passed down by bandwagon followers and he had no business signing “mecho'ois” (letters of protest) if he wasn't certain of them. To do so shames his position.

Can people such as Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky and R' Yisroel Belsky, both in a position to inspire thousands of students to adhere to Torah, ever hope to represent or transmit Torah if they remain committed to farcical tactics? The question is as unfortunate as it is rhetorical.

It should be noted that while Belsky and Wolmark have engaged in violent criminal activity, the kind that Hershel Schachter has encouraged, Kamenesky has not. His involvement was merely opportunistic, but an invalid get results in mamzerus and hataras aishes ish (adultery) and is more destructive and shameful than words will allow.

I'm unfortunately no stranger to much of what was described above. And while my battle was only with the Modern-Orthodox and a few lunatic followers, it was still shameful. In fact, one liar who collaborated with the FailedMessiah, tied my case to Aharon Friedman. I thanked him for the compliment.

Many men who've gone through divorces have told me the same thing, that someone who hasn't been through it themselves, Rachmono Litzlan, hayo lo siheyeh, can't begin to understand these people or to fathom the depravity of the activists. They are right. In my case, I sought nothing more than a postpartum evaluation and counseling. I was supported by a frum postnatal organization, the Beis Din that had converted our adopted son and a renown posek. It meant nothing to the shameful activists who were looking for another case in which to wreak havoc for their own self-glorification.

Like Aharon Friedman, some lunatic tried to arrange a beat-up. In my case I told the ring leader who they dragged along to call the chief rabbi of the town, Rabbi Pinchas Weberman, who immediately asked why on earth they were there and told them the truth. Aharon wasn't as fortunate. Like Aharon Friedman's case, the activists advised trying to pull an arrest which only backfired in court, as these tactics have done. I was advised to pursue an arrest in return and did not, as no believing Jew ever should dare do such a thing, chas veshalom, to any other person. Like Aharon Friedman's case, the activists then shamefully took to the blogs with ridiculous allegations that were either laughed out of court and almost cost the side making them custody (judges are wising up to this) or, in other cases, refuted by the woman herself. Like Aharon Friedman, I didn't pay heed to the demands of screaming lunatics. Unlike him, I was blessed with her good instincts to eventually sit down and talk.

One should try to save their marriage. Divorce is supposed to be rare. That's not how the YU activists, who have the maturity of new born babies and an even less developed sense of basic morality, see the issue. That's their problem. If all efforts have been taken to save a marriage, when both sides are aware that divorce destroys children (Harvard and Cambridge studies point to increased crime, substance abuse, lower self-esteem, lower success rates and even suicide, Rachmono litzlan, among children of divorce, even decades later) then there is unfortunately the concept of divorce. But to give into activists for the sake of it is a crime against one's children, against one's spouse and against morality itself. Taking part in an invalid get also causes problems of aishes ish and mamzerus, may Hashem protect against it.

My heartfelt advice to both parties in this case would be not only to sit down but to try to put the marriage back together in spite of all the third party opportunists who've wreaked havoc in both of their lives. There are organizations and people who can help and who've turned around many broken cases. This would be of tremendous benefit to them, even if they can't see it now because of all of the outside opportunists who involved themselves, and would also be of untold benefit to their daughter. I'm sure that both parties would have at the idea at first, but it would be of greatest service to them both and the attempt itself can yield surprising results.

To those who've been attacked:

There's no shame in being the target of malicious, vicious fools. There's even less shame in standing up for your marriage. There's no shame in seeking to protect your parental rights. And there's certainly no shame in being accused of supposedly violating religious precepts by people who flush all that is decent, yet alone holly, down the proverbial toilet, all the while admitting that they could care less whether their actions follow Jewish religious law (the code that they accuse you of breaking), as they stoop to one low after another to try to compel you to comply with their demands.

To others:

Make no mistake. There's nothing good, holy or Jewish about ORA, the Yeshiva University or Modern-Orthodoxy. Netanyahu recognizes Modern-Orthodoxy for the blight on the Jewish people that it is and it's a shame that so-called religious leaders in the Litvish community don't have the fortitude to call a dangerous moral poison that which it is and nothing less. Chassidisher rabbis have made no qualms about showing Modern-Orthodoxy to have no basis in Jewish law. There's unfortunately a trend among outreach leaders, who do indeed do valuable work, to refrain from criticizing, or even cooperating with their Modern-Orthodox counterparts in ways that cede ground on Yiddishkeit. Nothing is more important than preserving true Judaism and the Jewish family.

Parks: The Defamation of Yomin Postelnik: The Depravity of the Left and Those Who Push for Divorce

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Tue, 06 May 2014 15:44:00 +0000

https://web.archive.org/web/20140705161642/http://www.black-and-right.com/2014/05/06/defamation-yomin-postelnik-depravity-left-push-divorce/

The Defamation of Yomin Postelnik: The Depravity of the Left and Those Who Push for Divorce

Black & Right

May 6, 2014

Legal, Society

6 Comments

Yomin Postelnik’s columns on many subjects often challenge one’s outlook. Most see that as a positive thing. But in the worldview of the left, which views any opposition as a nuisance that needs to be crushed, such outspoken activism has become cause for attack.

Attacks on Yomin’s columns and on him personally weren’t unprecedented. A few years ago a particular atheist group went on a relentless campaign to ban his columns and to smear him personally. They accomplished little, other than proving the original point of his column that touched it all off, that atheists do not act or think logically.

One would hope that despite one’s political differences, certain kinds of defamation would be off limits. One would be wrong to assume this of the left. When Postelnik insisted, with the backing of both rabbis and professionals, on seeking an evaluation and marital counseling before agreeing to a religious divorce, he was targeted in a variety of false and despicable ways that give a new meaning to the war on men. That this was done largely without his then wife’s consent by those who raise money claiming to be women activists, makes what happened all the more shameful.

To begin with, the rabbi who converted their adopted son testified that he had been working with the Postelniks throughout almost the entire divorce. Rabbi Mendel Senderovic is no amateur rabbi and apparently his conversions are more accepted as valid worldwide than those of any other rabbi in the entire State of Florida. But when he saw little wrong with Yomin’s insistence on counseling and professional involvement, activists wasted no time in publicly in publicly defaming him.

According to outside experts, these actions were unwarranted and shameful. Leading rabbis spoke up in spite of attempts to pressure or silence them. Yet this didn’t stop the “modern-orthodox” rabbis, who seek to remake religious Judaism in a new image, and like all other movements on the left, attempt to silence those who don’t march in lock step. A few of their activists decided to make a cause celebre out of a former Republican candidate and outspoken conservative columnist’s insistence on trying to save his marriage, working with orthodox rabbis and secular professionals, and ignoring their demands. In their eyes there were no human beings involved, only a cause and a traditionalist/moralist who was not interested in their worldview.

Just as liberal society has increasingly viewed marriage as something that one can throw away at will rather than the serious commitment that it always was, so have many so-called religious leaders. Leaders of all religions do far less to save marriages and are callous toward, or at least more abivalent about, divorce to an extent that would have been hard to believe until now. This is of course a byproduct of the constant attempts to remold the definition of marriage to mean anything and everything, as well as a direct result of today’s throw away mindset.

Postelnik’s case gave his enemies the fodder that they needed to attack. Aside from advising the wife, more accurately scaring the wife that she’d lose custody of their children if she didn’t avail herself of their “help.” After harassing him, organizing a theft of his belongings and filing a false charge that the state attorney refused to proceed with due to the sheer ridiculousness of it, they then launched a media campaign demanding that he provide a religious divorce upon demand, without, of course, mentioning that he had offered to provide one so long as there was an evaluation and counseling beforehand.

According to the religious Jewish faith that the Postelniks follow, marriage and divorce are serious matters and both need the consent of both parties. Rabbi Avrohom Gestetner put it very clearly when he said that as little as 20 years ago any rabbi worth his salt would have required counseling before sanctioning a religious divorce. Now activists push not only for divorces on demand, but push women to seek divorce as a first option.

Rabbi Dovid Eidensohn, a rabbinical judge who was so ordained by leading deciders of Jewish law, including Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and Rabbi Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, has also decried the tactics of the “get” (or “Jewish religious divorce”) activists, joining with many leading rabbis and religious courts in Israel. It seems to be the consensus that leading rabbis who follow traditional orthodoxy and chasidism decry the campaign for “gittin (religious divorces) on demand” that have been launched by the less religious Yeshiva University and their leaders, who are referred to as “modern-orthodox.” They have also deemed such divorces to be largely invalid, as seems to be the opinion of Postelnik’s rabbi.

Rabbis Gestetner and Eidensohn were not the only ones who spoke out against the viciousness that surrounded the Postelnik case. Professional experts were brought in and advised against an immediate divorce. The modern-orthodox crowd knew better and disregarded the rabbinical judges and secular experts. Their tactics, including theft, defamation and at one point trying to arrange a false arrest, were so over the top that even his then wife asked them to cease and desist.

But why would a group who did not know either party get involved in a divorce case? Why did they do this in case after case, harassing men who do not comply with their demands; demands that leading rabbis have decried as immoral. Why would the same people who were clear to state that their involvement was nothing personal become so involved in a family matter? The fact is that the leftist media and blogosphere looks to have a frenzy when any Republican is involved, especially one who has been attacked relentlessly before by atheists, for standing up to their intimidation tactics. And from this case, and others brought to my attention, it seems that the cruelty of the left reaches a particularly zealous pitch when it comes to destroying marriage.

Who were the people behind the attacks on Postelnik? Better phrased: Which loons decided to make a case out of someone who was willing to grant a religious divorce upon completion of counseling and a few other stipulations that were suggested by professionals. What kind of people choose to launch into a self-glorifying internet smear campaign, which would have precluded the woman who they were claiming to help receive a religious divorce from ever receiving one, had the man not been above their tactics and defamation?

Aside from threatening rabbis, breaking their own promises to adhere to Jewish religious law and ignoring a religious appellate ruling that provided 9 pages of sourced refutation, the group (calling themselves the “Beth Din” or rabbinical court “of America”) staged a sham hearing in which their representative tried to berate the husband, grabbed papers out of his hand, screamed and yelled and later shamefully blogged against the husband, with a made up rendition of events that even the wife laughed at. The defamation and other shameful tactics of this self-styled court (which in this case were condemned by two proper rabbinical courts) are not unique to this case and have been described in detail by Mishpat Tsedek, a religious site dedicated to preventing forced divorce. A particular article, available here, is quite telling.

The rabbinical court that the Postelniks went to originally opined that the Beth Din of America hearing was a sham and a “disgrace to the religion.” The Florida representative in the sham hearing agreed to refer the case to a proper rabbinical court in Monsey, who issued a ruling that Jewish law does not demand a divorce in this case and that the husband may insist on counseling, that the sham Beth Din of America acted so improper that their leader is excommunicated in accordance with Jewish law (something called “cherem”) and that its panel members had “forfeited their portion in the World to Come” according to religious statute.

The administrator of this highly controversial Beth Din of America has also been the subject of an FBI complaint for racketeering (threatening people’s livelihood if they refuse to use his mediating body, even if they are using another religious court) and for criminal extortion (stemming from his advice to use false criminal allegations of domestic violence and insane mandatory arrest laws to procure religious divorces, despite the fact that these coerced “divorces” have been ruled to be religiously invalid by leading rabbis of the religion which he claims to represent).

In fact, a full statement from the head of the mutually agreed upon rabbinical court, available by clicking here, shows that Postelnik was fully cooperative throughout, was looking for proper resolution and had taken steps to alleviate any fears the wife may have of not receiving a divorce, doing so many months before the left-leaning activists who wreak havoc in every case that they touch ever got involved.

That didn’t stop some local media from having a field day. A group called Get ORA, who have previously boasted of causing false arrests, went to bloggers whose stated mission is to bash religious people, with the story of “another Republican get witholder,” promoting a false charge that had already been thrown out of court, with the state attorney refusing to proceed with it due to its ludicrous nature.

Did the blogs report this? No, even when they were provided with court documents and emails from his ex-wife, they preferred their own narrative. One Shmarya Rosenberg, who spends day and night posting even the flimsiest report against any religious Jew that he can find, even kept the story up even after receiving this email from the ex-wife:

From: Leah Postelnik
Date: Fri, Dec 27, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Subject:
To: failed.messiah@comcast.net
Shmarya,
Can you please remove the post about my marriage and divorce ordeal? Yomin had consistently offered a get based on counseling. There were a lot of third party people trying to make hey out of the situation, yelling that it was a ploy, < >
Regarding the arrest, the charges were thrown out before trial and the person responsible for it was a lady named Leah Davis who pretends to help women win custody. I did not cooperate with this and in truth, the arrest was an abuse of mandatory arrest laws, initiated by her.

This was not the first time that Shmarya Rosenberg was caught printing false stories, or at least taking great liberties with the truth. One story here documents Rosenberg’s report of an “arrest” of a Jewish bride in Williamsburg, NY that never happened. The comments about him were telling. Yet this is who Get ORA and their Beth Din of America use to post untrue stories of hatred in the media.

(Rosenberg did link to the dismissal of a no-contact petition, instead of the charge, which would have shown that it was thrown out by the State Attorney himself, and had done so well before Rosenberg had printed his activist hit piece.)

As with the rabid left, it seems that ORA, headed by Yeshiva University Dean Hershel Schachter, is all about control and self-glorification, even if it comes at the expense of the people who they purportedly claim to help. The fact that according to leading rabbis, their actions could have caused a man not to provide a religious divorce at all, and that if not for the decency of Postelnik this might have been the end result, due solely to their actions.

Their modus operendi in this case is not unique. This link documents ORA’s leader Hershel Schachter calling for violence against a husband whose daughter was taken out of state and who had also sought a different rabbinical tribunal (with Schachter being excoriated for doing so based on real Jewish religious law), and here we see how the same Schachter threatened the lives of two Israeli prime ministers, used derogatory racist terms and compared women to monkeys. His insane and vicious musings have widely been condemned by rabbis and Jewish leaders throughout the world and his following has been reduced to only the most rabidly inclined of modern-orthodox activists. It should be noted that Schachter has appropriately been placed in excommunication as well, as noted here.

A separate Mendel Epstein was arrested for arranging beat-ups in order to coerce Jewish divorce. In that case it was widely reported that the late world renown expert on Jewish law, Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashiv had ruled that bills of divorce written by him were mostly invalid. When Epstein was arrested (and news that his divorce bills were not religiously valid was disseminated), Hershel Schachter and Yeshiva University staff took down his own calls to violence from the internet, as documented here.

According to one rabbi involved with the Postelniks, the get activists readily admitted that they did not know the husband either, at least not all that well. But “he’s a Republican,” (Haven’t we heard this all too often from the hate filled left?) “he won’t give a get,” (He had made a concrete offer for a get and was following the advice of professionals and his rabbis.), “he must be a …..” Well sorry, but his actions throughout this ordeal say otherwise. Maybe they were in fact talking about themselves.

This much I know. Both Yomin Postelnik and Leah Postelnik are decent community people and parents. Both work tirelessly to ensure that their children receive a proper Jewish education and have made sacrifices to do many in far better situations wouldn’t make for their children’s education. Both of them deserved better than the media circus that was foisted upon them. Both Postelniks deserved better than the range of outside activists who knew nothing about the case, but who were all too willing to make sport out of it nonetheless.

What remains shocking is how low the left, atheist bloggers and associated others will go when it comes to attacking anyone who challenges their secular leftist or, in this case, “modern-orthodox” worldview. And that, in fact, is the lesson to be learned from this case, the message of their own leftist depravity.

This piece was researched and written by Dan Levy

Want to Thank a Few Friends for This Site - www.YominPostelnik.info

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 07:23:00 +0000

I haven't and won't comment much on personal matters, especially since others are involved and everyone's been hurt a bit too much. What I will say is that all decisions, at all times, were made with the consultation of leading rabbonim, counselors and other professionals. Rabbi Mendel Senderovic, who tried from the beginning to bring peace to the situation, has given testimony that shows that Efrem Goldberg's disgraceful campaign, including collaborating with the likes of the "FailedMessiah" was not rooted in anything other than his own self-glorification at the expense of a woman's wellbeing and that of small children.

Friends have compiled some key letters and testimonials from leading rabbis and from people with first hand knowledge of events and have helped set up a site - www.yominpostelnik.info. I thank them sincerely for this task.

Lastly a message to Martin Wagner - I don't take lessons in morality from comic book thieves and internet bullies. After you went on your nonsense campaign 6 years ago, messing with Google Ranks because you disagreed with an article, I confronted you about your defrauding comic book dealers (charging them in advance for Hepcats books that you never wrote) and you freely admitted to it. I don't even know what "retracking" Richard Dawkin's site is. What I do know is that publicizing mud and provable lies in someone's divorce is beyond disgraceful and your attacks never cease to amaze me in terms of how low you go. Suffice it to say that if you disagree with me on an important family or moral decision, I consider your slander to be the highest form of compliments. You might want to do your research on some of the so-called (Modern-Orthodox) rabbis who you quote though. Recent posts by Yerachmiel Lopin are a good start.

For anyone with questions, please review the website. I will post one letter on this blog and thank all friends involved for their efforts.

Intro Letter:

A while ago I received a call from Yomin Postelnik. I hadn't spoken with him in at least a year but I remember his kind advice and his genuine caring. What he told me had happened in the interim shocked me and made me sick. After talking more I decided that the least I could do would be to write my thoughts and start this site.

It's one thing to reconsider whether to save a marriage. It's another thing for those pushing for a religious divorce to use false pretenses to have someone arrested, smear them and attempt to beat them up. Yomin Postelnik consulted a list of experts that he was happy to provide me with. They include a professor at Boruch College, Dr. Mordechai Rindenow, a postnatal organization called SPARKS and several rabbinical judges. He wasn't just doing what was clearly right, to try to save a marriage. He was also following the advice of experts the whole time.

None of that is of any concern to the activists who were so quick to trash him. But it should be of concern to us. So here's what I know:

Yomin is a loving father. He's also a passionate defender of the values that he believes in, and this is how I knew him best. But there's something more to him, and that's the personal interest that he takes in his friends. He's someone who you want in your corner, he's someone who you can feel cares about you and while he's quick with advice, it's good advice and very insightful. In short, he's a good and decent man who I consider lucky to have as a friend.

I don't know his ex-wife. I spoke with her once, briefly, and my quick opinion of her was that she's a good person too. Yomin confirmed to me that a lot of the attacks against him had nothing to do with her and were started by a radical organization that, to paraphrase his words, "is attacking his religion and all of family life at its core."

He shared a story that his wife wanted a divorce. He was devastated, but simply asked for counseling sessions before any decision could be made. He also asked for a postpartum evaluation, because there was a marked change in his ex-wife's, behavior, after the birth of their children. He explained that many women go through difficult times after birth and lose hope or feel like they're up against the world.

He said that many rabbis helped him out, but a group of "modern rabbis" who professionally engage in mudslinging in order to procure religious divorces, were brought into the picture.

The wife also had consulted custody advocates. This made matters even more ridiculous. A ridiculous criminal charge was attempted, one that was thrown out of court before it could ever be heard before a judge, mostly because they same people who cooked them up had said things diametrically opposite mere hours before to the custody evaluator. It was this sordid attempt at a charge, that the get advocates used in their smear campaign.,

Although the separated couple mutually agreed to discuss their differences at a rabbinical tribunal, who decided that Yomin's request was reasonable, another leftist tribunal called "Beth Din of America" involved themselves and launched into a defamation campaign (including extorting Yomin with the above referenced false charge). Fortunately Yomin called their bluff and refused to back down. Eventually a proper rabbi excommunicated the rabbi who found Yomin in "contempt" as a result of his insistence on counseling and a postpartum eval before making a decision on divorce.

I have nothing against Yomin's ex. Like Yomin, she became an adoptive parent and she probably did half of what she did in an attempt to fight for custody. If anything I know about divorce lawyers, feminist social workers and the like is true, they not only want to break up families at any cost, but also revel in trying to destroy the husband.

Yomin deserves far better than what people who've never met him or his ex-wife have done to him. His ex-wife also deserved an opportunity to save her marriage without agenda-driven third parties wreaking havoc on an already stressful situation. Their kids deserved better. They deserved for people who don't know either party, to stay out of the mix.

Yomin forwarded me letters from rabbis condemning the actions of the self-styled "Beth Din of America," which has been described as an activist group that masquerades as a rabbinical court, and a list of professionals who recommended trying to save the marriage and ignoring the modern ones. Some of the stuff is in Hebrew and I may post it together with his translations. In the meantime I just set up this site to clear the air and to let others know the truth.

Excommunication of Insane "Rabbi" Herschel Schachter

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 05:40:00 +0000

The following was translated by Mishpat Tsedek.

It is a letter of excommunication against an insane rabbi by the name of Herschel Schachter who has called for assassinations, Heaven forbid, of many, including Israeli Prime Ministers Ehud Olmert and Binyamin Netanyahu. Schechter has disgraced Judaism, has interfered in marriages, in stark contradiction to Jewish Law, which values marriage above all else, and needs to be stopped.

FREE TRANSLATION Rabbinical Court Shar Hamishpot Monsey, Ny(845)425-9708 “

PROCLAMATION OF EX-COMMUNICATION AGAINST THE FOLLOWING SLANDERERS AND THEIR FALSE STATEMENTS

We have already in the past condemned the great miscarriage of justice perpetrated by Rabbi Avrohom Union (LA), Rabbi Nochum Sauer (LA) against Mr Meir Kin in regards to a past seiruv that was corruptively issued against him, despite his willingness to all along arbitrate his divorce matters in a Bais Din and has even deposited a kosher Get at a Bais Din in 2008. Despite the fact that Mrs Lonna Kin refuses to pick up the GET, they falsely state that Meir Kin is “chaining his wife” by not giving her a Get. Their past seiruv was issued against Halocho as per the Poskim. (See Bais Din transcript# 1025). They now decided to add more wickedness to their past wickedness by issuing a new false seiruv on the 11th of Tamuz 5770.

Only this time they combined their signatures with Rabbi Herschel Schachter (YU)from Ny who is known for his unethical halachic procedures and is likened to a “Harem Keeper”. Herschel Schachter does not conform his rulings in strict accordance to Torah principles, but rather panders to the “feminist causes” as he pleases. Herschel Schachter practices injustice in Halacha , by allowing a woman to do whatever Torah violations she so pleases in matters of divorce without any consequesnces, but at the same token will attack the man while standing up to his Halachic rights. Herschel Schachter's “reformed principles” has allowed the woman:
A) to seek out their husbands in the Civil Courts against Halocho;
B)Commit Mesira against Halocho and
C) Allow her to steal the husband's monies using the Non-Torah approach of the Civil Courts. When these approaches are used to steal a man's Halachic rights as well as coerce him against Halocho to issue a GET, invariably the woman remains an “Eishes Ish”(married woman).Such a Get that was extracted thru these forceful and anti -Torah means, will invalidate the Get, and any children born as a result of such a Get are rendered “Mamzeirim” (illegitimate Bastards). It has been quoted by the famous “Steipler Gaon” that if one sees a Rabbi always ruling in favor of women, one needs to suspect of “suspicious sexual behavior by that Rabbi.”

We therefore publicly proclaim against Herschel Schachter(NY), Avrohom Union (LA), Nochum Sauer(LA) that they are slanderes of the worst order and therefore have lost their share in the next world by Torah Principles guiding the Halochot of “Motzi Shem Ra Berabim”. (SEE hebrew version for all Halachic citations).

We also announce that Mr Meir Kin from California is innocent of all their false accusations and is completely Halachacally compliant in regards to matters of his Jewish Divorce . Any seiruv against him is null and void and should be regarded as mere chards of pottery. We ask for anyone who can influence the above wicked rabbis to repent and to stop causing Mamzeirim to be born as well as stop supporting people who arbitrate in the civil courts.

In conclusion, the Gemara Shabbos 139a ,states that tragedies befall us because of corrupted rabbis amongst us.

Signed: Avrohom Shmuel Yehuda Gestetner (chief judge )

A Most Needed Voice: Allen West

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:18:00 +0000

At a recent debate, Allen West sparred with Ron Klein over terror and national security. Klein's comments were dangerously ignorant.

West stressed the need to be on the lookout for problems in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries. He recognizes that we cannot rely on forced alliances to protect American security. By contrast, Congressman Klein showed his ignorance and his adherence to conventional wisdom as a substitute for terror policy, callously stating that "Iran is the enemy" and that we must bolster the Afghani, Pakistani and other armies. To be sure, the Iranian regime is a huge enemy of the West and even of Saudi Arabia, but focusing on them alone is wrong and dangerous.

In truth, Iran has the largest number of pro-Western citizens of any country in the Middle East, outside of Israel. There is hope for regime change, as long as we can stop radicals like Mousavi from hijacking those reform movements. And of course we need to deal with the current threat and the current regime. But that doesn't mean that we should turn a blind eye on the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as Ron Klein wants us to.

To eradicate terror, we need to show common sense and firm resolve on the international front, as well as introduce domestic policy to end terror recruitment in prisons by sentencing non-violent offenders to work details or military service instead of long prison sentences where large numbers are recruited every year.

There is no simple solution and only a multi-pronged change to domestic policy, coupled with foreign vigilance, will see the terror threat erased. But Ron Klein's position is shockingly ignorant and dangerous to America's security. By contrast, Allen West's is a tremendous step in the right direction.

Congressman Ron Klein has failed to do anything in his four years in Congress and is dangerously naïve on the international front. Colonel Allen West understands global politics and what is needed internationally. It's time to give him an opportunity to lend his voice to solving our most glaring global problem.

On Nov. 2, vote Allen West. The future of America relies on common sense solutions.

Alex Sink: Allen West 2010, Ron Klein 2012?

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:42:00 +0000

This term will see redistricting, a once in a decade process by which all congressional, state level and regional seats are redrawn. We need to work hard to elect a Republican governor, unless we want to cede as many as 6 congressional seats to the Dems.

As of this email, we may be well on track to seeing Allen West elected to Congress in South Florida. Alan Grayson appears to be going down to defeat.

But elect Alex Sink as governor and Alan Grayson, Ron Klein, Suzanne Kosmas and Alan Boyd may well be back in two years, not to mention the future of the two new seats being gained by Florida in the process.

The Governor has veto power over any redistricting plan. A Republican governor helps ensure that these seats stay Republican. A Democrat governor would demand compromise from the Florida House and it’s doubtful that Tallahassee leadership would hold the line in great enough numbers and have the media savvy to win that battle.

That’s why electing Rick Scott is absolutely crucial to the Republican effort and why his race is the most important one in this election cycle.

Best regards,

Yomin Postelnik
Chairman
A Better Florida PAC
www.ABetterFlorida.com

A Better Florida PAC Voter Guide
United States Senate
Marco Rubio
------------------------------------
United States Representative

U.S. House of District #22
Allen West

U.S. House of District #19
Joe Budd

U.S. House of District #20
Karen Harrington

U.S. House of District #23
Bernard Sansaricq

U.S. House of District #17
Roderick Vereen
--------------------------------------
Florida Governor
Rick Scott

State Attorney General
Pam Bondi

State Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Atwater

Commissioner of Agriculture
Adam Putnam
----------------------------------------
State Senate

State Senate District #25
Ellyn Bogdanoff

State Senate District #27
Lizbeth Benacquisto

State Senate District #32
Patrick Laffey

State Senate District #35
Corey Poitier

----------------------------------------------------------

Find Your District Below
For State House

State House District #91
George Moraitis

State House District #87
Bill Hager

State House District #89
Steven Rosenblum

State House District #85
Tami Donnally

State House District #83
Pat Rooney

State House District #95
Scott Yardley

State House District #98
Kim Burgess

State House District #90
Alison Rampersad

State House District #100
Ed Bender
-------------

--------------------------------------
Broward County Commission
District #4

Chip LaMarca
--------------
District #8

Christopher Max Ziadie
--------------------------------------------------------------

Justice of The Supreme Court
Should Be Retained In Office?

Charles Canady – Yes

Jorge Labarga – No – Undemocraticly voted to remove the “Florida Health Care Freedom Act” from the ballot.

James Perry – No - Undemocraticly voted to remove the “Florida Health Care Freedom Act” from the ballot.

Ricky Polston – Yes
------------------------------------------
Broward County Court Judge Group # 1

John Howes
----------
Broward County Court Judge Group # 26

Mardi Anne Levey Cohen
---------------------------------------------------------

Broward County School Board
District #7

Travis Williamson
---------

Constitutional Amendments

No. 1 – Review and decide
No. 2 – Yes
No. 4 – No
No. 5 – No
No. 6 – No
No. 8 – No - Amendment 8 would only make a bad situation worse. While lack of a qualified hiring campaign, the Teachers’ Unions and an inflexible curriculum are primary causes of stagnation in Florida public schools, raising the class size without improving the curriculum by bringing creativity to the classroom or hiring more qualified teachers would only make a bad situation worse. Every dollar spent PROPERLY on education betters the future of the state and is even fiscally prudent, by leading to savings on criminal justice and juvenile delinquency programs. Increasing the class size without fixing the educational structure is just plain wrong.
--------------------------------------------------

Nonbinding Statewide
Advisory Referendum

Yes

-------------------------------------------------

Broward County Issues

No. 1 – Yes
No. 2 – No
No. 3 – No
No. 4 – No
No. 5 – Review and decide

Interesting

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:41:00 +0000

I see that Google Ads put an Obama ad on my blog, probably because of the amount of times the word "Obama" comes up.

Well, if you want to cost the Dems 3 cents or so, you can click on it.

But are the Obama Dems even worth 3 cents or your time?

O’Donnell Was Factually Right, Coons and Widener Law Students Were Shockingly Foolish

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:40:00 +0000

The First Amendment establishes that Congress shall declare no official nationwide religion. The First Amendment does not ban the mention of religion in public. In fact, it protects same. While far left radicals like Chris Coons may wish to knowingly distort or ignore this fact of American history, it is as shocking as it is sad that the entire student body of a supposedly “prestigious” law school seemed to be equally ignorant and/or oblivious to our founding principles.

Yes, I know that in saying so I’ve just bucked conventional wisdom, which dictates that self proclaimed Marxist aficionados such as Chris Coons, wise men like Al Franken, erudite speakers like Barney Frank and great thinkers of our times like Howard Dean are the epitome of normal, while hard working Americans and Reagan Democrats, now referred to as “Tea Party Activists,” are the “extreme.” Too bad.

The real radical in the O’Donnell-Coons race is Chris Coons
The real radical in the O’Donnell-Coons race is Chris Coons, which is patently obvious to anyone who’s reviewed his positions or life experience. Pinning that term on O’Donnell, in this race, is like saying that Queen Elizabeth should learn decorum from a more famous O’Donnell of a more Rosie nature. As much should be clear to all Delaware Republicans, Castlonians and Christinians alike.

The false picture portrayed by the media of the O’Donnell-Coons race in general, and of their latest exchange in particular, represents a new low even for Network News. While O’Donnell was able to enumerate the five freedoms actually guaranteed by the First Amendment, Coons was not. Too bad that factoid didn’t make its way to the “fair and balanced” Democratic media.

As to the issue at hand, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of all religions on the federal level, the ability to express thoughts in public and other similar rights. Coons’ use of the amendment as a pretext to ban speech, thought or open discussion in public classrooms is to attribute to the First Amendment all that it is truly against. In so doing, Coons may as well have continued that line of reasoning and gone on to explain how the Second Amendment demands confiscation of all firearms.

In truth, his distortion of the First Amendment should be as offensive to Americans as calling Karl Marx a capitalist would be to a guy like Coons.

A proper reading of the First Amendment would be even more shocking to Coons and Widener Law School company. The Amendment was actually established to protect statewide religious practices from federal interference. One should read the sources that Thomas E. Woods, Jr. so brilliantly brings together in his Politically Incorrect Guide to American History (among them, historian David Hackett Fischer) for more information on this subject.

And it cannot go without saying that Coons also showed a profound ignorance of science, which in its un-politicized form (in other words, the kind no longer taught in universities), demands logic and shuns dogma; even liberal, conventional dogma. But that’s for a more in-depth discussion on the gaping holes in conventional scientific theory. For now, suffice it to say that the foolish nature of liberal dogma is as far reaching as it is wrong.

The main lesson remains as follows: Congressional Democrats have made Chris Dodd, Barney Frank and Tim Geithner in charge of banking during a time of national crisis (Geithner by way of senatorial approval). Less than two short years ago, they sued to make the Grand Statesman of the Century, Mr. Al Franken himself, a full fledged Member of the United States Senate. And they have elevated to the speakership a radical who was commonly referred to as “San Fran Nan” prior to said elevation.

Yet they persist in calling us “radicals?”

Democrat Congressman Threatens Opponent’s Life, Again

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:36:00 +0000

This Sunday, at a retirement home in Belle Glade, Florida, a United States congressman threatened the life of his opponent in front of an entire group of senior citizens. For those familiar with the entitlement mentality that has so sullied the left, the party of the esteemed Congressman can be left without saying. For all others, I’ve included it in the title.

Sunday’s riff was par for the course with Alcee Hastings. During the 2008 cycle (three days or so before the election), Democrat Hastings, a member of Congress since 1993 and the only impeached judge ever to be elected to higher office, brought up his own impeachment in a public forum, all but proclaiming it to be a badge of honor. His opponent at the time, former state Chief Medical Officer Marion Thorpe, being a quintessential gentleman, didn’t engage him head on, but instead reminded the audience that Hastings’ impeachment had precluded him from being an effective voice on issues affecting his district.

Alcee went ballistic. Although it was he, not his opponent, who had brought up his own impeachment, Hastings approached Thorpe after the debate and told him (among other things not fit to print), “you ever bring up that impeachment again and I’ll take you out.” The two then sat down and let the candidates for state attorney take the stage, Alcee’s threats having almost been within earshot. Alcee was soon at it again, finishing off the evening by standing up, waving his finger at Thorpe and hissing “it ain’t over, it ain’t over. I’m coming after you.”

Whatever…“Congressman.”

Hastings’ reward for that most comical charade was reelection to a ninth term in Congress. To be sure, he doesn’t have much clout and Pelosi et al made him “Chairman of the Helsinki Commission,” to make sure that he spends most of his time amusing the good folks of Europe, doing his best to “bolster” our national image.

(Details of the above incident are available online at The entire incident is available at http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/172989/opponent-accuses-rep-alcee-hastings-threatening-his-life/mark-hemingway. Of note, I was in the room when it happened, albeit not close enough to hear Alcee’s gracious and poetic threats.)

That episode was mild and pales in comparison to what happened this weekend at Quiet Waters Retirement Home, a Belle Glade, Fla. nursing home that will be quiet no more.

Alcee Hastings arrived with Kendrick Meek and the media. Kendrick gave a good speech and left, the media following suit.

Alcee’s Republican opponent - diplomat, community leader and renown human rights activist Bernard Sansaricq - was at the home, meeting with residents. Sansaricq notes that this was after a full day of campaigning and listening to the concerns of constituents in Belle Glade, the poorest area in the state and one with an unemployment rate of 42%. Surprisingly, while Sansaricq has visited the area 20 times, Hastings had been a no show until that afternoon.

With the media gone, Alcee gave his speech. Winding down, he turned to his opponent and announced that the Tea Party had invited him to a debate, rebutting “I have nothing in common with the TEA parties, so I refused.” At that point, he called out to Bernard to stand next to him and demanded that “Bernard debate (him) right here and now.” That move would prove foolish, even by Alcee standards.

Alcee, now both the candidate and self-appointed moderator of the debate, continued on about how much he loved Belle Glade, where he grew up (but hasn’t been seen since). His concluding remarks were that he “was an impeached federal judge.” He added that he’s “now under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, but none of that matters because I represent the people.”

The esteemed Congressman continued:

“Bernard Sansaricq posted accusations on his site that I pay my girlfriend, who is also my staffer, $160,000 a year. And I have one word for him. You, Bernard should go find out what I did to my last opponent. I sued his -expletive deleted- off.”

First point of contention:

It wasn’t Bernard Sansaricq who broke that story. It was national news sources, including the ultra-liberal Sun-Sentinel (see http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-03-06/news/fl-congress-spending-20100304_1_budgets-staff-salaries-office-expenses).

Second point of contention:

Hastings’ expletive laced rant took place in a nursing home, right in front of elderly residents!

Third point of contention:

Hastings never sued (or attempted to sue) the honorable Dr. Marion Thorpe, Jr., former Chief Medical Officer of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. He threatened him with physical harm.

Well, we know what you “did to his last opponent.” And just like his impeachment, he may not want to bring it up in public.

You would think that would be enough. But, Alcee being Alcee, there was more to come.

Bernard Sansaricq is a serious man who cares about the plight of people in Alcee Hastings’ district. Hastings would have been well advised to leave him well enough alone. But he didn’t and now it was Bernard’s turn to fire back:

Turning to the audience, the statesman responded:

“I have visited Belle Glade 20 times since the beginning of the campaign and I intend on being YOUR Congressman. And I won’t tell you that you need to hire a lobbyist when you need something from me. That’s because your congressman is elected to be your lobbyist!

Belle Glade has a 42% unemployment rate. You can be sure that when elected, I won’t hire some girlfriend and pay her $160,000 of the people’s money when those funds can be used to hire eight people in Belle Glade. I also won’t take trips to Europe with that girlfriend on the taxpayer dime. I will remain here and have a presence in the district, fighting for you.”

Alcee’s response, in full earshot of all of the assembled elderly residents of the no longer Quiet Waters, “You’d better travel safe! You’d better travel safe! You’d better travel safe!” For those who don’t understand thug-ese, that’s a desperate threat (albeit an empty one) on Bernard Sansaricq’s life.

When asked about what had transpired, Sansaricq stated, “that was obviously not the speech I had in mind to give. But since he laid it all out on the table, there was really no choice but to oblige.”

Alcee Hastings was right about one thing. He has nothing in common with the TEA parties, or any other citizens’ movement for that matter.

The most riled up members of our grassroots movements are motivated by a desire to help America realize its potential. They respect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Alcee Hastings threatens his opponents and he chases the pursuit of girlfriend staffers.

What’s also true is that Alcee Hastings needs psychiatric help. As far as being a decision maker or community leader goes, suffice it to say that I’ve met wild armadillos more intelligent than he is. With 42% unemployment in parts of his district, Florida’s most impoverished one, it’s a shame that they don’t have better representation.

Alcee Hastings is the embodiment of a disgrace. Compared to Sansaricq, whose amazing bio cannot be given justice in this article (though readers are encouraged to visit www.sansaricq4congress.org to see for themselves), Hastings appears to be nothing more than a shadow of a man. And the Democratic Party, even with their pervasive entitlement mentality, should be ashamed to have him as their nominee.

The High-Tech Lynching of Commissioner Keith Wasserstrom

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 15:40:00 +0000

When a prosecutor calls the charges levied against a conservative commissioner in a liberal county “novel,” you know that justice has run amok. But the extent of the miscarriage of justice in the Keith Wasserstrom case goes well beyond that definition.

Keith Wasserstrom was a city commissioner in Hollywood, Fla., in the southern part of Broward County. Nominally a Democrat, Wasserstrom was open in his support for the reelection of Gov. Jeb Bush in 2002. At the height of the Iraq War’s unpopularity, Wasserstrom was a lone voice in that party, reminding them of the national security reasons for the war. He knew that his popularity would suffer and he was kicked out of three Democratic clubs as a result. But he did not know the extent of maliciousness that was in store for him.

At the same time, federal agents were looking to prosecute crimes in Broward. One county commissioner with a past that swirled with rumors, and who was later indicted after a joint federal and state investigation, had been caught misusing funds without charges being laid. There were rumored backroom deals with school board members (one instance of which was later confirmed). Broward was working on establishing new ethics standards. But instead of promoting steps to actually curb corruption, certain officials decided to alleviate the pressure of never having prosecuted a Broward official by going after the one whose politics they liked least, a Democrat who showed voters how much their party had changed. The fact that he had done nothing wrong was a side matter.

I know that many Democrats believed then, and probably still believe, that support of the war in Iraq is a crime in and of itself. The votes of 25 Democratic senators to approve the war, all of whom had the same intelligence briefings that the UN and other international organizations had provided both the White House and leaders of Congress, would stand in the way of such an argument, as would the continued presence in Iraq under a Democrat administration. Either way, the Iraq War does not give license to go on a witch hunt against its supporters or to manufacture crimes against them.

Wasserstrom was charged with unlawful compensation for dealing with a client who provided him with no compensation on anything having to do with the City of Hollywood (that charge was thrown out by the judge due to its sheer ridiculous nature). Prosecutors piled on four ancillary charges in the hopes of exacting a deal, two counts of filing false forms and two counts of getting the mayor to as well. The fact that these forms were recusal forms, meaning that they explained why Wasserstrom did not vote on the project, was all but overlooked. The city attorney called the charges “a miscarriage of justice.”

Specifically, the charges against Wasserstrom centered around a deal between the City of Hollywood and Schwing Bioset, a company that converts waste into fertilizer. The company has been hired by several cities. It is not the cheapest company to offer this service, but cities contract Schwing Bioset because of its unique track record and clear abilities to perform. Wasserstrom’s firm represented the firm, with a clause in their contract specifically excluding his firm from compensation for any Hollywood deal. This measure was not necessary. All Wassserstrom would have needed to do is to recuse himself from any Hollywood vote. Conversely, based on his fee exemption, Wasserstrom could have legally voted on the Hollywood contract.

 In an abundance of caution, Wasserstrom both excluded himself from any gains resulting in the City of Hollywood contract and from voting on the contract. He was upfront about his firm’s relationship with the company. He broke no laws and did nothing untoward.

Although the judge threw out the main charge, the ancillary charges made the jury believe that something was wrong. After all, who is charged who has committed no wrongdoing? This is a dangerous supposition that assumes guilt at the onset and stands in stark contrast to the rule of presumption of innocence. If we believe that all who are charged are in fact guilty at onset, then how can anyone ever have a fair trial? But the pile on of charges led the jury to conclude that “something must have been done” and that it was reasonable to find that Wasserstrom should have at least made the forms more clear and detailed.

The jury overlooked that recusal forms are just that, forms - not biographies. They are filed after the fact and list a brief reason why the commissioner who filed them recused himself from the vote. They are not detailed explanations. They simply state that so and so recused himself of a vote and why. It’s impossible to have criminal intent in filing such a form, as no gain is garnered by their filing. Moreover, in the Wasserstrom case, the City Attorney had filed one of the forms himself. But juries that suppose that the defendant must have done something to be hauled into court have often seen otherwise. At least one Wasserstrom juror said that none of them felt good about convicting him, but felt unclear about the case. This speaks to the surreal nature of the charges, not to his guilt.

The assistant state’s attorney who prosecuted the case called the Wasserstrom conviction “novel.” There is nothing noble about “novel” prosecutions. All that means is that the charged person had no way of knowing that his/her actions would be considered illegal and that the actions undertaken were never before considered criminal. It’s the definition of prosecutorial overreach.

The case should have never been brought and should have been thrown out when it was. It’s the latest in the attempt by the left to hijack the right and to stifle dissent. And it was followed up by the unfair, unfounded and unjust charges against two Republican commissioners in another Broward city for allegedly violating Sunshine Laws (laws preventing commissioners from discussing city business outside of a public forum) in a he said/he said case that was actually dismissed and resulted in an assistant states attorney who was also a state representative attending the latter’s vindication party.

We must all stand up against injustice, against the targeting of innocents and against the besmirching of a fine public servant like Keith Wasserstrom, for no other reason than that of agenda driven politics.

Some additional shocking legal facts:

Wasserstrom followed the advice of the City Attorney all along, from drafting the clause in the engagement letter to filling out the recusal form. Although the City Attorney advised the Mayor and Wassserstrom that they had no legal conflict of interest, they both chose to recuse themselves to avoid any appearance of impropriety. The City Attorney backed up his opinion with a legal memo that explained that Florida law only requires the disclosure of conflicts that would benefit the elected official.

The prosecution, recognizing that the main charge of unlawful compensation was absurd on the face of it, contended that Wasserstrom stood to gain from Hollywood, because another city may choose Swing Bioset because they will have had a track record with Hollywood. The prosecution recognizes that even this far fetched scenario would be legal, as Wasserstrom had recused himself of the vote. They contend that the illegal act was that he didn’t specify this in the recusal forms, the forms that are filled out after the fact and detail briefly why he didn’t vote on the deal. Never mind that Swing Bioset could point to numerous other contracts that it’s performed well before meeting Wasserstrom or Hollywood. How filing a form after the fact results in unlawful compensation is too twisted to describe in words.

Nonetheless, the City Attorney forewarned against this assertion as well, citing that Florida does not consider as a benefit anything that is contingent, speculative or remote. The fact that anyone would be able to go to other cities and say “Hollywood uses Bioset” was a benefit that was remote, speculative and contingent. First, their work had to be successful in Hollywood in order for there to be any benefit. Second, Wasserstrom would only benefit if Bioset continued to retain the marketing company that hired his firm—as his firm was engaged by the marketing company for Bioset, not Bioset itself. Bioset could have fired the marketing company, or the marketing company could have fired his firm, at any time. Third, there would only be benefit to his firm if the city, municipality or county being offered the services chose Bioset after an extensive and expensive request for proposal process - remote, speculative and contingent.

Regarding the piling on of charges and how it seems to have influenced the jury, one other point stands out. Wasserstrom was charged not only for failing to provide a rendition the size of War and Peace on a simple recusal form, but also for the Mayor having done the same. By contrast, the Mayor was not charged at all. In reality, neither should have faced such absurd charges, but this just shows the malicious nature of the Wasserstrom prosecution. Of course, the jury could find no reason to believe that Wasserstrom had influenced the Mayor (and the prosecution could offer none), and acquitted on those charges, but chose to convict on his own forms, under the actual (if not the legal) premise of “I guess he could have been more specific,” a supposition that should never justify a conviction and that in fact convicted an innocent man.

Further, Wasserstrom was charged with filing his form (and the Mayor’s) and then charged again for an amendment to his firm (and the Mayor’s). By all interpretations of the law, even if there would have been impropriety, that would have been one act, one conviction. The amendment clarified that Wasserstrom’s firm did not work for the marketing company, Bionative Technologies which was the marketing company for Schwing Bioset, but for a local Florida company retained by Bionative. It was technical in nature and of course, had no bearing on whether he’d receive compensation or any criminal intent. How correcting the name of a marketing company on a form led to two separate counts brought is unbelievable.

The absurdity is that all of the above, his entire prosecution, related to his filing of recusal forms, forms filed days or months after a commissioner properly recuses him or herself of a vote due to potential conflicts. It’s the first such case that has been handled in such a way, and it’s a crying shame.

Ken Keechl - A New Low Even for Democrats

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:07:00 +0000

Keechl’s Despicable Tactics Disgrace Our County – Although They Do Hide His Kickbacks

When an embattled commissioner who’s been called to the floor for finding a legal, albeit far from ethical, way of pocketing campaign donations plasters his opponent’s face onto an orange jumpsuit, you know that the bar has been lowered, even by the standards of Broward politics.

Ken Keechl’s Goebbelsesque attack on Chip LaMarca, a city commissioner with a record of public service in the district, goes far beyond shameful. It should anger every decent person in the county.

As Republicans, we disagree with many Democrats on the County Commission, including Lois Wexler, Ilene Lieberman, Kristin Jacobs and others. No one, however, questions their dedication to public service. Stacy Ritter, even in her highly partisan manner, remains decent and stays on the issues.

Not so Ken Keechl.

In an act of desperation, Keechl’s campaign consultants, with the full knowledge of Ken Keechl, doctored a photo of his far better opponent, Chip LaMarca, placing his face from a campaign photo onto the body of a man in an orange jumpsuit! They photoshopped bars onto the final product for good measure. Then in an act befitting a three year old, Keechl also changed his opponent’s name to denote something sinister.

Below the desperate photoshopping is a sad rendition of wild accusations that were news to Chip, to law enforcement, indeed to the entire county. Looks like Keech has been hitting the crystal meth a bit too hard.

The facts speak for themselves. LaMarca has never so much as been charged with a felony! What Keechl did was an unprovoked and unwarranted attack on a city commissioner, a public servant with a long and proud record of public service and a charitable man who serves on the boards of many local nonprofits - not to mention a fellow constituent of the district that Keechl is supposed to be representing.

Chip’s had a rough year. His 20 year old nephew was killed in an accident a few months ago. His longtime family dog passed away six months ago. But I can only imagine the shock and horror of having a clearly fake photo of him in an orange jumpsuit sent out to all of his constituents, friends, family and voters who he doesn’t even know. Does Keechl not realize that many voters will look at the clearly doctors photos for all of 2 seconds, not recognize the Willie Horton silhouette imagery placed around Chip’s face and think that those are actual photos? Of course he does. He’s counting on it!

Chip LaMarca deserves better. And Broward County deserves Chip LaMarca.

But it gets better.

Ken’s actions aren’t illegal, but they are unethical and anyone who votes to reward him with another term has to question why.

While Chip’s done nothing unethical, the same cannot be said of Kenneth “Kickback” Keechl.

To be sure, Kickback Ken did nothing illegal. He simply paid himself $3,100 a month in rent for campaign space every month since Jan. 2009. Paying yourself rent from campaign donations isn’t a crime. But it is unethical. It doesn’t warrant a second term.

Maybe such actions will help Keechl make a run for Property Appraiser offering “innovative solutions to make money in a down real estate market” but they make him wholly unfit to be a county commissioner.

And that’s not all. Keechl also took $13,000 in trips, all paid for from campaign donations. Again, not illegal. Each trip did involve a few meetings with some potential donors. But that wasn’t the purpose of the trip and it’s just an easy way of legally bilking the system.

Not illegal, but you’d have to be dumber than a doornail to vote to reelect him.

Keechl’s defense – “He hasn’t even made back the money he spent on getting elected in ’06.” Is that why you ran for office Ken?

The Real Truth – Keechl Fiddles As Broward Burns, LaMarca Offers Tangible Economic Solutions

Chip LaMarca’s even stayed away from Kickbackgate.

He’s proposed real and tangible solutions. He’s the only County-level candidate this cycle to propose a real solution for jobs and for the economy.

Chip’s a non-ideologue and leaves Keechl nothing to run on other than doctored photos, lies and smears. That and cricket chirps when it comes to real issues of substance.

Doctoring Photos a Disgraceful Art Form That Shames the County – Call it a “Keechl Special”

It doesn’t matter if the issue is euthanizing harmless pets or running for a second term. Ken Keechl uses faked photography to corrupt the argument and to win at any cost.

He did this a few months ago when outraged pet owners protested Keechl’s “one bite” law, a law that euthanizes pets even if they were attacked by smaller dogs. At that time, owners of pets that were unfairly entrapped by that law showed pictures of their loving pets to the public and to the media.

Common sense dictated that Keechl’s “one bite law,” enacted after his own little dog started with a larger one – and escaped, was not only unfair, but that its implementation would prevent families from moving to Broward. Keechl was desperate. So, instead of admitting error, he went on the airwaves with gruesome pictures of dead dogs. Problem is, those pictures weren’t of the dogs in question or even representative of the attacks.

I don’t use the term “Goebbelsesque” lightly. Joseph Goebbels incited genocide with his use of doctored imagery. He destroyed millions.

But Ken Keechl’s use of doctored imagery destroys individuals.

No one should have to put up with a fake photo of themselves in an orange jumpsuit mailed directly to tens of thousands of people in their neighborhood. Chip deserves a medal of honor for running against the corrupt Keechl machine, not a second helping of Keechl’s vicious smears.

Upset? Disheartened?

Disgusted?

You should be. Now do something about it!

Vote for Chip Leadership LaMarca (how’s that for a namegame, Ken?), forward this important email and have your friends do the same.

Rick Scott’s Best Picks for Lieutenant Governor

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:26:00 +0000

In my last column, I wrote about the national importance of keeping the Florida governorship in Republican hands during this redistricting term. The makeup of three or four US House seats are possibly at stake, which may at one point be enough to swing control of the chamber.

Democrat Alex Sink made the best choice for her side by picking Rod Smith. Sen. Smith is the type of candidate who can gain swingvoters. Sink will have problems, having served as President of Florida Operations of Bank of America and due to the fact that this is a Republican leaning year. She’s also become the ultimate insider. But Scott still needs to make sure that his pick is refreshing and dynamic.

Here are some choices that can help Scott significantly:

Commander Tom Garcia. – This relatively unknown, yet superbly impressive, American hero was a political unknown who still faired respectably in a crowded field, which included two sitting politicians and the former CEO of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Garcia is an Annapolis graduate and the recipient of a presidential medal for saving lives and millions of dollars in costs to the US Navy, streamlining high-risk training techniques. Most recently, Garcia flew to Haiti hours after the Jan. earthquake to assist in humanitarian relief. He has recently been featured in the Washington Times and by NumbersUSA as a national voice against illegal immigration.

Majority Leader Adam Hasner – Hasner would serve well in uniting McCollum supporters behind Rick Scott. He has experience, knowledge (he’s widely regarded was one of the most brilliant minds in the Florida House), and has remained outside of the upper echelons of power in Tallahassee. He’s an outsider who insiders have come to respect. Moreover, he combines brilliance with a pleasant demeanor, making him a superb campaigner.

Rep. Anitere Flores – Representative Flores falls in the same category, an outsider with influence in circles that matter. Being a female pick will help somewhat, although gender will not likely be an issue in this race - not with Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton and others being the talk of presidential runs. There’s simply no longer anything special enough about being a female governor (or lieutenant) to sway significant chunks of votes. That said, Flores is qualified and dynamic in her own right.

Marion Thorpe, former Chief Medical Officer of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration – Medical development is key to growing Florida’s economy and Thorpe’s answers are bold. He’s an extremely likeable man and a natural campaigner. And while the GOP has women, it does not have very many African-Americans among its ranks, making such a pick refreshing and momentous. His selection would also serve to further boost Allen West in the latter’s congressional run.

The stakes are high and the results may well be of national significance. Whoever he picks, let’s wish Rick Scott well.

The Need to Unite Behind Rick Scott and the Stakes for US Congress

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:23:00 +0000

Any discord among party members must end after the primaries. This is especially true in the all important gubernatorial race in Florida in this congressional redistricting year.

Republicans across the board are spending time, energy and resources on defeating vulnerable Democrat incumbents, including Alcee Hastings (whose district boasts an abysmal voter turnout and who has all but lost the critical Haitian vote), Ron Klein and Alan Grayson.

We need to keep in mind that a Democratic governor in a redistricting year could not only preclude Republicans from holding these seats in the future, but could in fact lead to the election of yet another Alcee Hastings, Ron Klein and Alan Grayson, on top of those already in place.

Whoever you may have supported in the past, one thing is clear. The election of a Republican governor within the State of Florida, where the Governor holds veto power over redistricting, is crucial to the future of our statewide congressional caucus. Rick Scott is our nominee and his election will determine the future of three or four congressional seats, which may at times be the margin of control in the US House.

On top of that, it cannot go without saying that Republicans in Florida have elected a fine slate of state and local across the board. This is especially true in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Senate nominees Ellyn Bogdanoff and Lizabeth Benacquisto are both people of exemplary public service, as is House nominee Pat Rooney. House nominee George Moraitis is a former officer of the United States Navy, a brilliant mind and a true community leader and Tami Donnally’s background in improving education speaks for itself. All in all, Republicans in Palm Beach and Broward counties can say “Job well done.”

Bill Konopnicki’s Campaign is the Embodiment of Fiscal Responsibility, Bold Economic Advocacy

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:21:00 +0000

When we find local leaders whose platforms speak to the broad interest of America, we should promote their ideas as a national model for success. The fight for conservative education, defense of our borders and the prosperity of our economy takes place first and foremost on the state level.

State platforms are more detailed and innovative business leaders who want to secure a better America often run for state level office to further American ideals. Such is the case with Arizona’s Bill Konopnicki, a current state representative who has recently become one of a select few candidates to be endorsed for State Senate by Gov. Jan Brewer.

Konopnicki opposes tax hikes across the board, especially those being placed on farmers and rural landowners. He’s for strong borders, national defense, financial literacy education and he makes no bones about it. His community involvement and track record of putting the interests of the people ahead of the interests of himself is keep to ability to propose real solutions for the betterment of his state.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Konopnicki moved to rural Arizona as a young man and became a successful entrepreneur as well as a community leader. He is a radio station owner, owns McDonald’s restaurants in partnership with his oldest son and is the CEO of WSK Management Systems. He has worked with community groups, including the Boy Scouts, Ronald McDonald Houses and The Boys and Girls Clubs. He has also served as a member of the Mount Graham Regional Medical Center’s Operating Board and is a past president.

 As Gov. Brewer put it, “from the beginning of my tenure as Governor of Arizona, Representative Bill Konopnicki has supported my plan to help Arizona recover from its current economic problems and face its immigration issues. He supported my five point economic plan, including Proposition 100 to protect education and public safety, and he helped amend SB 1070 so that it could be passed and signed into law.”

Konopnicki’s economic platform should serve as a model to state candidates nationwide. Indeed, in whatever state we’re in, we all need to band together to secure a stronger America.

Tom Garcia, America’s Most Needed Man in Congress

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:19:00 +0000

Florida is set to deliver a number of true conservatives to Congress and to take back two, three or even more seats from the Democrats. If Republicans regain the House, as we are poised to do, Florida will have a key role in that effort. But of all our great candidates, not only in Florida, but anywhere in the nation, Tom Garcia in the crucial FL-24 race stands out above the crowd.

Commander Tom Garcia is a rare mix of character, integrity, brashness and common sense. His election stands to improve America’s national security and economic wellbeing more than any other congressional race.

His biography says it all. As a naval officer, Tom Garcia won a presidential medal for developing a plan to save the US Navy millions of dollars while increasing safety in motion. The plan he put forward is estimated to have helped save numerous lives as well, by increasing training safety.

Garcia has specialized in the simulation industry, key to aircraft development. This is especially important to the renewal of Central Florida’s economy. If elected, Garcia would be the only member of Congress with experience in growing this developing industry.

American of Hispanic heritage who vehemently opposes illegal immigration

Garcia is also the Democrats’ worst nightmare, an American of Hispanic heritage who vehemently opposes illegal immigration. In fact, the day after the Arizona law was announced and before any other candidate had gone on record, CDR Garcia became the first candidate in the nation to advocate for a similar national initiative in all 50 states.

Moreover, unlike new converts to the cause of protecting our national resources, Tom Garcia has always been a steadfast opponent of illegal immigration. That’s because he treasures and values citizenship in this nation.

Tom Garcia is also the only federal candidate to back comprehensive shoreline surveillance, monitoring our shores with computerized imaging, just as we should be monitoring our borders. The Intelligence Community has long maintained that our shores are our frontline in keeping the nation safe from terror. Such a program would also prevent illegal immigration, as our shores are far more porous than our borders, without jeopardizing the privacy of Americans in the process.

Every elected official in the nation should be advocating for shoreline surveillance. It’s key to protecting our nation and is non-intrusive. Yet my campaign is the only one on the state level that’s been advocating for this most needed program and Tom Garcia’s campaign is the only one in the nation advocating for it on the federal level. That, in and of itself, is a crying shame, but it shows the need to rally behind his candidacy.

I’ve worked with many great candidates and brilliant conservative leaders. What I saw in the actions of Tom Garcia was unparalleled by all.

Coalition of Conservative Candidates for Haitian relief

On the night of the Haitian earthquake this past January, I was talking with Commander Garcia as we put together a Coalition of Conservative Candidates for Haitian relief. He inquired as to what was the most pressing need of survivors. After he shared his experiences in disaster relief, we decided that water purification was probably most important. He said that he knew a specialist in his district. But what he did next was a shock even to me.

In middle of the night and mere hours after the earthquake had struck, when a flight plan could only be submitted in America and without the ability for Haiti to receive it (making landing in Port-au-Prince a huge safety risk), Tom Garcia filled up a plane with water purification equipment and flew to Haiti. He knew full well that there may be reverberations after such a massive earthquake, making an already risky adventure all the more fraught with danger.

In Haiti, he purified water, worked to save lives of injured Haitians, and at one point Commander Garcia single-handedly restored power to a three room makeshift emergency clinic, using nothing more than four car batteries and some wire.

Tom Garcia is a strong believer in our Judeo-Christian values and in our Constitution

Most importantly, Tom Garcia is a strong believer in our Judeo-Christian values and in our Constitution. He’s an innovative economic leader with a focus on jobs creation and he’s not afraid to call a spade a spade and a bad idea a Democrat one. In short, he’s the type of man who we need in Congress.

Garcia is seen as head and shoulders above the entire field. Key to this is his innate humility. As long as he can keep it, he will accomplish great things for America. And everything in his commendable military background says that this Naval Officer, son of an Air Force Officer will stick to his values and his modest, yet always forthright and ruggedly honest nature.

Commander Garcia’s website is TomGarciaforCongress.com. His plans may be of little interests to lobbyists who can’t see the need for their own safety and their role in the national economic wellbeing above their own shortsighted self interests. But that should be of no concern to voters.

Simply put, voters in FL-24 need to rally behind Tom Garcia. He needs to be our party’s nominee, not only to ensure a new and dynamic Republican Party, but moreover, to ensure the economic wellbeing and safety of our nation.

Offshore Drilling and Our Future vs. Charlie Crist

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:13:00 +0000

Charlie Crist has called for a special session to ban offshore drilling. Many right thinking people see this pure politicization of an issue that should be handled with common sense, but are loathe to speak out for fear of a public backlash.

Leadership is now needed on a key economic and security issue. It is the job of our state leaders to educate the public, not to kowtow to prevailing, but harmful, doctrines.

Taking a correct stand on this issue makes political sense too. We will not win seats by ignoring the issue and allowing Charlie Crist and the rest of the left to play it up. Doing so only makes us look callous in hindsight. Republicans will invariably be hit as the party of drilling regardless of what we do. The question is only whether we will allow the callous left to define the issue.

The Republican Party stands for jobs, the economy and national security. Drilling is an important part of all three. So we can take blame for having done the right thing, or we can infuse the public with common sense and rightly own the issue. The choice is ours.

The spill was not the issue. The hapless federal response to the spill is

We will not win over votes by going along with Crist’s latest PR stunt. We will, however, gain crossover votes and take control of the issue if we simply present the facts:

The spill was not the issue. The hapless federal response to the spill is.Federal authorities didn’t just order the State of Louisiana to halt measures designed to protect its coast. They also refused dozens of Florida ships that volunteered to assist in cleaning up the spill. They could have capped the hole a long time ago. Tent pitching, throwing golf balls and doing everything short of lowering Al Gore into the hole to scare it into submission were all gross examples of ineptitude and nothing more. We have the means to deal with spills far better than we did in this case.
We are the only continent on the globe that has oil and that hasn’t increased drilling since 2002. I have yet to see a study that shows drilling off the coast of Brazil or in the sands of Saudi Arabia to be more environmentally sound than drilling here.
Preventing drilling off our shores is a misnomer. We can debate all day long whether or not to drill a few miles into our waters. In the meantime, Chinese, Cuban, Venezuelan and other companies of foreign nationals are drilling the exact same oil from a few miles off of our waters. The only question is whether we will get any benefit from it. Besides, we care far more about our shores and maintaining our environmental resources than the foreign companies drilling right outside of our waters do. So, yes, protect our environment. Let Americans drill our own resources.
The problem with the BP spill was precisely the fact that it wasn’t offshore drilling. Offshore drilling is easy to monitor and its shallow leaks are easy to plug. Done in unpopulated coastal spaces, it affects no one other than the workers who would find employment were drilling to be allowed.
Even with regard to deep water drilling, the fact is that after trying everything in the book, even Obama’s people now know how to plug a hole.

Democrats should also be outraged by Charlie’s latest costly stunt. The federal ban ensures that even if Crist gets his way, the Florida one will be nothing more than symbolic. This special session is another waste of money, time and state resources, plain and simple.

I’m willing to let my election rise and fall on this issue. It’s not politically incorrect to speak out when no one does. But it is the definition of politically inept to allow the left to use the issue to score undeserved political points by falsifying and distorting the truth.

Now is a time that we need conservative state legislators more than ever. I ask all interested people to get involved in my campaign and in those of other conservatives on the local level. We can do far more to curb the insanity that is going on than national leaders sometimes can.

The above listed facts speak for themselves. We as a party need only to articulate them.

General McChrystal Vs. General Biden?

ypostelnik@gmail.com (Yomin Postelnik) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:56:00 +0000

When the actions of the federal government directly affect the economic well being of Americans in every state, their quality of life or their national security, it is the job of local leaders to speak up and to propose sound solutions. This is especially true in the face of one of the most out of control administrations that our nation has ever seen, one that has jeopardized both our economy and America’s national security as no administration ever has before.

Yesterday’s actions were especially shocking. Barack Obama summarily dismissed a Four Star General and Commander of US Forces on what is now the central battlefield in the War on Terror. (I know, there is no “War on Terror.” Tell that to the terrorists.)

McChrystal was not dismissed because of any issue regarding his leadership. Indeed, all seem to agree that Gen. McChrysal was a fine commander. What Gen. McChrystal was fired for was (among other actions that only befit an intelligent military commander) his failure to listen to Joe Biden on military strategy.

Again, Barack Obama dismissed 4 Star General Stanley A. McChrystal, Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan, for not listening to Joe Biden on military strategy!

General McChrystal was chosen for his position because he speaks his mind, especially when it comes to winning and to taking care of his troops. And he was fired for speaking his mind when it comes to winning and to taking care of his troops.

 In the course of 17 hapless months, the Obama administration has wreaked havoc on our currency by printing trillions of dollars in new currency, it has made America less safe by kowtowing to terrorists, and it has harmed our international standing by propping up leftist brutes like Honduras’ Ernesto Zelaya, after Zelaya’s own party removed him from office.

Simply put, we have left our economy in the hands of Obama, our military in the hands of Joe Biden, and our banking system in the hands of Barney Frank and Chris Dodd. And at this point, something’s got to give.

OUR STATE LEGISLATURES – OUR VOICE

Methods of dissent such as passing a resolution condemning the recklessness of the current administration would not only be appropriate. They are necessary. If the current United States Congress doesn’t see fit to pass such resolutions, then it is the job of state houses to fill the void in national leadership.

State legislators and local leaders must push for resolutions condemning the devastation of our economy, of our security and of our standing at the hands of the hapless Obama administration. And when one state legislature acts, five others will follow suit in a matter of days.

It’s time for Barack Obama to stop worrying about illegal aliens in Arizona and to start worrying about the American people who trusted him to keep them safe. Like many of you reading this, I saw through the smoke and mirrors before he was elected. But many didn’t. They elected him on the hope, change, and prayer that he would steward this country well. None other than Supreme Military Commander Joe Biden attested to his “good judgment” and many believed him. For that alone, he has a responsibility to keep them safe.