Status Change

I'm compulsive. But you know that. After all, I publish this series regularly and never miss a week. Every Sunday there is a new edition (unless I have to reschedule because of a holiday). I probably shouldn't say “new” since much of the material is recycled and reworked. I said it before and you've read it before. But it keeps me busy, and you can ignore it if you choose.

I've been working on a change, however. For a while. Today is September 6^th. I know that even though I'm writing it now it won't be published for a while and, you may not see it until after that. It doesn't change anything of course, but I thought I'd let you know what's happening.

Continuity is important to me. That includes my heritage, and the security of Israel. In a world that is more interested in pandering to countries with large populations and resources, and to a fashionable liberalism as camouflage for antisemitism (Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests – Lord Palmerston) there seems to be no great concern for right and wrong, only in what's good for them, what fits their biases, and what they think will benefit them.

Some of the same considerations apply in our own country. Our founders weren't perfect, but their originating documents provided a solid and well-thought-out basis for growth and for greatness. Some updating has been necessary through the years, but those changes that respected the aims of our founders have turned out to be beneficial. The times have changed and so have we. Thus some of the subsequent Constitutional amendments have helped us keep our principles up to date. Unfortunately, power grabs by the executive branch, and the personal opinions of unelected members of the judiciary – what they think should be, rather than what is justified by the law and the intent of those who wrote it – have altered our society and its ground rules well beyond what might have been anticipated. But that's not really what I want to write about.

Let me get to the point. I won't live forever, but I don't want this blog to die with me – at least not immediately. For the past several months I've been preparing extra essays and stockpiling them. More accurately, I've been scheduling them for publication long in the future. As of now (September) I'm into March of next year (actually I have one set for August, 2017) and my goal is to get to a point at which I'm a year ahead. That way the blog will continue for a year after my passing, or for a year after I stop writing these essays. It's my hope that they'll last at least for the eleven months when my children are saying Kaddish for me. [Kids, if you're reading this, feel free to reprint whatever seems worthy – if anything.] That's as much immortality as I can hope to get.

While I'm doing that, of course, I'll still keep my eyes and ears open for what I consider “wrong.” I've probably related this anecdote before, but if so it's worth repeating here (perhaps not exactly as I heard it, but as well as I can remember): When a writer was asked to write an Op-Ed for a newspaper he hesitated. “What will I write about?” he asked. Another writer responded. “Are there two things that you see in the news each week that make you angry?” To which the first writer said “Of course.” The next comment was predictable. “Write about them.”

There's a lot in this less-than-perfect world that makes me angry – even if I take great pains not to display my anger. I'll continue to write about those things and slip them in, between the scheduled posts. I won't solve the world's problems, but I'll feel better. And you should feel free to comment on what I write. Unless you disagree with me. In that case you're wrong, and I don't argue with people who disagree with me. (I think I've said that before, too.)

To let you know my plans I had to slip this essay in, moving one on Jewish Geography to February. You'll have to wait, if your interested. And if you're not interested it doesn't matter. But as of now you're up to date.