One of the most infamous politically incorrect jokes of all time, more so in the light of the #metoo and #timesup movement, is the late Sam Kinison’s reflection on domestic violence.  “I don’t condone wife beating, but I understand it.”  I think of Kinison often, especially when I catch myself making a similar observation about some aspect of human behavior when I recognize there is anecdotal evidence supporting an otherwise unjustifiable stereotype.

This week was no exception.  So let me get this off my chest.  I DON’T CONDONE ANTI-SEMITISM, BUT I UNDERSTAND IT.  For me to make such a statement is a clear conflict of interest, having been born a Jew, and one who still considers himself a “member of the tribe” despite skepticism about the presence of a divine being.  Spirituality comes in many forms.

And do not put me in the same category as the self-hating Jews in pre-Hitler German chronicled in Der jüdische Selbsthaß by German-Jewish philospher Theodor Lessing (1872-1933).  I do not hate Jews.  What I do abhor are Jewish individuals whose actions provide fodder to the ignorant and prejudiced who seek affirmation of their bigotry.

This week, the Trump administration delivered a trifecta.  It began with Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and confidant Michael Cohen.  Cohen is the “fixer,” who makes each of Trump’s illegal or immoral actions, whether personal, business or political, disappear.  He puts his loyalty to Trump above his oath before the bar “to support the constitution of the United Sates, and the State of New York, and will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of attorney, according to the best of my ability.”  Whether enabling Trump’s dishonesty, negotiating questionable business deals on his benefactor’s behalf or paying hush money to cover up Trump’s character flaws, Cohen re-defines the term “shyster.”

Second spot in the trifecta is reserved for Sam Nunberg, whose 15 minutes of fame spread across every cable news network Tuesday night, making him the talk of Washington.  He is now the poster boy for anti-Semites who believe Jews have no loyalty to anyone but themselves.  After years of seeking to be part of Trump’s inner circle, Nunberg jumped ship when he was included in a broad subpoena of documents and emails by special counsel Robert Mueller.  Nunberg epitomizes the Talmud’s description of a weasel.  “The weasel lives on dung-heaps and in holes and chinks of walls.  It kills animals larger than itself and even attacks corpses.”

But the coup de grace came when national economic advisor Gary Cohn resigned on Tuesday following Trump’s unexpected announcement he would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.  I know the following statement is not news and has been reported on every broadcast outlet and in every print newspaper since the announcement of Cohn’s pending departure late yesterday afternoon. But it is worth repeating again and again.  THIS IS THE SAME GARY COHN WHO DID NOT TAKE A STAND WHEN TRUMP DECLARED TIKI-TORCH CARRYING NEO-NAZIS AND WHITE SUPREMACISTS INCLUDED “SOME VERY FINE PEOPLE.”  Cohn stood next to Trump that day and stood next to him during the debate over the tax cut which will prove to be a financial godsend for Cohn and his Goldman Sachs colleagues.  Only when Trump threatened actions which might hurt Cohn’s personal bottom line did he break ranks.  Gary Cohn IS the modern day equivalent of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender and  the principal antagonist in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.  Except in Cohn’s case, he chose to convert to Trumpism, instead of Christianity.

Let me be clear, my disgust of these three individuals arises from disbelief that thinking adults who were raised in the Jewish tradition of “Tikkun Olam,” which translates to “repair the world,” were so willing to forsake their heritage in search of some gold ring in the service of a man who prefers chaos and discord to harmony and order. But my greater fear is that Trump supporters will now view these men as traitors to the cause.  In case you have not been paying attention, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recently reported there was a 59 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2017 over the previous year.  As if those with an already existing anti-Jewish disposition needed another excuse to justify actions which have included bomb threats, desecration of cemetaries, harassment of school children and neo-Nazi rallies and marches.

If, on September 15, 2016, before the Economic Club of New York, when Trump said, “I’ll choose the best people for my administration,” he meant the best people to affirm the stereotypical prejudices of anti-Semites, it’s hard to disagree.

[NOTE:  I know.  You may be asking why I did not include Jared Kushner in this post.  He certainly had an equally bad week.  Two reasons.  First, Ivanka chose him originally.  Daddy is just trying to keep her in his good graces.  Second, and more importantly, there seems to be no line he will not cross in order to protect his father-in-law or his business interests.  Stay tuned.  That too may change when Jared’s second term is 15-20 years in the Big House instead of the White House.]

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP

In Miller v. California, a 1973 landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme court, the justices redefined obscenity.  Previously, content was deemed to be obscene if characterized as “utterly without socially redeeming value.”  The new standard, sometimes referred to as the Miller Test, is based on whether the content “lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.”  The decision also gave more deference to community standards as long as “the work as a whole” did not appeal solely to prurient interests.    Pre-1973, films like Caligula (1979) or Natural Born Killers (1994) may never have seen the light of day.

In response to calls for censorship of films like John Water’s Pink Flamingos (1972) the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) created a system of voluntary rating so movie-goers had better information about the salacious or violent nature of a given film.  However one does have to wonder what logic and rationale MPAA’s Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) uses to score a film’s content?  Examples.  The King’s Speech, how British monarch George VI overcame his stuttering to rally his subjects at the outset of World War II, initially received an R rating for language.  To ensure greater distribution and viewership, the producers released an alternative version which garnered a PG-13 rating.

In contrast, the 2008 action thriller Taken received a PG-13 rating.  The protagonist (played by Liam Neeson) uses the skills he honed during his former CIA days to save his daughter who is kidnapped during a trip to Paris.  According to IMDB.com:

CIA operative Bryan Mills racks up an absurd body count in his quest to save his daughter from a sex trafficking ring. At the film’s peak of violence Mills even straps an electric torture device to someone’s testicles which, moral and political issues aside, might be up there in the upper echelon of vicious movie acts.

Which brings us to deliberations by the Florida House of Representatives.  Yesterday, this less than distinguished chamber put itself in CARA’s position, rating the content of our public discourse.  Unlike CARA, there was no ambivalence.  The House gave gun violence a PG rating.  Make it available to everyone, regardless of age.  By a vote of 71-36 with 10 non-voting, the House rejected an attempt by Democrats to bring HB219, a ban on assault weapons, to the floor for debate.  Let me be clear, Republicans were afraid to debate gun violence while classmates of these Parkland students who watched from the gallery actually faced gun violence.

To add insult to injury, the next order of business was consideration of House Resolution 157 titled, “Public Health Risk Created by Pornography.”  The bill summary reads as follows:

Recognizes public health risk created by pornography & acknowledges need for education, prevention, research, & policy change to protect citizens of this state.

Slap on that X rating. Forget the sounds of gunfire and screaming children.  Protect our tender ears from moans and the echos of “Yes! Yes! Yes!”  Forget the fact our sons and daughters now have indelible images of limp, lifeless bodies and streams of blood burned into their memories.  Heaven forbid we be exposed to language which expresses the raw emotions which are part of living.  Don’t dare take away my killing machine when the real danger is Hustler magazine and YouPorn.com.

Just so you understand.  The Florida House of Representatives wants us to know that it is not watching their friends being ripped apart by an AR-15, but the possibility of being “@#%!!ed to death” as a high school student’s worst nightmare.  Maybe we should bring back the pre-Miller v. California definition of obscenity as the 71 members of the Florida House who chose pornography over assault weapons as a threat to our children’s safety most certainly can be described as “utterly without socially redeeming value.”

UPDATE:  The Miami Herald surveyed state legislators following the Parkland shooting on their attitudes toward different measures to address gun violence.  Republican Representative Ross Spano, who sponsored HR157 (the pornography bill) and is running for state attorney general replied:

This is no time for quick thoughts.  I’m not ready to offer a short answer because I want to take the time to seriously consider more comprehensive solutions. My suggestions for comprehensive solutions will be forthcoming within the next few weeks.

[Historical Footnote:  Yesterday, February 20, 2018, was the 56 anniversary of John Glenn’s Mercury orbital flight, paving the way for the moon landing just seven years later.  Americans should have been celebrating a time when our nation was reaching new heights.  Instead, we witnessed a new low.]

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP