A statement of King Solomon’s comes to mind as we continue this United States election marathon.  “A good name is more precious than good oil.” Having spent four years deceiving the American people both through acts of commission and omission, including encouraging the spending of enormous amounts of taxpayer money on an investigation into Russian collusion that the simplest investigative journalism revealed as highly problematic, the media is saying, “Trust us,” about the honesty of this election? Reputation counts and they destroyed theirs.

Fewer and fewer Americans know what it means to fight for your country. To those who do, we owe a debt of gratitude and a commitment to honor the Constitution and flag under which they serve.

May we be worthy of God’s grace in these tumultuous times. That is both a prayer to God and a challenge to each of us.

Yes, times are different, but the principles haven’t changed. We are delighted to announce the reprint (available as an ebook or a paperback) of America’s Real War: An Orthodox Rabbi Insists that Judeo-Christian Values are Vital for our Nation’s Survival. This book produced shock waves among both Jews and Christians. Find out why.

As we welcome in the year 5781, we pray that the coming year should bring health, prosperity, joy and blessing to each of you and to the world.

Do you remember the very young boy who was sent home from school for biting his toast into the shape of a gun? He might even have —GASP— pointed it at a fellow kindergartener.

Well, have you seen the pictures of kids returning to school where a masked official points a temperature-recording gun-like object at the children’s foreheads before they are allowed in?

To paraphrase the words from the movie Casablanca: I’m shocked,  shocked to find that hypocrisy is going on here.

We are super-excited about updating our book, America’s Real War. This best-selling book helped launch a new relationship between Christians and Jews. Much of it was prescient but being written before 9/11 it desperately needs to be brought up to date. We hope you will join us in this project: Go HERE for more information.

Expressing gratitude, whether to God, to people, or one’s country, is a mysterious but reliable portal to optimism.  There is no more effective way to induce the happy sensation of optimism and hope in our souls than finding opportunities to say, “Thank-you!”

Wishing us all a meaningful Thanksgiving.

How does Veterans Day differ from Presidents Day? How does each differ from Memorial Day? These aren’t variations on a riddle, but our idea for raising taxes. In our opinion we should forget about sin taxes on cigarettes or junk food; we should reduce business and income taxes and we should make up the difference with an ignorance tax.

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, marking the anniversary of the end of World War I, November 11, 1917. In 1938, as war clouds rolled over Europe once again, Congress made Veterans Day an annual national holiday, to be observed on that date. Notice the use of the word ‘observed.’ That is completely different from the word celebrate which would be appropriate for the Fourth of July.

Yet fewer people each year actually know the difference between these unique days. Even fewer can distinguish between Veterans Day and Memorial Day.  Congress eased the path to ignorance by passing the National Holiday Act moving most Federal holidays to Monday, thereby placing the focus on a three day weekend instead of the event itself. (And while this might be slightly off-topic, who decided that apostrophes were unnecessary after the words ‘Veterans and ‘Presidents?)

Since these days have become prime shopping days, quite different from their original intent, our idea is that every consumer should take a quiz based on the day’s specific theme. Sales tax for that day should be levied based on how well one does on the quiz.  Score high and pay little; score low and pay a lot. Veterans, of course, would pay no tax. Rather than going into government coffers the money collected could be matched with a recipient charity that exemplifies the day’s focus. Punishing ignorance while increasing gratitude towards our veterans sounds like a winning move all around.