The Way It Iz

There needs to be a change in the public debate about anti-Semitism. Last week, after the horrific shootings in a Jersey City kosher grocery store that left four victims dead, including a Jersey City Detective, you would expect there to be an enormous outcry of some sort. Following both the Tree of Life (2018) and Poway (2019) synagogue shootings, major debates took place over gun control and White supremacism. Of course, the topic of anti-Semitism came in third in those discussions. However, since the shootings took place, there is no talk of gun control, no talk of White supremacism, and only a small smattering of anti-Semitism discussion.

If you haven’t noticed, the Democratic Party is in a panic. President Trump’s poll numbers continue to rise when compared to individual Democratic candidates. Just a few weeks ago, a Fox News poll had the president tied with Pete Buttigieg, down three points to Elizabeth Warren, and down seven points each to Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Fast forward to last week. A new Emerson poll has Trump up four points on Buttigieg, up two on Biden, tied with Warren, and only trailing Sanders by one.

Hospitals are suing patients. It’s a scary time in healthcare now that hospitals have resorted to filing suit against delinquent patients. The New York Times reported on this last month, which was only five months after NPR reported the same thing. It’s no wonder that most major 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls have robust plans for changing the healthcare industry. According to both NPR, and the Times, the suits are generally filed, not against uninsured patients but against underinsured patients. These are individuals who thought they were covered for medical expenses, but it turns out that they are absolutely not. At least they aren’t covered to the extent they should be.

Whom do you trust to provide accurate information? It’s not a rhetorical question. Think about how you get your news. Some of it you get it from traditional means: television, radio, print. Others will get it from more modern methods: online publications, podcasts. Still others will keep up to date through social media and whatever their friends post to Facebook and Twitter.

 This year, the Anti-Defamation League honored comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen with their International Leadership award. Two weeks ago, at their Never Is Now summit, the ADL invited Baron Cohen to deliver the keynote address. The target of his ire was social media companies, but mostly Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Now, although I use both websites regularly, I am well aware of the many dangers that exist on these platforms. You may have seen selected clips of this speech, and a lot of what Baron Cohen said may resonate strongly with you. However, like many edited clips, it’s the background of what he said that brings out the true message Baron Cohen was trying to convey. So this week I would like to work through some of the messages Baron Cohen, and by extension much of the liberal elite, was delivering, and explain why they are not the obvious interpretation he would like you to believe.

 The media has once again proven itself to be one giant double standard. I know. Shocking, right? So what is it this time? Coverage of Israel? Ranking on Conservatives? Nope. This time, it is policing within media circles. Let’s go all the way back to last Tuesday. There is an ongoing hotly debated topic on Capitol Hill over whether or not the whistleblower who reported potential corruption between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be revealed to the public. Amid these debates, CBS News invited the executive director of the National Whistleblower Center, John Kostyack, on to explain some the protections that are and are not afforded to the whistleblower.