Rant #3,341: Crazay

The Hamas groupies remain at Columbia University. They were given a deadline of 2 p.m. yesterday to vacate the premises, and they have refused, sticking to their demands for the school to fully divest itself of any ties to Israel.

The school has threatened suspensions, but of course, that isn't strong enough ... why aren't they threatening to expel these terrorist lovers?

A number of Columbia students have been identified as participants, and they were told late yesterday afternoon that if they continued to remain in the encampment, they would be suspended, and if they are seniors, they would be barred from graduation.

I think anyone with a level head knows why this threat is so weak, akin to putting out a massive fire with a cup of water.

It will be interesting to see just how they will remove this garbage from the grounds, and remove this trash prior to graduation ceremonies.

And what will Columbia--and for that matter, other schools--do about the rise of anti-Semitism on campus?

The longer these schools pussy-foot around these Hamas groupies and what they are doing to their campuses, the more the schools become complicit in these rancid actions.

And what about these thugs, many of whom wave terrorist flags with the same verve as if they were college sports cheerleaders?

If they are truly students, how are they preparing for finals, and even where are they getting food and where are they going to the bathroom?

These campuses have been violated by this poison, and I have said plenty of times that school administrators are finding out that it is as impossible to deal with terrorist groupies as it is for negotiators dealing with the terrorists themselves.

And where do these terrorist groupies stand on what precipitated this situation to begin with?

I don't hear any talk of the savagery of that horrid October day, and not one of these terrorist groupies say anything--through the masks that they wear to hide their identities from the school and mommy and daddy--about the hostages that were taken on that day.

Every attempt at a ceasefire has been thwarted by the terrorists, the very group that their groupies fail to see have the key to end this all.

Once again, as of yesterday evening, another proposal has been put on the table, with the U.S. citing the "generosity" of Israel to the incredibly uneven terms.

This proposal reportedly swaps about 30 hostages--just a fraction of those still being held--for thousands of Palestinians criminals held in Israeli jails.

The Hamas groupies talk a lot about equity and accountability ... where are those ideas found in this proposal?

There really is nothing more to say about this situation as it falls into another day, other than the schools must be more vigilant, act like they are in charge, care about their campuses and the student population on the whole, and take action to rid their campuses of this garbage.

Suspensions mean nothing, but I do believe if you threaten these imbeciles with being expelled due to their actions, it will mean much more.

No, it won't totally rid the campus of this vermin, but it would put the thought in these groupies' very dense heads that the schools mean business.

You expell these petulant, entitled babies--even those seniors and others who would be well on their way to a degree--and I do believe you would put a crimp in this misbegotten movement, which has violated every campus behavioral statute and many more.

And the wrath if these groupies' hatred has spread to the Palestinians. 

One picture i saw on CBS News was uniquely didturbing, as some younger Palestnians held up a banner thanking the thugs for backing them in the war with Israel ... again, forgetting that Hamas, the ruling body that they themselves enabled to reach this level of power, is the true aggressor here.

Whatever the case, something must be done.

The time for negotiation is over.

These schools' very reputations are at risk the longer these protests and this venomous hatred goes on.

Is Columbia a bastion of education or the center of anti-Semitism?

I think the next 24 to 48 hours will provide us all with the obvious answer.

Rant #3,340: i'm a Happy Guy

I had a nice birthday on Sunday, having some relatives over, including my sister and her husband, my daughter and my aunt.

It was a fun day for everyone, and the food was good and the gifts were nice, too.

I hadn't seen my sister since last September at our mother's funeral, so it was really great to see her again.

I picked up my aunt at the Long Island Railroad station, and it was great to see her again  too.

The only negative was that my allergies were very bad all afternoon, and I suffered from a good run of the sniffles, but I got through it fairly well.

And on Facebook, I had several dozen people wish me happy birthday, and let me tell you, I really appreciate it.

When I had my accident(s) and basically was chained to my bed for months, those friends helped me stay on top of things, and kept me current and active.

So I thanked them for that.

As I have mentioned numerous times, I have many months to go in my rehab, but I do believe I am getting better by the day.

And those who wished me happy birthday on Facebook--some are Facebook friends, others I have known for decades--have definitely helped me in my rehab, just by hearing me out, if nothing more. 

I am getting better because of these people and the interactions we have had, and I am better as a person for speaking to all of them through Facebook.

And it goes without saying that without the backbone of my family, I woukd never have been in a position to be where I am today. 

There would be no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel without their support.

So all in all, I had a great day, bolstered by the fact that both the Knicks and Yankees won their games on Sunday.

In the Yankees game, Anthony Volpe, who I share a birthday with on the same day, hit a homer on his own special day.

I am about three times older than he is, but it was like I was rounding the bases with him.

So all in all, I had a nice day ... and I hope those nice days continue tomorrow and into the future.

So thanks again to everyone who made my birthday into a ... home run.

Onward and upward!!!!!!

Rant #3,339: Another Brick In the Wall

I have spoken about some very serious subjects in this Blog lately, and I decided that today, I would speak about something a bit lighter.

And based on my viewing numbers, I think people would rather that I write about the lighter stuff rather than the intense stuff.

That appears to be true, but I will continue to write about things that rile me up when I feel it is necessary.

But today, let's dive right into the lighter stuff--

And I do mean "dive right in," because my birthday just happens to be this coming Sunday, April 28.

Another year if my life is just about over, and to that, I say "good riddance," because it has been without a doubt, the worst year of my life.

it sermed that everything thst could go wrong did, and did in a very big way.

I lost my mother, my car died. I lost the house that i lived in for more than 50 years, and i lost my mobility due to two very freak accidents.

I lost it all, and I quite nearly lost my sanity.

But things are definitely on the uptick.

The house was sold, my health is improving by the day, i am sleeping better--with a few hiccups--and i am just feeling better about everything.

1 am finally behind the wheel again, and that makes everything so much better.

So as I turm 67 years of age. Things are not as bleak as they once were. I have a long way to go ... but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel

So let's look back at what I wrote, in edited form, in Rant #951, April 26, 2013, when things were just so much different in my life.

"Happy birthday to me.

Well, not just yet, but happy birthday to me anyway.

My birthday is on Sunday, April 28, and since I don't write any Rants on the weekend, I figured I would celebrate a little early.

It seems the years have gone fast.

My mother often told me that as a young child, I was clearly "Larry the Menace," getting into everything and being a real pain in the butt.

She told me a story that one time, she was shopping with me, and visibly pregnant with my sister, who was born at the tail end of 1959. I was so bad that she was standing on line to check out, and another woman actually had the nerve to say to her, "And you want another child?"

I could swear that only yesterday, I was playing in the mud in the grime of my old stomping grounds in Rochdale Village, South Jamaica Queens, New York.

Even though I haven't lived in New York City since 1971, I am a city kid at heart, always will be.

The suburbs have been my home since then, but you can take the kid out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the kid.

I have a great wife, a great family, so why complain?

So happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Larry, happy birthday to me."

That what I said all those years ago, and it still holds true.

I am older and wiser now, and even though I am currently under repair, I know that my wheels will be better, and I will ne rolling around as best I can leading up to me completely beating this injury to a pulp.

So, have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday ...

A year older, but still with that vim and vigor I have always had.

Onward and upward!!!!!!!

Rant #3,338: Stop!

The anti-Israel/anti-Semitic protests continue, and now I hear that Columbia University will be negotiating with students to somehow come to a meeting point which would allow the tent city encampment there to be peacefully removed.

Columbia will soon learn the facts the hard way: you cannot peacefully bargain with the terrorists themselves, so you cannot peacefully bargain with the supporters of terrorists, either.

This misbegotten cretins, like their terrorist idols, want all their insidious demands to be met, and if they don't get what they want--for these schools to pull all support, financial and otherwise, that the school participates in with Israel--they are not going to leave peacefully.

Columbia and the other schools should have nipped this problem in the bud immediately, and removed these thugs right away.

Now, the sore has festered, and just how are the school administrations going to rid themselves of this human garbage? Give into their demands?

These are supposedly "students," although we know from the past George Floyd debacle that many are outside agitators, and even more, while registered as being "students" at these institutions, are being paid off--in cash or class grades--for their participation.

And House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, visited Columbia yesterday, speaking with Jewish students about what is happening at the campus.

Before meeting with them, Johnson said that Columbia's president should resign if she is unable to quell the commotion on her campus, and he also said the following, which is pretty much the only grain of sanity I have heard in this entire episode:

"Every leader in this country, every political official, every citizen of good conscience has to speak out and say that this is not who we are in America, and we have got to have accountability.”

You would think that this was a statement that would garner bipartisan support.

Think again.

Speaking about his trip to the campus, New York State Governor Kathy "The Yokel" Hochul, a Democrat, said Johnson being on the campus  is "politicizing this and bringing the entourage to put a spotlight on this, is only adding to the division. A speaker worth the title should really be trying to heal people and not divide them, so I don’t think it adds to anything.”

??????????

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1979, and I earned my masters degree in 1982.

Now that I am nearly 67 years of age, I am as far removed from the college and university scene as I could possibly be.

I wonder how I would act, and feel, as a Jewish student today.

I really don't know for sure, but I can tell you that I knew right and wrong when i went to school all those years ago, and i still know right from wrong--

And what these hooligans are doing is just so wrong.

They have every right to protest, but they have no right to intimidate their fellow students, and they certainly have no right to be making demands, certainly when they don't listen to civil requests to stop doing what they are doing.

I mean, who are the students and who is the administration here?

Those who continue to rock the boat in such a hate-filled manner should not just be suspended--

They should be EXPELLED for their actions, which are disrupting their respective campuses and threatening the supposed civility of these campuses.

There are thousands of schools across our country, and I am sure that those who should be expelled will be able to find another campus that perhaps meet their own vicious agendas.

And where are these thugs' parents in all of this mayhem?

One can only guess, but one also knows where such hatred is learned in the first place.

Rant #3,337: Helter Skelter

I have spoken at great length about what is going on at campuses around the country regarding completely anti-Semitic protests related to the Israel-Hamas War.

These thugs have every right to protest, but their protests--and the encampments that have sprung up on many of the campuses--are reaching levels of harassment, with their very presence upsetting university policies and procedures to a very high level.

Hundreds have been arrested, and the schools sit on their hands basically doing nothing--or at least not enough--to stop this insubordination.

Beyond the fact that we all know why these schools aren't doing too much to rid themselves of these nuisances, the horrid behavior demonstrated by these supposed "students" has stretched beyond the school zone and is creeping into non-school settings, setting up innocent people and putting them in awkward situations due to the harassment.

The latest incident related to these protests involves actor Alec Baldwin, who was verbally assaulted by someone who called herself a "performance artist" named "Crackhead Barney and Friends."

The beleaguered actor was in a coffee shop nearby New York University paying for what he purchased when the harasser stalked him out and constantly demanded that he say "Free Palestine" while he was recorded on a cellphone.

He tried to ignore the person, and wherever he tried to go, the thug followed, shouting increasingly vulgar and anti-Semitic epithets at him while still pleading that he say "Free Palestine" while recording him.

He again tried to get away from this person, but the harasser persisted.

Both were asked to leave the coffee shop, but the thug blocked his way, continuing the demand.

The harrasser even brought up the incident in the "Rust" movie set involving the actor, saying that not confessing to murder was sending innocent people to jail.

Baldwin had finally had enough, and after the phone was again shoved into his face and the demand continued unabated, he then knocked the phone to the ground.

The harrasser told police that she had been assaulted by the actor, and both the thug and the actor refused to press charges against each other.

There is a video going around of this incident, and while I won't provide you with the link, it has been viewed more than 3 million times.

Yes, this is what it has come to, thugs walking around with complete entitlement, that they can attack innocent people with their anti-Semitic views without impunity.

The schools do little to nothing about what is happening on their campuses, while in the same breath, stating that their schools are "safe" areas for learning.

And these protests, these encampments, and the harassment of Jewish students, and professors, continues, without end in sight.

I mean, what can anyone expect from college administrators, whose brethren have actually testified before Congress that the calling for the genocide of the Jewish people has to be taken in context before it can be considered hate speech and prohibited by respective campuses.

This is where we are at now, and it is a very uncomfortable position to be in.

Even if the protesters had a legitimate beef--which I don't believe they do, as they have absolutely no understanding of the situation they are so riled up about--it is being lost in the quicksand of their anti-social and anti-Semitic behavior.

And i am sure Baldwin has better things to do then to get rocked up by some thug who finds this all so amusing.

These encampments must be removed immediately, any student willfully partipating in this harassment should not be suspended, but expelled, and schools should be held to a full level of responsibility for the continuance of this type of behavior on their campuses.

But this nonsense will go on, and on, and on, because the schools won't do anything about it.

The longer they go without doing anything, the shorter leash they will have, and their complicitness becomes even more obvious.

And finally, where are our prominent Jewish and non-Jewish citizens in coming out against this type of anti-Semitic behavior?

Nowhere to be found.

And those sounds of silence are getting louder each and every day.

Rant #3,336: No Fair At All

Don't get me started on the so-called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame--

But I am already started, so there is no holding me back.

Yesterday, the latest group of inductees was named, and, well, it isn't even worth mentioning who the inductees are--

It is actually more important to mention who the inductees aren't, and who was left out at even being nominated for the HoF.

The situation happens each and every year, and sorry, it will continue into perpetuity until the HoF changes its nomination process.

Here is what I had to say about this latest fiasco on Facebook when a post was put about about the newest members of the HoF:

"No comment. 

And where are Chubby Checker ... Lesley Gore ... The Monkees ... Michael Nesmith (apart from the Monkees) ... Paul Revere and the Raiders ... Tommy James and the Shondells ... The Turtles ... ?

Nowhere to be found, and most probably never to be found in the Hall.

A joke that keeps on giving ... .

I understand that rock n' roll encompasses many music genres, including everything from country to hip hop. 

I don't necessarily agree with that, but what I am most concerned with is that because of past prejudices by HoF leadership, certain acts who fill in all the boxes of the criteria for HoF induction are being glossed over in favor of acts that will bring in more ad dollars.

Chubby Checker ... how can he not be in the HoF? Any dance, rap or hip hop act inducted owes him kudos.

Lesley Gore ... she fits all the criteria, both professionally and personally, and as far as women's empowerment, how can she not be in there?

Michael Nesmith ... say what you want, but his "Space Country " or whatever you want to call it, was a tremendous influence, certainly on what we call "country" today.

The others I mentioned ... don't get me started ... all of them check off all the criteria for induction, but it appears they have been blacklisted for reasons only known by the HoF.

And I would like to know who the supposed "experts" are who vote on the nominees ... are they "suits" or people who are really invested in the music?

Unfortunately, I think they are mainly "suits," and that irks me."

Yes, the entire situation irks me, but I am happy to say thst there is a solution to all of this, if anyone would listen to me.

Do what the equally controversial Baseball Hall of Fame has done to enshrine "overlooked" players into its hallowed environs:

Establish a rotating vote where overlooked acts from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s will get another look, and a second chance at enshrinement.

Have committees for these years convene in alternating years, and vote on deserving acts from those decades for HoF membership.

Unfortunately, it is quite clear that now that we are in the 2020s, acts from 50, 60, and 70 years ago are going to be overlooked and forgotten when it comes to enshrinement, and not only isn't this fair, it dilutes the HoF from being a real, representative HoF for popular music.

This is the only way to rectify past wrongs, because there have been so many wrongs that if you keep the nomination process the same, nothing will ever get done to enshrine acts that have earned and deserve enshrinement.

I mean, you can't have Mary J. Blige in the HoF without having Lesley Gore in there.

And I could go on and on and on.

The current process is not fair, and needs to be changed.

Look, I am not asking for the 1910 Fruitgum Company to gain entrance; all that I am asking for is for the HoF to act responsibly in its nomination and enshrinement processes, which I do not think they have done up to this point.

But being realistic, if nothing has been done yet to update these processes to make them fairer, I am not going to hold my breath about anything being done in the future.

They will say that the current class of honorees is "the most inclusive class ever," but in this fractured world we live in, the root word "inclusion" has a different meaning--

And actually leads to exclusion, leaving out those who richly deserve the honor but miss out because the HoF brands them as "not marketable" in the current environment.

And to that I say--

"Oogum Boogum."

Nothing I can think.of describes this rancid situation better.

Rant #3,335: Time of the Season

I had a decent weekend, especially now that I can drive my car and get out in the world.

I did get an after-market replacement car key, just in case, but my original key works just fine now that it was fixed.

(And as an aside, this particular car I have was bought used from a local Kia dealer, and originally, it did not come with a second key. The dealer later gave me such a key, which didn't work at all, but in the meantime, all this stuff happened to myself and my family, so I never got a chance to tell the dealer that the key didn't work.)

With that mini-nightmare over and done with, on Saturday, I actually did go to my local record store and participated in Record Store Day activities.

This time, I didn't wake up at 1 a.m. to be among the first on line. I got there sometime after 7:30 a.m., and I was about 14th on line, which was fine with me.

I didn't get everything I wanted, but what I got --besides the records I bought--was invaluable.

Waiting to get in, I spoke with a couple of people, one of whom had, a few years ago, suffered a similar type of injury that I had.

I asked him a few questions about his injury and his subsequent rehab, and what he said mirrored the way I am feeling right now, and I learned a lot about how the injury progresses as it heals.

I never got his name, but if he is somehow reading this, thanks very much.

I left there, got my allergy shot, picked up a few prescriptions, and came home in one piece.

In the afternoon, I digitized some of my recent purchases, and then, later in the day, I was able to pick up my family's dinner at two local fast food outlets, and then watched a wrestling pay per view event with my son.

I slept OK--about 6.5 hours or so--and even though the sleep was slightly broken up, I am feeling at least somewhat rested.

Sunday was a real rest day, and I didn't do too much, to ne honest with you.

Watched baseball, and that was about it.

In the evening, I slept about seven hours, but when you doze off at 8:30 p.m. and wake up at 3:30 a.m., you kind of feel like you didn't get your full money's worth from your sleep.

And today, I have physical therapy, and then, it is my annual "matzoh-palooza," as at sunset, Jews around the world celebrate Passover.

This year's celebration, with all that is happening in the Middle East right now, takes on some added significance.

Let's look back at Rant #1,185, April 14, 2014, and look at the holiday beyond all of that matzoh.

"For Jews around the world, tonight is the first night of Passover, which means tonight is the first seder that we have, the first of two during the eight-day observance.

Passover celebrates the Jews' flight from Egypt in Biblical times, and it also solidifies the fact that the Jewish religion remains a strong one.

It is a family holiday, one where young and old alike gather to go over the traditions of the holiday, first and foremost, and at the center of the celebration, the recitation of "The Four Questions."

Matzoh signifies the most visible link to the holiday.

When the Jews, who were kept in slavery by the Egyptians but were later expelled, fled Egypt, they had to do it quickly. Whatever foodstuffs they brought with them had to be used quickly, and thus, any materials that they used to create bread did not have time to rise, and became a cracker-like food known as matzoh.

So matzoh, rather than bread, is eaten on this holiday, and personally, I love matzoh, and for eight days, that is what I exist on.

Matzoh may be the most visible link to Passover, but the most important link during the holiday is known as "The Four Questions," when the youngest children attending the seder ask the adults "Why is this night different than all other nights?"

Actually, anyone can read "The Four Questions," but the younger people usually do it. It is the real centerpiece of the celebration, and it is something that all participants look forward to.

The first two nights are the seder nights, with families gathering to look at the Jews' flight from Egypt, and the modern seders are real family gatherings, with the traditions reinforced.

Modern influences are also included, and new Kosher for Passover foods are always being created to whet the appetites of all who are present.

And other things permeate the seder, including world events."

Yes, world events are going to punctuate this celebration, but it won't stop it.

The Israel-Hamas War has brought out the worst in people who do not fully understand the whys and wherefores of this situation.

Anti-Semitism has reared its ugly head again, not that it ever really left us, and it is almost seemingly accepted today and extremely pervasive around the world.

On Saturday, I replied to a Facebook post about the constant protests happening at Columbia University, where pro-Palestinian protesters have been disrupting the campus for several days now.

They have been warned that they would be suspended if this behavior continued, but the point of my post was that these supposed "students" shouldn't be suspended, they should be expelled.

To that, one lady on Facebook made a reply that was so vulgar, so anti-Semitic, so anti everything that I won't post it here, only to tell you that it related to the Holocaust and Germany's leader during thst period.

I have reported her and her horrid reply, which I thought would probably lead nowhere--

Remember, my G-rated posts were banned on Facebook for no reason for more than two months, so what could i expect Facebook to do when something is truly vulgar?

Well, I was quite surprised that this morning, Facebook contacted me to tell me that they reviewed the post and removed it!

I am sure they gave a warning to the poster that even on Facebook--which allows just about everything to pass--something this horrid will not be tolerated.

Yes, anti-Semites are crawling out of the woodwork, and I will definitely bring this all up when I lead my family's Passover celebration.

We Jews are a resilient bunch, and such idiotic behavior thrust upon us simply makes us stronger.

So, to those who celebrate, have a great holiday.

And to those who are so ignorant that they say things that they think will scare us, think again.

We know who we are, and your stupidity simply adds fuel to our fire.