Dear Chaim:
Hope all is well. This Gringo just returned from a 9 day family trip to Mexifornia. Here are my questions / comments for this week.
(1) I found this quote from Herman Wouk's 1959 book "This is my G-D" describing Zionism as extraordinary and brilliant. "Zionism is a single long action, of snatching great masses of people out of the path of sure extinction." The depth and meaning of this statement is mind blowing. Zionism is not just a jewish concept. It is an eternal concept for every human being to recognize Hashem's mastery over the universe and the fulfillment of Hashem's promise to the Jewish people in perpetuity.
(2) I was happy to see that Hashem is making final preparations for Nelson Mandela's voyage down the River Styx. B"H, Mandela apparently spent most of last week in a hospital suffering from some undisclosed condition - maybe AIDS - we should be so lucky. My hopeis that his trip down the River Styx takes him to a boiling pot of water where he is cooked by his ancestors and consumed for eternity all while feeling the pain of the hot water and the destruction of his ancestor's gastro-intestinal fluids digesting him, all having to do it over and over again. Perhaps Mandela will share a pot with Yasser Arafat - Y'SV! Your comments please!
(3) I must admit that Mexifornia is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. My family and I stayed in a hotel in San Marcos and in many ways the rolling hills and valleys reminded me of parts of Yehuda in specific and Eretz Yisroel in general and how much I yearn to be there as a member of its true native species.
(4) One shocker and pleasant surprise I had in Mexifornia was the absence of Shfartza rif-raf. Now I admit that I did not visit Oakland or East LA, but for the most part, there absence was surprising. I personally did not see any bums on Hollywood Blvd. or any of the other major streets. Of course there were many Latinos and for the most part, those I came into contact with seemed more or less pleasant. Many of these people are devout catholics and seem to be law abiding.
(5) I think the release of the so-called "Palestine Papers" by Al-Jazeera and the British newspaper The Guardian was a gift from Hashem. Eventhough the papers disclose the treachery the Israeli leaders were willing to go to come to an agreement, the so called compromises proposed by the Arabs are inconsistant with Islam. I do not see how the so called "Peace Process" can recover - B'H
May Hashem Bless you and grant you quick admittance to Eretz Yisroel!
Nekama