The Fix Was In

I've written many times previously about how the Bush Administration gave preferential treatment to companies and industries with disproportionately high links to Republican politicians and conservative causes.

The pattern…

…seems clear.

GIPSA, USDA, and other enforcement dropped dramatically once Bush took office and stayed down until late last Summer. That's when the US Attorneys firing scandal reached its crescendo with the forced resignation of US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

That's when career Justice Department officials started taking back the DOJ from Bush's cooked cronies, and that is when career officials in other parts of the government fist realized there was a light at the end of the very long, dark Bush tunnel.

I have believed for a long time now that Rubashkin was not prosecuted for his gross violations of the Humane Slaughter Act because of Bush Administration corruption:

…In other words, five full years without a prosecution in an industry filled with abuse, and no one noticed. The best one can say about this is that Veneman was asleep at the switch – just like her boss.

But I believe one can say more. Senior-level USDA officials – including, according to at least one report, Veneman herself – created the situation that allowed throat-ripping at Rubashkin, even though it violated Humane Slaughter law. And, again, follow the money. Just as agribusiness contributes large amounts of money to political causes, so does the Rubashkin-Balkany family. Further, Agudath Israel and most of the rabbis involved with kosher supervision at Rubashkin are closely tied to the Republican party. Indeed, I believe some of these rabbis were invited to a White House event while the Rubashkin USDA investigation was open – something that could very well have influenced the investigation's outcome.

When one looks at the big picture, it is easy to see why Rubashkin was not prosecuted – even though investigators amassed reams of evidence against them, and PETA caught the dismembering on videotape.

But all does not rest on Bush and his cronies. Crimes were committed here, just as crimes were committed in Allentown and New York. Vehamayvin yavin.

I wrote that before the Bush Administration's political firing of US Attorneys became public and it became clear the DOJ was seriously crippled by cronyism.

Flash forward to this week. The Justice Department's Inspector General released the first part of his report on cronyism and political corruption in the Bush DOJ.

In a scathing report, the Inspector General finds extreme political corruption in hiring that violated the Civil Service law:

NPR.org, June 24, 2008 · A hiring committee at the Justice Department regularly decided who could get key job interviews based upon their political affiliations, according to a report by the department's inspector general.

The report showed that young lawyers with Democratic Party and liberal affiliations on their resumes were denied job interviews at the Justice Department, while Republican-affiliated applicants had a better chance at the key jobs.

"The screening committees in 2002 and 2006 improperly deselected candidates for interviews based on political and ideological affiliations," the report said.

Considering politics in the hiring process is a violation of department policy and federal law.

The report said that everyone who performed screening was contacted, and all denied considering politics when deciding who would be permitted into a competitive honors program for entry-level attorneys or as summer interns.

After determining that the hiring process was hugely politicized, the IG contacted the screeners to show them the analysis. The screeners told investigators they were surprised by the findings. [Actually, many refused to comment and referred the IG to their attorneys – listen to the audio for details.]

The report noted that these hiring practices were changed in 2007 [during the height of the US Attorney firing scandal] and that Attorney General Michael Mukasey [who replaced Alberto Gonzales late last year] said such practices would not be repeated. In addition, Mukasey said he would adopt the inspector general's additional recommendations.

You can get a better understanding of the issue and the extent of the corruption by listening to the audio of Nina Totenberg discussing this report on Morning Edition.

The DOJ became extremely politicized under George W. Bush. But the tide has now turned and, as I wrote more than two years ago, hamayvin yavin. (Hint.)

Comments

[arnold]

To be fair-the DOJ under Janet Reno was the model for politicizing the department and while Bush has followed suit, it does pale in comparison to the Clinton Administration and Janet Reno.

[Paul Freedman]

I don't see how DOJ political cronyism directly affects independent enforcement agencies (whose responsibility it is to petition DOJ to prosecute) and you don't either--if you believe that somehow with the Democrats in office all the various laws and regulations in this country are going to magically be enforced whereever they are violated absent budgets and a much more efficient administrative system than we have you are deluded--according to NPR All Thing Considered broacast Rubashkin was running a very nice plant and nobody in Pottsylvania up there can understand why those mean (GOP-influenced) immigrant-haters targetted these wonderful workers in their wonderful plant and ripped them from their idyllic surroundings

[David]

Dude, you're starting to sound like the Jewish Oliver Stone, or, worse yet, Michael Moore. The fact that the inspector general concludes that applicants for very junior attorney positions were not picked if they appeared to be leftists because one or two officials didn't do their jobs right cannot reasonably be stretched to have any connection at all to Agriprocessors. Please, get a grip.

[Archie Bunker]

Of the course the Clintons were worse but how dare anyone poop on Shmarya's anti-Bush orgy!

And Shmarya's political strategy is very clear. Give Hell to Bush while the most Falasha-like Democrat presidential candidate in history is running for office!

I don't know about the theory from yesterday about Shmarya with the barnyard animal but I have a hunch that Shmarya is getting turned on by plastering his bedroom with Obama posters.

[Paul Freedman]

Archie: The odds are high that Obama will be President.

I don't think that most ethnic Americans see that as a threat.

Jewish-Americans, Greek-Americans, Italian-Americans, Asian-Americans are not considered "white" by the white European ethnic racists who are most upset by Obama's hypothetical blackness imo.

[Paul Freedman]

Then again, some "Black nationalists" think Obama (nee Barry) is just a "Zionist pawn"

http://www.blackcommentator.com/265/265_keeping_it_real_goose_steppiong_behind_obama.html

[Archie Bunker]

"I don't think that most ethnic Americans see that as a threat."

Don't count on it, at least not in this generation. Bloomberg News had an interesting report on what they described as the "the Archie Bunker factor". The so called "lunch bucket Democrats" in blue collar states such as Ohio and West Virginia will never vote for Obama against a Republican of pallor. Maybe in a few generations they would.

[Archie Bunker]

I have observed large numbers of Italian-Americans, Greek-Americans and Oriental-Americans displaying open racism against Blacks by the way. Liberal Jew-think is not a very good barometer for other ethnic groups. Blacks still don't dare venture into largely Italian neighborhoods because they know their safety is at risk.

[jewishwhistleblower]

Rubashkin relative Balkany's access to the White House:

"In addition, Rabbi Balkany testified that he helped Davis. He averred that he did
not speak to a congressman, rather, he spoke to several government officials including the Maryland U.S. Attorney, head of the Bureau of Prisons, Attorney General Janet Reno, and finally, White House counsel Amber Mikva."

http://www.nycourts.gov/index.htm
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Search by Balkany

Rabbi Balkany vs. The Village Voice.

Summary Judgment motion from Voice succeeds March 19, 2008.

"ORDERED that defendants’ motion for summary judgement is granted and the complaint is dismissed with prejudice as against defendants Village Voice Media, Inc., Tom Robbins and
Alexznder Zakharov."

Materials filed March 25, 2008, New York County Clerk's Office.

Excerpts from Order only posted below:

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK - NEW YORK COUNTY
Judge Shirley Werner Kornreich
Present
Part 54
Index Number : 112604/2004
BALKANY, MILTON RABBI
vs.
VILLAGE VOICE MEDIA
Sequence Number : 003

Excerpts:

...

Regarding thc Zakharov Statements, Robbins avers that he did not simply rely on The Daily News’ reporting. He claims that he obtained a copy Zakharov’s October 30, 2003 hearing transcript in federal court before Judge Allen Hellerstein. At the hearing, Zakharov detailed the specifics of his involvement in the bribery scheme. The transcript quotes Zakharov as stating that from January to August 2001, he along with Vadim Kaplun (Sam Kaplun’s son) collected money from federal inmates for the purpose of moving them from one federal facility to another. He claimed he then gave the money to Sam Kaplun, who would give it to a rabbi for the purpose of conveying the money to officials inside the federal government. Zakharov did not identify the rabbi, but he described him as being associated with a Jewish school in the Borough Park area of Brooklyn. Judge Hellerstein then asked Assistant United States Attorney Evan Barr if the government knew who the rabbi was. Mr. Barr stated that the government did know the identity of the rabbi.

Robbins next avers he was independently able to verily Rabbi Balkany as the rabbi named in the prison bribcry scheme by tracking down Zakharov in Florida and interviewing him on or about February 24, 2004. During the interview, Zakharov told him that Rabbi Balkany was the rabbi referred to at his hearing bcfore Judge Hellerstein and that the money he gave to Sam Kaplun was supposed to go to Rabbi Balkany and then onto federal officials. According to Robbins, this interview served to independently corroborate what was originally reported in the Daily News from its “law enforcement sources”.

Robbins also avers that he obtained the transcript of Sam Kaplun’s appearance before Magistrate Judge Gabriel Gornstein on November 24, 2003. This transcript details Kaplun’s guilty plea to conspiracy to bribe a public official and outlines how he collected money and passed it on to a rabbi in an effort to secure the transfer of inmates from one federal prison to another. Robbins interviewed Rabbi Balkany for the story and included the rabbi’s denial of the allegations and his statement that Zakharov and Kaplun both implicated him in order to receive leniency from prosecutors.

Finally, in support of this motion, Robbins submits the allocution transcripts of Sam Kaplun and Zakharov, both of which took place after the Second Voice Article was published. During their allocutions, both Kaplun and Zakharov identify Rabbi Balkany as the rabbi who solicited bribes in connection with the requests to have prisoners transferred. In fact, during Zakharov’s allocution, Judge Hellerstein stated that Rabbi Balkany was the "major culprit” in the plan and expressed his disappointment that the government did not charge him.

...

Rabbi Balkany submits his deposition testimony, in which he stated that he never charged families fees for the processing of the daycare voucher applications. He testified that he charged institutions lees in order to “hire lobbyists” and that before charging any fee, he asked Commissioner Scoppetta for permission. He further testified that he kept no records regarding the fees. He simply dealt with each institution on an ad hoc basis. In addition, Rabbi Balkany
stated that the DOI never formally charged him with distributing any vouchers improperly.

Moreover, Rabbi Balkany testitied that he did help Leona Helmsley while she was in prison by providing her with traditional Rosh Hashanah meals and helping her get released from prison temporarily to visit her son’s grave the day before Yom Kippur. In reference to Antar, Rabbi Balkany stated that he never helped Antar directly and that he only met Antar once in a kitchen during the tour of a prison. Rabbi Balkany claimed that he actually helped Antar’s cousin, who was in prison around the same time. When asked whether providing Antar with kosher food and assistance on religious holidays reflected poorly on him, Rabbi Balkany stated it did not.

Regarding the Congressman and Appeals Brief Statements made by Davis, Rabbi Balkany admitted that he helped Davis attend his son’s Bar Mitzvah. He contended that he never spoke to any congressman and detailed the process by which he attained Davis’ release. See EBT of Rabbi Milton Balkany pp. 426-427; 445-449. Rabbi Balkany denied arranging for Davis’ appeals brief to be read by a federal judge. However, he stated that he did meet with the Maryland U.S. Attorney, and that he may have received some paperwork from Davis prior to the meeting. However, he further stated that he was not sure he read the paperwork, and, did not state whether or not he brought these papers with him to his meeting with the Maryland U.S. Attorney.

Regarding the Zakharov Statements and the prison bribery scandal, Rabbi Balkany testied that he never met with Zakharov, but did meet with Sam Kaplun and helped his son Vadim get transferred to another federal prison. He denied that he met with or spoke to Vadim, stating he merely spoke with Rabbi Laskin who helped arrange for Vadim to receive prayer books, food, etc. Following this assistance, Sam Kaplun made a $5,000 donation to Rabbi Balkany’s yeshiva. Rabbi Balkany claimed he provided Kaplun with a receipt and thank you
letter. Finally, Rabbi Balkany testified that he did not ask for the donation from Kaplun in return for helping his son.
...
In addition, Rabbi Balkany testified that he helped Davis. He averred that he did
not speak to a congressman, rather, he spoke to several government officials including the Maryland U.S. Attorney, head of the Bureau of Prisons, Attorney General Janet Reno, and finally, White House counsel Amber Mikva.
...

[michael ben drosai]

who is amber mikva? (an aquatic porn star? would that be abner mikva, celebrated jurist?

[steve]

Mikva is a big-time Obama supporter(both from IL). He advised Obama to learn about public speaking by observing how preachers speak.

[Archie Bunker]

Abner Mikva was a big shot in the Clinton administration and at the center of several Bill & Hillary scandals. Of course, Shmarya wasn't all over a lefty like him like he is all over a Republican like George Bush.

[Archie Bunker]

"He advised Obama to learn about public speaking by observing how preachers speak."

Yeah, like spewing anti-Semtic, anti-Honky (white) and anti-American racism.

[steve]

I could just see Balkany threatening President Bush, "You know what happened to the last guy that went up against my father-in-law." LOL!

[Archie Bunker]

And Lubinsky was wagging his finger in the President's face to stop acting like a Nazi stormtrooper on Kristallnacht.

[Archie Bunker]

And Juda Engelmayer told the President that Rubashkin has just hired Hasom Amara who has a sterling reputation as a used car salesman.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=12175fef75483ab07c65eedbcdc256f4

Juda Engelmayer, 5WPR senior vice president, says he can't give any specifics on the degree to which the plant has recovered personnel or production.

Engelmayer flatly denies some former Agriprocessors workers' charges that the plant had a systematic policy of leaving overtime unpaid, looking the other way when underage hiring occurred, and alleviating undocumented workers' fears by telling them immigration was being paid off.

Engelmayer notes that former Missouri U.S. Attorney Jim Martin has now been hired as chief compliance officer at the plant.

"He's a no-nonsense kind of guy and he's not going to put his name on anything shady," he says.

[jewishwhistleblower]

The "fix" was, is and will be in regardless of party or administration. That's how it works with the powerful.

Convicted sex offender Steven Zakheim of Metropolitan Ambulance worked the republicans (see: http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2008/04/isaac-hersh-in.html ).

while convicted sex offender Rabbi Lewis (Yomtov Lipa Hacohen) Brenner affiliated with (for Hugh Nastasi) After-Care Ambulance Service Inc. and Dell Ambulance & Oxygen Service worked the Democrats (see: http://www.jewishwhistleblower.blogspot.com/2005/05/former-rabbinical-alliance-of-america.html ).

[Yochanan Lavie]

Archie: It is unfair to say that Barry Hussein Obama is "Falasha-like." First off, Falasha is Amharic for stranger, and has a racist connotation like "nigger." (As in, those Kikes don't belong in Ethiopia; a common sentiment among Christians and Muslims in the sticks where the Beta Israel lived). Secondly, Ethiopian Jews have impeccible Zionist credentials, having sometimes risked their lives to reach Israel. Once there, instead of becoming kollel bums, they have distinguished themselves in Tzahal and Border Police.

The libs would have you believe conservative=racist (ignoring the fact that many libs are condescending racists themselves, and many conservative intellectuals are black). You have played right into that stereotype by equating Barry Hussein, the Afro-Leninist, to loyal Zionist Jews of Color.

[Paul Freedman]

Archie: "liberal-Jew-think" indeed. I guess a Jewish liberal woman who supported Obama would be indulging in "liberal-Jewess-think"
Good for the Italians still auditioning in their own heads for the Sopranos. And Africans from Senegal don't like American Blacks either. Good for them. And all these various racists end up fighting other as well and then end up hating those of "their own kind" who don't share their prejudices.
I knew a Chabad emissary who called Orthodox Jews "human beings"--he didn't consider non-Orthodox to be anything more than animals with human potential regardless as to their race, creed or politics.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Paul: In all fairness, I knew a Chabad BT who castigated his friend (in front of me) for using the n word to refer to non-Jewish African Americans. The Tanya is a racist book, but as individuals some Lubies are not racist.

[Paul Freedman]

Yochanan--Barry has a good chance to be the next President. If you wish to stand with Archie blowing rasberries that's an option but I don't see it. I disagree with you in believing that Barry has a defined political agenda, let alone Leninist, although many of his backers may believe that he is hard left.

My take is that he is a ferociously intelligent (in the Jewish-book-learnin' sense) protean man, a hyphenated chameleon--as the world hooks up in ever more complex networks of feedback mechanisms of money, violence, culture, information, I think we are in for some challenges that go beyond the left-right solutions. Might as well have the man from everywhere/nowhere in the Oval Office.

Pesonally, I live in a multi-racial neighborhood and work in a multi-racial office.

[Paul Freedman]

Yochanan--I don't think the shaliach had made up his mind if *I* had the real stuff to be a human being. But, that was one mind. I try not to lump people into categories in my own mind.

I don't know if Archie is playing a pose.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Paul writes:

Pesonally, I live in a multi-racial neighborhood and work in a multi-racial office.

I respond: Me, too. I teach in a public high school in Harlem, and live in a racially mixed, gentrifying urban neighborhood in a small city near NYC. I grew up in Washington Hts and Teaneck (which is not all frum, and has a substantial middle class Black community), went to public school until high school, and have always had black friends.

In fact, I can trump you! My MO shul is multiracial (we have converts and born Jews of color). I don't play the Great American Skin Game, as I think Shelby Steele has called it. I would marry a Black Jew (if I wasn't already with someone) have my mother marry one, or if I had a sister, have her marry one.

Politically, I started life as a liberal Democrat, remained such (although Zionist) even after becoming a BT. For reasons I don't want to go into, I have become more politically conservative. The corruption of the Clinton administration made me a Republican, and the corruption of the GW Bush administration made me an Independent.

I think Barry is an oppurtunistic hack politician who started out hard left. Whether he became more moderate (like Hillary did) I don't know. He is intellegent, charismatic and likeable. But I don't see him as an agent for change. I see him as Jimmy Carter with a suntan. But I am willing to be proven wrong, if he turns out okay.

Although I often disagree with Archie, I like him. (As I do his TV namesake).

[John K. Diamond]

Why don't we start discussing the main topic of this blog, "How Rubashkin, Lewin, KAJ, etc. entered into a secret conspiracy with the Bush Administration to permit them to do invalid schechitah for the sake of the almighty $$$$$."

[Archie Bunker]

"How Rubashkin, Lewin, KAJ, etc. entered into a secret conspiracy with the Bush Administration"

There are more players here than you think, including the OU and Agudath Israel of America.

[Archie Bunker]

Although it's not exactly a conspiracy as Shmarya and Diamond would have it. I believe it's more that Bush wanted to be seen as hands off from Jewish rituals in case the rag tag mob led by Lewin & Lubinsky start screaming racism.

[Archie Bunker]

I only compared Obama to Ethiopians in as far as skin color and they do come from neighboring countries I think.

If "Falasha" is such a deragtory term perhaps Shmarya should ban himself from his own blog for using it.

:o)

[Paul Freedman]

Yochanin--you've well-trumped me. But I'm confused--which Jews does Archie like?

Archie?

[Archie Bunker]

For starters I like Jews not assisting in the Rubashkin cover up? Any other questions?

[Paul Freedman]

Yeah. Which Jews do you admire? Any body. So far Pat Buchanan would agree with everything you said. He doesn't like corrupt Jews either. Which Jews do think aren't hypocrtical corrupt money-loving pseudo liberal kikes?

[Archie Bunker]

Unfortunately, politicians in both major parties are often hypocrites and liars. I could name a lot of honest Jews but I'm not particularly sure you would know them.

[Ebreo Italiano]

I have observed large numbers of Italian-Americans, Greek-Americans and Oriental-Americans displaying open racism against Blacks by the way. Liberal Jew-think is not a very good barometer for other ethnic groups. Blacks still don't dare venture into largely Italian neighborhoods because they know their safety is at risk.

It wasn't always that way with Italians and Blacks.

When the immigrants from Southern Italy first came here, they were largely colorblind. They were discriminated against by the Anglo/Nordic majority and tended to treat Blacks pretty well. In fact, some Italians even died because they treated Blacks like everyone else. For example, five Italian shopkeepers were lynched in 1899 in Tallulah, LA for the crime of serving Blacks in their shop.

The history of why such relations deteriorated is complicated. Part of it was because of the aforementioned Anglo/Nordic discrimination, some of it was due to the growing Afrocentrism in the Black community (of the type that fostered bigotry against anyone not Black), Italians gradually being more accepted by White Americans and thus starting to identify more with them than the Blacks or even their own Mediterranean heritage, the fact that - way back - in some places, such as NYC, Black laborers were paid more than Italians, and the divergence of the cultures that happened as Italians became more successful and Blacks (still hampered by discriminatory laws) remained poor - and then the resulting welfare state that arose in much of the Black community, which really did a job on Black/Italian relations - Italians, who came from a culture of hard work, began to look at Blacks as freeloaders, unfortunately.

However, there were always Italians who worked for the betterment of all and who maintained good relations with the Black community, such as U.S. Congressman Vito Marcantonio and Father James Groppi. Those numbers just got smaller.

However, maybe things are changing - with people such as actor Giancarlo Esposito, DJ Kid Capri, singer Alicia Keyes, singer Mya, Claudia Jordan (formerly of the Price is Right, now one of the models on Deal or No Deal), former basketball player and actor Rick Fox, Tom Morello (guitarist for Rage Against the Machine), actress Leila Arcieri, singer Faith Evans, etc. out there with Black and Italian parentage, who knows?

[Paul Freedman]

Archie--I'm not talking about public Jews. I'm asking what corner of the Jewish world do you identify with. Not who are you against, who do you call your own. Where are you coming from? For example, I am a second-generation born American Jew of a non-denominationally observant Jewish grandparents on one side and secular Jewish grandparents on the other--my parents left New York City and raised a liberal, pro-Israel, secular family although my father was idiosyncratically observant. My brother is raising an observant Conservative family. I think it is meaningful to say that Jews everywhere still, for all their differences and conflicts, belong to one community.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Paul: I like the MO shul I'm in, but I think I'm w/o a community other than that. I borrow bits and pieces from Modern Orthodoxy, Conservative, Yekke, Spanish-Portugese, Religious Zionism, Yemanite (Dor Da'im), Karaite, rabbinic, Maimonidean, and Yiddish traditions. We live in a post-modern age, for better or for worse. Many of us defy pigeonholing. Maybe Archie is another maverick (although I can't speak for him). He doesn't have to define himself that way if he doesn't want to.

[Paul Freedman]

Yochanan: --if the term "liberal Jew-think" pops up I am curious as to what would be the kind of "Jew-think" generally a Jew might find congenial or some people they might think are cool who were Jewish. But no, you are correct, generally I don't find that people believe they owe me an existential rationale for sure.

[Peter]

Shmarya clearly derives real satisfaction from his righteous criticism of Republican officials. I wish him many years of targets at the highest possible levels of the government.

[mordecai]

Law schools for the most part are unabashedly left-wing. This is true of course of universities in general. I did not find conservatives professors at the law school I attended. Most likely they were never hired because of their political views. Many who expressed the non-left-wing-sanctioned view were often mocked or otherwise excoriated. G-D for- bid you did not believe in a "woman's right" to abortion oe believed in gun ownership.

I do not like politicization whether it be on the left or right. But there was plenty of it in the Clinton Administration Justice Department. Seems there is always a double standard.

Remember Packward? He waqs the Republican US Senator from Oregon (or was it Washington). He liked to grab women's butts. I recall the NOW folks locked arm in arm physically marching down Pennsylavania Aveue in DC screaming and yelling for his head.

But when Clinton was doing worse not a peep from those witches.

[Carol Ann Varley]

John,
I was mystified how additional cuts to the wounds of conscious cattle is allowed post-shechita.

A professor of animal law informed me while the USDA cannot re-write public policy, it has discretion to interpret the law. The U.S. Congress would be reluctant to hold hearings on this matter because of the religious implications. The only recourse would be to sue the USDA.

[John K. Diamond]

Hi Carol Ann,

According to the Code of Jewish Law, after the Schechitah cut, the animal is not allowed to be touched, until it is dead.

The violations of this fundamental law, at AgriProcessors, were traced back, by verified testimony from a worker, to at least as far back as 1998, which came to light as a result of PETA's expose in 2004.

This means, that all of the meat produced at Agri from that time forward, cannot be deemed Kosher, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Certainly, not all of the animals that had this throat-ripping proceedure were alive at that time, but the PETA videos from 2004 proved that a substancial number were.

Yet the OU has continued to claim, up to this very day, that there was never a problem with Agri, as far as ALL of their meat being Kosher - Priceless !!!!

As for suing the USDA, forget it. You'll get absolutely nowhere.

[steve]

Those that claim that one shouldn't boycott Rubashkin because they are a Jewish company, are hypocrites. These same people had no problem signing on to the El Al boycott last year. With El Al, the issue was that they flew on Shabbos once in an emergency and that they couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't do it again. At Rubashkin, although this is not the issue of the proposed boycott, the plant is open every Shabbos with non-Jewish workers shipping (they're the mashgichim who decide what's shipped as "kosher", r"l), and cleaning, etc. With Rubashkin, by purchasing and eating their products leads to eating neveilos utreifos (timtum halev), aiding and abetting in tzaar baalei chayim, a total disregard of dina d'malchusa, trampling on human rights, trampling on the environment, and risking one's health. Now tell me which boycott is a more worthy cause.

[uncle joe mccarthy]

mordecai

you make statements just not based on the facts.

clinton was accused of having a consensual relationship and then lying about it.

the relationship became known thanks to his own justice dept.

can you please show where the clinton justice dept was anywhere near as politicized as the bush dept?

can you show me the republican governor that was convicted for political reasons, as the dem missippi governor was?

can you show where clinton apppointments were based on fealty to the dem party and clinton, rather than skill and merit?

you are making things up....who do you think you are, rush limbaugh?

the fact remains, the bushies have covered for the illegal antics of many of their supporters

case in point...one roland arnall, who went from dem contributor to repug contributor when he found out that the mortgage industry could be deregulated to the point that he could make billions off of unsuspecting suckers. it also got him an ambassadorship.

there has never been a more criminal administration in the history of these united states

[Shmarya]

According to the Code of Jewish Law, after the Schechitah cut, the animal is not allowed to be touched, until it is dead.

This is simply false.

[reader]

"about how the Bush Administration gave preferential treatment to companies and industries with disproportionately high links to Republican politicians and conservative causes."

WOW!!!!!!!! You don't say!!!!

And just as the Democrat party would do the same for those with high links to democrat politicians and liberal causes. Just as Labor zionists would for those with high links to labor and postzionist causes, just as likud.... etc etc. This is politics. Your 'side' is not any "cleaner"

[mordecai]

Uncle Joe:

I believe you are just referring to Monica Lewinsky. Did you forget about the other Clinton women? Most probably as you seem to be an unabashed Clinton supporter and therefore semi-blind.

Paula Corbin Jones filed suit in 1994, alleging that Bill Clinton propositioned her and exposed himself to her in a Little Rock hotel room three years earlier, when he was governor of Arkansas and she was a low-level state employee.

From the start, Clinton denied any wrongdoing. He accused Jones of being an opportunist who went public with her story to make money and harm him politically.

In May 1997, the Supreme Court dismissed Clinton's attempt to delay the trial until he leaves office. The court said it was unlikely the case would burden Clinton's time.

In June 1997, Clinton offered a $700,000 settlement payment to charity, but Jones said she also wanted an apology.

Considering Clinton's well known escapades with women, his documented lying, and his disbarrment from the Arkansas state Bar, I will be forgiven perhaps for questioning his credibility.

Irrespective of his true guilt or innocence with respect to Paula Jones (at least she says it was not "consentual" as you FALSELY claim or perhaps your blindness was geared only to Monica Lewinsky) the point remains as to the silence of the N.O.W. witches when it came to President Clinton. The N.O.W. witches were literally marching down Pennsylvania Avenue and shrilly shreiking about Senator Packwood. Where were they during the Paul Jones incident? Do you think had Clinton been a Republican you might have heard differently from NOW?

[mordecai]

Uncle Joe:

Let us now talk of the "consenual" aspects to the sexual liaison as between Clinton and the quite young White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Are you so thick as to not comprehend the moral and ethical issues relative to sex between individuals engaged in a professional and/or power infused relationship?.

For instance are you not aware that this subject has been addressed by virtually all State Bar Associations, i.e., the subject of sex as between lawyer and client and the ethical and moral implications associated with it.

The same moral and ethical implications have been addressed as between clergy and parishoner; doctor and patient; psychotherapist and client -- etc., etc.,

Are you so devoid of a moral compass that you cannot at least see the moral and ethical arguments of the impermissibility of sex as between the President of the United States and a lowly intern at the White House?

Even if you wish to dismiss the Monica Lewinsky c*ck-sucking incidents as "consentual" would you at least question the judgment of the man.

Apparently not! This is why you and I will be miles apart as to this issue. It is because you wish to blandly dismiss the act as "consentual: thereofre A-OK.

[mordecai]

Uncle Joe:

I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat but an indepentdnet. I am aware that politicization is inherent regardless of whether we are speaking about the Bush presidency or the Clinton one. In answer to your questions lauding CLinton here is some info as to Clinton judicial nominations:
And federal judges appointed by President Clinton have blocked teen curfews and prohibited judges from requiring drunks to attend Alcoholics Anonymous. And Rosemary Barkett, one of Clinton’s appointees for appeals court, has compared American police officers to Stalin’s thugs and has written that youth crime is caused by failure of the social welfare system.

Clinton judges have taken away the people’s right to decide other important cultural and political issues too, striking down state bans on partial birth abortion, and voiding requirements that parents be notified before their young children obtain abortions.

Clinton judges have struck down term limits even for state legislators and eliminated a federal law prohibiting pornography sales on military bases. Clinton judges have ruled that city or county seals cannot contain crosses in their artwork, that school boards cannot open meetings with prayer, and that students may not offer a graduation invocation even when their classmates vote to do so.

Clinton was furthermore reknowned for appointing women and blacks to federal judgships. Surely there are competent women and blacks but if we are dealing with the issue of merit, the only criterion would be merit and NOT race or gender. Of course this is a problem with the Bush administration also.

Of course the appointment of wowen and minorities is often viewed as some great boon or unquestioned good. But as Immanuel Kant observed: if you cannot univerally generalize an act to all humankind then its fundamental good must be questioned.

So I would suggest to you Uncle Joe that you should give your job up to a qualified monority or women or as is often the case a less qualified minority or woman. If you are not prepared to do this in your own individual case then do not generalize it as a proposition for humanity in general.

[John K. Diamond]

[According to the Code of Jewish Law, after the Schechitah cut, the animal is not allowed to be touched, until it is dead.

This is simply false.

Posted by: Shmarya | June 29, 2008 at 02:13 AM]

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Hi Shmarya,

If I've got my take on Kosher Shechitah wrong, please copy and paste into this blog, what the requirements for Kosher Shechitah are, as written in the Code of Jewish Law.

This would be a much appreciated input, to avoid any differences of opinion and permit the folks, who believe that ALL has been OK at Agri, to get a much needed education.

[Paul Freedman]

uncle joe

two words:

Mark Rich

two more

who cares?

[Paul Freedman]

if there's one thing we know about the next President is that he won't be either George W or Bill Clinton and that he won't owe his political career to either man

[Carol Ann Varley]

That begs the question if the USDA has standards on shechita; for example, an acceptable timeframe from initial throat cut to loss of consciousness?

BTW, a Westland-Hallmark employee
(downer cattle/meat recall in secular slaughter) pled guilty to two felony counts of animal cruelty--he will be sentenced in August.

[John K. Diamond]

[That begs the question if the USDA has standards on shechita; for example, an acceptable timeframe from initial throat cut to loss of consciousness?]

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Hi Carol Ann,

There is no such thing as "USDA standards on Shechitah." These standards are defined in the "Code of Jewish Law."

I've asked Shmarya to post these standards, so that we will all be on the same page.

[Carol Ann Varley]

John,
Thanks for the clarification--this ancient practice is fairly new to me. I'll await Shmarya who enlighten any topic.

[John K. Diamond]

Hi Carol Ann,

He is a reliable Torah True source for what True Shechita is:

www.shechitauk.org.

[John K. Diamond]

Hi again Carol Ann,

Here is the UK Guide to Shechitah, published in May, 2008.

[http://www.shechitauk.org/downloads/2008guide.pdf]