223 Comments

Your description of your kippah is a beautiful tribute to your friend. May her memory be a blessing in the years to come.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

REaD ALERT! Everyone needs to read "The Scheme" by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse on the capture of the Supreme Court by dark money! For me it is imperative now to make people aware of what Senator Whitehouse has put together that explains why the Extreme Court is no longer working for the People but for the plutocracy of a few men and corporations of the super rich. This is shaking me to the core. We need a Teddy Roosevelt to stop the monopolies and stop them reversing the New Deal and all our rights! You can see the signs of all of this everywhere - the climate deniers funded by fossil fuel corporations, the shortage of baby formula because one company owns most of the production closed because of unsanitary conditions, the less than subsistence paychecks of workers and the demoralization of working in the corporate world, even the parking lots with cars that only come in white, black, gray and red colors (Give them any color they want as long as it is black. - Henry Ford), the reversal of environmental protection laws, farms owned by monopolies taking every cent they can away from the farmers, deregulation in general, voter suppression, the DARK MONEY behind all of it. READ "THE SCHEME" by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse!

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

My God you write beautifully and movingly. I am sorry for your loss. Francie Teitelbaum offered the traditional wish, may her memory be a blessing. I would offer a slightly different version: her memory clearly is a blessing. And it will be ever present for you.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

“Though they are gone from us, we are grateful for the blessings they brought to our lives. Now, by giving to others the love which our departed gave to us, we can partly repay the debt we owe them.”

from the Yizkor Memorial Service

Beautiful closing tonight, Robert.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

As a recenly retired Naval officer i participated in my first political campaign supporting Anderson. Assigned to speak at a synagogue i arrived early and was invited to attend Services. What a revelation that my Catholic mass so closely followed the Hebrew service. Why not for first time i became aware that Jesus was a Jew as were his followers. My circle of friends has greatly expanded with that encounter to my enrichment and I've worn a Kippah to weddings, funerals and services with a new appreciation of the origin of Christianity, the "old Testament" and the people who kept the faith to overcome hatred and the holocaust.

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I must first convey my condolences and sympathy to you for he loss of your friend. Your story of that evolving relationship of love and learning was moving. I was prompted in the first place to comment on the Tony Dungy story. I am a long time football fan at all levels and Tony Dungy has always seemed to me a very sympathetic figure. His story has always been one that exemplified the best of what pro football and its dramatis personae bring and have brought over the years to American culture. In particular, those of us who had known Tony Dungy for all or most of his career were aware of the tragedy that had punctuated his life and how he had dealt with it -- courageously and admirably. Having said all of that, I was puzzled of late concerning the brief references to "controversy" surrounding Tony Dungy because I did not know the facts and no one seemed to be reciting them. You did. Thank you for that. I must also say that I am once again amazed and shocked that a person like Dungy -- steeped in a belief system that is supposed to be grounded in charity and love and forged in the fire of personal tragedy -- could traffic in the hate described in your note. I can only hope that perhaps he is the sort of person for whom this experience will generate an epiphany that shows him how sadly wrong is his attitude toward members (especially young members) of the LGBTQ+ communities.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

The entire section about your kippah is a loving and heartfelt tribute to your friend, and a lesson in learning about and respecting the traditions of other religions and cultures. The last paragraph is without a doubt the most beautiful piece of prose you have ever written.

As Jews traditionally say, may her memory be for a blessing. And, as President Biden is known to say, the time will come when her memory will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eyes.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Mr. Hubbell, thank you for that very moving remembrance of your departed friend and the equally moving appreciation of your years of participation in some of the most meaningful moments of Jewish life. Friendship is a glorious thing. May her memory be for a blessing.

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Your Concluding Thoughts erased all memory of what came before in Today's Edition, Robert. IMO, there is nothing more important to know today.

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As is not uncommon, you've finished with the most valuable part of today's Newsletter. The inanity of the House Republicans, the embarrassment that is the former president and the sadness of a Christian so misreading his Savior's teachings all pale in comparison to the lesson of your kippah and its history. What will be will be and we'll all be better for hearing it. Thanks.

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Adam Schiff is a brave patriot who put truth and facts ahead of party, personal safety, and potential ridicule. He tried to help our country save itself. Republicans put myth, desire for personal power, and politics ahead of the duty they took an oath to perform.

He is one of my heroes. We need more people like Adam Schiff in the House and Senate.

We should all be sad and embarrassed that a light-weight opportunist, who cravenly seeks to hold the title of Speaker, brazenly bargained away "the heritage of the Congress, for a mess of pottage," he made deals to give power to bizarrely deluded crackpots in order to get their votes. Where are the "adults" in the GOP? I understand that Kevin McCarthy has ordered the removal of all mirrors from the House so he can't inadvertently look at himself in a mirror.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Simply Beautiful.

May her memory always be for a blessing.

Zichrona Livracha.

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Members of Congress are traditionally addressed as "Honorable" sir or madame in deference to the dignity of their office as representatives of the American people. But since most of them now primarily represent the interests of corporate lobbies and corrupt oligarchs rather than the citizenry, and in the case of the Republicans, the whims and ego fulfillments of the fascist thug Professor Paul Street called the "orange reptile," the word seems grossly misapplied. To wit: Addressing Susan Collins as "Honorable" is like calling Tony Dungy a "Christian."

The Republicans who failed to vote for Trump's impeachment and who have supported his criminal machinations ever since clearly don't honor the virtues of the Constitutions and the Rule of Law. These miscreant, irresponsible officials comprise a significant number of sitting members of congress as well as several Justices on the Supreme Court. They may not see themselves as villains, since narcissists have no shame, but in the context of our nation of laws, perhaps it's time that we, the people, should now address them as "dishonorable" and call them what they truly are: traitors. Speaking as a citizen and a veteran who took the oath to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, I perceive that these people as a "clear and present danger" to the Republic and if they are not held accountable, we may as well tear up the Constitution and start over.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Our condolences on the loss of your dear friend. Friendships like yours are the only important thing in the world. Not money, or power. The far right and all power seeking politicians do not understand.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

Thank you for sharing this with us. A good reminder that our personal lives are as important as our civic lives.

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Jan 26, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell

What a magnificent and moving tribute to our wonderful friend.

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