BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

by Yoav Sivan I usually have no interest in trying to understand the political and spiritual leaders who excel in fanning the flames of hatred against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Their xenophobic language disgusts me and is not worthy of response, only of condemnation. Today, however, I would give a great deal to know what is going through the minds of, say, Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai and his colleagues in the Shas party leadership, who seem to compete with each other in raising the bar of homophobia and ignorance. Do they feel sorrow in their heart of hearts this week? Or is their denial so profound that they can completely ignore their role in fomenting an atmosphere of incitement toward the gay community? Have they learned the lesson? Apparently, at least in part. They vehemently condemned the criminal shooting Saturday night at the youth club of the Association of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders in Israel (the ...

UN-CIVILIZATION What the he** is going on these days? I've heard about three shootings in the U.S. this week alone? Is that right? I was thinking a lot today about a couple other stories in the news I'd heard about in relation to the almost complete destruction of appropriate behavior in our society. I fear for my kids because it seems the world at large has become a Lord of the Flies sort of tribal system where no one is safe. People are beaten for the most inocuous or hateful reasons, in broad daylight, in the U.S.A. I wait to see someone walking through my neighborhood with an assault rifle looking like Michael Douglas in FALLING DOWN. I'm just disgusted. Seems we've become the society of: I never apologize I am never wrong Someone else is always to blame They did it too I don't like your: hair, skin color, religion, shoes, coat, purse, smell, eyes... (pick one or add your own here!) I am a depressed loser so I will shoot up a: shopping mall, college campus,...