Christian Reflection and Prayer

 Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Al Gore were in
an airplane that crashed. In heaven, they found
God sitting on the great, white throne. He
addressed Al first.

 

"Al, what do you believe in?" Al replied, "Well,
I believe I won the election in 2000, but it was
your will that I did not serve. I've come to
understand that now." God thought for a second
and said, "Very good. Come and sit at my left."

 

God then addressed Bill. "Bill, what do you
believe in?" Bill replied, "I believe in forgiveness.
I've sinned, but I've never held a grudge against
my fellow man, and I hope no grudges are held
against me." Again, God thought for a second
and then said, "You are forgiven, my son.
Come and sit at my right."

 

God then turned to Hillary and asked, "Hillary,
what do you believe in?"

 

She replied, "I believe you're sitting in my chair."

(Hillary Clinton supporters I hope you have a
sense of humor I couldn't resist)

During the first Presidential Debate New York City
was used as an example of effective use of stop-
and frisk, when it was in effect.  Here are the
statistics.

 

..Stop-and-frisk, as it was practiced in New York City,
was ineffective in reducing violent crime. But it had an
overwhelmingly disproportionate impact on young
black and Latino men. The New York Police
Department’s data shows that 90 percent of stops
conducted under stop-and-frisk were young men of
color who had done nothing wrong. And the level of
racial profiling went from discriminatory to absurd:
In 2011, more young black men were stopped and
frisked than there were young black men living in
New York City. This suggests that many young men
were stopped multiple times. That same year,
weapons were found on 1.8 percent of black and
Latino people who were stopped, but on 3.8 percent
of white people who were stopped — nearly double
the rate.

 

Racism is America’s original sin, and we saw that
racial sin again in the first presidential debate.
—@jimwallis

Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the
heart,and good news gives health to the bones.
Proverbs 15:30

 

 Today, let’s greet everyone we see with a bright
and cheery disposition. Who might we bring joy
to today? Who can we get to smile? How can we
make someone else a little bit happier?

 

When we live our lives looking for ways to make
others more joyful, we are rewarded richly for our
kindness. God gives us joy in our own hearts and
strength to our spirits.

 

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein