Two parts.

This blog post is going to be in two-parts. In the first part I'm going to talk about last night's debate (ya just know I had to do it) in the second part I'm going to talk about an ongoing conversation that my relatives have been having online about G-d and gambling. So let’s get started.

The 20th Debate:

I watched the debate like many of you last night. I noticed that Hillary Clinton may have a point. The media did go after her. I think NBC has an axe to grind with her for some reason. That being said in my humble opinion, Obama was tested. What the hell is up with the Louis Farrakhan, question??? What is the difference between denounce and reject? IMO I think he handled it smoothly but still WTF?

I find it very interesting that the media has turned on her in such a way. Last year she was the front runner now she's the chick who has overstayed her welcome. I do not feel bad for her, but I am curious as to why the media is doing this. Maureen Dowd said it best when she wrote: “Beating on the press is the lamest thing you can do. It is only because of the utter open-mindedness of the press that Hillary can lose 11 contests in a row and still be treated as a contender.”

The only reason why she’s been in this race as long as she has is because her last name is Clinton. If the shoe was on the other foot the press and the DNC would be calling for him to drop out. Senator Clinton may have a minor point, but if she ran a better campaign it would not be that much of an issue. She has failed to learn the basic lesson of Campaign 101: Optimism always beats Skepticism. Bill Clinton knew that in 1992. Overall I think that Obama did well. Hillary tried really hard but Obama just kept his cool and when you think about it that’s the kind of person you want in office a person who can keep his cool when under pressure.

When JFK was president the press protected JFK, everyone knew about the affairs but no one reported it because they thought it would be in bad taste. I wonder if the press/media are consciously making moral decision not to dig too hard into the personal lives of the front runners. McCain has a lot of skeletons in his closet and Obama….well the press can connect him to Farrakhan through Jeremiah Wright. Jeremiah Wright is someone we are going to be hearing a lot about once he is the nominee but hopefully it will backfire on the press.


Is Gambling a sin?

That was the question a cousin of mine recently asked my family’s Yahoo Group message board. It sparked a debate among the various members of the family. Online anonymity helps in these situations because you don’t feel like a kid talking to your uncle; we all are equals on this message board. The generation gap is still there but it is less of an issue. My answer to the question was NO. IMO gambling becomes a sin when it becomes the focal point of your life; because that would be considered idolatry. Anything that becomes more of a priority than your service to G-d is idolatry. Most of my cousins are Christians but there is a segment of them that are starting to question what they've been taught. I never thought in a million years I would see my cousins question the bible. They always seemed like the types that just got along to get along never rocking the boat. But that’s changed. And now the elders have to come to terms with their new found curiosity. I will keep you guys posted on this.