There are a few reasons I don't often respond in comments.  First--I'm a busy person.  I'm writing this from the airport, which seems to be where I spend a good chunk of my time these days.   I carve out time to write posts every day, but comments could easily take another hour, and I'm not always prepared to spend that time.  Second, comments are often unintelligble, rude enough that they don't dignify a response, or not particularly interesting.  When I do see a comment that I think makes a good point in a way that isn't abusive or overdone, and that inspires me to think differently about my original point, I do respond, though sometimes I email that person privately instead of sharing it with the whole world.  Usually, though, I find that what I've written is all I want to say about the subject.  I may continue thinking about it, and be interested in the opinions that show up in the comments, but unless it's really revolutionary I don't think it's worth it to restate my position over and over again.  I do correct people when they make untrue statements about others or me, just for the sake of honesty and reputation.

Thanks for asking, though.  I promise I do read all of the comments, and appreciate the conversation. 

Akiva S--

I am shomeret kashrut and shabbat.  And even if I wasn't I certainly have a right to criticize hypocrites. 

Oh, Jonathan, don't get your panties in a twist.  While all coffee is kosher in theory, not all coffee has been certified kosher.  Delicious Peace coffee has a kosher certification.  In theory, coffee could be traif if there were bugs found among the coffee beans (not impossible) or if the beans were dried in an oven used to cook other non-kosher things.

 

I know this will shock people, but sometimes I don't respond to comments because I don't have time--besides being a writer I'm a full time caretaker, and a waitress, and an artist.  So if I don't respond to you calling me an asshat it might be because I don't want to get into name calling escapades, or it might be because I've got other things to do with my time.

Anyway.  I don't dislike atheists.  Some of my best friends are atheists!  (The last guy I dated was afraid I would dump him when he told me he's an atheist, but we were together for six months.  So there!)  There have been days when I've thought of myself as an atheist.  But I get really frustrated with people who claim to be atheists because they had a bad experience in Sunday school, or because they think radical Islam is dangerous.  I have high expectations for everyone, which means I expect observant Jews to have thought seriously about their beliefs, and I expect atheists to have thought seriously about their beliefs.  I often find (as in the case of this study) that people who call themselves atheists are reacting to something negative in their past, and not making a serious theological statement, and that annoys me.  I'm sorry, but you cannot be an atheist and believe in God.  You can pray even if you don't believe in God, you can observe mitzvot, and live a completely Jewish life, but if you're an atheist, by definition you don't believe in God.  It also annoys me when people who are observant Jews or Christians or Mulsims say dumb unfounded things about their faith, and I call them on it, too.

 

I happen to think that belief in God is an integral part of Jewish life, but if someone wants to call him or herself a Jewish atheist I'm fine with that--I just want them to have a clear sense of what that means, even if it's a highly personal understanding.  And hey, believing in God can mean any of a number of things, and I don't particularly care which definition a person chooses, I just want it to be one they've though out.

And Zingara, I have actually heard people speaking in tongues at church.  I still think it's kind of creepy, but in this case I was reacting to its apparent prevalence.  I had no idea so many people were into that. 

Yes, absolutely.  But--and I hate to bring this up because I know Jewish girls have a reputation of being demanding and high maintenance--ideally I think we should date, you know, for a week or two, and do some serious making out (at least) before the actual nuptials.   Just so people don't think we're rushing into things.  

There are a lot of issues here, and I think they're tangled together, not independent of each other.  First of all, I don't think it's insignificant that Demjanjuk has already been wrongly convicted once.  He was put on death row, and was in solitary confinement for years, when it turned out that US had been convinced of his innocence for years (http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/people/d/demjanjuk-john/circuit-court/appeal-...).  His citizenship was stripped not because it was clear he had been a guard at Sobibor, but because the judge found that he had no sufficient explanation for what he had been doing during the war.  There is a difference between the two.

Most of the evidence brought against this man comes from survivors who are themselves well into their 80s, and from documents that have confounded various legal experts for two and a half decades.  No, it's not clear what Demjanjuk was doing during the years of World War II, and I think it's safe to assume he was a Nazi, but we really don't seem to have the proof.  And I think that's a big deal. 

 Justice and mercy are always mixed up together.  This man has not been served by the justice system in the past, now we're serving him up to yet another country, despite what may be reasonable circumstances for showing mercy.  It makes me uncomfortable and sad that this is what we focus our passions on: convicting a man in his 80s, without substantial proof. 

And Jewlicious, can you do me the favor of quoting me accurately?  It's Demjanjuk's lawyer who says he can't get up--his sons just said he was in poor health.  Read the article I linked to, please.  

 

It's under past exhibitions because they apparently closed it on Friday.  http://www.spertus.edu/exhibitions/past/imaginary_coordinates.php

I've got them both, but neither seem to have summoned the men like wit, charm, and a decent rack.  Sorry.

What cracks me up about those dresses is that at my high school those would have been considered completely inappropriate and immodest.  My Tanach teacher would have called these allegedly-pure girls harlots.

You are so awesome.