A Hill With A View

 Originally published February 16, 2022 https://www.queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6063-should-america-be-involved-in-ukraine By the time this column is published and read, Russian military forces may have already entered sovereign Ukrainian territory.  This action has been precipitated by months of troop buildups and movements on the border between the two nations, and allegations that the Russian government has been attempting to plant false flag attacks to justify their course of action.  However, should a foreign international war really concern Americans, or is this a conflict the United States should stay out of? It seems like war is imminent. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russians will invade this week. Countries like Britain, Canada, Israel, Australia, and others are recalling their ambassadors. The U.S. is relocating its consulate out of Kyiv. Everyone is expecting Putin to make a move.  Nearly 40% of Americans have no memory of a time where thei

 Originally published February 9, 2022 https://www.queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/6018-new-jersey-to-end-school-mask-mandates-will-new-york-follow In a surprise announcement, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy lifted mask mandates on students and teachers, effective the second week of March.  With this move, the state joins a myriad of Western European countries moving to return to a semblance of normalcy for the first time in two years.  The question that New Yorkers should be asking is: Will Governor Kathy Hochul follow suit? For anyone who has actually followed the science and data related to masking children, this policy reversal should have occurred over a year ago.  It has been well established since the early days of the pandemic that COVID does not affect children as much as it does adults.  In fact, between January 1, 2020 and January 29, 2022, COVID accounted for 1.11% of deaths in children between the ages of 0 and 17.  For adults 65 and older, COVID was the cause of de

 Originally published February 2, 2022 https://www.queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/5969-nys-democrats-circumvent-voters-partisan-gerrymandering-expected The 2020 census posed a difficult challenge for the Democrats in New York.  Years of their policies - both statewide and specifically in New York City - have decimated their population to the point where they have lost eight Congressional seats since 1980, dropping every decade during the apportionment period. Rather than giving the minority Republican voters a chance to have some representation both in Albany and Washington, Democrats are gerrymandering the state to continue their quest to make New York more like California. According to polling website FiveThirtyEight, “Democrats fully control the congressional redistricting process. New maps are drawn by a bipartisan commission made up of citizens, but the Democratic state legislature can modify or reject the commission’s proposals. The final map must be passed by two-thirds

 Originally published January 26, 2022 https://www.queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/5927-republicans-show-country-how-to-govern As Joe Biden circles the drain, both mentally and in his approval ratings, Republican executives are waking up to the fact that conservative governance is actually popular. Biden’s approvals have tanked during his first year not because he failed to deliver on promises he made, but rather because he is keeping those promises. While Democrats have the advantage on the campaign trail, the reality of governing benefits Republicans. Biden came into office with a 55% job approval, approximately 10 points higher than President Trump did when he came into office.  After one year, his average job approval dropped a whopping 14 points, with some polls going as low at 33% approval.  This despite glowing media coverage, which either fawns over Biden’s ability to eat ice cream or ignores his blunders altogether.  Comparatively, Trump’s approval rating stayed at arou

 Originally published January 26, 2022 https://www.queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/5925-schools-no-more-excuses-unmask-our-children In a shocking turn of events, a New York State Supreme Court justice deemed Governor Kathy Hochul’s mask mandate for schools and public areas unconstitutional. This ruling takes away the final excuse that schools have to keep mandating the masking of children, and every parent should immediately demand that masking of their child be a decision made by them, not the school. In the ruling, Justice Thomas Rademaker said, “There can be no question that every person in this State wishes, wants, and prays that this era of COVID ends soon and they will surely do their part to see that this is accomplished. “However, enacting any laws to this end is entrusted solely to the State Legislature. While the intentions of Commissioner Bassett and Governor Hochul appear to be well-aimed squarely at doing what they believe is right to protect the citizens of New Yor

 Originally published January 19, 2021 https://www.queensjewishlink.com/index.php/opinion/5892-who-is-aafia-siddiqui-and-why-do-islamists-want-her-released The big news of the week is the coverage of and reaction to the hostage situation that took place last Shabbos in Colleyville, Texas.  The terrorist who detained four people against their will had only one demand: Release Aafia Siddiqui from prison.  Who is she, and why did this terrorist, and other Muslim terrorist sympathizers, want her released? Known as “Lady Al-Qaeda,” Siddiqui was a Pakistani neuroscientist who studied at MIT.  After 9/11, she moved with her husband and three children back to Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan, so she could provide medical aid to the Taliban, who were embroiled in the conflict with the US.  She later divorced her first husband and remarried the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks.  She was part of a terrorist cell that planned to attack the West. At