As far as practicing “all” the commandments, do you eat pork? Do you avoid productive labor from sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday? There are many biblical commandments that Orthodox Jews observe that you ignore.
A truly religious person, as opposed to someone self-righteous, would say that they hoped that they adhered to biblical commandments but that ultimately it’s for God to decide whether or not they successfully met the standards.
Ha! Point taken, Bozoer Rebbe. My original intent–albeit poorly staged, I might contend–was to discuss the general nature of terrorism. You see, I was born in 1987, which makes me barely twenty-one, but I like to think I am aware enough to know that terrorism does not always include loss of life: There is the terror instilled by the act, but if there is loss of life, well, then that’s murder. Highjacking has always been a preferred means to instill terror, but not always did these incidents lead to loss of life. Granted, some were thwarted, thus preventing loss of life, but the end product remained. Terror.
With that, I am disappointed in the messages of fear propagated by the Republican Party. This is a form of instilling terror and it could be concluded that these are acts of terrorism (in the purest form, I suppose; not in the destructive sense with which we have become familiar). Bill Ayers is being labeled a terrorist, but he never murdered anyone (if I have my facts correct). Terror is a psychological (perhaps to include emotional) phenomenon. A terrorist attacks an otherwise stable psyche. This is accomplished by fear (in hyperbole). Where is the line? Can it be crossed by means of propaganda? If so, has it been crossed by political messages that instill fear?
And perhaps both parties are guilty, but my concern is for the Republican message, or loss thereof.
