𝑰 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝑹𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝑩𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑮𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒈, by Kelley Bless

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, RBG, a tiny Jewish woman who surpassed 99.9% of the population in learning, in law, and in wisdom, was able to work with the opposition, and compromise without compromising democracy.

I miss her!

One has to wonder what she would think about the happenings in various counties of NY and NJ with the establishment of illegal theocratic governments, with the increasing breakdown of the rule of law especially in Rockland and Ocean Counties?

RBG was a champion of equality who despised the type of discrimination, bias and bigotry, that is taking place on a daily basis in these two counties directed against minorities, against women, and against LGBTQ. One can almost hear her applauding the ruling in the ACLU case brought against the East Ramapo School Board and one can almost feel her disgust when it changed nothing and that board continues to loot and pillage while the state winks.

One has to wonder what she would think of lawsuits like Tartikov v Pomona, where the law is being twisted to the benefit of one group of people, and is manipulated to bankrupt a town or village. The Supreme Court of the United States made clear its position when it refused to even hear argument on behalf of Tartikov.

One also has to wonder what she would think of municipalities caving into lawsuit blackmail instead of fighting it? Such attempts are still going on against Pomona even though SCOTUS made it clear Tartikov doesn't have a case yet somehow on it goes. It's also difficult to fathom how ‘for profit’ developers and ‘for profit’ schools can suddenly become "religious organizations" and file briefs under such laws as RLUIPA.

One also has to wonder what she would think of the likes of Attorneys General James and Grewal caving in to such practices and Governors such as Murphy and now Hochul pandering to the best of their abilities. Even local magistrates cave in as local district attorneys turn a blind eye to the rule of law being turned on it's head or ignored. Local planning boards and their corresponding local governments are slowly falling under the the control of theocratic fear. Theocracy appears to even have its tentacles suffocating the federal Department of Justice under both Barr and Garland.

Five will get you Ten RBG is horrified. What would she do? The picture below says it all - that's what she would do. That's what ALL of us should be doing.

I once saw a youtube video in which one of the "chief rabbis" of Kiryas Joel reviled RBG as "unnatural" and "evil" and as an example of what a woman should NOT be. Why? because she spoke out, because she wasn't a legal sheep who would have lived in a theocratic flock. RBG advocated for democracy over theocratic domination and advocated to preserve the separation of church and state.

I would submit to all of you who read my words that we should follow her example of "stand up and fight". Fight for our rights, for our schools, for our ecosystems, for our economies, for our infrastructures, for our neighborhoods and yes for our freedom to run a lawnmower or a leaf blower on Saturday if we live in Airmont, NY. We could and we should all join our local “Citizens United To Protect Our Neighborhoods” (CUPON) group and support them physically and financially.

The question is: “Will YOU do so?”

To “stand up and fight” means without violence by word or by deed. That is the way RBG fought, without the kind of anger that puts horrible statements into angry people's mouths, without the kind of anger that results in more anger, and thus more ammunition for the local theocracy with their cellphones running at every meeting, not in the hopes of producing harmony, but in the hope of landing an RLUIPA fish.

Standing up and fighting can be done the right way, the smart way, the gentle way, so that improper charges of "anti-semitism" leveled at those who stand and fight are seen as empty abuses of the term. Anti-Semitism charges are wielded as a weapon against the CUPON leaders who are doing nothing but practicing the rights of all legitimate and principled oppositions. CUPON’s work is based on science, on statistics and reality, and yes it can be based also on the piles of garbage that are used deliberately to destroy a neighborhood in Haverstraw and cause forced home sales.

CUPON’s work is based on reality, on the type of proof that is in the visuals. It is the kind of work that generates streams of "antisemitism" froth from the mouths of theocratic fools looking to change the optics of fact.

CUPON’s work is the kind of fight that fuels investigations into malfeasance and fraud, misuse of taxpayer monies, banking and mortgage fraud, welfare and medicaid abuse, practices that promote discrimination and bigotry, violations of building and safety codes to the point where first responders die, elder abuse for profit, home invasions and beatings done to supress and silence opposition, arson used to obtain properties.

𝗥𝗕𝗚 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱. 𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆. 𝗕𝘆 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗢𝗡 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱! Mike Diederich's responsive comments: I do not necessarily agree with everything Ms. Bless writes above. I strongly agree that theocracy is the antithesis of democracy. I recall hearing a Satmar grand rebbe essentially saying it will be "war" if Satmar children are forced to receive secular education. I also applaud the local CUPONs. However, CUPONs are incapable of addressing the root cause of theocracy, nor do they they have a strategy or tools for defending against theocracy. They can fight local skirmishes, and get people attention, but not much more.

What CUPON members who have the interest could do is also join my Serve Rockland Civic Association. The SRCA is intended to discuss and strategize in a non-partisan and non-sectarian fashion how to successfully defend against theocracy in the region.