Daytona Beach police give warning on crowds as Biketoberfest nears – FOX 35 Orlando

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Police prepare for Biketoberfest

The Daytona Beach Police Department is asking visitors to follow guidelines during Biketoberfest activities.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Police in Daytona Beach are warning that crowds are expected in October as two events will roll into town.

Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri made a statement on Tuesday saying thatBiketoberfest will take place on October 15th through 18th, with Trucktoberfest following the next weekend.

"Despite the city commission not issuing event permits due to the coronavirus, were expecting big crowds on both those weekends, especially on beachside," Chief Capri said. "Weve been in close contact with the event organizers to make sure things run smoothly with minimum interruption for everyone, including our residents."

He added that police will also be paying special attention to those in beachside neighborhoodsso that eventgoersdo not use those roads to avoid traffic on main roads like Atlantic Avenue, citing that "large gatherings like these will likely make many people nervous, especially with their potential to become super spreader events."

MORE NEWS:Hurricane Delta makes landfall in Mexico on its way to the U.S.

Chief Capri recommends that people follow CDC guidelines, including social distancing, washinghands, and wearing face masks.

"Thats the same message Im giving to all those who wear the Daytona Beach Police Department badge, especially those working during Biketoberfest and Trucktoberfest. Their safety and the safety of the families and loved ones is a priority and we wont be sending them into large crowds unless its necessary," he said. "You can never be too careful in these kinds of situations. If the President of the United States can get this virus, so can you. Until we have a cure or a vaccine in place, please do what you feel you must to keep yourself and those you love safe."

He ended his statement by wishing that those who attend the upcoming events have a good time and take proper safety precautions, stating that "this virus is no joke and its my hope that everyone takes this as serious as it needs to be."

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Padre Island National Seashore shares photo of ‘mystery creature’ discovered at beach – mySA

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A "mystery creature" found at Padre Island National Seashore has left researchers at the beach a bit confused. They say they can't tell if it's a snake, eel or a combination of both.

On Monday, PINS shared a picture on its Facebook page of the animal a visitor found at its beach. The beach-goer sent a photo to PINS, and at first, researchers stated in the post that they thought the long, skinny creature might be a Texas blind snake, which looks like an earthworm.

"Given all the coastal flooding that has been occurring, we thought this might be a pretty good guess," PINS wrote.

READ ALSO:Blue indigo snake found in Uvalde County bedroom

However, after looking at the picture more, PINS said the body structure of the creature resembled an eel more than a snake, which led the researchers to believe it may have been a snake eel.

Snake eels are known as burrowing eels and often hide in mud or sand to catch their prey, which is typically small fish or crustaceans, PINS wrote. Sometimes, snake eels can mimic the coloring of venomous sea snakes to deter predators, and are often washed ashore by large storms, the post noted.

PINS wrote that its team still doesn't know what the creature is, even after "endlessly researching" eels and snake eels that might live in the Gulf of Mexico on the Texas coast. But, for now, PINS wrote that it is sticking with snake eel.

"What do you think it might be?" PINS asked its Facebook followers.

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre

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Padre Island National Seashore shares photo of 'mystery creature' discovered at beach - mySA

War on Drugs Preview New Live Album With Gripping Rendition of Pain – Rolling Stone

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The War on Drugs shared a searing live rendition of Pain, from their upcoming album, Live Drugs, out November 20th via frontman Adam Granduciels own Super High Quality Records.

The live version of Pain which originally appeared on 2017s A Deeper Understanding exchanges some of the slick studio polish for a bit of immediacy, best captured in the crackling guitar solo and Granduciels clenched-fist vocals: Ive been pulling on a wire, but it just wont break, he sings, Ive been turning up the dial, but I hear no sound/I resist what I cannot change/And I wanna find what cant be found.

Rather than capturing a sole concert, Live Drugs features cuts pulled from over 40 hard drives of recorded War on Drugs shows from across the years. Per a press release, its sequenced to reflect a typical War on Drugs set, while also capturing the way the band has evolved over the years. Along with selections from the War on Drugs four studio albums, Live Drugs will feature a cover of Warren Zevons Accidentally Like a Martyr.

As a band leader, I always want to know where a song can go, Granduciel said in a statement. Even though weve recorded it, mastered it, put it out, and been touring on it, it doesnt mean that we just have to do it the same way forever It feels like its kind of a reset, to be able to put something out thats a really good interpretation of the way we interpret our music live. Even though this recording is from a year of tours, this is really how these six guys evolved as a band from 2014 to 2019.

The press release also noted that War on Drugs are at work on the follow-up to A Deeper Understanding. In August, the band remixed the Rolling Stones Scarlet for the bands Goats Head Soup reissue.

Live DrugsTracklist

1. An Ocean Between the Waves2. Pain3. Strangest Thing4. Red Eyes5. Thinking of a Place6. Buenos Aires Beach7. Accidentally Like a Martyr8. Eyes to the Wind9. Under the Pressure10. In Reverse

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The War On Drugs New Album Highlights Their Live Chops – scenestr

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Three years removed from their last studio album, 2017's Grammy-winning 'A Deeper Understanding', The War On Drugs next record will showcase the band's live chops.

'Live Drugs' is a collection of live renditions the group have collated from more than 40 hard drives across years of touring and multiple releases.

Sequenced to reflect how a typical 70-minute show would flow, the first taste of 'Live Drugs' is 'Pain' from the aforementioned 'A Deeper Understanding'.

"As a band leader, I always want to know where a song can go," Adam Granduciel explains.

"Even though we've recorded it, mastered it, put it out, and been touring on it, it doesn't mean that we just have to do it the same way forever.

"It feels like it's kind of a reset, to be able to put something out that's a really good interpretation of the way we interpret our music live.

"Even though this recording is from a year of tours, this is really how these six guys evolved as a band from 2014 to 2019."

The band have also spent the past six months working on their next studio album.

'Live Drugs' is released on 20 November, 2020. Pre-order it.

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The War On Drugs New Album Highlights Their Live Chops - scenestr

When Taking Out The Kingpin Backfires In The War On Drugs [Video] – 2oceansvibe News

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[imagesource: Omar Torres / AFP / Getty Images]

Chances are you recognise that bloke above.

Yes, thats Joaqun El Chapo Guzmn, the one-time leader of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel, who will now spend the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison referred to as the Alcatraz of the Rockies.

Arresting baddies is a good thing, but there are repercussions to removing the kingpin atop a massive crime operation.

For the residents ofCuliacn, a city of about 800 000 in northwestern Mexico, its been a rocky few years. The city serves as the headquarters of the Sinaloa Cartel, and the last few months have been more violent than ever.

In a recent segment for VICEs The War on Drugs series, the strategy of kingpin removal is under the spotlight:

Any attempt to shut down the trade in drugs such as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine or weed invariably sets off a chain of events that just makes things worse, leaving a trail of death, illness, violence, slavery, addiction, crime and inequality across the globe. Everyone loses except, in a weird kind of way, the drugs themselves.

For decades, this war has been defined by the kingpin strategy the idea that you can take out a trafficking gang by killing or imprisoning the boss. The reality? This approach almost invariably leads to more misery and bloodshed, as rival gangs battle it out to fill the power vacuum and an already-volatile drugs trade is plunged deeper into chaos.

As you will see below, its really not as simple as chopping off the head:

[source:vice]

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Fighting remnants of the war on drugs: A look at the National Hemp Associations efforts to break down racist barriers – Hemp Industry Daily

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Published October 5, 2020 | By Kristen Nichols

The legacy of systemic racism and the war on drugs is playing out in todays hemp industry, which remains dominated by white landowners and people with access to large amounts of capital.

The National Hemp Association recently launched a new effort to change that. The groups Standing Committee on Social Equity has gathered business leaders of color in the hemp sector and charged them with finding ways to bring more diversity and inclusion to the industry, and to educate people outside the hemp industry about low-THC cannabis and its role in communities of color.

Mbonu laid out the NHAs action plan including pushing for farmers of color to get the same kind of access to all the things that are supposed to be available to the agricultural community.

He plans to help farmers of color connect with buyers to increase profits and also focus on expanding opportunities in manufacturing and research.

Its not just about being the landowner, Mbonu added.

The group also plans to advocate for removing a federal requirement that drug felons be barred from hemp business ownership for 10 years, a requirement in the 2018 Farm Bill that disproportionately excludes some communities from getting licenses to grow hemp.

Its still hindering the very communities we are trying to uplift, and it makes no sense, Stark said.

To learn more about the National Hemp Associations inclusion plans, check out the exclusive video interview below.

Kristen Nichols can be reached at[emailprotected]

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Fighting remnants of the war on drugs: A look at the National Hemp Associations efforts to break down racist barriers - Hemp Industry Daily

WATSON EVENTS: Bolivia On the Brink: Natural Resources, the War on Drugs, and the Future of Democracy – Andean Information Network

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Bret Gustafson is Associate Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis. Gustafsons work focuses on the anthropology of politics and the political, with a particular interest in Latin American social movements, state transformation, and the politics of development. His research has engaged Indigenous movements in both Bolivia and Guatemala. He is the author of,Bolivia in the Age of Gas,recently published by Duke University Press (September, 2020). In this new book, Gustafson explores how the struggle over natural gas has reshaped Bolivia, along with the rise, and ultimate fall, of the countrys first Indigenous-led government. Though grounded in the unique complexities of Bolivia, the volume argues that fossil-fuel political economies worldwide are central to the reproduction of militarism and racial capitalism. His first book, New Languages of the State: Indigenous Resurgence and the Politics of Knowledge in Bolivia (2009) was also published by Duke University Press. He is the co-editor of, Remapping Bolivia: Resources, Territory and Indigeneity in a Plurinational State (SAR Press, 2011), and Rethinking Intellectuals in Latin America (Vervuert, 2010). He has published in Latin American Perspectives, Anthropological Quarterly, Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology among other peer review scholarly journals.

Kathryn Ledebur is the director of Cochabamba-based policy think-tank, the Andean Information Network (AIN), and a visiting fellow at the University of Reading, UK. She is an expert on international drug policy, human rights, alternative coca and drug control strategies. Ledebur has written extensively for the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA), and published in Stability: International Journal of Security & Development. AIN provides information and analysis to NGO colleagues, the media, and international policymakers on developments in Bolivia and the impact of U.S. government and European policies. Working closely with civil society organizations in Latin America and in the United States, AIN promotes policy dialogue and the development of pragmatic alternatives that address the underlying economic, social, political and cultural needs of Bolivia.

Les Robinson is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History, and Co-President of Brown War Watch.

See more & Register: https://watson.brown.edu/events/2020/bolivia-brink-natural-resources-war-drugs-and-future-democracy

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WATSON EVENTS: Bolivia On the Brink: Natural Resources, the War on Drugs, and the Future of Democracy - Andean Information Network

Pointers From Portugal on Addiction and the Drug War – The New York Times

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Many people point to Portugal as an example for the United States to emulate in dealing with illicit drugs.

But Portugals experience is often misunderstood. Although it decriminalized the use of all illicit drugs in small amounts in 2001, including heroin and cocaine, thats different from making them legal. And it did not decriminalize drug trafficking, which would typically involve larger quantities.

Portugals law removed incarceration, but people caught possessing or using illicit drugs may be penalized by regional panels made up of social workers, medical professionals and drug experts. The panels can refer people to drug treatment programs, hand out fines or impose community service.

A lot of the benefits over the years from Portugals policy shift have come not from decriminalization per se, but in the expansion of substance-use disorder treatment. Such a move might bring the most tangible benefit to the United States.

After decriminalization, the number of people in Portugal receiving drug addiction treatment rose, according to a study by Hannah Laqueur, an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of California, Davis. Moreover, as of 2008, three-quarters of those with opioid use disorder were receiving medication-assisted treatment. Though thats considered the best approach, less than half of Americans who could benefit from medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction receive it.

Most accounts of the Portugal experiment have focused on decriminalization, but decriminalization was part of a broader effort intended to encourage treatment, Professor Laqueur said.

In turn, the country made financial investments in harm reduction and treatment services. Research in the United States shows a dollar spent on treatment saves more than a dollar in crime reduction.

Opioid overdose deaths fell after Portugals policy change. So did new cases of diseases associated with injection drug use, such as hepatitis C and H.I.V. This latter change could also be a result of increases in needle exchange programs in the country. Those programs often meet opposition in the United States, but a cost-effectiveness analysis published in 2014 replicated the research of others in finding that a dollar invested in syringe exchange programs in the United States saves at least six dollars in avoided costs associated with H.I.V. alone.

Harm reduction through needle exchanges and greater treatment availability are among the reasons for the wide disparity in drug overdose deaths between the United States (with a rising and staggering total of nearly 72,000 last year) and European countries like Portugal (which typically has well below 100 such deaths a year). These reflect a different mind-set on addiction; in Portugal, its treated strictly as a disease.

Not everything got better immediately after Portugals shift. One study found an increase in drug experimentation after the law. But this was a transient effect most experimentation did not lead to regular drug use.

Murders increased by 41 percent in the five years after the drug reform law (after which they fell), and drug trafficking grew. These could be related.

Any change in the drug market can bring about violence, said Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. Drug traffickers may have incorrectly understood the Portuguese law as a sign the country was a safe place to expand their business, leading to clashes among them and between them and the police.

One way much of the United States is similar to Portugal is that penalties for cannabis use have fallen. Portugals regional panels typically impose no penalties for cannabis use, the most-used illicit drug in Portugal. In the United States, most states have legalized medical marijuana, and some have legalized it for recreational use.

One consequence of ending incarceration as a penalty in Portugal is that prison overcrowding decreased. The same would be expected to occur in the United States.

Its important to note that we dont know what would have happened in Portugal had the 2001 drug reforms not occurred, so findings should be taken with a grain of salt. Some of the observed changes could result from trends predating the change in laws. For example, even before the 2001 law, those convicted of drug use were typically fined, not incarcerated. In each of the eight years before the 2001 law, the number of people incarcerated for drug use was no higher than 42 and was as low as four. (Portugals population is roughly that of the Chicago metro area, about 10 million.)

From the war on drugs to todays marijuana legalization, U.S. drug laws and attitudes have grown more relaxed over the decades. But whether the United States could see the same benefits as Portugal if it went further and followed the path of decriminalization is less clear. In drug policy, there are many trade-offs. Though we may not have strong evidence that drug decriminalization alone is widely beneficial, we also lack compelling evidence of benefits from criminalizing drug use, which costs the United States billions of dollars annually, much of it because of incarceration.

Using those funds to treat people, instead of incarcerate them, could go a long way to addressing the harms of illicit drug use in the U.S., Professor Humphreys said.

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How Will You Talk to Your Kids About Drug Safety? – Filter

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If you are a parent, or hope to be someday, youve likely considered how you will teach your children about drugs. If you grew uplike I didin a home that taught abstinence only, and went to a school that taught the DARE program, you know that what you were told and what you learned on your own are very different.

Having the wrong information about drugs can be annoying at best and deadly at worst. Imagine a child who is told to just say no to heroin and benzodiazepines. What would happen if this child one day found themself at a party, being offered Percocet and Xanax by friends? How would they know that combining these two drugs heightens the risk of a fatal overdose?

Jen Sarduy considered such risks after seeing problematic drug use in her family and community growing up. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, she now works as the communications manager for the National Harm Reduction Coalition. As a mother of three children aged 6, 8 and 13, she is having constant conversations with them about drugs, safety and harm reduction.

I became a parent very young, and I knew I wanted to parent my children in a way that was more open than how I grew up, she told Filter. I knew when my parents were lying to me and it left gaps. I wanted to create more space with my kids about what a conversation on drugs could look like.

Sarduys children often ask her questions about drug users they see in the media and on television. For her, these are opportunities to talk about the negative ways society perceives people who use drugs.

Its important for us to combat representations first, she said. These conversations in our home usually start with our kids seeing a portrayal of someone on the news thats inaccurate or stigmatizing, so we have to explain whats wrong with that.

Conversations in our lives stem from questions like, Why was this person adopted? So we have to talk about how the War on Drugs took that child away from their family, she continued. Its all tied up in how the world works.

Working directly with people who inject drugs, homeless people and formerly incarcerated people, Sarduy has plenty of opportunities to educate her children about the ways in which these groups are discriminated against. Kids learn from us, she said. We just talk to people like people. We model how we can offer support instead of stigma.

It just made me look elsewhere, to my peerswho were also not well educated about drugs.

The need to help parents communicate better about drugs inspired Angela Rabbitt to co-create a webinar series, titled: How To Have The Drug Talk. She is a social worker with experience in harm reduction, and also the mother of a 10-year-old child.

I knew that my parents had experimented with drugs, so I thought they were very hypocritical, she told Filter. My dad was very anti-marijuana and didnt talk about anything with us. That, combined with my school education on drugs, made me mistrustful of what I was told. It just made me look elsewhere, to my peerswho were also not well educated about drugs.

Her weekly webinar series focuses on addiction and overdose prevention for families. Rabbitt is already having conversations with her daughter about drugsthough she hopes it will be several more years before she starts experimenting.

Our culture sees drugs and sex as inherently bad and taboo, but Id rather present her with facts, Rabbitt said. We talk about what different drugs are and their effects, and opioid overdose and how that works. My daughter also doesnt get easily afraid of things.

What helps me is having an air of curiosity and non-judgement, and allowing her to ask questions. And being honest and willing to answer all her questionsunlike for many parents, where the response is, All Im going to say about drugs is theyre bad.'

For some parents, personal tragedy has pushed them to want to teach other parents. Carol Katz Beyer, a mother from New Jersey, lost two of her sons to fentanyl-involved overdose in their late 20s. Through her advocacy with Families for Sensible Drug Policy, she now helps share information about safer drug use while advocating to end the War on Drugs. On October 2, her organization debuted a virtual Family Drug Support Listening Session for caregivers to share knowledge and experience.

Unfortunately my approach to drugs was very different from what they were taught in schools and in rehab, Katz Beyer told Filter. My sons were labeled as powerless and addicts, and I dont see any other health condition being treated in that way. She urges parents to see problematic drug use as health problem rather than a moral issue, and to approach it with love and support.

Of course, parents arent raising their children in a vacuum. Kids will grow up receiving conflicting and confusing information about drugsfrom their teachers, from the media, from popular culture and their peers.

Rabbit acknowledges the challenges this adds to parenting. I assume my daughters drug education in school will be quite inaccurate, she said. But I hope she is the one who can talk to her friends and share her knowledge in class. Thats why I focus on giving her the right information, so she can then help others.

Katz Beyer stresses that even with all the right information and education, living within the drug war inherently creates risks for people using drugs. She experienced this firsthand when her son Bryan went through the addiction treatment system in Florida. He was prescribed Suboxone by a doctor to taper his heroin use.

But when he went to a sober living facility, he was banned from using Suboxone. Children who likely are only experimenting with drugs are being funneled into abstinence-only programs, she said. Stopping use and then returning to use, especially if fentanyl is involved, can lead to a fatal overdose.

We know that risk-taking is part of their wonder years. But when you feel like youre being judged, often you wont express what you need.

She encourages parents to approach their childrens drug use within the context of comparable behaviors. We tell our children to eat right, and wear a helmet when they ride their bike. We know that risk-taking is part of their wonder years. But when you feel like youre being judged, often you wont express what you need.

Rabbitt echoed this. Telling your children they cant do something just pushes them to do it secretly. Let your child know they can call you if theyre in trouble, without punishing them.

And if your child shows signs of problematic use, she suggests using questions to help them discover whether their behavior aligns with their own values and goals.

Have a conversation with your kid about their drinking or drug use, she said. If your goal is to go to college but youre not getting good grades, how is your use impacting that? How is it affecting your safety and those around you? That can help kids see if their behavior is getting in their own way.

Sarduy emphasized personal autonomy and consent when having the drug talk. Shemakes sure her own kids are well-versed in the harm reduction techniques in which she specializes. They are each trained in naloxone administration and how to spot an overdose, and are familiar with syringe issues and HIV tests.

Avoiding hypocrisy is important to her. I try not to set boundaries that are not for my own body, she said. So we talk about world traditions and how people use substances, and legality. We want to equip our child to make an informed decision, and not make choices that make them unsafe when they want to experiment.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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The war on pot isnt over, just ask this doctor arrested for his research – The Real News Network

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This is a rush transcript

Taya Graham: Hello. My name is Taya Graham and welcome to the Police Accountability Report. Just a reminder, this show has a single purpose, holding the politically powerful institution of policing accountable. And to do so, we dont just focus on the bad behavior of individual cops. Instead, we examine and expose the underlying system that makes bad policing possible, and it is that system that will be the topic of our show today. Because while we can all see stark examples of police brutality and law enforcement overreach, the acts themselves are often the result of a long causality chain of injustice. Case in point is this countrys war on drugs, and by now we all know the story. The Nixon administration, eager to reassert the power of policing after a decade of social unrest, created the DEA in 1973, declaring an all out global war on drugs. Since then, the DEA has grown in power and influence spending roughly $2.8 billion in 2019 on drug interdiction and investigation.

Remember, almost every administration has increased DEA funding and ratcheted up the initial war on drugs into a wholesale assault on civil liberties and social equity that has redefined this country. But the reason Im raising this topic today is because of a story. A story about one mans battle in the so-called war and how this ruined his exemplary reputation as a cardiac surgeon and how he lost 18 months of his life in jail, and what this says about the true purpose of this battle over the right to alter our own minds. Its a personal struggle that not only reveals how costly drug enforcement has been, but also reveals a deeper truism that the war on drugs is not just an assault on the poor, the disenfranchised, and the political efficacy of the 99%, but is also in many ways rooted in a war over our minds and the profit that comes with waging it.

Well, what do I mean? Well, consider one of the oddest targets of the nations drug warriors, marijuana. This medicinal plant has been touted as a treatment for afflictions as disparate as epilepsy, to nausea as a result of chemotherapy. It is a known therapeutic for pain and a proven tonic for anxiety and stress. All of these benefits from a purely organic substance that seems perfectly suited to soothe the human body. But as many of you know, the DEA classifies it as a Schedule 1 drug. Well, what does that mean? That it has no therapeutic value, is highly addictive and dangerous. In short, it is one of the most dangerous substances available. Its a classification reserved for drugs like heroin and methamphetamine. So how did a plant that is now being prescribed by doctors in dozens of States across the country, end up with such a perilous classification? And why, even after its been legalized in 11 States as well as Washington DC, why does it still remain on list?

Thats where the story of this show begins. Its a tale of a man, a doctor no less, who understood how destructive the approach to marijuana was. In fact, he was so convinced the science proved pot was almost a magic elixir for the human body, that he staked his career on it and paid the price. But before we get to his story, I want to go to my reporting partner Stephen Janis, who has a breaking update on the state of pot in this country and the political fight to legalize it. Stephen, thank you so much for joining me.

Stephen Janis: Taya, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Taya Graham: First, before I ask you about marijuana legalization, I want to get an update about our topics last week, the use of ketamine by law enforcement. We had talked about the case of a Colorado councilwoman, Anita Springsteen, about the arrest of her boyfriend, who was later dosed with ketamine. You reached out to Colorado authorities about the use of it while arrested and obtained some startling figures. Can you talk about it?

Stephen Janis: Well, I know, as we mentioned in the last show, there were 902 uses of ketamine over the past two years and 163 incidents where there was a problem which arose, and this paper I got here gives us some details on that. We had dozens and dozens of cases of hypoxia as a result of ketamine, which means you have a low blood oxygen level, which of course is something that afflicts people with COVID. We also had a lot of cases of apnea, meaning interruption of breathing. So thats 16% of the cases. That means a lot of times, people who were administered ketamine are experiencing adverse reactions to the drug. So only raises more questions about why its being used so widely.

Taya Graham: Now, just a few weeks ago, Congress reached a critical juncture on pot legalization. What happened, or more accurately, what didnt happen?

Stephen Janis: Well, it was called the MORE act, Marijuana Opportunity Re-investment and Expungement Act, and it was supposed to basically take marijuana and take it off of that horrible Schedule 1 where its basically classified as a most dangerous drug, a drug with no medicinal purposes. But what happened was that Congress decided it couldnt vote on it during the COVID crisis because it hadnt voted on any sort of extension of COVID aid or unemployment aid. So what it means is that all this so-called or hopeful reforms arent going to take place. It was a big blow, I think, for marijuana reform activists and what was seen as being a big first step. One of the things that the Act would do would give an incentive to States to expunge marijuana arrests. It would also have helped veterans get access to legal marijuana, because right now, because of the federal law, veterans are not allowed access to marijuana in many cases, because federal law conflicts with local law. So its a big step backwards.

Taya Graham: So what are the chances now that this passes at all? Whats at stake?

Stephen Janis: Everything is going to hinge upon the election. If Republicans continue to have control over the Senate, theres no way this bill passes. If indeed Democrats take over, there is a slight chance it will pass. I think it will pass a House, but its really up in the air. And especially if Republicans are in charge, there is no way this bill passes the Senate.

Taya Graham: As Stephens reporting points out, there is significant federal resistance to legalizing a plant that has many beneficial uses. But to get into the deeper reason why the resistance is so fierce, Im joined now by a man whose story exemplifies the deeper, more insidious reasons the drug war is still being waged across this country. His name is Dr. David Allen and he spent 18 months in jail for allegedly growing marijuana on his Missouri farm. But Ill let him tell the full story. Dr. Allen, thank you so much for joining me.

Dr. David Allen: Thank you for having me Taya.

Taya Graham: So Dr. Allen, tell me, why did police start investigating you?

Dr. David Allen: Thats hard to answer. Its because of enemies that I had that gave them false information that caused them to attack me. And the fact that I have this beautiful property, its 48 acres and its got about 30 acres of waters, like one big lake and three small ponds, and its fresh water, and its very valuable, and its close to the city. The drug task force had aerial photographs of my property with circles and arrows drawn on it where they were going to have the scuba diving training and where they were going to have the rifle range. So, the property is quite valuable. And the truth is if you own property in the United States, it kind of makes you a target.

Taya Graham: So what was the pretext they used to conduct this raid? We know that police departments benefit from asset forfeiture.

Dr. David Allen: They did a trash haul, and they said that they found some seeds, the stems, and a High Times magazine and thats what justified and some grow stuff like some fertilizer bags or something. And they said that that was what justified the search. The application for the warrant said that a anonymous person had called and said that they had seen illegal activity on the premises, or a friend of theirs has seen illegal activity on the premises. So it wasnt the person that actually called. They said that the person that called anonymously, they knew somebody that So there was a second hand report to begin with.

Taya Graham: What was the raid like and what happened?

Dr. David Allen: I was in California when the raid happened. They came in on my birthday to do the trash raid and the following day is when they made the raid. They came in and I have a building, a metal building off to the side, and there was a room in there that had some lights and air conditioning equipment and stuff in there, but it was being used for storage in there. So there was like big stereo speakers in there, and there was nothing in there. There was no water, no soil, no seeds, nothing in there, just some lights. And when the police came in there, they took photographs of all the stuff that looked like grow stuff, but they didnt take any photographs of the floor, which had all the storage stuff in there. So they deliberately tried to alter the evidence. But there was no heating in the building and the temperature was in February, so the temperature was like 35. And so there was no way you could even grow at that time of year.

Taya Graham: Then you ended up in prison for 18 months. Why did they hold you so long before trial?

Dr. David Allen: I was a prize for these people because I was a highly educated doctor that they were able to target, and they put a big sign up on the gate of this property, This property seized by police for drug use, or whatever. During the raid, they actually took a bunch of stuff out of the building, put it in the middle of the yard and burned it, just like the KKK would. This is all about money and it has to do with The drug task force are funded by a thing called the Byrne Grant. And the Byrne Grant was a bunch of anti-pot people got together and put some money together, and if you wanted to start a drug task force, what you did was you applied for the Byrne Grant. It gave you money for salaries for officers, but not for equipment or operating expenses.

So what happened, Sheriffs would hire a lawyer, start a company, give it a name, hire a head of the drug task force, hire a bunch of officers, and then they go out and raid people and they get to seize the property before you go to trial. And you have 30 days after they seize the property. If you dont answer that youre going to fight it, they got the property. So fortunately I was able to, after they seized this property, I was able to file that paperwork which delayed them from taking full possession of the property. So they had the property in their hands for three years. I was acquitted by jury nullification, so basically I was saved by jury nullification.

Taya Graham: So a reporter came and spoke to you. What happened then?

Dr. David Allen: I had written WLOX because WLOX had printed some photographs of a marijuana grow from an unrelated bust, and they were given to WLOX by the drug task force. So the drug task force gave WLOX false information, which they published, and is no longer available on the internet. If you try to look up the story on the internet, its scrubbed, you cant even find it anymore.

Taya Graham: What are some of the benefits of cannabis that youve discovered? How does it help people?

Dr. David Allen: People dont understand this is the infancy of this science. We havent discovered all the stuff were going to discover about this science, because this science has been inhibited by law. Its the only science that you can name thats been inhibited by laws preventing scientists from studying this. You can study chemical warfare stuff. You can study atomic stuff. You can study chemotherapeutic agents. Theres nothing you cant study, explosives, you cant study the endocannabinoid signaling system because its a Schedule 1 which means its not safe under doctors supervision.

So a medicine thats never killed anybody, and is proven to stop seizures, to stop cancers, to affect all kinds of people in a medicinal way, is illegal. And this is a war that were in. Its a drug war. And in all wars, theres rules of the war. So if you break the rules of the war, its war crimes. And certainly, if people are profiting from putting people in jail over marijuana, when they actually know that it could save peoples lives, then that is a war crime.

Taya Graham: I think its important to parse out the many layers of Dr. Allens story. A heart surgeon and a man who saved lives, carted off to jail for his work in researching and cultivating a drug that appears to have numerous healing qualities. A man who has dedicated his life to serving and helping others through science accused of numerous crimes. And just as troubling, had his property confiscated. Its a series of events that, as we promised at the beginning of the show, reveals the dark underbelly of the drug war, but raises an even more significant question about the entire premise of the so-called justice system, which took both his property and his freedom. Its telling because the system which incarcerated Allen was waging a battle against the disease that has little to do with public safety, or even the slightest notion of a crime. Instead, the actions authorities took against him were squarely aimed at using the psychoactive properties of a plant to confiscate the liberty and property of someone who defied the notion that either were subject to government control.

Lets remember that the science Dr. Allen pursued studying marijuana makes the case that the plant itself is far from harmful. In fact, just the opposite is true. But as Dr. Allen points out, the only real liability is that marijuana can be grown freely and consumed freely, which makes it less useful to a society accustomed to profiting immensely from sickness. And as he makes clear, a widely available plant that can not be patented and sucked into the nations pharmacological industrial complex. And its a threat to the very system of profiting off disease itself. And its interesting to note how authorities enable such an irrational approach. Pot is illegal for the feds, not because its proven to be harmful, but because it alters the mind. It is the psychology of the drug that makes it dangerous, at least in theory. And it is the fear that mainstream media and propaganda is based on that sense of mind altering that they use to stoke the drug war that makes arrests like Dr. Allens even possible.

This is why we told Dr. Allens story, why we emphasize the true character of the drug war, as it is revealed through the war on weed. As weve discussed on the show before, American policing is often far field from conducting investigations or solving crimes. This is particularly true in poor communities and in communities of color where the war on drugs has exacted the heaviest toll. Instead, law enforcement is often focused on what we have called its hegemonic capabilities. That is its ability to intercede on behalf of power to reinforce social and racial inequities. To reduce, as we said before, the political efficacy of working class people. And what Dr. Allens case illustrates is how this idea works. How much American policing is confiscating property, limiting basic freedoms, and patrolling our minds as well as our bodies. Its a cautionary tale we ignore at our peril. A story of the true toll of the war on drugs and the growth of law enforcement that we cant ignore lest we all get caught in its web.

Id like to thank Stephen Janis for his reporting, editing, and research on this piece. Stephen, thank you so much for your help.

Stephen Janis: Taya, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Taya Graham: And Id like to thank Dr. Allen for sharing his journey with us and for his expertise. Thank you, Dr. Allen.

Dr. David Allen: God bless.

Taya Graham: And of course, Id be remiss if I didnt thank friend of the show, Noli Dee. Thanks, Noli Dee. And I want you to know that if you have evidence of police misconduct or brutality, please email us and we might be able to investigate. Please email us. You can do so at partips@therealnews.com. And of course you can message me directly @TayasBaltimore on Facebook or Twitter. And please like, comment, and share. You know I read your comments, like them and appreciate them, and I try to answer your questions whenever I can.

My name is Taya Graham, and I am your host of the Police Accountability Report. Please, be safe out there.

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The war on pot isnt over, just ask this doctor arrested for his research - The Real News Network

Editorial: McElhaney in Oakland; Murphy in Pinole – Bay Area Reporter, America’s highest circulation LGBT newspaper

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Our final endorsements are for the District 3 Oakland City Council race and one of the City Council seats in Pinole. In Oakland, Councilwoman Lynette McElhaney, an ally, is seeking reelection, while in Pinole, gay resident Devin Murphy will become the second out person elected to the City Council, as only two candidates are running for two seats. His name, however, will appear on the ballot (unlike some other unopposed candidates whose names will not.) For Oaklanders in D3, we recommend McElhaney; in Pinole, voters should elect Murphy.

OaklandLynette McElhaney has been a strong ally on the council and is seeking a third term. She has been an effective councilmember, working to establish the city's police commission and co-authoring the Protect Oakland Renters Act, which was approved by voters in 2016. Her district includes West Oakland, the Jack London Square neighborhood, downtown, and Uptown.

In responses to our candidate questionnaire, McElhaney wrote that she supported redirecting police department funds "to invest in people." In June, she was among the City Council members who voted to cut $14.6 million from the Oakland Police Department's budget. For some, that doesn't go far enough, but McElhaney pointed out that the city needs to change from its "War on Drugs financial model that has made cities more dangerous and all but destroyed families. ... As we look to reclaim funds, we must begin to look at phases for funding, allowing for growth in human-centered budgeting that will strengthen over time," she wrote. She calls for funding a social worker model for mental health crisis response and a support system for families to interrupt the syndrome of intimate partner/domestic violence and child abuse.

On housing, McElhaney supports middle-income housing programs, such as subsidies for first-time home buyers, which she stated allows low- and moderate-income families to build stability; tax rebates for landlords that rent to moderate-income families without a subsidy, thus rewarding tenure; and expanding accessory dwelling units. She supports building housing on or near BART property, which is happening in Oakland, particularly mixed income housing and subsidized units in every census tract. During the pandemic, McElhaney wants to see statewide rent relief; Oakland already passed an eviction moratorium for those affected by COVID.

She would like to see more representation by lower income people on city boards and commissions, including Black, Brown, and LGBTQ residents. To encourage that, she has suggested removing transportation barriers by permitting virtual participation (something that is happening for all meetings now because of the pandemic); and perhaps holding some commission meetings on weekends since many BIPOC work at night. She would also like to expand mentorship, apprenticeship, and internship opportunities so that people can increase their participation in civic affairs. McElhaney would like to fund and expand the city's Department of Race and Equity to provide training on inclusion in outreach efforts.

As we recently reported in an interview with McElhaney, her queer son, Victor, was killed in a shooting in Los Angeles last year, and she began speaking publicly about his life last month.

Overall, McElhaney brings her life experience to the City Council, where she has been a productive member. To help small businesses, she wrote that she led the effort to rush $25 million in federal CARES COVID funds to support them, along with arts and rental relief. "Our goal is to keep Oaklanders in business and home as we ride out the recession," she wrote.

McElhaney has accomplished much on the City Council; voters should reelect her to continue her work.

Pinole City Council candidate Devin Murphy. Photo: Courtesy the candidate

PinoleVoters in the East Bay city almost certainly will elect Devin Murphy to one of two City Council seats, as there are only two candidates on the ballot. He answered our candidate questionnaire with the goal of producing a higher vote total to demonstrate the strength of his support. A gay man and planning commissioner in the city, Murphy is also the first Black person to lead the Lambda Democratic Club of Contra Costa County, which was instrumental this year in moving various cities and towns in the East Bay to fly the Pride flag in June.

Murphy founded Visit Pinole, a campaign to support economic growth and vitality of small businesses there. He also served as an appointee of the City Council and West Contra Costa Unified School District to the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee where he was responsible for overseeing $1.6 billion in funding from voter-approved bond measures. In short, he has experience in local government that should serve him well on the council.

On policing, Murphy wrote that defunding the police means reallocating or redirecting money from the police department to other local government agencies that "create tangible community solutions to some of our deepest public safety issues, including homelessness, neighborhood violence, and mental illness." Toward that end, Murphy wants to reinvest in parks and trails, youth programs, fire safety, and full funding for the arts and recreation.

He supports constructing housing near BART, and wrote that East Bay cities, including Pinole, "must steer toward the direction of affordable transit-oriented housing." That also includes along San Pablo Avenue, which is a main route for Western Contra Costa County buses.

Murphy wants to make local government responsive to constituents and proposes to equip residents with open access to the city through online forms and using social media to inform them of news and important updates. Greater access and involvement could increase diversity and participation on city panels, he contends.

In short, Murphy has experience working in local government, and has a vision for the council.

Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going in these tough times. To support local, independent, LGBTQ journalism, consider becoming a BAR member.

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Editorial: McElhaney in Oakland; Murphy in Pinole - Bay Area Reporter, America's highest circulation LGBT newspaper

From the Rubble of Atlases, a Colossus Will Rise – The New York Times

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The Temple of the Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion, was built using Carthaginian slave labor presumably prisoners of war captured in the Battle of Himera. The dimensions were roughly the same as an American football field and its end zones: 340 feet long and 160 feet wide, and rose to a height of 120 feet, not including the foundation.

Evidently, the work was never completed. When Carthage conquered Akragas in 405 B.C. after an eight-month siege, the temple was still open to the sky, perhaps owing to the difficulty of building a roof to span the distance.

In detailing the enormity of the Olympieions scale, Diodorus wrote that the fluting of the outer columns was big enough for a man to stand inside. Unlike most pillars of the period, the temples were not free-standing but demi-columns, 23 by 46 feet, engaged in a continuous curtain wall to support the weight of horizontal architectural detailing that composes the entablature. If the scale model in the museum is to be believed, the Atlases stood on a recessed ledge in the upper portions of the bays, hands stretched above their heads.

The Olympieions unstately pile is the result of two millenniums of earthquakes and pilfering. During the mid-1700s, stonework was quarried and hauled away for use in breakwaters and jetties at the nearby town of Porto Empedocle.

The concept of the project has been criticized for violating professional standards and, perhaps, good taste. No archaeologist would endorse the use of ancient sculpture, no matter how fragmentary, to create a modern sculpture, even if the purpose is to highlight the sites antiquity, said C. Brian Rose, an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Nowadays, a copy of the museums Atlas, cobbled together in the 1970s, lounges near the rubble, roped off from the public. Many visitors believe the Atlas on the ground is authentic, said Leonardo Guarnieri, a park spokesman, with a shrug worthy of Ayn Rand. It is not authentic.

He added that the hands of the new golem Atlas would be unencumbered. That ought to take a load off his shoulders.

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From the Rubble of Atlases, a Colossus Will Rise - The New York Times

Lincoln man condemns use of his viral speech on chicken wings by alt-right group | Local Government – The Union Journal

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But Christensen disputed that.

There was no coded message, he said. There was no secret language in there.

Watch now: Saucy nugs hero takes the floor again, this time interrupting Scott Frost

He meant the speech to be taken as a joke, one that he initially conceived of in May but held off on delivering because of the number of people this summer who were bringing serious issues before the council, he said.

Christensen, whose father Roy Christensen is a councilman, said he knows many on the council personally and wanted his joke to bring levity to the Aug. 31 meeting, which he thought had a mostly benign agenda.

As for this issue, Ander Christensen contemplated how to react to news of the Proud Boys rally.

If we give too much credence to the people who want to spread hate and want to spread bigotry, they take those things (jokes and laughter) away from us, Christensen said.

Since going viral, Christensen said hes sought to fan the fame flowing from his speech to help put the

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Lincoln man condemns use of his viral speech on chicken wings by alt-right group | Local Government - The Union Journal

George Christensen Just Confessed To Owning That Facebook Account Following Conspiracy And Extremist Pages – Gizmodo Australia

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Australian politician George Christensen confirmed that he has been following Facebook Pages that promote the QAnon conspiracy theory, calls for the separation of races, and call COVID-19 a hoax.

On Friday, Gizmodo reported that a George Christensen Facebook account linked to the Federal Member for Dawson was following a wide array of Facebook pages posting fringe and extreme content.

Neither the MP or his office responded to multiple requests for comments about whether the account belonged to him or whether they disavowed the views promoted by the Pages.

But in a little-noticed interview streamed on YouTube the day before, Christensen admitted that the now-deleted Facebook account does indeed belong to him.

On October 1, a YouTube channel belonging to the Unshackled, an Australian alt-right website thats hosted interviews with conspiracy theorists and a Neo-Nazi, posted an hour-long interview between host Tim Wilms and Christensen.

After being introduced, Christensen jokes that he has to go through a checklist since a journalist found that I liked the Unshackled Facebook Page.

Christensen falsely claims that Gizmodo accused Wilms of being a neo-Nazi, which he denies. Wilms also denies spreading conspiracy theories, despite having repeatedly interviewed QAnon believers and COVID-19 denalists.

When Christensen asks whether Wilms owns a funny shirt about Pinochet a shirt that says the dictator who executed his political opponents did nothing wrong, a common alt-right meme Wilms confirms that he does. Christensen replies 3 out of 4, thats fine. We can go on.

Even though Christensen has confirmed that the George Christensen account does belong to him, that does not mean that Christensen shares the views of these Pages or that it has influenced his positions as a member of Parliament. Nor is there any evidence that Christensen engaged with any of the Pages content, other than liking the Pages in the first place.

It is also not clear whether these Pages were known for posting that kind of content at the time that Christensen like them, or whether the focus of the Page has changed since then.

But the account provides rare insight into the content that one of the loudest voices in Parliament may be seeing in his News Feed.

Christensens office has been contacted for comment.

A longer transcript of Christensens interview with Wilms can be found below:

CHRISTENSEN: Thank you and before we begin Tim, as you know some two-bit journalist found that I liked the Unshackled Facebook Page and accused you of being Neo-Nazis. So I have to do this checklist. Are you a neo-nazi?WILMS: No.CHRISTENSEN: Are you a racist?WILMS: No.CHRISTENSEN: Do you spread conspiracy theories?WILMS: No.CHRISTENSEN: Ok, no thats fine. But you did wear some funny shirt about Pinochet?WILMS: Yes, yes, I did. I do have that t-shirt.CHRISTENSEN: 3 out of 4, thats fine. We can go on. We can continue the conversation because I can now not be whats the word- guilty by association.

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George Christensen Just Confessed To Owning That Facebook Account Following Conspiracy And Extremist Pages - Gizmodo Australia

Uncle Sam: Trump has COVID-19, and that’s not good – The Post

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Early in the morning of Oct. 2, President Donald Trump tweeted that he and the first lady both tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, weve learned hes experiencing mild symptoms.

For many leftists, this may seem like karma. Indeed, Trump has abetted if not spearheaded many of the virus denialism and general aimlessness that has characterized this countrys response to the pandemic. He told us the virus would be gone by Easter, he refused to wear a mask until more than 100,000 Americans died and he even poked fun at Joe Biden for wearing a mask during the first presidential debate. On top of that, Trump has become the third far-right world leader to contract the virus, after the UKs Boris Johnson and then Brazils Jair Bolsonaro.

For many leftists, Trump catching the virus is a long-awaited iteration of poetic justice Its Trumps alt-right, pro-corporate, anti-science mentality coming back to bite him. And maybe it is. Many have already made a strong case that Trump has blood on his hands for how poorly he responded to the pandemic. So maybe, individually, Trump is getting what he deserves.

However, Trump is the president, and the effects of him having COVID-19, whatever they may be, influence things well beyond him as an individual. They will affect the nation as a whole. And whatever the outcome of his battle with the virus may be, the effects will not be good. This is the most imminent danger a sitting US president has been in since the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan 39 years ago. The implications of that are significant, and there are three potential outcomes that we should explore in more detail: that Trump overcomes the virus with no lasting effects, that Trump succumbs to the virus or that Trump survives but with long-term complications.

If Trump survives with no issues, he will likely take it as a divine mandate to double down on his insidious agenda. To understand what I mean here, consider what happened to Reagan after he survived an assassination attempt in 1981. Reagan saw his survival as a mandate from God. His ratings soared, and he used the momentum to intensify his efforts toward his initiatives. Trump, who already thinks he is the chosen one, would use his overcoming of the virus to his advantage, taking it as a full steam ahead signal from above.

He could also use his own survival to double down on his reckless handling of the virus. Its not hard to imagine him saying, I survived. I was fine. Now we can reopen the country. In other words, he would take his experience of survival and extrapolate it to everyone else. Trump surviving with no consequences would mean that we may find ourselves with an intensified version of what we already have. That would be dangerous.

Of course, I am not saying that the second alternative is better. Trump, being a 74-year-old male, obese and elderly, is in an extremely high-risk group, so, while sobering, we must consider the potential implications of his passing. First, no matter how evil and incompetent he may be, I do not wish that he dies. I do not wish for anyone to die. But, more concretely than such wishy-washy moral arguments, there is a practical case to be made for why it would not be good. If Trump were to succumb to COVID-19, imagine his supporters: they would be livid. Once again, it is not hard to imagine them speculating that he was poisoned by the radical left. Such skepticism, anger and sorrow about his death among his most fervent supporters (of which there are many) could very easily lead to civil unrest.

Furthermore, consider who would take Trumps place: Vice President Mike Pence. President Pence, many would say, could be even worse than President Trump. Beyond that, we cannot pretend that the significant presence of right-wing movements in this country will be over when Trump and Pence leave, whether by election or otherwise. The alt-right is here to stay, at least for the time being. Wishing for the death of Trump is both morally questionable and ignorant of the deeper trends he is a symptom of.

The final possibility that Trump survives but with significant lasting side effects would likely include some combination of outcomes from the previous two. He may still have a sense of divine support, but his supporters would still be enraged about his incapacitation. If the lasting effects of the virus were very severe, he may only be in office as a figurehead, much as what happened to President Woodrow Wilson after his stroke in 1919.

At this point, after all the doom and gloom, it is worth considering that Trump may have a change of heart: after experiencing the virus himself, maybe he will begin to take it more seriously and change course toward more pragmatic pandemic responses. But, given what we know about Trump and his headstrong nature, this optimistic possibility seems unlikely.

Ultimately, while the temptation for leftists to say, Told ya so, to Trump and his crew is understandable, there are not many positive outcomes to Trump having COVID-19. In fact, Trumps contracting the virus could prove to be incredibly dangerous for this country in many ways, ranging from right-wingers finding righteousness in Trumps survival to civil unrest over his death. So, before leftists excitedly proclaim that justice has been served, they must consider the nuanced realities of the situation. Yes, there is sweet irony here, but it could be bad news for us all.

Sam Smith is a rising senior studying geography at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Sam know by tweeting him @sambobsmith_.

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Uncle Sam: Trump has COVID-19, and that's not good - The Post

JUF News | Less-than-perfect? Perfectly fine: The lesson of the three-walled sukkah – Jewish United Fund

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Every year, my synagogue builds a magnificent sukkah, four walls of wood, greenery galore for its roof, and enough space to seat 150 people or more. But not this year.

Because due to the concerns of COVID and the need to provide for greater air circulation, this year, we've decided to build a sukkah of just three walls, to leave one side wide open so that those who sit in our sukkah will be safer.

But is a three-walled sukkah "kosher?"

According to the Code of Jewish Law (OC630:2), not only is a three-walled sukkah kosher, but even a two-walled sukkah with just a portion of a third wall is perfectly fit. Of course, that is, as long as the roof, with its greenery (schach), still offers more shade than sunlight.

How can that be? Would just three cups of wine on Passover be enough? Would three fringes on a tallitbe sufficient? Of course not! So why would three walls be perfectly good-even by the strictest of standards?

According to the Jerusalem Talmud (Sukkah 1:1), the answer is found in verse from Isaiah (4:6), which describes three functions of a sukkah, ergo the three walls. This is also the position of the rabbis in the Babylonian Talmud (Sukkah 6b).

But there may be another reason why a missing wall is not a problem, one which harks back to a Talmudic debate over the reason for this holiday. According to the second-century sage, Rabbi Eliezer, we observe Sukkot as a remembrance of the "clouds of glory" which escorted and protected the Jews through their 40 years of wandering. On the other hand, the famous Rabbi Akiva said that we observe Sukkot to commemorate the huts the Jews lived in during their years in the desert (Sukkah 11b).

Asked the nineteenth-century sage, Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein (Aruch HaShulchan OC 625); according to Rabbi Eliezer, we can understand the reason for Sukkot - to remember the God's miraculous protection of our people. But according to Rabbi Akiva, why establish a holiday to remember structures in which we lived?

The answer he wrote explained that remembering how we lived in the desert is a tribute to the faith of the Jewish people, who, despite the dangers, despite the uncertainty, were willing to follow Moses for 40 years.

According to Rabbi Akiva, Sukkot celebrates the miracle of faith, a miracle of a people who, despite all that they lacked, despite never knowing what the next day would bring, nor where they would be the next day, had faith.

This is symbolized by a sukkah - not a perfect structure, but an imperfect one. For this reason, a sukkah of three walls is perfectly fit to be used, not in a de facto sense, but de jure. Because the sukkah celebrates our faith despite uncertainty and reminds us that while life may be imperfect, it must still be celebrated.

For, in reality, no one has all four walls of life intact. In varying degrees, we all experience measures of sorrow or failure, loss, or disappointment. No one is exempt; no one is alone; because in life, a three-walled sukkah is the rule and not the exception.

This is a lesson we must recall in these unusual times when our world has been turned upside down, and we find ourselves living lives very different than we ever imagined. On the one hand, we could mourn the loss of our fourth wall - of social interactions that are now limited, and the health risks we must face. Or we can remember the message of Sukkot, which our Torah identifies aszman simchateinu(a holiday of joy), and celebrate the three walls that are still intact, the imperfect world in which we live.

For me, this year's three-walled sukkah will be a sight for sore eyes. It will be a sign that we remember but an opportunity to celebrate that God will protect us if we continue to move forward with faith and confidence that even in the uncertainty of these times, God will "spread His sukkah of peace over us and of His nation Israel."

Rabbi Leonard A. Matanky, Ph.D., is the Dean of Ida Crown Jewish Academy.

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JUF News | Less-than-perfect? Perfectly fine: The lesson of the three-walled sukkah - Jewish United Fund

Conversations with Jewish Texts Offered by B’nai Shalom’s Culture and Learning Center this October – TAPinto.net

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If you are someone who wants to take part in intriguing conversations about how Jewish texts are relevant in our daily lives, then you should check out Torah talk classes being offered by the Culture and Learning Center at Bnai Shalom in West Orange, NJ. All classes are free (except as noted below) and are open to the community. People are welcome to come to any session that they can attend.

Our Torah talk programs offer a comfortable learning environment that is easy to join and welcoming to learners of all backgrounds, said Rabbi Robert Tobin, spiritual leader of Bnai Shalom.

Rabbi Tobin offers conducts Talmud Mondays classes weekly via Zoom. Participants read portions from the Talmud and are guided by the Rabbi to seek out their relevance to modern times. Classes start on Monday, October 19, from noon to 1 p.m.

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He also offers meaningful and mind-stretching Shabbat Mincha Study that delves into the prophets Prophets every Shabbat during the quiet time between the end of afternoon services (Minchah) and the beginning of evening services (Maariv) and Havdalah.

Torah Study with Janice Colmar-Michaelis begins on October 25 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Her always interesting insights into Judaisms most sacred texts continues at the same time on November 8th and December 20th.

Rabbi Andrew Warmflash, Rabbi Emeritus of Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center and now a member of Bnai Shalom, will lead a class on the Book of Exodus that will explore the Jewish peoples journey from slavery to freedom. Class begins Tuesday, October 12 at 11 a.m. via Zoom.

The provocative and timely Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) Community Learning Experience online course, The Ethical Life: Jewish Values in an Age of Choice will begin on October 22. Each of the 5five- sessions will be presented via Zoom. Facilitated by Rabbi Richard Fagan, this course will feature world-class scholars from the JTS faculty. The scholars for the opening class on The Sources of Jewish Ethics willEthics will be Rabbi Gordon Tucker, Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Dr. Eitan Fishbane and Dr. Michal Raucher.

For information about these classes and to get the Zoom link, call Leslie Gleaner at 973-731-0160 ext. 207 or email her at programs@bnaishalom.net. Registration is needed for the Ethical Life course. To learn more and register go to https://clc.bnaishalom.net/register.php. (there is a $25 fee for non-members). When you register, you will receive the Zoom link in response.

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Conversations with Jewish Texts Offered by B'nai Shalom's Culture and Learning Center this October - TAPinto.net

Simhat Torah in the corona age – The Jerusalem Post

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Simhat Torah is one of the most beloved holidays on the Jewish calendar, but it is also an anomaly. The festival, which celebrates the completion of the yearly cycle of public Torah reading, doesnt appear in the Bible or even the Talmud. Instead, the holiday that appears on this date is Shmini Atzeret, a one-day festival that immediately follows Sukkot and completes the holiday season.

By late antiquity, an order was established for the weekly public readings, yet the two major centers of Judaism differed on how to apportion them. Communities in Israel divided the Torah into over 150 sections. As such, the idea of an annual holiday to celebrate the Torahs completion was impossible, since it took three to three-and-a-half years to complete the reading! Instead, each community, reading at a different pace, would hold its own celebration upon completing its local cycle.

Seeking to complete the Torah each year, Babylonian communities uniformly divided the Torah into 54 portions (parashot in Hebrew), the maximum number of non-festival Shabbatot that can occur in a Jewish leap year. (Non-leap years include the reading of double parashot, with two portions read in one week.) By completing the cycle after Sukkot, as opposed to before Rosh Hashanah, these communities were able to time Deuteronomys major speeches of admonition to be read before the High Holy Days. Additionally, Mosess concluding blessing to the nation provided a fitting conclusion to the Tishrei holiday season. While the custom from the Land of Israel survived until the early Middle Ages, the Babylonian practice, as with many matters, ultimately won the day.

The completion of the Torah cycle on Shmini Atzeret, however, was potentially problematic, since each holiday demands its own thematically appropriate reading.

Like all Diaspora communities, Babylonian congregations observed two days of each festival, providing an easy solution. On the first day of Shmini Atzeret, the holiday portion is read, while on the second day (colloquially known today as Simhat Torah), the congregation reads the last portion of Deuteronomy, called Vezot Habracha.

With only one day in Israel, priority has amazingly been given to the Simhat Torah reading, with recognition of Shmini Atzeret the biblical holiday! relegated to the brief maftir reading and the Amida prayer.

Combining two days of rituals into one also means that the festive dancing in honor of the Torah is followed by two prayers customarily recited on Shmini Atzeret the somber Yizkor memorial service and the solemn Prayer for Rain.

Another distinctive element of Simhat Torah is that in addition to reading the days portion and its maftir, we take out a third Torah scroll to begin Genesis. As Avraham Yaaris chronicle of Simhat Torah documents, this was not the practice in Babylonia. Rather, 12th-century European communities began reciting the first verses of Genesis (frequently orally or from a Bible, not a Torah scroll) to display their love of the Torah and eagerness to study it afresh. The unique reading arrangement and the days joyful occasion gave rise to honoring communal figures to chant the major readings and to repeating Vezot Habracha continually until every male community member receives an aliyah.

Another feature of Simhat Torah is joyful dancing which is normally forbidden on the festivals but was permitted by the earlier medieval authorities in commemoration of this celebration. Originally the custom was to circle the Torah scrolls on the reader platform, known as hakafot, copying the hoshanot ritual of circling the ark with lulavim on Sukkot. In later generations, Jews came to dance with the Torah scrolls in their hands.

WHAT ARE our options, given the requirements of social distancing as well as the need to avoid lengthy services?

As always, priority must be given to the core requirements of the day, including the public recitation of the Amida prayers and the Torah reading. Cantorial singing of the prayers including the Yizkor memorial rite, the Prayer for Rain, and the special blessings offered to the recipients of special aliyot such as hatan Torah should be significantly curtailed.

As weve seen, the celebratory dancing is a custom which is not required to fulfill any of the core obligations. While spacious, outdoor prayer spaces might allow for separation between worshipers, its not clear that the necessary distancing will be maintained over a long period of dancing. Accordingly, the dancing may be eliminated, if absolutely necessary, or significantly curtailed in its duration, with short, stationary singing the preferred option.

Similarly, the number of extra aliyot should be eliminated or significantly curtailed. Groups of worshipers may receive an aliyah together, so to speak, by listening to the oleh and replying together with an amen (Mishna Berurah 669:12).

While for some people this abridged service may take away from the joy of the day, we should look for other ways to celebrate the Torah in our homes. Most importantly, we should remember that the point of all these festivities is to give honor to the Torah. This year, that entails fulfilling our ritual requirements in a way that gives honor to the Torahs prioritization of public health. The author is the co-dean of the Tikvah Online Academy and directs the Jewish Law Live Facebook group and YouTube channel.

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Simhat Torah in the corona age - The Jerusalem Post

Under the sukkah with the Rabbi of Chelm, the city of holy fools J. – The Jewish News of Northern California

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TheTorah columnis supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon.First day of SukkotLeviticus 22:2623:44

Its the first day of Sukkot and the Rabbi of Chelm, the city of holy fools, is sitting in his sukkah with just a few masked guests sitting 6 feet apart. Its a month before Election Day and, my oh my, have words been flying. He is in the sukkah because of todays Torah reading:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Say to the Israelite people: On the 15th day of this seventh month there shall be the Feast of Booths to the Lord, [to last] seven days. The first day shall be a sacred occasion: you will not work at your occupations; seven days you will bring offerings by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day you will observe a sacred occasion and bring an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a solemn gathering: you will not work at your occupations (Leviticus 23:33-36).

Sukkot, a favorite annual event, is filled with hospitality. Normally he welcomes friends, family and the community into the sukkah.

The guests ask, through their masks, Where is everyone?

The Rabbi of Chelm explains, This year, because of the overriding mitzvah of pikuach nefesh, the preservation of human life, there are not many guests. We learn this from the Talmud, Yoma 85b, interpreting Leviticus 18:5: You will keep My laws and My rules and live by them, and so our sages taught, One will live by them, and not die by them.

The Talmud likes facts, the rabbi continues. If a person is starving on Yom Kippur, you feed that person. If a mask preserves life, you wear a mask. Pikuach nefesh is an enduring understanding.

The guests ask, But is not an argument from opinion, or a different political viewpoint?

Aha! says the Rabbi of Chelm. A sukkah does play a part in another enduring understanding: These and these are the words of the living God, eilu veilu divrei Elohim chayim.

In the Talmud (Eiruvin 13b) we read: Rav Abba said in the name of Shmuel: For three years House of Shammai and House of Hillel argued. These said: The law, the halachah, follows us; and these said: the halachah follows us. Finally, a Bat Kol, a heavenly voice, issued forth and declared: Both these and these are the words of the living God, eilu veilu divrei Elohim chayim, but the halachah follows the rulings of House of Hillel.

The guests ask, Arent the laws of the Torah perfectly understandable?

The rabbi responds, We learn from Nissim ben Jacob of Tunisia, and Yom Tov ben Avraham Asevilli of Seville, that, from the moment of the giving of the Torah, one could find more than one possible understanding. The living Jewish people reach an understanding in their own day and still the diverging opinions may have their place in another time. So, we say, all the words are the words of the living God.

The guest asks, But the why does the halachah follow the House of Hillel?

The Talmud continues: If someones head and the majority of the body were in the sukkah, but the table was in the house, the House of Shammai says this not sitting in a sukkah! The House of Hillel says, no, its OK. We know this because once the elders of Bet Shammai and the elders of Bet Hillel went to visit Rabbi Yohanan ben Hahoranit, and found him sitting with his head and the majority of his body in the sukkah but his table in the house.

The guests: What does that prove about the House of Hillel?

Because, the Rabbi of Chelm explains, the House of Hillel always included the House of Shammai in their teachings, even mentioning them first. Thats why college campuses have Hillel houses. Everyone is included. By the way, the House of Hillel agreed with the House of Shammai. Keep your mask on, head and body and table inside the sukkah.

The Talmud concludes with these words for today:

One who raises themselves up, Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu, lowers.

One who pursues greatness, greatness flees.

One who flees from greatness, greatness pursues.

One who tries to force time, thinking that with sufficient efforts they will immediately succeed, they find themselves forced back by time and unsuccessful.

One who is patient and gives way to time, will find time giving way and standing for them, eventually bringing success.

By the way, the Rabbi of Chelm thinks that Rabbi Yohanan ben Hahoranit was the ancestor of Chelm. Who else would sit like that in a sukkah?

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Under the sukkah with the Rabbi of Chelm, the city of holy fools J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

Jewish tradition supports expanding the Supreme Court – Forward

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The Torah demands of us: Justice, Justice, you shall pursue (Deuteronomy 16:20). We are not told to sit back and wait for justice to come to us. In fact, midrash in Sifrei Devarim explains that this biblical verse means that we should strive to achieve justice specifically through the finest of courts.

As our nation continues to mourn the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a feminist icon who spent her entire career fighting for gender equality, President Trumps nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, has sparked the latest fight to define what justice looks like in this country. Barretts views are antithetical to my own, and certainly the polar opposite of what Ginsburg stood for. The President has a constitutional right to nominate a replacement and the Senate is also required to hold confirmation hearings and vote.

We know that this seat will greatly shift the make-up of the highest court in the land for a generation and issues that are at the core of what I believe as a progressive rabbi, such as access to affordable healthcare, reproductive rights, marriage equality, and treating immigrants humanely, may very well be upended. News that Saturdays press conference announcing Barretts nomination may very well have been a coronavirus super spreader event may delay the confirmation process, especially if Senators and Barrett herself need to quarantine following President Trumps positive COVID test. Still, with justice hanging in the balance, many Democratic strategists are contemplating whats next.

One solution Democratic activists have offered is to expand the size of the Supreme Court if the party takes control of the White House and both houses of Congress. There is historical precedent for this: The Supreme Court began with six justices in 1789 and at different times the size has increased and decreased to seven, nine, 10, back to seven, and back to nine, where it currently stands. There is no mandate requiring a certain size of the court. Rabbinic tradition would side with these Democratic activists, suggesting that expanding the court helps us pursue justice.

Tractate Sanhedrin, the section of the Talmud that focuses on legal systems and court structures, begins with a declaration that the most basic cases are decided by a court of three. Some cases are debated with five or seven judges. More extreme cases are decided by a court of 23 judges. The most important cases were determined by the Great Sanhedrin, a court of 70 judges. When determining the makeup of the court, be it three judges or 70 the rabbis understand the importance of balance. In the third chapter of this tractate, the Talmud clarifies that in a three person court, one judge is picked by each side and the third and final judge is picked by the other two judges.

The Supreme Court is not balanced. It has become increasingly right-wing in the past 20 years, which doesnt accurately represent this country. Two-thirds of the justices (including the current nominee to fill Ginsburgs seat) were nominated by Presidents that did not win the popular vote. The Republican-majority Senate which is determined to confirm Barrett before election day received 12 million fewer votes than their Democratic counterparts. The right-wing court doesnt represent the will of the people and certainly doesnt represent our biblical command to pursue justice. Only a true balanced court does that.

The beit midrash learning style of chevruta pairs, learning partners, suggests that one should learn with another person who holds a different perspective. Tractate Taanit (7a) explains that two Torah scholars sharpen one another. By learning with something who has different life experiences and may hold a different perspective and worldview allows one to gain a new understanding of the text and see Torah in a new light. Being surrounded by those that agree with you doesnt accomplish that. Only by learning with a sparring partner does one truly understand the text. If this is true for Torah, then it must also be true for the United States Constitution.

When judges are added to the court that share the same perspective, and the court tilts to extremes, that denies those justices the ability to firmly understand and comprehend the truest meaning of the sacred founding documents of our nation. Only a balanced court does that.

Expanding the court isnt radical or unprecedented. It is just! And when Republican Senators make up their own rules to sway the court in a direction that is contradictory to the views of the majority of Americans, then any change in court structure that focuses on a more balanced system, and in the process pursues a more just society, should be applauded and encouraged. Even if it expands the court to 70 judges like the Great Sanhedrin!

Rabbi Jesse Olitzky is based at Congregation Beth El, South Orange, New Jersey.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

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Jewish tradition supports expanding the Supreme Court - Forward