This is a call to arms!

I repeat.  This is a call to arms! For every able bodied man, and woman, 18 to 120, no matter where you stand, no matter where you are in this country, straight or gay, black, white or brown, Atheist, Jewish, Christian or Muslim, this is where we must draw the line in the sand.  If you are not political, you must become political.

Prayer. The Ultimate... Cop-out?

I know many Christians, to be honest most of the people I know personally, and through social media are either Christian or Atheist.  I wish I had more Buddhist friends in person and online.  But among the things I often see when someone says they have a problem is "I'll pray for you."  While I am a Rabbi, and I do pray, I do not pray for others.  I do not pray over the dead that they might find peace.  I pray that I find the strength to comfort those who remain.  If someone is in need of help, I pray that I find the strength to help them, to do what needs to be done.  I pray that I have the strength to stand against what I feel to be ill with the world.  I do not pray that the Almighty will help them, or that the Almighty will bless them with funds to solve their problems.  I do not pray for safety or the safety of others, I might hope if I feel that what I have done to assist them is not enough, but when your time is finished in this world, it is finished, all you can do is hope it works out, prayer does nothing.