Michael Hanna- Fein http://www.jta.org/user/profile/15986 en-us zsilberman@washingtonjewishweek.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 Sadly, Jackie Mason lost all sense of decency years ago. He used to be a wonderfully funny and original comedian for whom I had great respect. But over the years he has become an out-and-out racist. His constant comments about Arabs and Palestinians are nothing short of hateful. His refusal to appear at a club at which a Palestinian comic was also booked was disgusting, and now he finds it funny to refer to our president as a shvartzeh, which anyone who is Jewish knows, is most definitely equivalent to nigger amongst some Jews. Had this been is first error in judgment, I would be less harsh. But this is just a continuation of his narrow-minded and mean-spirited material that does not shine a very positive light on the Jewish community or himself. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 This would indeed be excellent news. Shalit has been captive far too long, and it was beginning to look hopeless as the whether he would ever be released. Of course, it also encourages me to believe that even mortal enemies such as Israel and Hamas, can ultimately find terms that are agreeable to both, in order to stop the killing and bloodshed for the sakes of both sides. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00 I find the first two comments to be very sad indeed. The commentators actually believe it is perfectly fine to discriminate against an entire group of people who simply want the same rights they have, to love the person of their choice. What's worse they compare it to alcoholism and admits that God creates them as well. But they believe we have the obligation to turn our backs on these people because of their personal revulsion to these individuals. Alcoholism is a disease that can and should be treated. Homosexuality is another form of perfectly normal human behaviour that harms no one. While there are definite societal consequences for alcoholism, no such negative consequence exists due to homosexuality other than the discrimination and hatred these individuals face because of the belligerence and arrogance of these "I, and only I know the right way to live," of these commentators. 2012-02-09T;22:54:00-05:00