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Weather … Or Not

W

hether it’s cold or
That temperature was matched
whether it’s hot,
in Utah in 1913, Vermont in
we’ll have weather,
1933, in Nevada in 1937, in New
whether or not.
Mexico in 1951 and Maine in
If there is one thing all people
2009.
around the United States seem to
We are led then to consider
have an opinion on it is the weath-
snowfall. Of course, there will
er. All the recent scares brought
be records noted for the Great
Sy Manello
on by global warming have only
Lakes areas and the East Coast,
added rain to the flood, as it were. Editorial Assistant where snow is not foreign.
Perhaps, then, we can get a bet-
However, consider the folks for
ter perspective on conditions by
whom snow is a rarity. In 1895,
considering some of the worst the U.S. has Batesville, Miss., recorded 15 inches of
experienced.
snow. Other warm-weather states had
Cold weather seems to cause some
surprises in more recent years with the
contention when it comes to “bragging”
appearance of significant amounts of the
rights. One has to consider the air tem-
white stuff: 2008 in New Orleans, 2009 in
perature and then figure in wind chill.
Florence, Fla., and 2012 in Little Rock. In
You can see why there will be areas of
that last one, the folks of Arkansas had a
argument. In January of 1885, Mount
surprise with a truly white Christmas.
Washington, N.H., recorded 50 below
Floods have plagued the U.S.
zero, and that was not with wind chill.
throughout the years. Consider these:

Johnstown in 1889 had 10 inches of rain in
24 hours; Galveston in 1900 experienced a
16-foot storm surge; in 1972 in the Black
Hills of South Dakota, a 15-inch down-
fall caused a breech in a dam in Canyon
Lake, flooding Rapid City; in 1993, the
Mississippi River stayed at flood stage for
81 days and covered 17,000 square miles
of land; and, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina
hit the Gulf Coast and 80 percent of New
Orleans was flooded and stayed so for
weeks.
All this has happened, with new records
set as recently as 2015; and we have yet to
consider heat and drought. So, you see, it
really can be worse. That reminds me of
the story of the teacher, who, when check-
ing a student’s paper, found the words sno,
rayn, flud and drowt. It was the worst spell
of weather she had ever encountered.

*

letters

StandWithUs
Is Not Extreme

Toby Citrin, co-chair of J Street, Ann
Arbor, divides today’s college students
into four groups according to their
political leanings, citing “right-leaning”
students who support StandWithUs
as one of “the extremes.” (“Jewish
College Students: Activists In A Political
Crucible,” May 19, page 5)
Is it “extreme” to support
StandWithUs (SWU), an organiza-
tion whose mission is to educate about
Israel’s history and the Israeli-Arab
conflict using verifiable facts? SWU also
recognizes that Israel, like every other
nation, is not perfect, but has achieved
remarkable successes given the chal-
lenges it has faced.
Unlike J Street, which received
$576,500 from the Ploughshares Fund
for supporting the Iran nuclear deal, our
membership is nonpartisan. It includes
people of all ages and every political
stripe, from those concerned with global
warming and a woman’s right to choose
abortion to those who defend the reli-
gious rights of individuals and want less
government control.
I would include J Street students with
the “left-leaning” Jewish Voice for Peace.
Neither of these groups accepts the real-
ity of a Jewish state that has the power
and responsibility to protect its citizens

against terrorism, requiring actions not
in keeping with what J Street supporters
perceive as Jewish values.
Those who support organizations like
StandWithUs know that although Israel
lives in a very imperfect neighborhood,
it strives to adhere to Jewish values even
under the stress of war.
After acting as an observer of the
last Gaza War, British Colonel Richard
Kemp said this in an address to the UN:
“I believe Israel to be world leaders in
actions to minimize civilian casualties;
and this is borne out by the efforts made
by the U.S. Army, the most sophisticated
and powerful in the world, to learn from
the IDF on this issue.”
And, lastly, those students who Citrin
groups as not engaged with Israel
still need to read accurate materials
about the Arab-Israel conflict, which
StandWithUs provides, in keeping with
its mission statement that “education is
the road to peace.” They need only to go
to www.standwithus.com.

Margot Gardner
Bloomfield Hills
Member of SWU-MI

Hamas And Gaza

The JN says we should distinguish
between Hamas and the people of Gaza
(May 26, page 6). I’m having a problem
with that. As I recall, the people of Gaza
elected the Hamas government. So, as

best I can tell, this is a distinction with-
out a difference.

Dennis L. Green
Farmington Hills

Yiddish Limerick

Do NOT use your IRA
or Retirement to Pay
Credit Card Debt.

Elderly clients often come to our office
seeking help with their debt situation.
In almost every case, before they have
come to see us, they have withdrawn
retirement funds - IRAs and 401ks
- to pay bills. I cringe at this. It is a
terrible mistake. Retirement funds
are there to provide the supplemental
income beyond social security that
is needed to cover living expenses
through retirement. When we stop
working – our income is capped but
inflation and our lifespans are not.
You must make sure retirement funds
are used wisely. IRAs and retirement
funds are protected in bankruptcy
– which means you can keep that
money and eliminate the credit card
debt. Another little known fact is that
a normal creditor cannot garnish or
levy on your social security income.
These two facts – combined – mean
that you should NOT use your
retirement funds to pay down debt.
If you’re retired and in this situation –
you should come see us right away.
If your parents are in this situation –
you need to take action now. When
their funds are exhausted, providing
for their support is on you. “You can’t
just keep paying until you’re broke.”

SHAVUOT

On Shvuoth, mir hobn gikrign* the
Law.
Our Torah in Sinai, it was long ago.
Undzer** Torah is cool,
so zahy nisht*** a fool.
On Shvuoth, tzuzamen tzu**** shul
we will go.

THAV GROSS has been solving

problems since 1982. Be sure to tune
in to Law and Reality – Sunday
mornings at 11 AM on TV20.

* mir hobn gikrign — we received
** Undzer — ou r
*** zahy nisht — don’t be
**** tzuzamen tzu — together to

— Rachel Kapen

thavgross.com ‡ lawandreality.com

30150 Telegraph, Suite 444
Bingham Farms, MI 48025

June 9 • 2016

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