Mike Pence used a fake ‘Christian Rabbi’ to intone prayers for synagogue victims

U.S.-WASHINGTON-SPACE FORCE

One week away from the midterms. I’m honestly low-key hatching some escape routes and secondary plans for what I’ll do if we don’t take back the House and Senate. I’m too jumpy and scared all the time now, and every political story seems to be the absolute worst, or the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever read. So, take your pick among these terrible stories:

Mike Pence got a “Christian Rabbi” to pray for the synagogue victims. Pence did a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and instead of doing the work to find a local rabbi, they got a “Messianic Jewish Rabbi” named Loren Jacobs to intone prayers to… “Jesus the Messiah.” Messianic Jews believe in Jesus, and Messianic Jews are not considered Jewish by mainstream or traditional Jewish sects. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just GET A REAL RABBI?

Jeff Sessions got “heckled” by a Methodist pastor. AG Sessions was fearmongering about migrants in caravans when a Methodist pastor began quoting scripture. Sessions was so upset, and he claimed this man of God had “attacking” him, and security literally threw the pastor out of the event.

Trump wants to terminate birthright citizenship. As in, he wants to make it so that babies born on American soil to non-citizen parents would not have immediate citizenship. Several of Trump’s own children are anchor babies, by the way.

Trump watches TV all day. I mean, we knew that already, but Politico had a lengthy article yesterday which reiterated the point – Trump has about nine hours on most days where he has nothing on his schedule, where he just sits around and gossips on the phone and watches Fox News and tweets. This is called “Executive Time.” This is what we, as taxpayers, are paying for.

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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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113 Responses to “Mike Pence used a fake ‘Christian Rabbi’ to intone prayers for synagogue victims”

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  1. OriginalLala says:

    Every day brings new insane things to light…It’s exhausting. I’m not religious but I have been praying to whatever higher powers may exist that Americans turn out in droves for the election so they can start to un-do some of this damage before things get worse.

  2. Lightpurple says:

    This is what happens when you abolish the Office of Protocol run out of the Office of the First Lady. A protocol officer would have made sure that an actual rabbi from the Reformed, Conservative or Orthodox branch of Judaism perform the service. Just another in the insulting cultural gaffes in protocol and etiquette this insensitive, disgraceful crew have racked up in our names.

    During Sessions’s speech, when the first minister interrupted him, a door behind him opens and a woman carrying a walkie talkie enters. She’s Secret Service and she ordered the police to take both the ministers who protested out. The police can’t refuse the orders of Secret Service in such situations.

    Their solution today is to force us taxpayers to cover the costs of bringing Princess Nagini to Pittsburgh, where none of them are wanted.

    • Indiana Joanna says:

      Mayor Peduto was on PBS News Hour stating uncategorically that he did not want the drumps there at least not at this time. With burials ongoing and the need for security at synagogues, funerals, and schools Pittsburgh police will be stretched thin. But drump, who doesn’t want to go, is being forced by desperate-to-get-that-photo-op Grifter.

      As for Pence, well he knows exactly what he’s doing. He must obey his Evangelical God who keeps telling him he is going to be president.

      • Bobby the K says:

        Not everyone sees the long view and the agenda.
        ‘President Pence’ is a spooky proposistion as well.

    • lara says:

      It`s not a gaffe in protocol or insensitivity, it is planned.
      The right wing evangelicals use their idea of “good judaism” to pretend they are no antisemites. They pretend to defend the “good jews” against the evil muslims and misuse the horrific attacks for they racist propaganda.
      We had that in germany int the thirties and at the moment again with the “Juden in der AfD” basically a “jewish” organization in the right wing antisemitic party consisting mainly of people who are evangelical Christians and can claim a Jewish ancestor generations ago.
      According to the organization of Jewish People in Germany they do not consider them as jewish.
      I think these perverted claims of being pro Judaism or pro Israel to hide the antisemitism and racism is even more dangerous and disgusting than those who show their racism outright.

      • Lightpurple says:

        Oh, I know it was planned but an Officer of Protocol wouldn’t have scheduled that person, would have intervened and argued for what was right and not offensive

      • Cranberry says:

        It was intentional. I agree.

    • Veronica S. says:

      I don’t think it was a gaffe. I think they knew exactly what they were doing when they those that “rabbi.” They’re making it very clear how much they legitimately do not give a sh*t about anybody who is not one of theirs.

    • INeedANap says:

      I wonder if the Secret Service is bristling at having to silence dissenters in the name of security, or if their ranks are stuffed with hard right extremists like many of our regular police forces.

      • Lightpurple says:

        I know some members of the BPD were incensed at being ordered to silence ministers. They work closely with the ministers on community policing and depend on them to help keep kids out of gangs and calm neighborhoods in turmoil.

    • jwoolman says:

      So the Secret Service booted out a minister who was just quoting Jesus directly? Interesting take on the situation.

      Pence knew what he was doing when he went for a Messianic rabbi. He didn’t want Jewish prayers. So he very deliberately picked a fellow who would say Jewish-like prayers and wear Jewish-like vestments but talk about devotion to his Lord and Savior Jesus…. A born-again Christian in a Jewish wrapper.

      The Sessions case was not unlike Paul Ryan wanting to boot a Jesuit priest as chaplain because the guy actually got biblical in the chamber…. And biblical is not what Ryan wanted because the Bible is so full of passages encouraging things not on the Republican agenda. That’s why the Bible was heavily censored when preached to slaves. These people want a nice comfy religion and if you start quoting Jesus, that’s not really what you get. The guy was a radical and pretty insistent that wealth was an obstacle.

  3. RBC says:

    45 is loud ,obnoxious and in your face, but you know what you are dealing with.
    Pence, Stephen Miller and others who tend to stay out of the news/spotlight are the ones to watch. They are the scary ones, who have an agenda to implement. 45 is just their mouthpiece

  4. anniefannie says:

    “ Jews for Jesus” elicit’s a huge simultaneous eye roll , side eye from the Jewish community. ( my former MIL is one and I’m atheist but she gets both from me )
    Only this administration could manage to add insult to injury to this grieving community…

    • Penguen says:

      Yeah, the whole “Jews for Jesus” thing is incredibly problematic. As a Jew, I say that to be polite. It’s incredibly offensive that Pence did that. At least in my opinion.

      • CaffeinatedPots says:

        Penguin—indeed. I will be far less polite than you: Jews for Jesus relies on Nazi criteria for defining Jews and Judaism in order to legitimatize a Christian ministry aimed at assimilating Jews. And the bulk of the J4J crowd cannot even prove their Jewish descent. They are about as Jewish as a BLT.

        The fact that Pence would select one of….those…to ‘pray’ in a ceremony mourning Jews lost to antisemitism is profoundly indicative of the Right’s entitlement (evangelical Christians always must be represented, to the exclusion of others, no matter how gauche) and lack of self awareness.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      “Only this administration could manage to add insult to injury to this grieving community…”

      So true.

    • Amelie says:

      As soon as I saw “Messianic Jewish Rabbi” I was like please don’t tell me this is Jews for Jesus. I found out about Jews for Jesus in high school, I grew up in one of the predominantly most Jewish areas of the country (in fact the house my parents are currently selling is located right behind the town synagogue). As a Catholic, to me they were nothing but a curiosity since I was always taught the Jewish faith does not believe Jesus was the Messiah but a prophet and I never thought for a second they were part of mainstream Judaism. Just a weird cult. I didn’t realize just how problematic they are and how badly they are viewed by Jewish people. And of course horribly inappropriate to have a Messianic Rabbi to speak for the Jewish community in Pittsburgh. Such a tragedy all around.

      • cannibell says:

        You can call yourself anything they like, but the minute you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you’re a Christian. Judaism does not recognize Jesus as the messiah. It’d be like celebrating Christmas and Easter and going to church but kneeling in the direction of Mecca to pray, adhering to the five pillars of Islam and calling yourself a Christian for Islam.

        On the other hand, I’m just realizing how well this latest delusional tactic matches up with all the other horse hooey coming out of this administration.

        {Pours another glass of wine. Lumbers off to bed}

  5. IlsaLund says:

    These people poison everything they touch. And their cult followers are beyond reason. Now the orange anus is talking about signing an executive order to end birthright citizenship. How is that even possible?

    https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/10/30/politics/donald-trump-ending-birthright-citizenship/index.html

    • Kaiser says:

      that’s literally in the post

    • Kitten says:

      I don’t think it would pass. From what I understand, you can’t issue an EO to overturn a constitutional amendment. But even if somehow he got around that, it would have to go through the courts.

      If a law like that had been passed before my mother came to this country, I might not have my American citizenship, depending on whether he would make an exception if one parent is a naturalized citizen or not.

      The real issue is that he’s floating this abominable idea at all. He is such a raging xenophone and so are his psychotic followers.

      • Amelie says:

        Yeah me neither, my sister and I would both be affected, French father here (and he wasn’t a naturalized citizen when I was born, though he is now)… unless of course if you have an American parent.

        Trump’s own mother is from Scotland. She was a naturalized citizen by the time he was born but immigration laws were way different back then. This is mostly targeted at immigrants of South America though, not descendants of white Europeans.

    • Mac says:

      It’s easy to write off the birthright as a political stunt ahead of the midterms, but I think Trump is simply turning up the racist rhetoric because when he motivates someone to violence, it makes him feel powerful. And Trump is addicted to power. He doesn’t feel chastened by last week’s tragedies, he feels embolden.

      • Kitten says:

        Yes it’s easy to believe that this is a political stunt like sending troops to the border to stop the caravan migrants, but it’s also easy to believe that this is something he would try to do. At this stage, there’s honestly nothing that would surprise me with this monster.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        “He doesn’t feel chastened by last week’s tragedies, he feels embolden. ”

        That’s some really horrific truth right there.

      • lucy2 says:

        One of the saddest and truest statements I’ve read recently, Mac.

    • holly hobby says:

      He can’t do that. Amendments must be made in Congress. Ryan already came out and said no. Only Lindsey G (seriously what do the Russians have on him) agreed with it. There was a legal analysis on Twitter saying the current Supreme Court wouldn’t go for it (Gorsuch and Brett strictly interprets the Constitution and an EO is not in the Constitution).

      He is just saying $hit that comes out of the orange butt.

  6. Doodle says:

    It’s infuriating to me that Pence can’t tolerate another religion for long enough to listen to a rabbi’s prayer. What a douche.

    • Meghan says:

      I had a super Christian friend who wouldn’t even entertain there being other ways of religion/spirituality outside of his particular church. He sat there and said “anyone who doesn’t believe what I believe is going to Hell.”

      I sat there like… that’s not how it works?

      • Missy says:

        I find it infuriating that so many people worry so much about what will happen after they die, they don’t seem to worry about what to do while living. I know lots of people and it baffles me. They go about being preachy and judging everyone, talking about hell and heaven and eternity. It’s all bull. Treat people equally and with respect now, and don’t worry about what happens when you’re dead.

      • Snappyfish says:

        The attitude of your friend (past tense? As had was used) was anything but Christian. It always amazes me there is group of people who have found a “benevolent” God that hates all the same people and things that they do! Since hateful is the one thing thing Christians aren’t suppose to be!

      • LadyMTL says:

        Yeah, that drives me up the wall. Last year I went to a church that my friend attends several times a week because she invited me to a movie night they were having, and I enjoyed it right up until the pastor basically started saying that if you weren’t a Christian like them then you were going to hell.

        I’m an Orthodox Christian but my dad converted to Islam several years back, my stepfamily are all Muslims, and I have a good friend who’s a Buddhist. I got so mad that I had to literally bite my lip to keep quiet, but needless to say I’ve never been back there. Thankfully my friend understood why I was so angry, but I was still baffled that she’d even listen to someone like that. It’s like…”Love thy neighbor, but only if they believe exactly what you do.”

      • Swack says:

        My philosophy on the after life is that there is no hell (for those who believe) because if God is such a forgiving God (and I’m born Catholic but no longer practicing) then there can’t be a hell. Our hell is here on earth. Me, I’m going to stay behind and haunt everyone I can possibly haunt!

      • Ang says:

        My sister and her cult are the same exact way. It’s mind-blowing.

      • jwoolman says:

        Meghan- Don’t worry. Your friend is in for a shock when he knocks at Heaven’s gate, asks to see God, and actually has a chance to meet her.

        Imagine his reaction when he also sees a dark Palestinian coming along and saying “Hi, mom” to God before he goes off with his friends for a Hindu festival.

      • jwoolman says:

        My brother (a practicing Catholic) has decided that hell maybe exists but is uninhabited…. It really is a pretty awful idea.

        I asked a friend who is a Protestant minister if he really thought that people behave better because they are afraid of hellfire, and he thought for some, yes.

      • DSW says:

        My husband has a friend from college like that whose idea of showing tolerance for my husband being Jewish is to invite him to a Messianic synagogue. The fact that he, an Evangelical Christian, was aware of this place, and we weren’t shows that there isn’t anything remotely Jewish about it. That, and they were serving a HAM at their Passover Seder! My husband isn’t the most observant Jew, but he just about fell out of his chair when he heard that.

    • Jerusha says:

      Too bad the wonderful Leslie Nielsen is no longer with us. He would have nailed Pence in the inevitable film. And Stanley Kubrick(RIP)could have directed à la Dr. Strangelove.

  7. Jerusha says:

    How the f**ckety f**k does Fat Turd Asshole get away with just doing whatever evil thing he wants(eliminating anchor babies, etc.). This is dictatorship! Please, ⚰️.

  8. Kiki says:

    Americans, I am begging and pleading… PLEASE GO OUT THERE AND VOTE. This is a tumultuous, ridiculous and insane year. I thought 2016 was a really bad year???? 2018 is the worst and these people are so evil and apathetic about the whole situation that going around us is bonkers. Mike Pence is not a Christian, this man is a hypocrite and a Jesus Freak who don’t practice what he preaches. Evil Keebler Elf Jeff Session is just beyond stupid and Donald Trump is Orange Mussolini (Dumb as rocks).

    As much as I miss President Barack Obama, he can’t come back :(, however, I am praying for some stability for the United States of American. Donald Trump is not making America Great Again, he going to make America go to another great recession.

    • Betsy says:

      Turn out so far is on par with 2016. So while that isn’t near the level of engagement we need, that’s amazing for a midterm.

      • notasugarhere says:

        And it is running equal R-D and in some places Republican early voting is out pacing Democrat.

  9. Eric says:

    Final little tidbit:

    Emperor Zero and his Kursed Kriming Klan have RICO charges against them.

    No one saw that coming!🙄

    Thanks Mrs Underwood!
    😎

    • Kitten says:

      That didn’t stop him from calling Andrew Gillum a “thief” yesterday, though. Their special brand of racist-tinged hypocrisy knows no bounds.

    • Betsy says:

      Ha ha – isn’t that lovely? Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving family.

    • holly hobby says:

      It’s civil RICO charges – not brought by the govt and not pardonable! Some class action suit filed by reputable attys. They may have a shot at bleeding them dry. Also a civil suit may begat a criminal one depending on what comes out of discovery.

  10. Kitten says:

    I hate that Jeff f*cking Sessions was in Boston, but I’m happy that pastor highlighted his hypocrisy. I cannot believe he was escorted out for that sh*t. And of course, Sessions sees that as an “attack” on him.

    These people are the biggest f*cking snowflakes SMDH.
    That Tea Party-esque persecution complex that all of them have is so self-serving. Like everything they do, honestly.

    • Swack says:

      Some days I hope beyond all hope that they realize that they are going to lose in midterm because they really are going all out. I have gotten 2 texts in the last two weeks naming Trump in them and one saying to vote early (in Missouri you can only do absentee ballot and must have a good reason, whatever that is, to do absentee voting) in order to support their allies. Yesterday I received one that says to watch for an ad being targeted to a certain zip code and I don’t even live in that zip code. Also my brother has some really big Trumpsters as friends on his FB and he LOVES taunting them. Yesterday he put up a post about you have to accept all of Trump and not pick and chose what you want to like about him. His one friend said blaming the violence on Trump was ridiculous and that he couldn’t possibly be anti-Semetic because his children were Jewish. I corrected him that only 1 child was Jewish and she had converted. He then said he meant to say grandchildren and I corrected him again and said only 3 of 8 were Jewish. He went on a tear about how I was saying Trump loved his grandchildren that were Jewish less than the others (never said that only pointed out his error). He started pulling the old “Trump has Jewish children, grandchildren, supports Israel so he can’t be anti-Semetic” card and I told him that the two were not mutually exclusive and it could happen. What followed was not pretty. As I see Trump is doing 11 rallies in 6 days it shows that they are scared. Also his one of his reasons for not waiting to go to Pittsburgh later is that his schedule is full because of these rallies. This visit is all about Trump and how he is viewed – I, I, I, me, me, me. And of course he would take Jarvanka just because.

      • Kitten says:

        I’m gonna guess that this person isn’t Jewish? I mean, most Jewish people I know absolutely cannot stand Trump. Like most marginalized people, they’ve known for years and years that he’s pure trash.

        That being said, I work for a Jewish-owned, small family company and my boss voted for Trump. I cannot imagine that he doesn’t regret his vote at this stage of 45’s presidency.

      • Swack says:

        @Kitten, he’s out and out throw down Catholic, born and raised, sent to parochial/private Catholic schools his whole life.

      • Kitten says:

        @ Swack-Makes sense. I see that Catholic or Christian Trump-supporters tend to be the most opinionated about his treatment of Jewish people. It’s so bizarre that they would think they’re the authority on this particular matter.

    • whatWHAT? says:

      “And of course, Sessions sees that as an “attack” on him. ”

      and you KNOW the deplorables will use that as an example of the “both sides” sh*t, equating a minister quoting scripture with sending pipe bombs or shooting up a house of worship.

      • Kitten says:

        I am so exhausted with the “bot sides” BS. I’m just happy to see more people on the Left shutting that sh*t down right away. Don’t even entertain it for a second. Fascism and anti-fascism are not the same.

    • Lightpurple says:

      There were two pastors who challenged him and both were removed by order of the Secret Service

  11. Veronica S. says:

    The fact that he has nine hours of downtime a day tells you he’s not the one really running the show in the White House. Which is exactly what is so terrifying – wondering who is actually pulling the strings behind the scenes.

    • RBC says:

      I would put Stephen Miller on the list of who is really running the show

      • Kitten says:

        Every time I see Trump reading from a script these days, I hear Stephen Miller speaking. I also think that Miller is advising him on his tweets: what to tweet and when,

    • Lightpurple says:

      Miller, Princess Nagini, Tom Riddle and Bolton

  12. Aerohead21 says:

    Oh fudge me. What apocalyptic hell is happening now??

  13. Incredulous says:

    Okay, Mike Pence doing finger guns made me laugh. P.S. Get out and vote.

  14. Lila says:

    As a Jew ,this makes my blood boil. I was very offended by this. Normally, a Rabbi would open with Kaddish, a prayer for the dead – and list names of those taken. And blessings to the community at risk, Jews, immigrants, etc. Instead there is a prayer for Republican candidates to win on November 6 and a blessing for Mike Pence. You see, they are trying to placate Jews and allies who support them without alienating their white nationalist base . I think I need to take a news break today to get through the day.

    • teehee says:

      OMG WHAT!? I chose not to play the video cos I knew it would make me upset but THAT!!?? WTF WTF Disgusting. How dare any of them appeal to any gods at this point….

    • H says:

      They aren’t Jews, Lila. We know this. I once got into an argument on my college campus with someone who was handing out flyers for Jews for Jesus. Because my father’s side of the family is Jewish, not my mom’s, I had to convert in my twenties. Jews for Jesus is just an another Evangelical group who’ve tried to claim Jewish heritage. By not starting with Kaddish, they expose themselves for the charlatans they are.

    • Robot Dog says:

      So basically, during a service for the worst anti-Semitic attack ever on American soil, they found a fake rabbi to… pray to make sure it can happen again? These f*cking people aren’t even trying to hide it anymore.

      Things like this make me think a lot about what history books will say about this time 100 years from now, if there even is a 100 years from now. I wish I were more confident about what the American editions of those books would say.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      The Pence event was so disgraceful and disrespectful. It takes a truly horrible human being to manipulate a time of mourning like that.

  15. Kiera says:

    You know what’s funny to me, my brother and I are technically anchor babies for our father. But he’s British and white so he doesn’t count as an immigrant somehow. I always enjoy pointing that fact out to people that it isn’t the caravans of people “taking your jobs” IF anthing it’s people like my father. But he’s white with a posh accent so who cares right.

    • Juls says:

      I love taunting the people that recite the “taking our jobs” manta. I tell them, if anybody takes your job, it’s because you SUCK at your job and you will get fired and replaced by somebody that actually knows what they are doing. You should see the looks on the people’s faces.

      • Aang says:

        You can also point out that it is the consequence of the capitalism they claim to love so much. If someone else will do your job cheaper you are SOL. True unfettered capitalism is a race to the bottom for wages in the name of maximum profit. And that’s what trump and his class are after.

      • Kiera says:

        So I live in fairly rural Idaho but right next to Jackson, WY and you wouldn’t believe the things I hear. I’ve been in bars and heard people using the n-word and saying the most terrible things about immigrants taking the jobs etc and then commenting on how they just got their unemployment/social whatever check and can buy the next round.

        The area I live in is a really interesting microcosm of the larger problem and racism happening around the country. Most of the area I live in is service industry/tourism based and therefore so are the jobs. You have a whole lot of white educated kids who work as ski instructors/waiters etc. But none of them want to be cleaning hotel rooms etc. So we have an even larger population of Hispanic people who take these jobs because that is what is available. Are they taking jobs from anyone, no. And yet that is still the perception around here.

        Sorry for the rant. I have huge issues with the crap I hear around here.

    • Swack says:

      What’s next from him? If one parent isn’t a US citizen then the children are US citizens? That is what I see – but only applying to certain groups.

      • Swack says:

        *aren’t U.S. citizens.

      • Kiera says:

        20 bucks it wouldn’t apply to me or my dad.

        My dad actually worked in finance in NYC in the 80’s/90s/00s and ran in some of the same business circles as his Orangeness. My dad and his friends thought it was laughable that he had a tv show cause they all knew he was a terrible business man and that no one respectable would give him a loan or go into business with him.

        My dad still can’t believe America voted him in.

  16. Jess says:

    I am so terrified about this upcoming election – I don’t know how I’m going to make it. Being here in Wisconsin I’m at least in a state where I can make a difference so I’m knocking on doors and doing phone banks but I don’t know if it’s going to make a difference come Tuesday. I don’t even need a complete blue wave to make me feel better – I just need enough of a blue wave to give me some hope that our nation is not on an inevitable slide into a fascist, white supremacy decline that can’t be reversed.

    • Juls says:

      Thank you for all of your hard work. You are awesome! But as for the blue wave thing, we had one in 2016. 3 million more votes for Clinton than Trump. And it didn’t matter. We still descended into hell. For perspective, Gore beat Bush by roughly a half million votes. Repubs have rigged elections into oblivion and we are screwed.

    • cannibell says:

      Thanks, Jess, from a fellow Sconnie – we’ve got early voting going on at the library where I work and people have really been coming out, so your efforts are paying off.

  17. Sherry says:

    Here’s hoping you can wrestle your country away from the Republicans, America! I am Canadian, and we’re scared for you, and for the rest of the world, if this madness continues.

  18. Really? says:

    “Trump wants to terminate birthright citizenship.” His position would undermine his children’s right to be here except for Tiffany’s as Ivana didn’t become a citizen until years after the children were born. His first born grifters can go back to Czechoslovakia or somewhere in Europe. Melania was in the US under less than legal means (Einstein visa for a model?!), so her citizenship is also under question which would undermine the last born grifter’s US citizenship. They can both be shipped back to Slovenia.

    • Eliza says:

      He is a citizen. Any children he has regardless of his wives citizenship would be eligible for US citizenship. So if it doesn’t effect him, I doubt he cares

      • Really? says:

        Then, his kids would have to be naturalized, which can take up to 10 years or possibly be denied because US citizenship via birthright would no longer be possible under his new policy.

  19. Caitrin says:

    This was absolutely intentional, and what’s even more disturbing is that this cosplaying rabbi was invited to speak by Lena Epstein.

    This is the playbook of de-Judaization, when the Jewish elements of this horrific massacre are systematically stripped.

    No, Kellyanne, he didn’t act because he’s anti-religious. He acted because he hates Jews.

    No, Mike Pence, this wasn’t a Jewish prayer, or it would have been the mourner’s kaddish, and the names of the victims would have been included.

    This was an anti-Semitic hate crime. These people were targeted because of HIAS, because HIAS didn’t pull up the ladder of helping refugees behind them after the Refusenik era.

    It’s foreboding as eff.

  20. HK9 says:

    I find it disrespectful that he couldn’t contact Jewish leaders in the area and go with their recommendation for a Rabbi to lead a prayer. It’s the wrong thing to do and you don’t get to do whatever you want-you have to do what the situation demands. Idiot.

    • Juls says:

      They have already told us and shown us that they can and will do whatever they want. They don’t care. We are dealing with evil people, and I use the term people loosely.

  21. La says:

    My husband has always been apathetic about voting. The only time he has ever voted was the first time he was eligible, in 2004 (for Bush, ugh!), and I honestly don’t think he ever has since. I had to badger him to update his registration when we bought our house because he thought there was no point.

    Yesterday, he asked me how to check to confirm he was registered to vote. I dropped everything and immediately showed him how. Ohio has this horrible “use it or lose it” law, but luckily he was still registered and if he votes in this election he won’t be purged.

    He will be voting this election. Straight blue. I know he’s mostly driven by the appalling events of the last two years, but I have to think my constant talk about the importance of this election had to help. Talk to your family, your friends, strangers. People like him are what could stop this nightmare.

    • CooCooCatchoo says:

      Right ON! My husband and I voted last week, and we, too, voted straight blue. Those I’ve spoken with plan on doing the same.

  22. CooCooCatchoo says:

    And the king said, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ – Matthew 25:40

    This verse, more than any other, has continued to come to my mind, ever since the early days of Trump’s candidacy. He and the people in his administration are such evil, awful people with no idea about what serving others means. I’m surprised old Jefferson Beauregard didn’t burst into flames when confronted with the Gospel. Good for those ministers for publicly shaming him. The hypocracy of this administration literally makes me sick.

    • notasugarhere says:

      They neither see nor believe anything they do is hypocritical.

      • Juls says:

        True. But we should never stop pointing it out to them. Every chance we get. Calling our representatives, calling out our friends on social media, calling out our friends and family members. Shame them and never back down. If they want this administration and this direction for our country, they have to own it. All of it. Including the hypocrisy. Make them.

    • Christin says:

      That verse comes to mind, along with verses dealing with wealth and of course (from 1 Timothy) the love of money being the root of all evil.

    • jwoolman says:

      COOCOOCATCHOO — What a coinkydink. That particular quote was one of the quotes that got the Methodist minister tossed out of the room.

  23. NotSoSocialButterfly says:

    I’d like to take the a-hole in the audience booing and yelling’ “Go home” out and string him up from the tallest tree by his thumbs.

  24. Roxi says:

    Does this sub-par president ever do any actual work, or just “rally”? One should not be allowed to “rally” while president.

  25. Eric says:

    Beware of a last gasp by Emperor Zero and his minions of trying to pollute Mueller with paid women alleging sexual allegations.

    The bar was just lowered to Hell.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      I need you to tell me why I shouldn’t be concerned, because it seems they are going to drop horrible accusations on Mueller tomorrow. Talk me down, Eric!

      • Eric says:

        The DOJ was already alerted by Mueller and team about these false accusations and THOSE stories are going to be the ones running—not the false sexual abuse allegations.

        They are soooooo effed!

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Interesting!

    • holly hobby says:

      Yes they identified who was paying this scam. This operative is in deep trouble.

  26. Eliza says:

    If he’s a citizen, how would it be an anchor baby? I know people in the same scenario, he is a citizen and she’s not and pregnant. If the baby is born here (or her country) the baby is still a citizen of the US right?

    Pence IS hateful and wicked. He should never be in a position of power. He only uses it to inflict evil.

  27. The Other Katherine says:

    For a conservative jurist’s take on why birthright citizenship absolutely applies to U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants, Google “James Ho birthright citizenship”. The author of the article is now a Trump appointee on the Fifth Circuit.

    The law on birthright citizenship is exceedingly clear. 45 is race-baiting because Republican internal polling for the midterms is showing LARGE Democratic gains, and he is doing everything he can to drive his racist base to the polls.

    • Dara says:

      If all this was just a tactic to fire up the base, I could almost live with it – but they are actively working to strip immigrant rights, status and access to services. For the first time since 1950, the Trump administration wants a question on the 2020 census about citizenship status. How likely are immigrants (legal or no) to participate if they think their answers could potentially be used against them?

      This is a big deal – the results of the census determines not only the future make-up of Congress but where federal dollars are allocated. Assuming correctly that this question would ultimately result in a lot of their citizens not being counted, many blue states howled in protest and filed lawsuits – which will probably be heard by the Supreme Court where Trump has appointed two of the Justices. https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court-to-halt-trial-over-census/4634690.html

      btw – the Secretary of Commerce, the man ultimately in charge of the census process, is a grifter of the highest order. But Trump only hires the best people right?
      https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2018/08/06/new-details-about-wilbur-rosss-businesses-point-to-pattern-of-grifting/#5b5325301c33

      • The Other Katherine says:

        Yes, it is 100% a big deal. No question. 45 is working day and night to move the Overton window, and he is largely succeeding.

      • Dara says:

        Thank you for the Overton reference, it’s a new concept for me but I agree that is absolutely what this administration is trying to do with their rhetoric, and their policies. By pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in our society, they figure out just exactly how much they can take from us before we fight back. I think it has become painfully clear that just hunkering down and trying to weather the storm is not going to work, if we disagree with what they are trying to do we need to actively resist.

  28. ChillyWilly says:

    These evil bastards just keep ratcheting up the facism. I have never been so afraid for our country. VOTE! It’s our only hope.

  29. Other Renee says:

    I am a fairly observant Jew and this is a blatant slap in the face to all of the poor souls who died in Pittsburgh and to Jews everywhere. This is a sham Rabbi. Pence knew EXACTLY what he was doing. He couldn’t even be respectful enough for five minutes to bring in a REAL Rabbi. It makes me apoplectic.

  30. Valerie says:

    Dump actually looks like a Halloween mask, like one of those Nixon masks from the 70s. Truly terrifying.

  31. Gridlock says:

    All things considered I hope the Democrats win the midterms. Gridlock is the best thing we can hope for at this stage.

  32. JadedBrit says:

    This is possibly the worst insult Pence could throw at us – on a par with someone saying “what’s your number?” and looking pointedly at our wrists (and yes, this has happened to a member of my previous shul). Oy vey iz mir doesn’t begin to cover it. I’m praying every evening that this dark shroud will be lifted from what was a great nation.

  33. Deeanna says:

    Trump arrived in Pittsburgh uninvited this afternoon to an empty airport. There were no crowds at all at the airport and no dignitaries awaiting him and his family members getting off the plane. There was a lone uniformed military guy standing there on the tarmac at the bottom of the steps. (Local TV covered this)

    He then made a bee line to the Tree of Life synagogue. Meanwhile 47.000 Pittsburghers had signed a letter to Trump asking him not to come here.

    A large amount of residents (1000?) gathered on the main street of the Squirrel Hill neighborhood and marched towards the synagogue all the while singing Jewish songs. They were not allowed near their synagogue though. The Secret Service had all the surrounding streets blocked off.

    He then went straight to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital – located in the very busy university district – where he met with some of the victims. There were families who had been contacted who said NO THANKS to a visit by this president. So then he left.

    None of our local politicians met with him, not even the Republicans.

    By the way, despite Pennsylvania having voted red for Trump, Allegheny County – where Pittsburgh is located – voted solidly blue in 2016.

    So Trump will undoubtedly screw us as best he can in the future, but despite the sadness it was also a proud day in Pittsburgh.

  34. Gridlock says:

    ‘We want people to come together in love and peace. And truly make America kind again’