JUXTAPOSITIONS

On August 31, Haaretz.com had the following headline: Olmert Indicted; Madonna Arrives in Israel. Perhaps it's just me, but the juxtaposition of these two news items tells us quite a bit about priorities, doesn't it?

We all received the following "Don't Miss" from UJC: Don't Miss American Idol Finalist Elliot Yamin at the 2009 GA." Is this the best we can do? Alright class, please compare and contrast American Idol and the 2009 GA. Make any sense? Exciting? Don't miss or miss? If Elliot Yamin is that good, make him a "Hero?"

Another juxtaposition: Rieger leaves; Silverman arrives. Hope springs eternal. Like being a Cubs fan -- maybe this year (because we sure can't wait 'till next year.)??

And, another: I wished Howard Rieger well ("BYE") and get an Anonymous (but you can probably guess who it was from) Comment that includes the following: "You are pathetic, Wexler...and I'm not the only one who thinks so." Beautiful juxtaposition. Accused me of in personam attacks citing none, then offers almost verbatim anonymous attacks on me from others this guy offered in the past. When Anonymous learned his attempt at a Comment had been rejected, came another "Anonymous" assault -- I am accused of being a "dangerous moron...a scumbag (and) a monster." That Comment was rejected as well (even as they proved that the writer[s] may not understand in personam attacks even as they commit them) so he wrote again to tell me how many of his "colleagues" consider me "... mentally unhinged." That Comment was rejected.

These maniacal Comment attempts needed to be juxtaposed with Maureen Dowd's piece in the August 26 New York Times: "The Internet was supposed to be the prolix paradise where there would be no more gatekeepers and everyone would finally have their say. We would express ourselves freely at any level, high or low, with no inhibitions." Dowd continued: "Yet, in this infinite realm of truth-telling, many want to hide. Who are these people prepared to tell you what they think, but not who they are. What is the mentality that lets them get in our face while wearing a mask?"

So, when I receive an "Anonymous" Comment that demands that I publish all Comments as the ones rejected are motivated by the same "anger" I have demonstrated in the Posts on this Blog, I just scratch my head. I fully understand that someone who has been part of UJC's failures these past five years would perceive that they have the right to respond to Posts that criticize what I perceive to be mismanagement, failure of focus, failure of vision and failure of understanding UJC's mission vis-a-vis the federations that own UJC as mere "anger" justifying venal, unreasoned personal attacks. But, these "Commentators/haters" as Ms. Dowd observed "get in our face while wearing a mask" and, somehow, they believe this gives them some "right" to have their unreasoned assaults on logic (and usually spelling) appear on these pages. Sorry, not going to happen.

Juxtapose intent with execution. One of my friends, a Federation CEO tells me the following story: He has served in his CEO role for ten months. He just received a package from UJC with a nice note -- "Welcome to our system. Because you are new to federation, we have enclosed a booklet we have prepared on how to be a federation chief executive officer." Intentions -- great; execution, not so much.

Rwexler