When 8-year-old Myriam Monsonego (along with Rabbi Sandler & his precious little sons, Gabriel and Aryeh) was slaughtered by a Jihadi savage in 2012 while attending a religious Jewish school in France, the slaughter made papers around the globe, but did not rouse the world much more than some passionate condemnations in the media and a couple of peaceful marches in France.
As a frum Jewish girl in a frum Jewish school, Miriam learned about compassion toward the poor & disadvantaged.
She learned about loving-kindness.
She learned about the importance of developing her neshamah's innate desire to connect to Hashem and she learned about tefillah, both from a siddur and from her own heart.
The photo of Myriam shows a little Jewish girl with an angel's face of purity.
As an 8-year-old religious Jewish child, Myriam was born in purity & free of sin — a truly innocent being.
And the destruction of this precious angel & the innocent Sandlers aroused nothing more than a couple of large marches & routine condemnations in the media.
As a frum Jewish girl in a frum Jewish school, Miriam learned about compassion toward the poor & disadvantaged.
She learned about loving-kindness.
She learned about the importance of developing her neshamah's innate desire to connect to Hashem and she learned about tefillah, both from a siddur and from her own heart.
The photo of Myriam shows a little Jewish girl with an angel's face of purity.
As an 8-year-old religious Jewish child, Myriam was born in purity & free of sin — a truly innocent being.
And the destruction of this precious angel & the innocent Sandlers aroused nothing more than a couple of large marches & routine condemnations in the media.
Give Me Vulgarity or Give Me Death!
But when the mocking & vulgar Charlie Hebdo journalists were murdered in 2015, the response was much stronger.
Demonstrations expressing sympathy with Charlie Hebdo spread throughout France, culminating in around 100,000 participants.
(In contrast, Myriam's marches numbered in the thousands, but never rose above 4 figures.)
These demonstrations spread through Europe, the UK, and North America.
Finally, a worldwide demonstration of support & sympathy for Charlie Hebdo reached nearly 4 million and included the participation of several world leaders.
Ironically, Charlie Hebdo did nothing for society except crassly break taboos equally across all groups. They attacked and caricatured all religions, including Judaism.
Their mockery consisted of immature humor and depraved images.
In today's world, crassness is unfortunately considered the epitome of free speech.
Not courageous condemnations of immorality or passionate eloquence in favor of morality and human rights — but depraved childish nivul peh in both words & images.
Demonstrations expressing sympathy with Charlie Hebdo spread throughout France, culminating in around 100,000 participants.
(In contrast, Myriam's marches numbered in the thousands, but never rose above 4 figures.)
These demonstrations spread through Europe, the UK, and North America.
Finally, a worldwide demonstration of support & sympathy for Charlie Hebdo reached nearly 4 million and included the participation of several world leaders.
Ironically, Charlie Hebdo did nothing for society except crassly break taboos equally across all groups. They attacked and caricatured all religions, including Judaism.
Their mockery consisted of immature humor and depraved images.
In today's world, crassness is unfortunately considered the epitome of free speech.
Not courageous condemnations of immorality or passionate eloquence in favor of morality and human rights — but depraved childish nivul peh in both words & images.
Can We Please Find a Better Poster-Boy?
Likewise, 2014 gave us American neighborhoods on fire with self-proclaimed lies of "outrage" because an extremely large & violent bully & thief got shot after committing a crime and then attacked a police officer who was trying to stop the large bully's crime against an innocent person.
Yes, the predominantly white liberal media spread the bald-faced lie that the nasty thug put up his and hands and said, "Don't shoot," but even when that lie was revealed, it didn't stop the madness.
And the fact that absolutely no indication of bigotry existed in this scenario (except maybe on the part of the thug himself, who bullied a much smaller Korean shop owner — perhaps displaying prejudice against Koreans or short men), huge swathes of people (including journalists & politicians) lost their minds and came out in support of this incredibly nasty brute...all the while accusing police across the nation of racism and wanton violence.
Neither of which were true in this particular self-defense killing.
And now there are massive riots and acts of destruction infiltrating throughout the US and throughout the world because a policeman used a certain method (permitted in his precinct) to arrest a very large man intoxicated with meth & fentanyl (a drug like morphine, but 50 times stronger).
Yes, a man who already served jail-time for an armed home invasion in 2007 & who possibly just tried to steal from a business — when businesses are already near collapse due to the recent coronavirus constrictions (which are suddenly no longer necessary as long as you are burning police cars and breaking into smartphone stores).
Furthermore, several sources indicate that during that armed home invasion (which the "innocent martyr" committed with 4 other men), he pressed a gun to the pregnant belly of the woman, who allegedly screamed she was pregnant and begged them not to shoot.
[UPDATE: It's not clear that the young woman was pregnant at that time. Reports differ.]
So they settled for "only" stealing her jewelry and cellphone.
I can just picture the unborn baby holding up signs with slogans like, Hands up, don't shoot! and Black lives matter — including those that are still in gestation!
And in the unborn baby's case, it would actually be legitimate to do so. Unborn babies are genuinely innocent.
(Actually, I'm not sure if the pregnant lady was even black. Some reports say she was; others don't say at all. Her last name is Henriquez, which is Hispanic, yet many black Americans have Hispanic surnames. But her exact race or ethnicity don't matter. Why? Because Hispanic lives also matter.)
Anyway, there is no evidence that the offending police officer acted callously out of racism. Indeed, his wife is Hmong, as was his police partner, plus one of the rookie officers he assisted is black (despite the impression given otherwise by the rookie's Far East Asian surname).
Regardless, the neck-pressing police officer is clearly not a white supremacist, though he does seem like someone who enjoys hurting people.
And a second autopsy report indicates that the arrested man died of stress (compounded by hard drugs and health issues likely caused by a lifetime of hard drugs & crime).
So it's not clear that the "martyr" died of asphyxiation, but rather cardiac arrest.
Also, for anyone who knows absolutely nothing about lawbreakers under arrest, they routinely tell cops "I can't breathe" and "You're killin' me, man" and "Ouch" and so on.
Cops barely notice these phrases because they're such common lies.
Also, it's surprisingly common for grown men to cry out "Momma! Momma!" when being arrested — especially those being arrested for drugs, for some reason.
Anyway, as far as cops go (particularly those serving in high-crime areas), it's sort of like how you don't take seriously the crumb-smeared child who says, "Nope, I didn't take any cookies." Or the child who says, "Not me" or "I didn't do it" or "He hit me first."
Having said all that, a report of events and a still-shot (I didn't watch video nor do I intend to) of the police officer on the guy's neck indicate a streak of sadism & egoism in the police officer.
The officer's history is also mixed, with medals for valor & substantiated accusations of unnecessary aggression.
The knee on the neck did not seem necessary, and certainly not for 8-9 minutes.
It also seems like the police officer was enjoying himself way too much and showing off in front of the crowd in the typical "you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do" fashion & prolonging the neck-press to just to spite the crowd, who gave him lots of attention for his sadistic behavior while doing nothing to actually help (like calling 911).
However, a drug-using, womanizing, child-abandoning (possibly former) thief who once thought it perfectly appropriate to dress up as a utility worker to gain access to a home and hold a gun to a pregnant woman to get money for drugs is not exactly someone to riot over...no offense.
Also, it's ironic that he clearly had the funds to acquire illegal hard drugs, but possibly used fake money to steal cigarettes from innocent people trying to earn their income honestly.
(And can you imagine him using a counterfeit bill with his drug dealer? Actually, it would have had the same outcome.)
Yes, the predominantly white liberal media spread the bald-faced lie that the nasty thug put up his and hands and said, "Don't shoot," but even when that lie was revealed, it didn't stop the madness.
And the fact that absolutely no indication of bigotry existed in this scenario (except maybe on the part of the thug himself, who bullied a much smaller Korean shop owner — perhaps displaying prejudice against Koreans or short men), huge swathes of people (including journalists & politicians) lost their minds and came out in support of this incredibly nasty brute...all the while accusing police across the nation of racism and wanton violence.
Neither of which were true in this particular self-defense killing.
And now there are massive riots and acts of destruction infiltrating throughout the US and throughout the world because a policeman used a certain method (permitted in his precinct) to arrest a very large man intoxicated with meth & fentanyl (a drug like morphine, but 50 times stronger).
Yes, a man who already served jail-time for an armed home invasion in 2007 & who possibly just tried to steal from a business — when businesses are already near collapse due to the recent coronavirus constrictions (which are suddenly no longer necessary as long as you are burning police cars and breaking into smartphone stores).
Furthermore, several sources indicate that during that armed home invasion (which the "innocent martyr" committed with 4 other men), he pressed a gun to the pregnant belly of the woman, who allegedly screamed she was pregnant and begged them not to shoot.
[UPDATE: It's not clear that the young woman was pregnant at that time. Reports differ.]
So they settled for "only" stealing her jewelry and cellphone.
I can just picture the unborn baby holding up signs with slogans like, Hands up, don't shoot! and Black lives matter — including those that are still in gestation!
And in the unborn baby's case, it would actually be legitimate to do so. Unborn babies are genuinely innocent.
(Actually, I'm not sure if the pregnant lady was even black. Some reports say she was; others don't say at all. Her last name is Henriquez, which is Hispanic, yet many black Americans have Hispanic surnames. But her exact race or ethnicity don't matter. Why? Because Hispanic lives also matter.)
Anyway, there is no evidence that the offending police officer acted callously out of racism. Indeed, his wife is Hmong, as was his police partner, plus one of the rookie officers he assisted is black (despite the impression given otherwise by the rookie's Far East Asian surname).
Regardless, the neck-pressing police officer is clearly not a white supremacist, though he does seem like someone who enjoys hurting people.
And a second autopsy report indicates that the arrested man died of stress (compounded by hard drugs and health issues likely caused by a lifetime of hard drugs & crime).
So it's not clear that the "martyr" died of asphyxiation, but rather cardiac arrest.
Also, for anyone who knows absolutely nothing about lawbreakers under arrest, they routinely tell cops "I can't breathe" and "You're killin' me, man" and "Ouch" and so on.
Cops barely notice these phrases because they're such common lies.
Also, it's surprisingly common for grown men to cry out "Momma! Momma!" when being arrested — especially those being arrested for drugs, for some reason.
Anyway, as far as cops go (particularly those serving in high-crime areas), it's sort of like how you don't take seriously the crumb-smeared child who says, "Nope, I didn't take any cookies." Or the child who says, "Not me" or "I didn't do it" or "He hit me first."
Having said all that, a report of events and a still-shot (I didn't watch video nor do I intend to) of the police officer on the guy's neck indicate a streak of sadism & egoism in the police officer.
The officer's history is also mixed, with medals for valor & substantiated accusations of unnecessary aggression.
The knee on the neck did not seem necessary, and certainly not for 8-9 minutes.
It also seems like the police officer was enjoying himself way too much and showing off in front of the crowd in the typical "you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do" fashion & prolonging the neck-press to just to spite the crowd, who gave him lots of attention for his sadistic behavior while doing nothing to actually help (like calling 911).
However, a drug-using, womanizing, child-abandoning (possibly former) thief who once thought it perfectly appropriate to dress up as a utility worker to gain access to a home and hold a gun to a pregnant woman to get money for drugs is not exactly someone to riot over...no offense.
Also, it's ironic that he clearly had the funds to acquire illegal hard drugs, but possibly used fake money to steal cigarettes from innocent people trying to earn their income honestly.
(And can you imagine him using a counterfeit bill with his drug dealer? Actually, it would have had the same outcome.)
Guess Who Else Was None-to-Gentle with People's Heads & Necks?
Finally, it seems like there's a middah k'neged middah dynamic going on here.
This poster-boy for victims of racist police violence perpetrated the 2007 armed home invasion with 4 other guys. (Yes, against one pregnant woman.)
Interestingly, there were 4 cops involved in the incident against him (although I'd say that at least 2 of them aren't guilty of anything — not any more than the crowd that filmed and behaved in a way that provoked the cop into showing off & likely prolonged the neck-press, a crowd which apparently didn't call 911 for help; the ambulance was called by these same cops).
Also, if it's true that the poster-boy for victims of police violence pressed his gun against a pregnant abdomen, could it be that the nozzle pressed against the unborn baby's neck?
Furthermore, it's said that when the pregnant woman screamed, A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶'̶s̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶t̶e̶r̶-̶b̶o̶y̶ ̶h̶i̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶&̶ ̶s̶i̶d̶e̶.
[UPDATE: Reports indicate that 1 of his 4 partners in crime hit her about the head & side when she screamed for help. Even though he did not do so, he was certainly aware she was being assaulted. In that case, he merely did what the other 3 officers are accused of doing it him: Standing idly by while his partner hurts someone.]
Finally, while the mainstream media loves to say what a great, well-liked guy the "martyr" was and emphasize how he turned his life around, he didn't really turn his life around much more than many reckless people do in their forties.
Middle age naturally slows down a lot of feisty people.
And even when he was an active criminal, people still found him extremely likable. (Apparently, he saved his gun-pressing-and-hitting techniques for pregnant strangers and never behaved that way toward friends & family.)
Also, the likability factor is a weird one.
A great many criminals throughout history could also be really helpful and gracious when they weren't acting like psychopaths.
Mafia hitmen, for example, are sometimes extremely gracious & warm toward their families & neighbors.
Also, naturally sociable people will behave, well, sociably when they aren't doing really awful things. They simply enjoy being sociable (when they aren't doing really awful things).
So yeah, he started behaving better (as do many law-breakers who hit their forties), but he still remained a neglectful father to his 4 older children to the point that one of them did not recognize him in the pictures flashed throughout the media.
"I didn't recognize who it was until Mom called and told me," his son Quincy apparently said.
(In fact, it's not only sad that Quincy did not recognize his father's face, but apparently did not even recognize his father by name.)
Yes, this well-liked, affable, helpful, "doting" father hadn't contacted his own son for over 20 years.
And though the media fawns over what a "doting father" this man was, he only "doted" on his youngest daughter, born out of wedlock, with whose mother he did not bother staying as he moved on to yet another woman.
(Not marrying your child's mother actually makes you a poor father because being married to your child's mother is one of the best things you can ever do for your child.)
And he still used hard, illegal drugs.
He might still be a thief, though it's not clear whether the bill was counterfeit, or if it was, whether he even knew it was counterfeit.
It's also not clear whether he ever paid back or apologized to the pregnant woman he so badly traumatized years ago.
And yet this man is the new poster-boy for victims of racist police violence.
(Having said all that, his family deserves a lot of credit for speaking out against the rioting. Interestingly, his siblings, mother, children, and current girlfriend oppose the violence perpetuated in his name, but many politicians, citizens, and media personalities think it's all perfectly justified. Hmm...)
This poster-boy for victims of racist police violence perpetrated the 2007 armed home invasion with 4 other guys. (Yes, against one pregnant woman.)
Interestingly, there were 4 cops involved in the incident against him (although I'd say that at least 2 of them aren't guilty of anything — not any more than the crowd that filmed and behaved in a way that provoked the cop into showing off & likely prolonged the neck-press, a crowd which apparently didn't call 911 for help; the ambulance was called by these same cops).
Also, if it's true that the poster-boy for victims of police violence pressed his gun against a pregnant abdomen, could it be that the nozzle pressed against the unborn baby's neck?
Furthermore, it's said that when the pregnant woman screamed, A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶'̶s̶ ̶p̶o̶s̶t̶e̶r̶-̶b̶o̶y̶ ̶h̶i̶t̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶&̶ ̶s̶i̶d̶e̶.
[UPDATE: Reports indicate that 1 of his 4 partners in crime hit her about the head & side when she screamed for help. Even though he did not do so, he was certainly aware she was being assaulted. In that case, he merely did what the other 3 officers are accused of doing it him: Standing idly by while his partner hurts someone.]
Finally, while the mainstream media loves to say what a great, well-liked guy the "martyr" was and emphasize how he turned his life around, he didn't really turn his life around much more than many reckless people do in their forties.
Middle age naturally slows down a lot of feisty people.
And even when he was an active criminal, people still found him extremely likable. (Apparently, he saved his gun-pressing-and-hitting techniques for pregnant strangers and never behaved that way toward friends & family.)
Also, the likability factor is a weird one.
A great many criminals throughout history could also be really helpful and gracious when they weren't acting like psychopaths.
Mafia hitmen, for example, are sometimes extremely gracious & warm toward their families & neighbors.
Also, naturally sociable people will behave, well, sociably when they aren't doing really awful things. They simply enjoy being sociable (when they aren't doing really awful things).
So yeah, he started behaving better (as do many law-breakers who hit their forties), but he still remained a neglectful father to his 4 older children to the point that one of them did not recognize him in the pictures flashed throughout the media.
"I didn't recognize who it was until Mom called and told me," his son Quincy apparently said.
(In fact, it's not only sad that Quincy did not recognize his father's face, but apparently did not even recognize his father by name.)
Yes, this well-liked, affable, helpful, "doting" father hadn't contacted his own son for over 20 years.
And though the media fawns over what a "doting father" this man was, he only "doted" on his youngest daughter, born out of wedlock, with whose mother he did not bother staying as he moved on to yet another woman.
(Not marrying your child's mother actually makes you a poor father because being married to your child's mother is one of the best things you can ever do for your child.)
And he still used hard, illegal drugs.
He might still be a thief, though it's not clear whether the bill was counterfeit, or if it was, whether he even knew it was counterfeit.
It's also not clear whether he ever paid back or apologized to the pregnant woman he so badly traumatized years ago.
And yet this man is the new poster-boy for victims of racist police violence.
(Having said all that, his family deserves a lot of credit for speaking out against the rioting. Interestingly, his siblings, mother, children, and current girlfriend oppose the violence perpetuated in his name, but many politicians, citizens, and media personalities think it's all perfectly justified. Hmm...)
Show Me Who Your Heroes are & I'll Show You Who YOU are
Whether it's a world driven into deep, passionate grief over a magazine overflowing with depraved pointless leitzanut or a world inspired to loot, destroy, assault, and kill innocent people because they identify so strongly with a man on drugs who apparently cannot behave responsibly...this knee-jerk response says a LOT about the people whose passions & "righteous" indignation are only aroused by the death of people who are either brutes or crass mockers or womanizing junkies.
If you are only aroused to action by the death of drug-using lawbreakers or thieving brutes or depraved leitzanim, then that says something about you.
And it doesn't say something very good.
Personally, my heart hurts every time I see a photo of Myriam Monsonego.
It took her father a couple of years to be able to look at pictures of her because her absence hurt so much.
But we're in a very small minority, globally speaking.
The death of innocence, goodness, and purity simply does not move most of the world.
And that's what's wrong.
And this is also part of what makes us an Am levadad yishkon (Bamidbar 23:9).
If you are only aroused to action by the death of drug-using lawbreakers or thieving brutes or depraved leitzanim, then that says something about you.
And it doesn't say something very good.
Personally, my heart hurts every time I see a photo of Myriam Monsonego.
It took her father a couple of years to be able to look at pictures of her because her absence hurt so much.
But we're in a very small minority, globally speaking.
The death of innocence, goodness, and purity simply does not move most of the world.
And that's what's wrong.
And this is also part of what makes us an Am levadad yishkon (Bamidbar 23:9).
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