Tough Talk, Tough on Us

Don't you hate politics in this era of media gluttony? I do.
Once upon a time, it was events and actions - positive or negative - that made the news and influenced people. Remember even back in the days of Joshua. Rachav, the innkeeper, told the Israelite spies, "I know that the L-rd hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
2:10 For we have heard how the L-rd dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed." (Chapter 2:8-10)
Now, when when battles and miracles perhaps take too long for the world of instantaneous media, it's the short sound bite that rules. And the favorite sound bite is tough talk, even when it's backed up by nothing, or by an artificial photo op.
Since the latest news is about the building freeze is photo-less. Well, you could show a tractor not moving, but does that look very different from a tractor moving...folks are saying tough, get-into-the-news things..."There may be a freeze, but we're going to build anyway." That sounds good. Prove it.
Remember when the freeze first went into effect a year ago, a defrosting event was held in my hometown of Efrat. Yesha leaders laid the cement foundation of a synagogue. A mike was thrust into the face of a Yesha leader. "Isn't this illegal?" "I don't care," he said defiantly. It sounded great. It made all the news, and then the freeze took effect, and still holds, more than a year later, despite all the bravado.
Last year's stories: http://voices-magazine.blogspot.com/2010/01/building-bet-orot-and-all-israel.html, http://voices-magazine.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-building-no-israel.html
Jewish leaders, you wanna be sincere? You wanna talk tough? So, act tough for the sake of the Jewish people and the Jewish nation. Not for the video cameras and the news shows.