Talk, Talk, Talk - It's the Talk of the Town

15 Kislev 5784

I'm old enough to remember my parents repeating something they heard as children growing up during World War II:  "Loose Lips Sink Ships."

I was thinking about that last night while listening to the news presenter on i24 go on and on about how upset everybody is that the little red-haired children have not yet been released.  And then, I was reminded again this morning when I read Biden's statement that he does not believe Hamas is purposely withholding American citizen hostages.  Hello!  He made it clear from day one that he wanted to see Americans released first!  And it's clear from the constant harping about Baby Bibas how important it is to Am Yisrael that the youngest hostage at age 10 months come home quickly.

Of course, Hamas is holding them back on purpose!!!

We were told early on that Hamas routinely monitors Israeli news sites in order to gauge the effectiveness of their tactics on the public mood and determine how best to continue their campaign.  All this talk, talk, talk even to describing in great detail the crowds in "Hostage Square" in downtown Tel Aviv where counselors are standing at the ready to give mental health support.  OMIGOSH!!  

I guess it's a sign of our times, the phone glued to the hand, the constant texting, podcasting, soooooo much talking!!!

I understood Mr. Pollard very well when he mentioned having a law in place to use in order to silence people who are undermining the war effort while under attack. The idea is not as outlandish as most of the "horrified" people think.

Writing for a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes declared in Schenck v. United States (1919) that “[w]hen a nation is at war, many things that might be said in times of peace are such a hindrance to its effort that their utterance will not be endured so long as men fight, and that no Court could regard them as protected by any constitutional right.”  (Source)

Mr. Pollard has taken a beating in cyberspace for suggesting such a thing regarding the hostages' families who have been flying all over the world saying whatever their hearts dictate to them regardless of the consequences.  The worst part of that is they were being manipulated by a fifth column who is "praying for both sides."

Maybe it's a generational thing.  The whole focus on "rights" over obligations.  Younger people have been brainwashed through mass media to let everything out and hold nothing back.  Discretion is not even in most people's vocabulary anymore.

With all our emphasis on proper speech, this should be an easy concept to grasp for Torah Jews.  Because the way of the world right now is toward uncensored, unhindered, unrestricted speech, we Jews have to be more careful than ever to guard our speech.