!!!ירושלים של ברקת

Mazal tov to Nir Barkat for winning Tuesday's Jerusalem municipal elections! This is a really big deal., and I am hopeful that things will turn around quickly. I was trying to reflect on what it meant to be mayor of a city like Jerusalem. I mean, to follow in the footsteps of King David, Solomon, all the kings of Judah, and Teddy Kollek is no simple feat.

I think Nir Barkat is able to do what needs to be done, which is why I voted for him. It did not go over with out controversy, as he is a non-Orthodox candidate. Everyone calls him the secular candidate, but I think that word is somewhat meaningless. The problem is that he has right-wing tendencies. He has plans for more Jewish "neighborhoods" in East Jerusalem trying to connect the outlying "suburbs" with the West (literally and metaphorically). However, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Is somewhat of a shit hole. Don't get me wrong, I love living here and have a nice setup, but poverty is rampantly rising, streets and sanitation are out of control and the traffic situation is nightmarish.
I think that Barkat has the best chance of improving the situation, which is why I voted for him:

You might notice two envelopes. Yellow is for mayor and white is for city council. Yes, two votes (I, coming from Chicago, can identify with voting early and often). My city council vote is a whole other complicated matter.

Anyhow, democracy wise, things are on the up and up, and we'll see what our newly elected can do.



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On Another note I would like to start a regular update on the blog of the day's or the week's "Scary" news item. It will be my pick of what to be scared or worried about next. Whether they legitimately warrant your fear is for you to decide. Our first pick is:

"Iran says it test fired new surface-to-surface missile capable of hitting Israel"

Yikes!