Okay Folks.
             Let us set the record straight.

a) I do not have any other name on Mudcat.

b) I live in the Orthodox community of Monsey, N.Y.. In addition I have relatives in Brooklyn, NY, Miami Beach, Fla., Lakewood,N.J. and Nassau County, Long Island, with whom I speak on a daily basis. Being part of the Orthodox community and not just an outsider looking in, I have my finger on the pulse and know exactly what is going on. My relatives fill me in as to what is going on in their Orthodox communities as well. Not everything that goes on here is reported in the press, especially Sabbath morning sermons, due to the fact that recording devices are prohibited on the Sabbath. A sermon that is given at 10 AM in the morning can not be reported until about 7 PM, (one hour after sundown) at the conclusion of the Sabbath. Only then are we allowed to use telephones and computers. By that time the major media networks are no longer interested because it is old news.

c) Among the major publications that have endorsed Bush for re-election are, The Jewish Press, The Monsey Advocate, and The Jewish Voice & Opinion (published in Teaneck, N.J.). They give the Orthodox point of view. If you go to www.thejewishpress.com you can read the front page article by Dennis Praeger which clearly articulates the reasons why Orthodox Jews should vote for Bush.

d) Orthodox Jews see nothing wrong about allying themselves with either, the Christian Fundamentalists or the Catholic Church on issues that concern the security of Israel or on issues of morality such as Gay Rights, Family Values, or Abortion. That does not mean that they are ready to embrace Mel Gibson's bigoted father who denied that the Holocaust ever took place.

e) All I did was report what actually transpired over the Sabbath within Orthodox Jewish communities. That was NOT an excuse for people to make personal attacks upon me (If you do not like the news shoot the messenger). In fact I clearly stated in my initial post that I did not share this opinion, a statement that many of you chose to overlook. Jack The Sailor, who hardly ever agrees with me on these issues, to his credit did not overlook this statement and applauded me for making it.

f) In conclusion, let me say that I intend to pull the lever for John Kerry tomorrow and hope that I am not struck dead by a thunderbolt from heaven for doing so.

                                              SOL ZELLER