Nuffing.com

Back in October 2018, myself along with a group of bloggers & writers both print and online were invited to visit the EOTech factory in Ann Arbor, Michigan. EOTech is the manufacturer of holographic weapon sights, famously known for the close quarter combat sight that was mounted on the Heckler & Koch HK416 rifle that killed Bin Laden.

It was an unprecedented event that they opened their doors to the media, as that had never happened before in the history of the company since its founded in 1995. EOTech is fully owned by L3 Technologies, formerly L-3 Communications Holdings, is one of the largest defense contractors with $10 billion revenue annually.

Due to the amount of journalists invited, the event was split up into multiple sessions for 3 full days, and that means they had to do the exact same tour 3 times over.

I was the only non-American journalist invited to the factory. In addition, I have visited Aimpoint in Malmo, Sweden and Meprolight in Israel in late 2017 so I hope to offer different insight here.

The Dark Days

Let’s get the dancing pink elephant out of the way. Most of you may recall back in 2015 EOTech was sued by the US Government as they were accused of knowingly providing the US military with optics that failed in extreme temperatures and humid weather conditions. At the time, they were contracted supplying United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) which oversees various special operations component commands of the US Army, Navy and Air Force including Navy Seals and Delta. The lawsuit was settled on the same day for $25.6 million and EOTech initiated a massive recall to provide full refund for their commercial holographic sights, no questions asked.

To this day, there are still a lot of people that refuse to support the company.

The truth of the matter was, all optics have some degree of “thermal drift”. The term was actually never used before as the effect was simply referred to as thermal expansion. If you move between extreme hot to extreme cold environment, your point of impact would have shifted as the zero for the barrel and ammunition would shift due to the temperature change, requiring the operator verify zero at the bare minimum.

In addition, all optics have some form of thermal drift. As industry tests were done on various red dot sights from various brands and they all exhibited this behavior in various levels.

Then the headline came in late September, “USSOCOM Replaces EOTech Sights With EOTech Sights.” The contract is worth $23 million and it was a huge win for the company. In fact, this upset staunch Aimpoint supporters, as they were sure it was an easy win for Aimpoint’s battle proven red dot sights.

The announcement was made merely weeks before the tour, we all thought we would have a chance to see the new sight. Despite our excitements, EOTech claims the USSOCOM sight is the same as their commercial sights, with the exception that they are required to put through even more rigorous testing such as higher water proof rating, higher rate of shock and drop test. If I am a betting man, it’s the model EXPS3 in flat dark earth that won the solicitation. The new sight replaces the older SU-231/PEQ, otherwise known as Model 553 in the commercial variant.

Improvements

Since the dark days, the company have introduced new branding along with a new logo. The electronics have improved to provide up to 350% improvements on battery life, of which even the single CR123 battery models have 1500 hours of battery life at nominal setting in room temperature. EOTech actually recommends using lithium-ion AA batteries, even though the AA battery models come with alkalines in the box, which often leak overtime making the optic inoperable.

All HWS (Holographic Weapon Sight) models now carry a 10 year warranty which provides confidence. They have strengthened their quality control testing and manufacturing processes. The known issues such as leaking gas, dimmed reticle (due to the lamination between the glasses getting separated over time) have all been resolved.

They have also introduced the green reticle HWS models. Despite what many thinks, it does not use a green laser. The story behind the green reticle is an interesting one, as it was a project untaken by an intern engineer from one of the three local universities. He/she was able to achieve this by using a mask over the green laser, changing the color to green. Green is six times more perceptible to the eye, of which you will likely have to dial down the brightness thus also increasing battery life in actual real life scenario compare to the red.

There is a brand new line of variable power scopes called the Vudu. Of the complete line, the two most interesting items are the 1-6x and 5-25x scopes. The 1-6x is a first focal plane scope that offers a CQB reticle similar to their holographic sights that have a 65 MOA outer ring for quick sight acquisition at close range. Zooming in at 6x the circle disappears and a finer reticle appears that is useable for longer distance, precision shots. The glass is very clear for a scope of this price range, in order to penetrate the market and compete with other popular, more established, proven scopes that already exists.

The 5-25x is the scope that took the longest to develop. It is an ultra-short scope that is even shorter than the Schmidt & Bender 3-20x Ultra Short. It’s actually only slightly longer than the Vudu 1-6x.

In addition, the company cleaned house and brought in new talents. Ann who is head of Marketing joined the company on January 1^st this year. Frank, the Chief Financial Officer, joined the company in 2015. Umesh, Director of Operations, also joined in 2015 and was recently promoted to the position in July. I’m sure there are many others but these were the people that were there during our Q&A sessions to answer any questions.

Peak Nano

During the presentation session, one of the PowerPoint slides showed EOTech recently invested in a company called Peak Nano. Strangely, the slide was quickly clicked away without any discussion of who they are.

According to a quote on their website by Outdoor Magazine. It is “The Most Disruptive Technology In Optics In Our Lifetime.” I’m inclined to believe it also if the technology actually works.

Simply put, the company make use of their nanolayer gradient refractive index (GRIN) lenses to reduce weight of a lens up to 80 percent lighter and 10 times thinner than traditional lens design. Moreover, the new lens provides edge-to-edge clarity and resolution that is unmatched with today’s technology which progressively increase softness as you go near the edge of the lens.

Rumor has it that EOTech have secured the exclusive rights to use the technology on any military and law enforcement contracts worldwide.

Future of EOTech

There are ongoing rumors that they might show the Vudu 1-8x First Focal Plane scope at SHOT Show 2019 in January. It has yet to be seen whether or not it will feature Peak Nano technology. Some naysayers believe the technology is not yet ready for mass market. It has yet to be seen how these concepts perform in real life, we are all eagerly waiting.

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Not too long ago Ammoland Editor Duncan Johnson and I went to visit Palmetto State Armory’s numerous facilities. If you haven’t read the two posts about our visit, make sure to read both Part 1 as well as Part 2. As a part of our tour, we were allowed to build our very own Palmetto State Armory AR-15 in their assembly facility under the watchful eye of PSA’s top engineer.

What made me use some of the parts that I did? I had to use what was available, what was going to work with the 16″ Stainless Freedom barrel, and what I like on a rifle. I also went with a slightly unconventional optic setup because frankly, I wanted to try it out.

Optics

Let’s get the optics out of the way first, shall we? I selected a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6 scope since I am rather familiar with the optic. I have one in a Warne mount just like this one on a beater rifle that I often reconfigure for reviews and another on the Ruger Gunsite Scout that I wrote about in my quest for the perfect truck gun as well as the review of the Gunsite Scout.

While it isn’t the optimal scope, it is cheap and effective. Zeroing the rifle is easy, it has an illuminated reticle, and magnification adjustments are easy. The easy to use BDC made shots out to 400 yards easy but spotting impacts was hard at times. The glass isn’t as clear as I would prefer and the reticle, while easy to acquire, is rather large and can cover an impact at longer ranges.

Where things got a bit untraditional is the addition of a Trijicon RMR RM 06 on a Magpul 45-degree M-Lok mount. This isn’t the most ideal setup for a 45-degree red dot, but it was what the Palmetto State Armory store had in stock at the time. While I didn’t really have a need to transition from magnified optics to a red dot quickly, I really wanted to see if those weird 3 gun guys are onto something.

While it was much faster to transition from near targets to further ones, I will say that I found the additional sight overkill for recreational shooting. I kind of expected that outcome and have since relocated the Trijicon RMR to a pistol, but I am really glad that I tried it out. Should I start shooting two or three gun, the dual optics setup would absolutely be worth revisiting.

Upper Receiver

As I said earlier, the 16″ stainless steel Freedom barrel was the one factor that I didn’t choose myself. While we were at DC Machine, those were the barrels that were just coming off the line and Josiah wanted us to see how our barrels were made. I am entirely happy with the 16″ stainless option since it checks all the boxes, a midlength gas system, 1:7 twist rate, and chambered in 5.56 NATO.

The flash hider is an A2 like PSA uses on just about all of their uppers and rifles. While I might have gone with a brake, the A2 is functional and few other muzzle devices do as good of a job suppressing flash for as cheap as the A2 is.

The handguard choice was easy, both Duncan and I chose the 15″ lightweight M-LOK rail. The rail has a pic rail to accommodate BUIS as well as a small section just forward of the upper receiver.

I found the barrel nut design rather interesting. My go-to rail normally a Geissele MK8 13″ or 15″ depending on barrel length. One of the things I really love about the Geissele rail is the barrel nut, which is very similar to the PSA barrel nut.

Not only do I really like rails that secure with a pinch method, installing the barrel nut is super easy since you don’t need to time it to the gas tube. Sure, there are other benifits, but there is still a ton to cover.

We used a forged upper receiver that was milled in the DC Machine shop just like the barrel. As a part of their assembly process, PSA fits the forward assist and dust cover before it makes it to the assembly tables.

The charging handle is a standard mil-spec unit, while functional it isn’t my first choice and will likely be replaced at some point with a BCM Gunfighter handle or a Radian Weapon Systems Raptor.

I am rather impressed by Palmetto’s Premium full-auto bolt carrier group. The staking on the gas key was done well, the machine work is on par with more expensive BCGs that are twice what you can get one for normally, it has a Carpenter 158 bolt that has been HPT/MPI tested, chrome lined carrier and gas key, and even uses the correct grade 8 bolts.

As I just mentioned, the bolt is made from the correct steel for a mil-spec bolt, Carpenter 158. PSA also shot peens the bolt, has it mag particle inspected, and high pressure tested.

Digging into the bolt a bit further we find a black insert extractor spring and a black o-ring to help with extraction.

Lower Receiver

We started with a standard stripped Palmetto State Armory lower and a lower parts kits minus the trigger. I chose to go with a MIAD 1.1 grip since that is what is on most of my rifles and I really like the ability to use the slim panels without the A2 finger groove. The oil bottle in the grip is also nice to have at the range since I almost always forget to replace the oil in my range bag.

The reason I went with the lower parts kit without the trigger group is so that I could use the excellent nickel boron two stage trigger Palmetto State Armory. With the first stage weight being 1 3/4 pound and the second stage being the same, total trigger pull weight is 3.5 pounds.

Reset is nice and positive, and while there is a touch of creep as the trigger breaks it is well beyond my expectations for a trigger that routinely sell for right at $100.

Since commercial receiver extensions are the work of the devil, we fitted a mil-spec tube made by PSA. I used a standard end plate and castle nut since those are perfectly adequate for my needs, I never use any of the endplate QD sockets on any of my other rifles.

The stock is an old favorite of mine, the Magpul CTR. A really like the simple, no-nonsense design and the lock makes it feel a lot more substantial than many other stocks on the market. The CTR has been one of my go-to stocks since its introduction and will likely continue to be a favorite of mine.

Another thing that I do to all of my rifles is a Magpul MOE trigger guard or something similar. Since PSA has MOE trigger guards by the box full, there was no reason to not install one on the rifle.

How did it shoot?

While I don’t have thousands of rounds through the rifle, I have had a chance to put several brands of ammo through the rifle putting the round count in the 450 to 500 round range. The reality is, I just don’t go to a rifle range enough to get the round count up higher to see how my build will hold up in the long run.

The rifle has digested 55-grain, 62-grain, 75-grain, and 77-grain brass case ammo and even a bunch of steel case garbage ammo without a problem. The recoil impulse feels like an AR, but a touch softer than a standard carbine gas system rifle thanks to the mid-length gas tube.

When shooting the rifle for groups with a few types of ammo, I found the IMI Razor Core 77-grain load to shoot the tightest groups are 100-yards. The best I was able to eek out of the rifle using one of the new Magpul bipods and a rear bag was 1.614″. The worst performer was predictably the 62-grain xm855  with a 3.241″ group. If you aren’t impressed with 1.53 MOA out of an upper that can be had for under $300, I don’t know what to tell you.

Conclusion

I am super happy with how the build turned out, the only thing I have changed about the rifle is I removed the RMR. There just wasn’t a need for the second optic on a rifle that is going to almost exclusively be shot from a bench at 100 to 200 yards.

If I end up changing anything else on the rifle, it is going to be the standard mil-spec charging handle and the mil-spec selector. I would probably go with the Radian Raptor and the Talon selector, both are go-to parts and are installed on just about all of my non-clone builds.

While I have no idea what replicating this rifle would run you on the PSA website since the exact configuration isn’t listed, I would wager a guess that during this Christmas sale it should be under $500 for the rifle without optics. PSA does have several options that are super close to the rifle I built, just not the exact one.

Learn more about Palmetto State Armory’s product lineup on the PSA website and don’t forget to check out their Daily Deals section, sometimes it can be hard to not buy one of their deals.

---

About Patrick R.

Patrick is a firearms enthusiast that values the quest for not only the best possible gear setup but also pragmatic ways to improve his shooting skills across a wide range of disciplines. He values truthful, honest information above all else and had committed to cutting through marketing fluff to deliver the truth. You can find the rest of his work on FirearmRack.com as well as on the YouTube channel Firearm Rack or Instagram at @thepatrickroberts.

After spending three weeks testing 18 multi-tools, the best was clearly the Leatherman Skeletool CX. It only has the most essential items, a minimalist approach that places it among the slimmest, lightest, and easiest to carry multi-tools. The externally mounted knife edge lasts longer than a standard Leatherman blade, and the other tools—screwdrivers, pliers, and a bottle opener built into a carabiner clip—are all quick, capable, and convenient. Its asymmetrical handle design creates a curved grip that feels comfortable as the pliers, knife, or screwdriver. The tool lasts for years and is backed by a 25-year warranty—good thing, too, since it isn’t cheap.

The Skeletool CX offers only the most essential tools and nothing else. Sculimbrene wrote in a multi-tool run down at GearJunkie that after seven years of carrying the Skeletool, “Never once did I wish it had more implements.” Our experience has been the same. In months of use, there hasn’t been a single time when the Skeletool wasn’t enough. In a review, Peter Colligan of Cedric & Ada says it “really is one of the best EDC things you can get.”

The slender Skeletool’s pliers are smaller than on most multi-tools, but they’re big enough to comfortably wrap a ½-inch bolt. For bigger bolts, we’d use adjustable pliers, locking pliers, or a wrench anyway. The handles unfold easily and are comfortable to grip for the kinds of small, quick projects that multi-tools do.

The knife’s 154CM steel is a premium blade steel that keeps an edge longer than the 420HC that Leatherman uses on other tools like the Wave+ and the regular Skeletool. Colligan, who has performed extensive blade steel edge retention testing, has a video directly comparing Leatherman’s two steels. In his test, he is able to make 150 cuts through thick twisted sisal rope with the 154CM blade before it stops being able to cut paper. With the same test, he gets only 60 cuts with the 420HC blade. In a review of the Skeletool CX, he says, “you really do notice the extra edge retention…it goes for a lot longer than my other Leatherman knives do.”

We like that the blade on the CX has a straight edge, not the partially serrated kind you see on the regular Skeletool. Serrations make a rougher cut and they’re much more difficult to sharpen. Sculimbrene writes at his site, “I do not like serrations. I don’t do enough rope cutting tasks to make the serrations worth the sharpening hassle they cause.” While researching for our pocket knife guide, Dan Policastro of BladeReviews, a prominent review site told us, “If you maintain your plain edge knife you will never miss having serrations.” In our own testing, we cut plenty of sisal baling twine and the plain-edge blades worked just as well as the serrated ones.

The blade deployment on the CX is among the best of any multi-tool. It doesn’t pop or flick out like a well-made pocket knife, but it’s easy for a thumb to gain purchase and open it one-handed with a nice even resistance. Most multi-tools require two hands, and even the one-handed designs aren’t as easy as the Skeletool CX (with one exception—the Leatherman Wave+).

The Skeletool’s screwdriver differs from most multi-tools. Instead of individual screwdrivers, the CX uses a bit holder at the end of one handle. It comes with two double-sided bits, one Philips and one flat. The bit you’re using locks in place with a small lever release, while the other stores in the handle under a slightly tensioned piece of the frame. We’re doubtful either one would fall out. If you need more selection, Leatherman sells complete bit sets compatible with the CX.

A carabiner in the other handle, along with a pocket clip, give multiple options for carrying the Skeletool CX: The carabiner can clip to a belt loop, as a review by Colligan explains, or attach to a backpack (or even hang it from a nail in the workshop). The pocket clip has a nice spring to it and always worked as expected. We were satisfied with the pocket clip for daily carry, but during projects, it was convenient to use the carabiner like Colligan instead of putting the CX back in our pocket or setting it down.

The carabiner clip does double duty as a bottle opener that works better than the openers you find on most multi-tools. It’s faster, because the clip is integrated into the end of the handle, so there is no need to deploy a tool or open up the pliers in order to get at the opener, like you have to do with nearly all other multi-tools. It may seem like a minor point, but it’s nice to grab a bottle and be able to open it on the spot, instead of having to set it down, deploy the bottle opener, open the bottle, set it back down, fold the opener back into the tool, and finally grab the bottle again and take a sip. It’s also easier to use than competitors’—most fold out of the tool, so they’re only the thickness of a knife blade, and they take more than one pry to get a bottle cap off. The CX’s opener is wider, at about an eighth of an inch, so it reliably gripped and popped caps off in a single motion.

The Skeletool has an odd asymmetrical design, but it works well ergonomically. Opened up as a set of pliers, the handles look uneven, but their unusual curves fit our palms perfectly. Using the tool as a knife, we found the slight curves and swoops of the body shape to be easy and comfortable to grasp. This asymmetry also makes it easy to locate and deploy without even looking at the tool. Many multi-tools, like the Leatherman Wave+, have a perfectly symmetrical design that makes it impossible to know which tool you’re deploying even if you’re staring right at it. Grayson Parker, writing at BladeReviews, states that “the handle design is ergonomically impeccable, regardless of which tool is being used.”

The Skeletool CX is extremely light, weighing only 5.2 ounces, and is slender enough that we barely felt it in our pocket—particularly when using the pocket clip. Discounting the keychain models, only the Gerber Crucial was lighter at 5.2 ounces; most fully-loaded multi-tools weighed around 7, 8, or 9 ounces.

Aesthetically, we find the design of the Skeletool CX a bit mesmerizing. Not only is it asymmetrical along the centerline of the pliers, but from front to back as well. To reduce weight, the metal body has holes in it (called skeletonizing, thus the name of the tool), giving it a unique, very interesting look. There were times during testing when we found ourselves just staring at how it all fits together, like trying to figure out a puzzle. We agree with Sculimbrene’s writing that the CX is a “perfect example of a good, coherent, and unified purpose that influenced each and every design decision.”

The Leatherman CX is an investment. At around $80, it’s not the most expensive multi-tool we looked at, but it’s up there. We see the purchase of the CX as a long-term one. The tool is backed by a 25-year warranty and we think the cost is justified, given the amount that you’ll likely be relying on the tool, especially if you carry it every day, which is what it’s designed for. Colligan, in his review—after having used the Skeletool for four years—refers to it as “pretty much a tool for life.”

Lovers of classic films have been set adrift this month after the Filmstruck streaming service was unceremoniously murdered by corporate ghouls. But friends, I want to tell you about a free streaming service that’s in many ways just as good as Filmstruck, offers Criterion films, and has at least one feature that no one else does.

Kanopy is not new, it got its start in Australia a decade ago and has slowly expanded its services around the globe. Its business model is to partner with universities and public libraries which then offer students and members the ability to stream the service’s library of 30,000 films for free. Some 4,000 public libraries worldwide use the service, so there’s a decent chance you have access through your local system. Why haven’t you been doing this? I don’t know. Why haven’t I? I couldn’t really tell you! But it’s very good.

I think the biggest reason Kanopy isn’t a household name is that association with libraries. Public libraries are great and offer all kinds of digital options that you may not be aware of. So if you don’t have a library card that’s the first step to signing up. In New York City, where I’m located, you can sign up for a library card online. It’s been a while since my last library visit and getting set up on Kanopy meant that I had to revisit an old feeling from the Blockbuster Video days—cleaning up late fees. It did not inspire even the mildest hint of nostalgia. But there will be no late fees for your streaming, so stay with me.

Once your library card situation is in order, you just go to Kanopy’s website or download its app and sign up. You’ll have to choose your local library, enter your card number, and verify an email. It’s easy-peasy.

You’re still not doing yet, are you? You’re still thinking this sounds like a nice thing that you’ll get around to later and you’re going to go home later only to aimlessly scroll through the same watchlist on Netflix that you’ve been staring at for five years. I urge you to just take the plunge.

I subscribe to pretty much every streaming service under the sun and use PS Vue for cable. But logging into Kanopy I immediately saw selections that either don’t pop-up in my regularly scheduled, algorithmically-generated hellscape. There’s a boatload of classic films like Metropolis and Sunset Boulevard for the Filmstruck crowd. There are 50 movies from the Criterion Collection to tide you over until its new streaming service starts next spring. And there are a lot of new flicks spanning all genres.

We don’t know when Apple’s long-delayed streaming service will debut but last month it made a big deal out of its new agreement to produce flicks with the hot indie studio A24. Right this second, you can watch A24’s back catalog on Kanopy, including films like Ex Machina and current awards-competitor First Reformed for free.

Maybe you have kids. Do you have any idea what they’re watching on YouTube? I swear to you it isn’t good. Kanopy has a whole kids section with old and new classics that do not feature a CG doctor impregnating Spider-Man with a syringe.

What many would consider Kanopy’s only flaw is what I believe to be the best thing that sets it apart. You have a limit of how many films you can watch in a month and a limit of how long you have to finish a given film once you’ve started. Kanopy gets paid by its institutional partners for each film that a member streams. The university or library set their own streaming limits for members and can adjust them based on increased activity or budget changes. The Brooklyn Public Library gives me a limit of six films per month and I have three days to finish a film once I’ve started. The counter restarts on the first of every month.

Kanopy isn’t a Netflix killer, it’s a nice additional service. Of course, if you don’t subscribe to any streaming channels, it’s a great option. But I like that you need to think about what you want to watch. Instead of getting 15 minutes into something and changing your mind, maybe you’ll stick it out. If you fell asleep halfway through a film, maybe you’ll be sure to finish it the next day. In other words, it’s much closer to the old video store experience when you actually cared about your choices.

Happy Hanukkah! The story that celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, a Jewish Priestly family from Modiin that aren’t Israeli, didn’t live in Israel and they defeated the Greek empire that wanted to force them to abandon their faith, their heritage and their G-d.

If I were going to write the story today I would cast Jewish Voices for Peace, J street, If Not Now, B’Tselem, and leftist Jews as the Hellenistic Jews of the Hanukkah story. Because they work against Israel and those that want to live life according to Torah. It’s kind of interesting to me, I recently took a class called “Wrestling With Faith” in it we talked about the Mitzvot. The 613 little holy bread crumbs G-d gave to leave a path for us to follow to find him. You want to get to know someone? You ask him or her questions about themselves, and sometimes getting that information is like pulling teeth. G-d plays no such games with us. He says these things I like, these things I don’t like. You want to make me smile? You want to show you are a child who listen to their father? These are house rules. Which kind of baffles me when people tell me they don’t matter anymore. Maybe I just haven’t found the Parasha where it says G-d changed him mind about those. But that was the point of the Hellenization. To separate the Jews from the things that G-d ask. It’s like doing everything the opposite of what your boss, significant other, spouse or coach says you should do and then expecting them to still feel the same way about you. It doesn’t usually play out that way. So Hellenization was meant to turn people from the worship of G-d to the worship of the human body, art, and pagan rituals. They wanted to convince the Jews living in Israel that they didn’t need to observe the new months, circumcision, Torah study, Shabbat observance. They wanted to drive a wedge between the people and G-d.

For more info on this history of Hanukkah and information you’ll find we’ve got quite a few choices.

It’s The Most MACCABEE Time of the Year!

Oh, it’s probably nothing…

#Amona

A Holiday Classic…

Some things are worth fighting for

At This Time

It definitely wasn’t safe to openly practice being a Jew in Israel at that time. As other times down through history different people of different nations have tried to eradicate Jews and their Judaism. It never began with cattle cars, concentration camps and ovens. It began with yellow stars and discrimination. At the end of WWII the world joined us in vowing #NeverAgain, and now there has been a self serving attempt to cheapen that phrase by a money grubbing, attention seeking political pawn who is protected by armed guards even as he oinks out that those that can’t afford paid protection be rendered defenseless. Little swine.

Did we think that would be the final attempt after the final solution? Well, it wasn’t.

Rashida Tlaib to lead congressional trip to Judea and Samaria

One of the two new muslims elected to congress. She is leading a group to Israel, but not to visit Israeli Jews, Arabs, Christians and Druze. Nope, to visit the ancient people (est. 1964) Falestinians. The other muslim Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is also no friend.

Tlaib in the interview also came out in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, which she said brings attention to “issues like the racism and the international human rights violations by Israel right now.”

Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, the other Muslim woman elected to Congress in November, said in an interview shortly after the election that she supports the BDS movement after saying during her campaign that it was “counteractive” and prevents dialogue.

What do people not yet accept or understand about “taquia”?

Menorah toppled near Harvard University

South African synagogue goes up in flames guesses on if it’s arson or not?

New Hampshire Town Reject Menorah Display, Citing Vandalism

One might think it’s becoming unsafe in America for Jews to openly admit or display their faith. One would be correct. From wonderful Jack Engelhard in a column titled Americas Hidden Jews. This whole column is well worth reading.

Professor of Jewish and Holocaust studies at Columbia University Elizabeth Midlarsky is about the only one at the college who dares to identify herself openly as Jewish.

Let that sink in.

Remember, this is America. This is New York.

A few days ago she walked into her office to find it vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti. “They got me,” she told The Washington Post. “I’m afraid.

And then we have Airbnb or AirBS depending on if you ask the company or me what their name is. AirBS is a site where people can list property, apartments or rooms they have to rent to vacationers. They have recently decided parts of Israel aren’t in Israel. So any of the Jewish homes listed in Judea and Samaria, the Biblical heartland, were removed. Not the Falistinian ones mind you, they’re still listed. Just not the Jewish ones. Have they done this in any other part of the world where there is dissension occurring? Why do I bother asking? Of course not. It is flat out anti-semitism. Are they being called out for it. Nope.

Remember in the Hanukkah story how a Hellenized Jew was going to sacrifice a pig on the alter in Modiin since Matthias Maccabee refused to do so? Matthias killed the corrupted Jew, and then the King’s officer that was commanding such a thing. There would be no pigs sacrificed on alters in the Maccabee name. The Hellenized Jews were trying to corrupt the pure ones. They’re still active today.

America’s Jewish left endorses anti-Jewish discrimination

American Jewish peace activists who have spent much of their lives fighting discrimination against ethnic minorities, have decided there is one form of discrimination they support: discrimination against Jews who reside in Judea-Samaria.

Angry At Airbnb For Boycotting The Settlements? Birthright Does The Same Thing.

According to the leftist Jews, that most likely do celebrate Hanukkah, as most all Jews do celebrate Hanukkah, Modiin, land of the Maccabees, IS NOT IN ISRAEL. Nope. Who knew?

I think Daniel Pipes of the Middle-East Forum has the answer to this one. ‘It’s time for Israel to declare victory’

Daniel Pipes is determined to make it clear to the Arabs in Judea and Samaria that in order to survive they must recognize Israel.

The Maccabeean revolt was a two fold war. One, it was incredible military victories, G-d gave many many miracles over the years the battles were fought. The other was the war of faith, religion or culture. However you choose to look at it.

I think I’m going to have to disagree with Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks this time. In his Hanukkah message this year he seems to me at least, to believe the great battle was for education, not military battles. I believe without the military battle of G-d through the Maccabees, there would have been no educational victories. To quote Dinesh D’Souza yesterday, he was discussing the difference between George H.W. Bush and President Trump. He said “sometimes you need Mother Teresa, and sometimes you need Dirty Harry”. I would add and sometimes, no one less than Judah Maccabee will do.

My poem to Judah. Twas a Night During Hanukkah

But I will close with a column by our writer Y.B. Ben Avraham, Cleaning the Menorah for Next Year

The graphics he chose are beautiful, but I love the line he closes it with so very much.

Ein Od Milvado

אין עוד מלבדו

There is no one but him.

Happy Hanukkah!

חג חנוכה שמח

Or, for fans of Queen