Foreword by Stan Lerner: a lot of people have asked me to write about healthcare legislation and while there is much to be said, I thought it best to focus on the core issue, which has little to do with healthcare.
Passover (which is observed this week) is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Muslims, Christians, and of course Jews are all well versed in the account of the Great Prophet Moses confronting the Pharaoh Ramesses and demanding that God’s people be released from their bondage. It took ten plagues and ultimately the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh’s army to achieve this freedom for the Jewish people. Subsequently, the story of Passover has been recounted by Jews for thousands of years over a dinner called a Passover Seder—a commandment from God.
So how is this relevant to an American in the year 2010? A question certainly worth asking. And why am I writing about it? A question I am asking myself. The answer is FREEDOM. Let me explain:
Over the course of the last week it was not possible to turn on one’s television set and watch the national news without hearing story after story focused on the new healthcare laws. If you supported the legislation that was passed you are for a still larger presence of the government in your life. If you did not support the legislation that was passed you are opposed to a still greater presence of the government in your life. I was astounded by the endless array of discussions that focused on every other possible aspect of this legislation, intentional or not, this did our country an incredible disservice. Of course every American would like every American to receive the best possible healthcare, the question is at what cost—and I do not inquire this in any way with respect to money. America and Americans do not, and should not value money more than FREEDOM!
The word Seder means (in Hebrew) order. So Jews celebrate their freedom from slavery by having a dinner called order. Puzzling? Not really, you see the Jewish people were freed for a purpose—to receive God’s laws and observe them. But the lesson for all of mankind transcended the mission God had chosen for the Jewish people and is of equal importance. The lesson was to receive freedom as a God given right and practice it. The founding fathers of the United States of America understood this and although it was adverse to their own personal interests they created a country, for the first time in history, which had as its SOUL the purpose of individual freedom for its citizens.
So when Jews celebrate their freedom from slavery with a religious ceremony of a dinner that requires things be done in a particular order, they are really conveying a truth about freedom—freedom without purpose is chaos and freedom with purpose allows each and everyone of us to reach our own God given potential. Rabbi Daniel Lapen, who is simply a genius, once described this in terms of a bullet. If you bang on the backside of a bullet with a hammer you may actually release its energy potential, but to no meaningful end—perhaps even great harm to oneself or others. But invent a gun and a barrel and use it to contain and ultimately release the energy potential of a bullet and you will have created freedom with purpose.
It is incumbent on every American to ask themselves what their own unique purpose is and as Americans we are meant to be free to pursue this purpose—this individual freedom is at the core of our greatness as a country and as a people. The purpose of the government as our founding father’s envisioned America was to, at all cost, preserve our individual freedoms. Does healthcare legislation that mandates every individual must go out and buy healthcare insurance whether they want to or not sound like a government that’s protecting individual freedoms? The answer my dear friends and readers, like the right to freedom itself, is self-evident.
Let me conclude by mentioning this about the Passover Seder: the actions one must take in the proper order to achieve the level of freedom God intended for the Jewish people and all of mankind, number fifteen. The celebration of Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar month of Nissan. The Hebrew calendar, the oldest known calendar, is lunar, which means the 15th of the month is always the night of the full moon. And what is the full moon, if not a reflection of a greater light—in this case the light of God and the intention that we be free. Don’t let this light be dimmed—it is better to die FREE without health insurance than have a government dictate to you otherwise.
STAN LERNER’S BOOKS ON SMASHWORDS .COM
“STAN LERNER’S CRIMINAL”
HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL GRAND PRIZE WINNER
An intense page-turner based on the author’s true-life experiences.
“Stan Lerner’s Criminal” is the graphic and shocking account of the rise to power of the world’s most calculating and dangerous criminal…Sam Noah.
Sam Noah was handsome, intelligent, and charismatic. He came from a good family, had the perfect girlfriend, and attended UCLA where he ranked at the top of his class. Noah could have made anything he wanted to out of his life. But crime came naturally to him.
The story begins in 1984. The Cold War is at its height and the CIA is looking for still more funding for its covert operations around the world. Powerful men decide that there must be a go to guy. A man that will do whatever is necessary to finance the wars that Congress cannot be made aware of.
Sam Noah takes a job at a popular nightclub where he runs a smalltime ticket scam — and he begins to recruit the ruthless men that will help him build a narcotics empire.
When the FBI becomes a gathering threat to Noah, he forms an alliance with the CIA. His innovations — the crack house and the drive-by shooting — not only bring an unprecedented level of violence to the streets of America. They assure the powerful men who have engaged his services that Noah is indeed capable of doing the unthinkable.
The sale of cocaine makes him rich. His willingness to commit murder ensures that he will remain so.
Not since Hannibal Lecter has there been such a horrifying yet engaging mastermind of evil.
“Stan Lerner’s Criminal” transports the reader into the darkest of all places: the criminal mind. This is an unforgettable journey into the psyche of Sam Noah — the man behind some of the most brutal sins against humanity.
By the end of this unflinching tale, what may shock the reader the most is how he or she will ultimately identify with and root for this ruthless but brilliant “Criminal”.
To sample or purchase “Stan Lerner’s Criminal” please visit:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7628
“IN DEVELOPMENT”
“In Development” is a hilarious account of a day in the life of Stan Peters—Hollywood’s most powerful and scummiest producer.
The day begins like any other day—a superlative, five-star breakfast at The Peninsula Hotel. However, the shocking news that there has been a change at the very top of the studio means that the perfect world of Stan and his closest associates could come to a sudden end—especially with a movie like “Two Jews and a Blonde Psycho” in development. The subsequent call from Brad, the new studio boss, confirms their greatest fear—their movie is in danger of being put in turn-around. A day of sex, manipulation, lying, betrayal, blackmail, and murder ensues — otherwise known in Hollywood as a happy ending.
To sample or purchase “In Development” please visit:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7633
BLAST
To sample or purchase “Blast” please visit:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8050
IMPACT
To sample or purchase “Impact” please visit:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8271
GET CHICKS 101
To sample or purchase “Get Chicks 101” please visit:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8281
GET THE RIGHT GUY
To sample or purchase “Get The Right Guy” please visit:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7846
NINETY- NINE POSTS
To sample or purchase “Ninety-Nine Posts” please visit:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/9380
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stan Lerner is an award winning-author whose diverse credits include the novels “Stan Lerner’s Criminal”, “Blast”, “In Development,” and the children’s book “Stanley The Elephant.” Stan Lerner is also the creator of the Las Vegas music spectacle “Night Tribe” and the writer, director, producer of the hit motion picture “Meet The Family.” Mr. Lerner was born in Montebello CA and has lived in downtown Los Angeles for the last fifteen years.
For more information about Stan Lerner please visit his author profile at: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stan
So glad I read this before the Seder ! We had no vote for health care they took away our right to vote what are they taking next ? I wish you will post this very important article everywhere for all to see . More people need to read this . Thank you Stan and let’s have order … Hag Simeah to you . =) Til
Stan, that is so good that I have to read it for a fourth time before I go to sleep tonight, this is the type of quality writing that inspires me to want to be a writer. You my friend have a gift as a writer for God , You should really focus on the light instead of the the darkside. You’re real recognition as bestseller artist will come from stuff like this. It’s absolutly amazing how you include The Ten Commandments for the gentiles also, one more thing I’d like to add after we ended our phone call, the time was 7:17, like you’re address 717. God Bless You Brother. PS should I have used a semicolin 🙂
Stan, that is so good that I have to read it for a fourth time before I go to sleep tonight, this is the type of quality writing that inspires me to want to be a writer. You my friend have a gift as a writer for God , You should really focus on the light instead of the the darkside. You’re real recognition as bestseller artist will come from stuff like this. It’s absolutly amazing how you include The Ten Commandments for the gentiles also, one more thing I’d like to add after we ended our phone call, the time was 7:17, like you’re address 717. God Bless You Brother. PS should I have used a semicolin 🙂