I’m headed to America on July 20th with my family. We’re planning on splurging a bit since we don’t have to buy food or electricity or water or whatever else it is we buy on our own that we won’t buy when we’re at our parents’ places. And I’ll still be working, so nothing lost there.

My first mass purchase was based on Bob Wenzel’s post for Ron Paul’s new book Swords into Plowshares. The truth is, these days, I generally find Ron’s commentary somewhat boring because I know it all already. But I love him so much that I am compelled to support him in anything he does, and I urge you to do the same. The man is a Tzadik Gamur, 100%, (a perfect righteous person) one of a handful left on the planet. I am not one. I do not claim to be one. But I can recognize one. Ron Paul is one. And we must support everything he does on the condition that it is just. We can assume everything he does is just until proven otherwise.

So while on Amazon buying Swords into Plowshares, which I will read immediately upon receiving it, I also bought the Game of Thrones books, some Injinji toe socks, a pair of pants because my wife complains there are too many holes in my current pairs of pants, and the Outlander series of books.

Here’s a blurb about each of these purchases. First of all, you’ll notice there are no affiliate links here, at all. That’s because you can give all the money to Bob, Click on his amazon links and give him money. He’s more productive than me so he can use it more to promote the libertarian cause. Maybe one day, with God’s help, I’ll overtake him, but right now I’m still a baby.

Swords and Plowshares, the point is to support Ron over all everyone else calling for more war and bombing, which is most people, including those I hang out with and daven with in Minyan. Everyone wants to kill everyone, for one reason or another. (Again, it’s a wonder I’m still religious.)

As for Game of Thrones, I watch the show because it is anti government. And entertaining. Even the supposed good guys are sometimes evil.

Injinji socks, I have a pair of Vibrams I wear on Har Habayit, and when I’m not suffering from plantar fasciitis due to my flat feet. If anyone has any remedies for that, let me know. I like toe socks.

Most interestingly, Outlander. I got into this show totally accidentally, when one of my wife’s friends recommended it. At first I wasn’t so impressed. Something about stupid magic stones that transformed someone into the past or some nonsense. But towards the end of the season things got really intense.

It ended with a male rape scene that was very difficult to watch. I can handle most violence, but this was a first for me. Watching a male rape scene was horrible. Probably the worst thing I’ve seen on screen. It was not pornographic, they did not show those parts. But emotionally it was something new, because I’ve seen female rape scenes. I do not like them, but being a male I don’t identify with female rape as much as women do. But this I did, and it hurt watching it.

The most real thing about it was, the guy was so abused that at the end, he just acquiesced because there was nothing else he could do about it. Being married to a woman, he felt guilty that he let it happen without fighting at the end, and even liking it because he was no longer being tortured. And he felt he could no longer be married to his wife when he was finally rescued, because he did not fight until the end.

That opened my eyes up to something new. I never even considered the fact that women who are raped may be (and probably are) often biologically compelled to let it happen, on an animalistic level. The human in them fights it, but sexual response is often automated, especially when there is no way of fighting it off physically. The prospect of allowing a rape to happen, and then being forced to biologically respond to it is horrifying. It strips you of your humanity completely, and leads to incredible guilt.

As a man, I have never considered this before. But now I (at least think) I know part of the horror of rape. In the end he recovers, but not without suicidal thoughts.

And that’s why I bought all those things. Hooray for trade.