In Israel social protests began 4 weeks ago with a national outcry over the rising price of basics such as cottage cheese. They then snowballed into a full-blown national movement by way of a simple act by a then unknown young woman. The act? Striking a tent in Tel-Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard in protest of high apartment rental costs. A single tent became the heart and soul of the movement whose main gripe is that the middle-class is bearing the brunt of an imbalanced budgetary spend. “The People Demand Social Justice” is the key chant. The protests are local, scattered all across Israel, drawing hundreds to hundreds of thousands. Big name musicians volunteer to headline these protests. Barricades and PA systems, all donated. People talk about the movement at every cafe, over every lunch, at every business meeting, at every family dinner.

There have been a few skirmishes with the law. Small stuff though… For example, small groups of protesters were arrested by the police for blocking roads and were released without charges within a day. Small potatoes aside, it’s been four weeks and zero acts of the barbaric, non-discriminatory violence we’ve seen across the middle east, and even in the UK. No shots fired. No stores looted. No form of communication has been shut down. In fact, not only have the Israeli police and army not taken any role other than safeguarding the protests themselves, they have even been applauded, literally, by hundreds of thousands for their efforts.

There are still some people who understand the value of life and use their voices and intelligence to work to solve problems. Most important is their respect and concern for their fellow human beings. In the animal kingdom it is good to know that survival is not based only on who is the most brutal and barbaric, but on reason and sanity. Too bad man did not get enough of those traits

Several months ago I returned a Nissan Murano after a three year lease. We had had no issues with the car and due to our customer loyalty to Nissan (my older son also had a Murano and we had had both a Pathfinder and an Altima in the past) we decided to lease a new Sentra.

From the beginning the car was a problem.  It did not easily turnover, sometimes taking several minutes for the ignition to catch.  Then a little over a month after getting the car, it would not start at all.  We called the dealership and they promptly picked up the car and fixed it.  We picked the car up two days later and it worked for about two weeks and then it didn't work again.  The car was dead in our driveway.  

The dealer again towed it back to their service department. Two days later they called and my wife drove me over to pick up the car.  The service manager gave me the keys, I walked out to the lot, put the key in the ignition and NOTHING.  The car would not turn over. 

I walked back to the service manager and handed him back the key.  At that moment the service manager told me there seemed to be a “real problem” with the Nissan Sentra’s electrical system.  But he would fix it.  They lent me a car and I went home – without the Sentra.

Two days later, we again bring the car home and because it was over Christmas and we were away part of the time, the car sat in our driveway.  On New Year’s Eve day, we go out to the car.  You guessed it – IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER.

My wife decided to do a little research and this is what she found on the internet.  These are Nissan North America’s own words about the Sentra:

SUMMARY

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Sentra Vehicles . . . due to a machining irregularity, the bolt/washer surface on the positive battery terminal cable end may allow to a gap to occur in the contact area of the terminal.  This can result in a voltage drop that may cause difficulty starting the vehicle and could cause damage to the engine control module. 

CONSEQUENCES

This issue can cause the engine to stop running while the vehicle is in motion at low speed with a difficult or no start increasing the risk of a crash.

Since we now had had the car back to the dealer to be fixed three times and since in the four months that we have had the car, we have not been able to drive it, or are afraid to drive it, since you may get where you are going but may not get home, or you could end up in a crash, we decided this car is a lemon and under New York State Law, we wanted our money back.

We went about this in accordance with the law.  The dealership gave us the phone number for Nissan Consumer affairs (it seems the dealership, Nissan North in Mt. Kisco, NY is not legally responsible since it is a leased car). We called Nissan NA, and were given a case number. We explained the problems and asked them to take the car back.  They told us they would investigate and get back to us in ten days.  On the tenth day they called my wife and told her they would do NOTHING for us.  When she asked to whom could she appeal, the Nissan representative, Mike Covre told her “the Better Business Bureau”.

A subsequent discussion with the dealership revealed that they had inadvertently given Consumer Affairs, incorrect information.  But the dealership’s attempts to contact Mike Covre have gone unanswered.  If their own franchisees get no respect, think how little effort they make for us poor, lowly consumers.

We are now pursuing this under the New York State Attorney General’s Lemon Law Appeal process.  But think about this:

Under this law, I must continue to pay the cost of the lease and the insurance for A CAR I CANNOT USE!!!  And I must continue to do so until this dispute is resolved, if ever.

As I write this, the car is back at the dealership (towed away once again) and we are in limbo.

So we wait and pay. What else can we do?  Eat cake I suppose.

So I need your help. Offer advice. Re-tweet this to your friends.

Justice be served.

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STORY NUMBER ONE 

 Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder. 

 Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! Infact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a longtime. 

 To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block. 

 Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.   

 Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld.  Price was no object. 

 And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong.  Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.  Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example. 

 One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. 

 He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.    So, he testified. 

 Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street.  But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer; at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. 

The poem read: 

  "The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still."   

 STORY NUMBER TWO 

  World War II produced many heroes One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. 

 He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. 
One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. 
His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. 

As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet. The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

 
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.  Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

 
Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet.  He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. 

This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy’s first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His hometown would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Botch’s memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1and 2. 

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER? 

 Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie’s" son.