DIN... Thoughts on the Megillah

I have been reading the questions and answers that people usually ask about Megilas Esther.

Why isn't Hashem's name mentioned in the entire Megillah?

 Besides the חמשת חומשי תורה there is no other Sefer in Tanach that has an obligation, a מצוה that it needs to be to be read ( the Haftorah has an other reason, and only part of Tanach is read).Why?

Why were the Rabbis reluctant to include the Megilla in the Tanach?

Why is the name of the tractate that deals with Purim called Mesactas Megilla and not Mesactas Purim? 

Why does the Rambam when he writes the halachos of Chanuka and Purim write .. Hilchos Megilla Ve'Chanuka, why doesn't he write Hilchos Purim Ve'Chanuka?

Why don't we say Hallel on Purim? 

Why do we celebrate Purim when there wasn't a definitive salvation?

After the "miracle" of Purim, the Jews were still subjects to a goy?

What did the Jews do so bad that they deserved to be entirely annihilated? After all they had great tzaddikim for leaders.. Mordechai, Ezra, Nechemia, the Anshai Knesses Hagdoileh?

Why did Hashem send a Haman to threaten the entire Jewish nation? What went wrong?

And now the question that no one asks....

Why isn't "Eretz Yisrael" mentioned in the entire Megillah...there isn't another Sefer in the entire Tanach that doesn't have "Eretz Yisrael" mentioned?

And this last question that no one asks, has, I believe the answer to all the above questions and more ..

The answer is that the Jews living in Persia and their leaders except for Ezra were very happy living in Chutz Le'aaretz...they weren't anxious to make Aliyah, they weren't interested in re-building the Bais Hamikdash..

They had excuses ... "Oh ... Jews in Eretz Yisrael are assimilated" "there isn't any Yeshivos or Kollilim in EY" "Jews living in Eretz Yisrael are Mechallei Shabbos" "Gedolei Yisrael are all in Chutz Le'aaretz" ... the "sholosh shvuois" etc..

So Hashem tried to give them a hint, to remind them that they don't belong in Persia... Hashem put an idea into the head of Achasveirosh to make a huge party, not just for one day but for months...maybe just maybe, someone will get the hint...

Hashem had Achashveirosh dress in the "Bigdie Kohen Gadol" at that party.... would someone now think about the Bais Ha'mikdash?

How about when Achashveiroish took out the Keilim from the Bais Ha'mikdash? Would someone look at this Keilim and rent their clothing and pack up and move to Eretz Yisrael?

Nope ... they continued to party..

It seems that these Jews in Persia had no connection with the people living in Israel or the Bais Hamikdash that was already in middle of being built, but were very involved in the Persian Court and culture ,

How is it that the Jews in Persia whose very lives were in danger didn't see Eretz Yisrael as a viable solution?

And the bigger question... after having survived Haman by a thread, and having a friendly government installed in Persia, no one except Ezra saw fit to think about what just happened and make Aliyah?

But Esther did see ... yes she was one of seven women prophetesses and she saw... the rabbis didn't see and refused to see that's why they were reluctant to include the Megillah in the Tanach ....

Esther had to convince them ...

They questioned the Megillah's purpose....

They reasoned "there isn't any halachos in the Megillah, Hashem name  isn't mentioned ...

and they asked Esther "what is the purpose of this story?" 

"There were many times when the Jewish people were in danger and were saved and yet we never required the entire Jewish nation to read the story...."

And they added the following...

This episode of an evil person wanting to kill all the Jews of the entire world never happened and will never happen again ...

the edict 

להשמיד להרוג ולאבד את כל היהודים מנער ועד זקן טף ונשים ביום אחד 

will never happen again, it was a one time deal and so there is no lesson from this story ..." "we don't need the Megillah"

yes there was an Esav, a Lavan, a Paro, Emaliek that attempted to destroy the Jewish people but an edict like this to kill everyone, will never happen again, they reasoned.

But Esther was a prophet and saw that in the future they will be a Hitler ym"s, there will come a time when Jews will just like in the Megillah look for Hashem but won't look deep enough to find Him.Hashem will be hidden...

They won't find Hashem and they won't see that Eretz Yisrael is an option.....

Even in the worst of times, Eretz Yisrael will not be seen as an option... "Zionists live there" Zionists are mechallel shabbos""the frum are hated" 

and so she didn't ask for Hallel to be recited as even after this unbelievable threat, everyone returned to routine ...happy to live under Achashveiroish in Chutz Le'aaretz.

The rabbis finally gave in and understood Esther's message....and made it a requirement that the story be read by everyone ... and left it the way she wrote it ... with all its mysteries...

See the verse that Esther put into the Megillah at the very end .... 

וישם המלך אחשורוש מס על הארץ ואיי הים

"King Achasveirosh levied a tax on the land dwellers and the ocean islanders"

Did Achashveirush need money? He made a party that lasted 180 days and an additional party seven days for the people of Shushan ...and when Haman offered him 10,000 pieces of gold, Achashveirush told Haman to keep it ..he refused the gift ...he didn't need the money 

Esther put that into the Megillah on the very last verses so that it make an impact on the reader ... she is saying ...that even after the threat of being totally annihilated, everything returned to routine, even the additional needless tax didn't move them to think about moving..and that's why the Gemmarrah dealing with Purim is called Mesactas Meggilla so that we should read the Megillah and read between the lines .. to read what's not written, hidden  but implied......

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Roman carriage almost intact found near Pompeii 2,000 years after the city was buried in lava

 Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman chariot near Italy's buried city of Pompeii in a discovery that experts say has 'no parallel'.

A ceremonial carriage was found at a villa close to the walls of ancient Pompeii, which was buried in a volcanic eruption in 79AD.

The almost perfectly preserved four-wheeled carriage made of iron, bronze and tin was found near the stables of an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana, around 765 yards (700 metres) north of the walls of ancient Pompeii.

Massimo Osanna, the outgoing director of the Pompeii archaeological site, said the carriage was the first of its kind discovered in the area.

Previous excavations have yielded functional vehicles used for transport and work, but not those used for ceremonies.

Osanna said: 'This is an extraordinary discovery that advances our understanding of the ancient world.' 

He added that the carriage would have 'accompanied festive moments for the community, (such as) parades and processions'.

The culture ministry called it 'a unique find, without any precedent in Italy'.

Pompeii, 23 km (14 miles) southeast of Naples, was home to about 13,000 people when it was buried under ash, pumice pebbles and dust as it endured the force of an eruption equivalent to many atomic bombs.

About two-thirds of the 66-hectare (165-acre) ancient town has been uncovered. The ruins were not discovered until the 16th century and organised excavations began in about 1750.

'Pompeii continues to amaze us with its discoveries and it will do so for many years, with 20 hectares still to be dug up,' said Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.

A rare documentation of Greco-Roman life, Pompeii is one of Italy's most popular attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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The coronavirus jab's most tantalising side effects? It may help fight cancer, chronic pain... and even Alzheimer's

 

Joan Wakefield has barely been able to walk for the best part of six months. The 72-year-old from Stockport had a knee replacement in October and has since suffered infections in the scar tissue, causing agonising pain.

Then at the beginning of this month she received the first dose of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine. 'I woke up the next morning and the leg pain and stiffness was gone,' she says.

'I couldn't believe it. I joked with my partner about whether the vaccine had anything to do with it. Previously, I couldn't even bend my leg. Now I can extend it fully, and even put my shoes and socks on. I'm optimistic I'll be able to return to work sooner, rather than later, now.'

It seems ludicrous – a vaccine designed to protect against one virus can, somehow, improve other totally unrelated elements of health.

But Joan Wakefield is far from alone. 

Last month, Mail on Sunday GP Ellie Cannon wrote about the curious case of a man with Lyme disease who'd found his long-term fatigue had evaporated just days after having the Covid vaccine. Scores of you wrote in to tell similarly miraculous tales.

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SELF-HATING COMMUNIST BERNIE SANDERS ATTACKS ISRAEL....

This is an outrageous lie .. as the Palestinians by in large refuse to take the vaccine ..

 Bernie Sanders Slams Israel for Sending COVID Vaccines Abroad While Palestinians ‘Still Waiting’

U.S. senator says Israel responsible for health of Palestinians under its control, ‘outrageous’ for Netanayhu ‘to reward his foreign allies’

Senator Bernie Sanders slammed the Israeli government for distributing COVID-19 vaccines to countries with which it has bolstered relations in recent years before sending vaccines to Palestinians.

“As the occupying power, Israel is responsible for the health of all the people under its control,” Sanders tweeted. “It is outrageous that Netanyahu would use spare vaccines to reward his foreign allies while so many Palestinians in the occupied territories are still waiting.”

Israel will send a few thousand doses of vaccines to several countries with which it has boosted its ties in recent years – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Guatemala and Honduras. Israel is also expected to send additional vaccines to health care workers in the West Bank, as well as another unnamed country, as confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“In light of the successful vaccination campaign in Israel, the leading country in the world in inoculating the population, Israel has received many requests from the countries of the world to assist with the supply of vaccines,” the Prime Minister’s Office statement read.

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Biden Deteriorating by the day ..Jill is in Charge!

 

Jill Biden looks to be the most involved, overbearing First Lady in modern history right now, and I don’t think that’s purely due to her own ambition, though she has plenty of that.

These constant joint interviews appear to be a necessity. 

Perhaps we’ve had it all wrong about who is really acting as president while Joe Biden goes to bed at sundown. Most have figured that the shadow-presidency we are currently witnessing would be run by Kamala Harris. After all, she’s the vice president and she’s nakedly ambitious. 

Yet, more and more, it looks like Harris is being pushed into the background while Jill Biden is really pulling the strings. In fact Harris was not informed in advance of the Syrian bombing.

Not only does she routinely act as the President’s crutch during interviews, she’s now interrupting him to articulate policy in language that makes it seem a lot like she’s in charge.

There’s being a supportive First Lady, and then there’s the assertiveness with which Jill Biden shuts her husband down in order to explain what “we” are doing as an administration on immigration policy. Further, why is she even there? Have you ever seen a president do so many joint interviews? Barack Obama certainly didn’t drag Michelle to almost ever media interview he did.

That would leave anyone with the ability to think critically asking what exactly is going on here. Jill Biden sure appears to be operating as her husband’s caregiver at this point. Why is he unable to explain the immigration policies that are ostensibly his creation? I can speculate with a reasonable expectation of accuracy that Joe Biden is simply incapable of explaining his policies on any given day.

Jill Biden looks to be the most involved, overbearing First Lady in modern history right now, and I don’t think that’s purely due to her own ambition, though she has plenty of that. These constant joint interviews appear to be a necessity. I’d love to see the outtakes and moments between questions to get a better idea of what’s really going on here. But because the president only talks to the friendliest of media outlets, that’ll never happen. They will protect him at all costs.

Regardless, this isn’t normal, and it’s not OK. We are supposed to have a president in office, not a shell of man who needs his wife to explain policy for him during interviews.

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Here’s what you can’t do at a New York wedding reception amid COVID-19

 

Bring your COVID-19 test results, a face mask and a tape measure to the next wedding reception you attend.

New York’s strict new rules for weddings and catered events, which take effect March 15, will allow up to 150 people to gather — but not too closely and only for guests with a negative coronavirus test result or completion of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Guests can only dance — masks on — with members of their own immediate party/household/family who are seated together and then only in “designated and clearly marked areas or zones that are assigned to them.” 

The zones are to be at least 36 square feet and six feet apart from any other dancing areas or zones, the rules say.

And don’t even think about busting a move with someone in another zone. 

Guests “cannot enter, use, or otherwise visit other dancing areas or zones,” the state says.

It’s OK for “select attendees” to join the bride and groom when they take their first dance “so long as they maintain six feet of separation from other attendees throughout the dance.”

The band can play, but only if at least 12 feet away from guests or separated by a barrier.

And guests must keep their masks on unless they are eating. They cannot eat or drink “if members of different parties/households/families are within six feet.”

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When it Rains It Pours ..Second former aide accuses Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment

 

A second woman has accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment, according to a new report.

Charlotte Bennett, a 25-year-old former aide to Cuomo, told The New York Times that the governor asked her inappropriate personal questions, told her he was open to relationships with women in their 20s, and left her feeling that he “wanted to sleep with me.” 

Bennett, who worked as an executive assistant and health-policy adviser, told the Times the interactions took place in the spring, as the coronavirus pandemic flared.

Cuomo, 63, never made any physical advances, she said.

Still, she described a June meeting in Cuomo’s Albany office, during which he griped about being lonely during the pandemic and whined he “can’t even hug anyone.”

Cuomo, 63, then pressed her: “Who did I last hug,” she said. 

She tried to dodge the question by saying she missed hugging her parents. “And he was, like, ‘No, I mean like really hugged somebody,’” she said.

“I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett told the Times. 

“And [I] was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job.”

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‘Jewish ideas poison people,’ State Department official writes in blog

 A US State Department employee named Fritz Berggren has been moonlighting as a blogger devoted to attacking Jews and promoting white Christian nationalism.

“Jesus Christ came to save the whole world from the Jews — the founders of the original Anti-Christ religion, they who are the seed of the Serpent, that brood of vipers,” Berggren wrote in an October 4, 2020, post on his website titled “Jews are Not God’s Chosen People. Judeo-Christian is Anti-Christ.”

Later in the post he writes, “Jewish ideas poison people.”

Berggren has been sharing his extremist and anti-Semitic views under his real name for years while working as a mid-level civil servant. Politico first reported the connection on Friday after being tipped off by current and former State Department officials.

Berggren espouses the idea, common among the far-right, that white people are at risk of being eliminated through demographic change and organized persecution. He commonly rails against Black Lives Matter and other social movements identified with the left.

On Friday afternoon, he published a new post titled, “Welcome, Politico readers!” He concluded the post with a PS: “If you have not already surmised, my ideas are my own and not a reflection of any employer, company, agency, country, etc.”

Politico reported that Berggren works for a State Department unit that handles special immigrant visas for Afghans. He has been identified as a Foreign Service worker since as early as 2009.

According to biographical information shared by Berggren online, he has a doctorate from the University of Miami. His name is indeed listed on the university’s website, indicating he completed a doctoral dissertation in 2001 about Gerardo Machado, an early 20th-century Cuban dictator.

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Amazon Now Deleting Books That Don't Fit In With Left Agenda

 

Amazon stripped a documentary on conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the only black justice currently serving on the Supreme Court, from its streaming service during Black History Month.

“This video is currently unavailable to watch in your location,” the website reads when the title is clicked.

While this article is being written in Denver, the outage appears nationwide, also reported by Breitbart News.

Amazon appeared to drop the PBS title, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” while still promoting a wide array of feature films under the category of Black History Month such as “All In: The Fight For Democracy,” with Stacey Abrams and two movies on Anita Hill, Thomas’ accuser of sexual misconduct who attempted to derail his confirmation. All come free to stream with a Prime membership.

The Thomas documentary released in January last year remains available to purchase on DVD. A simple search for “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” comes up short for the title however. To find it, users must include “DVD” in the search box, and the documentary will come up as the 10th result. A search for “RBG” on the other hand, will bring three documentaries on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s documentary to the top after promoting a sponsored post of her biography, “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”

Amazon did not immediately respond to The Federalist’s request for comment.

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FBI So Obsessed With Jan 6 That Instead of Looking for Murderers They Are Looking For Kids

 

The FBI has come a long way, baby pic.twitter.com/wYtFjRTGWs

— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) February 26, 2021

Who’s a bigger danger to our liberties, this kid or a politically-motivated FBI? https://t.co/JAjijEUyD7

— Dinesh D'Souza (@DineshDSouza) February 26, 2021

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Biden, Psaki & Harris – ‘Hypocritical’ tweets slammed Trump strikes, now dropping their own bombs on Syria

 

PRESIDENT Joe Biden, Jen Psaki, and Kamala Harris have been accused of hypocrisy in relation to tweets slamming Trump strikes, after dropping bombs on Syria.

Old tweets from US Vice President Kamala Harris have resurfaced after air strikes against Syria were launched by US forces.

In a related item, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted “I’m surprised it only took about 33 days to get back into Middle East conflicts.”

The U.S. dropped seven 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions, ( JDAMs) reportedly killing 22, at a crossing used by Iranian-backed militia groups to move weapons across the border.

The attack, which marked Joe Biden’s first military operation, came in the wake of rocket attacks by fanatics on American targets in neighboring Iraq.

The U.S. appeared to be retaliating for a February 15 rocket attack on the American military base at Erbil International Airport – which was later claimed by the Guardians of Blood Brigade.

The violent operation has drawn accusations of double standards, after Twitter users have resurfaced old tweets slamming the Trump administration’s Middle East air strikes.

In one tweet, dating back to 2019, Biden called Donald Trump “erratic” and “impulsive” after he threatened to bomb Iran.

“No president should order a military strike without fully understanding the consequences,” he wrote.

‘We don’t need another war in the Middle East, but Trump’s actions toward Iran only make that more likely.’

Trump pulled out of the 2019 airstrikes referenced in Biden’s tweet, reportedly changing his mind ’10 minutes before the strike,’ over fears for civilian casualties.

And another tweet of Biden’s tweets, from October 2019, surfaced in which he once again referred to then-President Trump as ‘erratic’ and ‘impulsive’.

The ensuing conflict would lead to more than 300,000 being displaced.

When campaigning for the Democratic nomination, Biden told a crowd in Iowa that the Trump administration had “abandoned” Kurdish allies in the region.

“The events of the past week … have had devastating clarity of just how dangerous this president is,” he said.

Embattled Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene weighed in on the controversy, with a tweet claiming Joe Biden had “jumped right back into Barack Obama’s Syrian Civil War”.

“The GOP should oppose the DC Swamp / Deep State’s blood thirsty desire for endless wars,” she said.

“Biden has supported sending Americans to die in wars for 50 years (Iraq)”

“We need leaders who put #AmericaFirst!”

It wasn’t just Biden’s past tweets under examination; a tweet from press Secretary Jen Psaki in 2017 questioning the legality of attacking Syria had also resurfaced.

“Assad is a brutal dictator,” she wrote.

“But Syria is a sovereign country.”

Critics of Mr Biden’s administration have also been quick to jump on tweets from Ms Harris from 2018, where she questioned strikes ordered by then US President Donald Trump’s administration.

“I strongly support our men and women in uniform and believe we must hold Assad accountable for his unconscionable use of chemical weapons. But I am deeply concerned about the legal rationale of last night’s strikes,” Harris’ tweet read.

“The president needs to lay out a comprehensive strategy in Syria in consultation with Congress — and he needs to do it now.”

This is the guy who just bombed Syria https://t.co/V99dJQAsrY

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 26, 2021

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Moshe Yosfi Refuses to Divorce His Wife

 

This Moshi Yosfi character is in prison for burning down Yeshivas in Bnei Brak and Petach Tikva and refuses to give his wife a get. 

He has been dragging this out in court for two years already and continues to to tell the Bais Din that he is seeking "Sholom Bayis..

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Ten Fabulous Fortresses In Israel

 

The Apollonia Fortress in Herzliya, Israel

When you think of Israel, castles probably aren’t the first thing that come to mind—which is a shame, considering that the country boasts some truly magnificent ones.

Some date back thousands of years, while others are more recent, but they are all monuments to fascinating history, lost empires and power struggles worthy of their own Netflix show.

Here, we’ve whittled them down to our top 10 castles and fortresses, to be admired while wearing your finest gown.

Belvoir Castle

Belvoir Castle, near Israel’s Sea of Galilee. Credit: Shutterstock.

Like many of Israel’s castles and fortresses, Chateau Belvoir was built by the Crusaders who ruled over the whole country, and later parts of it, from the 12th to 13th century. Located a short distance from the Sea of Galilee, the castle is concentric, meaning that it has two circuits of defensive walls, one inside the other.

It was ruined by its Muslim conquerors in the early 13th century to ensure that Crusader forces wouldn’t occupy it again in the future, but luckily they only destroyed the top floor and filled in the moat, leaving intact the base that can be viewed today. Currently, as part of a national park, the castle boasts not only great ruins, but also a stunning panoramic view.

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Zera Shimshon Parshas T'zaveh

 

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Chag Purim Samaich

 

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China reportedly gave American diplomats anal COVID-19 tests

 

Never a dull News Day here in the DIN Headquarters!

The Chinese government has used anal swabs to test US diplomats for COVID-19 – but Beijing insisted to Washington that the butt checks were made “in error,” according to a report.

“The State Department never agreed to this kind of testing and protested directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when we learned that some staff were subject to it,” a State Department rep told VICE World News on Wednesday.

Washington complained that the rather invasive procedure was undignified, according to the report.

The State spokesperson said Beijing had assured Washington that the tests were given “in error” — and that diplomats were exempt from the test, which was required for incoming travelers in some parts of China.

“We have instructed staff to decline this test if it is asked of them, as was done in the past,” the rep told VICE World News, which noted it was unclear how many diplomats or their family members had undergone the procedure.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday denied Beijing had even asked American diplomats to undergo the anal tests.

“To my knowledge…China has never required US diplomatic staff stationed in China to conduct anal swab tests,” Zhao told a daily news briefing in Beijing, Reuters reported.

In an email to Reuters, a State Department spokesperson said it was “committed to guaranteeing the safety and security of American diplomats and their families, while preserving their dignity.”

Officials in China have used anal swabs to test people it considers at high-risk of contracting the illness, including residents of neighborhoods with confirmed cases as well as some international travelers, according to AFP.

Tests using anal swabs can avoid missing infections as viral traces in fecal samples or anal swabs could remain detectable for longer periods than in those from the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng, a respiratory diseases doctor in Beijing, told state TV recently.

Stool tests also may be more effective in detecting infections in kids as their waste carries a higher viral load than adults, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said in a paper published last year.

China’s National Health Commission said in an online post that in some cases, the deadly bug can be more easily detected in anal samples than in throat and nasal samples.

According to the commission’s instructions, the samples are collected by inserting a cotton swab about one to two inches into the rectum.

A traveler from Australia to China who was tested with anal swabs in September told VICE World News the procedure felt like having diarrhea.

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Realizing they Have a "Dangerous Lunatic" in the White House ...House Democrats ask Biden to give up sole power to launch nuclear bomb

 

Over thirty House Democrats are asking President Biden to consider renouncing his authority to launch nuclear weapons.

In a letter sent Tuesday but publicized Wednesday, 31 lawmakers led by Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) urge the commander in chief to “consider modifying the decision-making process the United States uses in its command and control of nuclear forces.”

“As president, two of your most critical and solemn duties are the security of the country and the safeguarding of its nuclear arsenal,” the letter reads, noting the president’s sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons assures keeping them under civilian control.

“However, vesting one person with this authority entails real risks,” Panetta and Lieu continued.

“Past presidents have threatened to attack other countries with nuclear weapons or exhibited behavior that caused other officials to express concern about the president’s judgment,” the two said, referencing former President Donald Trump’s very public feudwith North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

In terms of alternatives, the two California Democrats suggested a number of options.

One would be to require that the vice president and speaker of the House of Representatives concur with the president’s decision to strike.

Another option would be requiring certifications from the secretary of defense that the strike order was valid, as well as the attorney general that it was legal.

The two lawmakers also suggested requiring a Congressional declaration of war and specific approval from Congress on the strike. 

The last option they suggested was creating a permanent council of Congressional leaders that would hold regular deliberations with the president and their administration on national security issues.

That council would be required to be consulted before the launch of any nuclear weapon.

Panetta is the son of Leon Panetta, who served as Defense Secretary and CIA director under President Obama and was chief of staff to President Clinton. 

The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the letter.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on his stance on the president’s nuclear authority.

“While any president would presumably consult with advisors before ordering a nuclear attack, there is no requirement to do so,” the letter states, “The military is obligated to carry out the order if they assess it is legal under the laws of war.”

“Under the current posture of U.S. nuclear forces, that attack would happen in minutes.”

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