Heading over to Iraq

Just got the call this morning which means I'm going over to the Middle East with comedians Scott Kennedy and Graham Elwood to entertain our troops in September and October. Can't think of a better place for a Jew to spend Indian Summer than in the desert. I think Graham (who has been to Iraq and Afghanistan several times) said it's a balmy 127 degrees at that time of year so sunscreen is probably a good idea. All kidding aside (temporarily) I think (as Graham says) it'll be a great experience for me and the troops really enjoy the humor especially in that part of the world. Regardless of one's political position it's imperative to support our men and women in uniform always. Freedom should never be taken for granted. Gee, now I'm sounding like a candidate or something huh? Anyway, I asked several comic friends if I can use my Israeli/Jewish humor and they said, "Sure, Howie. Anything to flush out a sniper at your expense is always a good thing." Okay. Chatted with Rabbi Jonathan and told him and he said he would say a special prayer before I go. That's always nice getting a prayer from one's rabbi even though I'm not a regular at the temple. Might be a good idea to start going though wouldn't you think? By the way there was a tree planting ceremony in the Angora Fire area last week to help replant the area that was devastated by last year's terrible fire. It'll be one year June 24 that The Angora Fire swept through here. 60 trees were planted to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Israel as a nation. The Israeli consulate was there from San Francisco and it felt good (and safe too!) planting the trees to help revitalize the area. Hope you're having a great day wherever you are in the world and will try out some of the new material here maybe to garner some feedback before heading over to Iraq.