Article originally appeared at LinkedIn here.
In this case the cardinal rule in question states that expressing an opinion about politics or world events can be bad for your business!
So why, if I know it is a violation of the rules, am I about to do it?
The answer is that at times, times that may be few and far between, a topic comes up where an opinion needs to be expressed.
Some may agree while others may disagree but the issue is important enough to proceed anyway.
What exactly is the risk of waxing political in a business forum?
Simply, offering opinions that may be contrary to the opinions of people who you would like to be doing business with at some point in the future, is never a good place to start a relationship.
In this case I will take my chances while hoping that if a discussion evolves in the comments, it will remain civil and on-topic.
If someone was trying to kill your family…
Or destroy the town you live in,
Or eradicate the entire state that you call home,
Or basically was trying to reduce your entire country to ashes, what would YOU do?
There are a great many people around the world, including the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay who today said that Israel may be committing war crimes, that believe Israel is 100% wrong for the current operation it is undertaking in Gaza.
An operation that is designed to end the ability of Hamas to lob missiles indiscriminately into Israel that are being fired with the sole purpose of killing innocent women and children.
The mission? Finding the ammo and destroying it.
Ammo that among other places Hamas is hiding in schools, hospitals and other locations where their own citizens are being used as human shields in order to maximize casualties:
The rockets were found in a vacant school between two other U.N. schools being used as shelters for 3,000 displaced Palestinians, the United Nations said. It was the second such discovery at a vacant U.N. school in Gaza in a week. (Source)
An Israeli mission that is also tasked with destroying the tunnels used by Hamas to go into Israel undetected and commit terrorist acts.
What would you do…
…if over the course of the past 13 or so years your neighbor had shot a gun through your front window at various times of day over 15,000 times not knowing who, if anyone, was in the room at the time? Turn the other cheek I suppose?
Not likely and yet that is what the world would like Israel to do having faced the following:
Since 2001, more than 15,200 rockets and mortars, an average of over 3 rocket attacks every single day, have targeted Israel. (Source)
What would Russia do if even one missile were fired into its country from Poland?
What would the US do if missiles were landing in Texas fired by a drug cartel?
Or Mexico, if Guatemala was firing missiles over the border between those two countries?
What would any country do if a neighbor was trying to kill its citizens? Would that country have the right to protect itself?
Israel faces that same prospect and yet world opinion goes squarely against its actions that are being taken against a neighbor that has stated publicly it would like to see them wiped off of the map of the world!
The fact that innocent people on both sides have been killed and wounded is a horrible thing but the operation could be stopped.
Israel has offered more than once to negotiate.
But the adversary, however, is not interested in negotiating!
So I ask again, what would you do if someone was trying to kill you or your family?
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2014 New York Law Journal Reader Rankings
Hallmark Abstract Service was nominated 2014 Best Title Agency!
If you would like to cast a vote the link to the ballot ishttps://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2014ReaderRankings.
Once there, if you would like to only vote in this category, scroll through to Page 10 and the category Best Title Agency is towards the bottom of the page.
Thank you for your help!
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Written by Michael Haltman, President of Hallmark Abstract Service, New York.
HAS is a provider of title insurance in New York State for residential and commercial real estate transactions specializing in the areas of New York City, Long Island and Westchester.
Remember that you have the right to choose your own title company (click here to learn more)!
If you have any questions you can reach Michael by email at mhaltman@hallmarkabstractllc.com.
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