Explaining my Blog Inconsistencies of Late
In the last two weeks I have received many messages asking me why I have been so long silent about the Jerusalem decision and doing so little to maintain my blog, inducing questions about my health and other possible explanations.
I am writing now briefly in the spirit of treating the regular readership of this blog as a virtual community, 21st century style, and as a practical way of responding to more inquiries, mostly off-line, than I can address to in a proper bilateral way. I embrace this impersonal style of communication with the greatest reluctance.
Aside from the diversions of an exhausting, although exhilarating two week visit to
Vietnam in mid-November, I have been slowly recovering from knee replacement surgery that was scheduled (unwisely) immediately after my return from Vietnam at the beginning of December.
This recovery process has been greatly complicated by the historically unprecedently fierce Thomas wildfire that is now threatening Santa Barbara, including our home, after ravaging a series of nearby communities. We are currently evacuated, to avoid the hazardous air quality and the fire threat (our house being located in what is called the ‘mandatory evacuation zone’), to a hotel 100 miles north of the danger area.
It is this combination of my personal post-surgery pain and the stressful communal and family circumstances that accounts for my inconsistent performance of late as a blogger. Among hostile readers, I am quite sure that this inconsistency provides welcome relief! I am not disposed to providing such satisfaction long-term.
Global Justice in the 21st Century 
Please take good care of yourself and have a wonderful Christmas and a New Healthy Year!!!
I wish you a safe and speedy recovery!
Dear Professor, we hope and pray that you will recover well from your knee operation and hopefully your house will be saved too. Best wishes for a full recovery, from your friends in Ireland.
If there is anyone that has no need to justify why they have not spoken out on some issue, it is Richard Falk. You could be silent for the next year and you would still be far ahead of all the rest of us. But after reading these comments about what you’ve been going through, let me send much love and best thoughts. I hear your voice every day. Sitting in class with you was a great joy. My notes, although somewhat aged, still reflect great truth. Thanks, Dick. I’ll take a comment and reflection from you whenever you feel like making one!
We’ve been thinking of you and hoping you are safe! A horrible situation for your home, but glad you are safe! Keep working on that knee! You will be so happy once you have fully recovered! All the best wishes…..
Relax. Recover. Restore.
And when you can, return.
A knee replacement is always difficult. Keep up the exercises and stretches and know that we all wish for a safe return to your home. This latest piece on Jerusalem is succinct and direct and a subtle brief for the world to provide justice for the Palestinian people. Have a safe and hopeful holiday season.
Professor Falk, I am very sorry to read these comments. I wish you a speedy recovery and a safe return to your home.
Sending positive healing vibes for a speedy post-surgery recovery and for the wellbeing of all of fire-affected communities. Much love to you and Hilal.
Dear Professor Falk, I am sorry that you had to have knee surgery — and especially to had to evacuate from your home during recovering period. I hope your knee recovery is a fast success — just as the last time. I will be in chapel on Friday and will have a kneeling hour dedicated for your recovery.
Dear Richard Falk, Thank you for being so honest and personal with us, your readers. I so cherish your words and your wisdom, so I have been missing your blog. I was so grateful to read your post about Jerusalem yesterday and I thought it was excellent. So, know that you are greatly appreciated for your words and the wealth of understanding and experience you have. Thank you. I am thinking of you–may you recover in a full and speedy fashion and also may your house and your community be safe and spared of these horrible fires.
All best, Maxine Fookson
On Mon, Dec 11, 2017 at 2:03 PM, Global Justice in the 21st Century wrote:
> Richard Falk posted: “Explaining my Blog Inconsistencies of Late In the > last two weeks I have received many messages asking me why I have been so > long silent about the Jerusalem decision and doing so little to maintain my > blog, inducing questions about my health a” >
I will add my best wishes Richard. John Walsh has expressed my sentiments precisely.
Take whatever time is needed to protect your family and health. Down here in NZ we will be thinking of you. Kia ora.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery and return home, Professor Falk!
Dear Richard,
Already travelling to and in Vietnam is exhausting. Then having a knee replacement, makes
it natural, indeed, to slow down.
I am grateful for and amazed by your physical vigour, intellectual openness, generosity, and kindness.
I wish you a good recuperation, and include you in my evening dedication.
Warm regards, Björn Lindgren
—
You are loved Professor Falk! We wish you and your family peace, health, and security. BTW, people in California are saying many of the sudden pop-up fires, especially located in wealthy areas, are acts of arsonists, and not naturally occurring. News coverage is not reporting this.
Best wishes, Mr. Falk. I wish you a speedy recovery from the surgery. My heart goes out to you and all the others who are affected by the fires.
Best wishes and a speedy recovery Richard. I suspected the fires in Santa Barbara had interfered with your life and was very worried. Glad to know you and your family were safely evacuated. I hope the fires do not harm Santa Barbara — I visited the city in the late nineties and found it one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Dr. Falk, You’re a trooper and I appreciate your writings. I’ll keep you in my prayers for your recovery and ease in transitions. Thank you for your courage and efforts to educate us.
Hopng you get well (and home) soon!
You are an anchor, a voice of sanity, for so, so may, Professor Falk, please nurture yourself for now and may your home be safe, and all you love and cherish – and yourself. May all the strengths be with you and your lovely wife.
Hi Richard,
Good luck with recovery from the knee surgery, and safe return to your house.
Hope the fire is soon out and Happy Holidays!
Inconsistency? Very understandable in this instance. This particular personality trait, however, is often preferable when standing against overwhelming acts of injustice. It’s because of your positions regarding the latter that your legal ,moral, and political voice is much valued by those of us in accord with this concept.
Fortunately, we live in a nation where people who need to evacuate their premises in a crisis period still own their property when/if they can return safely. Some of us continue to extrapolate that right to disenfranchised Palestinians – an injustice for which the US is the most responsible agent. Every effort will be made to extinguish the fires in California. Would that a similar mass action would exist regarding global fires ignited with malicious intent.
Of course, it’s like whistling in the wind, but I second Laurie’s analogy – comparing the Palestinian disenfranchisement to the California fire situation. Each a tragedy with different implications.
Meanwhile, best to you, Richard, in your personal problems.