We've been pretty animated about the recent open and not so open excesses of ultra-orthodox Jews. And the idiots who were clashing with Israeli police today obviously need to be put in their place. We understand, though, that the religious-secular divide is a heated issue. People of good will can differ on how to apportion blame for tensions. Fair enough. And yet - and yet - surely we can all come together and declare that this guy is retarded:

An aspiring actor has quit a movie starring Natalie Portman because it outraged his ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious community, the actor said. "Rabbis didn't like the idea of a Hasidic guy playing in Hollywood," said Abe Karpen, a Brooklyn cabinet salesman cast as Portman's husband in the upcoming "New York I Love You." The project, a collection of 12 short love stories, has been shooting in New York. Karpen, 25, told the Daily News a rabbi raised objections after he filmed a scene with Portman on Wednesday. "This is when I woke up and saw that I made a big mistake," said Karpen, a father of three. "My community, where I live, means everything to me."

Signs your religious community is wrong about Judaism: they tell you that God doesn't want you to be in a movie with Natalie Portman. It's like a physicist showing up with a design for a perpetual motion machine. You're not sure exactly where he went wrong - but you still know in advance that he can't be right. Here's a video of her being hot on Israeli TV. Just because: