On 28 Sivan 5769, June 20th 2009 in the secular calendar, one of the Israeli Scout Caravans visited congregation Beth Shalom in Columbia, Missouri. These young people from Israel follow a grueling schedule with very little time for sightseeing. It is It was a wonderful experience for members of the congregation and our guest from the community. Here is a video tribute to that experience.
Please note that the original photographs are much sharper. In order to get the file size for this video under the allowed limit the quality of the images suffered.
When my daughter graduated from Truman State University on 9 May 2009 I was able to witness John Ashcroft receiving an honorary doctorate and listen to his rather rambling speech. John Ashcroft is a former Missouri governor and was the United States Attorney General during George Bush's first term.
This is a picture taken from the stands of John Ashcroft as he was giving his speech.
Both the decision to award John Ashcroft the doctorate and the opposition of some faculty and students who disagreed is understandable. The issue even became a bit of a cause célèbre with the American Association of University Professers which is sort of like risking the ire of other such powerful, and influential, shapers of American public opinion as the American Communist Party - but I digress.
John Ashcroft was instrumental in the rivatalization of the Northeast Missouri State University as it transformed into Truman State University. Arguably he served with some distinction as a Missouri govenour. As a matter of fact, so far he is the only Republican to have been elected to the Missouri governors office for two consecutive terms. After that he was elected to the United States Senate but was defeated by his deceased opponent Mel Carnahan (eventually the senate seat was given to former Missouri Lieutenant Governor Roger Wilson). However he did take up with a bad crowd and ended up involved in all the shenanigans surrounding torture and the abridgment of constitutional rights we experienced under the last Bush administratioin.
John Ashcroft, pictured in the middle, walking off the field at Truman State University's May 2009 graduation.
Most of what I have written so far is commonly known. What is conveniently forgotten is that John Ashcroft had decided to stand up to the White House and oppose a National Security Agency wiretapping program. Evidently he was having concerns with how the White House was riding rough shod over civil liberties. Remember too that Ashcroft did not stick around for the next four years. Here is a quote from an outstanding article from the online magazone Salon:
So begins a remarkable tale that nearly led to the resignation of the Justice Department's senior leadership, an ordeal that was recounted in great detail for the first time Tuesday. Two senior White House officials, Andrew Card and Alberto Gonzales, were headed to Ashcroft's hospital bed, despite the instructions of his wife that there would be no phone calls or visitors. They wanted Ashcroft to sign off on the secret National Security Agency wiretapping program, a program that Ashcroft had already decided to reject before falling ill. The Ashcroft-Gonzales Hospital Room Showdown
John Ashcroft as he walked past me just before exiting the venue. In my book Alberto Gonzales operated at the same low level of integrity as Condolezza Rice whose blind ambition and ignorant loyalty to a president of mediocre talents will become legendary. The term henchman comes to mind. It seems clear that more powerful people who began to develop a difference of opinion with the President such as Ashcroft and Collin Powell were pushed out in favor of lesser lights who just told the president whatever he wanted to hear.
As we began to learn more about the dirty secrets of the Bush administration we will certainly hear more about Alberto Gonzales who was eventually forced to resign. In January of this year the New York Times carried an excellent editorial about Gonzales that I recommend you read.
This is what I have to say about Ashcroft. I do not agree with everything he has said or done but I do not think he is anywhere close to the level of the bottom-feeders that populated the White House during the second Bush administration. Also, he desperately needs a speech writer. I am not kidding. His rambling speeches are nearly incoherent and make him sound like an idiot. The mild protest that occurred at Truman were nothing compared to the treatment he received at Knox College where his speech was similarly reported to have been equally as incoherent as the speech at Truman.
I also think there are two reasons, at polar ends of the integrity scale, that keep him from telling all he knows. The first is that it would hurt his business propositions as he tries to make a buck leading the Ashcroft Group Consulting Services. The second? I think John Ashcroft might actually have some integrity bruised and battered as it may be. The whole story has yet to be told. Contact me John, ... I would love to hear it.
One final comment. Besides the hospital incident with John Ashcroft we have forgotten one other thing. 9-11 shook us up, and a lot of people are in denial now about that fact. 9-11 not only scared the bejesus out of us it scared the whole world. It was a desperate time and we were desperate to find a way to respond to what happened, and again let me emphasize that it was not only us. There was a visceral global response to a horrific act. It is perhaps understandable that we overreacted with water boarding and in other ways as well. Not right, but understandable. What is not understandable however is that instead of moderating and fine tuning our response something else happened. Our reaction become more hysterical, less defensible, and more fanatical as group think took over the White House and incompetency became the order of the day.
On 20 January 2009, the Men's Club of Congregation Beth Shalom here in Columbia Missouri hosted Dr. Ben Schwarz. Here are two pictures of Dr. Schwarz taken during that presentation:
In less than a half hour Dr. Schwarz provided a brilliant overview of the situation in Israel which placed that nation within a wider historical and political context. You can listen to that lecture, including the discussion after the formal lecture, by using this embedded player:
Below is a picture taken during the question and answer period showing Dan Goldschmidt, the president of the Men's Club, listening to Dr. Schwarz
This event was well attended and most persons in attendance were strong supporters of Israel including outside guest from the local Christian community.
Hiding behind political correctness and misguided liberalism is no protection to Jews and never has been. Rather, that timid tendency by a minority or our people to remain silent or even align with those who attack our brothers and sisters is a curious malady. I think that peace, and coexistence, with the Palestinian people is not only possible but preferable, However, the Torah never advocates for Jews to stand aside and just take it. It did not work well during the Shoah and it will not work well now.
The Columbia Interfaith Council sponsored their annual Thanksgiving Celebration on November 25th, 2008. Below is the program of events, some pictures, and a video of the event. Interestingly enough EVERY organization represented in the program had a web site:
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Program of Events:
Welcome - Rev. John Prenger and Rashed Nizam Presentation of Proclamation - Mayor Darwin Hindman Introductions - Virginia Bzdek
Hindu Temple and Community Center of Mid-Missouri Satkaar: A Hindu Perspective on Thanksgiving by Dr. H.R. Chandrasekhar Deepanjall: An Invocation dance by Nilla Palanlappan and Suyanshi Rawat Hey Dayamal: A Prayer song for peace, togetherness and faith by Shubna Ratneshwar accompnied by AartiNagaka, Nila Paianiappan, Sidarth Kukikkad, Umla Kutikkadd
Friends Meeting (Quaker) Quaker Poetry and Worship Sherry Monroe, Sylvia Spotts, Nancy Finke Congregation Beth Shalom "What should we be grateful for?" Rabbi Yossi Feintuch Poems written for the occasion by Jerry Perkoff Nichiren Buddhist Prayer for Peace: A Medley of Music and Recitations by Saka Gakkal International - Columbia Members Baha'i Faith Scriptural Reading - Tyree Byndom Seek no Further - sung by Mark Stannard (composer) and Jeani Driscoll Listen - by Red Grammar - guitarists; Jesca Byndom, Tyree Byndam, Jeani Driscall, Jeanette Rast, Mark Stannard The Katalyzt's - sharing an original Composition - "Raisem"
Stealing the show was Nilla Palanlappan and Suyanshi Rawat with their invocation dance "Deepanjali:
A close second was poet Jerry Perkoff who read a hauntingly beautiful poem alluding to the shoah:
Mayor Darwin Hindman presented a proclamation, shown being accepted by Rev. John Prenger, in recognition of the event:
Last year this event was held at Congregation Beth Shalom, the local synagogue, soon after the new building was completed. This year the event was held at the University of Missouri, Columbia campus under the sponsorship of the Islamic Center of Central Missouri.
I think this event should be better attended, and covered in the media, as it is the only ongoing formal effort to bring divergent faiths together.
Columbia is on my short list of places I want to live. The other places on that list include New York; San Diego; Paris; and perversely Manhattan, Kansas. One reason I love it so much, like Manhattan, is that it is a college town with lots of diversity and a good deal of tolerance. The Columbia Interfaith Council represents a lot of the good things that Columbia is all about. Now here is the video:
Then, out of the blue the campaign unexpectedly made a decision for Obama to come to Columbia. I kept my promise. I went to the event with Rachel, her sister Hannah, and their older sister Jessica as well as Jessica's boyfriend. My mother-in-law drove in from St. Louis to go with us.
Queuing. We get in line. 5 p.m.
And queuing. Still waiting in line. We have over an hour to go and have been waiting already for over an hour. Starting to get dark.
T-shirts. While waiting in line we buy some souvenirs. I really wish I had bought Hannah and Rachel another shirt! The ones I did buy they wore to school the next day. Neither girl complained once. They knew they were part of something big. They will never forget this. The line is not moving yet.
Moving. Line starts moving sometime after 7:30 p.m.
Inside. The venue - bright lights and crowds.
Waiting. Inside the venue is my oldest daughter Jessica with me and her little sisters. She drove all the way down from Truman to be a part of history. After 9 p.m.
Arrival. Obama arrives at 9:20 p.m. and even ten minutes early. I have never been at one of these events where the candidate was actually early! Is he a night owl? I think so.
The speech. An excerpt from then candidate, now President, Obama's speech.
Leaving. Heading North, that is Jesse Hall in the background, toward the now empty security tents. This is where we came in emptying our pockets and going through the metal detector.
This was all before the election. We were all hopeful and thankfully our dreams did come true.
Prologue. November 4th - on my way to work I stopped to vote. Work. When I got to work their were two Obama booths set up in the lobby. Here is one of them with the two children that were there that day with their mother. Columbia Public schools had decided for various reasons to dismiss school for the day.
Perhaps the two most moving scenes latter that night were both at the victory celebration in Chicago latter that night. Here is the Rev. Jesse Jackson who is completely overcome with emotion at the sight of his brother achieving what he himself had not been able to do and fulfilling Dr. King's vision:
The other was Obama with his wife and two little girls - making history.
I am currently working on a short documentary, probably about a half hour, on motor scooters here in Columbia, Missouri. Since I purchased mine last year the number of scooters on the road have increased. This is a rough cut, barely edited, that I posted on YouTube so that I could share it with some key people. This is the same scooter that I posted a picture of a few weeks ago.
After a rather long investigation as to possible alternative modes of transpertation I decided to get a scooter. A moped, under 50cc and slow at a top end of 35 mph, did not work out. I bought a 150cc Tank scooter which for licensure purposes anyway is considered a motorcycle so I needed a motorcycle operators license and to license my new scooter. The scooter was made in China and reasonably priced.
The 150 cc motor is the scooter and motorcycle workhorse engine in China because it is the maximum engine size allowed for motorcycles and scooters. Three wheeled vehicles can have bigger motors, and they do, but two wheeled transport is limited to the 150cc limit. So, it is an engine design which has a long and successful history in China and elsewhere around the world.
I did a through web search and the only real criticism I found on the Tank scooters was by people who don't own one. People who own the Tank scooters, at least the bigger ones, seemed to love them. So far I have not been disappointed in the one I purchased. The only problem I have had is keeping the battery charged but it has only stranded me once.
