Columns
Avoid Congress, Diogenes
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to a Joint Session of Congress. However, one honest member of Congress, Senator Bernie Sanders Independent of Vermont, stated on MSNBC news on June 05, 2024:
“You do not honor a foreign leader by addressing a Joint Session of Congress who is currently engaged in creating the worst humanitarian disaster in the modern history of this country. Obviously as we all know, Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas terrorism and the terrible attack of October 7th. But what it is doing now is going to war against the entire Palestinian people and what we are seeing now is starvation and famine impacting thousands and thousands of children. The architect of that policy is not someone you honor by bringing to the United States Congress, in my view.”
Sanders was born into a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York in 1941. Sanders’ mother and father immigrated from Poland. His father’s family were killed in the Holocaust. Bernie attended Hebrew school in New York and had a bar mitzvah in 1954. The common trope of antisemitism for anyone who opposes Zionism lands lamely on Senator Sanders.
Sanders has run for president twice and has served in Congress since 2007. One might wonder how our two current presidential hopefuls with their blind eyes on Israel’s Zionist atrocities have the temerity to continue gainsaying their lack of humanity in the face of Sanders’ courage.
The western world just celebrated the 80th anniversary of D-Day. During the ceremony each speaker concentrated on the critical importance of honoring the WWII veterans by not forgetting that tyranny must be confronted, not appeased. The Zionists in Israel are the contemporaries of the Nazis of Germany. The victims have become the aggressors. As was said repeatedly on June 06, 2024, “Lest we forget” we may repeat history. Especially America must lead by example as Americans did 80 years ago.
When we invite someone to address a Joint Session of Congress, we tell the world such a person is representative of our values and ideals. If anyone should be addressing the world as a beacon of what we hold dear, I suggest Bernie Sanders.
Always Memorial Day
Memorial Day honors the memory of all who have made America. It is appropriate that we do so, for in remembering our ancestors we perpetuate their countless blessings to us. Of course, Memorial Day pays special homage to all of our departed veterans who sacrificed so much, some even their lives, so that we can live ours in peace and plenty.
Our best-known Memorial Address was delivered before America had declared a special day to honor our departed. President Abraham Lincoln spoke for about eleven minutes on November 19, 1863 at the battlefield in Gettysburg where he honored all who had served on July 1, 1863.
Lincoln did not honor just Union soldiers but included the Confederate veterans, without naming either side. President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was a preview of his Second Inaugural Address of March 4, 1865 in which, in about 700 words, Lincoln set forth the best way for our nation to honor the sacrifices of the departed:
“With malice toward none,
With charity for all,
….
Let us strive … to bind up
The nation’s wounds;
….
To do all which may achieve
and cherish a just and a lasting peace,
Among ourselves, and with all nations.”
Lincoln’s two short addresses would be good balm for helping to assuage our current attitude of ill will and remind us of what is our duty to our ancestors, especially our veterans, to our country and to what we claim to be the American ideals. Perhaps we should Memorialize these.
Although my short poem to veterans that I gave as a speech on July 23, 2008 most certainly does not belong with the pantheon of Abraham Lincoln’s magnanimous words, I respectfully offer it in the hope it includes thoughts our veterans and those who love them would find comforting:
“WELL DONE
At Lexington and Concord, the young blood began to flow.
At the Battle of New Orleans, muskets killed our cousins and our foes.
At the Alamo and Buena Vista, we stood to the last man.
At Shiloh, Chickamauga and Gettysburg, brothers’ blood soaked the sand.
At San Juan Hill and when the Maine went down, our soldiers never flinched.
At Verdun and by the Marne, a million men died in the trench.
At D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, after Hiroshima’s mushroom clouds,
At Incheon Landing the forgotten war brought many more funeral shrouds.
At Khe Sanh and during Tet, we held our own and more,
At the Battle of Medina Ridge, our Gulf War warriors upheld the Corps.
At Sinjar, Mosul, and places with strange names,
Our Iraqi War veterans now earn their fame.
In uniforms, our citizens have served well everyone.
Today, we here proclaim to them our solemn praise: Well done!”
Cultural Myopia
It is no one’s fault. It is a universal curse. We often can recognize virtues in our friends, but may misinterpret the motives of strangers. What someone from another culture means to be irony, sarcasm, humor, even friendly banter or simply an off-the-cuff comment we may take with umbrage.
If a university student calls out “From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea”, that student may mean two countries that include Palestine and Israel. Whereas, another student may conclude it is a call to eliminate either Palestine or Israel. The cultural history of both students can lead to ascribing ill will when none is intended. The odds of misinterpretation are greatly increased when people from neither student’s culture see fit to project their ignorance of both students’ backgrounds upon the controversy.
Another near-sighted source of misunderstanding is the overlaying of at least three religious traditions upon all involved. Fundamentalist Christians may conflate their interpretation of the Old Testament’s Book of Isaiah with the New Testament’s Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John when the topic of a Messiah arises. Confusing matters further is the Quran’s teaching in Surah 3; Jesus is revered by Muslims, but as God’s messenger, not His biological child.
The most puzzling aspect of all the armed and unarmed conflicts among the three Abrahamic religions is each emphasizes making peace and performing good works such as healing the sick, giving charity and forgiving others. Yet, for at least fifteen hundred years each faith has often been used as a sword against those of differing religious and other cultural practices. One wonders if those who profess to venerate their Torah, Bible or Quran have truly studied them or are simply regurgitating coffeeshop/barstool catchphrases.
We currently appear to be carrying on our ancient traditions of denigrating those whom we see as apostates. In the past this may have been simply illogical, immoral and ignorant but of only transitory and limited concern. However, today we may not have progressed in our mutual understanding but we certainly have matriculated from slingshots and lances to weapons that truly are god-like or, perhaps, Satanic. Unfortunately, unlike the gods, we cannot reverse the effects. Perhaps we should actually implement the sage actions each religion’s sacred tome champions and beat our swords into ploughshares before we have no arable lands left to plow or peoples to plow them.
Get Out Now!
If one credits the Jewish Torah, the Christian Bible and the Islamic Quran, the Hebrews and Arabs are descended from Abraham who was born in Ur, modern day Iraq. Abraham’s sons, Ishmael and Isaac, were also born in Ur. They are the progenitors of today’s Arabs and Jews, according to the folklore of both groups. Therefore, Arabs and Jews are one people.
When Abraham led his family and flock out of Ur, they went to Canaan which was already inhabited by several peoples who were probably the ancestors of modern-day Iranians (ancient Babylonians/Persians). If there was an actual Abraham, scholars estimate he arrived in Canaan sometime between 2,000 and 1,700 B.C. And that would have been about the time the internecine bloodbath among numerous peoples of the Middle East had its genesis. Naturally, humans being human, each group has its own version of the truth usually attributed to revelations from their own, self-created, deities.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem that was then and is now Palestine. Jesus’ mother was a Hebrew girl, Mary, and his father was the god of both Hebrews and Arabs (Book of Matthew, Chapter 2). Therefore, Jesus was a Palestinian Jew, although neither Jews nor Islamists consider him to be the son of a god as Christians do. Of course, Jesus is the original Christian according to the New Testament that is revered by modern day Christians.
Regardless of the religious beliefs of Christians, Islamists and Jews, the oral and written traditions of all three groups establish their cultural and historical connections. Assuming there is some factual basis for these indigenous myths, a modern D.N.A. analysis should prove close genetic ties among Hebrews/Jews and Arabs. As an aside, the same could be true to a lesser extent among Arabs, Jews and Iranians.
And to introduce more obfuscation and mendacity into the cauldron, Christians from Europe decided their god had ordained that they should install their faith into what was a family feud. We Americans did not seek salvation in what became called the Holy Land until about the time of the First World War. However, beginning in 1948, we bullied our way into the heart and soul of the “strange mournful mutter” of the dead and dying civilians who are but pawns in the schemes of Middle Eastern and European tyrants.
It is only American might that allows and facilitates the slaughter of innocents and the conquest by those who see themselves as chosen by their gods to impose their evil upon their relatives and neighbors. And it is only American decency, if such there be, that can encourage morality to what started 4,000 years ago and remains today, an immoral war, and help bring about a just and lasting peace.
No More Encores, Please
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Those of us who live near Barnsdall, Oklahoma attended, not voluntarily, Mother Nature’s opening performance of a “small” tornado on April 01, 2024. There was some damage such as felled trees and a slight power outage. But, in general, it was heavy rain and strong winds.
Peg and I escaped most of the storm’s effects except the clean up of downed trees and rearranged lawn furniture. Although we did hear the proverbial freight train pass just above our cabin. It took us about two days to get back to normal. It took Public Service of Oklahoma about one day to restore power.
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I guess our narrow escape upset the weather gods because just about one month later, May 6, 2024 at about 10:00 pm Barnsdall was attacked again, this time with a vengeance. Once again, Peg and I, who live in the country near the town, dodged the brunt of Nature’s fury. Regrettably, many others were not as fortunate. A great deal of damage was incurred by a great many people.
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This time PSO was on the job about the same time the tornado moved on past us. One of the hard-working and polite PSO workers told Peg and me there were about 150 PSO workers who responded to the Barnsdall storm. As PSO has large power lines and a utility easement across our land, we were able to observe a lot of hard and dangerous work by a lot of PSO workers. They started each day at 7:00 am and, at our place, worked until about 7:00 pm. It was an impressive performance. I was pleased to be a mere beneficiary.
Peg and I were pretty well confined to our home for two days but when we were able to get out to get supplies, we saw an army of professional and volunteer responders who provided food, shelter, counseling and hope to many Barnsdall residents. Food and beverage trucks and trailers that operated for free to countless victims were spread throughout the town.
The different police agencies, Barnsdall Police, Osage County Sheriff’s Department and Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers were ubiquitous and helpful. EMS workers were readily available at all times. And countless good Samaritans were offering food, water and shelter. The best of people came through in this second act of Mother Nature’s fury.
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So, we say thank you to all. And I imagine, our thoughts are echoed by many; please Mother Nature make this your Finalé! We don’t need for you to pass this way again, unless it is with gentle spring rains.
Santa Fe
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Peg and I spent more than half a century in the wonderful state of Indiana before heeding the sirens’, or perhaps coyotes’, irresistible call to head west. We still have a lot of family, countless friends and cherished memories of Lincoln’s boyhood state. Somehow, we have been blessed to remain in frequent contact with many of the bright and interesting Hoosiers who still help enrich our lives today even though we now live on the Osage Nation in Oklahoma where I was born and graduated from high school.
This past week we headed even further west to the Land of Enchantment, Santa Fe, New Mexico. It truly is enchanting with vistas that only that greatest artist, Mother Nature, can fully capture. However, in Santa Fe the only thing more impressive than the countless painters and sculptors was the world-class cuisine. Of note is the sticker-shock of both art and food, but worth it.
New Mexico has a history of human habitation going back thousands of years and as other places Osage County, Oklahoma and Posey County, Indiana for instance have a history of exploitation going back hundreds of years. But Peg and I were too enchanted by the benefits we received now to concern ourselves with the cultural nuances of past sins.
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Our hotel was adjacent to a glorious Catholic church, The Chapel of Loretto, built in 1873 and still in service. For only $5 each we were able to experience why the nuns who founded the church sacrificed so much to preserve it.
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Only one block south of our abode, The Inn at Loretto, was the remarkable round statehouse for the state of New Mexico. It was open to the public for free and was filled with exquisite art contributed by citizens.
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Then one block north of our hotel was the Territorial Museum where for $12 each Peg and I spent four hours following history from the indigenous Pueblos, through the Spanish Conquistadors, General Lew Wallace of Ben Hur fame and the Lincoln County War involving Sheriff Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.
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Next, we visited the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum that was three blocks from The Inn at Loretto. The price of admission was once again only $33 for Peg and me but bought us a simply incredible opportunity to see her art up close. And while those of you who know great art would surely see things I just don’t get; I have to say I was truly impressed by O’Keeffe’s painting of a white flower that sold at auction for $44 million dollars.
While Peg and I were besotted with the plethora of great art and food for which we owe our friend, Betty Stoabs of Osage County, a huge thank you for her guidance. The highlight of our trip was the too few hours we spent with two of our friends who also grew up in Osage County and now reside in Santa Fe.
Kay Hamilton, whose father was the famous sculptor Jim Hamilton, and Kay’s husband, Willie Grant, took the time to dine with us at the Luminaria Restaurant. Peg had often heard me speak about both of my childhood friends but had not met them. Once they all met it was Brigadoon and the once upon a time was our school years. We went to a small grade school then a small high school so we all knew who was good at what, such as Kay’s artistic talent and Willie’s exceptional wit; both remain vibrant. They well fit the Santa Fe mystique.
So, Gentle Reader, if you are looking to immerse yourself in art, history and fine food, Peg and I heartily recommend Santa Fe. We also advise, bring your camera and your credit card. Oh, and by the way, you are cautioned that Santa Fe is at an elevation of 7,200 feet that tends to restrict one’s breathing and tire one’s legs. Copious amounts of water is a good choice of beverage