Who Are the Foes of Religious Freedom?

Religious freedom has always been at the forefront of the American experience, even before the 1st Pilgrims, Bibles in hand, landed at Plymouth Rock. The Pilgrims came to America for the freedom to practice their religion. So, of course, one of the 1st things they did was prohibit any religions other than theirs and ban dissenters like Roger Williams to the wilds of Rhode Island. But that is another story. Most agree that the Founding Fathers got it right when, in the first 16 words of the Bill of Rights, they wrote: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...  However, defining exactly what that phrase means became an issue almost as soon as the ink on the 1st Amendment dried. And challenges have risen throughout American history to question exactly how that mandate should be determined and enforced. Not surprisingly, in today's increasing pluralistic American society, those challenges are only being exacerbated.

To examine some of the current and future challenges to religious freedom, the Religious Freedom Education Project, the Committee on Religious Liberty, and Moment Magazine recently held a symposium on defining religious freedom in America at the Newseum.

The final session of the symposium featured 6 speakers. They were:

• Kim Colby, senior counsel for the Christian Legal Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom
• Michael Lieberman, director of the Civil Rights Policy Planning Center of the Anti-Defamation League
• Dan Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom and Religion of Belief
• Suhag Shukla, executive director and legal counsel for the Hindo American Foundation
• Mark Rienzi, special counsel for the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty and
• Jay Michaelson, of Poitical Research Associates

Shukla framed the debate when she listed 3 problems that lead to many of the most difficult areas of contention. First, the United States is awash in religious illiteracy. "We don't know what our neighbors believe," she said. Then, there are deep-rooted pockets of religious intolerance. Finally, there is what Shukla terms "asymmetry" of political power. "The less powerful don't have deep pockets; they don't have the lobby to fight," she said.

The panel examined several current religious issues. One was an attack in California on the teaching of yoga in schools as religion. "Where do we draw the line," Shudka asked. "Is yoga a religion? What about sweat yoga. Or doga-yoga where you do yoga with your dog? Another issue explored was the case of a legislator in South Carolina who wanted to get approval for a state license plate which would feature the slogan I Believe accompanied with a cross in front of a stained glass window. When it was pointed out that such approval could lead to a Hindu or Muslim license plate, the obviously Christian plate call failed.

A huge church/state battleground is America's public school system. Here it can be something like a ban a school wanted to institute on rosary beads because they could be considered a gang symbol. But other times it is the intrusion of religion into the schools that is the culprit. "Rights are being violated routinely," Mach contended, causing his group to take legal action. "There are people promoting religion on a daily basis." 

As an example, Mach cited the case of a Southern principal who decided to schedule a full-day of auditorium programs to promote Christianity. "It may not happen the other 364 days of the year, but they are going to get Christ one day a year," Mach said the principal contended.

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The issue of religious freedom can be further clouded by the fact that many secular issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion, and contraception also have religious overtones. The Huffington Post published an interesting opinion piece last week entitled "Religious Freedom, Meet Secularism: Your Best Ally." To read that article, click here. 

Religious Freedom in America Today

We know the words the Founding Fathers wrote when they created the Bill of Rights. It was only a 16-word phrase, but what power those 16 words  at the beginning of the 1st Amendment conveyed: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ... But today, more than 2 centuries later, what does the term religious freedom mean? And what does, and indeed should, happen when the religious rights of an individual or an institution clash with the rights of another individual or the state?

To tackle those and other related religious questions, the Religious Freedom Education Project, the Committee on Religious Liberty, and Moment Magazine recently held a symposium on defining religious freedom in America at the Newseum.

The 1st session of the symposium featured 5 speakers. They were:

• Mark Chopko, chair of the Nonprofit and Religious Institutions practice group
• Hoda Elshistaway, legislative and policy analyst for the Muslim Public Affiars Council
• Richard Foltin, the director of legislative and national affairs for the American Jewish Committee
• Holly Hoffman, general counsel for the Baptists Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and
• Wendy Kaminer, author and social critic.

Foltin began the discussion by positing a simple definition of religious freedom. "It's the maximum ability to be left alone to practice your beliefs," he maintained. However, Kaminer immediately pointed out the problem with totaling upholding that point of view. "When you act according to your rights, you may be interfering with someone else's right. There has to be a balance," she said. "And there is a difference between

individual and institutional rights."

Elshistaway said that any discussion or practice of rights must, by necessity, be linked to responsibility. "Religious freedom in America comes with a responsibility to recognize that others have the right of freedom of religion, too," she said.

Several panelists pointed to the fact that religions that fall outside mainstream acceptance are most often the victims of intolerance and discrimination. "Muslim Americans have been under attack since 9/11. We need to stop putting Muslims under surveillance, " Kaminer said. Panelists also expressed concern for the ramped-up rhetoric and histrionics employed today in discussions of such state/church conflicts as same-sex marriage, abortion, contraception, and religion in the schools. "This is another manifestation of our highly polarized society," Hollman said. 

The antidote to such counter-productive behavior is calm, logical, reasonable discussion that considers all points of view. Foltin suggested one avenue. "We need always to find a basis for understanding, a basis for respect when we examine what it means to be religious in a pluralistic, highly-religious society that also sometimes needs to be restrictive," he said. 

Hollman concurred, citing the huge role she believes empathy should play in religious disagreements. "Most of us are in a minority somewhere.  Empathy is the 1st principle that should tie us together. Our freedoms are tied to other people's freedoms," she explained.

It's fairly clear that religious freedom, as envisioned by the Founding Fathers, means 3 things:

1) government cannot establish a single religion, and, by extension should not favor one religion over another.

2) all people have the right to believe and practice the religion they choose

3) and that includes people who choose to believe in no religion at all.

But that still leaves the inevitability of institutional and individual clashes over religion. And that may be a good thing, the panel found. Freedom of religion isn't, and should never be, a settled issue. There will always be questions that need to be resolved. 

"We're very lucky to have the things in this country that we argue about be the things that we argue about," Foltin said.

Chopko put it this way. "We all understand what the principles are, but we fall out on the margins," he said.

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Moment Magazine was one of the group's sponsoring the freedom of religion symposium. To learn more about that magazine, click here.

Dining in DC: Mandu

Mandu: Good decor, even better food

Chefs know good food, right? So if 2 chefs recommend an eatery as their favorite DC place for their after-cooking meals it should be good? Employing that theory, we found ourselves dining at Mandu tonight, a Korean restaurant in the Mount Vernon section of the city.

In an online article in Eater DC, Eric Bannon, the chef at Ted's Bulletin, said the bimbimbap at Mandu was a frequent favorite of his. Meanwhile Rob Klink, the chef at Del Frisco's Grille, also cited Mandu, singling out the pork belly and seafood pancake.

Were the chefs on target? In a word, yes. Mandu provided the best Korean food we have sampled in DC. Mandu in Korean means dumpling, so we started by sharing an order of 6 steamed dumplings. As a bonus, since it was before 7 p.m., the dumplings were half-price.

My wife is a cautious eater. So she chose a mixed green salad with sesame dressing and an entree of dak kalguksoo (wide noodles in chicken broth with pulled chicken, zucchini, and egg strips). I like to make dining an adventure. So, as I often do when we dine at a new place, I told the waitress to make my selection for me and make it a surprise. I promised her I would like whatever she brought. She selected kimchi jjigae (kimchi soup with pork and tofu) and duru jjigee (spice-marinated pork belly sauteed with kimchi and rice cakes with tofu on the side). The dishes made a great combination of spicy and tasty and I certainly got my kimchi quotient for the week.

In fact, if you go to Mandu (and, if you like Korean food or want to try it for the 1st time) you definitely should, go hungry. The portions are plentiful. It didn't surprise me when my wife couldn't finish her order. But it shocked both of us when I left some food on my plate. However, in my defense, I did have 4 of the 6 dumplings.

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What Do Others Say:

• Urban Spoon
• Yelp

The Prices Do DC Rating 

• **** (4 out of 5 plates)

Happy Birthday to DC's Own Marvin Gaye

Singers, born after Gaye's death, pay their vocal tribute

As a Motown artist, Marvin Gaye is often associated with Detroit. But his real city, the place where he was born, went to high school, and sang in his 1st groups, is Washington. That's why it was extremely fitting that tonight, on what would have been his 74th birthday and at the U Street restaurant that bears his name, musicians and singers from all over DC engaged in a giant jam session to celebrate Gaye's life and music.

For several years now, Marvin's has been holding a birthday party for the legendary singer in its upstairs roof deck bar and lounge.

Last night, the jam session was led by Gordon "Guitar" Banks. Gaye's long time-band leader. Musicians slid on and off the stage, as did some of the area's hottest young R&B singers, but there was one constant - the long string of hits that Gaye wrote and performed for the Motown Label. There were versions of "Heard It Through the Grapevine", "What's Going On," "Mercy Mercy Me," "Sexual Healing" and many more.

The racially mixed, mostly older crowd grooved and swayed to the hits, many of them singing along to the words they first heard as teenagers.

The late great Marvin Gaye

Before leaving to become one of Motown biggest artists, Gaye began learning his craft in the church where his father was a minister and on the DC's streets. He was in the Class of 1956 at Cardozzo High School where he formed his first group, the DC Tones. However, he  dropped out to concentrate on his singing career with the DC groups like the Marquees. In 1960, he left DC for Detroit where he 1st spent 2 years as a drummer before breaking out on his own, 1st as a solo singer, then as part of duets with young female Motown artists, and finally as the Hall of Fame singer-songwriter who helped reshape Motown's sound during the turbulent late 1960s and 70s. When Gaye finally returned to DC in 1972 for a homecoming concert at Kennedy Center, he stopped in to sing “What’s Going On” for students at his former high school.

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Tragically, Gaye was shot to death by his father during an argument in 1984. All the proceeds from tonight's special performance went to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which is always accepting donations in Gaye's memory. If you are a fan of the late singer and would like to visit places linked to Gaye's DC, the Washington Post has published a list of those sites. Click here to access that article.

I Started a Joke

Man, did you see those huge headlines out of Washington, DC today?

• In Rebuke of NRA, Senate Passes Strict Gun Control 100-0
• Clarence Thomas Resigning Supreme Court to Replace Leno on Tonight Show
• Nats Moving to Milwaukee; Trade Harper, Strasberg, Zimmerman

What a date in DC history. And speaking of dates, did you check today's. It's April 1, fool. 

For more than 5 centuries, April Fools' Day (April 1) has been an international day for jokes and pranks. No one is exactly certain how the custom started. The most popular theory focuses on France. In the 1500s, France changed its calendar so that the New Year would begin in January to match the Roman calendar instead of beginning at the start of spring, in late March or early April. However word of the change traveled slowly, and many people in rural areas continued to celebrate the New Year in the spring. These country dwellers became known as "April fools," the story goes.

Others contend that April Fools' Day simply grew out of age-old European spring festivals of renewal, in which pranks and camouflaging one's identity were common. Still others maintain it all began with Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Nun's Priest Tale" in his The Canterbury Tales.

The origin of April Fools' Day was even itself the victim of a national prank, according to National Geographic.  In 1983, Joseph Boskin, professor emeritus of American humor at Boston University, told an Associated Press reporter that the idea came from Roman jesters during the time of Constantine I in the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D. As the story goes, jesters successfully petitioned the ruler to allow one of their elected members to be king for a day. So, on April 1st, Constantine handed over the reins of the Roman Empire for one day to King Kugel, his jester. Kugel decreed that the day forever would be a day of absurdity. Newspapers around the country picked up on the fake report and had to run corrections.

Young Americans tie a kite string on an elder for an April Fool's prank.

Although most April Fools' jokes are played on family, friends, and co-workers, the idea of pranks on April 1st has become big business, with Madison Avenue and social media sites getting in on the fun. One company, Procter & Gamble, along with several of its agencies, introduced a web site, a video clip on You Tube and a Twitter hashtag for a new variety of Scope mouthwash called Scope Bacon, billed as the mouthwash “for breath that sizzles.” (To read more about April 1, 2013 and Madison Avenue, click here.)

Social media sites engaged in a competition today to see which one could pull off the biggest hoax. For example, Twitter announced it was moving to a 2-tier system, one of which would allow tweets with vowels (a pay service) and another free tier which wouldn't. Twitter's move prompted comedian Joan Rivers to post on her own Twitter site: "Twyttyr? Why byy vywyls whyn yyy gyt "Y" fyr fryy? Syckyrs!" (To read more about today's social media pranks, click here).

D.C. institutions had a fun day on line. Politics and Prose posted on Facebook: Forget books. We're throwing in the towel. We've decided to become Politics & Pogues, your one-stop shopping for all the best in Irish musical protest wear. Synetic Theater's Facebook page read: Synetic Theater will be re-locating all of its operations to New York City in the next season! Come visit us Off-Broadway! 

Meanwhile, the Hirschorn proclaimed: “Hirshhorn to Curate Outer Space by 2024.” The full, faux-press release post read:

The Smithsonian announces a plan to launch the Hirshhorn into low Earth orbit in time for the Museum’s 50th anniversary. Having judged the historic Gordon Bunshaft-designed structure “too freakin’ cool to remain on the ground,” the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents has formed an interdisciplinary task force to conduct feasibility studies.

“It will be necessary to rotate the structure around its central axis to establish artificial gravity,” said a source close to the project. “Next-gen shuttles will probably dock in the Lerner Room,” although alternatives are being considered.

Even the White House got into the pranking act today. The presidential prank began with a Twitter post promising a “special video message from the President” at 10a.m. Viewers who looked at 10 saw this message. But, as is the danger with any joke, not everyone appreciated the humor. Here is one of the printable negative comments about the video:

15% are unemployed before the  video.
15% NET unemployment after this video.
-$64k from the US Treasury... but who gives a damn. Not like that money could be spent on anything to help some kids get meals or back to some poor family that paid 7% sales tax and 22% income tax last month.

So maybe, if you are prone to pranks, but don't want a video of yours to go viral next April Fools', you might want to play some more old-fashioned tricks. Here is a website that can help do just that.

And by the way, I'm so elated that you read this post, that I'm sending you $1,000. No fooling. Happy April 1st.

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Of course, internet pranks aren't limited to one day in April. Most of us encounter them regularly in our email boxes or social media pages. So if you doubt that something you are viewing is true, you can check it out before you pass it on. Urban Legends at About.Com is one such check site. Snopes is another site many people consult.

A Peep at the Peep Show

I have to admit I was surprised when my usually PG wife said we were going to view a peep show. From my  shady teen years and hanging out in the early 70s in New York's seedy Times Square, I had familiarized myself with the term which meant 1) a small box with a peephole through which a series of pictures, especially of erotic poses, can be seen or 2) a booth from which a viewer can see a live nude model for a fee.

Live nudes. I still remember that warm July night at the Cumberland County Fair when as a 16-year-old I secured a fake ID and realized a long-held fantasy by sneaking into the Coppertone Review to watch a scantily-clad Miss Chili Pepper ("She's Really Red Hot") writhe on a tiger-skin rug. But I digress. We were talking about peep shows.

So, anyway, I was in a confused state when my wife called me to the computer.

"Now, let me get this right. We're going to view a peep show?" I asked.

"Yes. It's really cute," she said.

My wife? Peep show? Cute? Well, I should have known better. It turns out we were indeed going to view a peep show, just not the one I had conjured up in the X-rated part of my mind. This peep show would be featuring real peeps - you know, the marshmallow candies molded into the shapes of once-all-yellow, but now brightly colored chicks and bunnies that make an appearance every Easter season as basket fillers. The same peeps that serve as the main ingredient in the annual Peep Show sponsored by The Washington Post in which DC-area residents demonstrate their artistic talents by creating dioramas using - you guessed it - peeps. The Post had just concluded its 7th annual Peeps Diorama Contest and announced its winner - “Peeps Mourn Their Peeps: Twinkies, Rest in Peeps”

And this year's winner is - Peeps Mourn Their Peeps:  Twinkies Rest in Peeps

So for the next few minutes, my wife and I scrolled through the creative contest entries. One of my favorites was based on what I though was one of the best movies of 2012, Zero Dark 30. Of course, the name of the diorama, which along with 3 other finalists and the winner would be displayed in the front window of  The Washington Post building for the month of April, was "Zero Peep 30." 

Zero Peep 30 depicts the demise of Osama bin Peepin

As you know if you are a regular reader of my posts, I really like to eat. (Although for the sake of full disclosure, I must admit that peeps are not on my like-to-chow-down list). That's why it's not surprising that another favorite of mine (and also one of the 4 finalists) was a peep diorama of DC's iconic U-Street eatery Ben's Chili Bowl.

All this peep show viewing had piqued my curiosity for a more comprehensive peak at peeps. So I did some peep research. I found out a lot. For example:

• Peeps got their name because yellow chicks were the original form of the candy, which began to be massed produced in 1953 in Bethlehem, Pa. where they're still made
• Peeps are made from marshmallow, corn syrup, gelatin, and carnauba wax
• Jokingly, peeps are called indestructible. A few years ago, young scientists at Emory University tested that claim. Using agents such as cigarette smoke, boiling water, and liquid nitrogen, the scientists found that the eyes of the peeps "wouldn't dissolve in anything."
• Competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi holds the record for fastest peep eating: 25 peeps in 30 seconds.
• Ryan Shannon set a world's record by balancing 20 peeps on his i-Phone.
• The Washington Post was not the 1st newspaper to host a peep show. That distinction  belongs to The St. Paul Pioneer Press.
• Peeps are no longer for Easter only. In fact, the company that produces peeps has an advertising campaign "Peeps - Always in Season" and you can now find the candies in forms for Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day.
• If this post didn't tell you everything you need know about peeps, you can check out the peeps FAQs page by clicking here. 

I find the peep contest kind of cool. And all this peep research has inspired me. I think I will enter the  contest next year. It's clear that peeps are nostalgic. And a part of Americana. And what is more nostalgically American than a county fair? So I think I already have my theme. In tribute to the summers of my youth, I will create Live at the County Fair: The Peepertone Review featuring Miss Red Hot Peepin' Pepper.  Now does anyone have a tiny tiger-skin rug I can borrow?

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Of course, this being DC, many entries into the peep contest had a political theme. You can check those dioramas out by clicking here. Unfortunately, the peeps pictured remained silent on the Sequester.

Easter Sunday Service: Now at a Cinema Near You

If I remember my Bible correctly, Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, not the Sermon in the Movie Theater. But, of course, in the historical times of Jesus, technology as we know it was entirely lacking. Jesus and his contemporaries were not that many years removed from the written-on-stone-tablets phase of communication.

That isn't the case today. Technology is everywhere. And that's why it makes perfect modern sense to hold Easter Sunday service, the biggest church going day of the year, in a theater complex equipped with 3-D screens and pulsating Dolby digital surround sound, and announce such services in direct mailings, the internet, and various forms of social media.

I found out about this type of service when a postcard addressed to occupant and heralding DC's National Community Church - One Church, Six Locations - arrived in our apartment complex mailbox. A quick check showed that all 6 church locations - Georgetown, Kingstowne, Potomac Yard (just down the street from our apartment complex), Ballston Common Mall, Columbia Heights, and Barracks Row - are movie theaters.

I was intrigued and wanted to know more. I grabbed my iPad and headed to the National Community's Church website.

Clicking on the Who We Are tab, I discovered this story from lead pastor Mark Batterson:

On January 7, 1996, a blizzard left record amounts of snow on Washington DC. Only three people showed up at our first Sunday: my wife, Lora, my son, Parker, and myself. Of course, the upside is that we experienced over six-hundred-percent growth in one week when 19 people showed up the next Sunday! During the first nine months of 1996, a core group of twenty-five people gathered for weekend services at Giddings School in southeast Washington, DC. That September, a voice-mail proved to be a defining moment for NCC. I was retrieving messages during an out-of-town trip. In one message, the individual in charge of leasing DC public schools informed me that the school where we met was closing due to the fire code violations. NCC was on the verge of becoming a homeless church, but God opened an amazing door of opportunity. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill of Congress allowing for the creation of Union Station on February 28, 1903. It simply stated: A bill of Congress to create a Union Station - and for other purposes. A Century later, Union Station was serving God's purposes through the ministry of National Community Church. The church held its first public service in the movie theaters at Union Station on November 17, 1996.

The Union Station theaters eventually closed. But  over the years, other theaters began to be utilized as churches. As you might expect, the NCC - which has been dubbed the theater church - utilizes the full range of current technology to spread its message. You can get email church updates delivered directly to your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Both webcasts and podcasts are offered. The church employs Twitter and Facebook in its ministry. There is a special Help and FAQs site (just imagine how busy such a site would be if Heaven had one?)  Pastor Batterson publishes a blog. One of his most recent entries is entitled "SFSG"     ( So Far So Good) and talks about Ebeneezer's - a former crack house which the church turned into a coffeehouse with a cause and which served 65,516 cups of coffee last year.

So how does Batterson feel this theater and modern social media approach is working? "Jesus told us to go into the highways and byways and compel people to come in. That's what we're trying to do," the pastor says. "The message is sacred. The medium isn't. We want to use every tool at our disposal to share the good news."

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Easter service at the Lincoln Memorial

Of course, NCC isn't the only unique Easter service in DC. All the services at the must-have-a-ticket-for-entry-on-Easter-Sunday at the National Washington Cathedral were closed out weeks ago. So if you want to attend next year, make sure to get your request in early. Of course, for early risers, there is always room at the sunrise Easter service at the Lincoln Memorial. Each year, more than 6,000 attend that service which begins at 6:30 a.m.

The White House Falls Again ... And Again ...

The White House under attack: Images of DC destruction

When it opened last week, director Antonine Fuqua's new movie Olympus Has Fallen was accurately described by many critics as Die Hard in DC. But apparently a lot of people like to see terrorists kidnap the President of the United States, lay waste to the White House and other surrounding monuments, and then get their comeuppance. The movie, with Gerard Butler as the fearless, innovative, wise-cracking lone Bruce Willis-type hero, was the #2 movie in the country, grossing $30.5 million during its opening weekend.

We got to see a special screening of the movie here in DC before its official opening. (You can read that post about the event by clicking here). The day after the post appeared in The Prices Do DC, I got an email from my friend Jimmy Overstreet telling me that the movie's premise strongly resembled the story line in Transfer of Power, a novel featuring covert government CIA operative Mitch Rapp by best-selling author Vince Flynn.

Apparently, Jimmy wasn't alone in his observation. So many fans tweeted and Facebook messaged Flynn that the author responded to the similarities in the latest issue of the monthly newsletter he publishes online.

"My team and I have noticed the similarities as well," Flynn wrote. "It is very difficult to prove where a producer, director or screenwriter gets an idea, or to prove how their ideas may have been inspired. It is exceptionally difficult to prove in court, costs lot of time and money, and usually amounts to a great deal of frustration."

"My team and I have decided to stay focused on the Rapp franchise - writing one great Rapp novel a year -  and getting American Assassin (which, in an interesting turn of Die Hard fate has Bruce Willis signed to star) made into a movie," he added.

"I appreciate you looking out for me and your concern for my intellectual material. In many ways, your comments have allowed me to stay calm and focus on what I love most, which is writing a kick-ass Rapp novel," Flynn concluded.

But there are even more coincidences on the horizon. This summer director Roland Emmerich, who, if there were an award for such things would surely get the title of The Director Who Most Often Destroyed the White House (by aliens in Independence Day, by ice in Day After Tomorrow and by a tsunami in 2012) plans to release White House Down, which features lone hero Channing Tatum rescuing Jamie Foxx as the president when domestic enemies topple the White House.

There is apparently even more idea borrowing going on. Emmerich admits his film was influenced by Seven Days in May, the 1960s political thrilling novel about an aborted White House coup by military leaders. "It (White House Down) is not only about taking over the White House; it's actually doing a coup d'état. It's like Seven Days In May, which I always felt was a movie I wanted to do," Emmerich says. "I really believe that, as Lincoln said, the only way that America can destroy itself is from within."

Without (Transfer of Power - Islamic terrorists or Olympus Has Fallen - North Korean terrorists) or within (White House Down - domestic enemies) one thing is clear - it's proving to be a rough year for the White House and its fictional occupants.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
You can make some of your own comparisons to the 2 movies and the Flynn novel. Click here to see reviews for Transfer of Power. Click here to see a trailer for Olympus Has Fallen. Click here to see a trailer for White House Down.

Happy Birthday, Robert Frost

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.        

Fans of poetry will probably recognize the above 9 lines as written by Robert Frost, one of America's most studied, admired, and well-known poets. And, according to poet and former chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia, a recent survey has named "Fire and Ice" as the favorite poem of American college students.

Gioia, a poet and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and fellow poet Eric Pankey, also a professor at George Mason University appeared at the Library of Congress of March 26 to celebrate what would have Frost's 139th birthday.

Frost is unique in that his poems appeal so strongly to writers, scholars of literature, and average readers, Gioia said. "His shorter works still seem fresh if you've heard them a hundred times," he added. 

Gioia talked at length of  Frosts's impact on his writing. "It was 1975. I was 24 and dropped out of Harvard grad school to pursue poetry in the evenings and weekends. The poet I studied most was Robert Frost. He changed the way I wrote."

The poet discussed the 4 main lessons he learned from his New England mentor, who also dropped out of school. "First, you should leave something out of every poem. That absence invites the reader to make the poem partly their own," Goia maintained. Secondly, Frost's poems were personal, but not overtly autobiographical. Thirdly, there is always "a shadowy subtext" in Frost's work. "The surface of the poem is only the beginning," Gioia said. And finally, the poem left arguments unfinished. "He left the central question hanging in the air. His poems don't conclude, they end."

For his own Frost-influenced work, Gioia recited "The Apple Orchard," "Pity the Beautiful," and "Majority."

Pankey, meanwhile, said that when he first began writing serious poetry in the 1980's, he would have said that he really had no strong connection to Frost.  "I had read very little Frost," Pankey said. However, on one of the blurbs on one of his 1st poetry volumes, a writer described Pankey's work as "not unlike that of a young Robert Frost. "I thought I better dig deep into Frost's work. I found that he had had a real hand-me-down influence. Almost all the writers who had influenced me had been influenced directly by Frost," he said.

Both Pankey and Frost employ meandering walks in many of their poems. "Frost was master of the meditative poem and these were not hikes; calculation is no part of the 1st stage of any of these walks," Pankey said. 

Pankey read Frost's "The Woodpile" which contains "the kinds of lines that makes one want to be a poet."

The DC author then read 2 of his walk poems "A Walk with Father"" and "A Line Made by Walks."

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Although he was most closely associated with New England, Frost had several connections to Washington, D.C. For example, he served as a writing consultant (a post today which is called the national poet laureate) to the Library of Congress. However, Frost's most known tie to DC centers around his selection to read a poem at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, the 1st time a poet had ever been selected for such an honor. Frost intended to read a new poem "Dedication," that he had written, but the sun's glare on that snowy January, 1961 day prevented him for reading his new work. Instead, he recited another of his poems, "The Gift Outright," from memory. The manuscript of that unread poem was on display as part of the Frost celebration.    

 

Frost reads with Kennedy and Eisenhower to his left

Supreme Court Takes on Same Sex Marriage - Day 2

While no one knows how the Supreme Court will rule on the 2 cases involving same-sex marriage it heard this week, it seems gay marriage will eventually become the law of the land no matter how the 9 justices decide in those cases. At least that was the consensus of a prestigious 3-member panel of experts which discussed the controversial issue today at the Cato Institute.

In fact, one of the participants in the especially timely talk entitled Law, Politics, and Same-Sex Marriage actually arrived at the event directly from the Supreme Court, where he had been listening to oral arguments just moments earlier.

"I guess if there were ever a good reason for being late this was it," joked attorney Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow at Cato's Center for Constitutional Studies who presided over the institute's legal brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage.

Shapiro was joined by 2 of that nation's best-known advocates on the issue - Evan Wolfson, founder and executive director of Freedom to Marry, who is widely seen as the major strategist behind the movement for same-sex marriage and former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, a key figure pushing Republican rethinking on the topic.

Although much of the discussion focused on the constitutional challenge of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which was heard today, the panel also shared opinions on the challenge to California's Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage.

"The jurisdictional arguments (today) made my head hurt and this opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it (the CATO program was free), but it seems like DOMA is not long for this world," Shapiro said, explaining that although reasons might differ, he believes Justice Anthony Kennedy will join with the 4 more liberal justices - Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan in ruling against the law.

Wolfson indicated he was optimistic that the court might find in favor of gay marriage, but he said his group will continue "doing what we have been doing - winning more states and winning more hearts and minds."

"Clearly we have the momentum," Wolfson, who had to leave the panel early to discuss the issue on Fox News, said. Polls now show that for the 1st time in history more than 50% of  American people favor same-sex marriages.

Mehlman believes that the belief change, in large part, is coming about because same-sex couples have "so galvanized the public with their stories." He said "the public sees folks trying to do the right thing and they are punished for it."

"It's no longer a concept about those people. It's now a concept about my people. It's happening to their children, to their friends, to their neighbors," Mehlman maintained.

Shapiro said the issue facing the court is clearly constitutional in nature. "A marriage license is different than a morality issue," he said. "It's a question of treating different people differently under the law. For example either California is violating the law or it is not violating the law."

But while the legal arguments may be so complex they can make even a well-trained constitutional  lawyer's head hurt, the essence of the issue is simple - fairness, Wolfson contends.  "We should have what you (heterosexuals) have," he said.

Tales, Tips, and Tidbits
The 2 days of oral arguments before the 9 justices have been completed. The protesters outside the Supreme Court have finished making their message known with signs, speeches, and singing. People, some of whom began camping out last Thursday to get inside the court and hear at least some of the proceedings, have packed up the make-shift tents and sleeping bags and returned home. So what happens next? This article, which you can access by clicking here, attempts to answer that question.

The Many Voices of Marriage

With Bible and sign in hand, an argument is made by some...

... and rejected by others.

Inside the Supreme Court today, 9 justices were hearing oral arguments on the 1st of 2 cases in 2 days that could define marriage in America for generations to come. Outside the court, supporters and opponents of the central issue in those cases - should members of the same sex be allowed to marry - engaged in a day of vibrant, vocal street theater, trying to make sure their voices and positions were heard.

While the language inside the packed court room involved the serious, formal words employed to decide the laws under which we all are governed, the language outside was much more direct. "If God hates gays, why did he make them so cute?" "It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve." "Legalize Love."  "Get It Straight. Marriage = 1 Man + 1 Woman." "I Do. Support Marriage Equality." "Kids Do Best with a Mom and a Dad."

The distribution of the crowd reflected the divides on the controversial issue shown in national polls on the issue, which now shows that for the 1st time in the country's history more than 50 percent of Americans favor marriage between men and men and women and women. On one side of the street, a huge group of well-dressed, sign-waving Black Christians prayed and sang hymns imploring an acceptance of God's will and a rejection of sin. Directly across the street, a wall of mostly younger protesters let their signs show their displeasure with that position.

TV and print reporters along with their cameramen (and women) scrambled through the crowds, trying to capture the perfect quote or picture to dramatize the day's story. While they didn't outnumber the protesters, they certainly swelled the crowd.

The whole world is watching: A reporter for Telemundo  

Obviously, the highly controversial cases now before the Court have created tremendous interest in the nation's capital. People began camping out last Thursday to try to get a seat inside the hall to watch the historic cases. Even this week's freak spring snow storm didn't deter them from keeping the precious spots in line they had staked out. People were planning to continue the overnight vigil again tonight to be ready when the Supreme Court convenes again tomorrow.

The waiting is the hardest part

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
So exactly what are the 2 same-sex marriage cases now before the Court? And how will the justices rule on them?  Of course, the answer to the 1st question is complex, while no one can say with certainty what the answer to the 2nd will be. However, here are some questions and answers that should help you better understand exactly what is going on. Click here to read the CNN article on same-sex marriage and the Supreme Court.

The Smithsonian Shows Off Its Teapots

Decorative tea pots in the Smithsonian collection

 Tea. It is the 2nd most-consumed drink in the world ranking only behind water. People began first brewing the drink some 50 centuries ago. The ancients believed, and research today is confirming, that tea not only is a thirst-quencher, but also provides a myriad of health benefits. In fact, until the 5th century A.D., tea was primarily used as a remedy.

However, China's upper class soon adopted the fashion of presenting packages of tea as highly esteemed gifts and of enjoying drinking tea at social events and in private homes. At around the same time the Chinese tea ceremony began to develop, the tidings of tea began to spread to Japan, which soon adopted green tea as its national drink.

The connection between tea and Japan made tea the perfect topic for the Smithsonian American Art Museum to examine last weekend as its event to kickoff the National Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual weeks-long Spring celebration to commemorate the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from the mayor of Tokyo in 1912. The event was co-sponsored with Teaism, a local tea shop located just blocks from the museum.

In the 1st part of the program, experts from Teaism explained the history of tea and answered questions about the drink. The information included:

• all tea comes from the same plant, the Camelia Sinesius, which is native only to China and parts of Japan
• the flavor of tea depends on factors such as location, altitude, climate, and the plucking and processing methods
• there are 4 types of tea - white, green, oolong, and black
• there is no such thing as herbal tea - what most people call herbal teas are really herbal infusions and don't contain any tea leaves

In the 2nd part of the program, museum guides explained the history behind the institution's collection of artistic tea pots. While some of the teapots are fully functional, others were created for beauty only. As you might expect, many of the colorful, ornate tea pots feature Japanese elements and design. Pictured below are 3 of our favorites.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

Despite the unexpected Spring snows and colder-than-average temperatures in much of the Northeast, the DC Cherry Blossom is underway. Forecasts now call for the peak bloom to be some time around April 3. If you are interested in attending any of the events associated with the celebration, click here for a calendar.

El Anatsui: From Trash He Brings Treasure

El Anatsui inspects one of his creations

Where some simply see piles of waste, others see discarded trash that can be transformed into exquisite, emotion-provoking art. You can definitely put African artist El Anatsui in that latter category. But don't call him a recyclist. He will upbraid you by pointing out that when you recycle metal it stays metal and when you recycle paper it remains paper. But when Anatsui, or El as he prefers to be called, creates his works from bottle caps and other such materials, he is, in his words, "taking something regarded as humble and transferring and uplifting it into something  more ethereal."

Last weekend, as part of the DC Environmental Film Festival, the short documentary Fold, Crumple, Crush was shown at the Dillon S. Ripley Center. The film, directed by June Vogel, captures both Anatsui and his art as it follows the artist from a major exhibition in Venice back to Nigeria. After the viewing, Vogel talked about the artist, his extraordinary art, and her film.

In the film, Anatsui says he wants his art, much of which currently consists of colorful, huge, flowing metal curtains, to reflect life. ""Life is mystery and I want my art to reflect that mystery," Anatsui explains.

Vogel concurs that there are elements of the mysterious in Anbatsui's art. "He wants you to dream, to wonder, to question," she said.

Anatsui was born in Ghana, a country long known for its distinctive textiles, and many see the influence of that art in his works. In fact, Anatsui once used the vocabulary of textiles to describe what he was creating. Now he rejects such labels. "He says it was a mistake using those names. He's now interested in something much broader. He is making art for a modern Africa, a new Africa," Vogel explained.

El and his art

Vogel says her subject has led "a very solitary life" Yet he terms his creations "gregarious," a word that suggests he wants viewers to have a conversation both with and about his art. He himself says "I'm married to art and the objects are the children."

Anatsui creates his work in his studio in a small city in Nigeria, where he has helped create an enormous recycling market. At his studio, as many as 20 assistants shape aluminum bottle caps and other material  into  forms including rings, squares, and chains. There are more than 30 forms made, some created for color combinations and some for specific shapes. "He composes with the materials they make for him," Vogel said.
Anatsui lays pieces out on the floor, trying to fit a finished work to the vision he sees in his head. It may take 4 months or longer to complete a single project. If you want to see more about the process, click here.

Outside of Africa, his works are much sought after and command a high price. So you might assume he would be a major celebrity in the small city where he works and taught at the university for 30 years. But that is not the case, Vogel says. "I don't think most of the people there know what he is doing, even those right across the street," she said.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
The showing of  Fold, Crumple, Crush could be considered an early kickoff of the Earth Matters: Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa exhibition which is coming to the Smithsonian Museum of African Art. That show, which will open on Earth Day, April 22, will showcase approximately 100 African artworks in 5 thematic sections -- the Material Earth, Power of the Earth, Imagining the Underground, Strategies of the Surface, and Art as Environmental Action. As you might expect, Anatsui's work will be part of the exhibition.

Dissident Blogger Hopes to Hear Freedom Ring in Cuba Some Day Soon

As part of a 2-day DC visit, Sanchez greets Sen. Marco Rubio

When, after decades of iron-fisted rule by Fidel Castro, freedom finally comes to Cuba, dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez is convinced it will come with words, not weapons.

Sanchez, recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world and called the most famous living Cuban not named Castro, appeared last week at the Cato Institute as part of her 1st ever international trip out of Cuba, a journey she has been trying to make for more than 20 years.

The world renowned blogger, whose diminutive size and quiet demeanor belie her fierce passion and determination, says her goal is to bring information to the Cuban people, information that she is sure can lead to freedom for all those living on the Communist island just 90 miles from the Florida coast.

"There has been a silence about what's happening in Cuba because the government has had complete control over mass media. But there are new voices using new technologies demanding to be heard," Sanchez said, speaking in Spanish which was then translated into English.

Sanchez with her weapon of freedom - the computer. 

Sanchez praised the power of more open communication brought about by technological innovations such as Twitter and on-line blogs.  "Not by itself will it (social media) bring democracy to a country, but it has an important role to play in the democratization of Cuba," she told the crowd, most of whom had given her a standing ovation when she entered the auditorium to deliver her remarks.

She likened the "wall of censorship" established in Cuba, where the Castros disseminate all information,  newspapers are banned, and TV and radio are government-controlled, to the Berlin Wall. "In Cuba there is a wall of censorship. But we are creating little cracks and little holes in that wall," Sanchez contended.

In her remarks, Sanchez said she believed the economic embargo the United States established for Cuba after the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis should be lifted. She said the ban hurts the Cuban people, while the government can still get all "the tear gas and billy clubs they need."

The embargo also plays into Castro's long-held plans for total domination. "The embargo is always used as an excuse. It presents itself like a Big Bad Wolf. The government couldn't function without this Big Bad Wolf. They blame it for everything from the lack of food on our tables to the lack of freedom on our streets."

She says she hopes the new, mostly younger voices speaking out against decades of doublespeak and silence will help "Cubans lose their fear. The country belongs to them and it is their struggle." For years, faced with shortages of all types of items, Cubans have resorted to the black market for purchases to survive. "Just like mothers used the black market to get milk for their children, we also must enter into the other black market - the market of information."

She said Cubans are moving in that direction. "It took me 10 years to see real images of the fall of the Berlin wall. But my daughter was seeing what was happening in Eqypt (Arab Spring calls for freedom) almost exactly as it was happening," she noted.

Sanchez and her fellow bloggers have been subjected to spying, character assassination, and short-term detentions in an unsuccessful effort to silent their voices. She says she is not exactly certain why, after 20 years of denials with no justification, the Cuban government finally let her leave Cuba.

"There is no way I can go back to Cuba as the same person I was before," she said.  "I was never looking for this fame. To me, it seems like a joke of life. But I will use this fame as a protective shield to found a newspaper. Maybe the government let me travel outside the country in the hopes that I would not come back. But I can declare to the Cuban government that they made a very bad bet. I will return and I will found an independent newspaper."

Tales,Tidbits, and Tips

I have been fascinated with Cuba ever since, as a 10-year-old, I had to live through the Cuban Missile Crisis, 13 terror-filled days when most of the world was convinced we were on the brink of nuclear annihilation. That fascination  only increased last year after I was able to travel to Cuba for 10 days. The photo on  the right shows my wife Judy and I with Naty Revuelta, Fidel Castro's former mistress and the mother of his only daughter. You can read about the trip my wife and I made with National Geographic by clicking here.

On Guns, Will Common Sense Prevail?

As governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy knows painfully well that the tragic killing rampage which claimed the lives of 20 5- and 6-year-old elementary students in his state last December changed the intensity of the national debate on gun control. The question, of course, is did that horrific incident create enough support to overcome steadfast NRA opposition to the enactment of reasonable gun restrictions designed to make Americans safer from gun violence.

Earlier this week, Malloy appeared at the Center for American Progress here in DC to outline highlights of a proposal he has submitted to lawmakers in his state for approval, a series of changes he says represents "a common sense approach" to make Connecticut a safer state.

Gov. Dannel Malloy

The cornerstone of the plan is universal background checks for all gun sales, a requirement that the NRA once supported but now opposes despite the fact that more than 90% of all Americans support the checks. "No weapon should change hands without a a background check," Malloy maintains.

He said his plan also would ban large capacity magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds, as well as restrictions to keep guns out of the hands of anyone convicted of a crime where force was used or threatened. There are several other provisions including ones that would call for safer gun storage. There is also one that would stop a person convicted of a drunk driving charge from owning a gun for a specified period of time. "You don't want someone to plead guilty to a DUI and then walk across the street and buy a gun," the governor said.

Malloy realizes there is no guarantee all his proposed measures will pass. For standing directly in the way, as it is in other states and at the national level, is the substantial, feared  power of the NRA.

"The NRA has been extremely effective and what we have in the United States is a system that doesn't work," Malloy said. "People make purposeful misleading statements about gun laws."

In the past, when there was a call for stricter gun control, lawmakers didn't act quickly and the moment for change passed. "The NRA has a lot of history in waiting. The NRA was even able to outwait their position (on universal gun checks)."

Malloy said actual statistics don't support the belief that guns make people safer. "In states where there are more guns in people's home, there are more suicides in those states," Malloy said. "We know that guns in houses put people in more danger, not less."

However, Malloy knows that unless the federal government tightens gun laws, a change that so far it has been reluctant to do, the situation in states will remain precarious. "For example, if you look at 95 as a highway that connects states that have very strong laws with states that have very weak laws, that still leaves states that have appropriate laws very dangerous. You can see what happens when guns from other states are brought into Connecticut."

He also knows that without changes, violent shootings will continue to claim lives. "It's going to happen" he said. "How many more malls will be shot up? How many more movie theaters will be shot up? How many more community colleges and schools will be shot up?"

The governor bristles when the idea of realistic restrictions is called an attack on the 2nd Amendment.
"We don't want to confiscate guns. What we're trying to say is that people who shouldn't have guns shouldn't have guns," he said.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Malloy's appearance came on the same day the Center for American Progress called for President Barack Obama to remove all gun riders from his 2014 budget proposal. The appropriations riders, most initiated at the request of the NRA, limit federal authorities ability to regulate the firearms industry and fight gun-related crime. The Center contends that the riders:

• limit the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco's ability to manage data in a modern, efficient manner and strips the agency of its ability to make independent decisions.
• interfere with the disclosure and use of data crucial to law enforcement and gun-trafficking research
• frustrate efforts to regulate and oversee firearms dealers and
• stifle public research into gun-related injuries and deaths

"While the NRA's lobbyists claim to want to enforce the laws on the books, no organization has done more to inhibit law-enforcement functions of AFT than the National Rifle Association," says Arkadi Gerney, co-author of the Center's report on the gun riders.

Down to Earth

In his 72-year-career as a political cartoonist, 4-time Pulitzer Prize winner Herbert Block commented on thousands of subjects, but one he often returned to was the environment, more specifically the threats posed to our Earth by both actions and failures to act.

Now, 12 years after his death, several of Block's (who went by the name Herblock) most compelling environmental images are the focal point for Down to Earth: Herblock and Photographers Observe the Environment, an exhibition now on display at the Library of Congress.

The exhibition is divided up into several themes, each with 1 Herblock cartoon and then photographs dealing with the same subject. Themes include:

• the spread of toxins
• water pollution
• oil drilling
• global warming
• deforestation
• exploitation of wetlands
• over-consumption

Some of the photographs are quite vivid such as a shot by Sam Kittner documenting the outrage of demonstrators in Louisiana over toxic waste dumping. Others are more subtle. One of the most chilling in that category is Olaf Otto Becker's image of a river in Greenland which actually shows the effects of global warming and acid rain.

As always with any Herblock presentation, you can spend much time examining the humor, irony, and sarcasm he so skillfully employed to provoke reactions and inspire change.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

With Earth Day (April 22) approaching, a visit to Down to Earth is a good way to put yourself in an environmental  frame of mind . However, you will have to hurry since the exhibition will be closing on March 23. However, if you are interested in showing support for the environment, you still have plenty of time to attend the activities set for Earth Day in the DC area. Click here to check out many of those events.