soccer, the constitution, and the Iowa High School Athletic Association

At the beginning of the soccer season in Iowa, the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IAHSAA) puts together the districts and sub-state brackets and places them on their web site. The teams are grouped geographically and their is no seeding done so it is always a bit of a mystery to see where and who you might play. The last two years we have had to travel to Fort Madison a trip which takes a good two hours in a school bus. After our season ended last year I wrote a letter to the IAHSAA to express my frustration with the situation.

If anybody cares to read the letter it follows. If you don't want to read it all I made the argument that they were acting unconstitutionally by not allowing us to host district games because we do not have a flag or play the national anthem. In return I got a letter from Mr. Anderson basically telling me they wouldn't talk to me about the flag issue. After they realized the school hadn't hired a lawyer they basically ignored the school as well.

So it was sort of a surprise when the IAHSAA called this spring to ask if we would be willing to host a district game even if we didn't have a flag. It also wasn't much of a surprise when we saw the team we would get to play, Cedar Rapids Xavier, generally one of the best teams in the state.My guess its the IAHSAA's way of saying "you made your point, now we'll make ours." I just hope we can make it interesting.

June 4, 2007

Mr. David Anderson, Assistant Executive Director
Iowa High School Athletic Association

Mr. Richard Wulkow, Executive Director
Iowa High School Athletic Association
P.O. Box 10
Boone, IA 50036

Mr. Anderson and Mr. Wulkow,

I am the soccer coach at Iowa Mennonite School and after our season ended I thought it appropriate to share three concerns with you.

First, it is my understanding that Iowa Mennonite School is not allowed to host any district or substate games because the school does not perform the national anthem prior to games. Because of this, IMS teams participating in post season play have had to travel. In the case of the soccer team we made two trips to Fort Madison, a trip which in a school bus requires that we allocate 2 hours of travel time.

I am not a constitutional lawyer, but a quick perusal of Supreme Court cases suggests that any organization, particularly one described as a “State Association,” cannot compel or penalize anyone, or any group, for refusing to participate in practices designed to promote patriotism, such as the Pledge of Allegiance or the national anthem. In West Virginia State Board of Education v Barnette, 1943 the Supreme Court over turned a state law which required all students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. To quote Justice Jackson who authored the majority decision,

“To believe that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous instead of a compulsory routine is to make an unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free minds. We can have intellectual individualism [319 U.S. 624, 642] and the rich cultural diversities that we owe to exceptional minds only at the price of occasional eccentricity and abnormal attitudes. When they are so harmless to others or to the State as those we deal with here, the price is not too great. But freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much. That would be a mere shadow of freedom. The test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order.”

I would encourage you to note the phrase, “voluntary and spontaneous instead of compulsory…” Jackson adds,

"[i]f there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein."

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=319&invol=624 also see http://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1949/1942/1942_591/

More recent cases decided in Federal District courts seem to me to affirm the Courts decision in West Virginia v Barnette. This would include Lane v. Owens, 2003 and Holloman v Walker County Board of Education, 2004. In both these cases the idea that a school board or State could compel people to participate in patriotic rituals and then punish them in any way was denied.

I realize these cases deal with the Pledge of Allegiance rather than the national anthem but the purpose of both seems to be the same. One of the great things about the United States is that it has a form of government which allows for freedom of expression, even when that expression is not popular. At the same time our constitution also provides the freedom to not participate in certain forms of expression. To force people to participate in patriotic rituals makes a mockery of both patriotism and the principles espoused in our constitution. If we have freedom of speech, but no one dares to say anything unpopular, do we still have freedom of speech?

Mennonites as a group have at times taken positions which are unpopular because of their religious faith. They were among the first religious groups to advocate for the separation of church and state in 1525, and many of them were put to death by both religious and state authorities in the years that followed.

When the United States was founded, the idea that church and state should be separate was enshrined in the first amendment to the constitution. An idea which had at one time been unthinkable now became part of the guiding document which lays out the foundations of our government.

The school’s practice of not performing the national anthem is not done out of disrespect for this country. While it may be seen that way by some, I would argue that we Mennonites are being true to both our religious values and at the same time expressing one of the highest forms of patriotism. In the face of criticism we are willing to call our country to live up to the high ideals it expresses, the importance of the individual, and the right of individuals to express them selves, even when the idea is unpopular. In doing this we follow in a long tradition of dissent and civil disobedience, dating back to those who signed the Declaration of Independence and in so doing broke the laws of their day.

To summarize my first concern, I would argue that the position taken by your organization is unconstitutional and as such it should be changed.

My second concern is related to the first. If you are going to require schools to perform the national anthem prior to district and substate games I would argue that this should be done in a way which shows consistency and respect.

This year we played our first district game against Mid-Prairie in Wellman. The fields are nice and it is only a fifteen minute bus ride, but they did not have a flag and the national anthem was not performed. Last year when we played district games in Mount Pleasant, we had a similar experience as the national anthem was not performed nor do I recall a flag being present.

If the national anthem is so important to perform prior to a district or state athletic event that our school is penalized by not being allowed to host games, why are sites chosen for games where it cannot be performed or flags are not present?

I am frankly more troubled by the situation at Fort Madison and have included pictures taken by one of our athlete’s parents as evidence. Though there was a large flagpole at the end of the field, there was no flag present on this pole. Instead we were directed to look at the flag by the school, some distance away. If the tree had been fully leafed out I doubt the flag would have been visible. When the national anthem was played it was a scratchy recording that did little to stir patriotic fervor.

This was a common experience during the season. One school brought a flag out mounted on what appeared to be a pvc pipe rather than using the stationary flagpole at their field. When the winds blew, the pvc bent and there were times when the flag came in contact with the ground. During the season the one school which handled the national anthem in a dignified way was Columbus (Columbus Jct.). They made use of their regular flagpole and had a student sing the anthem. She did a beautiful job. It was much better than the many recordings I’ve heard played over poor sound systems.

I would ask which shows more respect? Choosing to not display a flag because of one’s religious beliefs and in doing so practicing the freedoms espoused by our country, or not putting up a flag on the flag pole at the field because, maybe it was too much bother, or maybe they just didn’t get around to it?

My third concern has to do with the size of the fields we had to play on, particularly the field at Fort Madison. Our home field is 67 yards wide, that at Mid-Prairie is 70 yards. Then we traveled to Fort Madison to play on a field that according to the officiating crew is 54 yards wide. I think the article from the Fort Madison Daily Democrat summarized it well when they wrote, “In contrast to the physical play of last Saturday’s FMHS opponent, Keokuk, Iowa Mennonite was more a finesse team.”

I know you are trying to clean up the rough play and unsporting conduct too often found in soccer. I would argue that one easy way to do this is to encourage schools to play on fields which are at least 65 yards wide. By not assigning district and substate games to fields which are less than 65 yards, I think you would be helping both soccer, and you would encourage schools to improve their facilities. As I reflect on our season, the roughest and most physical games we played were on the smaller fields.

I wouldn’t mind the two hour trip if we had the opportunity to play on a full size field but to travel that far to play on a very narrow field was not enjoyable. The narrow field had a detrimental affect on my teams play in both games we played at Fort Madison, the one we won against Fairfield and the one we lost to Fort Madison.

One could argue that teams should be able to adapt to different sizes of fields and differing conditions, but imagine what would happen if a basketball team showed up to discover the rims were at 11 feet or maybe just 9 feet, or the football team found the football field was going to be 120 yards long and 65 yards wide. We don’t expect this to happen and for soccer to be taken seriously, I would suggest that your association adopt minimum standards for a soccer field. As a start I would encourage you to choose to assign district and substate games to sites where the fields will be similar in size to those played on at the State tournament.

Thank you for your patience in reading this and for your efforts to provide quality activities for the young people of Iowa.

Marcus Miller

Mennonites and "Fiddler on the Roof"

The school musical this year is "Fiddler on the Roof. " The director asked if I would write something for the program to help some folks understand how the story might connect with Mennonites. This is what I came up with. The faculty and our families were able to watch the dress rehearsal and the kids did a wonderful job. I would encourage anyone to see it, but I think both performances are sold out.

"Fiddler on the Roof" tells a story to which Mennonites should easily relate. At its most basic level it is a story similar to the one faced by our Mennonite ancestors in 16^th and 17^th century Europe. Facing persecution because of their religious beliefs advocating believer’s baptism, separation of church and state, and nonresistance, Mennonites sought peace in the rural agricultural villages of Europe. Hoping to practice their faith without fear of losing their homes or their lives, Mennonites, became “the Quiet in the Land.” For many Mennonites their identity became closely tied to the land.

Just as Tevye, his family, and his fellow Jews, experienced persecution because of their beliefs and ethnic identity, Mennonites experienced persecution and faced similar choices. What does it mean to leave a place, as miserable as it might be, when your identity is bound up in that place? Though the villagers say, “Someone should have set a match to this place years ago.” They go on to ask, “Where else could Sabbath be so sweet?” Mennonites could have sang much the same as they left the Swiss cantons, or the war-torn Alsace-Lorraine for North America, while Mennonites from other parts of Europe moved to Russia.

In both Russia and North America, religious beliefs became intricately tied to cultural identity. To be Mennonite or Amish in colonial Pennsylvania meant that one spoke German, dressed in a particular way, and conducted themselves in ways approved by the community. Ties to this new land grew strong and deep as Mennonite and Amish farmers tilled the soil. Their farms became the basis for strong rural communities and churches across the United States in places like Lancaster, Holmes County, Goshen, Berne, and Kalona.

The story in "Fiddler on the Roof" can also help those of us who are Mennonites think about what it means to be Mennonite as the story addresses questions of tradition, change, and faith. Occasionally I ask my Mennonite students if they have ever felt different because they are Mennonite. Often they are puzzled by the question. “Why should I feel different because I’m a Mennonite,” they ask. Mennonites of an earlier generation who grew up with coverings, cape dresses and plain coats might respond, “how could you not feel different?”

Steeped in the traditions of his faith and his village Teyve knows his place in society and he knows what is expected of him. Tevye’s traditions and beliefs are challenged as his daughters find their own mates rather than relying on the matchmaker. How far can he go in accepting change and at the same time remain faithful to his religious values and those of his community?

Mennonites in southeast Iowa face similar questions of faith and identity. What happens when the traditions are challenged? Coverings, cape dresses, and plain coats have been laid aside by the vast majority of Mennonites. Many found it liberating and most of us would not want to go back, but what does it mean for our religious identity when we are not so visibly different from those around us? As Tevye asks, “One little time you pull out a prop, and where does it stop? Where does it stop?”

What happens when the family farm is sold and the sons and daughters who grew up on the land, move to the city “far from the home I love?”

Is it our faith or our identity which is affected when we give up four part a cappella singing for the more contemporary sounds of guitars, drums and praise songs?

Even this place, Iowa Mennonite School was built, in part to preserve Mennonite identity in the face of rapid social change brought on by World War II. As we begin to look more like those around us, will we be tempted to give up more foundational beliefs of our identity and faith, such as nonresistance, which have defined us for over 450 years to avoid the embarrassment of being different.

Can we sing to our children, “Strengthen them, Oh Lord, and keep them from the strangers’ ways,” knowing that in doing so we are asking our children to make a conscious decision to accept our traditions, our faith and our identity, as flawed as they may be, and to make them their own.

These questions are not easily answered but it is, I believe important for us to ask them as we seek to remain faithful.

class trip - turning 50

From March 11 through March 16 I was part of the senior class trip to Washington DC. I think I have finally recovered from the sleep I missed while the bus traveled through the night. The students had free time to see the memorials and the museums and several scheduled activities including visits to the White House, the Capital, Mt. Vernon, the Aquarium in Baltimore, the Holocaust Museum, tours of the National Cathedral and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, a visit with Coleman McCarthy, and a stop at the Mennonite Guest House to see our former principal, Wilbur Yoder and his wife. We also saw a play, "Piano Lesson" by August Wilson at the the Kennedy Center.

When I get ready to go along on this trip I often wonder if it is worthwhile. During the trip I realize the majority of our students have not been to D.C. before, some have not been to the east coast, and most would not willingly visit the cathedrals, or see a performance at the Kennedy Center.

When I visit D.C. I am always reminded how obnoxious the security has become. Here in the cornfields of Iowa I don't run into a lot of security issues. When we visited Senator Grassley we went to meet him at the Hart Senate office building. To get in we had to go through metal detectors, empty our pockets, some people had to take off their shoes, and I was scolded when I failed to take off my belt, and its not like I was wearing a big cowboy belt buckle. The last time I had to take off my belt and submit to the detection wand being waved around my body I was in Hebron, going with the CPT delegation to visit the Ibrahimi mosque.

After spending some time with Senator Grassley we went from his office to the Capitol. We were inside the entire time and yet we had to go through security once more. After a bit of a tour we went up to see if we could get into the Senate gallery. Once again we went through security and this time I was asked to take off my belt. After all the students made it through security where a few lost their hand lotion and chap stick we were ushered into the gallery. I found it rather enjoyable because many of the Senators were actually on the floor. We heard brief speeches by Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, and Ted Kennedy among others. Some of the kids saw Obama, Clinton and McCain which they thought was cool.

What puzzled me was that only about an eighth of the Senate gallery was full. The rest of the seats were empty. Yet when we left after watching for about 45 minutes, there was a huge line of people waiting to get into the gallery. If the building is to be our capital, why should citizens be forced to wait in long lines when there were plenty of seats available? If you subtract the press area, at least 3/4's of the gallery was empty. It sort of ticked me off because the year before I was one of those people waiting in the long line and by the time they let us in to the chambers, after waiting over an hour or more, there was nothing going on as the Senate had adjourned.

The visit with Coleman McCarthy probably provoked the most conversation among students. He talked about the classes he teaches on peacemaking. Then he stirred things up a bit when he said the first step in peacemaking is to "not eat anything that has a mother." If I understood him correctly he would fit into the vegan category. So we had this guy advocating vegetarianism to kids from a State which has more pigs than people, and to kids, some of whose parents raise beef and hogs for a living. It made for a lively discussion which was fun to observe- though some of the kids were shy and saved their questions and comments for the sponsors when we got back to the bus.

On the 14th I turned 50 and the kids had fun with that. I endured numerous rounds of "happy birthday" and received a couple of gifts- a self-exam prostate kit, and a mug which said "I lean left" and was made so it does lean to the left. Back at the hotel the kids surprised me with a cake. I should have been more suspicious but I was tired and just happy that at the time the kids seemed quiet. All in all it wasn't the worst way to spend one's 50th birthday.

coaching clinic

I spent a day in Lincoln, Nebraska attending a soccer coaching clinic sponsored by the University of Nebraska and the state coaching association. It has been a while since I have made it to a coaching clinic and it was the first time I went to one in Nebraska so I wasn't sure quite what to expect.

The last time I went to a clinic I was one of the few not wearing what seemed to be the uniform for soccer coaches - Adidas Samba's or Copa Mundial's for your feet, warm up pants and jacket made primarily from polyester or some sort of nylon, preferably with an Adidas logo, though Diadora and Umbro will suffice. Listening to the swish swish noise the clothes make as coaches walked by reminded me of the days when my son was in day care and all his buddies wore what they called "slicks." Part of the fun seemed to be to see how much noise they could make. It isn't quite as endearing when it is 30 to 40 year old men wearing them. There weren't quite as many coaches at the Nebraska clinic wearing this outfit but all the red "N's" on almost any article of clothing made up for it, I suppose.

The sessions were held in the new indoor practice facility built primarily for the football team, at least that is how the turf field was marked. For the most part the sessions were helpful and I was glad to be there. The trick is to take those things I think will be helpful for my team and to teach it to my players.

Monday, March 10 was the first day we could legally practice. There was still a foot of snow on the ground so I had about half the guys come in early in the morning before school and the other half, after school. It seemed to work all right, though I don't enjoy morning practices. Tuesday I left for class trip with the seniors and my assistant ran practices for the underclassman. Our first game is March 31 and we certainly have some work to do before then.

chapel, nooma and changing times

The other day in chapel two students introduced us to the topic of forgiveness by using a short film from something called Nooma, created by a preacher named Rob Bell. It was the first I had heard of the series and of this particular preacher. It is definitely aimed at a young adult audience and the students seemed to respond in a positive way to the message. What struck me was the difference in the message from what I heard when I was sitting in chapel a little over 30 years ago.

Titled "Luggage" the film talked about the importance of not carrying grudges and of forgiving those who have done you wrong. The film cuts between Bell speaking and scenes of a young women in an airport. At the end of the film, after the line "you never know when it will be too late to forgive," (or something close to that) the last scene shows the womens car pulling into the path of a speeding semi truck and getting smashed. Think driver's ed films you may have been subjected to in the hopes of making you a safe driver.

The last line and the scene of the smashed car reminded me of the many times I heard in chapel, "get yourself right with God because you never know when you might get run over by a car, hit by a train, bit by a snake, swept away in a rip tide, or die in your sleep." The message seemed to my teenage ears to be "get saved before its too late, you die, and spend eternity in hell." Sometimes we would sing this awful song full of bad theology about the end times. It went something like this "life was filled with guns and war and everyone got trampled on the floor, I wish we'd all been ready." Then there was something about two men walking up a hill and one of them disappearing because the rapture had come and only one of them got taken. You see I sang it enough at youth group I still remember large chunks of the song.

Instead of scaring people into repentance the film seemed to scare people into forgiving. If I interpreted the film correctly the guy was saying, either do your forgiving before you die, or maybe it was forgive the person you need to forgive before they die. While repenting and forgiving are both good I wonder about the technique of frightening people to get them to take action. There are good reasons to do both which have nothing to do with fear. But I suppose fear is seen as getting quicker results, though I would guess they may not be as long lasting.

Church Leagues

This evening I played in a church league basketball game. I stepped on to the court for the IMS team, a group consisting mostly of IMS junior and senior guys who aren't on the high school team. The league commissioners wanted them to have a couple of adults and for some reason I was recruited to join them. It was certainly for reasons other than my basketball skills which are minimal at best. Throw in my achy knees, weak eyes, and slightly below average height and I'm the first to admit I wasn't a prize recruit. Still, given the aging IMS faculty, there isn't much else to choose from. Plus if you are any good your church will want you to play with them. One of the guys in charge, told me they really didn't care if I played, they just wanted me to be at games to help keep tempers in check. I view it primarily as a way to get a little exercise. The problem was that tonight, only four of us showed up to play one of the better teams. Instead of getting a break every 4-5 minutes I had to play the whole game.

Church league is an interesting creature. It has been going for at least 40 years, probably more. It consists of teams from the various Mennonite or conservative Mennonite churches in the Kalona-Wellman area. Some churches have two teams, some consistently have a team, and some do for a year or two, and then struggle to put a team together. When I was attending Wellman Mennonite I played for their team a couple of years. The last year I played with them we had one or two guys from Kalona and a couple of Catholic guys. We were sponsored by Wellman Lumber that year and got these cool shirts labeled, Wellman Lumberjocks. We represented the lumberyard well and won the championship - not that anybody really cares. The next year I played for a faculty team from IMS, along with a couple of other folks whose churches didn't have teams.

Some guys take the games seriously and a few teams supposedly have practices. If you don't think Mennonites get mad, help a seemingly mild Mennonite farmer load hogs, or show up at a church league game some night. Two years ago tempers got so bad that the guys in charge decided to experiment. One option was to hire trained officials, the other was to have the guys playing call their own fouls. Trained officials are expensive, Menno's are cheap- or have that reputation. For the most part the calling your own fouls seems to have helped keep emotions and tempers in check though many people seem to find that hard to believe.

Players range in age from the high school kids to a couple who are close to 60. Most are in fairly decent shape, though there are a couple who look like they swallowed a basketball or two. The majority played in high school and a few played a year or two in college. Most take it entirely too seriously. I plan to retire at the end of the season even though it has been fun to see many former students and folks from other churches I don't often see.

snow day and the mandate of heaven

This is a picture near our house which attempts to show how much snow we received over the last two days, somewhere around 10 to 12 inches.

Of the last four school days we have had two canceled, one early dismissal and one late start. The snow is nothing compared to the tornadoes which hit Tennessee and other places in the south. The bad weather, along with the slowing economy and slumping stock market got me to thinking while I shoveled the snow off the driveway.

In Chinese history there is a concept known as the dynastic cycle which is tied to the idea of the Mandate of Heaven. The idea is that the emperor comes to power with the blessing of the gods and that things will go well. But as time goes on, the emperor enacts unwise policies or becomes corrupt. There may be rebellions, uprisings, or attacks by foreigners. Added to this there may be a series of natural disasters, bad weather, or other calamities which shows the people the emperor has lost the Mandate of Heaven and the time has come for the emperor or his dynasty to be removed from power.

The Iron Wall

I saw the film, The Iron Wall this afternoon at the Iowa Memorial Union. The film was produced by Mohammed Alatar for the Palestinian Agricultural Committee and a group called, Palestinians for Peace and Democracy. The film reviewed the building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the creation of the separation wall, the apartheid wall, or in this case what they call "the Iron Wall."

I can't say that I really learned anything new, but it was troubling to see the images of places and people I saw this past summer. The depiction of Hebron and the violent settlers who live there was particularly troublesome. When we walked around Hebron we ran into settlers who cursed us, spit at us and threatened to throw rocks at us. I don't think any of them actually pointed a gun at us, though we did see them carrying guns. Part of that may have been because of the large number of soldiers present. The day after we arrived three settler families were removed from a Palestinian home they had taken over for a few months. There were a lot of media people around the first couple of days we were in Hebron, but by the end of the week, when the IDF welded shut six Palestinian shops for "security reasons" only one lonely person from the media was there to record the action. I was in Hebron for only a few days. I can't imagine the stress one who lives there permanently must endure. This film did a good job of showing the stress and hardship Palestinian residents endure on a daily basis.

The film was good and worth seeing. One of the more interesting things for me was talking with a Palestinian man who was there to see the film. He was from Gaza and hasn't been able to visit his family for 2 and 1/2 years. It was interesting to hear his perspective about what has been going on in Gaza during the last week. I also talked with a man from Syria and his teenage son he brought along to see the film. The son was not much impressed with the film or its ability to change anything. Sometimes I think teenagers are much more realistic than we give them credit for but to not do something seems to be even more of a problem. The film also reminded me of the hope for peace and improved lives which I heard from many of the Palestinians I met last summer. Again, the hope expressed doesn't always seem realistic, but giving up hope seems even more problematic.

Losing season, cold temps

The presidential candidates have long since left Iowa. The only traces are a few yard signs around town and the many emails I get from all of the campaigns. Most of them ask for money, particularly the ones from Edwards and Huckabee. These two also ask me to contact people I know in South Carolina or Florida to encourage them to support the candidate. Since I don't have much money and I don't know many people in either State I generally hit the delete button.

In addition to my wife's leg we are dealing with cold temperatures. Our thermometer says it is -10 F. I tell my students it teaches them how to deal with adversity.

In the meantime I thought I would put something on here which I wrote back in the fall of 1999 after my soccer team finished the season with a grand total of two wins. If somebody runs across this I hope they find it helpful. The guys I shared it with at the time seemed to appreciate the sentiment.

Fall 1999
Riding home on the bus after a game there is always time to think. One night I remembered something from when I was a student at Eastern Mennonite. After practice as I hurried into the cafeteria, an important looking guy asked why I was so late. I told him I was on the soccer team. He asked how we were doing. I replied "we're having a losing season." He said, "you can learn a lot from losing." I don't remember exactly what I said but it was probably along the line of, "the only thing you can learn from a losing season is that its no fun to lose."

Two years ago after we won the State championship I remember saying all those nice things about how hard work and dedication always lead to success. This caused me to rethink some of those things I've said. The guys on this years team worked hard, they were dedicated, they did, or tried to do what we asked of them and yet our record didn't reflect their effort. Are there things you can learn from a losing season? Let me suggest some.

1. Hard work is no guarantee of success. Hard work is necessary but just working hard won't always ensure success. If you look around this community you can see many people who work their tails off without much to show for it. Farmers are just one example, there are many others.

2. There is pleasure to be found in working hard, especially when you are doing something you enjoy, regardless of the outcome. One of the most gratifying things I will remember from this season was after our last game when one of the seniors, a guy who worked extremely hard to improve his soccer skills said, "this was the most fun sports season I've ever had."

3. Relationships are extremely important. When there are lots of wins it is easy to overlook personality conflicts on a team. When things are not going well even minor conflicts can become major problems. From my perspective this years team got along with each other better than any other team I've coached. That says a lot about the character of these young men.

4. It is important to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and while high goals are necessary, realistic goals are important. One of the reasons this group related to each other well was because they all took responsibility for themselves. They focused on how they could improve themselves and the team. They didn't focus on how someone else could improve or what someone else could do differently. These guys knew their limitations and they worked to improve themselves.

5. A won-loss record is only one way of measuring success. A won-loss record is obviously the most visible and easiest way to measure success but it is not the only way. In many ways these young men are winners. They know how to work hard in practice and competition. They have learned how to relate to each other under adverse conditions. They put forth maximum effort even when the situation looked bleak.

In my mind you are all winners and I expect you to have much success in the future, in sports, academics, and most importantly, in life. Life isn't always fair, but if you have faith in God, supportive friends and family who share common goals and values, and if you are doing something you enjoy, you will have a "good life."

That is what I wrote back in the fall of 1999. Since then I came across a book by Pat Conroy titled My Losing Season. I would recommend the book. For all the winning teams that people celebrate, there are usually losing teams many of them made up of fine people.

Iowa Caucus night: Wellman, Iowa

What fun. People who observed the Democratic caucus in Wellman this evening would probably either celebrate a wonderful expression of democracy in action, or they might shake their head and wonder about the messy way Iowa Democrats express their preferences for a presidential candidate.

I'm sure the Republican caucus in Wellman was a much more sedate, and organized affair. Part of it is the process. After registering, Republicans indicate who they are supporting and those results are reported to the media and the election officials. The Democratic Party has a more complicated process.

We met at the Wellman Senior Center and it didn't take long to realize the room was going to be crowded. The first caucus I attended back in 1992 had less than 10 people. Tonight, 175 were present in a room designed for 100. To help speed things up the organizers assigned each candidate a table. Clinton, Obama, and Edwards quickly spilled over their assigned areas. Biden and Richardson supporters did the best they could while the lone Kucinich and Dodd supporters looked a bit lost. Precinct captains for the candidates did their best to slap stickers on the people supporting their candidate. It was obvious to see who had raised the most money as Obama and Clinton had plenty of stickers, buttons, bumper stickers, and posters to hand to people to help persuade them to join. As the room filled I volunteered to have the Edwards people move to the large entry room which in hindsight turned out to be a good move.

After the caucus started people were to go to their candidates group. It was clear that Clinton, Obama and Edwards would have enough support to get delegates, the question was, how were our seven delegates going to be divided. Even before the first round was over, people were talking to the Dodd, Richardson, and Biden people. Richardson and Bidens folks talked briefly about joining forces but before they could agree I got enough Biden supporters to come over to Edwards to put an end to that idea. As they walked into our room they all got a rousing ovation. We got most of the Richardson and Biden people and the lone Dodd supporter. We had enough for two delegates and were within five people of getting a third delegate, a level Obama had already reached. Clinton's folks either didn't have anybody running a calculator, or someone who understood the formula because they thought they were out of the running for a second delegate. That allowed us to convince five of their supporters to come over to Edwards which put us over the threshold for three delegates. When I checked the numbers at home, Clinton would have only needed to convince three people to join them to get the second delegate, instead of Edwards getting three. It was all quite entertaining and by the time it was over I was tired. I was pleased with the end result as Edwards got 3 delegates, Obama got 3, and Clinton got 1.

Some brief observations. Clinton's supporters for the most part were the oldest people in the room. The only young people sitting in her group were two staff members from out of state who were helping first time caucus goers through the process. Her supporters didn't seem to be moving around trying to recruit people. They were definitely the least energetic of the bunch.

Obama had the most supporters and most of the young people in the room. There were a range of ages represented and lots of new faces. My guess is newly registered voters, or independents who switched for the night, were there because of Obama. His supporters had a lot of energy and even tried the "fired up" cheer Obama has used at some of his speeches.

Edwards had the most diverse group in terms of age, a nice mix of some young folks, older folks, and many middle aged people. It was a good group of people. I don't think we had anybody leave our group after coming over which I appreciated. I think it helped to be off in the other room where we could limit access to some folks who maybe weren't quite sure about their support. Plus most of them had soft chairs to sit in for the evening.

It was good to see lots of young people present including a current student and several former students. Most of the discussions were good natured and there was a fair amount of good natured joking going on as one candidates supporters worked to convince someone to change their mind. That is where it helped to have local people working as precinct captains or organizers. It is also where some of the perhaps questionable things took place - for example, the young women who said she would take my son on a date if he joined the Obama corner for the night. Democracy at its best.

Broken leg, hospital, and John Edwards

A bit of a weird day. Thursday my wife slipped on some ice, fell, and broke her left leg just above the ankle. She managed to break both bones. By the time we got home from the emergency room it was late and by the time she got situated in bed it was even later. Those people who talk about how efficient our medical system is and then try to scare people with what they call "socialized medicine," and how bad it might be, should perhaps visit an ER some evening. The staff were nice, friendly, and helpful, but efficient isn't the word I would use to describe our experience. I understand the concept of triage, but for someone to sit with a broken leg for three hours before getting an x-ray doesn't seem right. After the last round of x-rays, and while the Dr. was putting on the cast, the head Doctor came twice to check on Beth, and both times he apologized for the lengthy wait. I guess it made him feel better but it didn't do much for me.

I had promised to help at Edwards campaign appearance Saturday afternoon in Washington, so Dirk helped out, Beth's mother came down, and I took off for Washington. The job I was assigned was to get people who were attending to sign in so the Edwards people had an idea how many folks came. The Washington library meeting room can maybe hold 75 people comfortably at most. They crammed a lot of people inside - I'm sure the fire marshal would have been unhappy, if Washington has such a thing. By time they were done over 300 people had signed which was a lot more than they were expecting. I can't say how the speech went, or how Edwards answered questions because I didn't hear any of it. I stayed downstairs and talked to people who didn't want to stand on the stairway to try and hear some of what he had to say. As people came out I was to help ask people if they were willing to sign up to caucus for Edwards. Quite a few signed, or said they already had. Most of the people were positive and enthusiastic about what they heard.

One of the interesting things was the number of people present from other states. I talked with folks from North Carolina, Colorado, Illinois and Kansas. Most had grown up in Iowa and were visiting relatives over Christmas. There were even some people from Australia taking in all the activity. Most made it clear they were just taking the opportunity to see a candidate while they were in the area.

Huckabee

I saw my first Republican candidate this afternoon when I went to Coralville to see Gov. Mike Huckabee. There were well over 200 people in the room at the Marriott when Huckabee was introduced about twenty minutes late. It took him less than 10 seconds to say "Chuck Norris" as he read off some of the signs people brought. We then got to hear how wonderful Norris is and he promised Norris would be campaigning with him the week before the caucus.

Huckabee talked for forty minutes during which time he referred to Isaiah, Chuck Norris, Jesus Christ, Billy Jack, and Colin Powell. I found it to be a rather odd mix of names.

Next, Huckabee talked about the importance of the Iowa caucuses in allowing underfunded candidates a chance. He then gave us a history of the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and a bit about the Constitution. It seems to me that when you combine religious belief, politics, and history you end with both bad theology and bad history.

Other topics he addressed were the need to overcome partisanship, immigration, the education system, and our failed energy policy. He noted that we pay for both sides of the war on terror when we fund the Pentagon and through our oil dollars, also fund terrorists.

He spent a lot of time criticizing the tax system which he claims taxes productivity and ingenuity. He talked about replacing the IRS and the current system with what he called a consumption tax. He didn't say anything specific but my guess is most of the people who clapped didn't understand he proposes replacing the income tax with a 23% sales tax. I'm no expert but it seems to me, ingenious Americans would find ways to avoid paying this fee, it would put a damper on the economy, or both.

After the lengthy discourse on taxes Huckabee quickly reviewed his pro-life credentials, his humble origins, and his desire for the strongest military ever. This is where he referred to Billy Jack, quoting the line about putting my heel on your neck and stomping.

He finished by thanking us and reminding us how important it is to caucus and participate in the political process. According to him, we were all expressing our patriotism just by coming to hear him.

My impressions- Huckabee is a folksy guy who relates well to a crowd. He didn't sound all that different from some Democrats who also talk about their humble origins and the hard times they have overcome. He can tell a good story and poke fun at himself so he comes across as a likable guy. When he talked about only using Lava soap, it seemed most of the crowd shared the experience of being scrubbed with that awful stuff.

Huckabee had an interesting way of shifting between references to Jesus, Isaiah and Christianity, and then referring to Chuck Norris, Billy Jack, and a take no prisoners kind of approach. Frankly I found his ability to do this to be a bit frightening. I found myself wondering who he would look like with a little patch of mustache over his lip.

What I didn't hear was also interesting. There was no mention of the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. There was little said about the economy and when he did mention it he talked about the need to cut taxes. He described how Maytag left Newton, Iowa because of the heavy tax burden. The John Edwards commercial which just aired, suggested Maytag left because of corporate greed and unfair trade agreements. My guess is the truth is somewhere in between those two arguments.

Compared to Romney and Guliani, Huckabee connects well with many Iowans and is a formidable candidate in the State.

Hillary

Dirk and I drove to Coralville this evening to see Hillary Clinton at the Johnson County Historical Society building which houses old cars. We were among the last people allowed into the building. The local fire marshal was exerting his authority to make sure the building would not be overcrowded so approximately 200 people waited outside.

She came out about fifteen minutes late, was introduced and then did her speech. She talked from 7:43 to 8:30 and spent 20 minutes of that talking about health care. The next topic was energy policy, the need for a spirit of optimism, education including reforming No Child Left Behind and cutting college cost. From there she moved to talking about "cronyism" in Washington, reclaiming moral authority in the world by bringing the troops home from Iraq "as quickly and responsibly as possible." From what I have read elsewhere the "responsible" part of her plan may leave troops in Iraq for up to four years after she would take office.

After the lengthy talk, she told us there were 200 cold people outside who she needed to visit but she wanted to answer some questions so she decided three would be the limit. The questions were about credit cards, Social Security reform, and one about why so many people dislike her.

A couple of observations, We were seated behind the stand for photographers. When they stood we couldn't see. How many pictures does a beat photographer need of Hillary Clinton - or any candidate for that matter? The crowd was large, and seemed to be made up mostly of older people. I didn't see a lot of college age folks or folks who seemed to be in their 30's. As for Hillary herself, I didn't see any horns and she wasn't carrying a pitchfork. I imagine she would make a decent President but I didn't find her to be all that inspiring. She didn't mention any of her Democratic rivals but she did take a shot at Edwards and Obama in her line about change. "You can't create change by demanding it, or by hoping for it, you create change by working for it." While a lot of people clapped for the line, I noticed quite a few around us who kept their hands in their laps.

I have now seen all the major Democratic candidates this election cycle. If the Des Moines Register can exclude Kucinich I suppose I can as well. For whatever reason the Republicans seem to be avoiding southeastern Iowa. I signed up with Romney and Huckabee's websites to make sure I get notices if they come to the area, but that has resulted primarily in negative emails aimed at each other. Such fun.

Joe Biden

This afternoon I drove to Washington to see Sen. Joe Biden at the public library. I left Wellman a bit late and though it had been snowing I figured the roads would be a bit better than they were. He was scheduled to arrive at 3:30 and I figured he would be late as well so I wasn't to worried. I parked across the street, helped a guy with directions who I found out was working for Obama, and was there to try and lure people coming to see Biden to visit the Obama office instead. I got inside, started running up the steps, and nearly ran into the Biden entourage.

There were 50-60 people in the room. A neighbor of mine was introducing him. I will only note that said neighbor was wearing sweatpants which did not have a hole in them, unlike the pair he was wearing a couple of years ago. He also had on a new t-shirt.

Biden introduced us to some of his family members including his granddaughter. He talked for about 20 minutes outlining some of his policies, focusing particularly on Iraq, Iran, economic policies, education, health care, and social security. It seemed he felt comfortable speaking about foreign policy more than some of the domestic issues. After the stump speech he asked for questions.

The first question had to do with taxes and campaign strategy, the second dealt with energy policy and the third was about Iraq. I was standing in the back of the room and it seemed the people he called on were ones wearing name tags or were people he seemed to know, so I figured I might not get a chance to ask a question. I was taking notes and trying to maintain eye contact when he pointed towards me and said, did you have a question, so I said "yes, I do." I said I had the opportunity to be in the West Bank for two weeks this past summer and I would like to know how he would approach the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and what he would do to improve conditions for Palestinians.

This was his response, First, he said the President of the U.S. needs to be engaged on an almost daily basis with the leaders of Israel, Palestine and other middle eastern countries. He said he favors a two state solution with the borders being more or less the green line. He talked about a "hectare for hectare" land swap where Israeli settlements which have been in place for more than 20 years would be allowed to remain, if land was granted to a Palestinian state elsewhere by Israel. He said there needs to be free entry to Jerusalem and east Jerusalem, and that there can be no guaranteed right of return because it would mean the destruction of Israel.

He went on to talk about the neocon approach to foreign relations which he said discounts diplomacy and focuses on a strong military approach. He talked about this being a time when a peace settlement might be possible. He talked about the Sunni Arab countries being more afraid of radical Shiia countries than of Israel, of Syria being key to solving the situation. It was apparent he is knowledgeable about the middle east and competent in foreign affairs.

I have no idea how Palestinians would respond to his ideas, particularly the idea of leaving some settlements in place, or his comments about east Jerusalem, though I suppose many would not be happy.

He answered two or three more questions. During his answer he went on a rant about letting Republicans talk about morality and religion. "How dare we let Mitt Romney lecture us self-righteously about morality, how dare we let some one like Guliani claim the moral high ground."

I was impressed with Senator Biden. He was dignified, intelligent, he had a sense of humor, he tried to keep from saying the word "hell" to often, and it was clear he has a lot of foreign policy experience. Biden would make a good President, much better than the person now filling the office.

signs and the Declaration of Independence

More political signs are starting to sprout in local yards. Scattered among the numerous "for sale" signs in town (this summer 20 plus houses were for sale in town) you see the occasional sign promoting a candidate. Tonight there were two Obama signs along Hwy 22 across from the Huckabee sign which has been up for a week. There is at least one Clinton sign, my neighbor has a Biden sign sort of hidden behind his cars, while I stuck an Edwards sign in my yard. I'm waiting to see a candidates sign incorporated into some one's Christmas light display.

On the way in to Indiana last weekend I saw more Ron Paul signs than any others. There was even a bed sheet hanging from a highway overpass which read "Ron Paul Revolution."

Today in World History class I had to wonder if students are becoming dumber or if I am just getting old and cranky. The chapter on the Enlightenment had a short section about how the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution reflect some of the Enlightenment ideals Montesquieu, Rousseau, Locke and others wrote about. I assumed the classes of mostly sophomores would be somewhat familiar with the two documents from 8th grade U.S. History. Only two of the 35 students admitted to having read any part of the Declaration before today. Most couldn't finish the line, "life, liberty...." So what was supposed to be a short review ended up using most of the shortened block period.

The lack of reading came up again when a group of seniors in Current Events class looked at a My Turn essay in the current Newsweek where the author writes about catching up on his reading since he didn't read as a teenager. The essay mentioned Siddhartha, Brave New World, 1984, Animal Farm, and Breakfast of Champions. One of the girls had read Siddhartha, two had read Animal Farm for a British Lit class and that was all. Some of the kids in my classes may as well be illiterate - some only read what is assigned and from test scores, I would assume that many don't even read what is assigned. I should quit ranting, but I fear for our democracy if people don't read.
How can people tell that our government is violating the Constitution if they never bother reading it?

Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne

I drove to Iowa City after school today to see John Edwards at the City High Auditorium. I got there about fifteen minutes before the scheduled start time and was fortunate to find a seat in the balcony as the place was full and more people were on the way. The program started about 5:15 with a couple of introductions and then Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne sang several songs including "Make me an Angel" (I don't know if that is the title or not but its how I remember the song) and "A Thing called Love." On the Make me an Angel song she had Greg Brown, Pieta Brown, Bo Ramsey and a women whose name I missed come up on the stage and sing along. She probably helped Edwards score some points with the local folk music crowd.

In between their songs they told us why they supported Edwards and encouraged us to caucus for Edwards. After half an hour of songs, John Edwards gave a rousing speech. He criticized Bush and reiterated his plans for getting the US out of Iraq, health care, and his concern for the poor. Compared to the last time I saw him speak Edwards spoke with a lot of passion and energy. Combined with the singing this was the nearest thing to a revival meeting I've been to, since I've been to a revival meeting and it has been awhile since I have been to one of those.

Edwards took a few questions but kept that part relatively short. He answered questions about global warming, education, health care, social security, and one on how he makes decisions. If you have heard him before he didn't really say much new, but the passion did come through.

When he talked about his plans and ideas in relationship to the other Democratic candidates he tended to compare his positions primarily to those of Clinton. He kept repeating that if you want traditional politics with leaders beholden to corporate interests then Clinton would be a good choice, but if you wanted change and a politician who would fight special interests than he was the best choice. It was the first time where I really heard him talk about his experience as a trial lawyer and how every day for 20 years he fought against the HMO's, the health insurance companies and other large business interests to protect his clients. He argued that he would bring that experience with him as he battled for universal health care and other improvements in life for the average American.

As he finished they played a Springsteen song over the speakers and many people went looking for autographs. A lot of people were picking up literature, signs, and stickers, but it is always hard to tell how much of it is people collecting campaign paraphernalia and how much is because they support the candidate.

debate

The candidates seem to be campaigning in either the Des Moines or Dubuque areas so none have been coming near the cornfields where I live. I think Edwards is supposed to be in Iowa City Monday and Romney may be in Washington Wednesday. I have a couple of unwritten rules about going to these events. I won't drive more than 30 miles to get to the appearance - especially when gas is up to 3.10, and I won't go to an event where I have to pay to get in the door. I suppose there are others but those two seem to work for the most part.

I did watch the debate which raised questions about how CNN and other news media cover this whole race. CNN's website said something like, "Clinton dominates debate." They neglected to add that CNN reporters asked her the first question and that the first ten minutes of the debate were primarily Clinton and Obama going back and forth. Why shouldn't Clinton dominate the debate if she is asked the majority of the questions and allowed to respond any time one of the other candidates dared to criticize her by name.

If according to the news reports Guliani is the FOX news candidate, is Clinton the CNN candidate? If the rest of Iowa is like my town, most of the registered voters are undecided and will only say they are leaning towards a candidate. Howard Dean was surprised by the results last time, and I hope Clinton is surprised in this one as well. Maybe a third place finish in Iowa would derail her a bit.

Edwards finally got pulled into the mix and eventually the other candidates got some air time. The local paper said Biden didn't talk until 15 minutes in and Dodd, Richardson, and Kucinich were even later.

One thing I found disappointing was how many of the candidates said that national security was more important than human rights. I believe Richardson and Kucinich were the only two to either challenge the premise or to say human rights was more important. It reminded me a bit of Thoreau who we were looking at a bit this week in my American History class. One of his passages from On Civil Disobedience seemed appropriate; "The mass of men serve the state...not as men mainly, but as machines with their bodies. ...In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgement or of the moral sense but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones;.... Others as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers... serve the state chiefly with their heads; as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God." I think we would all do well to read Thoreau again.

caucus preparation

My son tells me this is boring. I told him I would try and make it a bit more interesting, but then again I live in a small town surrounded by corn fields. To make it worse, at this time of year, after the corn is picked, the farmers begin emptying their hog manure pits. The smell which emanates from the liquid shit can permeate your clothes, fill your nostrils, and drive you mad. Last week when I walked out the school door I was assaulted by the stench. For those who have never experienced the smell, it can be overwhelming. A few years ago we played a soccer game in the evening after a local farmer spread his crap on neighboring fields. We won over a good West Point Marquette team that night. When I talked to their coach the following week he complained about not being able to concentrate because the smell was so bad. He said they smelled like manure when they got off the bus after a hour plus ride home. I can believe it because I smelled horrible when I got home. So, not only do I live in a small field in the middle of corn fields, but this time of year, they are smelly corn fields.

Last night I attended what was called a "caucus preparation" meeting in Washington organized by the John Edwards campaign. We met at the Pizza Ranch and went through the agenda established by the higher ups somewhere. We even got a pep talk from some guy over the phone. The material we were given is helpful and the young women staffer in charge of the area did fine, but my question as I sat there was, why do you send a young person who has never attended a caucus, to lead a caucus preparation meeting. I suppose it is because either she volunteered, or because she agreed to work for a minimal amount until the caucus is over, hoping Edwards does well, and that she will be hired to work in a State with a later primary.

The other troubling thing was that the Washington Demons football team was eating in a room next to ours. They were being typical boisterous high school kids, in other words they were loud. That wouldn't have been a problem except that four of the eight people in our meeting were frail, little old ladies who had a hard time hearing anyway, let alone with lots of background noise. The young women running the meeting knew enough to cut the meeting short and send us on our way. I did come home with a list of all the undecided Democrats in our precinct and the idea is to talk with them over the next two months. There are about 75 names on the list. I know at least one person who tells every candidate who calls that he is committed to someone else since it cuts down significantly on the number of phone calls he gets. I guess this is all part of "democracy in action" and I have to admit I do find it to be interesting to participate in the process even if it seems messy and inefficient.
mm

who is barak obama?

The candidates haven't been making the rounds nearby so I haven't seen any one recently. Guliani was in Iowa City last Wednesday evening but I had been asked to speak about my trip to the West Bank to a group called People for Justice in Palestine at the Iowa City Library. The Daily Iowan said there were around 40 people there but I thought it was closer to 60. Ben and Jerry of ice cream fame were also in Iowa City that evening and they were giving away ice cream. It is hard to compete with free ice cream. I thought my presentation went well. One guy thanked me afterwards and then added, "I didn't learn anything new, but I liked the way you told your story." He then said he had been to the West Bank 4 times. The program was taped and will appear occasionally on the public access channel in Iowa City.

Guiliani was also in town the week before but it would have cost $50 bucks a plate and I prefer to not pay to see any of these guys.

Now to the title of this post, "who is Barak Obama?" One of the other things I have been doing this fall is to interview some Amish folks in Iowa for some people in Goshen and Pennsylvania. It has been interesting to sit for an hour or two and ask them questions. Generally the interviews start out slow, then when I put away my notebook they start talking. The last guy I talked to liked to ask me questions as well. I'm not exactly sure how it came up but he asked me about interracial marriage and how the children of interracial marriages are treated. So I asked him if he him if he knew about Barak Obama. His response was, who? So I repeated the name, "Barak Obama." "Who is Barak Obama?" I told him Obama was one of the guys running for President and had been in Iowa quite a bit over the last month. He thought that was nice but didn't know who he was and he didn't particularly care. I can imagine him saying, "thats a concern for the world, not me."

It was sort of refreshing to talk with a man who didn't know who any of the candidates were after they have spent thousands of dollars in the state of Iowa trying to get their message to the people. It is one of the advantages of not having a television, a phone, or email all ways we are being bombarded by various candidates. This isn't to say this man was unconcerned or apathetic. He is a very bright guy, but for him, the main goal in life is to be faithful to God, scriptures and his church, and politics isn't going to help him with faithfulness.

mm

Chris Dodd

After church I drove to Washington to see Chris Dodd at Cafe Dodici's. Compared to the stockyards where I saw Obama, and Washington High School where Edwards and Richardson appeared, this was by far the classiest place I have seen a candidate. Dodd arrived about 15 minutes after the scheduled time and talked to around 50 people. Unlike the other visits, this one had food so the wait was enjoyable. They had these tasty spinach filled pastries which were exceptionally good.

After noting his Iowa connections by making references to Harken, Bedel, Culver, and other Iowa politicians, Dodd talked about his electability and the importance of the Iowa caucus in choosing a candidate who can win in November. As part of this he highlighted his experience and his ability to work across party lines to get legislation passed.

The first issue Dodd talked about was Iraq. He said he would remove U.S. troops from Iraq but that removing troops does not mean that we would not be involved in the area. "We have turned Iraq into a petrie dish for jihadists and terrorists." He also noted his service in the Peace Corps and his service in the National Guard.

Next Dodd talked about restoring the Constitution. He told the story of his father who worked as a prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials after WWII and how important it was to treat our enemies by the rule of law. He contrasted the response most people give to Nuremberg to the images most of us have when we hear about Abu Grahb or Guantanamo.

After 30 minutes of talking Dodd took questions from the audience. People asked about No Child Left Behind, Israel's bombing of Syria, rural Iowa, the electability of a Northeast liberal, fair trade, why Congress hasn't done more to halt the war in Iraq and the growing economic disparity in the U.S. Dodd's answers tended to be long and passionate, though he didn't always answer the question. He had an annoying habit of saying "I hear" after many statements especially when he was excited, "I hear."

Though I was sitting towards the front he didn't seem to want to call on me when I raised my hand. After saying it was time to finish I thought I would see if I could ask a question about Palestine. After getting his picture taken and signing some autographs he said, "I never got to your question." I told him I had spent two weeks in the West Bank and was wondering where I could find what his position is regarding Israel and Palestine. Dodd said first the President must be engaged in the area. "Condi can't just stop in every six months or so and expect to get anything done," so I would be more engaged in the area. He said when he visited with Olmert that Olmert told him Bush is the best President the U.S. has ever had. The reason according to Dodd is that Bush has never pushed Israel on any issue and has backed nearly every policy or plan pushed by Israel. Dodd added, I favor a two state solution and the Palestinian state needs to be a viable one. We can't always just accept what Israel does and need to be willing to push them to improve living conditions for Palestinians. Dodd also mentioned his support for the Peace Corps and that he has worked to maintain their presence in Jordan and would like to see the Peace Corps in Egypt and other Arab nations. Then he moved on to talk with some of the others. I grabbed a couple more of the spinach pastries, bought some chocolates for my wife and headed for home.

Dodd did a nice job and seemed knowledgeable about the issues. He tended to be a bit long winded but he showed some passion when addressing the issues. The problem is that he is a Senator and has been in Congress for 26 years at a time when many people seem to want change and a fresh face. In the words of my son who saw him in Wellman, "he's just another old white guy who wants to be President." Unfortunately for Dodd, I'm afraid that is how many people will see him.