"The Half Has Never Been Told" Edward Baptist

 Every now and then a student or parent tells me, “Slavery wasn’t that bad,” or the time honored classic, “the Civil War was about State’s rights, not slavery.” Edward Baptist provides an in-depth response to such arguments making it clear the vast majority of the wealth of the United States was built on the exploited labor of slaves who toiled on land stolen from Native Americans. And by the way, slavery and its role in the US had everything to do with the Civil War.
Baptist uses the extensive records kept by slave labor camps as owners sought ways to maximize the production of cotton and with it their profits. Southern slave owners would have made the folks at Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers proud as they figured out ways to monetize the people they owned. Mortgaging slaves allowed them to sell debts as investments, as investors, many of them living in the north hoped to get in on the profits being produced by slave labor. They even figured out how to get southern governments to back their schemes making taxpayers responsible if people defaulted.
Baptist supplements these records with published accounts of runaway slaves and the oral history interviews with people who grew up as slaves.Through it all, Baptist describes the inherent cruelty in slavery as owners pushed and beat their slaves to perform more efficiently. Baptist describes this as the “whipping machine” and documents the use of torture to drive profits, to keep the slaves “in their place,” or to just prove they were in charge.
One of the important tasks Baptist undertakes is to explain how slavery and the desire of slave owners to expand the system underlay almost every important event in the early years of the United States. This includes arguments over the Second Bank of the United States, removal of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Creek, conflicts with Mexico over Texas, the Mexican-American war, the transcontinental railroad and more. This is important material to use to supplement the traditional interpretations of most high school American History textbooks.
I read this book on a tablet which I found frustrating as this is one of those books where it is important to read the end notes. So sometime, I plan to buy the book in its traditional format.

I was asked to write this for an insert into the program for the school musical.

The Cotton Patch Gospels and Clarence Jordan

Sometime back in the mid-1970’s I first read Clarence Jordan’s translation of the book of Matthew. Jesus was born in Gainesville, traveled and preached through Georgia and Alabama before being lynched in Atlanta. For someone whose only Bible was a red-letter King James Version, this was revolutionary. Instead of “verily’s” and “thus sayeth’s,” this version had Jesus saying, “don’t be like the religious phonies…,” criticizing church leaders and teachers instead of the Pharisees and Scribes, all the while drawling Southern “ya’lls and “aint’s.”

Clarence Jordan’s Cotton Patch Versions of the New Testament opened new perspectives when published in late 1960’s and though they caused controversy in some circles, for others they were a refreshing way to make the scriptures relevant to troubled times. In the forward to his translation of Luke, Jordan wrote that he hoped to “strip away the fancy language, the artificial piety, and the barriers of time and distance… and put Jesus and his people in the midst of our modern world.” Jordan emphasized the humanity of Jesus, something he believed had been lost in much of the church. “Jesus has been so zealously worshiped,” Jordan said, “his halo so brightly illumined, and his cross so beautifully polished that in the minds of many he no longer exists as a man.” Jordan wanted to counter this tamed down Christ by focusing on a Jesus who ate with “tax revenuers and women with questionable morals.” Jordan challenged people with the simple teachings of Jesus—to treat our neighbor as ourselves, to care for the poor, to bring sight to the blind and liberty to the enslaved.

Clarence Jordan sought to make this radical Jesus relevant to our time in practical ways. The Gospel message was for now, not somewhere off in eternity. To do this Jordan, his wife and another couple moved to rural Georgia in 1942. The goal was to create a community where people of different skin colors could live together as brothers and sisters in Christ. They held interracial Bible Studies—an act which led to their excommunication from the local Southern Baptist congregation they attended.

Efforts to help their neighbors in practical ways resulted in the formation of an interracial faith community, Koinonia Farms.  Because of their views on civil rights, local businesses boycotted Koinonia;  the KKK and others committed numerous acts of vandalism including shootings and bombings.  The violence aimed at Koinonia is reflected in the musical with lines from Matthew:

“Herod had Mabry see to it that on Sunday morning a bomb got tossed into the

nursery of the church where Jesus was supposed to be. Fortunately, Joe had taken

Jesus to Mexico so the plan failed to kill him, But, the explosion did murder fourteen

innocent infants and toddlers. It was a horrible sight that morning.”

Any American who read this thought not just of Jesus, but the four Black girls killed on their way to Sunday School in Birmingham.

In the face of  violence, some Koinonia families moved, but Jordan and others stayed. Through it all they maintained a commitment to nonviolence along with a sense of humor.  When they could not sell their pecans and other products locally because of the boycott, Koinonia began a mail-order business with the slogan, “Help us ship the nuts out of Georgia.”

Like many organizations Koinonia had its ups and downs. Clarence Jordan died in 1969 at the age of 57 but Koinonia and the Cotton Patch Version continue to inspire people to faith and action.

Shortly before Jordan’s death a young businessman, Millard Fuller came to Koinonia looking for a sense of purpose in  life. From that meeting an idea of how to provide housing grew. Eventually Fuller created Habitat for Humanity, an organization which has built thousands of houses around the world. Later, other families formed Jubilee Partners a group which provides numerous services to immigrants and others on the margins of society.

This musical, the Cotton Patch Gospel is one attempt to keep the memory of Jordan, his wife Florence and others from Koinonia alive. It is a legacy worth remembering as we recall the cloud of witnesses who have gone on before.

Marcus Miller

Jacob Hochstetler and Gun Control

Jacob Hochstetler and Guns.

Another week, another school shooting. Last week it was at a community college in Oregon, today at colleges in Arizona and Texas. What followed is predictable. The President condemns the shootings and calls for action on gun control. Candidates hoping to replace the President respond arguing gun ownership is protected by the Second Amendment rights, that “gun’s don’t kill people, people kill people,” and if guns were banned only criminals would have guns. Gun free zones are said to make everyone unsafe while at least two candidates suggest  it might be time to arm teachers.

Comments on Twitter condemned the shootings and the NRA, while others, decried any gun control, lest an oppressive government somehow impose their will on its citizens. My “friends” on Facebook shared similar sentiments. Those who posted  about the shootings were equally split.  Appalled at the violence some posted stats showing the danger of guns. Those who like their guns posted images of their favorite guns, voiced their support for guns, and argued what we really need is a “change of heart,” or to “get back to God.” A week later the pro-gun memes continue though concerns about mental illness crept into the picture.  Statistical data is used to back arguments, but for the most part it seems, facts don’t matter.

What I find interesting in the midst of this are the stories people tell. Many of my high school students are descendants of Jacob Hochstetler, an Amish immigrant who settled in Berks County, PA in the 1730’s. Many of these same students like guns. I’m also a descendant and grew up hearing the story of Hochstetler's deadly encounter with a group of Indians. In 1757, during the French and Indian War, the family was attacked by several Indians. The story goes that the family took shelter in their home. The sons reached for their guns sure they could drive off the Indians but their father forced them to put the guns down because of his religious beliefs. Eventually, Hochstetler’s wife, daughter and one son were killed, while Jacob and two sons were taken hostage.

Today there is a genealogy/historical site on the internet devoted to tracking Hochstetler and his descendants. A couple of novels based on the incident were published in the last year, and I can always count on hearing the story again in my American History class.  In the stories I heard as a child, Hochstetler’s actions were characterized as driven by faith and his desire to follow the teachings of Jesus, even the hard ones about turning your cheek and not killing.

What if instead, Hochstetler had grabbed his gun, allowed his sons to fire theirs and driven off, or even killed the Indians? Would his multitude of descendants remember his story or anything about him? Would his resistance be remembered as faithful or would it be seen in a much different light. I am curious what meaning people, especially his descendants take from Hochstetler’s story. Was he faithful? Foolish? Naive? Why does his story continue to be told? What kind of example does he provide? In the midst of our violent society, could we, like Hochstetler, put down our guns?

mlmiller 10/9/2015

Campaign 2016

Finally made it to my first campaign event for the coming Presidential elections. I missed Rick Santorum's visit to Wellman as we were traveling, and because I had a decent paying job this summer I chose not to try and see Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton in Washington and Iowa City.

The last few days I've been spending a fair amount of time at the University of Iowa hospital where my wife is recovering from surgery. The surgery went well but the auto-immune disorders have complicated the recovery. A former student texted saying that Bernie Sanders was going to be stopping in Iowa City, about the time I generally leave the hospital. So I found a closer place to park, but still walked about 8 blocks to get there. 

Amazingly enough, Sanders was on time and after a brief introduction by some local officials, Sanders spoke. It is easy to describe him as an economic populist. He hammered the issue of income inequality, stagnating wages, greedy corporations who move jobs overseas, campaign financing, college debt, and gender income disparity. Eventually he mentioned both climate change and racial issues, but it wasn't long before he tied both back to economics. The name of the little shopping center added an interesting touch.

The crowd responded well to what I imagine has become his standard stump speech. I would guess there were at least 250 people there to hear him. It was an interesting mix of young people, many of them volunteers, and older people, many with beards, longer hair, otherwise known as the granola crowd. Sanders did not take any questions and after shaking a few hands and signing some autographs he was hustled into the SUV. He spoke with passion and vigor, yet reminded me of a grandpa who has gotten worked up and a bit pissed off. I'm guessing his staff keeps a close eye on his schedule and diet to keep him rested and ready. 

One of the reasons I haven't gone to many of these is the candidates seem to have learned how to control their audiences a bit during the last eight years. For example, to see Jeb Bush in Washington you were supposed to register for a "free ticket" a few days ahead of his visit.  I don't know if they took the time to screen people who applied for tickets or not but if you have the information you might as well. It does guarantee you will get lots of mail, email, and worse, phone calls because the registration required all that information. If the candidate is going to take questions it would allow the staff to screen people so that some Iowan doesn't ask an "inappropriate" question. Tim Pawlenty probably wishes I hadn't showed up eight years ago, but that is what the Iowa caucus is supposed to be about. Helping candidates refine their message, seeing through the BS, in general weeding out weak candidates. Sanders crowd was big enough he could easily get away without taking questions, but for some of the others, especially those drawing small crowds, it is one chance they have.

The Cspan bus was there handing out some goodies and promoting their programming. This picture is at the back of the crowd where some of the volunteers were nabbing people on their way out for contact information.

This picture is from the top of the parking ramp looking at the U of Iowa Hospitals, where the wife is recovering. She was sleeping so it was time to head home.

CIA Torture Box

When the Senate released the results of its investigation in the techniques used by the CIA on detainees, many of my students had a hard time visualizing the size of the box. They could understand the reference to the  "casket sized box" at least one detainee was kept in for over eleven days but the measurements, especially when reported in centimeters didn't register. I drew (as best I could) a picture on the board but that only helped a bit. Some students, especially the smaller ones made comments like, "that wouldn't be so bad." So over Christmas break I scrounged enough scrap wood from my shed to build one. The dimensions in the report were listed at 21" x 30" x 30." None of the reports specified if these were the inside or outside dimensions so I made them the inside dimensions. 

 

When I was putting it together it actually seemed a bit bigger than what I thought it might be. Still I can't imagine spending more than a minute or two in the box let alone the 29 hours Abu Zubaida spent in the box. This was after spending over 11 days in the casket sized box. If you want more details you can read them at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/12/09/the-10-most-harrowing-excerpts-from-the-cia-interrogation-report/

Hopefully this helps students and maybe others visualize the harshness of the techniques used by people representing the U.S. government. A nation which claims to be the moral beacon of the world should be down on its knees begging forgiveness.

Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past by Sam Wineburg

Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past by Sam Wineburg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I got a hold of this book primarily because of the title. It reminded me of a comment I read along the lines that any adult who willingly closes the door behind him as he enters a roomful of 16 year olds to teach them history has got to be nuts. I’ve been willingly closing the door for the last twenty years.
Read the first chapter, then skip to the last two chapters. If I had done this I would give the book four stars. Instead I read the whole thing. The chapters in between quickly reminded me why I avoided as many education courses as possible.
Wineburg asks important questions about the understanding of history, the teaching of history, and collective memory. Fourteen years after the publication of Wineburg’s book, the teaching of history remains controversial at best, deadly boring at its worst. So my advice, make it enjoyable, develop a thick skin, don’t worry too much about making people (students/parents) mad, (it is amazing the research students will do when they want to prove you wrong,) and hope you have a supportive principal.


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Sleeping Preacher by Julia Kasdorf

Sleeping Preacher by Julia Kasdorf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thought provoking poems which sparked memories of my own experience.
Having the only television in the extended family, considering what to wear when going to church with Beachy Amish relatives, (short sleeves are worldly and immodest even on a male, let alone one trying to grow sideburns.) Feeling part of, yet different, the transition from rural to urban, even the regular Sunday night menu. Maybe I like them because they reflect some of my own families experience. I imagine most folks from small rural towns who have ventured to larger places will find themes which resonate.


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The Body and the Book: Writing from a Mennonite Life: Essays and Poems by Julia Spicher Kasdorf

The Body and the Book: Writing from a Mennonite Life: Essays and Poems by Julia Spicher Kasdorf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reading this was a bit like I imagine a historical therapy session might be. Kasdorf’s essays reflect on the back stories of her poems, the creative process, her relationship to her family and community of origin, and that sometimes strange group of people called Mennonites. Kasdorf’s writings prompted lots of memories, thoughts, and reflections, responses I hope she would appreciate from her readers.
For someone like me, a Mennonite whose family moved every 4-5 years in and out Mennonite communities in Iowa,  it was easy to identify with being part of, yet different, of easily fitting in because of my name and lineage, yet always feeling I wasn’t quite normal. Being the only family in the “freindschaft” who had a television made us popular whenever the Hawkeyes games were aired, but not so much at other times. Living in Philadelphia and being part of the Germantown Mennonite group referred to briefly by Kasdorf, was life changing, yet now back in the Kalona area it is not something easily talked about. Kasdorf gives voice to these thoughts and feelings but like most writers I appreciate, she asks more questions than she answers.


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Book reviews

Life After Murder: Five Men in Search of Redemption by Nancy Mullane

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Mullane explores the California prison system by looking at the lives of five men, all convicted of murder. During the course of the time Mullane begins her project, the five men are paroled or released through actions of the judicial system. The book is one part, what happens to the men in prison, the second is, what happens once the men are released. Through these stories, Mullane also takes aim at California laws, which in an effort to get tough on crime basically added the words "to life" after every sentence when found guilty of a serious crime. A conviction for 2nd degree murder went from something like "15-30 years", to "15- to life." This change had implications for the parole board and political implications for the governors, none of whom wanted to release someone who would kill again.

This criticism of the judicial and penal system is the most important part of the book though at times it is downplayed. The other important criticism is Mullane's observation that the State of California pays approximately $50,000 per year to keep someone in prison. At the same time the State offers little to no monies to aid those who just were released from prison, in many cases dooming the freed man to almost certain failure.
Through these stories Mullane reminds us that American prisons have for the most part become places for punishment and retribution. They are places where rehabilitation takes place only through the efforts of the men in prison, and the dedicated volunteers who enter the prison on a regular basis.

I've been writing these reviews, figured I may as well link them to here.




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Haven't written for basically two years. Among the reasons, I was an Elder in my church when the co-pastor and his wife were killed in a traffic accident. With everything going on there wasn't much time to write, plus my mind was on other things, for example, last summer my son got married.

I am now serving on the Scofield Wellman Public Library board. Its been interesting though I have to admit I haven't done much besides go to the meetings. At the beginning of the summer we met with a consultant provided by the State of Iowa to do some long range planning. Part of the process was to identify a variety of community members who could provide feedback about services and programs they would like the library to provide. We were to come up with a mix of long term residents, people who have just moved to Wellman, old, young, men, women, professional, students, home-school families, some minority's (yes there are a few people of color in Wellman) business people and representatives from the churches and other agencies in town. The consultant met with these people in two meetings. They agreed on three broad ideas for what we should focus on for the next few years to keep the library relevant and useful to Wellman.

What I found intriguing was my experiences of seeing this process work in churches. The process was very similar with one huge exception. The church process focused on members and those who attended the church and what their ideas were. I dont' know for sure but I would guess some of the folks involved in the library process have never been in the Wellman Library. I wondered what would happen if Kalona Mennonite or any other church would identify a representative group of community members who aren't part of the church to ask them what role they would like the church to play in the community. Would they focus on new carpet, paint and different musical instruments? Would they suggest a bunch of new programs? Or would they see the church as largely irrelevant to the community and beyond hope? Maybe someday I can convince a church to try the process and see what happens. Just a thought.

Campaign sign update

I got on the bike and rode around town counting signs since it was a pleasant afternoon, I needed the exercise and the weather was cooperative. If anyone cares, riding most of the streets of Wellman is about 8 miles, according to the little odometer I put on the bike.

The totals three days before the election were President Obama 19 and Mitt Romney 11. The surprising thing was the guys who had left their Ron Paul signs on display finally took them down. Neither replaced them with a sign for another candidate. When I started, Romney signs predominated and jumped to an early 10 to 4 lead. It seems a bit ironic to see Romney signs in front of a trailer house or the little shotgun house which could use a coat of paint. I'm sure Romney would feel right at home in either of them.

When I made it to the north side of town, I began to see more Obama signs with several scattered on 8th and 9th avenues and a couple on Highway 22. There weren't as many signs in the "nicer" parts of town - Circle Drive(1) and the new area behind the nursing home (0). Finishing my ride I went through the trailer park near our house where there were three Obama signs.

It will be interesting to see if the signs reflect the actual vote. Washington County as a whole usually votes Republican so the goal of the local Democrats is to try and get as close as possible. Four years ago McCain won the county by 77 votes which was a "win" for Democrats since registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by quite a bit more than 77 voters. The local election results will be close again this year.

campaign signs

I took a bicycle tour of Wellman this afternoon after realizing I had seen two Ron Paul yard signs and no Mitt Romney signs on display in town. To confirm my observation and to get some exercise, I pulled on some warm cloths and jumped on the bike. The two Ron Paul signs were on a busy street and I see them nearly every day. When I made my way to the Daytonville neighborhood I found a Romney sign in the entrance to a lane. The second Romney sign was in the "little Italy" neighborhood behind the feed mill. Again it was in an area which doesn't get much traffic. I thought there was another Ron Paul sign still being displayed but I couldn't find it. Paul won the Wellman caucus and some of his supporters are irritated at how the Republican party treated him. From what I hear some of these folks plan to either sit out the election or to vote for Gary Johnson the Libertarian candidate.

As I made my way through the central part of Wellman I began to find the Obama signs. One was along the highway which runs through Wellman, two were on main streets and two were a little more out of the way.

All the signs were outnumbered by the "Home for sale" signs. There were at least 12 of these signs which I suppose means the economy is still slow since a couple of them have been on the market for several months.

The lack of signs may mean that folks aren't that interested in the election, at least not yet. Or perhaps it means folks have already made up their minds. One difference, at least for Democrats is that this year the campaign headquarters are asking for donations before handing over a sign. Four years ago, especially before the caucus, candidates were happy to hand over the signs so I ended up with several.

I was asked to share in chapel the other day on the topic, "How the Bible speaks to me?" They gave me approximately 5 minutes

I grew up hearing the stories of the Bible. David and Goliath, Samson, the Exodus, and my favorite as a kid, Daniel in the Lions Den along with Meschak, Shadrack and Abendigo. They were certainly more entertaining than the Dick and Jane books which were available to read.

One of the problems of growing up in a Christian home is that after awhile the stories become so familiar that it is easy to skip over them, read the first verse and then tune out, “because I’ve already read that story.” It was difficult to find fresh meaning and so it was tempting to skip reading the stories or the Bible all together.

In high school or college I heard a quote attributed to the theologian Karl Barth who was supposed to have said “you should read with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.”
http://libweb.ptsem.edu/collections/barth/faq/quotes.aspx?menu=296&subText=468

In a similar way Billy Graham, said July 2, 1962
“World events are moving very rapidly now. I pick up the Bible in one hand, and I pick up the newspaper in the other. And I read almost the same words in the newspaper as I read in the Bible." ― Billy Graham
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/40328.Billy_Graham

For many years it has been easier for me to read the newspaper than it was the Bible. Somewhere along the way I have found that reading the news, understanding our culture and society can give new meaning to many of the stories in the Bible. Life experience also shapes this as now when I hear or read some stories I can't read them without thinking of person who explained something, a situation I was in and so forth.

An example of this is a story found in Mark 5, Luke 8:26 and in Matthew 8:26 though the Matthew version of the story has some significant differences.

This is the story where Jesus crosses the Galilee to the country of the Gerasenes. Here Jesus is confronted by a man who wore no clothes and lived in the tombs. He could break his chains when shackled, and when freed he spent his time running, howling and bruising himself. When Jesus confronts him, the demons speak and ask to be sent into a group of nearby pigs. Jesus grants the request and the pigs, filled with the demons rush over a cliff and into the sea where they drown.

Everytime I hear or read this story I picture an Egyptian Christian, Farid Wissa who preached a sermon based on this story when we were at Germantown Mennonite. Farid was a bit odd and I can still see him rocking back and forth, with part of his shirt tail sticking out through his zipper. In spite of this, Farid pointed out that the owners of the pigs, and likely the man filled with demons were not Jewish. I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought of that before but I hadn’t. So in addition to a story about pigs, demons and the power of Jesus, it became a story which shared God’s love for all peoples, not just the Jewish residents of Palestine.

More recently I happened to read Shane Claiborne’s book, “Jesus for President.” who pointed out some details of the story which, for me gives it more meaning. To summarize, the area Jesus traveled to was the location of ten cities called the Decapolis. The cities had been built on land conquered and occupied by the Roman military. Many of the residents of the Decapolis were current or former members of the Roman Legion. Can we assume that the man described as filled with Demons might have been a former Roman soldier? What does it mean when the demon says to Jesus, “my name is Legion?”

About the same time I read this, I ran across an article in Rolling Stone magazine which explored the lives of four young Americans who had returned to the Denver area after serving in the US army and marines in Iraq. The four suffered from PTSD’s and as a result they began to engage in behaviors which were destructive to themselves and to others. If I remember correctly one of the men profiled by Rolling Stone died in an accident and two were convicted of murder after going on a drug and alcohol induced rampage in their neighborhood. William Tecumsah Sherman, the Civil War general said, “War is hell.” Were these men filled with the demons of war? Could the Geresene man filled with demons have been a Roman soldier suffering from PTSD’s? The Roman wars of conquest could be brutal and often involved bloody hand to hand combat. Those of you who have Gladiator will have seen this. So, at least for me, the story from scripture and the story from Rolling Stone combined to give me more meaning to the Biblical story but also to events surrounding me today.

In the story, Jesus heals the man who then begins telling his friends about Jesus.
If we, the church, are to be the representatives of Jesus here on earth, are we offering healing to those who suffer from PTSD’s. Are we offering healing and hope to returning soldiers suffering from the traumas of war? Where do I fit in the story? Am I one of the townspeople who is scared by what the pigs did and so I ask Jesus to leave? or am I one of those who perhaps asks Jesus to stay? How do I respond today?

I’m sure there are other ways this story can be interpreted and there are other questions which can be asked. But in doing as Bart and Graham suggest, reading the Bible along with the news, helps me to understand and interpret current events, at the same time, it keeps the Scriptures, written 2000 years ago, relevant and worth reading.
ASking where I fit in the story makes it personally relevant, and this is how the Bible, along with the news speaks to me.

An Iowa Cornfield

Since I call this "from the middle of a corn field" it seemed appropriate to include a picture of a cornfield. The corn is a bit behind schedule this year primarily because of a wet April which slowed planting. The month of June has been dry in our area which has also limited the growth of the corn.

catching up

It has been awhile. Since I last wrote, Romney and Obama have captured their party's nominations to run for president, school has ended, the soccer season came and went and summer is under way.

The main excuse is that I got busy. About the time of my last post, way back in January, I had surgery on my Achilles tendon and heel. There was a trip to the Mennonite Educators conference in suburban DC, where I hobbled around on crutches. That same weekend the co-pastor at my church and his wife were killed in a car wreck leaving behind four children between the ages of 13 and 20 or so. I'm on one of the leadership teams at church(they call it an Elder) so we had to scramble to figure out what to do next. We discovered there really isn't a good map for how to deal with such a tragedy so we have been muddling our way through with the help of our conference leadership and the advice of others. Since they worked with the youth we had to scramble to find people to fill their spots and to piece things together. On top of this we tried to make sure their family members, including the extended family, were being cared for.
Fortunately people have been cooperative and supportive. We now have some interim people in place which will allow us to take our time in figuring out what to do next.

Soccer season came and went. We finished 15-5 so overall it was a good season. The end was disappointing as we lost in the second round of state playoffs in overtime. A week after the season ended I was able to travel to Costa Rica with the Spanish class. I learned some Spanish and it was interesting to see the changes which had taken place in the last twelve years.

This week I am taking a class at Mid-Prairie titled "Learning for the 21st Century" It has been helpful for the most part. The first two days we were led by Brian Mull. He introduced us to ways to use Twitter, Diigo, Google Docs and its various apps, Jinga, Screenr, EasyPoll and a couple other tools I may have missed. Today, Angela Maier, led us in a session titled "Passion Driven Learning." She was quite passionate but half a day might have been enough. Instead we were blessed with her passion for the whole day. Tomorrow we have someone else leading our activities.

Iowa Republican Caucus

The Iowa Republicans finally certified the results of the Iowa caucus this week. Rick Santorum won the state by 30 plus votes overturning the previous totals which showed Romney winning by 8 votes. The results in Wellman were, Ron Paul 46, Santorum 33, Gingrich 28, Perry 14, Romney 12, and Bachmann 11. Kalona finished in much the same order with Paul at 36, Santorum 20, Gingrich 19, Bachman 11 and Romney 11. Washington County was one of the few counties in the state won by Paul, partly because he had the best organization in the county.

As best as I can tell from talking with some folks who went to the caucus, local Mennonites split their votes between Ron Paul, Santorum, and Perry. The ones who voted for Paul tended to be younger and were attracted by his foreign policy positions. The Menno's who focused on abortion, gay marriage and homeschooling split their votes between Santorum and Perry with perhaps a couple throwing a vote towards Bachmann.

The confusion around the results raises a couple of questions. One is the status of the Iowa caucus as the first in the nation. The second is about the qualifications of the Republican party to run anything. The criticisms of Obama for his community organizing seem a bit laughable when they couldn't pull off an accurate vote total. The Democratic party may not always be the most organized group either but four years ago, the major candidates - Obaman, Clinton, and Edwards all had strong organizations. This included recruiting volunteers and people to serve as precinct captains and to serve as the precinct chair. At least a couple of training sessions for these were held to either make sure that you knew what you were doing, or that you could make sure the precinct chair knew what he or she was doing. I was given a copy of the rules long before the actual caucus night and at one of the training sessions we reviewed a variety of scenarios and the way they should be handled.

In any case, the process continues though the attention has shifted from Iowa and it feels a bit like your girlfriend dumping you. For six months we were bombarded with commercials, phone calls, emails or text messages. Candidates came and groveled in front of us at diners, library meeting rooms or coffee shops, these guys would never step into in their normal lives. Then one day, no more commercials, no phone calls, and a lot fewer emails. If you call the numbers they gave out for more information you hear, "this number is no longer in service." Somehow we will survive. For those who like the attention, they can look forward to September and October when we figure the candidates will be back. Iowa is a swing state so the candidates will be back. President Obama is getting a head start, flying into Cedar Rapids next week. In the meantime we will look forward to spring and warmer weather.

"unconformity" Non-conformity

Recent chapels have reflected on the theme “unconformed.” Students were introduced to the concept of non-conformity and the idea of living a transformed life as described in Romans 12:1-2. Students were asked to think about the values of today’s society and to compare them to the fruits of the spirit described in Galations. Kindness, gentleness, self-control, humility and peacemaking are not often the characteristics celebrated by our contemporary culture.

The theme of “unconformed” fit well with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. On Monday students watched Invictus, which tells the story of Nelson Mandella’s use of rugby to reach across racial lines and bring some healing to the nation of South Africa. Though he had been imprisoned for years by the apartheid government, Mandella did not seek revenge when he was elected President. Rather he sought to find ways to bring his country together.

Susan See, shared in chapel about Martin Luther King Jr. and focused on the role children played in overturning the racist structures of Birmingham, Alabama. Susan talked about the preparation and work which went into maintaining the nonviolent calls for change. The nonviolent witness was maintained in spite of mass arrests, beatings, and persecution. King called for the United States to live up to the best of its ideals arguing that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

King’s words have the ability to provoke us today. His observation that “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom,” is certainly relevant to our discussions about the country’s future. When we reflect on our recent past we would do well to remember “that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” As an educator I am challenged by his thought that “Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” If that was true in the early 1960’s it is certainly more true now.
It is our hope that students will leave IMS knowing how to think. In refusing to accept “easy answers and half-baked solutions,” we also hope students will show evidence of the fruits of the spirit, sharing their transformed lives as they go into the world. As translated in The Message Romans says, “Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.” King adds to the challenge of personal change by asking us to work to better our society. In doing so may we all by “unconformed” to this world.

survey of political signs

Based on my survey of yard signs in Wellman today, "For Sale" leads Ron Paul by a small margin. There were seven, maybe eight, Ron Paul yard signs. No other candidate had signs on display. The Rick Perry one I got Thursday will remain in the trunk of my car until Wednesday when I add it to my classroom collection.

Does this mean anything? Well, there are a fair number of houses for sale in town, for one. Beyond that it is a matter of speculation but since all the media types can speculate, I suppose I can as well.

For one, the lack of signs on display reflects a lack of interest, or at least passion for a particular candidate. In a primary this may not matter but in a caucus, it can make a big difference. Based on past experience, quite a few people who go to the caucus haven't made up their minds as to which candidate they will support. They may lean towards one or another, but they can easily be steered to another candidate by a neighbor, friend, or even an acquaintance who acts like he knows what he is talking about. This means a neighbor, especially a respected one, can if he or she chooses, persuade folks to vote for their candidate. Sticking a sign in your yard requires minimal commitment but it does require that you be willing to explain to folks who ask, why you are supporting that candidate.

The lack of signs also reflects to a certain degree the lack of organization displayed by most of the Republican candidates. Paul is supposed to have one of the best organizations this year and it shows. It may not seem like much, but once the signs are made, someone has to get them delivered to town and to the people who are willing to display them. It also requires getting people to show up at your campaign appearances where more signs can be distributed. If you are well organized someone will follow up with a phone call to make sure the sign is actually being displayed. I know a fair number of people who like to collect all the political stuff, meaning they are happy to take a sign, but there ain't no way they are going to put it in their yard.

With the caucus scheduled for Jan. 3, my guess, unscientific though it may be, is that Ron Paul will win the Wellman precinct. Wellman isn't all that big but the votes make a difference. Four years ago, on the Democratic side the top three finishers were Obama, Edwards and Clinton. Edwards came in second statewide, two delegates ahead of Clinton. That was the margin by which Edwards beat Clinton in Wellman.

Rick Perry

Rick Perry visited Washington this morning so I drove to Kalona, picked up my niece visiting from Pennsylvania, and headed down to the Corner Coffee shop. We got there 30-40 minutes before his scheduled arrival and made our way in to the shop. I am fairly certain they had originally scheduled him to be in the new library but we met in the coffee shop. The library bans concealed weapons and maybe he didn't want to go without his for a few minutes, plus the crowd seemed bigger crammed into a much smaller space.

A bunch of old guys had staked out the prime seats and a young kid was wearing his army uniform so you knew he was going to get some attention. Just a few minutes before 10, Perry entered the room. Leading the processional were a couple of local ministers and some of Perry's security team. It was hard to tell the difference since they were all wearing sport coats, had short hair, and the earnest, yet serious look, preachers and security guys often have.

The minister of the Marion Ave Baptist church, Rev. Joe Brown, introduced Perry as a man of God, a true conservative, and a man who would restore traditional American values. Shouts of "Amen" rang across the room and for a minute I thought I was going to hear a sermon.

Perry started off his remarks by taking some shots at Romney, though he didn't mention his name. Then he wailed on Rick Santorum for a few minutes, decrying his use of earmarks when he was in the Senate. When I got home I saw Santorum has moved to third in some polls, likely at the expense of Perry, Bachmann, and maybe Newt Gingrich. He skipped over Ron Paul and then took some shots at Obama and Congress. He repeated his proposal for a part-time Congress, criticized "Washington insiders" and wasteful spending. He threw in a story about his father and small town values, thanked the soldiers for their service, and then said the soldiers coming home from Iraq should have a parade to honor their service. "I want to give them a parade." My guess is most of them just want to go home.

Perry took questions for about 10-12 minutes. They were fairly typical, easy questions which allowed him to rail on Congress, Obamacare, the EPA, government regulations, promise to always support Israel, build military spending, criticize ethanol subsidies, and take some shots at public education. "The ultimate show of love and faith is for a parent to home school their child." During his answers he threw in references to Isaiah, scriptures, and faith several times. I raised my hand, he said "one more question," and he picked someone from the other side of the room.

My impressions: Why does the guy need 3-5 security guys in small town Iowa? One stood directly in front of me, blocking my view and the little kids in front of me. It seemed a bit much, making me wonder, what is he afraid of and why is he so scared?

He didn't offer one single specific proposal to deal with the problems the country is facing. He did say he want's to make Congress part-time, and that he wants a balanced budget amendment but didn't say how he would cut the deficit. He said he wants to get rid of "Obamacare" but didn't say how he would deal with the 46 million uninsured people and the rest of us facing rising healthcare costs. He offered simplistic, soundbite solutions to massive problems. The sad thing was, people there seemed to swallow all of it hook, line and sinker.

Perry seemed personable and friendly, though my niece and I could never quite make it by his security team or phalanx of pastors. I think the US would be much better off if he stayed in Texas and gave up his run for the Presidency. Right now I would guess he will finish 4th or 5th in the caucus, after Romney, Paul and Santorum. He may beat Newt for 4th, and he should finish ahead of Bachmann who is tanking rather badly.

On the way out, one of the staffers handed me a yard sign and asked if I wanted to be a precinct captain. I said no and he asked if I would be a precinct partner. I said no, but asked if I could have the sign for my classroom. He let go, so I took it. I did think that they are rather late at looking for precinct captains. When I agreed to do it for Edwards four years ago, I was going to training sessions already in October. Then the Obama staffer was after me to join with them into November, promising me I could help, as they already had captains for Wellman. Again, I find it amazing that some of these guys are so unorganized when it comes to running a campaign in Iowa.

Home Town, Tracy Kidder

I was asked to read Home Town and after the first couple of pages I realized I had read it before. It was good enough I decided to finish reading it the second time.
Kidder takes us to Northampton, MA, the kind of town that exerts a hold on long term residents as well as those who move there for some reason. There are probably quite a few such towns or cities which seem to pull people in and make it difficult for people to leave. Right now, I'm sitting in the my house, in a town where I never thought I would live after graduating from high school. After fifteen years on the east coast we moved back and now 21 years later here I am. And trust me, this little town has a fifth of the charm or culture of Northampton.
Kidder tells the story through several characters. Tommy, the hometown boy who grows up to be a cop and then decides to try and join the FBI. Judge Ryan, another hometown boy who becomes a DA, then a quirky judge. A successful businessman who struggles with mental illness, a non traditional college student, and an immigrant who makes a living dabbling in drugs and petty crimes. As he tells the story of Northampton through these people, Kidder weaves in the some of cities illustrious history. This includes references to Jonathon Edwards, Sojourner Truth, and Henry James. He also recounts the lynchings of two young Irish immigrants in 1805. Here he shows that the good old days weren't always so good. Bigotry, hatred, and prejudice have a long and cherished tradition in American history, and Kidder doesn't shy away from telling the story.
I enjoyed reading about Northampton and the cast of characters Kidder presents. They are the kinds of folks who populate many small cities and towns. Some will stay to carry on the traditions. Many will leave for the big city. Some of these will never look back, others will hope to return, but if and when they do, they will find their hometown has changed. If the town is to survive, new folks will arrive and they will bring new ideas and ways of doing things. A healthy city will incorporate the best of the new, creating a new place a new generation will refer to as their "hometown."