Faust . . . Whew!

I had always wanted to read von Goethe's classic Faust. It gets referenced alot in historical and biographical works. It seems to be a foundational work in Western thought. I knew that it had some kind of allegorical connection to the Book of Job. And I knew that, one day, I would read it.

So, about a year ago, I picked it up, and began to read. It took me about a year to get through it. It was easy to put down and forget about for periods of time. I was cognizant of reading entire passages, and groups of pages, without really getting what was going on.

I was surprised to find that it is written as a play, and also in a poetic form. There is a rhyme in every single line. I marveled at the translator, who, by recreating it in English from the original German, did so while setting forth the rhymes as in German. This struck me as perhaps more brilliant than von Goethe's putting it to paper in the first place!

The work was begun circa 1810, in Germany, and completed in 1832. This is a period of time in German history, when my forbears, the Gottlied Durr family, were contemplating a move to the United States. I did wonder about this factor as I read. What was it in German life, that brought about such a great piece of literature, at the same time that many Germans were leaving their homeland for a better life across the Atlantic?

The piece does seem to be infused with a lot of cynicism. The primary theme has to do with the relationship of Mephistopheles (Satan) and the protagonist, Faust. Faust is like so many of us - wanting more out of this life: love, wealth, fame, power. He promises his allegiance to Satan, if he could produce a romantic liaison with the object of Faust's affections, the virtuous Gretchen. The meeting comes about, ultimately resulting in the deflowering of Gretchen. From there Faust's life begins to degrade morally, in parallel with his stunning ascension to power and wealth.

But even here, I am not sure if I am getting all of this right! The middle part of the book detours into all these dialogues between mythological characters, peppered with biblical and historical references. There is a storyline developing in the Heavenly places, that parallels Faust's own life. A classic "good versus evil" theme permeates, but there is ample gray area here. The life promoted by Mephistopheles is none other than a conventional ladder of success most coveted in modern Western culture. Work hard, meet the right people, hang out with the best looking women and most powerful men, worry not about moral ambiguity; go for the gusto and live the good life.

Mephistopheles makes a strong, convincing case for living this life, while portraying the virtuous life as boring, vain, of no point. Indeed, the most interesting and engaging character in Faust is the Devil himself! And as such, the story prefigures the modern era's Western collapse, resulting from a decaying moral code.

But . . . I may be totally wrong here. I did manage to jot down some very powerful points made. Here is a sample of some of my favorites:

It's true, at last we all depend
On creatures we ourselves created.

And, this from one of the "Four Grey Women", the one named "Worry":

Whom I once possess will ever
Find the world not worth endeavor;
Endless gloom around him being,
Rise nor set of sun he's seeing.
Be each outer sense excelling,
Still is darkness in him dwelling;
He cannot through any measures
Make him lord of any treasures.
All luck turns into caprices;
Him midst plenty hunger seizes.
Be it joy or be it sorrow,
He postpones it till the morrow,
Waiting for the future ever
And therefore achieving never.

It is full of excellent prose and wisdom like this, but you have to be very diligent to catch it when your eyes pass over it.

I had thought the book a tragedy, and this is how I expected it to end. Yet, we find the "immortal part" of Faust being taken up to Heaven, while his mortal part is being dealt with by the demons in the underworld. This of course does not square with orthodoxy. His soul, too, is unconscious upon leaving his body. As it is being heralded upward, it does not awake. In many ways it seems a highly impersonal entity. It is just some living part that is aware of nothing. We have the sense that, once dead, Faust is indeed, gone. He is dead, and thus is no more. His immortal part is with us, yet inanimate. And is this not what our senses tell us anyway?

So, I'm not sure what the whole point was. The man spent his life in league with the devil, and ends up "saved" anyway.

It sounds like another reading is in order, and participation in a Faust disussion group! But if you want to fill your repertoire with the greatest works in history, definitely read Faust!

A Tale of Two Democrats

An interesting sight has developed in the Western Washtenaw County area. You can see the yards of prominent democrats, displaying the expected Obama, Schauer and Byrnes signs. But with them, you almost always can spot a sign for Mark Ouimet, Republican candidate for County Commissioner.

Now - my friend Mark Ouimet has done an outstanding job representing the entire distict. He is proud to represent everybody, Democrats as well as Republicans. And he does it well. He reaches across the aisle. He believes in the core Republican tenets, yet manages to address the basic concerns of Democrats and Independents.

I daresay, however, that a hidden, unwritten code of Republican behavior, is that we do value bipartisanship as a matter of principle. The word "republican," itself, means to be a spokesperson for your constituents, to effectively address the concerns of a district, state, or nation, as a whole, without regard to party.

"Democrat" on the other hand, is a word founded upon the principle of majority rule. If you are not in the majority, you may be out of luck!

My experiences, and observations, tell me that I am not out of line.

My local Democratic friends are wise to support our friend Mark Ouimet. He is progressive enough for them, and they know he is truly effective. Occasionally a local candidate will come along, that allows the more thoughtful Democrats to scratch their bi-partisan itch. This is Mark Ouimet; a very good choice for all the voters in our district.

But within the heart and soul of each of these Democratic voters, is a bitter partisan that, in the end, will always put party first, ahead of principle or what is best for their neighbors. Each Democrat, is really two Democrats.

Mark Ouimet reminds me of another Republican with a striking record of reaching across the aisle. That's right, Mark is like John McCain. And if he goes far enough (and he has the potential to do just that), his local Democratic friends, one day, will turn on him and treat him as they have the conscientious, country-first patriot, John McCain.

It is easy for Democrats to support a Republican, at the local level. But few of them will stand up to the party bosses and special interest groups, if someone like Mark, or John McCain, ever aspires to a high enough of a position. Party will trump principle at that point. And some good friends and neighbors of ours, will not be courageous enough, at that point, to do right.

I have voted for Democrats in the past: Max Cleland, Zell Miller, John Hansen.

I am glad that my Democratic friends are supporting my friend, Mark Ouimet.

I wonder if the support of our Democratic friends, is deep and pure enough, to extend to State, or Federal office, for Mark? I have my doubts.

Making the Rounds: Class of 1978

One of the highlights of the year for me, will certainly be my high school class's 30th reunion, which took place last weekend, in Dexter.

I only spent half of my public school years in Dexter. We moved here during the summer between 5th and 6th grade. I had spent kindergarten thru 5th grade, at Autumn Lane Elementary School, in Greece, New York (a suburb of Rochester). The family had moved to Rochester when I was about three years old. I loved, and still love, Rochester. It was "The Wonder Years" for me. Truly formative, magical, and highly influential to my early development, Rochester and Autumn Lane will always be, in many ways, my Home Town.

But the equally critical years, from 6th grade through high school graduation, took place in Dexter Community Schools, in Dexter, Michigan. At the time, it was still primarily a farming community. But here was where I became a full-fledged band student and devotee, thanks to Gerald Woolfolk, our band director and still one of the most important influences in my life.

Here, I lettered in Cross Country and track, learned to drive, went to dances and proms, made the typical teenage mistakes but experienced the inevitable soaring highs that happen in the teen years.

I cannot describe the feeling of connectedness I felt, when reuniting with my high school classmates. Over 100 members of our 160-plus graduating class showed up. Everybody looked like themselves, but older. We laughed as though we were still teenagers, recalled our crazy antics and discussed our careers and families.

Some have already had serious health scares like heart attacks and bouts with cancer. Our parents are aging and increasingly in need of care. Our children are in college. Some of us are grandparents. Six of our classmates have already left this world.

High School reunions are special events, where the old cliques are gone, and everybody is thrilled to see everybody. Our classmates have a unique bond - they have gone through, with us, what nobody else ever will. My high school classmates know me in some ways, better than anybody else ever will or could.

The summer before we entered high school, President Nixon resigned. But also that summer, Dexter celebrated its Sesquicentennial (150 years), and we all participated to some degree, in it. During our freshman year, Saigon fell. In our sophomore year, Jimmy Carter came from out of nowehere to win the Democratic nomination for the Presidency. The summer between our sophomore and junior years, the US celebrated its 200th anniversary. Bruce Jenner was a hero at the Summer Olympics.

During our junior year, we all became drivers. Jimmy Carter became President. We lost some friends from the Class of 1977: one to cancer, one to a tragic automobile accident. I and about six of my classmates attended Wolverine Boys State in the month following our Junior Year. Gerald Woolfolk took over the band program, and at our final band camp, in July of 1977, the legend that is now "The Pride of Dexter" began.

As Seniors, the world rejoiced at the Camp David Accords. We made our college applications and made plans to go to college, enter the military, or go to work. Our senior year was the best year in high school (for me, anyway). We parted in June of 1978, assuring each other that we would stay in touch.

For most of my classmates, the next time I would see any of them, was last weekend.

The DHS Class of 1978 has not had a good record when it comes to reunions. We only had a 10th, and then a 15th. I only made the 10th. But we made up for it, by holding our reunion during Homecoming weekend in Dexter, and by having such an outstanding turnout.

I never realized how much I love my Dexter classmates, until now. I am connected to them as I am to no one else.

To anyone reading this - if you have misgivings about attending a high school reunion, let me assure you that those feelings are natural. But please do not put off seeing your high school friends. You may be surprised at how happy you are to see them!

Three Scenarios, if Obama Wins

I will admit it. I have some serious thoughts of dread, in the event Senator Barack Obama becomes President of the United States. We simply do not know much about this guy. He is a great orator. He is youthful. He is attractive. And since JFK, our country cannot get enough of people like that. It's as though youth and charisma will always trump factors like experience and maturity. Presidents like Bill Clinton, and candidates like Barack Obama, let us scratch our Camelot itch. "Oh Johnny, we hardly knew ye!" Our great national tragedy is never far from our hearts. Let us elect another like him!

The problem is, Barack Obama is no John F. Kennedy. JFK had been tested, on PT 109. He had served both in the US House, and had been re-elected to the Senate. And get this, he was a conservative Democrat, the champion of tax cuts and a strong defense. He was a valiant and effective Cold Warrior.

Barack - we hardly know ye!

Barack Obama has never really earned much money, on his own. He lived in a house in Chicago, that he could not afford. He traveled the world for several years, using funds he did not have. He had wealthy sponsors along the way, from dubious backgrounds. He built coalitions of shadowy characters. He developed a political base in the most corrupt of political cultures: the Chicago democratic machine.

He has not put forward any ideas of his own. He rarely takes a stand in legislative battles. He has no record to examine. He stands on the shoulders of others that came before him. The few votes he has ever cast, as a legislator, show him to be the most extreme candidate, ever making it this close to the White House.

He has many friends and wealthy backers, with a loathing for many of our most cherished institutions, and he owes them much.

So I offer three scenarios that could happen under a President Obama. I am not saying they will happen; just that they are more likely to happen under President Obama, than under President McCain. But they are likely enough, that one should think seriously before pulling the lever for Obama-Biden:

1) Bush-Cheney, and others in their administration, tried for war crimes. This is not as crazy as it sounds. The congressional democrats hate, even loathe, George W. Bush. They do not share his passion to fight terrorism by creating free democracies in the Middle East and throughout the world. And they are still reeling from the Clinton impeachment. You might even see the terrible spectable of a former US President handed over to the World Court.

Now, I do not believe Barack Obama plans to do this. But I think his backers would love to see it, and I am not confident that he can stand up to them.

2) The fall of Lebanon. Lebanon, a beautiful Middle Eastern country which is nearly 50% Christian, would become a sitting duck during an Obama Presidency. Syria would have nothing to fear, and would certainly contemplate the re-deployment of its military to finally crush this critical buffer between Israel and its neighbors to the north. I do not believe President Obama would do anything to stop it. Hezbollah could cleanse Lebanon of its moderate Muslim and Christian elements, another domino would fall, and Israel would be completely surrounded and isolated, with not even the U.S. to count on.

And of course, Israel will not stand by while all this is going on . . .

3) Hoover's mistake, repeated. The Great Depression was lengthened through the tax-and-spend policies of Hoover-Roosevelt. Both presidents had a hand in making the Depression worse. High taxes, which took more money out of the pockets of Americans, combined with federal deficit spending, created a federal bureacracy doing an inefficient job of running the national economy. Of course, FDR knew how to smile, and sounded good on the radio. Senator Obama is, at least, good at smiling and talking. But we also know, with great certainty, that he will raise taxes as high as he can, and nationalize as much private industry, as he can get away with. And Pelosi-Reid will let him get away with plenty.

How I would love to address a historic wrong, by elevating a woman or minority to the Presidency.

But not this man; not Barack Obama. The risks of civil unrest in the US (through anti-Bush purges), cataclysmic war in the Middle East (while President Obama talks), and the advent of a 21st Century Great Depression (a repeat of failed Hoover-Roosevelt policies), even more severe than our parents' and grandparents' Depression; are too great.

I reiterate, that Senator Obama is a good man. Any that aspires to the Presidency, is to be respected and highly regarded. But I do not like his friends and advisors. I don't like the source of his wealth. And I do not think he is up to the challenges of our generation. We need more than platitudes.

How to Make John McCain and Sarah Palin Erratic

For two weeks leading up to the Vice Presidential debate, John McCain and Sarah Palin became increasingly on the defensive. Their democratic opponents had them on their knees, ready for a knockout punch.

Governor Palin's performance in the debate bought them some extra time.

But I wonder - how did this man, who had always been democrats' favorite Republican; and this woman, with an 80% approval rating in Alaska, become suddenly so ineffectual?

I believe the answer lies in the fact that they are exactly what they claim to be: mavericks that put country first.

Think about it. You are doing exactly the right thing, which is to eschew partisanship for the good of the whole. The Apostle Paul wrote about the evil of denominationalism. George Washington urged the country not to develop a party system. Modern organizational behavior experts (many of whom happen to be confirmed liberal democrats) understand that partisanship is no way to attain creativity and high-performance teamwork.

You have to put others first, to be a non-partisan. You have to treat others with dignity and respect.

And this is what John McCain has been doing for over twenty years in Washington: putting the people ahead of party. Sarah Palin has done the same in her short tenure in Juneau: she goes for what is right, even if it hurts other Republicans.

At this point, I hope the reader drops his or her ridiculous obsession with such labels as "conservative," "liberal," "pro-choice," "evangelical," etc.

You know in your heart, that partisanship is wrong. You have felt this way ever since you were a kid, and occasionally found yourself on the outside of some "cool" clique. You know that it is always better to treat others as equals. You also know how difficult it is to do that.

The McCain-Palin ticket has put a stake in the ground, with a passion for reaching across the aisle, in order to arrive at consensus (better) solutions to our problems. And they have proven that it is not hype, based on their past records.

But the political insiders, those with a stake in keeping partisanship alive, are fighting for dear life, to keep John McCain out of the White House. I believe that Bill and Hillary Clinton understand all this, which is why they have been lukewarm toward the Obama candidacy. And I believe it speaks volumes of the true nature of their character (that they are sincere non-partisans at heart), for them to absent themselves from this campaign.

If John McCain seems erratic, it is because he truly does place the process, and the people, ahead of narrow party ambitions. In the past, he could count on some Democrats to work with him, on any piece of legislation. With the exception of Senator Liebermann and a few high-profile Clinton supporters, they have let him down now.

We keep looking for him to put on a partisan cap (both sides do) when he has none. He is like the guy riding along a battle line, carrying a two-sided flag with the standards of each side visible to them. But then a change of the wind flips the flag, making the opposite side's standard visible, and they both begin firing on him.

How we love our parties. How we love to hate people in the other party. How hating makes us feel good.

We need to look at McCain-Palin with a clear vision and focus, dropping the partisan labels. We need smart collaboration in Washington, mutual respect for the other side, and an eagerness to understand the differences of others.

And with that understanding, decide whether or not it would be right to place someone in the White House, with decades of experience collaborating across party lines.

Or should we choose a virtual unknown, with no record of collaborating with Republicans, but plenty of connections to dubious anti-US activists?

Balancing the Books: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

I have known about Dee Brown's classic history of the Western Indian Wars, for some thirty-five years. I can remember it being discussed, when I was in Middle School, between the years 1971 and 1974. Adults would mention it. You heard them talk about it on the radio, and on TV. This was about the time that Marlon Brando refused his Oscar for The Godfather, in protest of the treatment of Native Americans by the government.

It was very much talked about at the time.

Finally, years later, I picked up the book and began reading it. Not only was it in my list of books on American History that I want to read, but recently, it fits into my passion for understanding the history of my own family. My great-great grandmother, Mattie Clemons, was a Creek or Choctaw Indian from Alabama. She was very likely the illegitimate child of a white man named Clemons and an unidentified Native American woman. As a very young girl, perhaps three or for years old, I believe that she was forced west in the Trail of Tears. She spent her life hiding her Indian identity, seeking to blend in with the whites. This rejection of her Creek/Choctaw heritage was passed on to the next one or two generations, and only recently have we begun searching for answers.

For people like me, books like Bury My Heart provide some answers. Our ancestors, that lived only 150 years ago, have vanished into historical thin air. Records are few. Their names are not known. But thankfully, Dee Brown gives us more than perhaps we realize at first glance. I may not know the names, or the places, of my Native American ancestors. But I know more about their lifesyle, and what happened to them, than I do of even my Polish great-grandparents on the other side!

The book is shocking, saddening, sickening, enlightening, and riveting. It is peppered with occasional comic moments, mostly at the expense of the white idiots that dominated the formulation of Indian policy. Our heroes on one side of the American History tome: Jackson, Grant, Sheridan, Sherman, and Schurz, are transformed into near Nazi-like villains on the other.

This mixed bag of human nobility and shame makes the story of Wounded Knee authentically American.

I will never forget some of the book's moments: Of a visit to Chicago by one chief, who noted that the whites tended to go back and forth, hurriedly, like ants, with no particular purpose except to keep on the move; of Chief Joseph's comments about schools and church (see my prior post); of one chief handing to an Indian Bureau agent a handful of dirt, saying "Here, take this - it is all that's left of our land"; of the Indian Messiah that ushered in the Ghost Dance movement, and generated hope that the Indians would make a comeback; of the final massacre at Wounded Knee, where women and children were slaughtered along with the adult males.

The Indian Wars were a shameful chapter in American History. I would argue, with my grandfather E.A.Turnbow, that our horrible treatment of the Indians surpassed even that of the African American slaves. Most likely both are on a par.

American policy was to make the Indians into white people. But those that did, by converting to Christianity and building houses and farms, still were forced onto reservations.

I would recommend this troubling book to any that have not yet read it. We still can, and should, learn much from our Native American brothers and sisters. And if we can have a hand in reviving all that was noble and decent in their culture, it would be a good thing.

Chief Joseph Got it Right

Dee Brown's timeless classic, Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee, (1970, Henry Holt and Company), retells this exchange between Chief Joseph of the Northwestern U.S. Nez Perce tribe and an Indian Agency Commissioner:

In a short time a group of commissioners arrived to begin organization of a new Indian agency in the valley. One of them mentioned the advantages of schools for Joseph's people. Joseph replied that the Nez Perces did not want the white man's schools.

"Why do you not want schools?" the commissioner asked.
"They will teach us to have churches," Joseph answered.
"Do you not want churches?"
"No, we do not want churches."
"Why do you not want churches?"
"They will teach us to quarrel about God," Joseph said. "We do not want to learn that. We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on this earth, but we never quarrel about God. We do not want to learn that." (p. 318)

Something precious was lost, when we wiped out what was most noble within the hearts of our native peoples. The opportunity to successfully blend two wonderful cultures took a fatal beating.

This philosophy, of refusing to argue over things not of this world, is the opposite of the very worst of Western Culture.

This did not come from Christianity. Jesus is the embodiment of refusing to get hooked into mindless debates. He did not deal in vain arguments on finer theological points. The Native Americans had much in common, in this area.

No - the passion to argue and divide, comes from Western European culture. It arose from the close proximity of different cultures and languages, living a few miles from one another, seeking some type of ordered co-existence. Their walled cities and castle fortresses created more than just physical boundaries between people.

The "survival of the fittest" mentality was in practice long before Darwin (a Westerner) articulated it! The good impulse to promote personal responsibility, often decayed into an "eat or be eaten" economic model.

And we see it today, in our politics! My party, right or wrong, has replaced My country, right or wrong! We see it in the hypocrisy of Democrats, who for decades pronounced the virtues of John McCain as a man above party and politics, as a Republican they could actually support, of someone ready to lead the country.

Chief Joseph is talking about getting over this silly partisanship, putting forth a leader, and getting on with it. Granted, in their system there would be no doubt that John McCain, the elder, would automatically be elevated above Barack Obama, the upstart.

Debates, partisanship, arguments, divisions, pointless diversions from the important thngs in life.

Chief Joseph spoke wise words that should be remembered, and followed, with the most profound statements of our great leaders in history.