You are absolutely correct, Carl. My neighbor had every right to fly his flag. I may not be a nationalist but I am a patriot, and I thank God for the freedom and rights we share in this beloved nation. I had no right to go over in the dark of night and tear down the flag. If it had not come down I would have learned to live with it, and still take another pot of chili over if his wife broke her arm again.
But I had a problem and I gave my neighbor the opportunity to help me with my problem.
Actually, and I hesitated to share this, my main motivation in doing what I did was not my “righteous indignation” but rather my empathy for the black neighbor who had to walk by the flag almost every day. He had the right to so without feeling intimidated and, perhaps, fearful.
Sometimes we have to decide what is the greater good, which for me is love—including “love you neighbor as yourself.”
PS. Carl, this for me is the value of The Front Page: it provides a platform for civil dialogue and sharing. Thanks for sharing.
Your loving empathy is as strong and broad as your righteousness, even if, or whmen, it doesn't reach the level of indignation. But righteous indignation is a phrase I learned when listening to Dr. King, Jr. I love those words. They burn in me and give me the energy to keep promoting love, respect, equality and yes, active resistance to bigotry, injustice, cruelty and the willful dissemination of ignorance and lies. I duspect that phrase may burn quietly within you also. I'm so grateful to call you and Meg my friends. So proud of you. Thank you.
Not much more that can be said about E-Lies Satanic! Evil, morally and ethically bankrupt Trump puppet. Hopefully her career will come to a crashing end sooner than later since she's riding the coattails of a wannabe dictator. To say that voters are burned out and tired of all the REP nonsense is an understatement, but we have to keep fighting to get back the rights they have taken away (and the ones they want to take away). Abortion could become totally illegal again for all women in all states if the Trump led bible thumping right wing extreme Evangelical TeaThuglicans get full control. Just sayin...
This was my moment....... On March 12, 1949 the ship MARINE JUMPER dropped anchor in Boston harbor. Aboard were hundreds of immigrants permitted by President Harry Truman's administration to legally enter the USA and make their home here. They had been medically, intellecturally and physically gone over with a fine tooth comb. Among these people was Gunta Krasts, me. Thirteen years of age. I, with the greatest of gratitude and appreciation thank the USA and the American people, everyone, for the kindness shown my family, me, for keeping us safe, for being ablbe to live, work and grow old in this magnificent country. Also for the opportunity to learn a new language.
I’m not sure where the difficulty is in naming an admirable politician. Is it with the word admirable or politician. I suppose everyone has their own standard. I’m sure I could come up with a long list if I sat down to think about it but 3 names immediately spring to my mind locally:
I liked Buttigieg back when he was running for President. I heard a couple of his speeches and thought he sounded like a smart and reasonable guy. I don’t hear much about him as Transportation Secretary. I wonder if it’s because he’s being quietly competent or is it because Trump’s chaos sucks all the air out of the newsroom?
Replying to all here: it looks like the list of admirable politicians could be very very long but what we hear down at the diner or in the “media” is that nobody likes or trusts politicians. Maybe “they” are wrong. Maybe people appreciate the significant number of talented, intelligent, and morally upstanding public servants who put themselves out there to run for election. Sure, people have occasional moral failures, just like everyone but few of them deserve the sort of rancor, hate, and vile accusations thrown at them.
The idea that Hillary is a murderer, child molester and cannibal. What sick mind believes that.
My personal experience running (and losing) one race for county supervisor gave me some insight into how bad it must be for people running for high office who are doxed, swatted, threatened, have their families threatened, and are smeared on the internet. People scoured my internet history (and there is a lot to scour), saw things like photos of me with my granddaughters and accused me of being a pedophile. They made up false information about members of my family. And you should see the names people call me. I’ve worked construction and it’s pretty hard to find new bad things to say about me, but people keep finding new forms of expletives. Actually, some of them are pretty inventive!
Thank you for featuring Don Schuler’s life and his passion for peace and unity. His commitment to social justice issues, and willingness to go the extra mile to find ways to resolve conflict, without forfeiting his personal integrity, is a story he continues to write in his reflections for The Front Page.
His wife Meg has shared the steps of Don’s journey with the same depth of determination to support human rights issues. We are so fortunate that they chose to reside in Queensbury to add their spiritual energy to our local community.
I wish our Congresswoman would do her own job instead of worrying about other people's. Still no federal budget and the House went home for two weeks. It is really shocking even by DC standards how ineffective the current House is.
It's high time that Elise's constituents hold her responsible for abandoning us. She is too busy backing the unconscionable people like Trump, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Lauren Boebart, MT Greene, Mike Johnson, , etc.
Thank you, Ken. You are too kind. I just tried to live out my faith in the everyday walks of life, along with a number of others who also worked for the common good. (Just a minor correction: the community meeting to plan a response to the Klan was at the Unitarian Church).
Thanks for that correction. We had a great conversation and I could have written two or three more columns on your life experiences. We will talk again soon.
The Rev. Shuler is a remarkable man. He was a friend of my grandmother, Margurite Agnew Pratt. He is one of the kindest, most humble people I've met. Thanks for shining a light on his remarkable gifts.
I’m sure Stefanik will also fight to end the aid to Ukraine as that appears to be MAGAS most recent attempt to support Putin and Trump. Trump has now compared himself to Navalny. I watched the documentary and the man and his family were courageous, honest, fair and dedicated to good. All of these things are the opposite of what Trump represents. He is yet to blame Putin for Navalny’s poisoning or death. Stefanik will defend him-again. Her support for ending aid to Ukraine will put the service men and women she professes to support in jeopardy when Ukraine falls to Russia. Maybe she assumes we will no longer be part of NATO as Trump has no intention of continuing those alliances. I think we are living through one of the most frightening periods of history this very year. I hope people are paying attention.
Regarding an inspiring politician who has provided leadership with personal integrity on the critical issues we now face, I have appreciated Sanders and Williamson and sometimes members of the Progressive caucus. However, Navalny's words of challenge to identify a strong leader for our times, around whom to rally energy to bring substantial change, seems true -- that that person/politician has not yet appeared clearly enough on our political horizon.
thank you, Ken. It is always good to be inspired by goodness, truth, caring, integrity.... Last night at the Tuesday NAACP film on four quite extraordinary ordinary African American women running for positions in Denver, I was inspired --.by their spirit, courage, and desire to create change and bring justice,. As I ..am always inspired by Don, Martin Luther King, Bayard Rustin. John Lewis...a long list of courageous fighters for our earth and for justice, in the past and now --I could name many. And the importance of resistance against those who use violence and power to control and harm, to name them--trump, stefanik, Maga Republicans, the Christian right wing....and the power of money to choose "candidates" that will do their bidding......
I think part of the problem in naming a politician to admire is that the desire to be in politics at all requires a certain amount of ego, and seems to include at least a touch of Machiavellian “the ends justify the means” thinking. They all have feet of clay. There are good ones, but if you are hoping for perfection, you will not find it. Even Abraham Lincoln had his faults, and he just came in #1 on the historians list of greatest Presidents! Guess who was dead last…
You are absolutely correct, Carl. My neighbor had every right to fly his flag. I may not be a nationalist but I am a patriot, and I thank God for the freedom and rights we share in this beloved nation. I had no right to go over in the dark of night and tear down the flag. If it had not come down I would have learned to live with it, and still take another pot of chili over if his wife broke her arm again.
But I had a problem and I gave my neighbor the opportunity to help me with my problem.
Actually, and I hesitated to share this, my main motivation in doing what I did was not my “righteous indignation” but rather my empathy for the black neighbor who had to walk by the flag almost every day. He had the right to so without feeling intimidated and, perhaps, fearful.
Sometimes we have to decide what is the greater good, which for me is love—including “love you neighbor as yourself.”
PS. Carl, this for me is the value of The Front Page: it provides a platform for civil dialogue and sharing. Thanks for sharing.
Bravo Don. And that is how civil dialogue should be conducted.
Your loving empathy is as strong and broad as your righteousness, even if, or whmen, it doesn't reach the level of indignation. But righteous indignation is a phrase I learned when listening to Dr. King, Jr. I love those words. They burn in me and give me the energy to keep promoting love, respect, equality and yes, active resistance to bigotry, injustice, cruelty and the willful dissemination of ignorance and lies. I duspect that phrase may burn quietly within you also. I'm so grateful to call you and Meg my friends. So proud of you. Thank you.
Sorry about the typos. Fat fingers.
Thank you, Bea, the feelings are mutual and deep.
Not much more that can be said about E-Lies Satanic! Evil, morally and ethically bankrupt Trump puppet. Hopefully her career will come to a crashing end sooner than later since she's riding the coattails of a wannabe dictator. To say that voters are burned out and tired of all the REP nonsense is an understatement, but we have to keep fighting to get back the rights they have taken away (and the ones they want to take away). Abortion could become totally illegal again for all women in all states if the Trump led bible thumping right wing extreme Evangelical TeaThuglicans get full control. Just sayin...
Ken,
This was my moment....... On March 12, 1949 the ship MARINE JUMPER dropped anchor in Boston harbor. Aboard were hundreds of immigrants permitted by President Harry Truman's administration to legally enter the USA and make their home here. They had been medically, intellecturally and physically gone over with a fine tooth comb. Among these people was Gunta Krasts, me. Thirteen years of age. I, with the greatest of gratitude and appreciation thank the USA and the American people, everyone, for the kindness shown my family, me, for keeping us safe, for being ablbe to live, work and grow old in this magnificent country. Also for the opportunity to learn a new language.
Gunta Krasts Voutyras
It continues to be a wonderful story of what America stands for.
I’m not sure where the difficulty is in naming an admirable politician. Is it with the word admirable or politician. I suppose everyone has their own standard. I’m sure I could come up with a long list if I sat down to think about it but 3 names immediately spring to my mind locally:
Claudia Braymer
Carrie Woerner
Paul Tonko
I should add Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter.
Bernie Sanders, Gabby Giffords, Kirsten Gillibrand.
Hillary Clinton, AOC, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson.
Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, for specific their courage and integrity.
Despite some serious flaws John McCain - but he’s dead so doesn’t qualify.
Mitt Romney, Brad Raffensperger, Gretchen Whitmer, Pete Buttigieg…
I liked Buttigieg back when he was running for President. I heard a couple of his speeches and thought he sounded like a smart and reasonable guy. I don’t hear much about him as Transportation Secretary. I wonder if it’s because he’s being quietly competent or is it because Trump’s chaos sucks all the air out of the newsroom?
Quietly competent seems to be the case.
I think quietly competent. The airline industry seemed to have its act together better this holiday season.
Well there you go then. Quietly competent is all I require from my elected officials!
Probably the latter. I don't think you usually hear much from transportation secretaries, especially if they are doing their job.
John McCain is still living large in the vast emptiness of Donald Trump’s brain. Go, Maverick, go!
I would like to add California's Katie Porter to this list.
Also Gavin Newsom, Beta O'Rourke....
Replying to all here: it looks like the list of admirable politicians could be very very long but what we hear down at the diner or in the “media” is that nobody likes or trusts politicians. Maybe “they” are wrong. Maybe people appreciate the significant number of talented, intelligent, and morally upstanding public servants who put themselves out there to run for election. Sure, people have occasional moral failures, just like everyone but few of them deserve the sort of rancor, hate, and vile accusations thrown at them.
The idea that Hillary is a murderer, child molester and cannibal. What sick mind believes that.
My personal experience running (and losing) one race for county supervisor gave me some insight into how bad it must be for people running for high office who are doxed, swatted, threatened, have their families threatened, and are smeared on the internet. People scoured my internet history (and there is a lot to scour), saw things like photos of me with my granddaughters and accused me of being a pedophile. They made up false information about members of my family. And you should see the names people call me. I’ve worked construction and it’s pretty hard to find new bad things to say about me, but people keep finding new forms of expletives. Actually, some of them are pretty inventive!
Thank you for featuring Don Schuler’s life and his passion for peace and unity. His commitment to social justice issues, and willingness to go the extra mile to find ways to resolve conflict, without forfeiting his personal integrity, is a story he continues to write in his reflections for The Front Page.
His wife Meg has shared the steps of Don’s journey with the same depth of determination to support human rights issues. We are so fortunate that they chose to reside in Queensbury to add their spiritual energy to our local community.
Thank you, Susan, and for including Meg.
I wish our Congresswoman would do her own job instead of worrying about other people's. Still no federal budget and the House went home for two weeks. It is really shocking even by DC standards how ineffective the current House is.
Very true.
Turing and sad to see retirements of any house member. Crisis usually brings us together but this divisive time is truly wearing this country thin.
Elise instead uses the crisis to pull even harder to the extreme right stretching that national fabric even thinner.
Divide...and Conquer. That's the aim.
It's high time that Elise's constituents hold her responsible for abandoning us. She is too busy backing the unconscionable people like Trump, Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Lauren Boebart, MT Greene, Mike Johnson, , etc.
They won't. They believe her lies.
Rep. Stefanik's lawsuits are disturbing on many levels not the least of which is who's paying for them?
I suspect it's the taxpayers who pay her salary as well.
Either taxpayers or deep pocketed donors to PACs, is my guess.
Thank you, Ken. You are too kind. I just tried to live out my faith in the everyday walks of life, along with a number of others who also worked for the common good. (Just a minor correction: the community meeting to plan a response to the Klan was at the Unitarian Church).
Thanks for that correction. We had a great conversation and I could have written two or three more columns on your life experiences. We will talk again soon.
We need more Schulers in this world, and less Stefaniks. ✌️
The Rev. Shuler is a remarkable man. He was a friend of my grandmother, Margurite Agnew Pratt. He is one of the kindest, most humble people I've met. Thanks for shining a light on his remarkable gifts.
Thank you, Ray. You too are an inspiration!
Your grandmother was a gem!
I’m sure Stefanik will also fight to end the aid to Ukraine as that appears to be MAGAS most recent attempt to support Putin and Trump. Trump has now compared himself to Navalny. I watched the documentary and the man and his family were courageous, honest, fair and dedicated to good. All of these things are the opposite of what Trump represents. He is yet to blame Putin for Navalny’s poisoning or death. Stefanik will defend him-again. Her support for ending aid to Ukraine will put the service men and women she professes to support in jeopardy when Ukraine falls to Russia. Maybe she assumes we will no longer be part of NATO as Trump has no intention of continuing those alliances. I think we are living through one of the most frightening periods of history this very year. I hope people are paying attention.
Me too.
Regarding an inspiring politician who has provided leadership with personal integrity on the critical issues we now face, I have appreciated Sanders and Williamson and sometimes members of the Progressive caucus. However, Navalny's words of challenge to identify a strong leader for our times, around whom to rally energy to bring substantial change, seems true -- that that person/politician has not yet appeared clearly enough on our political horizon.
The world needs far more Shulers and far fewer carnival barking politicians.
thank you, Ken. It is always good to be inspired by goodness, truth, caring, integrity.... Last night at the Tuesday NAACP film on four quite extraordinary ordinary African American women running for positions in Denver, I was inspired --.by their spirit, courage, and desire to create change and bring justice,. As I ..am always inspired by Don, Martin Luther King, Bayard Rustin. John Lewis...a long list of courageous fighters for our earth and for justice, in the past and now --I could name many. And the importance of resistance against those who use violence and power to control and harm, to name them--trump, stefanik, Maga Republicans, the Christian right wing....and the power of money to choose "candidates" that will do their bidding......
Since you brought it up, everyone should see the film "Rustin." I believe it is streaming now on Netflix.
I an planning to see it on Netflix this Friday. I also want to see the other films you nmentioned.Thank you, Ken...
Thank you Bernice, and also for your recent explicit and hard hitting letter go the editor in the Post Star.
I think part of the problem in naming a politician to admire is that the desire to be in politics at all requires a certain amount of ego, and seems to include at least a touch of Machiavellian “the ends justify the means” thinking. They all have feet of clay. There are good ones, but if you are hoping for perfection, you will not find it. Even Abraham Lincoln had his faults, and he just came in #1 on the historians list of greatest Presidents! Guess who was dead last…
Trump.... just where he should be... dead last.
Another might be the leaders who have good intents don't last long because of all the bad behavior around them.
Thanks for sharing that inspiring story.