Make memories of the traditions of your faith
From The Orange County Register
Thankfully, the 11 victims of a car and knife attack last week at Ohio State University are expected to survive. But while not the most deadly attack in recent memory, in many ways it presents a confluence of issues that President-elect Donald Trump must address immediately.
It is a convergence of radical Islam, Islamic State-inspired attacks at home and abroad, and anti-Islamic sentiment and violence against peaceful Muslims.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility, calling the attacker one of its “soldiers,” although that is a term the Islamic State often uses to describe attacks around the world in which it has little involvement. No evidence of direct communication between the attacker and the group has been found in this case.
But what has become clear is that the attacker was at least inspired by the Islamic terror group. And while he may not have been a card-carrying member of the Islamic State, we must consider such radicalized zealots to be foot soldiers in an entirely new kind of war. Moments before the attack, he tweeted, “We will not let you sleep unless you give peace to the Muslims. You will not celebrate or enjoy any holiday.”
After the attack, Trump took to Twitter, writing: “ISIS is taking credit for terrible stabbing attack at Ohio State University by a Somali refugee who should not have been in our country.”
It is true that the attacker grew up in Somalia and moved to Pakistan in 2007 before immigrating to the United States with his family in 2014 and becoming a permanent resident in 2015. But guilt by association is not what America was founded on, and should not be the basis of our immigration system. Trump wasn’t the only one to respond rapidly. On the left, many were quick to blame guns for the tragedy, despite the fact that no gun was used in the attack. California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted: “My thoughts are w/Ohio state this AM. We cannot let an average of 1 school shooting/wk be the norm in America.”
Interestingly, in August, the attacker was interviewed by The Lantern, the college’s student newspaper, for a vignette called “Humans of Ohio State.” In the article, he spoke of his concern for the treatment of Muslims in America, saying he feared retaliation for practicing his faith openly. This particular attack crystalizes the challenge we face: dealing with Muslims radicalized by the Islamic State and other terrorists organizations while at the same time not blaming good people. There is never an excuse for those who attempt to take the lives of innocent people, of course. Similarly we must understand that most in the Muslim community do not condone violence any more than do other citizens. Sadly, in recent weeks we have seen an uptick in anti-Muslim sentiment.
We must work for them as much as we work to protect others, not condemn large swaths of blameless people for the crimes of some. After all, the greatest numbers of victims of Muslim terror globally have been other Muslims.
Rather than playing to base fears, our leaders should be working together to come up with strategies that balance our need for security and privacy, taking the fight to groups like the Islamic State that inspire hate while also protecting civil liberties at home — and that includes the Muslim community. From the Chicago Tribune
Leroy Barber grew up in rural New London, Wisconsin, hunting and fishing with two of his brothers. He enlisted in the Navy, trained at the Great Lakes facility north of Chicago and was assigned to a battleship. Barber enjoyed being a sailor, missed his brothers and advised them to join up. The Navy made an exception to its rule against putting family members on one boat — a decision their father sought to reverse — but America was not at war, and Hawaii was about as far from Europe’s fighting as you could get.
That’s how the Barber boys, Malcolm, 22, Leroy, 21 and Randolph, 19, came to serve together as firemen on the USS Oklahoma. And that is how they died — together, on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941 — 75 years ago Wednesday — when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and drew America into World War II.
“We are not bitter, but there is one thing neither of us can forgive,” Peter Barber, their father, told the Tribune in May 1942. “We were at peace when the attack started. Our boys didn’t even know about it. They must have been caught below decks without any chance to fight back. If they had known — if we had been on guard — they would have returned fire and they might not all have died.”
Many wars are remembered and battles commemorated. But only two dates on the calendar awaken recollections of a sneak attack on American territory by an undeclared enemy. One is Sept. 11, which was 15 years ago this year. And then there is Dec. 7, “a date which will live in infamy,” as President Franklin Roosevelt told Congress in a national radio broadcast the next afternoon. A few hours later, the United States declared war on Japan. A few days later, the U.S. declared war on Germany.
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise, but it was foreshadowed. In 1941, America was attempting to check Japanese aggression in China through economic sanctions. The U.S. knew from a code-breaking operation known as “Magic” that Japan was girding for war. Conflict seemed inevitable, but officials in Washington missed the signals that war was imminent, and never guessed Hawaii would be a target. The American public also was unprepared.
On Dec. 1, the Tribune reported that ongoing negotiations to halt Japan’s expansionist moves were at a critical juncture, but there was a distant, theoretical tone to the warning. The U.S., having backed Britain in Europe, was already engaged in quasi-conflict with Germany. In the Pacific, war against Japan remained an unappealing question. “The United States is not prepared to fight a war on two fronts and will not be before the completion of our two-ocean navy in 1946,” the Tribune’s story said. The U.S. military was not on alert in Hawaii. Most naval personnel treated Dec. 7, a Sunday, as a day off. At about 7 a.m., just as radar operators were completing their overnight watch, they spotted a stunning concentration of aircraft coming their way — must be B-17s coming in from California, they were told.
This was the first Japanese carrier strike force of torpedoand dive-bombers, escorted by Zero fighters. The Japanese attack, completed in two waves in less than two hours, destroyed most of the U.S. military planes on the island of Oahu and devastated the U.S. Pacific fleet. Most of the ships’ anti-aircraft guns were unmanned. A few heroic American pilots got off the ground to shoot down Zeros, but the day marked a humiliating and painful entrance to the war. The Barber brothers were among 2,300 U.S. service members killed.
Firsthand descriptions of Dec. 7 have dwindled as survivors depart us, but the lesson of Pearl Harbor endures. In 1941, the United States failed to anticipate Japanese aggression. In 2001, terrorists intensified a slow-burning war against American civilians that had started years earlier and continues today. Despite America’s great power and comparative isolation on the map, it is vulnerable to the enemies it has, and the ones it may have.
Our nation forgets that at its peril.
Christmas and Chanukah (or if you prefer Hanukkah) 2016 will soon be a memory. Resolve now to make this year a delightful memory.
In many instances the recall is almost as meaningful as the event.
Reliving some of the happy childhood memories is good for parents and children — especially parents.
Those memories are too good to let go.
Today will be a memory tomorrow. Today is brief. Tomorrow represents all of your remaining life.
A good memory is a gift that will be enjoyed indefinitely. The older a memory the more meaningful it becomes. A memory is a gift of an enjoyable moment relived one more time. If you enjoyed it the first time, a virtual reliving of it will make it twice a blessing.
Be kind to your tomorrow self. Your today self is making memories your tomorrow self will live with throughout life.
Be careful what you deposit in your memory bank. It will pay dividends every time the account is opened as a thought. Give your tomorrow self things over which to rejoice and in which to revel. Hanukkah is a celebration of several factors. One is the Jews overthrowing of the suppressive power of the Seleucid rule. It was considered a fulfillment of the proclamation of the prophet Zachariah, who wrote, “Not by might, not by power, but by My spirit.”
The military victory is considered a spiritual occurrence.
The Talmud, a sacred book of the Jews, records the miracle of a one-day supply of the scarce pure oil in the Temple burning eight days until more pure oil arrived. Today, in commemorating the event, one candle is lighted each night until all eight are lighted. They are placed where they can easily be seen in obedience
Email letters to the editor to MColombo@RN-T.com or submit them to the Rome News-Tribune, 305 E. Sixth Ave., Rome, GA 30162. REV. NELSON PRICE Rick McKee, The Augusta Chronicle to the command to ”publicize the miracle.”
The menorah, the lamp stand, is the symbol of modern Israel.
The Holy Bible, the sacred book of the Christians, records the virgin birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Christians hold the Old Testament prophesied many aspects of his birth and life.
At a time man was trying to make himself god, God made himself a man. Not just a man, a baby born to a commoner in a small Judean town in an unlikely place, a stable. He who existed from everlasting to everlasting was reduced to living moment by moment. He is thus depicted as Immanuel, God with us.
In keeping with the tradition of the wise men bringing gifts to the Christ child, the custom of exchanging gifts remains.
These two summaries are much too inadequate to express the faith they engender. They only hint of the greater truths.
Celebrate the traditions of your faith. Study the symbols and meaning of events. Members of the Jewish faith tend to do a better job of this than other groups. Their celebrations are most often teachable moments.
Reflecting makes one realize the truth that what can be counted often doesn’t count and what counts can’t be counted. Don’t let the secular celebration detract from the spiritual meaning of the occasion. What you take away from the day colors all other days.
Parents, help your children have good memories. They may write about them some day and make you feel good all over again. Enjoy the moment and make this a Happy Chanukah and a Merry Christmas that will last a lifetime. Jim Powell of Young Harris