Looking about- Troy, Ohio USA

Racially Divided Schools: The Supreme Court was right- but for the wrong reason

2007-07-15T11:20:00.000-05:00

As a product of forced busing in the 1960’s I can speak to the issue from a unique perspective. I was among a few token whites bused into a black school as part of the New York City “Integrate the schools” movement.
At the time, the majority of bussed kids were blacks coming from overflowing ghetto schools to the shrinking white enclaves of Manhattan, My parents were strong believers in what some call a social experiment, others saw it as an essential way to bring back the melting pot that commingled millions of immigrants earlier in our nation’s history.
Our white neighbors threw rocks through our windows in protest of my parents’ actions and beliefs. The crumpled rubber banded paper that read “Nigger Lover” was a particularly succinct and vitriolic message.
The nation’s courts ruled at the same time that Public Systems across the country needed to racially balance their schools. The belief was that white kids had great schools, and black kids had abysmal ones. Mixing students would level the playing field and offer a fair and equitable education for all.
Forty years later the Supreme court handed down a split judgment that the experiment was over. Race was no longer as a reason to offer a leg up to blacks even if oppressed, or a basis to restrict the opportunities of whites, even if they were already privileged students.
My experience as a token white, in an extremely racially and culturally diverse elementary school was enlightening, educational and unforgettable. I learned that being poor did not mean being dumb; just that their parents usually were too busy working to survive to instill the higher education vision that richer, more educated parents strive for. And black kids did not throw rocks at white houses.
In reality, in most communities, integrating schools along racial lines realistically brought poor students from neighborhoods with less experienced teachers into better schools with more experienced teachers. In many states, it also led to the panic of white flight; further segregating and isolating communities along racial and income lines.
The Supremes are probably right now. Race is not, and never was the real differentiator. It was, and is, poverty and culture. Students in poor communities perform poorly in almost every aspect of educational measurement. Students in rich communities inherently perform much better.
Yes, race and poverty are inexorably linked, but race alone is NOT the culprit. Regardless of the reason, generational poverty has and will breed generations of failing students. We need to find ways to break the cycle of educational ghettos.
Our schools should be integrated, not along racial lines, But along fiscal and cultural ones. Our schools need to be financed fairly for all and students need to learn in classes that are not homogenous.
Students of all races, cultures and income levels need to learn together by bringing financially and culturally disadvantaged students into the same classes as those of privilege.
Only by allowing our kids to see and learn in financially stable schools within the diversity of America will we be able to finally and ultimately allow every child to envision and attain the American Dream.

Flying low over Miami County

2007-07-15T11:18:00.000-05:00

Flying Low over Miami County
If you haven’t yet taken the time to walk the streets of Troy this summer, plan on doing so on a pleasant July day. But look sharp, there are low flying airplanes everywhere.
Twenty Six fiberglass WACO airplane sculptures are swooping, rolling and zooming at eye level along Main and Market Streets within 3 blocks of the fountain. These six by five foot replicas are of the popular WACO bi-plane with hand made wooden cockpits, powerful engines and fabric covered wings that dominated the skies after World War I.
The sculptures are a joint project between the Waco Learning Center and Museum and Troy Main Street. Designed to showcase and contrast the creativity of current artists with the rich heritage of Miami County in the form of modern art used to decorate these fiberglass replicas. The sculptures are designed to evoke memories and visions of America’s most popular bi-plane from the era when ‘real planes had two wings and a round engine’.
If you like taking pictures, there is a great Photo Contest for pictuires of the planes going on throughout July! (see sidebar)
The designs of the many artists are as diverse as the history of aviation and the styles and minds of painters and artists who live here today.
Each plane has the theme of the artist, and their breadth is phenomenal. The one that first caught my eye is a pseudo architectural rendering, where the internal struts and components are painted on the outside to look like the plane was turned inside out.
Waco’s were exported around the world, their productive deliveryman, Charles Lindbergh, was cheered in France as an American hero and global ambassador when he flew a Piqua Ohio Hartzell propeller into a cheering Paris.
Two planes highlight the dozens of countries where Waco’s flew; one with dozens of flags, the other with luggage-like stickers from cities in those countries. They highlight how early aviation shrunk our world, just a few decades after steam ships plowed the seas, and barely a few score years before rockets left the earth completely.
Modern life is the theme of others. Buckeye fans will appreciate the grey and red motif on one (get on tip toe to see the top of the wing). Students can repeat the summer mantra “No more teachers’ no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks…” when you see the two planes crafted by Troy students. The 6th graders created a virtual yearbook, and the high schoolers a multi-media montage of the Troy school experience from pencils to lockers to slogans.
The juxtaposition of sky and land, people and buildings were selected by a few artists; camouflaging a plane to look like a soaring monarch butterfly in one case, or blending in with lifelike pictures of clouds and sky on another. One has a barnstorming theme, another covered bridges. But they are all unique and different.
Which one is the best? Hard to tell, but there are ballots in most shops around the square, and the best will win the artist a $1,000 prize at the awards ceremony when the planes fly of into the sunset at the end of August. (If you really like one, plan on bidding for it, they will all be sold at the Waco fly-in August 25th.
Waco, the Weaver Aero Company was based in Troy. With locations throughout the city, but centered in the large hangar like buildings that are now Goodrich wheel and brake division visible from Archer Drive. The Troy Civic Theatre performs in an old barn that was once a Waco construction hangar.
The new Waco museum opened a few weeks ago to celebrate the arrival of the sculptures, and is a great place to spend a few hours learning about the planes, the people who made them, and exploring aviation as part of the Aviation Historic Trail that has dozens of sites throughout the Miami Valley. Everyone should explore the trail, taking in a few places each time, it can be a long term learning experience or crammed into a whirlwind weekend. The sites, ranging from the original Wright Brothers home to Huffman Prairie, the field where they practiced before and after the historic flights in Kitty Hawk, and on to the air force museum where the largest collection of planes are on exhibit (and most sites are free!).

March Madness in Miami County

2007-02-18T09:01:00.000-05:00

The committee has made their decision, the 64 teams have been announced. The world will soon start to cheer, to wager, and to argue, but they will all get the recognition and fame they deserve.
The teams have worked all winter, grueling hours of practice, aggressive competition. Physical and mental preparation, practice, effort and results. They are all winners, even if not the top seed.
Their coaches and managers believe in them. They brag to the press and fans about their teams; often while needing to be arbitrators of conflicts and disciplinarians behind the scenes.

Many of them have been there, done that. Other coaches never had what it took to be a champion themselves; but all excel at bringing out the best in those who will perform on the boards.
The divisions are artificial attempts at segregating and spreading top talent around to maximize the excitement and offer more chances to win, and more brackets to let others win (we can't call it losing), because at this level, everyone is a winner.
Every team member, even those that warm the team bench for the big one will have the satisfaction of being there when it happened. Being part of a winning team is a feeling of overwhelming achievement that comes from being part of that ethereal immeasurable experience of sportsmanship, teamwork, togetherness and partnership.
The media frenzy will build to a fever pitch. The gym floor will rock with hip-hop music beating a rhythmic tune as fans bob and weave, cheer and laugh. The bleachers will be pounding. The rafters shaking. The rush is on. Parents, siblings and friends will be intermingled through the crowd - all cheering for their players and teams.
The cameras will flash in the cavernous hall, ineffectually attempting to strobe freeze the racing, blurring motion. In the hallways, Vendors will be hawking memorial, commemorative, gaudy and the merely colorful remembrances in 100% cotton. Funky looking hats, collectors wearing dozens of different enamel team pins, glossy yearbooks, souvenir program guides.
The American Dietetic Association would do more than frown, they would outright blanch at the unhealthy assortment of salt and nitrites wrapped in white bread and slathered with a red or yellow condiment that our government and the Heinz corporation has sought to classify as a vegetable serving.
Maybe the purple colored version has more fresh tomatoes. But the real action will come on the floor. I love to see the imaginative plays that separate the mundane from the superior. I know folks who just love to see colorful costumes amid the backdrops of action. Some teams seem to be better at the long ball, while others rack up points in the close and short game. Some teams have a few really good players with a supporting cast; while the ones I like are more balanced and even, with everyone contributing to the win. March Madness is more than a few teams playing a game.
It's an obsession for handicappers, and a driving force that generates post-tournament discussions, debates, challenges and retro-vision (the new name for hindsight).
On March 24th, the dozens of Regional Destination Imagination teams, many sponsored by the Troy Noon Optimist Club, will meet at Edison Community College to show us their stuff. The marathon day will start at 8 and end with awards in the gym at 5pm.
Since admission is free, come on over and see teams create a radio drama complete with outrageous commercial. Experience a serendipitous event that transforms their invention. Build a balsa structure to hold enormous weight. Design and build robotic flying airplanes. Perform a play under unusual constraints with a significant touch or creativity.
It will be a fascinating show of creativity, imagination, science, engineering, drama and theatrics.

The winners will go on to State competition in April, and from there to the world tournament in Knoxville in May. In this event, judges look for teamwork not stardom. Creativity, not jumping prowess determines the winner. Intelligent problem solving counts for more than three point foul shots. A cohesive theatrical hand-off wins more points than a dribbling pass. It's poetry in motion, song and dance in fluid action.

It's Destination Imagination. What great sport!
Thankfully, there won't be a basketball in sight. It will be an event to remember. Hey, what did you think I was talking about?

Leib Lurie is a Troy resident, Optimist Club member and CEO of OneCall Now. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Touring along the river

2007-01-06T17:13:00.000-05:00

A few years ago we had the marvelous opportunity to drive along the tow path of one of the grand canals stretching across Ireland. Previously, it was along the Rhine in Germany, and a similar trip along the Seine in France, and twice along the Estuary called the Thames that meanders through London. They all share similarities (and yes, differences) between them, and the Great Miami in Ohio.

The larger rivers have eons of history; often passing villages that are thousands of years old, and the castles and keeps that sweep up from the river are often 800 years old or more.

Here in Ohio, ‘civilization’ as we know it is barely 300 years old; in fact this summer, Miami County will celebrate their 200th birthday; a babe in arms by European standards; but older than counties in 33 other of these United States.

The civilization that sprouted here in the early 1800’s was generally the same that swarmed around any river crossing in Europe centuries earlier; a small Pub strategically placed by a ferry or shallow river crossing to ease the thirst of pioneers trudging through, or tradesman and merchants with wagons of goods pulling through the rutted paths and muddy trails that connected river crossings with each other. These paths, often also cow paths for farmers, grew into the roads and streets we clog with gas engine trucks but the path is often close to the original.

Here in Troy, Overfield Tavern was an early example- near the shallow crossing of the Great Miami that is now the railroad bridge and just a block from the Market Street / Rt 55 river crossing (now in its’ fourth generation of road bridge).

If you look at a map of villages in Europe or the United States, you will see these stopping points that have grown into clusters of cities. But look carefully, and you can discern how fast a horse could walk just by looking at the map. Small towns are 10-15 miles apart depending on terrain; about what a wagon could do in a half day, so they needed a place to stop for lunch.

Larger towns are 30 miles distant; a full days’ travels; and major cities 60 miles apart- a two day journey apart, but only a full day for the people clustered around them.

Cincinnati to Middletown to Dayton to Troy then to Sidney, and beyond… all about 30 miles apart. Dayton and Troy both East to Springfield, following the terrain of the valleys.

From Troy it’s about ten miles South to Tipp, North to Piqua, West to Covington.

From Piqua, East to Fletcher, West to Bradford.

The patterns are obvious. So as you drive along, from town to town, slow down; and envision that ten mile spin as a full mornings’ work; and the 1 hour drive to the Ohio river crossing as a full day endeavor. It will bring a new appreciation for the ways the founders of Miami County traveled and lived.

Along those lines, nutritionists are the Ohio State University have been studying eating habits of Ohio farmers and villagers; and looking back over time to see what is causing us to swell up and grow more in width than the five inches in average height we have achieved since Miami County was founded.

They found that the average Ohio farmer needed 8,500 calories a day 200 years ago, to keep their weight up and stamina for the fields. We, on the other hand need barely more than 2,500 but tend to eat 3,000 calories or more per day. Evidently using the WII hand controller burns fewer calories than pushing a 200 pound metal plow behind an Ox team for 12 hours.

The travels through Europe however were different in one other respect, the small, fresh bakeries along the route; often inside, or next to Pubs were in evidence in nearly every town. America may have had these beacons of yeast and Crust, but today, most so-called bread is purchased in plastic at Kroger; made by machines and hauled in for our ‘enriched flour’ fix; and specially formulated to be soft and mushy. Most kids today can’t even stand the barely brown crust of what Wonder tries to pass off as bread. European towns have not lost the personal touch. Fresh baked breads, rolls and pastries waft their aromas from every village and street corner all along the river paths.

There is hope however, in Miami Valley I have discovered several great local alternatives that mimic the old fashioned flavour, taste and texture of European bakeries. In Troy, BakeHouse Breads with a European bread oven makes daily wonders of fascinating different kinds; with specialties for every day of the week and favorites every day. Their thick, rich round breads and long thin baquettes are the perfect pairing for a wonderful meal; and even better when enjoyed while walking or biking along the bike patsh of the County.

The Troy Bike Path is nearing completion, and one can almost avoid all paved roads to reach the best pastry bakery in Miami Valley, Dobo’s Delights in downtown Piqua. a block from what was their shallow river crossing before the Conservancy district dredged to make the levees.

This old fashioned shop serves the plebian needs for fresh fried donuts made from yeast and cake dough that was rising at 3am. Yet wander past the front counter to the terrific Hungarian delights that are truly special. Our Hungarian foreign exchange student raves about food from home.

So be adventurous, explore the Valley, and throw off the yoke of Wonder White Bread; as you experiment with the wholesome, crunchy, sweet texture of fresh baked goodness in Miami County.

Ps- Use real, unsalted butter.

Celebrate the Joy at First Night Troy

2006-12-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

Celebrate the Joy – at First Night Troy
If someone invited you to a party last night, you’d say, thanks, but looks like I missed it; sorry. Maybe that’s why the nationwide celebration of New Years eve isn’t called Last Night to end 2006, but called FIRST NIGHT to ring in 2007; and the one in Miami County is expected to be a zinger.
Zinger may be an old phrase, but apt for one of the more than twenty bands, events, musical acts and shows that will be reverberating through the Square and blocks around it Sunday Night Dec 31st. One of the featured acts will the big band sounds of Swing Era – a 21 piece band with all the pizzazz and swing tunes from the 40’s on up. A great singer, audience participation, great dancing, and a way to revisit one of the most romantic eras ever. Not into Swing? How about 12 other musical bands and acts in 8 venues in downtown Troy just for a start?
First Night is a family-friendly, alcohol-free event celebrated in 300 cities around the country. Starting in Philadelphia in 1976 the concept has swept the country, but just starting to move and shake Miami County.
A group from Leadership Troy got together to plan Troy’s first First-Night celebration in 2004, attracting a respectable 400 people downtown for fun and music. Last year the event grew exponentially, with more than 2,000 people coming downtown during the evening to dance, swint to the music and just have a rollicking good time.
This year, the event is planned to be even bigger and better; so make your plans now.
Thanks to generous grants from The Troy Foundation and the Miami County Foundation, plus great community sponsors, including Meijer, Mutual Federal Savings bank, the Optimist Club, Rotary Club, Trojan Insurance, OneCall Now, and many others, This years’ cost for First Night admission has been brow-beaten down to FREE.
First Night, thanks to donations from many area restaurants will have plenty of free soft drinks, snacks, and food all evening long.
The celebration committee has been working on the 3rd annual First Night Troy for months, making sure that everything is in place for a bang up New Years Eve. Early on, it will be fun for the family, with a family comedy show from Dave Kaplan.
This one man variety show invites the audience into the humor as the focus of the show. Whether he's juggling bean bag chairs, playing a melody on "concert balloon", or levitating a bowling ball, Kaplan's preposterous blend of dazzling skill and shameless gimmickry is sure to amaze and amuse.
Notable shows include a recent performance as guest 'balloonist' with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and network television appearances on ABC TV's "The View" and "The Statler Brothers Show" on TNN. David is just plain fun. Delighting audiences of all ages with his highly original act. Inspired by the antics of Keaton, Sellers, Victor Borge and the illustrious Maxwell Smart among others, Kaplan delivers a most unique and hilarious spectacle. Kaplan will be performing twice on First Night, an early Kids show and a later show (still clean, but where the tricks aren’t for kids) both at Hayner Cultural Center.
The First United Church of Christ, a block and a half south of the Square has great acoustics, to show off the Gothan City Brass, New rennassaince players, The Dulciomer group and an accordion band- in the early evening till 10:30.
Bakehouse Breads on the Square will have their signature sandwiches and hot soup served to the folk music of ELI and then Jim Merrick, the "Grateful Parrot," who has been singing and strumming his guitar since age six will rock till 11. His current beach music lounge act has evolved from his years of experience both as a band member and solo performer. Jim's specialty is the music of Jimmy Buffett, and his spirited interpretations of these classics. His friendly, easy-going stage manner encourages audience participation on those well-known crowd favorites, and invites listeners to enjoy some of his original tunes.
A few doors down, the restored grandeur of the Troy Community Room will move to the beat of the Rock Island Plow Company, this Bluegrass group was formed in 2004 with a group of veteran musicians. Each member has an extensive personal musical background which includes rock-n-roll, country and bluegrass music; featuring high-energy technical music. With a strong commitment for maintaining the classic bluegrass style performed by Flatt and Scruggs and Bill Monroe in the early days of bluegrass, coupled with the interest in newer bluegrass music written for today’s audience. The group strives to revitalize listeners to those songs which may have been forgotten since the early days of bluegrass, and make them once again the favorites of fans as they were in former days.At the same time, they respect where bluegrass is today and perform favorites from such groups as The Lonesome River Band and Country Gentlemen. Rock Island Plow Company will continue to impress us in their 3rd First Night appearance and always has the crowd singing for more.
A block West, performing at Bamboo Grill, Rum River Blend bill themselves as 'Unprofessional Entertainment'! They perform blend of traditional bluegrass, folk, Gospel and children's songs. The audience is encouraged to join in on the fun as spoons, washboards, and various other noise making instruments are often passed out to the crowd.
Throughout the evening roving street artists will delight and amaze; and old fashioned carriage rides will be available to tour the lights of the historic district.
The clock is ticking down toward New Year. The First Night Celebration of arts and community has dozens of things left on the checklist. If you would like to help – the party needs volunteers to spend two hours at different venues handing out horns, food and programs; it’s fun to be part of the action! Let’s focus folks! (still need eight more – you interested? 339-5455 or send an e-mail to info@firstnighttroy.com).
This paper is sponsoring the midnight countdown by Mayor Mike and Mrs. Ginnie Beamish as the giant ubiquitous Troy Strawberry shuffles down in the last 30 seconds, while the crowd dances to make big snap-crackle pop on hundreds of feet of bubble wrap!
The entire evening culminating with the giant Strawberry drop (it is, after all, in Troy) at the band shell stage set-up in front of the County Courthouse. With free noisemakers and horns for all.
So plan to hand out in downtown Troy New Years Eve- until the last night ends, and first night begins!
Leib Lurie is a Troy resident, First Night Chair, Optimist Club member and CEO of phone message service OneCallNow.com. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net
Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Lyndon Johnson - Daisy ad - the stakes are too large

2006-10-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

Friends,

In 1964 Lyndon Johnson ran an ad known as the Daisy ad- promoting fear as a tactic. The ad ran only once- and it was yanked as violating censorship rules, and being too radical for the mainstream. It was an ad that said "Be afraid, my opponent will make your life more dangerous."

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7257358371786146012&q=goldwater+daisy&hl=en

Unfortunately, it has been echoed this year by the National Republicans (starts off silently- but builds insidiously).

http://www.gop.com/Multimedia/MediaPlayer.aspx?ID=1136&TypeID=2

selling fear- an abominable, decried, abandoned tactic then,
frightening that it comes back now.

Leib

Looking forward,

Leib
------------------------------
Leib Lurie, CEO
OneCall Now
Telephone Notification Service
We Keep Your Group In The Loop
Direct: 937-875-0385
Instant Message MSN or AIM: LeibLurie
Send rosters and support requests to
support@onecallnow.com 877-698-3262
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623 South Clay St.
Troy, Ohio 45373 USA

Lurie column- oct 25- freedom is not free

2006-10-23T21:47:00.000-05:00

This is, apparently, my last TDN column.

I will be a monthly contributor to Tourgreatmiami.com - the premier arts magazine for the Miami Valley.

and, If the mood strikes, I will post comments to my blog.

thanks for reading.

Leib

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Celebrating Freedom and democracy 50 years later

Maria is eighty one years old and now barely five feet tall. Her dyed red hair is in a tight bun, and her great granddaughter at her side. Her daughter Marika was just six when Maria and her husband trudged through the forest leading from the Russian troops chasing them in Hungary to the freedom of Austria. Like a vision from “The Sound of Music”, only Maria had a machine pistol and bazooka around her neck; a six year old hanging on to her belt being dragged through the thick woods; and grenades clipped to her waistcoat. Maria claimed to have killed 20 Russian soldiers in the past 2 weeks, and would kill more if it would protect Marika and her three younger siblings.

The 50^th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution of October 1956 was commemorated this weekend at the Hungarian church in Dayton. In October 1956, 20,000 students and citizens of Budapest marched peacefully through the streets demanding freedom of the press, the right to vote and seeking a level of independence after 10 years of Russian rule. The Russian soldiers stationed in Hungary started shooting; but the Hungarian Freedom fighters, fought back, and won the battle against machine gins and tanks. The huge statue of Stalin was toppled. The Russians withdrew on Halloween and headed for the border.

Hungarians and the world celebrated. In less than a week, 20 newspapers sprung up with news and opinions of all stripes. The censored and politically correct Russian papers were still available, but now all but ignored. Thousands of political prisoners were freed, the vilified secret police were arrested themselves and their records and offices burned. Freedom was in the air. One party rule was abolished, elections scheduled,

Farmers drove into Budapest giving away food, as after the battle there was little in the city. Jewelry stores, with their windows smashed by gunfire lay open with valuables undisturbed inside; because stealing from Hungarians would be a sin. Releasing József Cardinal Mindszenty, he urged the people to work together for freedom and to protect the lives and safety of the Russians in Hungary.

But immediate freedom was not in the cards this time. On November 4^th, Two hundred thousand Russian soldiers invaded Hungary, killing 2,600 Freedom Fighters, and imprisoning thousands more. The US and NATO stood by – because to counter attack would have triggered world war III. Russia crushed the revolution and re-installed a puppet government that ruled Hungary with an iron fist for thirty two more years.

At the commemorative event Sunday, twelve of the quarter million Hungarians who subsequently fled across the borders, bribed guards, or in Maria’s case, shot approaching troops; listened to speeches, looked at pictures, and watched their children and grandchildren perform Hungarian folk dances.

Lorant Pap, the Troy Rotary Club’s foreign exchange student, from a small town near Budapest, who is living with us, was able to help put things into stark perspective. Although just sixteen, he is steeped in the history, politics and culture of his country. Over centuries, the country was invaded and occupied dozens of times; yet Hungarians maintain a universal feeling of unity, independence and optimism that allowed them to persevere.

Today, the country is a fast growing vibrant democratic culture at the crossroads of Europe. Their diverse and outspoken leaders form a rainbow across the political spectrum. They waited for Freedom and the ability to once again speak and print their opinions freely. Opinions may differ, but they cannot remain stifled. Freedom is not free. They, more than most, recognize this truism.

Leib Lurie, an active community supporter has enjoyed writing about the works of First Night, Troy Civic Theatre, Optimist Club, Boy Scouts, Destination Imagination, Waco Museum, Our Schools and other groups in Troy focusing on youth and the arts. He is CEO of phone message service OneCallNow.com. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net Or see his commentary at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Lurie can't hold a job

2006-10-17T17:18:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your support...

Leib

My thoughts on the matter...

My first job was working in an Orange Juice factory but I got canned.
I couldn't concentrate.

Then I worked in the woods as a Lumberjack but I just couldn't hack
it so they gave me the axe.

After that, I tried to be a Tailor but I just wasn't suited for it,
mainly because it was a sew-sew job.

Next, I tried working in a Muffler Factory but that was too exhausting.

Then I tried to be a Chef. I figured it would add a little spice to
my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.

I attempted to be a Deli Worker but any way I sliced it, I couldn't
cut the mustard.

My best job was a Musician but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.

I studied a long time to become a Doctor, but I didn't have any patience.

Next was a job in a Shoe Factory. I tried but I just didn't fit in.

I became a Professional Fisherman but discovered that I couldn't live
on my net income.

I managed to get a good job working for a Pool Maintenance Company
but the work was just too draining.

So then I got a job in a Workout Center but they said I wasn't fit for the job.

After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job
as a Historian until I realized there was no future in it.

I tried working in Starbucks but I had to quit because it was
always the same old grind.

Then I tried writing a column for the TDN, but got edited out.

So now I'l try retirement, I think I'm perfect for the job

Leib

Lurie column- so long, farewell, amen

2006-10-16T22:55:00.000-05:00

Friends,

David Fong, the new editor of the Troy Daily News, has evidently decided my brand of commentary is not what he has in mind for the paper going forward.

Out of the blue, I received the following e-mail today....

We wanted to thank you for writing your weekly column for the Troy DailyNews the past few years.

At this point, however, we have decided to go in a new direction and have one of our full-time employees fill your column spot on Wednesdays. We are attempting to move toward filling more of our weekly columnist spots with in-house writers.

Again, though, we thank you for being a member of the TDN team these past few years and wish for your continued success in the future.

Best of luck,
David Fong and Kim Kiehl

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last week, the paper disbanded the outside editorial board, so the frequent editorials I drafted and sought consensus and opinion on, will also be a history.

I'm sure that both decisions have nothing to do with my researched opinions, attempts at thought provoking topics of interest, the importance of the upcoming elections, or the fact that the previous editor stood by my often "Blue" columns in a "Red" owned paper.

Although I suspect you may see more columns focusing on burning topics of interest like Mom's cooking, potty training baby girls, and OSU religion in the opinion pages.

Anyway,

I hope you have enjoyed my writing and treatises occasionally.

If you agree, or (hopefully) disagree with the new editors' call,

I urge you to make your voices known by sending a letter to the editor

editorial@tdnpublishing.com anonymous letters don't count.

Leib

Lurie column Oct 11- Milestones

2006-10-10T07:18:00.000-05:00

Milestones

The Romans built the original highway system, stone paved roads linked Rome with hundreds of cities, extending across 53,000 miles. Some are still used today; have survived 2,000 years, a monument to the durability of their engineering and efforts.

Along those roads, stone markers were set, mileposts that told foot weary travelers how far they had come. It was thus easy to gauge where they were in their journey. In the center of Rome, a Golden Milestone (actually Bronze) marked the epicenter of the Roman Empire; a point from which all other posts extended and were measured.

We tend to use the mile stone metaphor in measuring important dates and events as we proceed through our life’s journey, starting with the Golden milestone of our birthday; we remember and celebrate life’s events. Some are obvious when they happen, others only notable in retrospect.

Last week I had the privilege of being the photographer for a colleague’s wedding; snapping pictures and video snippets to document the ceremony and the party – but trying to focus on the family and friends who will be remembered years hence. Although I posted the digital slideshow to the Internet, I ordered a hard bound book, because media changes and web sites expire. Flipping through old albums is a powerful, way to emotionally connect with the people you were with that day. Reliving the past; remembering the friends, relationships, shared activities and feeling old emotions come back to the fore.

While visiting my in-laws this weekend, I went digging back through the memory albums Mom had painstakingly put together for her three daughters, updated constantly with clippings and memorabilia as her daughter grew up and passed the milestones of kindergarten, grade school trips, first date, high school, college, (and in her case, 5 more colleges). The pictures of the wedding in 1976 with awkward moments, antique looking hair styles, and the reception fountain that looks so trite.

Leafing through pictures of relatives, many now gone, others no longer nearly as young. The postcards from the Bermuda honeymoon, and soon, the first house (did we ever fit all our stuff into the 500 square feet half of a duplex?).

Business cards and pictures at work (boy, what passed for chic fashion back then). There are poses next to proudly purchased (but now historic) cars, or peering at the camera next to statues, edifices and just plain streets on trips to Italy, Florida and The Blue Ridge Mountains.

The tone of the book changed as others joined the pages. A daughter 24 years ago and a son 2 years after that. Now instead of looking back at funky hairdos, we try to picture if they were ever that small, innocent and cute. (For some reason the pictures rarely captured the late night cries or the temper tantrums though).

The milestones merged and intertwined. As those of the parents our children and extended family came in seeming rapid fire. The major things, like new communities, different schools, larger houses, and changing careers. The book juxtaposes the momentous with the more mundane, but often more memorable school plays, recitals, trips, Scout ceremonies and sleepovers.

Mom pasted in all of our unique family holiday cards, each one with a different theme; putting a unique spin and perspective on another year gone by. Our late dog penned one, the house wrote another; the year with three family graduations sparked a yearbook theme for the “Lurie Academy”.

As the kids grew, their lives and pictures showed their growing maturity and interests as they emerged with their own values, goals and attitudes; tempered with what we gave them, and they explored; blended with those of friends, and for 16 years, the community that is uniquely Troy.

Our pictures (although as official family photographer, I am a rarity), continue to show the maturing and aging process; but just as vividly, the ever expanding network of interests, activities, school, family, friends, community interests and of course ongoing milestones that can only come after 30 really good years of marriage.

Happy Anniversary Barb.

Leib Lurie is First Night Troy & Troy Optimist Club board member. He is CEO of phone message service OneCallNow.com. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

RE: [demletters] Join us for movie screening - Iraq war protiteers

2006-10-04T22:24:00.000-05:00

Two new PACS working in California

Hi everyone – I just wanted to let people know about two new PACS in California. Both are involved in some of our Congressional races.

Please let people know about these fledgling progressive PACs.

(California Peace Action seems appropriate at the Iraq war movie.)

Deirdre Des Jardins

Santa Cruz

California Peace Action

http://www.californiapeaceaction.org/

“Under the Bush administration’s watch, we’ve seen anti-Americanism grow around the world. We’ve seen a push to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons. We’ve seen a disastrous war in Iraq take a terrible toll on our troops and Iraqis, while wasting billions of dollars.

On November 7, Americans have a decision to make. Do we want a rubber-stamp Congress that blindly follows the Bush administration? Or do we want leadership in a new direction—one that makes America and the world a safer place?

Find out more about the candidates and join the Election Action Team.”

If you know people or organizations who are involved in the peace movement, please let them know about California Peace Action.

Ocean Champions Coalition

http://www.oceanchampions.org/

“the ocean conservation ccommunity has focused on policy rather than politics, and at a cost. Electoral politics is a fundamental aspect of our nation’s political process and the keystone to policy success, yet the ocean conservation community is not a factor in the electoral arena. The report’s primary conclusion is that the ocean conservation community needs to ‘participate fully in the political process’ to be more effective. Full participation means working directly to elect good candidates and defeat bad ones.”

If you know people or organizations who are involved with or care about the oceans, please let them know about Ocean Champions.

Join us for movie screening - Iraq war protiteers

2006-10-04T22:07:00.000-05:00

Barb and I are hosting the move-on event sunday oct 15th - 2pm.

You can sign up for the party we are hosting at:

http://political.moveon.org/event/movieparty/14954

Here are the details of the event
Iraq for sale- war profiteers
At Lurie's in Troy, OH
1102 Peters rd - 1 house north of archer drive
troy, OH 45373
Sunday, 15 Oct 2006, 2:00 PM

Hope to see you there.

Justice is blind until you wave cash

2006-10-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

There is a far away court system that metes out justice in ways that are at best peculiar, at worst smack of kangaroo justice. A Court where logic, facts, impartiality and justice are figments of imagination. Justice here is based on rampant payoffs. Where in many cases, all one needs to win is to send cash to the judge’s office. These courts make it virtually impossible for the little person to win.

The court not only takes in cash from companies that have cases before them, but in an effort to appear unbiased, reports these “contributions” to an elected official who publishes reports of the cash that changed hands.

Although the official is chartered with upholding laws that prohibit this behavior, he ignores that constitutional job and accepts statements from justices who take gobs of cash that the donations have nothing to do with their rulings from the bench. Right.

In this topsy-turvy world of justice, the people get a chance to vote for the justices; electing them to office based on the advertising the candidates place on billboards, on television and in mailings to the voters. The money for their ads come from companies that have business before the court. These firms need to win multi-billion rulings in their favor, so they sprinkle cash on judges who take the money, close their eyes to facts and rule in favor of the cash. In 215 cases, the companies involved paid almost $2 million dollars to the court. The result? 91% of the time the head justice ruled in favor of the donors.

In one case, a European conglomerate wanted to overthrow a law that demanded they stand behind badly flawed products that cause death and injury. A mere $176,000 donated to four judges and voila! A 4 to 3 ruling for the company.

Three years ago, a justice won office helped by $330,000 in cash from insurance and medical companies; the following year, with 3 other justices buoyed by $600,000 in funding voted in every case before them in favor of the insurance companies.

The law of their land limits contributions from companies to $5,500; but the top enforcement official did nothing as $200,000 was donated to the court funneled through dozens of fronts.

Our Country has spent 8 billion dollars helping Iraq to build fair courts to handle crimes and bring justice to a war torn land. But if you thought I was talking about Iraq. Think again.

The court in question is the Ohio Supreme Court. The European company was Chrysler, effectively seeking a ruling to water down Ohio’s Lemon Law.

The insurance and medical company donations convinced the court to overturn precedence and agree that many on-the-job injuries don’t need to be covered by employers. Just one in a string of 215 cases that “voted with the money” 71% of the time in recent years.

Local barrister David Beitzel asked me “why should lawyers even bother writing a brief?” evidently writing checks takes much less time.

The official who winked at donors and the justices who flaunted the campaign rules is Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. He received $160 million from the medical company that bought his firm, and who is now running for Governor under the slogan “Right for Ohio”. Unfortunately all this just seems wrong to me.

The head justice who sold 91% of his votes? Terrence O’Donnell- planning on spending $3 million of company money for re-election against William O’Neil who plans to spend just $5,000 because he takes “No Money From Nobody”. He deserves getting Every Vote From Everybody.

Leib Lurie lives and runs a communications company in Troy Ohio, USA. You can reach him at editorial@tdnpublishing.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Holy month of peace - or terror?

2006-09-25T23:18:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, the 5 ½ million Jews in Israel and 13 million around the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the year 5767. The Jewish New Year, like the Islamic month of Ramadan are both based on the lunar calendar; with twelve months of 28 days, leaving a week left over when matched with the secular calendar. Every four years the Hebrew calendar adds a leap month into the mix to even things out, but the Islamic calendar keeps moving back a week each year so Ramadan meanders through the seasons in a 35 year cycle.

This difference in observation of calendars may be indicative of the intransigence that keeps these two groups in a constant state of war for hundreds of years.

As Jews, we start the new year with a celebration – dipping apples in honey (good fruit, sweet year) and then this Monday, the solemn day of reflection and atonement for the past year’s sins and transgressions and attempt to have one’s name inscribed in the book of life for the coming year. Over the next few weeks a series of minor Jewish holidays celebrate the gift of the Torah (the original version of the old testament) and the celebration of Succoth- a festival of pilgrimage.

The day after Rosh Hashanah, 400,000 Lebanese swarmed to Beirut to kick off the holy month of Ramadan- a month of fasting and prayer, similar in purpose to the Jewish Holy week. These two holidays share a common purpose, acknowledging we are all servants to a higher power, and that peace on earth and doing good works will pave the way for a brighter future, both here or hereafter.

Yet the holy gathering, normally a smaller, and more subdued affair, was subjugated and perverted by the desire of Hezbollah to brandish swords, or as sheik Nasrallah bragged, 20,000 missiles, paid for by Iran and Syria, still hidden away under the mattresses of children waiting for another chance to start flinging them at Israel; and itching for any excuse to start bloodshed again.

Last week, just before Ramadan, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the 192 member states of the UN and after professing global respect for Jews, Christians and Moslems alike, he reiterated an all too common belief in the Islamic world, that since once upon a time, Israeli Jews took Arab land, all there deserve to be wiped off the map and die. This was declared a statement of peace by the man spending hundreds of millions of oil money to provide a massive arsenal for Hezbollah and enrich uranium for ‘peaceful purposes’.

If the ranting of a few maniacs from Iran and Lebanon were isolated and unique, one could hope that the majority of global citizens would readily embrace peace and prosperity. Yet this was also the week when a comprehensive global threat assessment, agreed to by all16 intelligence agencies that comprise our Department of Homeland Security, released in a classified report says that these are not isolated incidents, but that the US’s military activities in Iraq and global unilateralism are fomenting terrorism in places around the globe.

After 9/11, our country had the opportunity to lead a global fight to defeat pockets of terror; with the cooperation and support of every major (sane) leader; instead, we started a global war that has incited anger, distrust and retribution; taking the low road of torture, prisoner abuse, and waving the flag with a cowboy mentality.

As Muslims and Jews fast in prayer this week; maybe, just maybe a vision of peace will emerge.

Leib Lurie is a Troy Civic Theatre Board Member, Optimist Club member and CEO of phone message service OneCallNow.com. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

The Revolution IS Now televised

2006-09-18T23:29:00.000-05:00

I had decided to take a break from politics this week, and focus closer to home, in a way. Over the July 4^th weekend, a Kettering friend called to ask if we knew anyone who could host a foreign exchange student; the original host family had a medical emergency and cancelled.

With an empty bedroom, a weekly TDN deadline for interesting new material, and an extremely understanding spouse; we said ‘bring him on’.

After a few weeks of prep, which included redecorating a room from ‘Dad, I painted over the My Little Pony with palm trees and clouds” wallpaper to something a bit more staid and plausibly European male looking.

Loci (pronounced Low-tzee) is a Junior at Troy High school. It’s been a bit of a challenge becoming instant new parents of a 16 year old. Getting the Hungarian medical forms and grade reports translated, handling Visa forms, Board of Education requirements, class selections, and buying school supplies after a three year hiatus was a blur. My son, wife and I had to go through deep background checks, and thankfully, the Troy Rotary Club agreed to sponsor his visit.

Loci is from a small town, the size of Tipp City about 30 miles north of Budapest, Hungary’s capital.

We have spent the past few weeks showing him the basics of living in Troy; McDonald’s, Subway, La Fiesta, China Garden and Bakehouse Bread (better croissant’s than home, and his mom runs a café’). Stocking up at Kroger, and using a microwave (a common appliance in Hungary, except for his traditional cooking Mom). Using a riding lawn mower, clothes dryer and loading a dishwasher (Not so much a technical issue as a cultural one).

This column was going to focus on the exchange program, but this afternoon CNN broke our reverie. Tens of thousands of young people were storming the Parliament and TV station in Budapest, launching a vehement protest demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany was re-elected giving his party firm control in April.

Mr Gyurcsany's spoke privately to his party in May, the speech leaked on Sunday.

Sprinkling obscenities in his talk that shocked our Hungarian teenager, Mr Gyurcsany said: "We lied in the morning, we lied in the evening." He proudly told his fellow MP’s (members of Parliament- his party) that he and his party had lied about the economy for 2 years; it was in sad shape, but due to the lies, the ‘Expletive voters’ didn’t know a thing.

Monday evening, Loci and I were glued to CNN web cast broadcasting live. At 2am, tens of thousands of protesters were rallying in Budapest and dozens of cities around the country; crying for Gyurcsany’s resignation. Loci translating for me, as a wild eyed leader admonished the crowd, “Don’t fight the police, we are all Hungarian’s. Only one man and his party friends are the target of our anger tonight. They lied to us, and must go”.

Nonetheless fearing a government coup, and with visions of Tom Hanks in “The Terminal” – with Loci trapped in Troy; we called his parents. Even at 2am the family was glued to the television, angry at the lies used to fool the public into voting for a corrupt and dishonest party who won on the basis of deceit; appointed thousands of supporters to cushy jobs and now wish to press for tax cuts for large businesses and steep austerity measures and benefit cuts for the poor and working class.

Thank goodness something that nefarious could never happen here; and that most voters are too compliant to protest even if it does.

Leib Lurie, A New York City native, lives in Troy. You can reach him at editorial@tdnpublishing.com

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Are our prosecutors any better than our generals?

2006-09-11T23:42:00.000-05:00

War is hell. Soldiers and far too often, Innocent civilians die. Leaders need to galvanize the people to support the objectives; and make sure that the war is being fought for the right reasons, against the right enemy, with the right tools to assure success and victory.

Abe Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, FDR and Truman got it right. Solid justification, clear visionary leadership, coalition building at home, and effective diplomacy abroad. Johnson & Nixon got enmeshed in a losing situation and both made it worse; for the soldiers, the locals, the horrific cost in bodies and budget, and declining relations with the world. Now George Bush appears to be heading for the same destination; Morassville.

Monday, in moving and somber reflections centered on the three airplane crash sites, we heard that terrorists have not attacked the USA since 9/11; thanks to vigilance and hard work by the 16 disparate agencies cobbled together under the ersatz control of the Homeland Security agency.

We heard the neo-cons once again point to the same kind of sectarian religious and territorial violence that tore apart Kosovo, Bosnia, the Sudan and the Congo as indicative of the transcontinental hatred of Al Queda against the US. More than 5 million people have died in the Sudan and Congo conflicts since 9/11; yet the horrors there are no more likely to migrate across the ocean than dozens of other internal wars that claim thousands of lives every week.

The government’s operation of the US war on terror is a particularly vexing one for me.

George Bush conveniently unveiled 14 top terrorists last week, in front of an East Room audience of 9/11 widows and parents; all of these evildoers were captured up to 5 years ago. Yet the White House waited for the start of the election season to announce their transfer from CIA secret prisons to Guantanamo and then, soon, to bring them up on charges.

Personally, I think the CIA should have secret places for handling certain people. I don’t want to know about it, just get results. Maybe that happened here. Maybe not. But last week seemed a coincidentally and politically convenient time to trot them out as examples of our success against terrorism.

The White House is using the emotions of the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as a time to ask Congress to write new rules for handling trials of terrorists. The Supreme Court (with seven of the nine members appointed by Republicans) made a clear decision in June; the President’s plans for military tribunals was against the law. As dangerous as the remote threat of terror may be, giving up our constitution is even more dangerous for our collective American future.

Rather than yield, as sworn to do in upholding the constitution, to the two other branches of Government, Bush is demanding Congress quickly pass a law that allows the military to set up kangaroo courts, with the same rules Stalin used to send people to the Gulag, and Castro’s and China’s Communist governments use on dissidents. After all, the 9/11 widows paraded in the East Room expect the 14 evil-doers to be punished.

Regardless of the jurisdiction and court rules eventually hammered out with Congress, bringing terrorists to justice has proved elusive for our government. Of the 417 terrorists identified by different agencies of Homeland Security over the past five years, only 81 have even been indicted, and just 39 convicted. Even the city of Washington DC, whose four term Mayor snorted coke, has a prosecution and conviction rate five times higher.

This Fall, the number of American Soldiers Killed in Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11, will exceed the number of Americans killed on 9/11.

Are we safer yet?

Leib Lurie is a New York Native and Troy Resident You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Who will count the vote this Fall?

2006-09-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

In June, when the Episcopal conference met in Columbus the media covered their discussions and vote, but barely mentioned how they CAST those votes. The conference had decided to jump headfirst into the twenty first century, no more black and white smoke; no more paper ballots. The Ohio Conference would be the ideal place to show off Ohio technology, Diebold electronic voting machines (the same one selected by Ohio Secretary of State Blackwell and mandated for Ohio). The bishops and Lay Leaders of the church decided to give the new machines a test run with some early procedural votes.

Hmmm. 104 people in the room, 119 votes cast. The Episcopal Procedural council had approved the use of paperless electronic ballots but they put in a caveat. If the results were off by more than 10%, the machines would be too suspect for use. The group tried again. 105 people voted, 123 votes cast. Almost a 20% difference. The remainder of the 10 day Ecclesiastic conference was conducted the 19^th and 20^th century way. With paper ballots, counted laboriously and tediously, but accurately.

Last week, the New York Times reported that numerous ballot discrepancies had been found in a scholarly study of the 2004 election. A large color picture showed the ballots for a Ward in Miami County being checked for accuracy. The study found 450 people signed in to vote; but the official tally released by the Board of Elections had 550 votes cast. A 22% over vote. The Director of Miami County Board of Elections was interviewed and called the story nonsense.

The study by Steven Rosenfeld found this was just one of hundreds of Ohio precincts with similar discrepancies, and asked for more detailed study.

The story broke because of a lawsuit against Secretary of State (and Candidate for Governor) Blackwell demanding that ballots (and the printout records from the electronic machines) not be destroyed this month as permitted by Federal law. Blackwell promised to issue a memo to all counties to protect and not destroy ballots. The actual memo Blackwell DID release was somewhat different. He said simply that each election board should look at and to post their county rules for retention. After laughing off the details documented in the New York Times, one might think our county would be the pillar of virtue in following the mandates of the state. One would be wrong. There are no such rules posted on our County’s Board of Election’s web page.

Last week we had yet another major story affecting Ohio’s elections. A Federal court threw out all of Blackwell’s recent ‘emergency voter drive’ rules. Blackwell had issued a set of emergency rules that placed severe restrictions and handcuffs on voter registration drives. A volunteer working at the Dayton Mall, for instance, gathering voter registrations from people who shop from surrounding counties, would be required to drive to each county and hand over the forms personally within 48 hours or they would be void, and the volunteer subject to fines and jail. Further, Blackwell’s rules effectively mandated that every church or non-profit group organizing a voter drive would need a high speed Internet connection and costly projector so all volunteers could receive the ‘official’ on-line training class. Generally federal judges act within reason to prevent abuse of the law and the people by rogue officials.

Yet still, as candidate for Governor, after being knocked down twice in 3 weeks by Federal judges, Blackwell insists that he is not only the right person to be our next Governor, but he sees no problem or conflict in his royal-like purview of Ohio’s election.

Former Russian dictator Josef Stalin said “The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything”.

Unbelievably, as of now, Ted Strickland’s opponent will be counting the votes in Ohio this Fall.

Leib Lurie is a Troy Resident You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Nation Building is harder than it looks

2006-08-28T22:28:00.000-05:00

Twelve months ago today, thousands of people were stranded in the New Orleans Superdome, while the ripped roof offered scant shelter, the sweltering heat inside just made the overflowing sewage smell worse. Bodies were left outside in the sun. FEMA’s Michael Brown, interviewed on national radio declared that everything was under control. George Bush, after a flyover in Air Force One proclaimed that Brownie was doing a heckuva job.

The President asked for and Congress allocated $17 billion to the dept of Housing and Urban Development to quickly find suitable shelter and offer reconstruction aid for the 400,000 people left homeless when the Army Corps of Engineers’ poorly anchored levees failed. A large sum of money for a huge job.

This week, the government accounting office released their report on how well HUD is doing their heckuva job. About 100 million dollars have been spent so far. $1.00 out of every $1,700 allocated.

The other 99.4% is still in the government coffers; and 250,000 people still without housing.

I was curious. Why would a government entity dedicated to building housing barely scratch the surface rebuilding after the nation’s costliest disaster? The answer may surprise you, or maybe not; if you look at who our President appoints into high places; and what they do once selected.

Alphonso Jackson, HUD’s executive director and member of the Bush cabinet was speaking a few months ago to a group of real estate and construction firms at a meeting in Dallas and addressed the subject of government contracting. He recounted that a prospective African-American HUD contractor who had made a "heck of a proposal" and was selected upon the basis of that proposal, but upon thanking Alphonso for being selected the bidder mentioned that he did not like Bush.

As a result, Jackson said, the bidder who had criticized Bush did not receive the contract: ""Brother, you have a disconnect — the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn’t be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don’t tell the secretary."

Jackson asked the crowd, "Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don't get the contract. That's the way I believe."

Hey, the flooded parts of New Orleans were 72% Democratic, so why should a Bush appointee increase the deficit by helping these folks come home?

Tomorrow, 4,800 Trojans will return to school; but fewer than 10,000 of the 60,000 students enrolled pre Katrina will have desks in open buildings next week.

Maybe HUD and FEMA just are incapable of doing their job. Well, that explanation doesn’t wash, after much smaller Hurricane Andrew, where the agency distributed $1.2 Billion;12 times as much in six months; as it handled post Katrina.

Maybe our government has been distracted from Nation building at home with Nation Building in Iraq; obviously there have been conflicting pressures. In the past four years, after the “Mission Accomplished” speech, The Coalition Provisional Authority spent just 2% of the $18 Billion allocated for rebuilding the country, and the hearts and minds of its’ people. “This reconstruction is essential if we are to show Iraqi’s how they can live and prosper under Democracy” so said the Rumsfeld appointee to the CPA. Different agency, same mantra.

By the way, the Dept of Defense managed to spent 81% of the $5.8 billion allocated to ‘helping Defense contractors recover from Katrina damage and to rebuild DoD facilities.

Someday, maybe Iraq and New Orleans will once again have working schools, power plants, hospitals, homes and shops; accompanied by good jobs and a fair chance for a good, safe, stable life. Thinking these pleasant thoughts of the future makes me feel justified in planning to wait in the field with Linus for the Great Pumpkin.

Leib Lurie is a Troy Civic Theatre Board Member, Optimist Club member and CEO of phone message service OneCallNow.com. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Lurie column - Are we safer?

2006-08-21T21:56:00.000-05:00

Are we safer?

The recent revelations from the United Kingdom uncovered yet another plot to destroy the Western way of life, in a Jihad program. This time using a dangerously volatile mixture of hydrogen peroxide and nail polish remover. A similar Al Qaeda program was unveiled ten years ago to take down aircraft over the Pacific. Then it was planned to insert the bomb materials with timed detonators; in the luggage compartment, and for the perpetrators to hop off at a stop-over before detonation. Deadly for the remaining passengers.

This time, the tactic seemed to be one of suicidal martyrdom. Mixing the stuff aboard to create a stratospheric anomaly as rapid de pressurization was supposed to blow a jet out of the sky.

Quick Quiz folks:

Top four answers on the board: Which one has NOT [yet] been treated as a threat by Homeland Security: Snakes on a Plane; Nail polish in the air, Box cutters in coach, C-4 in hiking boots. The traveling public gets more jittery by the day.

Our acting City Safety and Services Director came back from San Francisco on the day the new “liquids are evil” regulations went into effect. He reported panicky passengers returning from Napa Valley with shopping bags of Chardonnay who were made to contribute them to the overflowing trash cans of bottled water and shampoo. What a tragic waste, and I’m not referring to the Prell.

The Internet is ablaze with ideas to combat the new threat, and recriminations about whether the hapless administrators are Homeland Security have a clue. So far, it seems that every new idea in terror is uncovered after the fact; and only with some dumb luck before more people are hurt.

Are we spending money on the right things to protect Americans? Under prodding from Rumsfield, Congress allocated $85 million each to build 339 of the latest F-22 fighter planes to have dogfights in the air. None of the terrorists we have been told to fear have fighter aircraft to take part in such a dogfight. Yet DoD and Congress killed $107 million to design a better explosive detection system for airports.

The Pacific bomb threat came on the heels of the explosion of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie; by a bomb in the luggage compartment. International terrorist, Libyan leader Mu‘ammar al-Qadhdhafi, was apparently responsible for funding that deadly escapade. Today, less than 5% of air cargo shipments are inspected, x-rayed or sniffed. While dying of thirst in economy class, the cargo underneath is sloshing around with who knows what?

Last week, I alluded to traveling without the hassle, hustle and frustration of flying in today’s crowded and targeted jets. Our private plane is fast enough to slice seven hours off the ten trip to family in Philadelphia. US Airways, after taking into account a change in Pittsburgh, air traffic congestion and gate delays can make hitchhiking seem like a reasonable alternative. Weather can delay our single engine Bonanza, but compared to the havoc a passing thunderstorm causes in the commercial space, the difference is nominal.

But private planes are not the answer. Smarter policies and smarter security is. Somewhat facetiously, liquids don’t kill people, terrorists kill people. Short term, we should adopt the tactics used by El-Al (the Israeli) airline. They use psychological profiling to stop the types of people that can cause harm, not blind attempts at blockading harmless nail polish remover carried by teenagers or first aid materials carried by grandmothers.

Long term, we need to seriously – very seriously – look at the horrendous reputation our administration has fomented abroad that make these people yearn for martyrdom in coach.

Leib Lurie is a Troy Resident and frequent business traveler. His wife flies their Bonanza, bypassing security and buzzing over Troy. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Lurie column aug 16 - A walk in the woods

2006-08-14T23:20:00.000-05:00

I packed for a trip Saturday to Minnesota to see a play. The visit would be just overnight, but the journey a long one. I checked my list. Packing toothpaste, shampoo, contact cleaner, chap stick, a few bottles of wine for my sister-in-law. My trusty scout knife, laptop and cell phone. I grabbed some bug spray (The mosquito is the state bird) and sunscreen. Then stuffed in a few bottles of water and a couple of cans of diet lemon-aid to avoid airport prices. These all packed compactly into my new wheeled carry-on bag*.

Off we went. Pulling up at the airport, we found our plane waiting on the tarmac. The pilot was doing her careful examination of wings and wheels for the pre-flight safety check.

I was the 3^rd person on board and there was lots of open space for me, my bag, and all the above accoutrements. The door closed, the pilot taxied out and minutes later we were airborne, nosing above Dayton airspace and bearing Northwest. The glory of flying is it shrinks the world in carefree luxury.

We went to see “A Walk in the Woods” a play about two men, one American the other an urbane Russian. They were the senior arms negotiators in Geneva during the 1980’s, trying to put a halt to the deadly nuclear arms race that was threatening the world with the specter of thousands of mushroom clouds bringing our world to a blazing halt.

The two broke from the stuffy, stiflingly formal negotiating table to seek the clear mountain air and lake views in Geneva. To talk away from an audience and aides in an attempt to get to know each other; and seek to bring the world back from the precipice of mutually assured nuclear destruction.

We were fascinated to become enmeshed in the fears and foibles of these two as they felt the pressure of the world on their shoulders, two men struggling to build a peace, while millions of soldiers, and thousands of scientists worked to dream up new ways of killing people and find new technology or sneaky loopholes in the 13 flawed arms treaties signed before them.

Andre recounted why Russians mistrust everyone; and Americans are so idealistic. Russians (and most Arabs) lived on wide open plains surrounded by enemies; survival and fighting was a survival skill perfected through many centuries as successive hordes of invaders sacked and burned the villages and cities again and again. Distrust of neighbors was warranted, and, using Darwins’ theory of survival, honed to a fine edge by those that endured and rule today.

The United States is protected by wide oceans, threatened over the last few centuries by little but native Americans with inferior weapons. Andre postulated that Americans were still seeking the frontier, expanding their front yards; while those living on the steppes carved out defensible borders and sought to keep what land and assets they had.

The Play was a harsh look at the escalating dangers of unrestrained military build-up in the era of the cold war. A time when air travel was carefree, enemies were clearly labeled with flags and armies and our children lived in fear of Generals with their finger on the button, able to obliterate the world in a few moments; prevented from doing so only because their leaders are just as concerned for their own lives as you and I.

Today, air travel is anything but carefree bliss; as travelers look about in fear of a terrorist with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Our soldiers and allies are worried about inciting faceless, nameless insurgents with Improvised Explosive Devices. Our children live in fear that more generals than ever have their finger on the buttons of death. Their leaders seem more concerned with achieving fame at any cost than in fighting for peace at every chance.

I fear the policies and politics of this century make it less likely we will reach the next one.

The Cold war may be over, but more than ever, we have reason to break out in a cold sweat.

* Leib Lurie avoids the commercial airport mess by having his wife pilot a Bonanza Beechcraft where they need to go without worrying about TSA, x-rays, metal detectors and liquid bans. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Lurie column: Volunteering in Troy

2006-08-07T22:35:00.000-05:00

Volunteering in Troy

You have seen their logos every time you come into Troy, possibly for years, but probably don’t know what they mean or who puts these funny looking circular signs on the welcome to Troy signs posted at the four corners of the compass.

Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, and Optimist Clubs all post signs next to the Troy logo “Be Kind” and above the well-tended flower bed. Tens of thousands of people drive past these signs every day; yet awareness is low. Most Trojans only see these clubs and their members close-up during the Strawberry festival, when they run children’s games or sell Strawberry Jam, Lemon shake-ups, strawberry foodstuffs and more to help raise money.

These are our Service clubs, all attracting men (most men and women) who want to meet socially for breakfast, lunch or supper once a week or twice a month; learn more about the community, and donate their time to raise money; which is then used to provide donations or services for different causes. I call it the “3 C’s” Cuisine, Camaraderie and Community.

Most of the clubs have a simple formula… Meet for a meal, talk and catch-up with friends and members over an informal, inexpensive meal (our club charges $7.00 for an all-inclusive lunch, with fresh baked rolls, all you can drink, tax and tip). Then the meeting is called to order. Someone will offer a prayer over the meal, and there will be a few minutes of club business, discussion of upcoming events and activities.

An assigned ‘enforcer’ or Sergeant at Arms will then collect 25¢ ‘fines’ or ‘happy bucks’ – where members make a modest donation in order to have the privilege of bragging about special events in their lives. We applaud those with birthdays or anniversaries this week; or congratulate parents and grandparents when the stork arrives, diplomas are earned or milestones celebrated in their families.

Then a guest speaker makes a presentation. This is the high point for me. It usually involves us in the community and opens our eyes to so many things we otherwise wouldn’t experience. What museum is moving from downtown this month? How many beds will be in the new fire station? How many workers did it take to build a Habitat home working round the clock for just 2 days? What is the secret to attracting record numbers of swimmers at the city pool? Where did the Inter-urban trains that ran through Troy go? What types of stuff do the canoeing volunteers who clean up the Great Miami every year find? Have you seen the new floor plan for the $20 million enhancements being built by Troy Schools? Or more selfishly, how can you cut strokes off your putting game? It’s truly a grab-bag; and the variety and depth of the groups we see helping others never ceases to amaze me.

The subjects run the gamut, some are fascinating, others less so, but 20 minutes later, it’s time to recite the organization’s creed and get back to work.

Every week, a speaker informs and excites us about things happening in town. Civic groups, Business groups, government officials, political candidates, faith based organizations, school administrators; or a highlight I have touted on this page, children performing music, arts, drama and honing problem solving or oratory skills.

The Lions club has an International focus on eye care, helping raise money for the blind, and to recycle glasses for those in developing countries who cannot afford new ones; less well known are their generous donations for diabetes awareness and drug abuse prevention. There are 3 million Lions around the world.

The Kiwanis is somewhat smaller, dedicated to serve children, and their name says it all Kiwanis is an old Indian expression meaning ‘we have a good time”.

The Rotary is more business focused. They seek to encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and build goodwill and peace throughout the world. For example a 17 year old Rotary exchange student from Hungary will spend the year in Troy, sponsored by the Troy Rotary club.

The Optimist Club is my home turf, we help kids in Troy with a dozen events and projects during the year, many are noted in my column during the year.

My insurance agent invited me to a free lunch 15 years ago. I went for lunch, and stayed for the rest. Any of the clubs will be happy to welcome you for a free lunch. Why not experience it for yourself? Call the Troy Chamber at (937)339-7809 they’ll have a member of one of the clubs invite you to their next meeting.

Leib Lurie is a Troy resident and Optimist Club member. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Oy Vey what a mess

2006-08-01T07:54:00.000-05:00

Oy Vey, what a mess

Being Jewish in the Midwest is a lonely role. Miami County has fewer than 200 Jewish families. (In New York City, more than 10% are Jewish. During trouble and strife in Israel, many of our friends and neighbors go out of their way to ask us what we think of the situation over there.

The situation in short, stinks. There are no good options and few reasonable alternatives.

Israel was created after World War II as a refuge for the sorry few survivors of the Nazi Holocaust. A period when six million Jews were starved and killed in concentration camps as Hitler’s ‘final solution’ to a perceived threat to the Germanic lifestyle by a civilization that contributed so much by so many. (Hundreds of Nobel winners, thousands of inventors, Thespians, and Writers)

The everlasting deadly dance to eradicate Jews did not stop with VE day and the creation of a free Israeli state. It has continued and festered between Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, and radical political groups they support, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and others who have sworn to wipe Israel off the face of the planet. The anti Zionist movement (Arab opposition to a free Israeli state) started almost as soon as the UN created Israel in 1948. Fomented by Arab leaders who, like dozens of dictators and military leaders before them found it convenient and easy to blame their woes on someone else.

The Zionists who built Israel built factories, research parks, Universities, schools for everyone. The average Arab has a 8th grade education, the average Israeli 16 years. The average unemployment rate in Israel is 8.9% (lower for Jews) vs 19% in Lebanon and 20% in Syria. These numbers and facts are behind much of the feeling of disenfranchisement that drives the conflict.

The Israelites had good farms, because they built complex and efficient irrigation systems in the desert. The Egyptian, Lebanese and Syrian Arabs had failed agricultural systems and repeated sweeps of famine; so their leaders would point to the lush, Israeli settlements hacked out of the rock and sand and tell their people that the water was stolen from Arabs.

Whether the hatred is secular, driven by government and civil Sheiks, or religious, driven by Moslem clerics and vocal extremists, the result is similar; ongoing, constant pain and hatred that grows every day; flogged from a perceived dull awareness to red hot flames of passion.

Armed conflicts have erupted with almost clockwork like repetition. Arab invasions of Israel in 1956, 1967 and 1973. Israel retaliation has been swift and yet met with surprise and angst. How dare they fight back?

In 1982 repeated rocket launches from Lebanon taunted Israel to invade. A corrupt and failed government made the situation worse. 300,000 Palestinian refugees fought to take over the government and invade Israel again. Syrian troops were sent in (invaded) to ‘help’ the struggling Lebanese dictator. After years of armed conflict, the Lebanese government restructured and took over; Israel pulled back with the understanding that Syrian troops would withdraw physically, and pull their financial support for the Hezbollah rebels. Over the past 6 years, a form of peace descended, But the financial and military support for Hezbollah continued unabated. Syria is claimed to have sent 12,000 rockets to the border; specifically to attack Israel.

Earlier this month Hezbollah guerillas invaded Israel capturing several soldiers. In the fight that followed, the stored rockets started launching. And the undeclared war started spiraling out of control again. That’s where we are today.

A small free state fighting off militant guerillas funded and supplied by supposedly legitimate regional governments. In recognition of civilian collateral damage, Israel pulled back six times before in the past 50 years after being invaded and attacked; leaving the other side to rest, re-arm and renew their vengeful crusade once again.

If Detroit was shelled from Canada by armed insurgents, the retribution would be swift and without restraint. Since no government in the Arab world has agreed to help stop the spiraling violence. Israel has promised to disassemble the military strongholds of the attackers itself.

Having the collective memories of six million brethren killed by sworn enemies is a powerful incentive to fight for survival; and eventually, lord willing, lasting peace.

Leib Lurie is a New York Native and Troy Resident You can reach him at editorial@tdnpublishing.com

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Lurie column: Ashes to ashes

2006-07-17T21:07:00.000-05:00

Burying a friend is never easy. Even when the friend is a slinky, black furry cat who has insisted on leaving his black hair clumps all over the house for the past 14 years.

The Vet examined him 4 weeks ago, and pronounced her diagnosis. “Fatal Feline Cancer”; operations are difficult, expensive and less than 1% successful; for a cat of his breed, the equivalent of 75 years old, the decision was one of hospice, not hospital. We couldn’t face the euthanasia needle; at least not yet. So we brought him home for the end. Watching him ravenously drink and eat well these past weeks had given us a slim hope. No pain, maybe gain.

Digging a hole in the sweltering heat of a July afternoon helps clear the mind of the reality to come.

We watched him fight the wasting effects of cancer, as an inoperable tumor swelled inside the abdomen causing it to look obese, while the rest of the body withered away to naught but skin and bones. His hair started to fall out in clumps, not from any treatment modern science has to offer the pet world, but as every stray nutrient is channeled by the body, tricked by a nefarious disease into feeding the insatiable tumor. But his purring continued, and he kept seeking out company.

The cat had been through a lot. An indoor/outdoor cat who knew well the workings of a dog door; he was able to come and go with ease. Hunting and stalking is a feline specialty, and a black slinky cat has it down to a science. Merlin proudly brought in an assortment of mice, birds, chipmunks, rabbits, owls and squirrels over the years. He taunted the prissy cat in such a haughty way, that she was forced to hunt too. Only she would bring home her prey and let them loose in the house; unharmed, and stand back to watch the excitement. Merlin, named by our son after Disney’s Fantasia character, expressed sincere disinterest in Lizzie’s Audubon Society antics.

On Monday, we found him supinely stretched out, catatonic, but this time, in eternal slumber.

Yet he was as aggressively friendly with family and visitors as he was deadly with rodents and their ilk. No lap in our house was safe from a cat insisting on being scratched and stroked. He so loved to be draped around the neck like a mink stole; and would lie still as a statue with just the barest twitch of his tail giving away the fact that the taxidermist had not had a hand in this fashion accessory. My daughter wanted to bring him to the Prom that way. For reasons lost in the fuzzy history of our memories, we could not this evening remember why we refused her request.

The hole grew deeper as I stood on the shovel to break up the clay below.

Merlin had returned home a number of times with deep bloody scratches and torn ears. Maybe the momma raccoon objected to his hunting instincts; or maybe a neighborhood dog took umbrage at his freedom. We applied antibiotics and nursed him back. He was soon up and about, ready for more.

Rigor mortis had set-in, his eyes were open, but they lacked the yellow shine in the iris. Death is not as fleeting as a cat’s purr.

Cats are all different, this one would stand his ground against the dog when a bone was tossed; the dog knew better than to object. Claws beat paws any day. He preferred water drizzling from a bath faucet to a pedestrian serving in a bowl; and would vocalize this fact walking across the top of the tub until I yielded.

I covered his face with a handkerchief, and covered his body with dirt. A worm wiggled on top, soon to start his work below.

Pets enter our lives to enrich them, and those of our family. When they leave us, they leave a hole that hurts. We circled the mound and hugged each other; words didn’t come then, but I write them now, “Goodbye old friend”.

Leib Lurie is a Troy Resident and Optimist Club member You can reach him at editorial@tdnpublishing.net

Miracle mileage product blocked by government

2006-07-10T22:36:00.000-05:00

Miracle mileage product blocked by government

With gas climbing past $3.00 per gallon, budgets get frayed and choices need to be made by millions: gas or food? Rent or Gas? The choices are stark. The country’s dependence on foreign oil is a visible weakness every time the needle points to “E”.

Our President has declared that it is time to get serious about our energy independence and vowed last January to cut imported oil by 50% over the next decade. A terrific goal. All it would take, he said, was opening up the Atlantic continental shelf and the far reaches of Alaska Wildlife preserve to oil production, and additional tax breaks to encourage production by big oil companies.

The budget submitted for next year calls for token increases in federal funding for solar, wind and water power projects. Annual grants that add up to about a week of the war in Iraq. He gave a token glance at conservation, encouraging more intelligent use of gasoline and energy. Nothing near as drastic as Jimmy Carter’s adoption of sweaters in the White House but the high price and long lines then were trigger points for America to get smart about energy usage. Mileage went up by 50% in the next 10 years, and energy efficiencies by homes, appliances and industry jumped a similar amount. All as people, and businesses, working in conjunction with Congress recognized the threat of Arab energy embargoes and pared energy use. In fact, as the American population climbed almost 50% from 1973, our energy use rose just 10%; an amazing jump in conservation and efficiency. But the increase has slowed, even reversed in the current decade.

Millions of dollars are spent on gray market quack products designed to boost the mileage of your car. Secret oils, magnetic bands for the engine, wonder additives for fuel, and thingies for under the hood like the turbonator or the vortec cyclone. Patented wonders hawked at innocent Americans, yet all debunked by scientists and engineers. Except for one.

There is another, proven, effective, readily available under-the-hood change that can generate 42 to 48 miles per gallon. It is a widely available automotive technology around the world. But hurry, because the Government is forcing it off the US market.

The diesel car, long a staple of truckers and the majority of vehicles sold internationally by European auto makers (including dozens of models by GM, Mercedes/Chrysler and Ford) is destined for the history books in America.

The EPA has mandated increased standards for clean air emissions on vehicles to fight smog and pollution. For years, the primary automobile solution to emission control has been Catalytic converters. A passive device made with expensive metals that react with tailpipe hydrocarbon emissions to convert the gas to harmless water. It is a truly amazing invention that works for 75,000 miles or more without needing any attention. Diesel engines have been more of a challenge. The dirtier, generally cheaper diesel oil has more ‘soot’ that must be cleaned from the exhaust to prevent particulate smog. New technology in use throughout Europe injects a tiny spray of urea (a natural chemical compound) into the exhaust gas from an under-the-hood dispenser and voila’ virtually immaculate emissions, 99% of soot is eliminated. But the technology requires the Urea tank to be refilled every 12,000 miles during oil changes. So now the EPA is balking at the technology, feeling people should not be allowed to buy cars that get 35% better gas mileage if the trade-off is an emissions systems that requires any sort of operator maintenance.

This is bureaucratic hogwash at its finest. The trade-off is a rational one. But based on the pace of the EPA, my advice is to buy a diesel now, because they will probably be gone from the US market when the 2007 models arrive.

Leib Lurie is an Optimist Club member and software entrepreneur. You can reach him at Leib@Lurie.net

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com

Occupying forces threaten to destroy country

2006-07-04T12:20:00.000-05:00

Occupying forces threaten to destroy the country

The occupying forces swarmed in to the city, taking over homes, government buildings, and throwing up barricades to keep the population at bay, and their troops safe.

The city and surrounding countryside has become a dangerous place. Roving bands of soldiers conducting safety sweeps have been known to fire at the slightest cause, often maiming villagers and leaving bullet holes just inches over the beds of the citizenry.

The area had been sectioned off, in some cases with long lines of trenches, or fencing designed to keep the disagreeing factions apart.

Patriotic citizens were constantly being accused of patronizing one side or the other. Often families are split apart as some believe in the government imposed by the foreign soldiers; while others vehemently seek a different kind of home rule.

Until recently, the iron rule of a single virtual monarch, backed up by a puppet parliament, had held sway; and the people had been subjugated, but generally happy with limited self-determination to operate their own lives. Spies watched Shopkeepers who sold illicit goods, and businesses were limited to importing only those goods sanctioned by the government; but food was generally plentiful, and the streets were safe. Travel, was of course, restricted, but the cost and difficulty of traversing the generally horrifically poor roads made this all but irrelevant.

A while back, invaders from the North attacked some of our communities, threatening the stability of the government, and it triggered a war that started to split the people apart. Some siding with the Northerners, some with the status quo. Native tribesman took up sides with the invaders and forced homeowners to change the way they think and act around them; relegating all to the status of undesirable and/or untrustworthy. Many were killed or run off their land.

The cohesive, peaceful civilization was starting to unravel. Imported goods grew scarce. Fuel, once readily obtainable, became expensive and even dangerous to procure. Health care suffered as doctors turned away people for belonging to ‘the other side’. Medicines, always in short supply, often contaminated, and usually offered as a mixture of homeopathic blends with pseudo scientific research behind them, were leaving people suffering from disease, especially unique strains introduced by both the invaders and the paid members of the coalition who hailed from foreign lands.

The occupying soldiers, often accompanied by mercenaries and civilians brought over to handle the mundane tasks of occupation, cooking, laundry, transportation, had brought their own cultures with them, and they were not creating the desired melting-pot into the populace, but rather causing a melt down of order, processes and the rule of law.

Prisoners were whisked away without charges, without lawyers, and without hope. They were routinely treated inhumanely, and, held incommunicado near an old naval base on an off-shore island, were hoped to be forgotten as the soldiers tried to subdue the tensions growing among the people.

A local government, given a charter to bring their people in line, was pressured by the soldiers to do more, and to build up trained guards and police to protect the citizens, and restore the peace. It was not working. The folks who were pressured into joining the government, were berated by neighbors for selling out. Their families were put under suspicion or worse.

The world was watching, although few countries dared take sides against those of the soldiers; fearing reprisals and loss of trade, many sent representatives to try brokering a peace. Most failed. Some sent surreptitious aid, including arms to the invaders and the locals; urging and fomenting an internal revolt; a revolution against the soldiers and the out-of-touch leader who wanted to be feted as royalty.

The situation was turning ugly. It would, however get far worse before peace and freedom would reign again.

King George III’s army was defeated at Yorktown and the colonists subsequently formed a new government.

Today’s government and this generations’ King George should re-visit those times and the lessons learned. It is time to change course to honor and respect the ideals we fought for then, and quell the deadly toll that keeps rising every day in Iraq.

Leib Lurie is a Troy resident who grew up on what was a Revolutionary war battlefield, Fort Washington, in New York City.

Or see these columns on his blog at www.llurie.blogspot.com