Religion & tolerance – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Nobel and Sainthood?

David Posnett — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 23:33:38 +0000

Marthe Gautier

Dr. Jérôme Lejeune

I was curious whether anyone had ever been awarded a Nobel prize in the sciences or medicine, first initiated in 1901, and then later been canonized (sainthood). There are some interesting stories throughout the history of canonized scientists, but most of them antedate 1901. However, Dr. Jérôme Lejeune piqued my interest. He discovered trisomy 21 as the cause of Down syndrome in 1959. Read Ref (2).

The science led to prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders and termination of pregnancy as an option, widely practiced nowadays. Lejeune strongly opposed this practice:

“It was a bitter irony for Lejeune, when the young discipline [of cytogenetics] spawned by his research, permitted the diagnosis of Down syndrome in utero, facilitating the termination of affected pregnancies. A devout Catholic who staunchly opposed abortion, Lejeune hoped that research into the causes of Down syndrome and other genetic disabilities could lead to improved treatment and even cures. He was active in treating Down syndrome patients, counseling their families, and advocating against abortion. In 1994, Pope John Paul II appointed him founding president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Lejeune’s views were well known in the scientific world. At the William Allan Memorial Award ceremony, instead of presenting the customary lecture on research, Lejeune gave a talk called “On the Nature of Men,” during which he noted that “geneticists have not broken the secret of the human condition, and … scientific arguments are of little help in ethical issues.” He ended with an impassioned rejection of genetics as a basis for terminating pregnancies. Afterward, he reportedly told his wife, “Today, I lost my Nobel Prize in medicine.” Lejeune, who died in 1994, never got the call from Stockholm.”

However Lejeune’s chances of becoming a Saint are still alive, see (1). On 21 January 2021, Pope Francis declared Lejeune’s heroic virtues, and Lejeune was named “Venerable”.

But there is a twist to the story. Second author on the original 1959 paper, Marthe Gautier, published an article in Human Genetics at the 50^thanniversary of the discovery, stating that she, not Lejeune, made the first observations. She writes that she did not have the equipment capable of reliably documenting the discovery, so she “entrusted the slides to Lejuene…I was too young to know the rules of the game. … I suspected political maneuvering, and I was not wrong…I felt cheated in every respect,”

This reminds us of the fate of Rosalind Franklin, who was the British researcher who took the famous “Photograph 51” that gave James Watson and Francis Crick crucial information on which they based their model of the double-helix structure of DNA. Franklin died before the pair, plus Maurice Wilkins, won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1962. Watson disparaged Franklin in his best-selling book,The Double Helix, but now admits that had she lived, she should have shared the prize.

Is Lejeune an example of a case of “selective morality”? Lejeune seems to have picked and chosen when to have a moral stance. To him, abortion was morally inadmissible. But taking advantage of a young inexperienced female colleague and possibly presenting her scientific data as his own, seems to have been morally permissible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Lejeune

https://www.science.org/content/article/updated-scientist-saint

Armenian Genocide

David Posnett — Sun, 02 May 2021 21:29:46 +0000

Letters to the Editor: Finally, an end to a century of U.S. complicity in Armenian genocide denial published in the L.A. Times

People from the Armenian community celebrate President Biden’s decision to formally recognize the Armenian genocide in Beverly Hills on April 24.

(Los Angeles Times)

APRIL 26, 2021 1:03 PM PT

To the editor: The Turkish government’s denial of the Armenian genocide compounds the tragedy. This policy kills the victims twice — first the actual murders, then the murder of their memory. Adolf Hitler is reported to have justified his genocidal intent by asking just before World War II, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” Biden has displayed courage by taking this moral stand. The Holocaust was the next genocide. Perhaps if the free world had spoken out against the Armenian genocide, millions of lives could have been saved.

Steven Ludsin, East Hampton, N.Y. The writer was a member of the first U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, which created the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.

White History MonthGot

David Posnett — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 20:25:32 +0000

https://twitter.com/ambermruffin/status/1358037733684355074?s=20

Got this from my friend Joanne: its hilarious and a great video.

Rabia Aziz sent this out tonight. Since I was clueless about Amber Ruffin, I played it thinking OMG, she must be talking about some Trump racist saying we need a white history month, will this never end. Instead, we got a fascinating American history lesson about something that’s been vaguely talked about but this really put it all together. Thank you, Rabia. I wish all of you could have learned as much as I have over the past three years from Rabia and Miss Lillie about the American history we aren’t taught.

Take care, JoAnne

A Letter to Lee Zeldin

David Posnett — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 23:00:17 +0000

https://www.britannica.com/event/Kristallnacht

I tried to leave a message for Zeldin at the Patchogue office but the answering machine instructed constituents to email his office with a comment. I share the comments I emailed to Zeldin with you. I hope many take advantage of the opportunity to express our serious reservations of Zeldin’s positions. Steve Ludsin

Dear Congressman Zeldin,
I must protest your vote to challenge the electoral college and then send an email dated January 9, 2021 where you stated that you returned home from our nation’s Capitol after witnessing firsthand from inside the House chamber on Wednesday the best of America clash with some of the worst of it in a moment of your life you will never forget. I agree with your view that the vandalism and loss of life at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday was totally unacceptable and there must be ZERO tolerance for violence in any form.
Sadly your constant support of the electoral college challenge due to an alleged rigged election encourages the very violence you condemn. You need to rethink your position.
Thank you for considering a constituent’s viewpoint. We both served on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council at different times. The attack on the Capitol was similar to Kristallnacht and we know what the results of that attack became.

Steve Ludsin

Fire Departments and Trumpers – Post Election Trends

David Posnett — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 14:13:47 +0000

A Brookhaven Fire Department truck in Suffolk County had a Confederate flag draped down its left side.

Even though Trump has lost the election, his followers, the “Trumpers”, are here to stay. What might this mean for the future?

A group calling themselves the “Huntington – Northport Patriots” has plans for yet another MAGA Trump 2020 Truck parade on Dec 12^th:

12/12/20 MAGA Trump 2020 Truck/Car Parade 10AM Sunday
Huntington – Northport patriots Would like to Announce
We are doing a Toy / Clothing and Food Drive for Helping Hands Pantry and St Patrick’s Church of Huntington. … Decorate your cars with Trump Christmas attire, fly your Trump, American and Christmas Flags and show the world we will Not back down, until all Legal votes are counted and all fraud is addressed.
Trump Won, and the Marxist democrats are trying to Steal America and destroy our country.
We must be involved now, more than ever before. United, we will live to see another day and save the Constitution of The United States of America!
Bring your flags,
Bring your signs,
Support Our President.

Further relevant news tid bits:

The Patch.com reports: “… Angry… Trump supporters here today cursing and screaming at their fellow citizens … It’s a sad day.”

A Long Island Supermarket Advertises Discount for Shoppers Who Support President Trump.

And a Confederate flag was spotted on a LI fire truck in Brookhaven, see above picture.

Fire Department (FD) elections are coming up. It is good to remember that FD volunteers enjoy certain perks, such as a significant rebate on real estate taxes!

Here is the inside scoop for FD elections in Brookhaven. JoAnne Young ten Doesschate from Brookhaven writes:

Fire departments in Suffolk have traditionally been Republican and all politicians court them because they get their members to vote. But just as traditionally, they have rarely gotten overtly involved in political races. Perry campaigned at every fire department event with no problems. Trump has changed all that.

In Setauket, a local group headed by Trumpers (members of the Setauket Patriots who led the local Trump Caravans) did GOTV against Steve Englebright. Now they are running someone for Commissioner who has been in the FD for less than 1 year against a woman who has been involved for the past 20 years. And they’re putting big money into this – there are lawn signs everywhere and even 4×4’s at major intersections.

In Stony Brook, the Trumper they are running has never been involved in the FD, though his sons are, against someone who has been heavily involved for many years. In 2016 the Trumper had a huge banner on his roof, in 2020 flags in his front yard, and he was also part of the Setauket Patriots caravans in his Jeep flying Trump flags.

Although I don’t know the details, the same thing is happening in Bellport. The head of the Bellport Ambulance Corps was used in a Zeldin ad, in the fire house, in uniform. As you can see by their Facebook cover photo, they don’t hide it and Zeldin gets away with it because he is in office and used procuring PPE as his claim to fame during the first wave of the pandemic. https://www.facebook.com/SouthCountryAmbulanceCo/

Supposedly this is happening in a number of fire districts throughout Suffolk. Jane Corrarino said it well – “In the current political climate, they will most likely also be used for launching a ‘back bench’ in the broader political arena.”

We talk about how important local politics is and this is a perfect example. While we are lucky in NY state, we have watched across the country how Republicans have gerrymandered and suppressed votes and now control the majority of state governments. Fire departments have well paid patronage jobs and the positions can be used as stepping stones for higher office. While Trump barely won in Suffolk, he did win, and he won big in NY1.

And they will use their control to the exclusion of Dems who want to be involved. In one Brookhaven village, I was told of a young man who is afraid to let them know he is a Dem because he fears losing his job. (One more reason why people register as independents!) Young people for whom volunteering as EMT’s is one of the best things they can have on their applications for nursing or med school may not even know that they won’t be chosen because of their political affiliation….

By state election law, ALL fire departments have their elections this coming Tuesday, Dec. 8. When the polls open varies from village to village and only one station in each village is used for voting. Voters must also be registered to vote in Suffolk County; they use BOE election lists to prove residency. Some require you to show your license.

From Jon Kornreich (running to replace Valerie Cartright on the Brookhaven town council):

The sudden partisan intrusion of the Patriot group has turned what should be a non-partisan civic election into something much more dangerous. Institutions such as the fire district, the school district, and the library, as well as other organizations such as the Civic Association, the Trust and numerous others have carried on their work for many years in a spirit of community service, not as political battlegrounds. Historically, people like Sue Meyers who support and join these organizations have done so because of their real interest in the organization’s mission.

SETAUKET Vote for Sue Meyers for Fire Commissioner

The Trumper is Griffin.

STONY BROOK Vote for Thad Holsberg for Fire Commissioner

The Trumper is Joe Saggio.

Are we Ready?

David Posnett — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 14:52:55 +0000

The Love – Black Eyed Peas and Jennifer Hudson

“the choice could not be more clear”

Is it Fascism yet?

David Posnett — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 20:50:27 +0000

LETTER in the Boston Globe
How fascist is it?
Updated September 24, 2020, 1 hour ago

The cult demands allegiance
“Is it fascism yet?” by Renée Graham (Opinion, Sept. 23) reinforced my fears about how dangerous Donald J. Trump is. The American carnage he vowed to remove from our country was actually his goal. The pandemic mismanagement confirms that chaos is his modus operandi. The cult of Trump enjoys the binary approach that Trump advocates. Threats, intimidation, and violence make them feel good. Trump struts on stage with the smug arrogance displayed by Benito Mussolini. The divisive rhetoric has echoes of Adolf Hitler. Trump may not be a dictator, but that is his goal. The walk across the street from the White House with a show of force to highlight the Charlton Heston moment with a Bible in hand sent an unmistakable message. The cult of Trump requires blind allegiance. Trump lies and people die, and the refusal to wear masks shows us how bald-faced the strategy is. It gives true meaning to “in your face.” I am reminded of the warning at the entrance to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum where an American liberator of a concentration camp says these things just don’t happen. Unfortunately, they did.

Steven A. Ludsin

Lee Zeldin’s Confederate Statues

David Posnett — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 18:25:29 +0000

Deeply Concerned
Springs
August 9, 2020

Dear David:

To excuse his vote against the removal of statues of Confederate soldiers from the Capitol, Rep. Lee Zeldin claims, “never to have heard from a constituent that they were concerned about statues in the Capitol”— statues honoring the men who fought to protect slavery. Well, Mr. Zeldin, I am a constituent, and I am deeply concerned.

Those eight statues were sent to Washington by Southern states between 1908 and 1931, decades after the Confederate defeat, to honor “the Lost Cause” and to celebrate the triumph of white supremacy through the Jim Crow laws that oppressed and terrorized Blacks in the backlash to Reconstruction. They were installed despite a public outcry by, among others, Union Army veterans and a congressman from Kansas who refused to “sanction an official honor for a traitor.”

Mr. Zeldin is evidently okay with honoring traitors because, he says, “The war is over and the Union won.” Imagine if Germany were to sanction statues honoring Hitler, Himmler, and Goebbels in public squares because, “Hey! World War II is over and the allies won!”

We can, and we should choose which parts of our nation’s history to remember with pride. The statues Mr. Zeldin has chosen to protect represent the worst of America’s history. I hope others of his constituents will join me in choosing to stop being represented in Congress by Lee Zeldin.

ANN DAVISON

We Got to Work Together

David Posnett — Tue, 05 May 2020 14:49:41 +0000

“Being different is cool” – a lesson from kids in Germantown, PA.

A truly powerful video relevant to our current times (click on the image to see the musical video):

Recognized by the United Nations for Extraordinary Public Service

“On the Other Side of the Fence” is a touching documentary about a musical (by the same name) that was created to foster empathy and partnership between children from two Philadelphia schools for over 30 years.

Baby Jesus in a Cage

David Posnett — Wed, 25 Dec 2019 01:00:43 +0000

Church Puts Baby Jesus In Cage For Immigration-Themed Nativity Scene

St. Susanna’s Rev. Steve Josoma said the Massachusetts church’s Nativity display puts a “mirror image of the world into the stable.”

from the Huff Post

A Massachusetts church is mixing faith and politics in its nativity display this year ― placing a baby Jesus figurine in a cage to provoke conversations about America’s immigration policies.

Leaders at St. Susanna Parish, a Roman Catholic congregation in Dedham, hope the display puts a Christian perspective on controversial actions toward migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and around the world.

“We wanted to put a mirror image of the world into the stable,” parish priest Steve Josoma told HuffPost.

The traditional Nativity scene that Christians have become familiar with over the centuries features shepherds, wise men and animals huddled around Jesus, Mary and Joseph in a stable. The classic image demonstrates how people from different countries and social classes can come together in a “perfect symbol of peace on Earth,” Josoma said.

St. Susanna’s Nativity scene shows what happens when people find ways to build walls between each other, the priest said. The scene shows baby Jesus in a black metal cage, separated from Mary and Joseph. The image of Jesus behind bars is meant to represent the plight of migrant children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border because of White House policies.

In St. Susanna Parish’s Nativity display, Jesus is placed in a metal cage while the wise men are blocked by a fence.

To the right of the scene, a fence creates a barrier between the Holy Family and the three wise men. A sign attached to the fence reads, “Deportation.” Josoma said the wall is supposed to represent the southern border and other physical and metaphorical walls that Western countries have created to keep refugees out.

Above the stable, a blue banner reads, “Peace on Earth?”

Josoma said that the sign is meant to get viewers to ask, “Is this what peace on Earth looks like?” St. Susanna’s alternative Nativity scene is the brainchild of the parish’s Pax Christi committee, a group that does outreach and education on nonviolence and peacemaking. Josoma said the Nativity scene is an “affirmation of gospel values” and not just an attack on President Donald Trump and his administration. But, he added, some of the administration’s policies are “at odds” with the message of the gospel. “Soldiers firing tear gas at the border doesn’t seem to be the way to go to bring out healing and reconciliation,” the priest said.

The display, which was set up over the weekend in time for the first Sunday of Advent, has sparked criticism from some corners. Fox News host Sean Hannity discussed the display on his show Wednesday and claimed on Twitter that Christmas is “under siege.”

ON #HANNITY NOW: CHRISTMAS IS UNDER SIEGE. A Massachusetts church puts baby Jesus in a cage to make a political statement. Watch NOW!

— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) December 6, 2018

Josoma said that after the “Hannity” segment, he got calls from around the country accusing him of blasphemy and claiming that the parish’s take on the Nativity is inappropriate. Some of his own church members weren’t enthusiastic about the display, he said, and two people emailed him indicating that they’d decided to leave St. Susanna because of the Nativity scene.

The priest said he agreed that a cage and a wall have no place in the Nativity scene ― in fact, he says, that was his point.

“People think children in diapers getting tear-gassed is OK, but this [Nativity scene] is totally sacrilegious?” Josoma said in response to the criticism. “All we’re trying to do is put the two together.”

“What you do to somebody else is what you do to Christ,” he said, referring to a Bible passage that claims those who welcome strangers are in effect welcoming Christ himself. “You can’t separate the two.”

St. Susanna Parish’s alternative Christmas display is meant to spark conversations about the biblical call to welcome the stranger.

St. Susanna’s activism around refugees isn’t limited to its Nativity scene. Two years ago, the parish started working with Catholic Charities and two other local Christian congregations to sponsor a refugee family seeking to resettle in the U.S.

In September, the parishioners welcomed a family from Burundi to the community. Josoma said 75 volunteers are helping the family navigate their first few months in America ― doing things such as helping the family register children for school, go to doctors’ appointments and practice English.

The experience has been a “blessing” to his parish, Josoma said, and has helped his congregants feel like they can make at least a small difference in the global refugee crisis. Many volunteers are now eager to welcome a second refugee family to the neighborhood, he said.

“We don’t pretend to have the answers, but we believe working together in small communities, we can begin to address the problem,” Josoma said.

Let’s not forget the kids at the border!