By Seth Grossman, Political Columnist
“One day, a Jew passed the Roman emperor’s entourage and saluted the Emperor Hadrian, who became enraged.?? ‘You, a Jew, dare to greet the Emperor!?? You shall pay for this with your life!’?? Later that day, another Jew passed the Emperor and did not greet him.?? ‘A Jew dares to pass a Roman Emperor without saluting?’?? Hadrian exclaimed.?? “Have that man killed!’?? This puzzled his officials, so Hadrian explained, “The Jews are my enemies, so I use any excuse to destroy them.”??
Jewish Talmud, Midrash of Hadrian, 132 A.D.
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??? Rabbi Aaron Kraus of Margate taught me that passage many years ago.?? I thought of it when teachers Brian Smith and Nathan Lichtenwalder told me why I could not speak to the AP government class or after-school political science club at Mainland High School in Linwood.
??? At first, Mr. Smith said his class was “too busy” with standardized HSPA tests in March and AP tests in May.?? But he never suggested that I speak in June after the tests.?? Mr. Smith said I would be an appropriate speaker for Mr. Lichtenwalder’s political science club.?? But Mr. Lichtenwalder never said so.
??? I don’t mean to pick on Mainland.?? Every year for the past four years, Stockton College and almost every high school in the county has come up with some different, “reasonable” reason for inviting almost every recognized community service or education – except Liberty and Prosperity.
??? Earlier this month, I wrote a column criticizing Frank LoBiondo and most of his 534 colleagues in Congress for messing-up the first four years of the War, and for bankrupting the country by ignoring our Constitution.?? I also said that Mainland High School was wrong for bringing in folks like the Congressman, and shutting out people like me.?
??? The Saturday morning after my column was published, a 17 year old Mainland honors student showed up at our Liberty and Prosperity meeting.?? He was highly offended by my article in the Current, and he wanted an apology from me.
??? Unfortunately, Mainland had not prepared him to speak to an unfamiliar group.?? So he just gave his phone number to one of our members and left.?? I called him the next day, and spoke to him for a long time.?? My conversation with him proved why it is important for our future leaders to be challenged by our views.?? (And why some people don’t want that to every happen.)
??? The honors student wanted Congress to spend federal money on local fire departments because “public safety is very important”.?? But he had no clue about Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, or why national government handle should deal with national problems, while local governments should handle local ones.
??? The honors student was unfamiliar with the most serious federal issues that will impact his life.?? Medicare and social security will bankrupt the federal government within 9 years.?? The dollar lost 40% of its value in the past six years, and is likely to be worth even less as the Federal Reserve prints out more paper dollars in exchange for junk bonds and sub-prime mortgages, etc.
??? I asked the honors student what he thought of high college tuition, and of student loans that become a lifetime burden.?? The honors student told me this did not affect him, since he had been admitted to a service academy.
??? I invited the young man and his classmates to publicly discuss these issues on my radio program, or at a Liberty and Prosperity meeting.?? But he wasn’t interested.?? When I suggested that this debate would sharpen his skills, the honors student reminded me that Mainland was a “Blue Ribbon School”.
??? Out of frustration, I used some blunt language to inform that honors student that he knew a lot less than what he thought he knew.?? The honors student promptly reported that part of the conversation to his Mainland teachers.?? Now, Mainland has another reason to keep me out.?? The honors student learned well after all.
??? Every week, dozens of people tell me they find my discussions and essays on American liberty and our Constitution to be interesting and informative.?? But the folks with absolute power in our public schools don’t want me anywhere near their students – even those who will be voting this November.?? For that reason, Jane Rubino, one of our members, is organizing an “alternate route” to reach them.?? To volunteer or donate to her project to set up a liberty essay scholarship, please contact her at janer@rujane.com or bronica3@hotmail.com.
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For more information, visit www.libertyandprosperity.org or contact Somers Point attorney Seth Grossman at grossman@snip.net or 609-927-7333.??? Seth Grossman hosts a two way talk radio program every Saturday from 8am – 9am on WVLT Vineland, 92.1 FM.
Seth Grossman, Executive Director, www.libertyandprosperity.org,
453 Shore Road, Somers Point, NJ? 08244.?
Tel.? 609-927-7333.
