Alan A. Alop

trumpian: adj. 1. hateful, vindictive, divisive and racist. 2. buffoonish, intemperate and craven. 3. dishonest and prevaricating. 4. a useful idiot for Vladimir Putin and Russian interests. 5.  self-centered and narcissistic. 6. vile and loathesome.

Alan A. Alop

Recipe For Chocolate Walnut Wafers

1. Set the oven at 350 degrees.

2. Melt over very low heat 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate.

3. Cream until light and fluffy 1/2 cup butter.

4.  Beat in 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs well beaten.

5. Stir in the chocolate. While stirring, make a perfect telephone call to the President of Ukraine and ask him to investigate your political rival.  Add in one cup of chopped walnut meats, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, and 2/3 cup flour (preferably pastry).

5. Mix well. While mixing, tweet that impeachment is a "hoax" and a "witchhunt." Use the word "disgraceful" two times and mis-spell at least one word.

6. Arrange by teaspoonfulls on cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Makes about 36 and will impair national security.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Great recipe, Alan, but my wafers turned out bitter and orange.

Make America Good Again

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

"Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke."    
-- Benjamin Disraeli

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies,

but just as much to stand up to our friends."    
-- J.K. Rowling

What is "information that may be of general interest with the class as a whole"?

Are we expected to assume that matters of citizenship are not of general interest to our Niles West classmates?  Are some of us deemed non-persons? the ones designated to wear the yellow stars Steve spoke of...

Posts are not overlooked or lost in the midst of messages on a forum that includes politics and matters of general interest to engaged citizens.  We are a medley of voices.

Make America Good Again

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

In recognition of Reunion Committee members:

April Richardson (Mau)

Bill Murphy

Don Weil

Frances Brown (Garfield)

Janice Rosenberg (Liebling)

Jim Ditkowsky

Judy Sidell (Dorfman)

Larry Metnick

Rosely Kaiser (Applebaum)

Scott Mermel

Stephen Spitz

who unanimously voted me and others 2nd class citizens of Class of 1964, Niles West, commencing Sunday, December 1st, 2019.

Will the committee meet to vote on every post?

Make America Good Again

Stewart Myrent

After I got home last night from T'giving dinner, I checked out the User Forum & there were 4 choices, namely: (1) "Current Events & Politics", with 0 topics & 0 posts, but it's new, so I get that, (2) "Health and Wellness", with 5 topics, the last post being from 05/09/14, about 5 1/2 yrs. ago, titled "A Test for Alzheimer's Disease Raises Thorny Ethical Issues", (3) "Sound Off", with 1 topic "Obamacare" from 03/31/14, also about 5 1/2 yrs. ago, and (4) "Picture Forum" with 1 topic, "We Said We Would Remember" from 10/14/13, about 6 yrs. ago.  I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the User Forum is a vast wasteland.  It's fairly obvious that no one reads it, partially, because no one posts to it.  I have no desire, or intention, to be party to trying to contribute to a Forun that has 0 audience.  If you have any doubts about my 0 audience claim, please take note of the dates of the most recent posts on the User Forum.  Nancy, you stated, "I do not believe it is censorship to ask classmates to post those views (political) on the User Forum instead.  That is where they were originally posted.  Several people have asked on the Message Forum to move posts back to the User Forum. Why not?"  First of all, I don't remember seeing even ONE person claim that political posts move back to the User Forum, let alone "several".  So, you're saying that the political posts used to be on the User Forum?  Well, from the dates above from the User Forum, then the most recent post, that could be considered political, would be the "Obamacare" post from 03/31/14, over 5 1/2 yrs. ago, so if you're saying that political posts used to be on the User Forum, apparently not for over 5 yrs., & that was the ONLY political post in the past 5+ yrs. on the User Forum.  I'm not even sure what anyone thinks are proper topics for discussion on the Message Forum, but, as I think I stated once before, if you think it should be about grandson Johnny's championship tennis season, or granddaughter Letitia's first dance recital, I think you're all nuts!  Because I'll never remember Johnny or Letitia's names, plus why should I care?  I don't know them & I never will.  However, I do agree w/Janis' assessment that, "Politics are front and center at this time and it's critical for our republic that voting citizens cross the divisions that separate us."  And, "Current Events and Politics should be a concern to all of us, something we expect  to be part of our lives."  Hear!  Hear!  Oh, & one more thing, Carol, you stated, "The way you guys are acting, you'd think the User Forum is Syberia (sic).  Get a grip on it."  But I don't think you would make that comparison w/o a very Russian view of things.  The other thing you mentioned, "I personally don't hate Janis; (all CAPS for emphasis) JUST ALL HER POSTS AND HER INSULTS TO TRUMP SUPPORTERS."  I have to say, I honestly don't remember Janis insulting Trump supporters directly.  But, I'll say it again, we see what we want to see.  And Steve, you seem to be mellowing out, or is it total disgust? - I'm not sure which.  But I do think that abandoning the (Message) Forum is the coward's way out.  Also, Alan, loved your definition of "trumpian"; I was laughing my ass off.  I do feel so much better, getting these things off my chest.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

April is listed first because Art Wulf died tragically in June 2016.  I listed members of the reunion committee in the order they are listed on the website Home Page; April is in bold print because she openly complains about the Message Forum on the website.

Both Fran Garfield and Stephen Spitz have posted support for the Forum on the Forum.

Larry Metnick actually posted a political question directly to me on the Forum.  He said he found the back and forth interesting as long as the posts were respectful.

I am grateful for the generosity that keeps the site funded.  I recall Ted Forsberg requested information to know where to chip in to keep the site going,  He asserted there are many more lurkers than classmates would guess.  Classmates believed what were threats that the site would end abruptly in June 2019.  Class Creators told me the site was not due to expire... they also told me there's no limit to the number of posts that can be posted...

NO ONE has been crowded out or pushed off the Forum until now.  There is room for all who take time to share.  I love the texture, the medley of voices.  I recognize holidays, reunion lunches at Hackney's, and the death of classmates, have followed the Cubs, and golf tournaments with DK, shared recipes, and a family wedding on a cotton plantation in the Mississippi Delta, and yes, post regularly about gun safety: my grandchildren in Vermont have been on lockdown in classroom closets at school and communicated with me in real time...

As Stewart said, "again, we see what we want to see."  Special thanks to Stewart for highlighting that he has no memory of me insulting classmates... and to Steve for saying the bulk of my posts are informative and current...

Why not check how many reunion sites are perking along this many years after their 50th reunion?

Last night family here in Oshkosh ended our day of feasting watching "The Sound of Music"... I identified with Baron von Trapp when he sang "Edelweiss"... "Edelweiss, edelweiss    Bless my home-land forever"

I do not understand the lack of skepticism and appeasement about what's happening in our country today, and will give voice to my concern without apology.

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

I was up late last night, found Jack's post, heard echoes of Zaitz who made a similar plea some years ago... read personal messages of support in my Message Center Inbox, then came back to the Forum and found Steve's farewell post which is now gone as are his other posts.  Steve's voice is a great loss to the Forum; his voice is among others we've lost.  I miss the texture, the medley of voices.  We are all who we are.  I'll claim the yellow star Steve said identifies some of us.

Stewart Myrent

I would like to interject some opinions on several things.  First of all, Carol, from your most recent post, you state, "...the only reason the User Forum has lied dormant is that it hasn't been used as intended."  I'm not sure where you've gotten that bit of information, but Janis said she has spoken to Class Creators & they have said that our current use of the Message Forum is, in fact, correct.  So, one of you is either totally misguided AND incorrect, or one of you is lying to me.  Because you both cannot be correct.  And, the next sentence, "Insofar as your not being privy to classmates asking that politics leave the forum, that was before your time."  I hope you know that I have now been active as a regular poster for over 1 yr.  Relative to "...her little discussion with a conservative friend...", I have already discussed that.  I'm not so sure that Steve will, "...take his toys and leave", or that Janis will "play the martyr."  I will agree that we probably "...owe our Reunion Committee more than we think we do.", as I am sure that, like being president, it is a totally thankless job.  I know I wouldn't want to do it.  (Either Reunion Committee, or president.)  The part of your post that disturbed me the most was, "Janis does, indeed, insult Trump supporters.  Subtle, perhaps, but insulting nonetheless."  First, let me say that I LOVE subtle insulting remarks.  I mean what does it take to hit somebody over the head with an unsubtle insult?  Anyone could do that.  But subtle is somewhat tougher.  But, I have to say, that Janis has never posted a Rachel Maddow poster with the quote, "Somebody needs to open an investigation into the Repub Party to find out if they have any ties to America", which would be both ignorant & publicly combative, not to mention intentionally inflammatory.  I've been thinking quite a bit about this change in the Forum rules to require me to enter many of my posts on the User Forum, rather than the Message Forum.  And I have thought, "What do I give a shit which Forum my posts are on, as long as I can still post?"  But, I keep coming back to the same question every time I consider that original question, "Why does ANYONE else give a shit which Forum I post on?"  And that is the question I am left with every time I consider this situation.  I do agree with Jack that, "Can't we all get along?".  Two last things: I have twice now seen footage of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in an interview from 2015 with "Business Insider" singing the praises of Joe Biden, saying, "He's the nicest person I think I ever met in politics", and he's "as good a man as God ever created."  Yikes!  What's happened to you, Lindsey?    The other thing I saw the other day was a re-broadcast of a Lawrence O'Donnell show, showing Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) in a speech, from late March of this year, telling his Republican committee members, "Maybe you're OK with (put in whatever flaunting of the U.S. Constitution that Trump has done), but I'm not OK with that."  Great speech!  Also, Steve, you can't be serious about leaving the Forum.  OK, maybe you are serious about leaving the Forum, but I hope not.  I will be posting within the next few days, once we get into December (tomorrow), I'm just not sure where.  Stay tuned!  I love you all, but I just don't understand why any of you actually give a shit which Forum (Message or User) I decide to post on.  But I will look forward to & appreciate any responses I receive.

Nancy Doyle (Sudlow)

David St. Pierre Bantz

I get wanting to go about the day without confronting acute social and political conflicts; wanting to read about friends' activitites without encountering awkward issues of inequality, racism, or climate. Complaints in this forum mirror those in many social media forums and news feeds. As we accommodate that desire here, I hope we will consciously recognize that the ability to ignore politics and social issues is a privilege; a privilege we exercise to the benefit of oppressors and to the detriment of the victims of current political and social strife. 

"I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe."
The Nobel Acceptance Speech delivered by Elie Wiesel in Oslo on December 10, 1986

Holly Semiloff (Ciotti)

I guess I'm a lurker (but that word has a snarky tone to it).  If we are voting (which we are not), I vote for one message forum for all things people say.  Actually it's good to know my high school has people with cajones (sorry, I live in LA).  I worried for a while we were all latter day Ozzie(s) and Harriet(s) -- not sure about the plurals on that.

Want to hear a funny story?  I teach English at Glendale High School, and I'm the faculty adviser for the National Honor Society (not an organization I populated in 1964).  When students apply to NHS, they have to meet requirements of scholarship, leadership, service, and character.  I run the applicant list by the whole faculty for their ratings of the kids' CHARACTER.   (That isn't the funny part.)

This year, I GOT INTO POLITICAL TROUBLE.  I sent an email to the whole staff saying that the following kids had stellar GPAs, hundreds of hours of community service, and "enough leadership to show the President a thing or two."  WELL!!!  You'd think I advocated sodomy.  One staff member, a clerk in the office, complained to me in an email  THAT I WAS MIXING POLITICS AND SCHOOL BUSINESS.

I laughed.

What I found out, two weeks later, when my PRINCIPAL CALLED ME IN HIS OFFICE, was that she lodged a formal complaint with the school district.  And he HAD to formally tell me that she did so.  He could barely keep a straight face, and we both had a chuckle.

Well -- finally after 35 years, there is something meaty in my personnel file!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm still laughing.

holly

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

  "Holy Cow(s)!!!"

  Lots of "Holy Cow(s)!!!" flying my way...

  the most frequently used exclamation

  on the personal messages

  delivered to my website Inbox these days.

  What have we, Niles West Class of 1964, come to?

  We are left to be "latter day Ozzie(s) and Harriet(s)"

  "(a)s we accommodate the desire of our oppressors."

The Economist and YouGov conducted a poll from November 24-26 of 1,500 American adults.  A majority (53%) of Republicans believe Trump is a better president than Lincoln.

 Make America Good Again

Larry Metnick

Good story, Holly. Thanks for sharing.

Marvin Irving Blusteln

Yes Jack we can all get along.  Janis you are great even though you are "too" political.  Steve is Steve and admire that about him.  He was like that in h.s. wasn't he? So, why is anyone suprised.  The only people who are upset are those who use opinion and unsupported belief as fact.

Paraphrasing Jesus,  all of us are brothers and sisters and we each has an obligation to one another.  If we have more than we need, we are obligated to help those in need.  All religions of the world agree.

.  

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Nancy, it's approaching midnight CST.

I do not see majority support on the Forum for free thinking people to be removed from this space.

"I hope we consciously recognize that the ability to ignore politics and social issues is a privilege exercised to the benefit of oppressors."

If in fact we are a minority, our Constitution was written to protect the minority. 

That's why Congress ignores majority support for gun safety legislation.

That's how America elected Trump.

This censorship is about power in the face of political and social strife.

Recent Hackney's reunions have been open to any and all,

the Forum not so much.

We are watching a game of attrition -

one by one classmates will be voted off the Forum.

Will the committee meet to vote on every post?

I wear with honor the yellow star Steve spoke of.

Make America Good Again

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Holly Semiloff, you bring energy and good humor to the Forum, and Bravo! - to Glendale High School too.  I am impressed you're actively teaching.  Undoubtedly, you are surrounded by energy and good humor - it's contagious, it jumps right off the page.  We need to hear more from you.

David Bantz, we need to hear more from you.  You bring a depth of understanding and perspective that encourage me to strive to grow intellectually.  On this Forum, I have been cited as "humorless" - I accept the challenge to grow my sense of humor too.  I know how to laugh at myself.

You both bring a breath of fresh air to the Forum.  We are who we are.  We have the opportunity to learn from one another and to grow, and to enjoy the medley of voices.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

   This is for Steve...

   "A society grows great when old men and women plant trees whose

    shade they know they shall never sit in."

                                                 Greek Proverb (altered)

Frances Garfield (Brown)

Let us talk about life in general, besides politics only. Discuss family, states, places to go, etc. 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Good idea, Fran.  You have modeled balance on the Forum.  Your birthday is fast approaching, mine's not far behind... Over Thanksgiving weekend my 14 year old grandson and I hiked for exercise.  We walked to 'suicide hill,'  he told me he'd lead the way, I should lean on him and we'd make it down the hill together... I took one step down and said, "this isn't going to work, Hans."

Beverlee Ann Arpan (Marshall)

We got 2 1/2 feet of snow the other night, and it’s so cold we still have about a foot. Several roads and hwys. were closed due to snow slides, rock slides, and high winds, so Denver up to the high country was shut down.  The skiers couldn’t get to the slopes unless they got there ahead of the storm, and had to hunker down until the plows were finished 2 days later.  Today, the sunny sky is a beautiful blue, but too cold and icey to venture outside for very long.  I prefer a cozy indoor fireplace, and a good read. I will, however, refrain from any book reports.  Stewart has that department covered.

Enjoy your day, everyone!

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Epistemology: a branch of philosophy that studies how we know things, and what it means for something to be true or false, accurate or inaccurate.  The US, indeed the world, is undergoing a seismic event which is creating an abyss, not just in what we value or want, but in who we trust, how we come to know things, and what we believe we know, what we believe exists, is true, has happened and is happening.

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

Jack Edmund Bookwalter