September 10, 2010--The Ladies of Forest Trace: More Book Burning

“Why do things like this always have to happen to us in Florida?”

“What kinds of things, mom?” I asked my more than 102-year-old mother who was calling, all upset, from Forest Trace, the retirement community in which she lives in Lauderhill.

“First there was how some of the old people here didn’t know how to punch their ballots and wound up electing George Bush. And we know what he did to us. Now we have a crook, and worse, running for governor. Rick Scott, the Republican, whose company had to pay nearly two billion dollars in fines for committing Medicare fraud. Stealing money from us old people.”

“I’ve been reading about him. Since we spend the winter in Florida I have a personal interest now in who becomes governor. But these sorts of things are not new for Florida. For years and years there have been plenty of crooks to go around at the city and state levels. You sound more upset than about Florida politics as usual.”

“Well I am. I’m not very good at hiding my feelings, am I?”

“That I’ve noticed,” I said. “So what’s really going on?”

“It’s the girls.”

“Is something wrong with one of them or are they agitating you again with some of the things they talk about at dinner?”

“It’s not that this time. It is true that sometimes they get on my nerves; but when you get to my age, that happens with everyone. Not all the time, but sometimes. Of course not with you and your brother and his family. They and you are always wonderful to me.”

At this I smiled, hoping she was telling the truth. “Again, what then this time has you and them so upset?”

“This time it’s that Jerry Jones or Terry James. I forget his name.”

“I’m not sure I know who you mean.”

“I have no memory anymore. We can’t stop talking about him so I at least should remember his name.”

“Your memory is fine, mom, even for someone half your age.”

“The one from Gainesville. Who has a little church there.”

“You mean, Terry Jones, the Pentecostal minister.”

“Him, yes, who wants to burn the Quran. Tomorrow, on the anniversary of September 11th. Have you been following this up there wherever you are?”

“In Maine, mom, yes we get the Times here and CNN. Se we know what’s going on. There’s no escaping that. It is a terrible thing he is planning, but didn’t he yesterday say he wasn’t going to do it?”

“No exactly. He announced that he wasn’t going to do it on the 11th, that he was ‘suspending’ plans so he could pray more to see what God tells him to do. As if God calls him up on the phone.”

“You’re right. That’s what he said. I remember. See what I mean about losing memories?”

“Don’t make fun of me, please. I have enough problems without your doing that.”

“What sorts of problems, mom? Is something happening I should know about? Are you keeping anything from me?” She has a tendency to do that, not wanting to worry us with things of concern to her. “You know we want to know what is going on with you.”

“If you would sit still for a minute and let me talk you’ll know soon enough.”

“You see, mom,” I said with a laugh, “even I can get on your nerves.”

“This is no time for your jokes. But you are getting on my nerves not allowing me to finish my thought before I forget what I want to tell you about.”

“I hear you. Sorry. I won’t say another word. Tell me, then, what’s going on to have you and your friends so upset?”

“I told you. It’s that Jessie Jones.” I didn’t correct her. “His plans. At first we thought this whole thing should be ignored. He is just a crazy person, we said, who isn’t really a minister who has, what, a dozen parishioners. The television and the Herald are full of stories about him, we thought, to get us all riled up so we would watch the news all day and all night. Like how they made such a big deal out of those plans to build a Moslem place near where New York was attacked by terrorists. What should have been over and done with in a day or two was on the news all day for weeks. And now, we thought, they found something else to make us crazy and keep us watching. The media I mean.

“But the more we thought about it,” she continued, “the more the girls and I not only got upset—which is not hard to do with us—but began to think that it is a story that deserves the attention it is getting.”

I had a sense of where this was going. One of the “girls” is a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor.

“I know what you are thinking,” my mother said, not missing a beat, “That we are turning this into a Jewish thing.”

“Well, I, yes, I did . . .”

“You would be wrong. It is true that at first Fannie, you know her history, Fannie was all upset because it reminded her of what she personally experienced in Germany. When she was younger. Before her family, which was mostly killed, somehow managed to survive and get to America.”

“Yes, I do . . .”

“But then we thought this so-called minister is just a crazy person. He is not a Nazi, not the kind they had in Germany, and that thankfully he is just one person, of course with people who agree with him, and doesn’t represent the government, which was not true then in Germany where it was their policy to persecute the Jews, burn books, and eventually try to exterminate all of us.”

“Good points. Mom. That feels like the right perspective. So, again, what has you so . . ?”

“I’ll tell you what we are currently thinking.”

“I’m listening.”

“You’re not running off somewhere?”

“Not until this afternoon. So, please, go on.”

“We were wrong. It’s not about one crazy person and a few lunatic followers.”

“Now you’ve lost me. Didn’t you just say it was about just him and that he shouldn’t be getting so much attention?”

“I said that was what we were feeling a few days ago but we have now changed our minds.”

“And?”

“It is not about a handful of publicity seekers. It’s a much bigger problem than that. Yes, he is one person and our wonderful Constitution gives him the right to burn that book or any other. That could be ignorable. But the fact that so many of our politicians, primarily Republicans, are remaining silent, not condemning him, has turned it into a big story. That then is the story, that silence. And it is a very, very big story.”

“Why is that, mom?” I was beginning to see where she was going with this.

“It’s a very, very big and disturbing story because most of our leaders’ silence—though I like what Obama had to say about this—suggests that what is going on is not about the plans and ravings of a few people but is a larger reality.”

“And that would be?”

“That most of our craven leaders are afraid to touch this subject. This growing hatred of all things Moslem. Or are intentionally remaining silent so they can take advantage of it. In fact, people like Newt Gingrich, who I used to have some respect for because he seems smart, and of course that Sara Palin, and Glenn Peck, not to mention all those other Fox people, are playing this for all its worth. To get themselves elected and to make money from our fears.”

“About this I agree.”

“It is as if they are saying that we are not at war with Islamic terrorists, thank God there are relatively few of them, but that we are at war with all Moslem people. A billion of them. These Gingriches either see this war of civilizations going on or they are cynically taking personal advantage of what more and more Americans are fearing.

“And another thing,” she continued, “and then I’ll let you go to your running around. This is a large part of why so many Americans hate Barack Obama.”

“Because?”

“Because they think he is a Moslem. A part of this war against America. These ignorant, fearful people are looking for explanations about why things are not going well in America. Why we are losing our place in the world. Why we seem to be losing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why so many people have lost their jobs and houses. Why we have such a big debt and need the Chinese to buy our bonds. Why our schools aren’t working. And even why are roads are all broken down.

“For these people there needs to be some simple explanation for all of this. Rather than take responsibility and do the hard work we need to do to make things better and solve our problems we look for things to blame our troubles on. All of Islam and Obama in particular.”

“All good points, mom. Again, you and the ladies have things figured out.”

“I hope you’re not patronizing us.”

“That is the furthest thing from my mind. In fact, I have nothing but respect for all of you. You are remarkable in more ways than I can say.”

“So, Fannie, at dinner yesterday said, ‘Yes, they may burn some books. I remember that as if it was yesterday, but what is really disturbing is their looking for people to blame things on—like the Nazis blamed the Jews—and the silence of many of our leaders. That’s the worst thing. Their silence, which is most dangerous.’”

“Leave it to Fannie,” I said, “to figure things out and sum them up. She, sadly, may be right.”

“Enough about this,” my mother said, “We have to have positive thoughts, and I have to run. I have a meeting of the residents board. I’m still the co-treasurer, you know.”

With that she hung up and left me to my thoughts.