Scrolling the interwebs the other day, I came across a talk Senate candidate James Talarico gave where an audience member asked, “You talk about love, but isn’t that just too weak for the moment that we’re in?” Talarico said his faith teaches him that “love is the strongest force in the universe, and love is not passive, love is not neutral, love is not weak, and sometimes love means that we have to stand between the bullies and the bullied.” His words took me back to the months after Sept. 11, 2001, when I was a confirmation partner with a youth at our church. We spent many hours together talking about what we believed, what we felt called to do in this world, what scared us and what inspired us. After many weeks together, our final assignment was for us to each write statements of faith. During our final gathering we sat around the fireplace and shared our statements.
Mine included saying that after having been in the military, where if called upon I would exercise violence to protect my country, now, I believed, it was time for me to stand between those who would do violence and those who would be the victims of such violence, even if it meant getting hurt or killed myself. I wondered, as I left that evening, what call might come from me making such a statement. I didn’t have to wait long. Shortly after sharing that statement, I got a call from Global Exchange. “We need a Jewish person to join our interfaith peacemaking delegation to Afghanistan and someone said you’d be a wonderful addition to our group.” My husband, a Presbyterian elder, and I and a dear friend went. Our lives were forever changed.
Talarico, an eighth generation Texan, currently a Presbyterian seminary student, member of the Texas legislature, and former public school teacher, reminded me of all that. I watched another video where, wearing his faith on his sleeve, he argued against a Texas law forcing every public school teacher to display the Ten Commandments on their classroom walls. One of my favorite moments was him asking a sponsor of that bill why, given that it was Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, they were debating the bill and why they planned to vote on the bill on Sunday, the Christian Sabbath (against the Fourth Commandment). He also asked whether members of the legislature always obeyed all the other commandments. Like most of us, yes on some, no on others.
He’s a firm believer in the separation of church and state (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof) while acknowledging that his policy positions are aligned with his faith. Me too. In the time since he won the Democratic primary running against Republican Ken Paxton, opposition vitriol against him has been obnoxious. They’ve been questioning his sexuality and gender, with senior white house aide Stephen Miller calling him Texas’ “first transgender Senate candidate,” Ted Cruz questioning his “masculinity,” and FOX News host Jesse Waters calling him a “gay vegan.” The president accuses Talarico of being “weird,” “taking hits against Jesus,” believing “there are six genders” and “being a vegan.” Paxton often repeats the charge of Talarico being a vegan which Talarico responded to by saying that he’d been “eating Texas BBQ since before Paxton’s first indictment.”
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Touche! Paxton nicknamed him “Talafreako,” which Talarico’s pragmatic campaign embraced by putting out “I’m A Talafreako!” T-shirts. Bam!
BTW, if you throw the words gay, vegan and transgender at someone as though any of those are bad, you may just be a bully. When I was little and being teased by bullies on the playground, surrounding me singing that I was a “weasel” (being bucktoothed with a name like Wiesner, it didn’t take much creativity to go there), my grandfather said I should just join in and sing along the next time. I did and the kids stopped. With the polls having him neck and neck with Paxton, the bullying probably won’t stop but Talarico’s sure channeling my grandpa with the way he responds.
I’m writing this today because I agree with Talarico that love is the strongest force in the universe. Presbyterian minister and TV icon Mr. Rogers liked to tell people that when trouble arose they should “look for the helpers.” I believe our country is in trouble. As we enter the midterms I’m asking myself which candidates are bullies and which are the helpers. Which ones will I support and which ones will I stand against? I urge everyone who cares about our future, Republicans, Democrats and Independents, to do the same. Let’s start our next 250 years with love as our North Star.
Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos.
Thanks for your column today, Mr. Wiesner, attempting to sell Talarico to the masses. Let’s not forget Democrats were all in for Eric Swalwell, and then all in for Graham Platner, an even worse pill to swallow since he sported a Nazi tattoo while constantly being exposed as an abuser. Now you expect folks to vote for Talarico? The candidate who is trying to backpedal as fast as his feet will allow? It’s more than amusing that you and Democrats have called our (yes, our) great President Trump every name in the book and have bullied Trump and his supporters and now you’re offended when your candidate is called names? It doesn’t feel so good when the shoe is on the other foot, does it?
Talarico can try to run but each time he opens his mouth, we see glimpses of the real Talarico and what he ultimately stands for. Pay attention to what Talarico has said and done in the past, because that is what he will revert to. BTW, wasn’t Talarico campaigning with a doctor who performs transgender surgery on children, after Talarico said he opposed gender reassignment surgeries for minors? Seems to me that some of the Talarico nicknames are spot on.
Another doozy by Mr. Wiesner. It reminds me of two songs, "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack and "What Has Love To Do With It" by Tina Turner. If Mr. Wiesner thinks that the world is anxiously awaiting the likes of Talarico with his twisted interpretation of "love", he is even further off base than I had previously thought. Talarico stands for everything that most Americans despise. His attempt to exploit the term, as in "Love, Is Just Another Four Letter Word" by Bob Dylan, is like putting lipstick on a pig. No Mr. Wiesner, Love does not solve everything; it takes many willing to tango and your side isle is dancing to a different tune.
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(2) comments
Thanks for your column today, Mr. Wiesner, attempting to sell Talarico to the masses. Let’s not forget Democrats were all in for Eric Swalwell, and then all in for Graham Platner, an even worse pill to swallow since he sported a Nazi tattoo while constantly being exposed as an abuser. Now you expect folks to vote for Talarico? The candidate who is trying to backpedal as fast as his feet will allow? It’s more than amusing that you and Democrats have called our (yes, our) great President Trump every name in the book and have bullied Trump and his supporters and now you’re offended when your candidate is called names? It doesn’t feel so good when the shoe is on the other foot, does it?
Talarico can try to run but each time he opens his mouth, we see glimpses of the real Talarico and what he ultimately stands for. Pay attention to what Talarico has said and done in the past, because that is what he will revert to. BTW, wasn’t Talarico campaigning with a doctor who performs transgender surgery on children, after Talarico said he opposed gender reassignment surgeries for minors? Seems to me that some of the Talarico nicknames are spot on.
Another doozy by Mr. Wiesner. It reminds me of two songs, "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack and "What Has Love To Do With It" by Tina Turner. If Mr. Wiesner thinks that the world is anxiously awaiting the likes of Talarico with his twisted interpretation of "love", he is even further off base than I had previously thought. Talarico stands for everything that most Americans despise. His attempt to exploit the term, as in "Love, Is Just Another Four Letter Word" by Bob Dylan, is like putting lipstick on a pig. No Mr. Wiesner, Love does not solve everything; it takes many willing to tango and your side isle is dancing to a different tune.
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