Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2001 (13. évfolyam, 2-43. szám)

2001-11-09 / 43. szám

AMERICAN Hungarian Journal MEDITATIONS Three Cheers for a Public Servant by Dr. Bela Bonis Pastor (562) 430-0876 First Hungarian Reformed Church, Hawthorne We humans know our lan­guage cannot communicate the greatness of the divine, but we try anyway. We love to use the prefix omni, which takes a com­mon adjective and expands it to the size of the universe: omni­farious, omnipotent, omnipre­sent, omniscient, omni-loving, omni-merciful, omni-cool. The omni words are reserved for God and God alone. The prophet Isaiah has an omnitough assignment. He has been called to proclaim hope in the midst of despair, to tell the exiles in Babylon that God is on the way to deliver them just when they have begun to seriously doubt it. In this great sermon, the preacher argues that the one who created the vast universe and all that is in it has the power to restore the Hebrews as a people. (Isa. 40:21-31) In a risky but effec­tive homiletical strategy, Isaiah proclaims the greatness of the Lord in contrast to the insig­nificance of the people. Who are they to question God’s ways, God’s abilities? Earlier in this sermon, he asks, "Whom does God consult for enlighten­ment?... Behold the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales." Here is a metaphor of our smallness compared to our omni-everything God. The prophet is, indeed, a master at putting God and humankind in perspective. He asks wonderful rhetorical questions: To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal? When we are posed such questions, we know the liturgical correct response, and yet the questions to our souls persist. The truth is we com­pare God to ourselves. We measure divine actions against our own. We think we know what we would do, what we would enact or change if we were omni-everything. People would have all the riches they wanted. There would be an end to all strife and disease, and death would be banished from the earth. Do we not all wonder from time to time, from funeral to funeral, from war to war, why God does not fire up that omnipotence and straigh­ten things out? It’s hard for us to believe that our measures of what is just, merciful and best are not in sync with the mind of God. I, for one, am happy to live inside a wrinkle of God’s palm, content to be a part of an ongoing creation process, and even amazed to be so loved and, most days, unafraid of what it all means. Tom LaBonge Sworn In at Griffith Observatory By SUSAN JANCSO Newly elected Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge took the oath of office in a public ceremony at the Griffith Park Observatory on Thursday. It was a memorable show of love and appreciation for a native of this neighborhood, a loyal public servant come of age. City Councilman Tom LaBonge with son Charles, wife Brigid, and daughter Mary-Cate, moments before swearing in. I had met Tom LaBonge before, my husband and I par­ticipated in his campaign for the 4th District seat, and I ran ar­ticles on him before the elections. Needless to say, we also voted for him. I knew he had been the right hand of the late Council­man John Ferraro until his passing in April of this year. I knew he was a good man, with a long family record of public service, but I had no idea he was loved and admired so much by so many- his coworkers at City Hall, the police force and the firefighters, his constituents, and some public figures whose opinion I respect had the highest words of praise for him. More than 500 invited guests gathered to watch Tom La­Bonge take the oath on the steps of the Griffith Observatorium. The choice of venue was no accident: the new councilman grew up in the Silver Lake area and used to play in Griffith Park as a child. He called this place, where he still hikes almost daily, "the crossroads of Los Angeles", giving all of us who live here and love every minute of it, a new sense of importance. Arriving the last minute as we had to do a little hiking our­selves, the first thing we noticed was the very visible presence of the police - some mounted on horseback - and the firefighters, with the long ladder from their firetruck extended high above the crowd. They were there not primarily to protect and to serve, but to celebrate. The first rows were occupied by mem­bers of the City Council - it didn’t seem like anyone was missing- and family members. Both Tom and his wife Brigid have seven brothers and sisters, and they were there to share this magic mo­ment with them. I was lucky to find a seat next to Brigid’s mother, and she was beaming with pride and joy. The couple’s young children, Charles and Mary-Cate, were up there with their parents, the former sitting on his father’s lap, the latter leading the Pledge of Allegiance with Greg Evangeletos. After some words of welcome from Observatory Director Dr. Ed Krupp and Griffith Park Mayor Louis Alvarado, Hon. Mayor of Los Angeles Johnny Grant officiated as Master of Ceremonies. The Los Angeles Color Guard presented an im­pressive "presentation of the colors" with their various uniforms and flags. The National Anthem was sung by police officer Rosalind Iiams, who did a fine job of it, especially in view of the complete lack of accompaniment. Her voice filled the air with beautiful sound and the hearts with pride. After the Invocation by Father Charles Gard of St. Brendens Catholic Church, LAPD Capt. Tammy Tatreau and LAFD Capt. Joe Castro intro­duced the Mayor of Los Angeles. Mayor James Hahn made his remarks on Tom LaBonge’s City Council membership ("he had acted all his life like he was one”), and then we got to the actual taking of the oath. The person to administer it was someone long admired for his TV-shows, "California Gold" and visiting places of interest you wouldn’t hear about elsewhere. Yes, Huell Howser in per­son, a man who loves our Golden State the way Tom LaBonge loves this little corner of it, from the Mid-Wilshire area to the Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, North Hollywood and Silver Lake. That is District 4, Tom LaBonge’s territory, and we are lucky to be in it, because he promises sweeping improvements in many areas such as public safety, schools and neighborhood relations. In our picture: Capt. Tammy Tatreau, LAPD; Mayor James K. Hahn, Councilman Tom LaBonge with son Charles. On the podium: Observatory Director Dr. Ed Krupp. PHOTOS BY JULIUS JANCSO Howser held up a respectable-looking black leather-bound book which, however, turned out to be not the Bible but "The Solar Wind" from the Observatory’s library. He related the humorous tale of how he forgot to bring his Bible, and the people he asked did not have one with them either - not even the Reverend Father, and it took a while until they found one good man - Brian Quintana - who saved the day with his Bible. (Although later on Rabbi Meyer May, from the Simon Wiesen­thal Center, who said the closing prayer, assured the gathering that they would have helped out with a Jewish Torah from Andrew Friedman’s car...) The Councilman was introduced by Dr. Milt Davis. I wish I could quote all the good things he said about Tom LaBonge’s character. I will quote here, though, a few random charac­teristics, as I remember them: "forms strong ties with family and friends", "charismatic", "patient and hard-working", "facilitates teamwork", observes the concepts of "preparation, motivation and evaluation", and "calm and unruffled by adversity". In his speech, Tom LaBonge gave a detailed description of the changes he would like to bring to the 4th District, all of them for the better. He wants to build parks, salvage the L.A. River, improve traffic and schools, make better use of our natural resources, and keep a close relationship with neighborhoods. He has the patience to see his goals through, as it took patience to have this very park developed (it took seven years, a hundred years ago, they seemed to think it was too far from the city...) At one point, a helicopter appeared on the horizon. It turned out to be an LAPD chopper, congratulating Tom from the air, followed by two LAFD choppers doing the same. After the ceremony, a wonderful array of exquisitely decorated cakes welcomed the participants. On top of all his virtues, we learned that Tom LaBonge is a talented photog­rapher, and some of his best shots - of what else but his beloved Los Angeles - have been masterfully transferred, in full color, to the delicious vanilla, coffe and chocolate sheetcakes. One was almost regretful to destroy such works of art by biting into them. As we were leaving, sipping the remains of our coffe and admiring the magnificent view all around, Tom LaBonge was still on the steps of the Observatory, shaking hands and receiving congratulations. All of them well deserved. We are looking for­ward to having such a dedicated man watching over our district. Threats Against California Bridges Taken Seriously SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Security was notably increased around Bay Area bridges, as National Guardsmen toured the bridges early in the morning to familiarize themselves with overlooks, buildings and other features. On Thursday, Gov. Gray Davis announced that federal officials have "credible evidence" that terrorists may be targeting California bridges. He cited San Francisco's Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, the Vincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles and San Diego's Coronado Bridge as possible targets for attacks over the next few days. After Davis spoke, the Justice Department confirmed that it had warned officials in eight Western states about possible attacks on bridges. The alert was sent to law enforcement agencies in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Montana and Idaho on Wednesday. "Reportedly, unspecified groups are targeting sus­pension bridges on the West Coast," the FBI message said. Davis' decision to reveal the potential threats had the support of federal officials, although they didn't make the information public until after he spoke out. “I respect the decision Governor Davis made; he exercised his judgment,” said Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. “Had he chosen not to reveal, I would have respected that as well.” Attorney General John Ashcroft said Friday that the FBI warn­ing about possible attacks on West Coast bridges was based on a threat that authorities deemed to have “relative credibility.” Many commuters opted not to alter their routines, saying the warning wasn't specific enough to take seriously. 2001. november 9. AMERIKAI Magyar Hírlap a

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