Santa Barbara Humanist Society Newsletter for October 2001 |
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Founded in 1995 by Keith Bailey 2001 - 2002 OFFICERS Chairman: Roger Schlueter 962-6316 rogers@west.net Secretary: Colin Gordon 682-0545 colin3@juno.com Editor: Dick Cousineau 687-2371 rcous1geol@aol.com Treasurer: Russ Boggie 564-6086 rusans@mac.com Programs: Bea Duncan 964-3109 duddle4@home.com Social Director: Anne Rojas 564-6086 rusans@mac.com Membership: Mary Wilk 967-3045 wilk@electromatic.com Archivist: At-Large Member: Art Brody 692-8898 brodybiz@silcom.com Publicity: Charlotte Carver 964-2773 charm@silcom.com Interviews: Lottie White 681-9863 lbwhite40@worldnet.att.net Top of Page MEETINGS We meet on the third Saturday of each month at 3.00 PM at Jefferson Hall, 1525 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, California, except for our Solstice parties in June and December. It is not necessary to be a member to attend a Society Meeting. MEMBERSHIP NOTES We wish to extend a warm welcome to the following new members: LOUIS & JOSETTE BARSKY JOHN CIOS PAUL FINK CLARENCE (BUDGE) GEORGE MARJORIE HAYES ALEENE JACKSON EUGENE JOHNS RICHARD MARTIN BEVERLY ROBINSON NORMAN SCHULMAN DIANE SIEGEL PIA WOOLVERTON THIS MONTH'S SPEAKER Joe Nickell, Ph.D, is Senior Fellow of the
Committee for the Scientific Investigation
of Claims of the Paranormal, an international scientific organization, and is also on
the Editorial Board of Skeptical Inquirer
magazine. A former professional magician
and private investigator, Mr. Nickell taught
technical writing at Univ. of Kentucky for
several years before moving to Amherst NY -
and CSICOP. He has become widely known
as an investigator of myths, frauds, forgeries and hoaxes and has authored many
books and articles regarding his life's work.
Dinner after our regular Society meeting on October 20 will be at the Lighthouse Restaurant near the oceanfront,
on Cabrillo Blvd. and Helen St. Parking in the back is free. Members and their
guests are always welcome at our Dining
Out functions. Hope to see many of you
there.
Sunday Brunch on Oct.28 will be
at the Sizzler, Goleta, at 10 AM. No reservations necessary, just
show up and have a good time with your
fellow members.
December l5th will be our Winter Solstice
party held at the private dining room at Sizzler.
We will have our own salad bar, choice of
grilled trout, chicken breast, or steak entree,
glass of wine or other beverage and a dessert.
We are working on entertainment which will be
a comedian or a magic act. The cost for this fantastic even-
ing will be the bargain price ofunder $22.00.
More later on how to reserve your place. We are
hard at work organizing carpool for those of you
unable to drive at night. (Please let us know if
you need such a service).
Our Opera night drew an enthusiastic 13 persons to the Arts and Letters Cafe for wonderful :
food and delightful music.
We are also planning a theater evening at the Ensemble Theater in January. Details to follow. The New Member reception hosted by Anne
and Russ was well attended by 36 new members
and our Board. We will continue to hold these
get together as the group grows so that we will
not lose that close feeling we have enjoyed when
the society was smaller . Refreshments at Meetings - Here is a list of Cookie Sign-ups for the upcoming meetings. Anne will call you one week prior to the meeting to remind you of your date. Please bring 4 to 5 dozen small but nice cookies (half each if two are bringing). If for some reason you have to miss your date please arrange with someone who has another month. Thank you for your cooperation:
Top of Page Verdun Trione After a long career as a psychologist, Verdun Trione has a new one as a fictional author. In addition to short stories, he has recently published a novel, "The Reluctant Godfather," which is "a chilling and suspenseful tale of a mild professor who inherits his uncle's Mafia empire." His other published works have titles such as "The School Psychologist In Community Schools" and "So You Want To Counsel The Substance Abuser"-a far cry from the stories born of his imagination. Or are they? The story of his life will, perhaps, supply the answer.
Verdun was born of Italian immigrant parents who settled in California's Sonoma valley. Because they were Catholics, he was reared (but not schooled) in that faith, but his father made it clear to his son that he was free to choose his own religion. Verdun chose none. He attended Santa Rosa schools, including city college. Although he was accepted at the University of Chicago, he was drafted before he could attend and was 30 months in the 82nd Air-born (Medical Corps) in France. There, he assessed patients for combat stress. When "Truman dropped the bomb," his orders to go to the Pacific were cancelled. Instead, he continued supervising German prisoners at a Marseilles hospital. He was selected to attend the Army University in Biarritz. It was at Biarritz that he discovered his educational goal-to be a psychologist.
When he returned to the U. S. to finish his college degree, universities were over-crowded with vets attending on the G. I Bill. (Verdun's aside: "Those educated vets gave back in taxes four times what was invested in them in tax payer money.") Roosevelt University in Chicago was one of the few colleges without quotas for minority students; they would take anyone who qualified. That is where he finished his undergraduate work. In his last semester at R. U. C., he met the girl he would marry, Ethel
While getting his M. A. at De Paul University, Verdun worked at Portal House, an alcoholic treatment center. His job was to counsel people on skid row to come in for treatment. His M. A. thesis was on alcoholics. Even with a degree in hand, it was difficult to get a position, so he went to the Illinois Institute of Technology to study experimental and industrial psychology. He also began to look for a counseling psychologist job.
After Verdun and Ethel were married, they were both substitute teachers for a while in Chicago, but a trip to Santa Rosa to introduce his new wife to his parents changed their lives; in a barbershop he met a psychologist who offered him a job in Santa Rosa's Mental Health Clinic. This led to positions in both Sonoma (school psychologist/supervisor) and Mendocino County (Supervisor of special needs programs). It was in Mendocino county that the Triones built-literally-their own log home, and there, too, that he worked with illiterate, poverty stricken people and their defective children. During this time, Verdun was driving a grueling125 mile round trip to Berkeley to work on his doctorate. They gave up their home and moved to Pittsburg, CA. where he worked part time as school psychologist until he completed his Ph. D. (in 1965.).
In Las Vegas, Verdun got a position as a Guidance Director. They stayed 35 years, a period of enormous growth in that city which, incidentally, is known to have ties with the Mafia-the subject matter of his first novel. He taught 20 years at the University of Nevada where he started a graduate level department of counseling in the School of Education. He was also in private practice and a consultant in all his fields of interest and training. Testifying as a psychologist in court cases led to an interest in forensic psychology-which led to further education in that field. With such a background to draw upon, this professor emeritus has a wealth of material from which he can create realistic and spell-binding psychological, and/or crime, fiction.
While still residents of Las Vegas, the Trione's came to Santa Barbara for health care, fell in love with the city, retired here, and now pursue their many interests in this intellectually fertile town. Besides his writing, Verdun enjoys bridge, drama, opera, and oil painting. Now, he has added the Humanist Society to that list of interests. Unitarians, Verdun and Ethel came to us as a result of a piece in the News Press and the Edelin lecture. Already, they are active, and valued, members. Top of Page "Myths are about the human struggle |
by ROGER SCHLUETER War! We are, according the current Administration, "at War" against terrorism. This stance is certainly understandable, yet it has some dire consequences that I've not seen emphasized enough so I'd like to add my voice to the chorus of opinion about our Nation's response to terrorism. The one I'll address here is the title of this month's column. I am deeply troubled by our national propensity to adopt the "War" model when facing major problems. Remember, we are already involved in several "wars" right now. The most obvious is our "War on Drugs." As in all wars, there have been terrible tragedies brought about by this war, one of the most significant being the assault on our civil rights. For example, the basic notion of innocent until proven guilty has been stretched to the breaking by various asset seizure laws. Drug usage is a public health problem best dealt with by education, not a "war" led by a retired military officer. Remember our longstanding "War on Poverty?" Unfortunately, even today millions of American children go hungry every day. War is a useless model here since victory is not attainable. The best we can hope for is minimization of damage using various approaches, including extensive job training (education). The same applies to our "War on Crime" which, in combination with our war on drugs, leads to our incarceration of a larger percentage of our population than any third-world country. Unfortunately, crime in one form or another, too, will always be with us but one essential key to its reduction is education and skills training. So now we are engaged in another war, the "War on Terrorism." What an oxymoron. We intend to use violence ("War") to eliminate violence ("Terrorism"). It won't work. Military actions which lead to Arab/Islamic deaths will lead to further terrorism, which will lead to more aggression, which .... well, you know the pattern. It is manifest in the news from Israel and the PLO every day. That said, I reluctantly agree that military action against the al Queda network is necessary in order to bring justice to the perpetrators of the September 11th assault. But once justice is served, we are still left with the broader issue of terrorism, which has been defined, rightly so, as the real "enemy." How do we deal with THAT much tougher - and much more important - issue? I believe that a broad-based, secular education is the best antidote to terrorism. Ideally one outcome of our "War" would be the creation of a secular educational systems staff by secular teachers who can teach basic life skills, the good old three R's, and CRITICAL THINKING. In all of the "wars" listed above, education is key to success. This war is no different. If President Bush really wants to fulfill his campaign promise to be the "education president" then this "War on Terrorism" will indeed take at least a generation to be successful and must morph into an "Education Campaign." It will be expensive. Successes won't be obvious. Military contractors won't get big contracts. Progress will be virtually impossible to measure. CNN won't have a live update. Yet it is the only way to "win." But if we so engage in this education campaign we ALL can win. Roger S. SchlueterTop of Page WEB SITE OF THE MONTH by Colin Gordon This month, a great deal - two for the price of one! The first is http://www.edge.org representing The Edge Foundation, Inc. which was established in 1988 as an outgrowth of a group known as The Reality Club. Its informal membership includes of some of the most interesting minds in the world. The mandate of Edge Foundation is to promote inquiry into and discussion of intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and literary issues, as well as to work for the intellectual and social achievement of society. According to Roger Schlueter, who recommended it, "this is a pretty heady site, with lots for the philosophically minded." Second suggestion : http://www.geocities.com/jhaeman This is Dudley Duncan's choice and he says: "A youngster in U. of Nebraska Law School, knowledgeable beyond his years. I got in touch with him via his article on biblical and constitutional literalism in The Humanist, Sept.-Oct. 2001, where he gives an e mail address. This guy will be a smart lawyer one day, fighting the good fight for our side." Top of Page PAGAN EUROPE Peter Jennings, ABC TV News 9 September 2001, reports: "In Britain today there has been a startling admission from the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The Archbishop of Westminster, the spiritual leader of more than 4 million Catholics, said that Chistianity has almost been vanquished in Britain." Continuing the report from London, Jim Wooten stated that Cardinal O'Connor had come very close to raising the white flag over his church with a candid concession that here in Britain at least Christianity is all but irrelevant (shows nearly empty church). In its place he said this new faith (shows Rock & Roll group), or perhaps this (shows hippy playing guitar), an agnostic new age quest for inner peace, or for others simply the hedonism of alcohol or drugs or the passionate pursuit of material gain and affluence, especially among the young.
Three young people were interviewed and made these comments:
#1 "They are more likely to turn to their favorite pop group to let out stresses and things like that". #2: "We are informed much more by the media and other things around us than the Church and I don't think really the Church has much of a place here". #3: "When Church has become what happens on Sunday morning at 11 o'clock or whatever it is and you are addressed by a man dressed in black looking more like Darth Vader than anything else, with no chance to ask any questions or to get involved, that is irrelevant". And that, said the head of the Church of England today, is now the challenge for his faith and others. Dr. George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury: "This is nothing to frighten us or worry us, indeed from my point of view it is an exhilarating time to be alive and to be a Christian."
But there is no denying the numbers. Here and across Europe most people say they still believe in God, sort of, but fewer than 10 per cent of these are active in any faith at all these days. Top of Page
EDITORIAL AND LETTERS After last month's tragic events what have the religious ones to say? " God's Will", " Allah Be Praised", "God Bless America", " The ACLU and Lesbians are to Blame", "Sinners Need to be Punished", " Repent of Your Transgressions", " Vengeance is Mine Sayeth the Lord", "Some Prayers are Answered, Some are Not". What a moral dilemma for believers - how can their omniscient and beneficent God allow "His Own" to suffer and die? Either God isn't Good or God Isn't. It appears to me at least that now believers are left to define and defend a faith that is either an act of war or an act of futility .Some believe without questioning and follow mindlessly. Others, like us, need to accept the randomness and meaninglessness of a world in a meaningless universe that cares not a whit for our dreams and myths. That which we cannot know, we must accept as such. Mortality cannot fathom eternity nor limitation comprehend endlessness. What is left for our thinking species? Only Love in the here and now! Unfortunately, the terrorist activities
were all extension of the "domino effect"
that has been "in play" for more than 2,000
years. Three of the world's dominate religions originate from the Middle East and
specifically Palestine/Israel. All three religions speak of a life hereafter. The Christian Holy Bible talks in terms of "Thy
Kingdom Come." Jerusalem is sacred for
all three religions in their quest to reach
eternal salvation.
The human slaughter, in the name of'
these three religions, cannot be under-
stood by any rational human thinking.
Christian Crusaders were equal participants in this slaughter. The Holocaust was part of this 2,000-year domino outcome.
The natural "cause and effect" was the Fundamentalist movements in all three religions.
Fundamentalists are "purists" in their
thinking. They "purely" think that they,
and they alone, have not only the answers
to achieving "Life Hereafter," but they
truly believe that they will be the only
ones who have a passage to the next world
because of their "pure" religion.
As long as these three religions speak
in terms of "exclusive truth" to gaining
the passage to the Life Hereafter, the human slaughter will continue.
All three of these religion's Holy Books
speak in terms of giving up one's life for
God. Some practiced their versions of
worldly sacrifice to God for eternal salvation on Sept. 11, 2001. A mirror might be
more appropriate than cameras and binoculars in this troubled time.
Faith-based missileROY FASSEL Los Angeles Since President Bush is concerned with cutting the cost of government
and saving taxpayers' money, I have an idea for him. This would combine two of his favorite programs, the
Faith-Based Initiative and the Missile Defense program to form the Faith Based Missile Defense Program.
After all did not Pat Robertson (or perhaps it was Jerry Falwell) only a couple of years ago claim that his
prayers had diverted a hurricane away from Virginia? Surely the power of prayer would be equally effective
against missiles. This program need not cost a cent; since the Christian Right is so patriotic and prays a lot
anyway, they would not charge for including in their prayers a request that the missiles fall not on the United
States but on some heathen country. This would save the billions required for the proposed missile-defense
program, which probably would not work, and more billions for church social work, which is probably unconstitutional.
Top of PageDON PIERCE, Santa Fe |
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