Rotagram for Wednesday, January 13, 2021

President Ken Kaisch’s opening remarks:

Wow! What a week this has been. Last Wednesday, as we were meeting, a mob stormed our Capital in an apparent attempt to stop our electoral process. Weapons of all kinds were carried – from guns to spears to clubs. People were killed. Offices were looted. Evidence suggests that some individuals, carrying zip ties, were planning to take members of Congress hostage. When I saw the news that night, I could not believe that this was happening in my country – the land where my fathers died, the land of the Pilgrim’s pride. I was aghast!

One conclusion I think is clear. The costs of our political polarization are too high. We all need to back off. We need to tone down the rhetoric. That means YOU and ME – we need to tone down our rhetoric. We need to remember that the other side – whoever they might be – is sincere in their beliefs and they are trying to do their best to implement their vision for the best possible America.

I hear Joe Biden say we need to come together, and my friends on the right say, “Why? You have impeded our progress the past four years with the Russia hoax and the impeachment attempt. Why should we treat you any differently?” I hear my friends on the left say, “Trump is deranged, he’s tearing apart our international alliances and weakening our country. We have to do something!”

In my view, both sides are right. And I agree with them both – we have to do something. We have to, because the costs of our political polarization are too high. We saw those costs played out in the Capital of our great country last Wednesday.

I don’t know what to do; I’m not that smart. But I do know that something must be done if we are to survive. I will close with a statement from our greatest statesman, Abraham Lincoln. In 1858, he stated, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” He borrowed this from a spiritual source, the Gospel of Mark. “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” And we will not stand, unless we find ways to stand together.

Dan Ouweleen’s Patriotic Moment:

Mattie Stepanek was a famous young poet who suffered from a rare disease. Sadly, in 2020, he died at the young age of 14. Before he passed, he wrote, "Unity is strength...when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."

By the way—he lived in Washington, DC.

Christian Esteban’s Invocation:

Borrowing words from Margaret G. Kibben, the first female congressional chaplain: “Almighty God, speak into this storm. Allow your holy spirit to minister to our hearts. Still our anger, that we would yield ourselves to your gracious design for this nation. We pray you do not abandon the work of your hands. And as the spirit moves among us, inspire us again with your purpose.”

Club News:

1) President Ken shared eRYLA, our annual opportunity to serve high school juniors through a virtual camp experience! Watch the 2-minute sizzle reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k9SXUS7qvs

2) Ken calls for your help with membership and programs! Contact Ken to discuss ways to invite new members, or contact Jim Williams with ideas on programs we can bring to the club.

3) Ken recognized several Service Above Self-ers—Bailey Kline, the organizer of invocation-givers and pledge-leaders; Rick Crane, the noble purveyor of CIA Awards; and Monica Fernandez, the dutiful developer of the diaper dump drive. As he infamously mispronounced her name to ‘presidential proportions,’ President Ken famously reinstated and awarded Monica with Rotarian of the Month for incredibly collecting 8,000 diapers for struggling parents.

Fine Master: Raco eviscerated the following unsuspecting Rotarians for having the gall to have birthdays and anniversaries:

Birthdays: Richard Daybell, Francis Hunter

Anniversaries: Judy Atwell, Ken Kaisch ($34) for his 34th, Bailey Kline ($5) for her 1st, Frank Kawase ($5) for his 42nd, John Phelps (30 years) ($5) for his 30th.

Raco fined Ken Kaisch ($6) for mispronouncing Monica’s name, Mike Cochran ($5) for speaking ill of Raco’s allegiance to USC, Leslie McCarthy ($5) for the same reason, Faisal Qazi ($5) for missing an obscure Dodgers trivia question, and John Phelps (increased to $20) for missing an even more obscure Dodgers trivia question.

Program: Travis McShane

Our club’s membership chair shared new features on our revamped website, including new features for prospective members, making donations online, service projects, community partners, and links to our social media pages.

The website is now LIVE! Check out the updated features at the same URL, fullertonrotaryclub.com.

Know of a tech-savvy someone who can support the club by maintaining our website? Contact Travis at travis@eclecticassociates.com.

Phone-a-Rotarian Telethon—Travis also facilitated a live, interactive service project where Rotarians in attendance selected names from our member roster and pledged to give them a check-in call during the week. It was a terrific way to engage with some members we’ve haven’t seen quite as much lately.

In closing, President Ken shared a lighthearted joke:

“If 2020 was a drink, what would it be? A colonoscopy prep.”

And this poignant quote from the Dalai Lama: “You use force, you create fear. Fear destroys trust. Trust is the basis for harmony. The hardliner believes that harmony and unity can be brought by force. That is totally wrong.”