Is the seder the right time for song parodies?

In his Chicago Tribune blog, Eric Zorn annually lists various song parodies he and his fellow seder guests sing at the seders Zorn and his wife attend. (Mrs. Zorn is Jewish.) According to his March 18, 2010 post, he wrote "Super-Kosher Manischewitz, Exodus and Moses" to the tune of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," the famous Mary Poppins song. The post is here: http://bit.ly/cBN2Mp

Hmmmm.

On one hand, that's fine. This isn't Yom Kippur, after all. If Eric, his wife and other seder guests want to have a little fun at a truly joyous occasion, they should knock themselves out and have a good time. Publicizing this rite of spring might persuade others the seder isn't a drag. Perhaps that Jewish minority that doesn't attend seders might be show up for one.

On the other hand: I can hear family members screaming at me because I make seder requirements so restrictive. Just one restriction: the seder must be kosher for Passover. Zorn doesn't indicate whether his seder is kosher or not. He may not know. Regardless of whether his seder is kosher, I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter to him. He's not Jewish, but just as important, he doesn't grasp the gravity of the importance of the holiday. We escaped from Egypt--not just physically, when it actually happened, but spiritually, every Passover. Zorn misses out on that spiritual component of Passover, and that plays a very important role in a seder. For that reason alone, the seder must be kosher for Passover.

The Liberal Agenda through the years

It struck me how central gay marriage has become to the liberal agenda over the last five years or so. Should this really be a top priority for liberals, I wondered? I thought back and tried, objectively, to make a list of liberal priorities in my lifetime:

1970's:

Opposing President Nixon
Opposing the war in Vietnam
State-by-state ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) ratification

1980's:

Defending legal abortion
Opposing aid to Contra fighters in Nicaragua
Nuclear freeze movement
AIDS research and awareness
Mobilizing against/sanctions against South Africa apartheid regime

1990's:

Advocating national health care


2000's (first decade, not the whole century):

Opposing President Bush
Opposing the buildup to the war in Iraq and opposing the subsequent war
Opposing efforts to crack down on illegal immigration
Advocating national health care
Advocating nationwide and state-by-state legalization of gay marriage

So gay marriage is worth all this time and expense? Maybe it is. Maybe if I were gay, I would agree. The impetus for this piece, which I've been meaning to write for some time, was Eric Zorn's blog post about the couple who walked the plank (well, almost) at the top of Willis Tower Aug. 27. Willis Tower's observation deck on the 103rd floor has a new feature, the Ledge, in which tourists/guests can step out over downtown Chicago in a glass box about the size of an elevator cab. So this couple got married there, and Zorn thinks getting married at the top of a skyscraper is ridiculous and degrades marriage.* He doesn't understand why this is acceptable and legal, but gay marriage is not. It's an "outrage about which I will never hold my peace." Tell us how you really feel!

Gay marriage proponents nationwide spent about $40 million to defeat Proposition 8 in California on Election Day last November. Prop 8 is an amendment to the California State Constitution that says "Only marriage between a man and a woman is legal and valid in California." It doesn't ban civil unions, which California has. Prop 8 passed by four points after its opponents easily outspent its advocates. In analyzing the exit poll data (fascinating, by the way), gay marriage proponents, Zorn included, quickly concluded, "Well, once the bigoted old farts die out, we'll be able to repeal Prop 8."

Not so fast.

Besides gay people, who were the anti-Prop 8 movement's most dependable voters? Young people. Specifically, single young people. What happens to single young people? They get older, and they get married.

I'm making a proposal, and I know I'm not alone on this one: once people get married in traditional marriages to members of the opposite sex, they realize how special and unique marriage really is. They realize it's nothing like dating and nothing like shacking up in a love nest with someone. It has real responsibilities and real challenges, especially with raising children. It is about celebrating the differences between husband and wife, man and woman, and it is a truly rewarding experience.

When people get married and are utterly surprised and shocked by the special bond they just made, I think they realize that the relationship they share isn't possible between two men or two women. Some married people think that's okay and remain strong advocates for gay marriage. But I think there's a significant percentage of people who take another look at gay marriage after getting married themselves. "Maybe it's not the same. Maybe it doesn't deserve the same label." The relationship between husband and wife can't be duplicated in any other relationship. Zorn can stamp his feet all he wants--perhaps changing the law in the process--but he can't change that basic fact.

*Judging from the comments, some people thought this aisle walk degraded marriage too. It's not traditional--that's for sure--but I like it.

Was Tuesday a sad day or a great day?

It’s barely once a year when news is worth calling friends about at work. Kerry Wood is pitching a one-hitter and striking out almost everybody (1998); IU Athletics fired Bob Knight (2001); the Feds arrested the Governor (Tuesday). On her Air America radio show last night (Dec. 10), Rachel Maddow made an amusing and unsettling observation: that four of the last eight Illinois governors have been indicted. (I think she is referring to Blagojevich, Ryan, Walker and Kerner. I would need to check.) So she sardonically said something like, “The rest of us are shocked at the sight of a governor being arrested, but in Illinois, they call it Tuesday.” In his usually-interesting blog Change of Subject at chicagotribune.com, Eric Zorn made a fascinating comment about all the Illinois politicians apparently saddened at the downfall of one of their own. (I think they were actually upset that the Governor was caught.) Just a few examples he quoted:

“This is a sad day for the people of Illinois.” --U.S. Rep. Jan “I love big government programs” Schakowsky (D.-Ill.) – my Congresswoman

“It’s a terrible day.” --Former Gov. Jim “Taxaholic” Edgar (almost ten years out of office, and I still can’t stand him)

“This is a sad day for my state of Illinois.” --U.S. Sen. Dick “Pardon Ryan” Durbin (D.-Ill.) No, Senator, the sad day would be if either of these Governors are pardoned.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Congresswoman, Governor, Senator. You are completely wrong, and it shows how disconnected from the public you claim to serve (“served,” in Edgar’s case) that you see this development so differently from the rest of us. I’ll repeat what I previously wrote: This is a great, great day for the people of Illinois. Justice is finally being served.

BTW Jan was also annoyed to find out how far out of the running for the vacant U.S. Senate seat she really was. (She thought her five terms in the U.S. House—has it been 10 years already? Yeesh—would give her some credibility and consideration.) But Blagojevich knew she had no ability to donate $0.5 mil or $1 mil to his campaign war chest. So he didn’t take her interest seriously.

Former Gov. Edgar was on Chicago Tonight last night, Dec. 10—I guess he really has nothing to do besides offer his “Elder Statesman” opinion of everything—opposing the idea of a special election for U.S. Senator, which would cost us taxpayers $12 mil. On this point, I agree with him. I think Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn should be permitted to make the appointment, so long as he picks someone who was not in the initial running. Sorry, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D.-Ill.)—it sounds like you were ready to buy the seat! The appointment should go to someone in business or academia—NOT someone already entrenched in Illinois politics.