See the follow-up to this article: Republican Senator Lehner and Representative Butler Defend Ohio’s SB-5 At Kettering Town Hall Meeting

Tonight, Monday, June 6 at 7:00 p.m., in the Assembly Hall of David’s United Church of Christ in Kettering, the League of Women Voters, in cooperation with LIFT GreaterDayton and David’s UCC will sponsor a town hall meeting on Senate Bill 5 for residents of the Greater Dayton Area.  Senator Peggy Lehner (R) District 6,  along with representatives from the Kettering School District and Kettering Police Department will be on hand to listen to the public’s questions and concerns on this issue. David’s United Church of Christ is located at 170 West David Road, is free and open to the public.

With the likelihood Senate Bill 5 will be on the ballot this November, the groups feel it is important to begin to discuss this issue in the community.  “This is not a referendum on SB5,” said Darryl Fairchild of LIFT Dayton.  “The purpose of the town hall will be to create a space where citizens can learn about SB 5 and listen to the thoughts of other citizens in the area.”  Brian Newcomb, Pastor of David’s UCC concurs, “We want to begin respectful discussion of the legislation and perhaps find some clarity on an issue that has caused so much debate and concern.”

Senate Bill 5, sponsored by state Sen. Shannon Jones (R District 07), eliminates collective bargaining for state employees and employees of state universities and colleges, and limits bargaining for other public employees. The Bill was passed by the Ohio Legislature in March and signed into law by Governor Kasich in April. Opponents of the Bill are currently in the process of collecting the 230,000 signatures needed to get the measure up for a vote of the people in the form of a statewide referendum to repeal the legislation this November.

“An informed and engaged electorate is key to preserving our democracy,” said Susan Hesselgesser Executive Director of League of Women Voters, GDA.  “At this town hall we will discuss the reasons behind SB5, dismiss the falsehoods and address the concerns of the voters in a civil, respectful, nonpartisan way.  We want everyone to feel comfortable being in the room and to walk away with a better understanding of SB5 and how it relates to themselves and their community.” For more information contact the League of Women Voters at 228-4041 or susan@lwvdayton.org.

As I report here, acknowledged genius Ray Kurzweil in “The Singularity is Near” has tracked the historical growth of technology and shows it to be an exponential curve. Kurweil says we are at the cusp of that curve, and scientific and technological progress from here on will take off like a rocket.

Shown are members of the landed gentry, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews (1748-49), by British artist Thomas Gainsborough. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews would not have been ready for the Singularity, nor anything else that would have rocked their comfortable world.

The amount of computer power that can be purchased for $1000 doubles every 11 months and, Kurzweil says this growth will continue so that by 2019, $1000 will buy a computer with the capacity of the human brain. He says by 2030 the process of “reverse engineering” the brain will be completed and by 2045 computers will design themselves to be billions of times more powerful than any human brain. Kurzweil’s amazing prediction is that within 35 years, computers will be billions of times more intelligent than humans, and with that intelligence, computers will have the capacity to create a heaven on earth solving all of the problems of the environment, creating untold wealth, showing how to create cheap and plentiful energy, and greatly extending, by hundreds of years, the lifetimes of humans.

Thirty-five years is but a flicker of time. The message proclaimed by Jesus 2000 years ago, “Wake up. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” has an amazing parallel to the message, “Wake up. The Singularity is near.” Both messages proclaim good news to those who have ears to hear, but both also proclaim a warning: You must wake up. You must become ready for this watershed event in human history. Jesus told the story of the approaching Bridegroom and warned, if you are not prepared to meet him, if there is no oil in your lamp, you will be lost, left behind.

In terms of the approaching Singularity, what does it mean to be prepared? What is at stake? What would it mean to be lost, left behind, the door of opportunity shut?

Suppose a group of people found a great treasure, how would they divide it? History shows there is always a “lion’s share” that goes to the most aggressive or most clever. We think of treasure as finite — whatever you take, means less for me — and so, throughout history, humanity has organized itself so that a dominant group will enslave a weaker group and will control the limited resources and treasure of the whole society. Old Europe created a system of “peerage” — dukes, earls, barons — and maintained a landed gentry of great privilege, while everyone else, in practical terms, were serfs and slaves.

But suppose there was unlimited wealth? Suppose society found a source of treasure that was never ending and that had the capacity to produce enough material goods to provide every member of the society generously, then what? In response to such a fantastic development, based on what is happening today, it seems unlikely that humanity will produce societies of harmony — utopias of enlightenment in which everyone would benefit — unless humanity itself changes to make itself worthy of the Singularity.

The approaching Singularity, with its capacity to produce immeasurable wealth, also will have the capacity to impose and maintain infinite repression. Humanity may devolve into an Orwellian nightmare. Will we be ready? If the purpose of education is to prepare individuals for the future, then, to meet the challenge of the coming Singularity, the front line must be education. We have such a short time, we must awake, we must become ready. We must work to find the answer to our biggest question:  What is the education that matters?

Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, yesterday, made an address to the U.S. Congress that was wildly received — much, much applause. In his 46 minute speech, I counted 30 standing ovations. See below for the 30 parts of the speech that inspired Congress to stand up and cheer.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke to the U.S. Congress on May 24. He received 30 standing ovations.

“Americans, should be deeply ashamed of their Congress” for this over-the-top display of support for Netanyahu — says M.J. Rosenberg, Senior Foreign Policy Fellow at Media Matters Action Network.  Rosenberg  has an objectivity that, to me, rings true. In an article entitled, “Congress to Palestinians: Drop Dead,” Rosenberg makes these points:

• Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a speech to Congress that essentially was a series of insults to Palestinians and every insult was met by applause and standing ovations.
• In fact, Netanyahu’s appearance itself was an insult. In the entire history of the United States, only four foreign leaders have addressed joint sessions of Congress more than once. And now Netanyahu. For what?
• In his entire term in office Netanyahu has done nothing but reject every request by the United States that he take some action (like freezing settlements) to promote Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. In the history of Israel, there has been no prime minister as hardline on Palestinian rights and as indifferent to the wishes of the United States as Netanyahu.
• He was invited because the new Republican leadership of the House of Representatives wanted to demonstrate, loudly and clearly, that Congress will not support President Barak Obama in the event that he tries to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. And both Democrats and Republicans wanted to demonstrate to AIPAC that the campaign contributions it directs their way are not wasted.
• Netanyahu today essentially returned to the policies that Israel pursued before Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat agreed on mutual recognition and the joint pursuit of peace.
• And the worst part is not the appalling things Netanyahu said, but how Congress received them. Even Netanyahu’s declaration that there is no Israeli occupation was met with thunderous applause with the Democrats joining the Republicans in ecstatic support. Every Netanyahu statement, no matter how extreme, was met with cheers.
• Congress cheered and cheered and when Netanyahu was finished, they climbed over each other to touch the hem of his garment, hoping that AIPAC’s donors saw them groveling before a foreign leader as they never would for a U.S. President.
• It was as if Congress thought that no Palestinians or other Arabs (or Muslims) would be watching. It was as if it believes that it can shout its lungs out for Netanyahu (and thereby secure those campaign contributions from AIPAC), without any consequences to U.S. policy and national interests in the Arab world.
• The message Congress sent to the Middle East today, to the whole world, in fact, was that Palestinians cannot count on the United States to ever play the role of “honest broker” between Israel and the Palestinians. Even if President Obama was inclined to, Congress would stop him.
• The good news is that, although Congress is in Netanyahu’s pocket, the Obama administration isn’t. Netanyahu insulted the President at the White House last Thursday and then again in the halls of Congress by eliciting support for policies Obama rejects. And the administration is furious.
• Palestinians should thank Prime Minister Netanyahu and, even more, the United states Congress for making their choice so much easier. Together they helped create the Palestinian state today. And that is a very good thing.

These Thirty Statements By The Israeli Prime Minister — Each Caused The U. S. Congress To Stand Up And Cheer

1. And I do see a lot of old friends here, and I see a lot of new friends of Israel here, as well — Democrats and Republicans alike.
2. Israel has no better friend than America, and America has no better friend than Israel.
3. Congratulations, America. Congratulations, Mr. President. You got bin Laden. Good riddance.
4. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it.
5. And you don’t need to send American troops to Israel. We defend ourselves.
6. You know, I take it as a badge of honor, and so should you, that in our free societies you can have protests. You can’t have these protests in the farcical parliaments in Tehran or in Tripoli. This is real democracy.
7. Israel has always embraced this path in a Middle East that has long rejected it.In a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged, Christians are persecuted, Israel stands out. It is different.
8. Of the 300 million Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, only Israel’s Arab citizens enjoy real democratic rights. Now, I want you to stop for a second and think about that. Of those 300 million Arabs, less than one-half of 1 percent are truly free and they’re all citizens of Israel.
9. This startling fact reveals a basic truth: Israel is not what is wrong with about the Middle East; Israel is what is right about the Middle East.
10. Now, the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads in the sand. Less than seven decades after 6 million Jews were murdered, Iran’s leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people, while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state. Leaders who spew such venom should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet.
11. There are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran’s terror proxies. Not you. Not America.
12. The more Iran believes that all options are on the table, the less the chance of confrontation.
13. I ask you to continue to send an unequivocal message that America will never permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
14. Now, as for Israel, if history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take calls for our destruction seriously. We are a nation that rose from the ashes of the Holocaust. When we say “Never again,” we mean never again.
15. The peace agreements between Israel and Egypt and Israel and Jordan are vital, but they’re not enough. We must also find a way to forge a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
16. I recognize that in a genuine peace, we’ll be required to give up parts of the ancestral Jewish homeland. And you have to understand this: In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers.
17. This is the land of our forefathers, the land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace. … No distortion of history could deny the 4,000-year-old bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish land.
18. But there is another truth: The Palestinians share this small land with us. We seek a peace in which they’ll be neither Israel’s subjects nor its citizens. They should enjoy a national life of dignity as a free, viable and independent people living in their own state.
19. You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It’s always been about the existence of the Jewish state. This is what this conflict is about.
20. Palestinians continue to educate their children to hate. They continue to name public squares after terrorists. And, worst of all, they continue to perpetuate the fantasy the Israel will one day be flooded by the descendants of Palestinian refugees. My friends, this must come to an end.
21. It’s time for President Abbas to stand before his people and say, “I will accept a Jewish state.”
22. As President Obama said, the border will be different than the one that existed on June 4th, 1967. Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967.
23. And Palestinians from around the world should have a right to immigrate, if they so choose, to a Palestinian state. And here’s what this means: It means that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside the borders of Israel.
24. Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.
25. I want you to think about that, too. Imagine there’s a siren going on now, and we have less than 60 seconds to find shelter from an incoming rocket. Would you live that way? Do you think anybody can live that way? Well, we’re not going to live that way, either.
26. It’s therefore vital, absolutely vital, that a Palestinian state be fully demilitarized. And it’s vital, absolutely vital, that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River.
27. I appreciate the president’s clear position on this issue. Peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated.
28. But Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaida. That we will not do.
29. So I say to President Abbas, “Tear up your pact with Hamas, sit down and negotiate, make peace with the Jewish state. And if you do, I promise you this: Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as the new member of the United Nations. It will be the first to do so.”
30. Thank you. Thank you for your unwavering support for Israel. Thank you for ensuring that the flame of freedom burns bright throughout the world. May God bless all of you, and may God forever bless the United States of America.