Ed Koch and the Lost Arc

I imagine many of us took the opportunity to watch portions of the funeral of Ed Koch, the outspoken, good-hearted, former mayor of New York.

Mayor Bloomberg made a number of insightful comments in his eulogy.

He pointed to Koch’s advice to him when he first started out in politics.  Say what you think and don’t worry about what others think.

He observed that Koch had the confidence and courage to believe that problems could be solved.

And he said that Ed Koch restored the arc of our city’s history, commenting on how he began to rescue the city from decline.

Former President Clinton admired how Koch continued, until the very end, to concern himself with the public good.

One thing he said in particular struck me, and I want to expand upon it.

Clinton said of Koch that he always concerned himself with the impact that government would have on real people’s lives.

Right, Left and Together

The Israeli elections surprised virtually everyone.   The expectation was that the extreme right wing in Israel would gain greater strength than they had before, and lo and behold, a centrist party under the leadership of a charismatic politician, journalist and actor named Yair Lapid, gained more seats than anyone expected.

I’d like to take us on what I hope will be an enjoyable and enlightening ride.  I want to talk about what motivates left-wing and right-wing thinking.  And the 10 commandments.  And the importance of unity, given the reality of diversity.

But first, I want to say a few words about ketchup, that delightful sauce that we squeeze onto hamburgers.