“Giuliani” By Andrew Kurtzman

 Underground Oklahoma is a series of tunnel under downtown Oklahoma City  that connect to several buildings there and also  includes restaurants and art galleries, and as revealed in the recently published “Giuliani” by journalist Andrew Kirtzman the Mar-a-Lago complex that is home to former President Donald Trump also has tunnels that run underground and connect to several different structures  that are part of it. But unlike Underground Oklahoma, where citizens gather during the lunch hour and when inclement weather descends upon Oklahoma’s capital city, the Mar –a-Lago underground walkways served years ago for a way  in 2008 that  Rudy Giuliani, who was deeply depressed after his withdrawal from the presidential race and his wife Judith to make  their way from their bungalow to the main dining room without encountering people or the press. The Guliani’s were the guests of Donald Trump, and  Kirtzman documents how Giuliani bonded with Trump as a result of the hospitality that the future president  bestowed on him, as the former New York Mayor was drinking heavily and occasionally falling after his presidential campaign collapsed and he feared that he was losing his relevance. “America’s Mayor” was how  Giuliani was lauded after his courageous leadership after the destruction of the World Trade Center towers, Kirtzman reminds us, and relates how he personally encountered him in the immediate aftermath of that attack as smoke was belching from the fallen structure, and writes “Peter Powers may have overstated things when he said that  Giuliani was missing a fear gene, but if  he  was terrified he was hiding it well.” With Kirtzman present, the chief executive made his way to an adjacent fire station and addressed the city and nation via telephone and reassured them that the city would survive. Giuliani subsequently attended hundreds of funerals of firemen and cops who perished, and also gave away in marriage several young women whose fathers  also lost their lives in the 9/11 conflagration.
Giuliani  had initially ridden to fame in New York City as a rackets busting prosecutor in his role  as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York,  and according to  the author had never shown much interest in money and high living, but possibly at the urging of his third wife, Judith Nathan, he began to cash in on his world wide fame by setting up a law firm and a consulting company that bore his name and began to live like the very wealthy people do, with  private plane transportation and multiple homes. At the time that he withdrew from the  Republican presidential race, we are told  that “he was supporting six homes and twelve country club memberships,” and in one six month period  “spent $12,000 on cigars and  $7,000 on fountain pens.” Giuliani   had been one of Trump’s most vocal supporters during the 2016 campaign, and was one of the few  who chose to defend him after the release of the tape  in which the candidate had boasted of how he had assaulted women, and was rewarded by being appointed Trump’s attorney during the Mueller probe, and Kirtzman reminds us of some of the outrageous and outlandish statements that he made in that capacity on numerous television interviews. But his most reprehensible behavior was still to come, when  he argued in various forums that Trump had in fact been reelected, and that the election had been stolen from him. Those antics would result in him being sued for defamation by Dominion Voting Machines after he said that they  had deliberately withheld votes from Trump and having his law license in both New York and Washington D.C. placed in jeopardy for making misleading statements regarding the 2020  presidential election.
The former mayor may also  be facing criminal indictment  for his involvement in Trump’s efforts to retain the presidency at the hands of the U.S. Department of Justice.  At OSU in Stillwater a  memorial  stair climb takes place every September 11^th  at the Boone  Pickens Stadium there to pay tribute to the brave men and women who raced into the World Trade Centers Towers to save those who were trapped inside. One wonders what the professors of American history at that institution will say of Rudolph Giuliani’s role in that national tragedy as well as his subsequent career.

Chicken Tikki Masala Invented In Scotland?

 The New York Times ran an obituary on December 22, 2022  regarding the passing of   Ali Ahmed Aslam, a 77 year old immigrant from Lahore, Pakistan, who settled in Glasgow Scotland, in the United Kingdom and opened a restaurant there, Sheesh Mahal, that the Times reports is where  chicken tikki masala was first served and prepared. According to the story that is told in that establishment today, a local bus driver materialized there sometime in 2009  who was not feeling well, and said that he thought that the regular  chicken tikka would be too spicy for him, and asked if there was something that he could be served that was both  saucier and sweeter as a result. The quick thinking Mr. Ali, which  is how he was addressed by his numerous customers, placed a plate of tandoor grilled chicken  into a pan with tomato sauce  and  a new dish was born. Since that time that dish  has become popular  everywhere Indian food is sold in the world, and the Times’ reports that the British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook gave a speech in which he proclaimed “Chicken tikki masala is now a true British national dish,” And is among the most popular fare served there, and it is important “Not only because it is  among the most popular , but it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adopts external influence.” Mr. Aslam made his way to Glasgow as a teenager, and worked with an uncle in the clothing business while cutting onions at a local restaurant at night. He subsequently opened a restaurant there that served food from the Indian subcontinent.  The Times reports that his place was one of the first  of the many curry places that  opened in the 1970’s and  that now thousands of them are  present throughout the United Kingdom, and chicken tikki masala  was a dish often requested in many of them, and without offering much explanation concludes that it became “a powerful political symbol ,” and that it is now “found on airplanes and as a pizza topping, at fast- food chains and premade in grocery stores all over the world,” and that some Mc Donald’s located in the United Kingdom were offering “Chicken Mc Tikka sandwiches.”  Perhaps not surprisingly, many of the readers who contributed comments to  Mr. Aslam’s obituary took issue with the assertion that he was responsible for the creation of chicken tikki masala, and offered tales of other creators in both the United Kingdom and India and Pakistan who are due some degree of credit for it’s creation .It would seem that chicken tikki masala’s penetration into the Oklahoma market has  been more modest, and while it is a popular item on the buffet of the  premiere Indian restaurants here, the two Gopuram establishments in Oklahoma City, and their operators indicate that it is frequently requested for the many events that they cater for, and is also a popular item on the Sheesh Mahal eatery that is located on May  Avenue,  it has yet to make its way into the frozen food section of any grocery stores in the area. But as it becomes more popular, it may enjoy a similar  a similarly expanding  market just as Asian and Hispanic foods that were brought here by immigrant have.

Dangers Posed By Incoming Israeli Government

Itamar Ben-Gvir

 “The David Duke of Israel,” is how the leader of the  of the ultranationalist Jewish Power Party  leader Itamar  Ben- Gvir, has been  aptly described. Duke was the  former Klan leader  of Louisiana who formed the “National Association  For The Advancement of White People” years ago and was a fervent anti- Semite as well, and remained a minor annoyance in that state but would periodically arise to run for elective office there and fan the flames of   distrust and division . And  formerly Ben- Gvir, who had been convicted in Israel of the charge of inciting racism against  Arabs and support for terrorist organizations, was a  somewhat  similar minor  annoyance in the body politic of the Jewish state until  relatively recently, when incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption,  made deals with him and several other far right parties to form a governing coalition that is scheduled to take office shortly. Ben-Gvir formerly had a picture in a place of honor in his office of an Israeli radical who shot dead 29 Palestinians and wounded an additional 125  in a mosque  in Hebron on  the West Bank, and still maintains a photo  of  the militant rabbi  Meir Kahane,  who advocated for the expulsion of  Palestinians from Israel and the West Bank in his office. And   as part of the Faustian bargain Netanyahu has made with Ben –Gvir and several other leaders to return to power again, Ben Gvir  is slated to head  the National Security  Ministry of Israel, and there is legislation pending in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, that will give him authority over the police as well.  The New York Times has reported that  many Israelis fear that he will use that authority to deal harshly with Israeli Arabs and  residents of the occupied West Bank who protest the  increasing encroachment of Israeli settlers on their territory, and one member of the Knesset has warned  in that body that Ben- Gvir’s  goals are racist in nature. The incoming Netanyahu government’s  six party  coalition also  has plans to restrict the authority of the Israeli Supreme Court , which  some observers have warned could constitute a threat to Israeli democracy.  It is possible that Ben –Gvir’s harsh handling of  future Arab protests will lead to a situation in which protestors are injured or killed  which will lead to  additional protests, and further crack downs by the police under his command which  will in turn generate further violent protests, much in the manner of the bloody procedure that occurred in South Africa  and was telecast through the media towards the end of the apartheid era in which funerals for those killed in public  protests  against the  government there   frequently became   protests themselves, which led to further loss of life and  even more  such funerals.

Ed Hardy Attire At Pinpoint Resource Fine Wear In OKC

 Oklahomans of a certain age may recall Ed Hardy, a rotund and gap-toothed radio and television personality who served as press secretary for former Governor David Hall. But in recent months  a new  Ed Hardy  has begun to  make his way into the Oklahoma scene not in the public affairs  sphere  but in a unique artistic  clothing line that is being offered at the upscale store “Pinpoint Resource Fine Wear ” that is located at Fifty Penn Place   at 1900 Northwest Expressway  Oklahoma  City. The owner and operator of that establishment, Chris Khrais, recently explained how  Ed Hardy, who is also known as Don Ed Hardy, began his career primarily  as a tattoo artist in California in the early years of this century, and that his work in that field led to the recognition of it being an art form.  Many of his Asian American customers asked him to adorn his creations on them  with Asian images and soon  other patrons began to request them as well. Interestingly,  Hardy’s venture into clothing was not originally on his own initiative, but was the result of a Japanese men’s attire line contacting him  and requesting that he place his work on their attire. That company had a store in Los Angeles, and soon clothing  that bore his vivid art and often his name emblazoned on it made their way to Hollywood  and soon to other locales.   Hardy’s art  was recently the subject of an exhibition in the prestigious De Young Museum in San Francisco and some of that attire was included in a clothing line  that is now popular in various parts of the world.
Khrais is an immigrant from the Kingdom of Jordan in the Middle  East, and like many individuals from that nation, he exhibits a dynamism  that accounts for his three decades of  success in the field of men’s attire in Oklahoma City, and to enter his establishment  is to be reminded of the  elite men’s stores that are found in places such as New York City  and Saville Row in London in the United Kingdom. He and his staff provide private style sessions for their patrons who may feel that they need some guidance  on the subject of what is proper attire for different occasions. The haberdasher  explained that he was intrigued when he first saw some  of the  Ed Hardy clothing and thought that it would be a good match  for many of his sophisticated patrons, and that he began to take orders from them for coats and other items that bore  Hardy’s unique art earlier  this month.

“Tutankhamun And The Tomb That Changed The World,” By Bob Brier

               

“Can you see anything?” Lord Carnarvon asked of Howard Carter on November 21^st, 1922 as Carter peered into what would be revealed to be the tomb of the Pharaoh  Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. “Yes, wonderful things,” Carter replied. The archaeologist would later write of the experience “ At first I could see nothing , but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues and gold-everywhere the glint of gold. For  the moment  I was struck dumb with amazement.” And in the intervening century many other people have shared  a degree of Carter’s amazement when they have seen first hand many of those  golden artifacts that he saw on that occasion that were put in the monarch’s tomb to provide him comfort in his journey to the next world and were later placed  along with his mummified remains in the Egyptian National Museum in Cairo, Egypt where they remain today.  In the recently published “Tutankhamun And the Tomb That Changed the World”  Long Island University professor  and Egyptologist  Bob Brier has told the tale of how his final resting place  was discovered and the role that he and  the objects found there  have played since that time. Among those artifacts was  a golden chariot that had a falcon  attached to it that the author describes as  being  “The world’s first hood ornament,” and details how chariots played an important role in the building of the ancient Egyptian empire,  and that the tomb also included images of Tutankhamun hunting wild animals from his chariot. “The boy king,” is how the monarch is often described, and  Brier details that he was  probably not over the age of 19 at the time of  his death. His equally young  wife Ankesenamun is also featured in many of the images that paid tribute  to him that were found in his tomb, and the author  points out that they were usually shown touching one another in a manner that indicates a close relationship, and that such closeness was unusual for art  of that time that depicted royal Egyptian families. Poignantly, two fetuses were found in the tomb that  Brier concludes must have been the result of miscarriages suffered by Ankesenamun. In a chapter entitled “Tutankhamun Superstar,”  the Egyptologist explains that “From the very beginning of the tomb’s discovery, people were fascinated by Tutankhamun,”  and  describes how the first popular song written about him, “Old King Tut Was A Wise Old Nut,” was released in 1923, and how what was described as “Tut-Mania”  in the august New York Times, gripped the places that his loaned out  artifacts were displayed in the 1970’s in museums in  the U.S. including New York City, New Orleans, Boston, and several other places, and that souvenirs depicted the images found in his tomb have also been popular since  the  discovery of his tomb. The concept of the “museum blockbuster,” the author concludes, was the work of Tutankhamun and Dr. Thomas Hoving of the New York  Metropolitan Museum, and tells of how the latter transformed his museum from a “stuffy  repository of art,” to “a vibrant museum that became the place to be seen” in New York  City.  Steve Martin’s song and performance about Tutankhamun on “Saturday Night Live”  is also part of his  role in our recent  popular culture. While  Brier doesn’t mention it, the campy television production of the 1960’s  “Batman” featured a villain who was an Egyptologist at  a university in Gotham  City who became convinced he was King Tut after being hit in the head in a student protest and battled  Batman and Robin in his efforts to take over the city he thought was his rightful kingdom. The author concludes that in the past century Tutankhamun has gone from an obscure Egyptian king “to the most famous pharaoh of all.”

Christmas Cookies At Vito’s Ristorante In OKC

               One of the harbingers of the arrival of the Christmas season in north Oklahoma City is when  the Italian Christmas cookies that  are  given without charge to the patrons of  Vito’s  Italian Ristorante   on North May Avenue make their way to the tables there. Those cookies constitute a tradition that the proprietor of that establishment, Cathy Cummings, established years ago, and may have originated in the Italian eatery that her family owned and operated in Kansas City Missouri  that had been founded by her grandfather, who was an  immigrant from Italy. “I grew up in my family’s restaurant,” she has said. Interestingly, it has been reported that those celebrated Italian restaurants that are open  today outside of McAlester, Oklahoma in the community of Krebs, also  had a Christmas tradition  of preparing cookies without charge  for their customers in the early years of their operation as well.
  The restaurateur  recently explained that  her beloved daughter  Angelina Curiel helped her bake those morsels, which will soon be served, this year and she has seen  fit to thank her and express the love she has for her on her Facebook Page, and the sheer number of those morsels shown on that page  would indicate that her expression of gratitude was warranted. Cathy Cummings, along with her husband Sean Cummings, are dedicated political  and social activists who have both held several elective posts in the Village suburb of Oklahoma City, and recently an astute observer who knows the  couple well said that their diverse effort    are motivated by a desire to make the world a better place. But they are perhaps best known for the weekly radio show that they jointly host,  known as “The Fired Up Kitchen”  that is on KOKC Radio Station on Sunday mornings at midday  in which they interview other restaurateurs and individuals  and foodies who are involved in the Oklahoma City culinary   scene in a joyous manner. And the variety of those cookies are a reminder of the rich and diverse  traditions of Italian sweets that are found in areas where  Italian immigrants   settled  in the U S, including New York City, Boston,  Kansas City,  New Orleans, and include other things  such as warm weather preparations  known as   Italian ice and spumoni. The patrons of  Vito’s will be enjoying a wide variety of cookies, and Cummings’ has said that the recipes for them came in large part from a cookbook that was published in the last century by a group of women in Kansas City who were intent on preserving Italian cooking traditions. They  include rows of speckled white treats  that’s bright  coloring are a reminder of the Christmas soldiers that  often appear in military formation this time of year,  breaded items covered in chocolate, biscotti like creations, and several others. And Cathy Cummings has said that she looks forward to sharing her cookies with her customers during this holiday season.

Final World Cup Game At Mama Z’s In OKC

 

 The last game of the World Cup Soccer Tournament that was held in Qatar in the United Arab Emirates was held on Sunday, December 18^th, 2022 and was watched with avid interest in various locales in many parts of the world, and  several of those locations where in the Oklahoma City area, and of those locations was  the Zam Zam Mediterranean  Grill and Hookah Bar on MacArthur Avenue in Warr Acres, where the co-owner of that establishment,  Yousef El Yassin, with characteristic thoughtfulness and generosity, opened his place early to allow  patrons to gather there to watch it on the large screen television that in place   there, and the enthusiasm displayed by the patrons was indicative of the  increasing popularity of soccer in Oklahoma.  An  additional place where that contest was televised via flat screen was Mama Z’s African Supermarket and Restaurant on  16^th Street and Meridian Avenue, where the three younger male members of the Azees family that own  and operate that place  were seated in chairs before the screen and watched the contest with a  rapt attention that was occasionally interrupted by the exchange of hugs with one another when the Argentinian  team scored the goals that made them victorious over the French team on the field and Lionel Messi  cried tears of that he wiped away with his shirt as his teammates hugged him in jubilation. Some  of those  goals resulted in those three young boys, who are currently students at Dove Science Academy, where they play soccer, leaving their seats  to exchange exuberant  hugs with their two older brother and sister  and mother who were cooking the African food that is prepared  in the kitchen there. Those adults warmly responded to the younger boys embraces and smiles and did not seem to be disturbed by their work being  temporarily interrupted in that manner which may be an indication of the tolerant parenting style of African immigrant  families.  Those children also patiently explained to several  other patrons  who were  apparently more familiar with  American football procedures than soccer what some of the referee’s actions were in response to. The oldest Azees child, Ridwan, is an alumni of OU’s undergraduate  school and recently completed his studies at the OU Medical School in Oklahoma City, and is currently a candidate for admission to several residency programs at hospitals and is waiting to hear from them. Their second son, the genial and usually  smiling Malik, had also  previously  been awarded a undergraduate diploma  from OU,  and is planning to depart for Missouri to attend dental school in August of this year, and  one gets the impression that that  departure will be a source of  both pride and sadness for the rest of that close knit family that emigrated from Nigeria years ago. The family’s only daughter, Bisola, recently was awarded an undergraduate degree in accounting from SWOSU in Weatherford, and is planning to take the CPA exam in the fall but will continue to work in the family establishment for the current time.

Harold Stassen And Tom Guild

Harold Stassen

“ A perennial presidential candidate,” was how former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen was often described in the press subsequent to 1952  when he filed for the Republican nomination for that that office for the period from 1944 for through 1992, and his filings for most of those years were sources of amusement to both the public and the press. But histories of those first presidential campaigns remind readers that Stassen, while he would in time would be a comic figure, was in fact a viable candidate  in both 1948 and 1952, and was considered the front runner in the former contest but was ultimately defeated  by New York governor Thomas  E. Dewey, and that   he ensured that Dwight Eisenhower  won the GOP  presidential nomination in the latter year by  agreeing to shift his delegates to him.  Eisenhower subsequently defeated Democrat Adlai Stevenson in that race.  Stassen, who was born in 1907,  had been elected governor of Minnesota  in 1938 , which made him the youngest person to ever  win that post, at that time. And it seems that Oklahoma Democratic politics has a character who is increasingly in the model of the latter Harold Stassen in the person of Tom Guild, a former political science professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, who later taught law classes  at Oklahoma City School of  Law, and  is in many ways an impressive figure. Guild had been abandoned by his parents at the age of six, and spent time in foster care until he was adopted  By Doctor  Carl Guild and his wife Friada  Guild.  He obtained an undergraduate degree from OU and later was awarded a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas. Beginning in 2012 and continuing through 2020, Guild has run for the Democratic nomination  for the U S Fifth Congressional District, but has been defeated in all of those contests for the nomination. This year, he sought the Democratic nomination for the post of Oklahoma County Treasurer, and was defeated  in the primary by Brandon Kirkpatrick. In his campaigns for the U S Congress, Guild boldly  spoke of his  commitment to issues such as the extension of health care to all and  support for labor unions in  a red district, and his often  persuasive  efforts may have swayed  some  rock ribbed Republican voters to be more  flexible on such matters.  Guild has filed for the post of Oklahoma County Clerk, where he joins several other Democratic candidates, including long time party activist Sean Cummings and while it is unlikely that he will win the nomination, he will surely siphon off voters and a degree of  financial contributions from the other aspirants.  At a time when the  Oklahoma County  electorate appears to be evolving into a place more responsive to the Democratic Party and it’s ideals, it would seem that this would be a good time for Tom Guild to enjoy an honorable retirement from electoral politics  and allow a younger generation of leaders  to challenge the GOP’s dominance in the area.

Oklahoma City’s Immigrants

  Washington Post columnist George Will has recently written an essay in support of a rare bipartisan measure that is currently pending before the U. S. Senate that is sponsored by  Senators  Thom Till, Republican from North Carolina and Krysten Sinema, Independent from  Arizona who was until recently a Democrat, that if enacted would  provide funding for additional border security  measures for the US Mexican border, and the expediting of the hearing of the  asylum claims that are currently pending before the USCIS, as well as providing a  ten year path to U.S. citizenship for Dreamers who were brought to the nation when they were very young and currently have a limited legal status that allows them to obtain work permits. In support of that proposal, the columnist quotes from the  farewell address of former president and  Republican icon Ronald Reagan, in which he defined America as being   “A tall proud city, and if there has to be city walls, the walls had doors, and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.” And on a more practical level  Will  cites a historian who wrote of how  the  Panic of 1819, which resulted in 20% unemployment in the then young nation,  but “That the economy  grew at all was remarkable. The principle source of economic growth was the flows of hungry immigrants brimming with  audacious ambitions. As usual in America, it was the new Americans who kept the economy moving forward”  during that economic downturn.   And Oklahoma City is host  to many immigrants from various lands whose similarly bold ambitions  are currently on display in businesses that are found throughout the area, and they include South Asians who are overseeing computer operations for local businesses, West African medical professionals who  peruse   X Ray charts and provide care for infirm and elderly citizens, and Arab and Chinese and Hispanic   restaurateurs who realized that their unique culinary traditions  would be warmly received here.
They have also brought many of their traditions with them as immigrants have traditionally done,   and a large crowd gathered at Zam Zam Mediterranean Grill And Hookah Bar recently  in the morning hours to watch the World Soccer Cup games that  were played in Qatar in the United Arab Emirates,  and the jubilation that they displayed when the Moroccan  team defeated  the Portuguese team was reminiscent of the euphoria demonstrated in Norman when OU’s football team has prevailed  over it’s gridiron rivals at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium .  Afrobeat musicians and performers from West Africa   are now residing in Oklahoma City, and regularly perform in various locales here to the delight  of many young people who have become introduced to that music through social media. A historian of the urban experience in the U. S. concluded that  New York City became a truly great city when it welcomed immigrants to it’s borders, and Oklahoma City    currently  appears to be  involved in a similar process.  

Kit Fairchild To Run For Warr Acres City Council

              The last century produced  several political leaders, among them Winston Churchill, Charles De Gaulle, and Leon Trotsky who in addition to being active in  their respective nations, were also talented writers and left a legacy of writings that detailed  their involvement n public affairs that are still read today. And Oklahoma may in time  have a somewhat similar leader in the person of Kit Fairchild, who  has revealed himself to be skilled writer and polemicist in  his  published work “Ten Lessons in Conservative Cowardice”  and is currently a candidate for the District One seat on the Warr Acres City Council.  Fairchild is a long time political activist   who has been a leader in the campaigns to reform Oklahoma’s marijuana laws  and to legalize that marijuana for medicinal purposes, and gave a memorable speech on that subject  on the steps of the state capital in Oklahoma City. He is among those   activists of his generation who has mastered the use of  social media, and  currently hosts a YouTube presentation titled “Across The Desk” in which he  discusses both Oklahoma and national politics and often interviews candidates for  elective office, and the Amazon  website that deals with the distribution of books describes him as being a “social media personality.” His site has acquired subscribers throughout the state that has brought him into the homes of many Oklahomans, and Fairchild has proven to be a skilled interviewer as well as a knowledgeable student of public policy in those productions. Interestingly, he was formerly somewhat of an amateur pugilist and a picture is extant on social media of the candidate sporting boxing gloves and pummeling a large punching bag, and that background may serve him well in future political contests. While the activist is frequently critical of the actions and decisions made by Oklahoma’s Republican controlled legislature, and the GOP members of the state’s Congressional delegation,  he takes a more measured tone regarding his perspective on the community of Warr Acres, which is a suburb of Oklahoma City.   Fairchild recently said that he thinks that the community  is currently on the right track, and lauds the outgoing Mayor Jim Mickley, for his leadership, and wishes to continue that momentum. The energetic candidate has further indicated he looks forward to knocking  on many doors as  he begins his campaign and hopes to bond with many of his fellow residents as part of that process. Warr Acres adjoins the community of Bethany, which is the home of Southern Nazarene University, and many of  it’s residents are affiliated with that faith and display the tolerance and understanding that is part of the Christian tradition. A former member of the Bethany City Council, Arlita Harris, spent five years at the African Nazarene University in Nairobi, Kenya, and has returned their on occasion to  reconnect  with that institution and the people who staff it, and she currently oversees at her individual church a program that offers immigrants legal assistance that has won praise from  those who advocate for the rights of the undocumented. And students of Fairchild’s You Tube productions know that he will be a municipal leader in that tradition if he  is elected,. and may in time memorably write of that experience.