The Sabbath provides a time for prayer and reflection, so maybe the Senate should take that break.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: This Banter Bite was almost canceled … but then we decided it was still relevant.
First, a little backstory to the backstory … earlier in the week David Schoen, one of Trump's lead impeachment trial lawyers, advised that he's an observant Jew who strictly adheres to the commandment against working on the Sabbath. This would mean that if the trial wasn't concluded before sundown on Friday, he'd be unavailable starting at sundown and running through Saturday.
Now, when Red first heard of this request, which came with an apology for the inconvenience, she couldn't help but wonder how it would be received – especially since Congress (and, let's face it, many of us) are hoping for a speedy trial. And, while she read that the schedule for the trial hadn't been finalized, the history buff in her was interested to learn that during impeachment trials the Senate would meet Monday through Saturday and only break on Sunday.
The official response? An allowance would be made for Mr. Schoen. Although the decision didn't really surprise Red, Black's thoughts on the matter did.
Amidst all the chaos and politics of Trump's second impeachment, the request for a break to observe the Jewish Sabbath provided a perfect reminder of the importance of faith and religious tolerance. And how, in reality, there are many similarities between the world's religions.
A few days later the request was withdrawn, with Mr. Schoen indicating that he wouldn't participate during the Sabbath, but the balance of the defense team could handle the proceedings. And that's when we thought about cancelling the Banter Bite, until Black pointed out to Red that it didn't change our conversation about the importance of religious tolerance.
Labor Day celebrates the American worker. However you may celebrate, we wish you a Happy Labor Day!
Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?
Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.
Which is what got Red to realize, much to her surprise (shock, if truth be told), that even as a straight-A student with a love of history, that when it came to Julius Caesar, a famous historical figure and possibly one of the greatest generals and statesmen of all time, she couldn't tell you dates or battles or anything "historical" associated with him.
Even as a theater major in college, she never read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," although she knew just enough about the play to know that it was where the fortune teller warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March." Instead, her knowledge of Caesar came from her love of movies.
My first, and probably my most enduring, memory is of a brilliant general who not only commanded armies as he conquered lands far from home but was a great statesman who was also involved with one of the world's most beautiful women. And while he was Julius Caesar and the woman was Cleopatra, to me, they'll always be Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, a movie almost as controversial as the general himself.
And Black? Besides knowing that Caesar Salad was invented by a different Caesar, she appreciates Julius Caesar's leadership skills and way with words,
There is much we can learn about leadership from Julius Caesar, whether on the battlefield, in politics, or in business (start small, take risks, communicate well), including what ultimately led to his death (always consider worst-case scenarios, never get complacent or arrogant). Many of his quotes speak (pun intended) to his powerful way with words, and the ability to not only deliver a message but to inspire (and story tell), with my favorite being, "I came, I saw, I conquered."
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