N
ot to crow about any accom-
plishments, but I would like
to point out that you readers
are becoming more aware of the
expressions you use. That awareness
really feathers my
nest.
OK, have you now
noticed this column’
s
direction? Hopefully,
my attempts to illus-
trate the preponder-
ance of “bird talk”
will not ruffle any
feathers and will not lay an egg.
Most often, we will use aviary
terms to describe our feelings. We
enjoy being as free as birds, happy
as larks, proud as peacocks. When
challenged, we can become
as mad as wet hens.
If you are as wise as an owl,
you will not settle for a job that
pays chicken feed. Find an area of
work that allows you to get your
ducks in a row and provides tasks
that, to you, are like water off a
duck’
s back. To stay sharp on the job,
you may have to go to bed with the
chickens, which is hard to do if you
are a night owl.
If you are suspicious of someone’
s
actions, you may want to watch
him like a hawk or keep an eagle
eye on him. It may not be necessary
to clip his wings, but if his actions
make him seem silly as a goose or
crazy as a loon, you may realize he
has become an albatross around
your neck and you need to duck the
responsibility of watching him.
Be wary if you have invited some-
one out to eat and you have been
told she eats like a bird. A vulture is
a bird!
Though I am often reminded that I
am no spring chicken, I am not dead
as a dodo. No comment will make
me believe that I am a bird brain, and
I’
ll continue to wing it as I search for
more word play; after all, it is not as
scarce as hens’
teeth. ■
March 14 • 2019 5
jn
Sy Manello
Editorial Assistant
views
essay
Our Fine-Feathered Friends
JN editorial
Henry Ford: Let The Discussion End?
L
et the discussion begin.
”
With those words, Dearborn
Historian Editor Bill McGraw
hoped to start a conversation last
month about Henry Ford and how,
100 years after he purchased the
Dearborn Independent newspaper, its
virulently anti-Semitic content is very
much alive today and being used to
fuel hate sites across the web. And via
the Detroit Historical Commission’
s
modestly distributed quarterly pub-
lication (it has no digital platform),
McGraw was advancing a funda-
mental concept — “telling the whole
truth about our past, no matter how
unpleasant, and connecting local
events to what’
s happening in the
greater world.
”
The discussion ended before it
began. Dearborn Mayor John O’
Reilly
impounded the approximately 250-
copy press run with the explanation
that “… we want Dearborn to be
understood as it is today — a commu-
nity that works hard at fostering pos-
itive relationships within our city and
beyond. We expect city-funded pub-
lications like The Historian to support
these efforts. It was thought that by pre-
senting information from 100 years ago
that included hateful messages — with-
out a compelling reason directly linked
to events in Dearborn today — this
edition of The Historian could become
a distraction from our continuing mes-
sages of inclusion and respect.
”
The Dearborn Historical
Commission adopted a resolution
objecting to Mayor O’
Reilly’
s actions
and the respected McGraw’
s role as
editor would be no more. For 24 hours,
the story went viral, appearing in pub-
lications and on media sites around
the world. Was this a violation of the
First Amendment and its free speech
and press provisions? Or an attempt
to sanitize history? Was it a politically
calculated move to not offend the city’
s
large Middle Eastern population?
It was likely all of these. But at a
time when anti-Semitism is on the rise
and when fingers are pointed largely
at right-wing extremist groups, Mayor
O’
Reilly’
s claims of just wanting to be
inclusive and respectful while promot-
ing unity and understanding ring hol-
low. Heaven forbid exclusively calling
out anti-Semitism for what it was and
is! One need look no farther than the
problem Congressional Democrats
have had in addressing anti-Semitism
in their own caucus, especially among
their left-wing extremists.
While the news cycles may be short,
Mayor O’
Reilly’
s impoundment of the
Dearborn Historian, his feeble efforts
at justifying his actions and his “going
radio silent” on the subject will endure
at least as long as the content in the
Dearborn Independent. ■
The Dearborn Historian
Quarter
Quarte ly of t
y of t
y
he Dear
he Dear
e Dea born H
born Hi
rn Historica
storica
storical Commi
Commission
sion
ss
Autumn
Autumn 2018 \
018 \
2018
Volume
Volume 55, Num
5, Num
55, Number 3
er
ber 3
“The Jew is a
race that has
no civilization
to point to, no
aspiring religion, no
great achievement
in any realm.”
Henry Ford’s
Dearborn
Independent
Dear
Dearborn
born
I d
Inde
Inde
d
pend
pend
p
t
ent
ent
A Special Report: H
He
He
H nry
nry
n
For
Ford
Ford
ord and
nd
nd
d
nd
an
an ‘Th
‘Th
‘Th
‘Th
‘The
‘Th
The Int
Int
Int
Interna
erna
ern
r
ti
tional J
l J
Jew’
ew’
ew’
’
w
ew’
Henry Ford bought The Independ
epend
epend
ependent 10
ent 10
ent 10
en
0 year
0 year
0 year
0
s
s
s ago
s ago
s ago
s ago and us
nd us
and used it
ed it
ed it to att
to att
to att
o attack Je
k Je
ack Jews.
ws. Fo
ws. Fo
o
w
rd and
rd a
rd and
rd a
the paper are long gone, but
but the hat
hate he u
e he u
e u l
nleash
eash
sh
ashed flourishes in the Inter
ern
net age.
ge.
age.
g
For information,
contact Tracey Proghovnick
(248) 661-1836
jslmi.org
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