Bonds Beyond Culture

AN OUTSTANDING AND UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP

As I have written repeatedly . . . I read all the COMMENTS and shorter emails. But, I am so overwhelmed with the number of emails that come into my In-Box, that I cannot possibly respond to them all. But I do try to respond to some.

BUT KNOW THIS . . . I do read them all.

VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMENT SECTION:

To guarantee and deliver a level of responsibility, veracity and demographic information to the readers, since it is interesting for people to read where the COMMENTERS are living (City and State/Province), it is equally important for people to TRUST the integrity of those who write COMMENTS.

In some cases . . . as you can read in the COMMENTS, there are people who in addition to living in the USA and Canada, live in South Africa, Belgium, South America, Australia and Israel . . . all of whom seem to share similar Conservative Values.

SO . . . PLEASE, when you are adding COMMENTS, make certain that you include:

1 – Your First and Last name.

2 – The City where you live.

3 – The State/Province . . . Or Country where you live.

This information will come up automatically when you POST your comment, but it is not always complete. So, it is important for your information to be updated.

You don’t have to make any changes to your Galganov Directory Information; I will make the changes for you. And from time to time, I will send people who post COMMENTS an email, asking for complete information to be sent by REPLY email.

If this information is not forthcoming, those people who choose not to update, but who still want to COMMENT . . . will be excluded from doing so.

RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS:

I don’t want to be a DOOMSAYER, but I also don’t want to be a POLLYANNA, since closing one’s eyes to a pending nightmare doesn’t make that nightmare go away, IT ONLY GOES TO MAKE IT WORSE.

And whether we choose to believe that it’s all going to crash down upon us, or choose NOT to believe in the collapse of our societies, the collapse will be inevitable if the way we allow our politicians to govern isn’t immediately turned around.

As I see it . . . we’ve already crossed the Rubicon, and our best salvation will be in our common relationships with people who share our VALUES.

AN OUTSTANDING AND UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP:

My GOOD FRIEND, and partner in “crime” . . . Pastor Gary Burd of the M25 Mission of Hope Motorcycle Riders and I are in many ways very different people, coming from extremely dissimilar backgrounds, yet, because of our Conservative VALUES, we find ourselves closer than anyone could imagine . . . certainly far closer than I would have believed possible not that long ago, during my Liberal years.

TRUE STORY WITH NO EMBELLISHMENTS WHATSOEVER:

I was invited by Gary Burd to participate in a Video Shoot in Georgia for the upcoming (July 2013) Dallas Pledge Ride at the North American Media Headquarters for the Pentecostal Church, where they have tremendous recording and video facilities.

Gary was there amongst a large number of Pastors from all across North America and beyond, who were taping their messages to the their individual Congregations.

Before leaving the hotel to record our Dallas Pledge Ride Video, Gary, myself, and his REALLY pretty wife Carolyn, who very much like my REALLY pretty wife Anne . . . is the cornerstone to his being, were chatting at breakfast when a Pastor, who recently retired as a Senior US Military Chaplin joined us.

He had no idea who I was. And the first question that came from him after saying hello to me was: From which congregation are you a Pastor . . .? Since virtually everyone there was a Pastor on a Media Mission.

For some reason, I guess it was just a kneejerk sense of humor . . . my immediate response to the retired Chaplin, without a second’s hesitation was . . . “I’m not Christian. I’m Jewish, and I’m here to convert you.

As I looked at his confused stare . . . and without missing a beat, Carolyn gently placed her hand on my forearm and said in her sweet Distinctive Texas Drawl: “Oh no Howard, it is us who are here to convert you.

The Chaplin stared in confusion, while Gary, Carolyn and I just about split a gut laughing.

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY:

Gary Burd and I never debate over religion. When we ride together, especially as a group, large or small, every time we take a break for gas, or whatever, Gary leads everyone in prayer, most of whom bow their heads and take a knee.

The Jewish Riders, stand very respectfully in silence, most of whom who are not religious like me, remove their caps. And after the Christian prayers are done, our Montreal Maccabee Leader recites a prayer in Hebrew, for our safe travels, while the Christians remain on bended knee in silence.

If that’s not mutually respectful . . . what is?

A VERY LONG RIDE JUST TO STAND WITH JEWISH FRIENDS:

On Friday August 29th, this coming year, which will be the first night of the Boca Pledge Ride in Scranton Pennsylvania, Gary Burd and some of his M25 RIDERS will ride all the way from Amarillo Texas, which is more than SIXTEEN HUNDRED MILES, just to be there with us for the Jewish Sabbath, and ride together all the way to Boca Raton, where the final stage of the Pledge Ride will be observed.

Not ONLY that, but Gary Burd, along with other Christian BIKERS (Pastor Gary Cope) in Wytheville Virginia, which is a GORGEOUS Shenandoah Valley City, have pulled-out all the stops for a major Pledge Ride Event, where the Police, Local Folk and Town Officials will participate in the Pledge of NEVER AGAIN to a Second Holocaust, and to the RIGHT of Israel and Jews to live in FREEDOM and SECURITY wherever they (we) happen to be.

HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE:

As you can read from the COMMENTS . . . the differences between the people who are COMMENTING in terms of location, culture, religion . . . etcetera, are huge, but, the difference in VALUES are basically NON-EXISTENT.

My friendship with Gary Burd and those who RIDE with him, and who are closest to him, just like the respect I have for all the Conservative people who visit my BLOG who share my VALUES, is without bounds, even though many of us are culturally and geographically light years apart.

But – that which brings us together . . . MAKES US INSEPARABLE.

Best Regards . . . Howard Galganov

Recommended Non-Restrictive
Free Speech Social Media:
Share This Editorial

One Comment

  1. From the beginning of this article I learned a few things that I didn’t know about Israel’s independence. I thought the British walked out in 1947 with an agreement with Roosevelt. Also I thought they resurrected damaged German tanks and field artillery to fight for freedom, but not amongst themselves. I absolutely LOVE Netanyahu’s platform. America needs one just like it!
    Larry Camp Graham, TX

Comments are closed.