ESSAYS, STORIES, LETTERS, LINKS

Links to essays

Letters to the editor

Selections from my memoir, a work in progress

Excerpts from "The Time of Your Life" by William Saroyan (to be read at special family occasions)

The positive spirit of a place

The spirit of Claremont

The Oasis of Mara

Moshe Amon's website. Archived versions of the personal website of my good friend the political philosopher Moshe Amon (1930-2014)   

Letter to the editor, Los Angeles Times

Published June 18, 2015

READERS REACT: IN DEFENSE OF CALIFORNIA'S BEAR FLAG     

To the editor: The Bear Flag, in spite of its origins, is a striking symbol of a diverse and constantly changing state that needs strong symbols to hold it together as a political community. While Southern states’ flags based on Confederate banners can easily bring racism to mind, our Bear Flag is likely to evoke two positive ideas.

First, nature, and the need to protect it, is represented by the California grizzly bear, a subspecies extinct since the 1920s.

Second, California’s long tradition of political innovation within the federal system is suggested by the word “Republic.” What James Bryce wrote in “The American Commonwealth” in 1888 still holds true: “California, more than any other part of the Union, is a country by itself ... it has grown up in its own way and acquired a sort of consciousness of separate  existence.”

The Bear Flag flies over public buildings in every corner of the state. Long may it wave.

Ted Trzyna, Claremont

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Letter to the editor, Los Angeles Times

Published September 27, 2017

IN THE U.S. CAPITOL'S STATUARY HALL, REPLACE JUNIPERO SERRA WITH THOMAS STARR KING

To the editor: California is represented in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall by Serra and Ronald Reagan. The Times calls for removing Serra, but doesn’t suggest who should replace him.

Turns out there’s a statue ready to be sent to Washington, where a statue of Thomas Starr King stood alongside Serra’s from 1931 until it was replaced in 2009 by Reagan’s.

Starr King was a pivotal figure in our state’s history. A minister and powerful orator who spoke out against slavery in a state full of Confederate sympathizers, he was credited by Abraham Lincoln with keeping California in the Union.

The state Legislature should remove Serra and reinstate Starr King. Since Starr King’s statue now sits in the park that surrounds the State Capitol in Sacramento, this would involve little more than shipping expenses.

By replacing Serra with Starr King, California would make a strong and lasting statement for human rights and against slavery of all kinds.

Ted Trzyna, Claremont

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December 12, 2015

Understanding Sustainability Series of the Claremont Courier 

REPORT FROM PARIS: A CLAREMONTER AT THE CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

By Ted Trzyna

Try to imagine the U.S. Army patrolling Claremont’s Village Venture. I saw something like that in Paris in early December. Groups of French Army soldiers in battle dress, submachine guns held ready for combat, walked through the traditional Christmas market along both sides of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Police, gendarmes, and troops were posted throughout the city center, especially in places regarded as terrorist targets, sometimes in surprising ways. At the Museum of Jewish Art and History, I certainly expected a police presence, but found gun-toting soldiers not only along the street but in the museum itself.

I was in Paris for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, one of 45,000 people from over 200 countries who were accredited to the diplomatic area of the conference where the negotiations were held. I was only an observer, but had access to the plenary sessions, as well as hundreds of side events and exhibits. 

The conference was a success. However, when the agreement was approved on December 12, I couldn’t help thinking that there was an elephant in the room, a really big elephant in the huge meeting hall, something everyone present was aware of but few were willing to talk about openly: corruption. The agreement calls for many billions of dollars to be given to poor countries to help them cope with climate change. Many of the poorest countries are also among the most corrupt. Will their governments use this money to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect forests that absorb carbon dioxide, and adapt to the effects of climate change, or will it end up in the pockets of the elite? The agreement provides for a certain degree of reporting and verification, but more is needed, ideally along the lines of the inspections carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

Although California didn’t have a vote at the conference, Governor Jerry Brown addressed the plenary and it was clear that our state’s pioneering role in coping with climate change was widely appreciated. I was with Governor Brown and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a private reception midway in the proceedings. Among friends and allies they didn’t try to contain their excitement. Realizing how much our state is making a difference made me proud to be a Californian--and glad that our town is has taken a leadership role, for example in the Claremont Home Energy Retrofit Project (CHERP); through Sustainable Claremont’s participation in such efforts as the Energy Champions program, the Cool California Challenge, and the Georgetown University Energy Prize competition; and in teaching and research at the Claremont Colleges.

HOLD VC  VI    VII  VIII