Today was one the most interesting days of the trip so far..and that is saying something! We not only visited the Food Bank of the Rockies to learn about hunger in America, but also met with Tom Mauser, father of Daniel, a victim of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings, to discuss gun control, and then met with Jim Pfaff, CEO of the Colorado Faith and Freedom Coalition, radio show host, and formerly with Focus on the Family, to discuss the Conservative perspective on issues such as same sex marriage, abortion, capitalism and global warming. We finished the educational part of the day with a wrap up discussion in the beautiful Garden of the Gods, an area of tall rock formations in Colorado Springs. We ended our day by going bowling.

At the food bank, they told us the alarming statistic that one in eight Americans is considered food insecure, and 42% of those are children. They answered all of our questions about hunger in America and the work that they do and also took us on a tour of their warehouse. At the end of our trip we are donating leftover food money to the Food Bank, as we learned that just $1 can provide 4 substantial meals. It was good to see where our donation was going to go.

Before our next meeting we had some time to play in the park. My favorite part of the day was our meeting with Tom Mauser. Our group was amazed by his strength and ability to talk about his son after the tragedy of Columbine. He even wore his son’s shoes when he spoke to us. After the tragedy at Columbine, Tom went on to be a gun control lobbyist in Colorado. At the evening wrap up, many shared that Mr. Mauser had swayed them to a pro-gun control stance. This will be tested by our meeting on Thursday with the National Rifle Association (NRA).

playing in a park before our meeting with Tom Mauser

Our final meeting of the day was with Jim Pfaff. While I disagreed with most of what he said regarding same sex marriage, abortion, climate change, and economics, it was impressive how he held his ground on every issue and answer every question we posed. The most impressive part of the whole experience though, was the discussions the erupted on the issues discussed by Mr. Pfaff as soon as we got on the bus after the meeting, which really reminded me why I am on this trip.

Climbing on the rock formation at Garden of the Gods
Bowling after a big day of meetings
bowling with Carlton our bus driver

One of our biggest days on this journey started at 7:15 AM in Denver. After being woken up by Jonah we boarded the bus to make our way to Kaiser Permanente, a health insurance company. During the meeting an interesting question was asked, is health insurance a right or a privilege? The woman’s answer is that it is a right, but it wasn’t an affordable right. However, I was not satisfied with the answer. If it is a right, then everyone should have access to it. After we concluded our meeting, they gave us water bottles and we got on the bus.

discussing health insurance at Kaiser Permanente

We then went to a park where we played football, threw the frisbee and just chilled. About a half hour later we met a man named Tom Mauser, whose son was killed during the Columbine massacre. He has devoted his life to being a gun control advocate. He has battled the NRA for ten years and has been arrested twice due to his protests. Mr. Mauser told us his ideas about gun control. I found it interesting that he didn’t want the banning of guns but, rather, he just wants restrictions. All he wants is to make sure that before someone is given a gun that there is a background check to make sure they are mentally stable. Thanks to him and others, you can’t buy a gun at a gun show without a background check in Colorado anymore. Tom also told us stories about young children who were able to get their parents guns and kill either other kids or their parents. Tom Mauser wants guns locked away from minors. The thing that was so meaningful to me during the meeting was that Tom was wearing his son’s shoes…the same ones that he was wearing the day he was killed. He said it was his way of having his son at these discussions and “walking in his shoes.” Mr. Mauser’s opinions had very good reasoning and I agreed with everything that he said. Meeting him was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.

Tom Mauser talking about Columbine and gun control

After we spoke to Tom, we got back on the bus and went to lunch at a burger place called “The Counter.” At the restaurant, we got to customize our own meals. After a delicious grilled chicken sandwich we got back on the bus and headed down to Colorado Springs where an interesting meeting was going to take place.

We arrived at a park in Colorado Springs which was the setting of our most heated debate. We met with Jim Pfaff who has worked with a group called Focus on the Family and is a right wing religious Conservative. The meeting started off with him giving some history of how the religious right started and where its ideas come from. He then told us his opinions on abortion, gay marriage and even global exchange. Jim thought that homosexuals should not be able to get married or adopt children. Even though I didn’t agree with him, he had stats to back him up. One of the surprising things that Jim said was that he is able to have friends who are gay, even his brother is, and still have his opinions. Being on opposite ends of the political spectrum, I am surprised that Jim and his brother can put their differences aside and still be close. Although some people in our group had issues with what he was saying and even how he was saying it, I thought he was being passionate and I thought he was one of our best speakers thus far.

learning about the religious right from Jim Pfaff

continuing the discussion with Mr. Pfaff

After our meeting with Mr. Pfaff we went to a red rock formation called Garden of the Gods, where we were able to hike and climb on the rocks. The sights from being on the rocks were amazing. After taking some pictures we noted that the beautiful scenery sometimes didn’t even seem real. Before we started our wrap up of the day, one of my fellow journeyers suggested that we just sit in silence for a few moments and just take it all in. After that we spoke about our most meaningful parts of the day. Going to Garden of the Gods was a great way to relax after powerful day.

After going back to the bus we went to dinner where we had a choice of Panda Express, Schlotskys Deli or Chipotle. We ended the day with bowling and everyone had a great time. After two games we got on the bus and went back to the hotel for some free time. As I write this, I can see the snowcapped Rocky Mountains. This city is truly unbelievable.

Although I took over 5 pages of notes at each of the meetings we attended or issue we discussed, I am still at an uncharacteristic loss for words. Etgar, the Hebrew word for “challenge”, really does push a teenager to new extremes. It encourages psychological expansion and exploration of young and vulnerable minds. I personally believe this idea as the mission statement for the summer journey of Etgar 36. This commitment to the future of our country is the set up for an influential, inspirational and, most importantly, controversial June 8th.

The United States of America is fueled on controversy and differences. Changes in society can only be achieved is there is someone to point out a flaw.

Our first meeting with Kaiser Permanente, a major health provider in just about every region of the country, really exposed the differences in opinion between the different participants of Etgar 36. This meeting was in response to watching Michael Moore’s “Sicko” earlier. Personally, I find that fantastic. We were escorted into a typical conference room with long tables and comfortable swivel chairs. Our speaker was a very elegant, poised and well dressed woman. While listening to her presentation, I began to think about something I saw in “Sicko”. Was she the heartless insurance agent that would turn down a dying person without blinking? Does she have regard for human life? Surprisingly, she admitted that the American health insurance system is flawed. Our speaker said, “I think there is some real unfairness when it comes to how individual health care is written.” Personally I agree with her statement but the meeting also solidified my stance that universal health care is not the response. I feel that quality will decrease, waiting time for appointments will increase, and doctor salaries will decrease which makes it harder for them to pay off the massive cost of medical school. Kaiser Permanente is a non-profit company which insures 12 million people. 96% of the billions of dollars in their revenue is used for overhead and health care. The remaining 4% is put back in the community or used for the advancement of business. Many felt that the entire 4% should be put back into the community. We discussed the policies that the two presidential candidates are putting forth and we were split over who we supported.

After leaving the office building, we went to the state Capitol which is officially located one mile above sea level. We had our group discussion on the issue of gay marriage to get us prepared for our meeting with the Colorado Family Institute. Our staff played devil’s advocate with everyone’s comments to make sure all sides were presented and understood. After all, a one sided discussion can’t take off from the ground.

We then had free time to roam around the 16^th Street pedestrian mall in downtown. It is filled with shops and restaurants. We were able to shop, get lunch and just unwind after the talks this morning.

Then we went to Colorado Springs which has a very large conservative population as well as the headquarters for Focus on the Family. They set the agenda for the Religious Right. We met with Jim Pfaff, who runs the Colorado Family Institute which is affiliated with Focus on the Family. His institute is a Christian based conservative lobbying organization. They believe that life begins at conception, marriage is the unification of one man and one woman, are against Judicial activism, believe parents should be the first educators of children, and no sphere of life should prohibit the expression of religion.

Our discussion with him focused on the issue of gay marriage. Mr. Pfaff, being a lobbyist, is a brilliant orator. Although he had many points, his main point was that men and women bring different qualities to a marriage and that makes it ideal. Although I agree with his statement, I personally believe children raised by same sex parents can turn out as beneficial to society as babies raised by a heterosexual couple. Mr. Pfaff also felt that homosexuality is a choice and the burden of proof is on showing that it is not a choice. While many of us disagreed with Mr. Pfaff on many of his points, we were able to walk away admiring his oratory skills and that he took time to meet and speak frankly with a group in which he knew many would disagree with him. In the end we learned that you can agree to disagree.

We ended the day by visiting the red rock formation appropriately called “Garden of the Gods”. It was beautiful. We had our wrap up discussion there and then had a great time bowling. It was a great day filled with controversy, emotion, downtime and fun!