On Feb 10, 2009, at 8:47 PM, John Weeks wrote:

> I sense Jerome's been listening to talk radio!
Jerome is very right wing. He doesn't even need talk radio, although
I know he listens to Dennis Prager:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Prager
I can't stand Prager. He moralizes, and of course, on talk radio he can set the rules of the conversation and pick the topics he wants and press the off button to turn off a caller. He has a mellow voice and purports to be "reasonable." He's not a shouter like some of
them, at least on the radio.
However, in the past year he was caught on video saying "equality is not an American value." He focused on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck-B30UlVH4

I don't think Carolyn gets into this with him. He reads the Weekly Standard (Bill Kristol is editor) which is always noticeable on the counter there with their mail. When they started going to the Episcopal church, I wondered what had changed. Carolyn said it was Dennis Prager. Of course, I realized that Prager promotes the observing of religion. However, unfortunately, he didn't want to continue going to the church after it recognized having a gay bishop, etc.
Also, when that comatose woman, Terri Schaivo, was a big issue here with Congress rushing back to Washington to support keeping her on life support as her parents wanted, which was opposed by her husband, Dad brought that issue up and it hit a raw nerve in Jerome. He talked about the culture of death, etc. (I think he got that from Prager.) 

Dad left the room and Carolyn, Jerome, and I were there (we were celebrating her birthday) and I suggested to Jerome that we could agree to disagree. However, he was really furious (but not loud) and said, with controlled anger, I was part of the culture of death or something like that. Dad noticed him shortly after that in the kitchen and he was shaking. Dad didn't know why. I told Dad later about it all when he mentioned seeing Jerome that way. I kind of steered clear of him for quite a while. Now he's warmed up to us again. He knows, I'm sure that we've been very supportive through all that's gone on with his family and with Natalie's problems. I think Carolyn is on the same wavelength with him as far as basic values and how to raise the children. However, I'm concerned that when the kids start questioning things and disagreeing with him
more as teens and adults, he'll have problems with that. He's very uptight about the whole thing with his mother. Apparently, Carolyn is a good moderator and he likes to have her there if difficult issues are discussed with his mother.
I hope that C and J, through work with the psychologist re: Natalie, can work on Jerome's issues at some time.