Goooooood morning Rotarians!  Welcome to the first meeting for the month of May 2015.  It’s always a welcoming sight to be greeted by Jane Dembert, Linwood Beckner, Col. Bill McGinnis, the reception desk, Jean Owens and the Rotary greeters.  Amid the usual first of the month confusion, first to find your table assignment on the new list and then to find your table with the numbers rearranged caused minor chaos. 

 

President Sigur called our Cinco de Mayo meeting to order right on time and Chip Vogan led us in dance (Mexican Hat Dance) and song, accompanied by Frank at the piano “God Bless America” and “Viva la Rotary” followed by a thoughtful General McArthur inspired prayer offered by Col. Bill Davis.  Dr. Ed Lilly announced Ann Baldwin fractured a vertebra while exiting Chrysler Hall and was back for the meeting today. 

 

Jean Owens introduced our guests, including Nancy Joslin. Rotary District Officer, Eleanor Schoonover hosted her daughter Catherine, Rodger Schoonover had as his guest Bill Lechler, the first non-Asian to head Sumitomo Industries here in Norfolk.  Capt. Jim O’Brien had as his guest Bill Campbell from the Veteran’s organization Healing Waters, and Lois Kercher had as her guest David Heacock. 

 

 

Bill Campbell of Project Healing Waters stood at the podium to thank the club for two grants including vices for building fishing lures and for supporting fishing trips for qualified veterans.

 

John Padgett was honored with his Rotary Paul Harris plus 3 pin and spoke for the Rotary Foundation “Every Rotarian, Every Year.” 

 

Chip Vogan led the club in song for the May birthday boys and girls, Admiral Rick Ruehe - May 3rd, Frank Graves – May 4^th, Jack Hornback – May 5th, Laurie Harrison – May 10^th, Gene Justice – May 15^th, Ed Lilly – May 18^th, Chef Tim McDougal –May 26^th, Bill McInnis – May 27^th, Dr. Steve Jones – May 30^th.

 

 

 

Vice President in charge of programs is Bryce Burton.  Rotarian of the day was Irv Wells.  Irv introduced fellow Rotarian, Rodger Schoonover, husband and subordinate of Eleanor Schoonover.  Rodger is a member of the Town Center Rotary Club in Virginia Beach.  A retired Naval Intelligence Officer, Rodger is an all-source analyst.  Mr. Schoonover, during the last five years of his service, specialized in Irregular Warfare, Terrorists (Snake Ears).  His duties involved intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance with heavy emphasis on surveillance and reconnaissance. 

 

Here are a couple of examples that he shared highlighting his duties:  There was a farmer in the middle of his farm at 2:00 a.m. with a shovel.  It was 95° Fahrenheit.  While suspicious, it was determined that the farmer was diverting water during a full moon to irrigate his crops at night because during the day the temperature reached 140° Fahrenheit.  The actions of the farmer were purely normal.  The second example was of a man digging a hole on the side of the road bearing a box probably containing an IED when an airstrike was called which blew up the box.  What was omitted was under interrogation the man could have provided information regarding IEDs in the box, where they came from, were there more, who made them, what family/what tribe did he come from, what was their names.

 

Mr. Schoonover explained, although politically incorrect, that people from the Middle East are different; they are not like Americans dressed in different clothing.  They have different religion, different language, different culture, different history, different education, different social structure, different values, literally a different way of thinking. 

 

He said the Middle East is group-centered rather than individual-centered.  Several examples were espoused by our speaker.  Democracy is not the same as in the West.  In the West we have a thousand years building democratic tradition.  In the Middle East democracy means one man, one vote, one time because the vote generally revolves around shall we have an Islamic government, an Islamic nation; how can you say no, to say no would be to deny your own religion so Iran became a dictatorship of the clergy. 

 

He stated the Middle East is a region of contrast; for example, the Yom Kippur War of 1967 was described as an Egyptian victory to be studied by armies throughout the world; that while the Egyptian army was in retreat and across the Negev Desert with the Israeli army about 20 kilometers in pursuit, the United States intervened and asked the Israeli army to let them go.  A middle-eastern woman fully dressed in a black burka, walking hand-in-hand with her daughter or young person in flip flops, shorts and a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, walking with a woman who would be appropriately dressed as a United States citizen walking on the streets of New York.

 

In 2002 the United Nations did a study of the economics of the Middle East.  If you take the gross domestic product of every Middle Eastern nation add them all together, subtract oil, the residual gross domestic product would be compared to less than Finland for that year.  It is an oil economy.  According to the Middle East we are accused of imperialism, not of taking over land but of spreading Western ideas and ideals. 

 

Mr. Schoonover’s last point was a visual aid of a triangle with a very small portion of a tip of the triangle colored red, he explained that the tip represented the wealth, power, the people that run things in the country, the businesses, all the connections, they own things and they have the guns.  The only exception is Israel and two half countries.  The lower portion of the triangle represents the powerless masses.  During questions and answers Jim Clary posed the question of “a lack of secularism” in the Middle East as a force and Bob Latimer posed the question “just why can’t we get along.”  Rodger Schoonover was warmly applauded in appreciation.  A book inscribed with his name was forwarded to James Monroe Elementary School in his honor.

 

Finally, Alan Nelson won the weekly pot with ticket #0401491, having selected the four of hearts; the big pot was saved for another day. 

 

President Sigur rang the bell adjourning the meeting and the crowd surged out onto the mean streets of Norfolk.