But not just ANY clowns

Sometimes after "Goldmember" (a waste of time) and complete unconsiousness, I heard one of the clowns explaining to another passenger his theory of global politics. It was very familiar - filled with the sort of loose "anti-world-bank, 30,000 children die every day so we can drive our SUVs" sort of far left stuff. If anything, it should have put me even deeper to sleep. But something kept nagging me about this clown. Part of it was that he resembled, in some small way, a friend of ours named Conrad, a rangy, Oregonian hippe blacksmith of great wisdom and humor. But there was something else familiar about him as well.

Later on, while reading the Jerusalem Post, I realized why. This was no ordinary hippie clown; this was Patch Adams himself - the original, not the Robin Williams version. He was on this plane with fellow clowns from his Geshunteidt Institute (great name, huh?) on thir way to offer cheer to kids hospitalized because of terrorist attacks.

I don't agree with Dr. Adams' politics. But I honor his menchlecheit, his humanity. It's a grand mitzvah, to visit the sick, as any Jew knows. But to bring cheer is even better, and I wish these clowns luck. But it'll take a lot more than balloons and honking noses and old fashioned leftist reactionary cant to solve this particular series of wounds.